Blog Tag: Gospel Principles
2582
Written by
14
Come Follow Me: Alma 32–35 “Plant This Word in Your Hearts”
Praying to Heavenly Father
Prayer. In a year where we are returning to "Gospel Principles," this is THE gospel principal. It's the earliest lesson in primary ("Fold your arms and close your eyes") and yet as we grow older, the conversation only grows richer, deeper, and sometimes more painful and confusing. How do we speak to God? How does He speak to us?
So how would I approach this lesson? Well . . . prayerfully. As Spencer W. Kimball said, "The Lord answers our prayers, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.” That someone can be a...
765
Written by
Gospel Principles 7: The Holy Ghost
We had some miscommunication about which volunteer would put up the lesson this week, so I thought I'd throw a question out there that might be interesting to discuss. I'm hoping that another blogger or two will add to this post with their own question in the next day or two.
Above all, we need you teachers out there to comment and contribute your own ideas for the lesson. Thank you!
1.) I was personally interested in the role of the Holy Ghost. This is what the lesson says. "The mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and...
991
Written by
Gospel Principles 6: The Fall of Adam and Eve
by mraynes
One of the things I truly love about Mormonism is our doctrine surrounding the fall of Adam and Eve. I would start my lesson by highlighting our knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and how it allows us to see the beauty and love in a story that is vilified by so many others. (note: my thoughts and questions will appear in italics.)
Adam and Eve were the first to come to Earth
I like the suggestion in the manual to use questions to start a discussion that will lead class members to the text of the scriptures. To get...
545
Written by
Gospel Principles 5: The Creation
Guest Post by Vada
The Creation
I love the opening of this lesson, and would probably read it verbatim. Say that we’re talking about God’s plan for us, and ask the follow-up question about why we needed to come to the earth. You’ll probably get the standard answers of needing to receive bodies and needing to progress and learn so we could be like our Heavenly Parents. Then go on to read the paragraph that follows, as well as its follow-up question.
God’s Plan for Us
• Why did we need to come to the earth?
When we lived as spirit children with our...
547
Written by
Gospel Principles 4: Freedom to Choose
by Caroline
For all you Relief Society teachers out there, I have one important piece of advice. Do yourself a favor and buy some Chieko Okazaki books. (They can be bought used on Amazon for a couple of dollars, usually.) Invariably, whenever I need to come up with a lesson or a talk on any topic, Chieko Okazaki comes through with something profound, something insightful, something wonderful to say. Given the spartan manual we're now using, her insights might prove doubly helpful to teachers.
Introduction
I like brainstorming questions to start out lessons. I think it gets people comfortable and immediately involved....
847
Written by
Gospel Principles 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior
By Kelly Ann (“Chapter 3: Jesus Christ, Our Chosen Leader and Savior,” Gospel Principles, (2009),13–16)
“I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.”
I have always enjoyed the Book of Mormon passages like the above from 2 Nephi 33:6 that testify of Jesus Christ. Having belted the words to Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam all through primary, I was surprised as a child the first time I was told that I was not a Christian by my best friend who was the daughter of a minister. I remember...
621
Written by
Gospel Principles 2: Our Heavenly Family
by Aimee
For those of you planning lessons using the Gospel Principles manual for the first time, you may want to look at the great advice Amelia and EmilyCC put together here and here for tips on ways to help flesh out these lessons for meaningful discussion.
Surprisingly, I already had the chance to teach this lesson in my own Relief Society class last week as our Stake decided to combine lessons 1 and 2. As a guinea pig, I was able to learn a few things that worked well in this lesson and am happy to pass them on to...
1173
Written by
Gospel Principles 1: Our Heavenly Father
by EmilyCC
We've noticed that people have been a little nervous about starting this new manual, so I've put in more material here than is necessary. Pick and choose what you find most helpful.
I think this it's helpful to remember that these lessons aren’t designed to be a lecture but a discussion. And, with a topic like God, this is particularly important because it would be pretty awful to hear one teacher pontificate on the nature of God for the full class period. We all have different ways we experience God that are meaningful to each of us. So, this lesson...
1321
Written by
Relief Society Lessons: Preparing for the New Lesson Manuals
by EmilyCC
So...those new lessons in the Gospel Principles lesson manual.
Short and sweet, right? 🙂
We've had a few emails and comments from troubled Relief Society teachers who are worried about the new format. Rest assured, Kelly Ann will be leading our bloggers as we continue to do lesson outlines (starting Tuesday, January 5th) and count on our faithful readers to chime in with their excellent suggestions.
This new lesson format appears to espouse what we at the Exponent have said since we began our lesson outlines...class should be a discussion, not a lecture. While the lessons are much shorter than our old prophet...
What is Exponent II?
Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.
Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”
For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.
