[treat bag tag]

A cute little tag to include in a gift baggie of Swedish fish candies.
 

[tree of life poster]

(See the previous post.) 

Another Lemonite image. Good for cupcake toppers, for example.

I also made this tree of life poster and printed it size 20 x 30". When the Primary children give talks, they will write their name on the fruit and stick it on the tree. (Yes, it should be white but I couldn't find a white tree image to use.)

 

[Defeat the Lemonites Primary activity]

 

As I was browsing for ideas for our Book of Mormon theme Primary activity, somewhere I saw the idea of Lemonites (Lamanites). The first image can be used for the invite. Here are some ideas we have so far for our activity:

Print large Lemonites on cardstock. Tape to the gym floor (with painters' tape, of course) and cover with a clear plastic tablecloth. Use beanbags to "defeat the Lemonites (if you land the beanbag on the lemon).

We are making Nephi's bow and arrows using q-tips and small elastics. We will tape Lemonites on the wall and the children can try to shoot at them. The tutorial can be found here:

q-tip bow and arrow

We are going to have some sort of sword fighting activity as well using pool noodles as swords.

Of course you'll have to serve lemonade and other lemon related treats.

[like rain drops from clouds]

A few weeks ago, a neighbor asked me why the Bible is not enough for us Latter-Day Saints. We had a really nice discussion about it. I later made this handout to collect ideas about what to say to people about the Book of Mormon and other scriptures we have. Many people think that the Bible makes a person a Christian but the early Christians didn't even have the Bible as it was put together later on.

I don't know why people think the Bible must be the only scripture. For example, if someone found the writings of the other 2/3 early Apostles, would they accept those writings as scripture? I'm so grateful that I know that God still speaks to us, His children. The heavens are not closed. Revelation flows down to Earth just like raindrops from clouds.

I forgot one important resource from my own list: 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "My Words...Never Cease"

[armed with the power of God]

What power is Nephi talking about? Are women included in the "saints of the church" or "the covenant people of the Lord"? How can we make sure we are armed with that power? What should we do once we are armed with that power?

I made a coloring page so you can ponder this mighty verse from the Book of Mormon while coloring.

[Come Follow Me 2020 - Lehi's dream]

I love this bookmark/handout I made about Lehi's dream and what we need to do to endure to the end.

We need to continually hold on to the rod of iron and to press forward against any opposition we face.

We need to feel our way through the mist of darkness with the help of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we won't see clearly but we can feel what is right with the help of the Spirit.

We know we have the Spirit with us when we feel the fruits of the Spirit.

We need to keep partaking the fruit of the tree. The Atonement of Jesus Christ, our ordinances and covenants, feel the love of God in our lives. I find it interesting that the Book of Mormon says "partake" the fruit. The same word is used in the sacrament prayers. When do we feel the love of God the most? When we partake of the sacrament with a broken heart and a contrite spirit and feel the love and mercy of God as we are forgiven of our sins.

We should ignore the world and the people who mock and persecute us. We need to focus on living the gospel and notice the blessings that come from it.

The more we realize how wonderful and amazing the fruit is, the more we will want to share the gospel. 

I just noticed that I forgot to include one picture - a picture of a person kneeling in prayer. Lehi says that the people "fell down" at the tree. To me, that symbolizes humility, acknowledging our dependence on our Savior, always praying for protection and guidance, giving thanks to God for the tree and its most precious fruit. 

I already printed the handouts but I just might have to redo them. The kneeling/prayer is that important.

Here's is the updated handout. I make four columns in a Microsoft Word document and add the pictures. My photo editing program's collage maker doesn't allow various sizes of photos to be added like this. I print the handout on glossy photo paper.

[Come Follow Me 2020 - The Book of Mormon]

I loved studying the New Testament in more depth in 2019 and now I'm excited that it's the Book of Mormon's turn. 

Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler shared the cell phone comparison quote in their YouTube video. I changed it just a little bit - instead of "we", I wrote "you". I'm not sure who the original author is so if anyone knows, please let me know so that I can give credit to the author.

[October 2017 General Conference quotes]

I was asked to do one of the bulletin boards in the church hallway long time ago. I finally got around switching the quotes. Need to do it more often. I think it's important that those who are in the hallway for one reason or another (noisy kids...) have something uplifting to read. 

[Jesus' voice]

This is the scripture from this week's reading that has been on my mind a lot. When Jesus spoke at this time, it was to people who had planned to kill his servants. This small verse in the Book of Mormon is a great lesson to all of us. We need to have mild, soft voices when we speak to people around us. Especially when we talk to our children.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's talk "The Tongue of Angels" from April 2007 General Conference goes well with this scripture.

1 Kings 19:11-12
"And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

[scripture coloring page]

I teach adult Sunday School at church and part of this week's lesson will be to challenge the members to start a scripture study journal of some kind. This is my example for them how we can remember the things that stand out for us. I picked my favorites from the chapters we are studying and made this coloring page. Who says scripture study needs to be boring? 

[What can you learn from the war chapters in the Book of Mormon?]

[written for our day]

{the book of mormon}

President Ezra T. Benson:

...If they saw our day and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, “Why did the Lord inspire Mormon (or Moroni or Alma) to include that in his record? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?”

And there is example after example of how that question will be answered. For example, in the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ’s coming to America. By careful study of that time period, we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet.

From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?

Ensign, November 1986