5Min.FHE Lesson-Agency

Mary & Martha

5 Minute FHE - Agency

Lesson from Dad’s Night: 

Fantastic Family Nights in Five Minutes 

by Trina Boice

Song:  Choose the Right Way (Children Songbook, pg. 160)

Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Quote: “While the freedom to choose involves the risk of mistakes, it also offers the opportunity, through our Father’s plan, to overcome them” (Spencer J. Condie, “Agency: The Gift of Choices,” Ensign, Sept. 1995, 16–22).

Visual Aid: Mary & Martha – Gospel Art Book #45 

 

Supplies: bag of Legos, bag of sticks, sign that says, “Good choices,” sign that says, “Bad choices,” Jenga or building blocks

Video:  Mormon Messages - The Freedom to . . . 

 

Principle:  The right to choose between good and evil and to act for ourselves is called agency. By following Jesus Christ, we are choosing eternal life and liberty. If we follow Satan, we are selecting evil and eternal captivity. One of the purposes of mortality is to show which choices we’ll make, so there must be opposition in all things for us to exercise agency. While we are free to make choices, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. What good is having someone who can walk on water if you don’t follow in His footsteps?

Lesson: Give someone a bag marked, “Good Choices” (filled with Legos). Give another volunteer a second bag marked “Bad Choices” (filled with broken sticks). Ask them to build the best house they can with what they were given. Talk about how it’s difficult to build a good life out of bad choices.

Activity: Set up a game of Jenga or Stak Attack, or simply stack up wooden blocks in a weave pattern where you pull out the blocks and restack them on top until the tower tumbles. Invite the family to remove one of the blocks and mention a commandment we need to obey. As you play the game, discuss the consequences of disobedience. Eventually, the tower will fall, and so will our spirituality when we continue to choose evil over good.

Game: Each person thinks of something to act out that represents either a good choice or a bad choice in life, and the rest of the family has to guess what it is.

Refreshment Activity:  Ice Cream Sundaes with a variety of toppings -- Each person makes a sundae for another family member trying to CHOOSE the topping they want – or let each person make their own sundae and only CHOOSE 3 toppings.

Closing Song:  Choose the Right (Hymn #239)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Click here to download lesson on Agency

Enter to win - What is your favorite Ice Cream Toppings?  

Tell me in a comment, with your email address.  

Follow this blog by email and I'll give you an extra 2 entries (mention that too).  

I'll select one winner using Random.org 

to get a FREE copy of the book  

Dad's Night: Fantastic Family Nights in 5 Minutes.

Blog Tour Giveaway - My Loving Vigil Keeping by Carla Kelly

Are you a Carla Kelly Fan? 

Then get ready for her next great read!  

If you haven't read Carla Kelly yet, 

you'll be a fan once you read 

My Loving Vigil Keeping!

Published by Cedar Fort , Inc.

About the Book:  Della's giving up all the comforts of bustling Salt Lake City to teach school in a rural coal mining camp. Little does she know, she may soon be giving up her heart as well. But when tragedy strikes in the Scofield Mine, Della's life is changed forever. Based on true events, this thrilling new romance from award-winning and bestselling author Carla Kelly is a must-read!

About the Author:   Award-winning author Carla Kelly is a veteran of the New York and international publishing world. The author of more than thirty novels and novellas for Donald I. Fine Co., Signet, and Harlequin, Carla is the recipient of two Rita Awards (think Oscars for romance writing) from Romance Writers of America and two Spur Awards (think Oscars for western fiction) from Western Writers of America.  She won the 2011 Best Romance Whitney Award for Borrowed Light.

 Following the “dumb luck” principle that has guided their lives, the Kellys recently moved to Wellington, Utah, from North Dakota and couldn’t be happier in their new location. In her spare time, Carla volunteers at the Railroad and Mining Museum in Helper, Utah. She likes to visit her five children, who live here and there around the United States. Her favorite place in Utah is Manti, located after a drive on the scenic byway through Huntington Canyon.

And why is she so happy these days? Carla is enjoying writing for an LDS audience now, where she feels most at home.

Kay's Kritique: Carla Kelly has done it again!  I read my first Carla Kelly novel in 2011, became a fan, have loved every book I've read - and My Loving Vigil Keeping is no exception.  Della has spunk and a good sense of humor like surviving the flatbed ride up the steep Winter Quarters Canyon, surrounded closely by Miners to keep her from falling off. Then she is thrown from the flatbed into the arms of a miner on the loading dock to get off.  Realizing "that everyone on the loading dock had seen more than 2 inches above her ankles and both of her petticoats, she mentally discarded the Rules for Teachers," which she had read on the train trip there.  And so it goes . . . Another 5 star read from Carla Kelly!

Giveaway Details:

I'm giving away 1 Copy of My Loving Vigil Keeping, if the winner lives in the US/Canada or if an International winner they will receive an eBook copy.

Super Simple to Enter:

Just Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (GFC) and leave me a comment with your email below.

You can have extra entries as follows:

1 extra entry for every Carla Kelly book you've read - list the titles in a comment.
2 extra entries for Following this blog by Email
2 extra entries for Sharing this giveaway on Facebook - leave link
2 extra entries for "Liking" our NEW LDS Book & Things Facebook Page - click to "Like"

REMEMBER THE EMAIL ADDRESS in your comment(s)
The winners will be selected using Random.org
Last day to enter is Friday, August 3, 2012
Winner will be announced Monday, August 6, 2012
on my Facebook page
("Friend" me while you are there)
Thanks for stopping by
Feel free to browse around the blog while you are here

 

Click Here for all My Loving Vigil Keeping Blog Tour Stops

5Min.FHE-Pioneers All-Our Pioneer Heritage

5 Minute FHE - Pioneers All - Our Pioneer Heritage

Shall We Not Go On In So Great a Cause

Song:  Pioneer Children Sang as They Walked  (Children Songbook, pg. 214)

Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Scriptures: D&C 128:22 & D&C 136:4

Trek West

Visual Aid: Trek West (Gospel Art Book, pg. 101)

Lesson: More than a century and a half has passed since tens of thousands of pioneers sailed across oceans to heed a prophet’s call to gather to Zion. They left family and friends; they pulled handcarts across the plains; they grew a city out of a desert. Most important, the pioneers left a legacy of perseverance, faith, and sacrifice.

Today most members are not asked to make the same physical sacrifices as the pioneers, but Saints in every nation can be “pioneers all,” President Thomas S. Monson has said, as they meet suffering with courage, inspire faith in others, and do hard things that are necessary to gain eternal salvation and build the kingdom of God on earth (“Pioneers All,” Ensign, May 1997, 93).

Videos:

Thought Question: The Oxford English Dictionary defines a pioneer as: “one who goes before, showing others the way to follow." How are you being a Modern Pioneer? Give every family member a chance to share their thoughts.

Closing Song:  Come, Come, Ye Saints (Hymn #30)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Activity:  Play some pioneer games from the handout from www.historicnauvoo.net - 
Click to download - Pioneer Pastimes

Refreshments:  Pioneer Cookies from www.allrecipes.com
 

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Cream together butter or margarine, brown sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix well.
2. Stir in flour and baking soda. Blend well. Mix in one cup oatmeal and stir. Add in raisins and mix well.
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 - 12 minutes

Click to download Pioneers All Lesson with Dessert

Click to download Pioneer Pastimes

5Min.FHE-Faith

5 Minute FHE - Faith

Lesson from Dad’s Night: FantasticFamily Nights in Five Minutes 

by Trina Boice

Song:  Faith (Children Songbook, pg. 96)

Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Quote: “We cannot have faith without belief, but we can believe without having faith. Belief is the foundation of faith. Faith is trusting in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ” (O. Leslie Stone, “The Constant Exercise of Our Faith,” Ensign, July 1973).

Visual Aid: The Brother of Jared Sees the Finger of theLord– Gospel Art Book #318

Video:  “Faith—the Choice Is Yours,” by Richard C. Edgley

Supplies: various objects of different weights, 3 balloons, small jars with lids, whipping cream.

Principle:  The first principle of the gospel isn’t simply faith, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is believing in Him with our spiritual eyes when we haven’t seen Him with our physical eyes. It is a principle of action that compels us to pray, be obedient, and trust in His promises. We increase our faith by testing and studying His words. Faith has power to move mountains, perform miracles, and prove us worthy to see God.

Lesson: Ask someone to lift objects of various sizes and weights. Some objects should be light and easy, and others should be quite difficult to lift. Ask the family what they could do to help him without touching his weights. Ask how building faith is like building muscle. Talk about what kind of exercises could be done to strengthen faith. Ask how our faith can help us lift our heavy burdens in life.

Activity: Ask for three volunteers. Have the first person blow up a balloon with a tiny bit of air and then pinch the balloon shut with her fingers to hold the air in for a few minutes. The second volunteer blows up his balloon about half full, and the third volunteer blows up her balloon until completely full. Explain that the balloons represent our spirits and the air going in them represents faith. One by one, have each volunteer un-pinch their balloons, allowing them to fly across the room. The first balloon didn’t have much faith and couldn’t go very far. The third balloon had a lot of faith and could really fly, but without much direction. Talk about how we have to be not only “filled” with the Holy Ghost but also “guided” by the Lord so we’ll go in the right direction.

Game: Pass out some small jars filled with whipping cream. Ask the family if they have faith that the cream can turn into butter. Explain that faith isn’t just believing in something but that it leads to action. Have everyone shake the jars while you take turns sharing faith-building stories or watch Church videos until the cream turns into sweet butter. Talk about how faith requires patience and waiting because we often don’t see the reward until much later. Before the lesson ends, pass out blueberry zucchini muffins that the butter can be served on for all to enjoy.

Closing Song:  When Faith Endures (Hymn #128)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Refreshments:  Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
From Real Mom Kitchen by Laura Powell

    1 1/2 cups zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini) grated, squeezed and drained
    3/4 cup brown sugar
    1/4 cup Mazola canola oil
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1 egg
    1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
    1 teaspoon Argo baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon Spice Island Ground Saigon Cinnamon
    1 cup blueberries

1. Mix the zucchini, sugar, oil, sour cream and egg in a bowl.
2. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix.
4. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Pour the batter into muffin tins.  You could do 18 but I did 12.
6. Bake in a preheated 350* oven until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.


Click here to down load 5Min.FHE Lesson on Faith w/Blueberry Zucchini Muffin Recipe

2012 EFY - Know Anyone Going? - Giving away 3 CDs

Know anyone going to EFY?  

 MAKE IT A KEEPSAKE!

2012 EFY CD

Did you know that this year the EFY CD will NOT be given to the youth going to EFY?

Get one now - They can take it with them to EFY and get it signed by all their friends and the speakers. It will then be a keepsake heirloom they'll want to keep.

The 2012 EFY album, Arise & Shine Forth features David Osmond, Tim Gates, William Joseph and many more. The uplifting songs take a modern approach to both upbeat pop songs and slower, reverent tunes. The perfect gift for teens, missionaries, and even mom and dad! 

I've got 3 to give away!  

 Super Simple to Enter:
Just Follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (GFC) and leave me a comment with your email below.

You can have extra entries as follows:

1 extra entry for Following by Email
2 extra entries for Sharing this giveaway on Facebook - leave link
2 extra entries for "Liking" our NEW LDS Book & Things Facebook Page - click to "Like"

List your extra entries in SEPARATE comments - REMEMBER THE EMAIL ADDRESS
The winners will be selected using Random.org
Last day to enter is Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Winner will be announced Friday, July 20, 2012
on my Facebook page
("Friend" me while you are there)
Thanks for stopping by
Feel free to browse around the blog while you are here

5Min.FHE-Being Kind

5 Minute Family Home Evening Idea

 (to print this lesson click on the title on the next line)

Being Kind is Doing and Saying Nice Things to Others

Choose the Right FHE

Lesson from  

Choose the Right: 

A year of FHE lessons

By Kimiko Hammari

Song:  Kindness Begins With Me (Children Songbook, pg. 145)

Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Scriptures: Galatians 5:13 and Mosiah 4:15

Visual Aid: Service (Gospel Art Book, pg. 115)

Lesson:  Jesus said love everyone. Treat them kindly too. When your heart is filled with love, others will love you.”   You’ve probably heard or sung that song recently. But have you done what it says to do? Have you been kind to others? Jesus taught that the first and greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to “love thy neighbor as thyself ” (Matthew 22:39).

One of the ways we can show love and kindness to others is saying nice things to them. We can tell them that we appreciate them, that they look nice, or that we admire their talents.  But being kind is much more than just saying nice things. We must also show kindness in our actions. Did you know that if you smile at someone he might be happier the rest of the day? Or that if you help your mom prepare dinner she will know that you love her?  Our words and actions teach people who we really are. If we are kind to others, they will know that we want to follow Jesus Christ.

Thought Questions:  Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 13:4.

•      What is charity?

•      How does it make us kind?

Challenge:  Be kind to your siblings this week. Each time you are tempted to say an unkind word, stop yourself and say something kind instead.

Closing Song:  Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words (Hymn #232 )

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Activity for All Ages: Take turns saying something nice about each family member. One of the parents starts by throwing a ball or another soft object to one of the children. Each family member says something kind about that person. Then the child who received the compliments throws the ball to another family member. Continue this pattern until everyone has received compliments.

Refreshments:  Hot Fudge Pudding Cake in a Slow Cooker - keep your kitchen cool!

 Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

365 Days of Slow Cooking

from 365 Days of Slow Cooking 

by Karen Bellessa Petersen

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup flour

3 Tbsp cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1 3/4 cups boiling water

Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, flour, 3 Tbsp cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk, butter, and vanilla. Spread over the bottom of slow cooker. Mix together 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over mixture in slow cooker. Pour in boiling water. Do not stir. Cover and cook on HIGH 2-3 hours, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Makes 8 servings.

Click here to print entire lesson w/dessert - Being Kind

Summer Reads Giveaway Hop

Welcome to my Summer Reads Giveaway Hop!

It's Summer!

Are we having fun yet?

This is a very patriotic time of year and also a fun time of year.

There are over 150 blogs giving away a book related item.

This one on mine is a really fun read.

I'm giving away a 

personalized, signed copy

of 

What Would the Founding Fathers Think?

by my friend

David Bowman

About the Book:  History, politics, government—they’re not just for grown-ups anymore. Today’s teens are about to be handed a collapsing nation and it’ll be their job to fix it. Enter David Bowman. With wit, humor, and sound judgment, he skillfully illustrates America’s biggest problems and presents an interactive guide to understanding them that’s so much fun adults will want to read it too!

About the Author:   David Bowman’s passion is teaching and working with youth. He has taught at a high school level and is a popular youth motivational speaker, traveling around the country to speak at various venues. David is the author/illustrator of several books for young audiences, including the best-selling Who’s Your Hero series. In addition, David is the artist of the Christian art series titled “Expressions of Christ."  David is also passionate about restoring this nation back to its founding principles. Along with authoring this book, he is actively involved with the American Academy for Constitutional Education and other conservative groups. David and his wife, Natalie, and their four children live in Arizona. 

Kay's Kritique:  Travel with George Washington, James Madison & Benjamin Franklin as they hop into one of Ben's inventions - Franklin's Fantastic Future Forecaster.  The expression on their faces as they look into our time is illustrated on the cover of the book.  Then Benjamin shows them a contraption in his time machine - They will be able to Share Knowledge w/Young People Everywhere - Benjamin says he calls that (SKYPE) for short.  As the young people have questions, they Can Have A Turn and their words will appear for this Trio  - Benjamin calls this "CHAT"-ing.   You'll learn some valuable information and some fun facts (know as the side order of fries).   ARE YOU SMILING YET?  And while David's focus was to enlighten and entertain the youth, I'm glad to know that I'm still "young" at heart because really enjoyed it and actually learned some stuff myself.  David's wit and wonderful art work that are present throughout the book, takes this important subject and explains it in a way that is easily understood and will keep your teen (and you) smiling and at times laughing out loud at other times.  Definitely a 5 start read

SUPER SIMPLE TO ENTER

Just follow my blog with Google Friend Connect (GFC) and leave me a comment with your email below.

You can have up to FIVE extra entries by:

1 for Following by Email
2 for Sharing this giveaway on Facebook - leave link
2 for "Liking" our NEW LDS Book & Things Facebook Page - click through to "Like"

List your extra entries in SEPARATE comments - REMEMBER THE EMAIL ADDRESS
The winners will be selected using Random.org
Last day to enter is Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Winner will be announced Friday, July 13, 2012
on my Facebook page
("Friend" me while you are there)
Thanks for stopping by
Feel free to browse around the blog while you are here
Once you're done here, HOP on over to the other blogs and check out their giveaways!

5Min.FHE - Freedom & Liberty

5 Minute FHE

(to print this lesson click on the title on the next line)

Freedom and Liberty

Lesson from “Family Home Evening Adventures”  

by Rebecca Irvine

Song:  My Country (Children Songbook, pg. 224)

Opening Prayer: By Invitation

Objective:   Help family members understand that Heavenly Father wants His children to be free to exercise their agency and that the American continent was set aside as the promised land offering freedom and liberty to those blessed to live there.

Directions:   Enlarge the flag banner page by 250 percent onto poster size paper (or make a similar flag on poster board using markers or pieced construction paper). Color the top (solid half) blue and the bottom stripes red and white. Copy the scripture stars onto white card-stock paper, and cut them out. Laminate the flag banner and the scripture stars for durability if desired.  Click here to print Scripture Stars & Flag Pattern.

Captain Moroni

Visual Aid: Captain Moroni Raises the Title of Liberty – Gospel Art Book #79

Lesson: Teach family members that Heavenly Father places great value on the need for freedom and liberty; agency is an essential part of the plan of salvation. Heavenly Father made sure the Restoration of the gospel took place in a free land. Read about these points in the scriptures by taking turns reading a scripture star. Discuss the importance of each scripture in understanding personal or national free- dom. Have family members place the scripture stars on the flag banner. Display the flag banner in your home throughout the month as a visual reminder of the importance of freedom and liberty.

U.S. Constitution

Activity: Take time during family home evening to read parts of the Constitution and list some of the freedoms it specifically designates for citizens of the United States. Learn about the founding fathers and how they worked to ensure the birth of the nation was based firmly in freedom and liberty.

Story: “Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty,” Friend, May 1994, 20

Gordon B. Hinckley

Quote: “I marvel at the miracle of America, the land which the God of Heaven long ago declared to be a land choice above all other lands

“I love America for her great and brawny strength, I love her for her generous heart. I love her for her tremendous spiritual strengths. She is unique among the nations of the earth—in her discovery, in her birth as a nation, in her amalgamation of the races that have come to her shores, in the strength of her government, in the goodness of her people.

“God bless America, for she is His creation,” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Stand a Little Taller: Counsel and Inspiration for Each Day of the Year [Salt Lake City, Utah: Eagle Gate, 2001], 195).

Closing Song:  Who’s on the Lord’s Side? (Hymn #260)

Closing Prayer: By Invitation

Refreshments:  Patriotic Ice Cream Cupcakes from tasteofhome.com

36 Servings Prep: 30 min. + freezing Bake: 15 min. + cooling

Ingredients

    1 package (18-1/4 ounces) red velvet cake mix
    1 quart blue moon ice cream, softened
    3 cups heavy whipping cream
    1-1/2 cups marshmallow creme
    Red, white and blue sprinkles
    Blue colored sugar

Directions

·      Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions for cupcakes.

·      Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350° for 11-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

·      Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

·      Working quickly, spread ice cream over cupcakes.

·      Freeze for at least 1 hour.

·      In a large bowl, combine cream and marshmallow creme; beat until stiff peaks form.

·      Pipe over cupcakes; decorate with sprinkles and colored sugar.

·      Freeze for 4 hours or until firm.

Yield: 3 dozen.

 Click Here print entire lesson w/dessert-Freedom & Liberty