MaeLyn's Musings

With the new year, in Relief Society we are starting a new lesson manual: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson. I'm excited about this because he was the prophet during my youth, and I remember him! Yesterday, I taught Lesson 1 from the manual, " The Great Commandment--Love the Lord " The lesson actually ended up following my outline, which is kind of rare, but actually turned out really good. Here is my outline: What should be the most important thing in our lives? [This got many answers, including prayer, families, working towards our eternal exaltation. In my mind, there was no right or wrong answer because they are all inter-related.] "The great test of life is obedience to God." "The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it." "The great commandment of life is to love the Lord." [I had each of these printed out and posted on the chalkboard, along with several pictures I'll ...

What do the words "Individual Responsibility" mean to you? What are the things are we responsible for? These questions set the tone for the lesson that I taught in Relief Society yesterday: Chapter 23 from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith . We listed many things we are responsible for on the board, everything from teaching our children and doing laundry to gaining a testimony and missionary work. Then we focused on our temporal responsibilities: … The Lord said, “Thou shalt not be idle for he that is idle shall not eat the bread, nor wear the garments of the laborer.” [ D&C 42:42 .] That is good sound sense, isn’t it? Why should a man in idleness partake of the industry of the industrious—provided that this man who is idle, is in a physical condition that he can work? I am not at all in sympathy with any kind of movement that tends to destroy manhood by encouraging men to be idle, and I don’t care what age that is. It doesn’t matter h...

Yesterday I taught lesson 22 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, Prayer - A Commandment and a Blessing . Here is the outline I prepared to teach this lesson: Opening    Write "What is something I can do to make my prayers more effective?" on the chalkboard.     Read question on board. Ask sisters to think about this question during the lesson. Why we pray    Read Section 1, paragraph 3 (first half) I wonder if we ever stop to think why the Lord has asked us to pray. Did he ask us to pray because he wants us to bow down and worship him? Is that the main reason? I don’t think it is. He is our Heavenly Father, and we have been commanded to worship him and pray to him in the name of his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. But the Lord can get along without our prayers. His work will go on just the same, whether we pray or whether we do not.    Ask "Why do you think the Lord has asked us to pray? "   ...

Last night was our Stake Auxiliary Training. (Is it just me or is the word 'auxiliary' really hard to pronounce?) As a teacher in Relief Society, I was invited to attend, and I'm really glad that I went. I learned a lot about how to be a better teacher. Here are some things that were taught. (These are from the notes I took during the meetings. I didn't always catch who said things because I was busy scribbling down what they said. Some of these are quotes by general authorities, etc. I apologize that I don't always give credit where credit is due.) "Who we are is not who we can become." "Lessons learned in the home last the longest." "Only the home can compare to the temple in sacredness." Learn together with our families and with one another. (As parents and teachers, we are not 'done' learning ourselves!) Focus on the covenants that each family member is working towards. What we learn in Relief Society (and other ch...

Yesterday I got to teach in Relief Society again. The lesson was chapter 19 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, In the World but Not of the World . Before Relief Society began, Steven helped me set up our lap top and a projector we had borrowed from the library. On the table in front, I set out four visual aids I had brought: a calendar, a glass bottle, a barbie doll, and my missionary badge. On the chalk board, I wrote the title of the lesson, as well as the words: What? How? Why? Challenges? Blessings? I began my lesson by showing a movie, entitled Dare to Stand Alone. I felt like it set the tone for the lesson, and it helped to invite the Spirit. After the movie, we talked about it a little. We read John 17:15-17, and I asked what it means to be in the world but not of the world. Some of the answers that were shared were that we have the commandments, and that we have a responsibility to set a good example for those around us. Someone ...

Yesterday, I got to teach in Relief Society. The lesson was Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, Chapter 17 entitled Sealing Power and Temple Blessings. As I was preparing, I realized that the entire lesson was based around one scripture (D&C 2:1-3), so I printed it out very large and had it on the chalkboard behind me, along with a picture of the temple and some temple name cards. I also borrowed Steven's genealogy binder and placed that on the table. (I like having visual aides, things to look at besides me.) Here are some of the questions that we discussed during the course of the lesson: What scripture is quoted in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants AND the Pearl of Great Price? (Malachi 4:5-6, 3 Ne 25:5-6, D&C 2:1-3, JSH 1:38-39) When and where did Elijah come? (April 3, 1836 in the Kirtland Temple) What did Elijah bring? (The priesthood sealing keys) Moroni informed Joseph Smith that this prediction was ab...

Yesterday, I got to teach lesson 11 and 12 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled Honoring the Priesthood Keys Restored through Joseph Smith and The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. The priesthood is something that I've always appreciated, but as I was preparing to teach this lesson, I realized how little I actually know about how it works. I was grateful for a reason to learn more about this amazing power. Below is the outline I prepared to teach from. It includes some of the questions I asked as well as the sections of the lessons that we read out loud. Before I began, I showed the sisters the talk given by Dallin H Oaks in the most recent General Conference , as well as the article in this month's Ensign about the Priesthood and recommended that they read them because they explain so much about the Priesthood and how it works. What is the Priesthood? "The priesthood held by man is the power and authority of God delegated to ...

The more I learn about former President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Joseph Fielding Smith, the more I admire him. Yesterday, I got to teach lesson 8 of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith, entitled, "The Church and Kingdom of God". In the first section about his life, we read one incredible story: A simple and unassuming man, Joseph Fielding Smith never sought these positions. But when the Lord called him to serve, he willingly and enthusiastically obeyed. He quietly exhibited this dedication one day when, at age 89, he went to a meeting. Walking from his home, he slipped and fell down a flight of steps. Although he hurt his leg, he walked about a quarter of a mile—“limping like an old man,” he said—so he could fulfill his responsibilities. After the meeting, he walked back home, where he finally allowed a doctor to examine him. The doctor found that President Smith’s leg was fractured in multiple places. President Sm...