A ready-to-print family home evening lesson designed to teach family members how they can help our home to be a house of God. Lesson is based on D&C 88:119. Lesson is in full-color, including Wise Man/Foolish Man story and visuals, coloring page, and activities. Everything is ready to print, cut, and use!
12
For more ready‐to‐print FHE lessons visit http://thegoldenseven.blogspot.com . Building a House of God FHE Lesson by Kim Simkins, Digitized and adapted by Lara Goold Materials needed: Scriptures, Velcro or tape to put the house together, rice krispie treat ingredients Purpose: A lesson designed to teach family members how we can make our home a house of God. Scripture: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; .” Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 Opening song(s) and prayer: “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man,” Children’s Songbook, page 281 Lesson: Wise Man and Foolish Man Parable: Using the summary and visuals included, tell the story of the wise man and foolish man. Ask if anyone knows the meaning of the parable. Explain that the rock symbolizes the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we have the gospel as a foundation in our lives, then we will be able to stand in times of adversity and not fall, just as the wise man’s house withstood the rain and floods. Ask: What should we do to make the gospel a foundation for our ‘house’?: Display the outline of the house and read Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 (display magnet included). Put the house part labeled “prayer” in its proper place on the house. ASK: “How can we have a house of prayer?” (By having family prayers and personal prayers) Optional: Read 3 Nephi 18:21 and 2 Nephi 32:9 Now put the house part labeled “fasting” in its proper place. ASK: “How can we have a house of fasting?” (By observing Fast Sunday, bearing our testimonies, and paying fast offerings.) Optional: Read 3 Nephi 12:16-18 Next is the label of “faith”. ASK: “How can we have a house of faith?” (By praying, attending church, and studying the
by Kim Simkins, Digitized and adapted by Lara Goold Materials needed: Scriptures, Velcro or tape to put the house together, rice krispie treat ingredients
Purpose: A lesson designed to teach family members how we can make our home a house of God.
Scripture: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God; .” Doctrine and Covenants 88:119
Opening song(s) and prayer: “The Wise Man and the Foolish Man,” Children’s Songbook, page 281
Lesson: Wise Man and Foolish Man Parable: Using the summary and visuals included, tell the story of the wise man and foolish man. Ask if anyone knows the meaning of the parable. Explain that the rock symbolizes the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we have the gospel as a foundation in our lives, then we will be able to stand in times of adversity and not fall, just as the wise man’s house withstood the rain and floods. Ask: What should we do to make the gospel a foundation for our ‘house’?: Display the outline of the house and read Doctrine and Covenants 88:119 (display magnet included). Put the house part labeled “prayer” in its proper place on the house. ASK: “How can we have a house of prayer?” (By having family prayers and personal prayers) Optional: Read 3 Nephi 18:21 and 2 Nephi 32:9 Now put the house part labeled “fasting” in its proper place. ASK: “How can we have a house of fasting?” (By observing Fast Sunday, bearing our testimonies, and paying fast offerings.) Optional: Read 3 Nephi 12:16-18 Next is the label of “faith”. ASK: “How can we have a house of faith?” (By praying, attending church, and studying the
scriptures.) Optional: to learn the blessings of faith, have someone read Ether 12:28-30 Now add “learning”. ASK: “How can we have a house of learning?” (By reading good books, having family home evenings, working hard on our school work, and studying the scriptures.) The scriptures say we should not only learn of Christ, but of languages, tongues, and people. Optional: read Doctrine & Covenants 19:23 and Doctrine & Covenants 90:15. Next is the label of “glory”. The dictionary defines glory as the “splendor and perfect happiness of Heaven.” ASK: “How can we achieve that kind of happiness in our own home?” (By living the commandments of Heavenly Father and by treating one another with love and respect) Optional: read Mosiah 2:41 to learn about the blessings of living the commandments. Now add the label of “order”. ASK: “How can we achieve order in our home?” (By fulfilling individual responsibilities, following rules or guidelines, and showing respect for each other.) The scriptures tell us that our homes should be clean and free of confusion (both physically and spiritually). Optional: Read Doctrine and Covenants 90:18 and Doctrine and Covenants 132:8. Finally, add the label of “God”. ASK: “How can we have a house of God?” (By showing kindness, patience, love, and respect for one another [and by doing all of the other things previously talked about]) In the Book of Mormon we learn that when the people had a love for God, there was no contention in the land (4 Nephi 1:15). If our hearts are filled with the love of God, then our homes will have less contention and more peace and happiness. Optional: Conclude by reading Doctrine and Covenants 124:55. Display the house during the week and challenge every family member to strive to establish a “house of God.” Bear Testimony
Closing song: “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, page 78-79 “Love is Spoken Here,” Children’s Songbook, page 190
Enrichment: Based on the ages and attention spans of your children, choose one or more of the following enrichment activities to enhance the message of the lesson. Enrichment activities do not necessarily need to be completed on the same night as the lesson. We often use them as reinforcement/reminders during the week.
Enrichment ideas: House Demonstration: Demonstrate how a house on a rock remains standing. Make two simple houses out of lightweight cardboard. In a large dishpan, put one house on a pile of sand and securely tape the other house to a rock. Pour a “flood” of water into the pan and show that the water will wash away the sand but that the house on the rock will be safe. Testimony building blocks: Label rocks of building blocks with ways to build your testimony. Place around the room and have the children find them. Discuss why each is important. Group Activity: Exploring D&C 88:119: Explain that D&C 88:119 is a blueprint for building our homes and personal lives (see Ensign, Oct. 1999, pp. 2–5). Have the children divide into pairs or groups (or together as a family) to discover some things we can use to build stronger homes and lives, then present their information. Prepare the following lists, one for each group:
• Prayer—learn the steps in prayer by learning part 2 of “I Pray in Faith” (p. 14).
• Fasting—discover what Jesus Christ taught about fasting by reading and discussing Matt. 6:16–18.
• Faith—tell a scripture about someone who showed faith (brother of Jared—see Ether 1–3; Esther—see Esth. 1–7; Daniel—see Dan. 1; etc.).
• Learning and Glory—recite an article of faith, from memory if possible. Discuss why it is important to study and learn.
• Order—tell the order of the first principles and ordinances of the gospel by reciting the fourth article of faith. Pick a law of the land and discuss why obeying it helps build your community. Pick a rule in your family and explain why it helps to build your family.
As the groups finish, have them learn part 1 of “I Pray in Faith” (p. 14). When all are done, sing both verses, then divide the Primary into two groups and have them sing the parts simultaneously.
Give one piece of paper and one pencil to every two children. Have them sit with the paper and pencil between them, each holding a pencil. Ask them to draw a house. Show some of the drawings. Point out that it is easier to do if they cooperate. Explain that parents want their homes to be houses of prayer, fasting, faith, learning, glory, and order. Parents can’t do it alone. Parents and children have to work together to build such a home. Testify that as we live these principles, our temples, our homes, and our lives will be places of order and strength. Coloring page: print off enough coloring pages for each member of the family and use it as an opportunity to review some of the ways you can apply this scripture/lesson to your every day life.
Rice Krispie Treats (with ties to lesson) Idea from Jeanette Baron of Sugardoodle.net The ingredients: 3 Tbs. butter 1 pkg. (10-oz) regular size marshmallows 6 cups Rice Krispies In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Cool. Cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day. Enjoy! **Relate to lesson** Compare the ingredients in the treat to the temple sealing power. Explain that we are all a part of families that we love very much. The Lord makes it so that we could be together forever through temple blessings. The rice krispies (put in a bowl) are like all our family members (mom, dad, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa…) and the marshmallows/butter mixture (put in a bowl) is the sealing power of the temple (picture of temple on microwave.) When we go to the temple and partake of these blessings (mix all together) we will stick together forever as families.
“The Wise Man and the Foolish Man,” Friend, Jul 1999, 47
While He was in Galilee, Jesus Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount.* In it, he taught His disciples the Beatitudes and to be a good example to the world. He taught them that it was wrong to be angry with or hate anyone, even their enemies. Not only should His disciples do what is right, but their thoughts should be righteous, too. He taught the principles of prayer, forgiveness, and seeking “first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
Jesus said that to live with Him in the kingdom of heaven, His disciples needed to learn the gospel and to live it. He explained: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
“And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” (Matt. 7:24–27.)
We have many opportunities to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can show that we have faith that the gospel is true by choosing the right each day. If we do, we will be like the wise man—building our lives upon the solid foundation of the gospel and preparing ourselves to live again with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
