Develop a spirit of inclusion. You may want to consider beginning each class with a question to which all class members have an opportunity to respond. This could help set the expectation that all are encouraged to participate in the discussion for the day.
Underlined is from Come follow me- For Home and Church
I believe and trust in God.
King Benjamin’s invitation to believe in and trust God is as important today as it was in ancient times. As you read Mosiah 4:5–10, look for truths about God that give you reason to trust Him. Note the invitations King Benjamin gives in verse 10. Why would trusting God make it easier to do what King Benjamin invites?
Consider searching some of these additional scriptures to make a list of God’s attributes: Jeremiah 32:17; 1 John 4:8; 2 Nephi 9:17; Alma 32:22; Mormon 9:9; Ether 3:12; Doctrine and Covenants 19:1–3; 88:41 (see also the video “Christlike Attributes,” Gospel Library). You could use your list to come up with various ways to complete a sentence like this: “Because I know God is ,___________________ I can trust Him to________ .”
I'm so excited to give this lesson. I love to teach, but when it's a lesson like this I love it even more! These are my notes, but go by your own inspiration.
It maybe important to note that God the Father and Jesus Christ are one in purpose. Therefore learning about one is very much learning about the other.
I'm going to have my chalk board set up like this:
You can just write the word "God" in the middle it doesn't have to be pretty, but if you would like to purchase my art it's in my store in the middle of the page.
I'm going to have my students write what they know about God on the lines.
As a class I want to read Mosiah 4:5&6, adding to our web.
It might look like this:
Share stories and examples. There is great power in stories, and the Savior, the Master Teacher, used stories extensively to teach truth. You may choose to use stories or examples from your life and stories from the scriptures that make sense to the youth. Using personal experiences that illustrate the principles being taught can help youth see how these principles you are discussing have impacted your own life.
Then I am going to pass these cards out to the students. I will give them a couple of minutes to find out things about God, then take turns writing them on the board/ web and teaching us what they learned about God. I'm going to prep my students that some of these scriptures are very short and can be answered with one word. But when I teach I don't just say one word. I share deeper insight or ask questions to see what others think. Encourage them to teach in a similar way.
This game covers the part of the lesson I didn't get to.
After everything is taught and the board is over flowing with knowledge about our God.
I'm going to ask my students to take two of each of these papers...I just sliced them with a cutting board in the church library, they aren't perfect..nor do they have to be.
We are going to look at these scriptures:
As you read Mosiah 4:5–10, look for truths about God that give you reason to trust Him. Note the invitations King Benjamin gives in verse 10. Why would trusting God make it easier to do what King Benjamin invites?
Don't erase the first board, just find room to write this down, or if you have an iPad you can just use this image.
The students will pick there favorite thing about God (from the board) and write it on their first piece of paper. Then why they can trust Him on their second piece of paper.
It might look like this:
After this activity I hope to point out that God isn't so foreign to us. We have had experiences with Him. As we have more experiences with Him the more we will trust Him. Like the people in Mosiah 4:1-3. I want to testify that he loves us and wants us to trust Him, but not just because he tells us to, but because we have a relationship of trust with Him.
Our trust in God increases as we have experiences with Him. In Mosiah 4:1–3, what helped King Benjamin’s people “come to a knowledge of the goodness of God”? (verse 6). Think about the experiences you have had with God. What have these experiences taught you about Him? What steps are you taking (or could you take) to deepen your belief or trust in God?
See also Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Grandeur of God,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2003, 70–73; Gospel Topics “God the Father,” Gospel Library; “I Know My Father Lives,” Hymns, no. 302.
If you have time you can watch "The Grandeur of God."
OR you can play a game with your students! I learned the hard way, that if I have 15-10 min left in class and we had an awesome lesson, and then I move on to a new topic.... I might as well be speaking a different language. I totally loose my students.
So I found that if I enter class and say "Listen guys, if we have a meaningful lesson, with everyone participating, we will have time for a game at the end." My students do so much better. The game is in my store along with the art for this lesson.