Ideas to Help You Study and Teach Come, Follow Me 1 Nephi 8-10 "Come and Partake of the Fruit" (January 13-19)
This post may contain affiliate links which means I may be paid for products you purchase through my links. See my full disclosure for more.
In Come, Follow Me 1 Nephi 8-10 “Come and Partake of the Fruit” (January 13-19) we begin to study Lehi’s Dream of the Tree of Life. There are so many different ways you could focus your lessons this week depending on which part of the dream you choose to concentrate on. I definitely recommend reconstructing the dream (use my brick building challenge for extra fun and help) as you will learn and see new things as you work with your hands in assembling it. Remember to ask “therefore, what?” throughout. For example, because the rod of iron represents the word of God, therefore, what can you conclude for your life? What is the application?
Jump Ahead to the Section You Need
Lehi’s Dream
The word of God leads us to the Savior
The Lord knows all things
Ends with Nephi seeking to understand his father’s dream (to be continued next week)
God will reveal truth to us if we will seek it
Remember, these videos are to supplement our scripture study. Try reading the chapters first then watching it or vice versa and see what additional insight you gain.
Lehi’s Dream (about 2 minutes)- Chapter 6 of the Illustrated Scripture Stories
Good Things to Share (about 2 1/2 minutes)- Share the good things in your life
Lehi Sees a Vision of the Tree of Life (about 13 minutes)- Book of Mormon video- the following videos are shorter segments of this one.
Lehi Discovers the Tree of Life (about 4 1/2 minutes)
Lehi Invites His Family to Partake of the Fruit of the Tree (about 3 1/2 minutes)
Lehi Sees an Iron Rod and Those Who Fall Away (about 3 1/2 minutes)
The Faithful Partake of the Fruit of the Tree (about 3 1/2 minutes)
“Lehi’s Dream: Holding Fast to the Rod” by Elder David A. Bednar
“If Ye Lack Wisdom” by Elder Marcos A. Aidukaitis
“Doubt Not, but Be Believing” by Jakob R. Jones
“Lehi’s Dream and You” by President Boyd K. Packer
“The Power of the Word” by President Ezra Taft Benson
“What Does the Fruit in Lehi’s Vision Symbolize?”- from January Ensign
“Fruit” by Elder Neil L. Andersen
“Careful versus Casual” by Sister Becky Craven
Looking for some Come, Follow Me podcasts? Check out this list of recommendations.
- Discuss the symbolism in Lehi’s dream with my decoding cards. You’ll need a red decoder or some red cellophane to make it work. Once you put the red over my cards, it’ll reveal the meaning of the symbol. Match the picture card to the meaning. Discuss why it represents that and how we know. If it represents that then what can we learn? Write on the picture card a way you can apply it to your life.
- The reason my cards have the symbolism hidden is to help you discuss how we must seek for truth. Discuss what helped you undercover the truth using my cards. What can you liken that to? What helps you uncover truth? Why does it take a long time to understand some truth while at other times you get an answer right away? What can you do as you wait? Where can you look for truth?
- Hide the symbolism cards around the room (you can put them inside Easter eggs). Practice seeking truth by looking for them. You can do Hot or Cold to make it easier. What is involved when we are looking for truth? What must we do?
- Have a little one? Color this page about prayer as you discuss how we can seek for truth.
- Use my idea in January’s Ensign called “Collaborate Art Museum.” You get to draw and see how it all comes together! You can use my comic book templates to help.
Have a Family Date Night creating all sorts of unique creations as you build the different parts of Lehi’s Dream. For each part, you draw a card that tells you what to build, how to build it, and how much time you have to build it in. Then discuss the symbolism and what application it has for your life with the included worksheet and discussion questions.
Host your Family Date Night with your neighbors and friends in your ward. It lots of fun and you can all learn from each other’s insights. It’s a great way to minister to one another!
Build it again but instead of using the cards that tell you what to build, use the symbolism cards (shared above). How would you represent that symbol? Use the how-to build cards to make it even more challenging.
Make a fruit salad! For each example of how your family can partake of the fruit of the tree of life, add another fruit to your mix. Enjoy your fruit salad as you watch the Book of Mormon video of Lehi’s Dream.
Head to Interpretation of Lehi’s Vision for a chart of the symbol, interpretation, and examples given. This chart goes into next week’s lesson of what Nephi sees as well but gives you a good look at the overall vision. What are some examples you would add?
Discuss how your family can protect your home from the great and spacious building. Elder Neil L. Andersen stated in his last Conference talk, “Fruit” that the adversary’s construction crews were working overtime inflating the building and expanding it across the river trying to overtake our homes. How can we keep our homes from being enveloped by it? How can we be on constant guard? Make a family shield to show your answers. You can cut it into pieces and each draw a section or design it all together.
You can also use your shield to coordinate with the four goal areas in the new children and youth theme. How can each of these areas help protect your family from Satan’s attacks? Which area does your family needs to focus on improving on first? What are you doing well? Draw or write your goals and praises in each part of the shield.
Build your family’s shield then reinforce it with cardboard. Invite family members to take turns holding the shield to protect your home. Then share a situation where Satan might try to attack your home. Each person answers the question then blocks using the shield your throws of a sock or soft ball.
Use a balloon to show your family how the great and spacious building is inflating and expanding. Write on the balloons ways you have seen Satan lure more to the pride of the world. Then blow up the balloon or use a balloon pump to demonstrate how the great and spacious building is expanding(I have this balloon pump which works great. Combine it with these crazy balloons for a great visual). Why is it important to know that the great and spacious building is growing? How does it make you feel? What can you do about it?
Build some houses out of blocks or boxes around your inflating balloon to show how we need to be on guard (it should knock some down). Then challenge your family or group to build something that will protect their home from the balloon. What can you liken this to today? How can you do this in your home?
How can you take your home back if the great and spacious building has started to enter your home? Take your inflated balloon and slowly let the air out as each person shares an answer. Or have everyone say their answers then let the balloon go flying throughout your home then kick it to the trash.
Use my coloring page to head back to the New Testament and discuss how the armor of God can help us feast on the fruit. Review how we put on our armor each day. “Although we need not fear, we are to be on guard” is by Neil L. Andersen © By Intellectual Reserve, Inc. (used with permission).
What are some other words of wisdom from this past General Conference that can help us be safe and stay by the tree? How do these current words of God lead us to the Savior? How did you grow closer to Jesus Christ because of General Conference?
Do a mini Hold on to the Rod Activity. Set up a string around your home or in one room that takes people from one side to the other. You’ll want to wrap the string around objects as you go to keep the string up high. Blindfold each person in your family and see if they can get from one end to the other. What can we do when we get stuck along the path? Who can help us?
Memorize or learn to play Hymn #274 “The Iron Rod.” Review the words as a family and share what they mean to you. How can memorizing this hymn help you?
Discuss the different groups of people in Lehi’s Dream. Which group made it to the tree and stayed? What do you think are the main differences between these people? Which group would you associate yourself with at this moment? Can we switch groups?
Be sure to look at the Ensign every month- especially the digital version in your Gospel Library app. There are some articles that are digital-only and they go great with these weekly lessons. Plus there are the Family Study Fun ideas each month.
- Remember to check out The Red Headed Hostess and her lesson packets for even more fun and ideas.
