Resources to Help You Teach Come, Follow Me 1 Nephi 11-15 "Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God" (January 20-26)
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In Come, Follow Me 1 Nephi 11-15 "Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God" (January 20-26) we receive additional insights into Lehi’s Dream thanks to Nephi’s willingness to ask a question in faith then share it with others. Enjoy this extra time to ponder the tree of life and plan of salvation.
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Nephi seeks to understand Lehi’s Dream
Jesus is an expression of God’s love
The Lord prepared the way for the restoration of the gospel (the gathering)
When we inquire with faith and humility, God answers us
The Book of Mormon and latter-day scripture restores “plain and precious” truths
We are “armed with righteousness and with the power of God” when we live our covenants
Use these to supplement your scripture stories, add some variety to your lessons, and dig deeper.
The Book of Mormon- a Book from God (about 2 minutes)- Clip from Elder Callister
“The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” by President Russell M. Nelson
“What Plain and Precious Truths Were Restored by the Book of Mormon?”- from January 2020 Ensign
“Thanks Be to God” by President Russell M. Nelson
“The Greatest Expression of God’s Love” by President M. Russell Ballard
“Preparing for the Restoration” by Arnold K. Garr
“What, Why, and How: A Breakdown of the Restoration” by Faith Sutherlin Blackhurst
“Seeing the Lord’s Hand”- from January 2020 Ensign
“Plain and Precious Truths Restored” by Clyde J. Williams
“The Book of Mormon as a Personal Guide” by President Henry B. Eyring
“Spiritual Treasures” by President Russell M. Nelson
“Fruit” by Elder Neil L. Andersen
“Covenant Belonging” by Elder Gerrit W. Gong
“Your Great Adventure” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Ask, Seek, Knock” by President Russell M. Nelson
“The Joseph Smith Translation: ‘Plain and Precious Things’ Restored” by David Rolph Seely
“Plain and Precious Truths”- A chart
“The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ- Plain and Precious Things” by President Boyd K. Packer
The Tree of Life as a Symbol of Jesus Christ and His Atonement (about 40 seconds)- Clip from Elder Neal A. Maxwell
“Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“A Comparison of Lehi’s Dream and Nephi’s Vision”- BYU Studies Chart
“Interpretation of Lehi’s Vision”- BYU Studies Chart
“The Ways of Life and Death: The Visionary Perception of Lehi and Nephi”- BYU Studies Chart
Focus on the tree of life in this week’s study. What did Nephi see to better understand the meaning of the tree? How do we partake of the fruit of the tree? How can we stay by the tree? How can we help others to the tree? Discuss partaking of the fruit with my free printable of the tree. There are five fruits you can cut out and glue on your tree to discuss ways we can partake of the fruit. There is also the option to color them already on the tree. Remember to discuss why it’s a fruit, how we feel about that fruit in our lives, and what we can do to continue to partake of the fruit.
You can also draw or write on your tree the ways Jesus Christ is love. For example, Jesus Christ atoned for our sins which shows He loves me. If you have younger ones, get out old Friend magazines and cut and glue pictures on to the tree.
You can also draw what Nephi saw on my free printable. Nephi sees a bigger picture than Lehi does so maybe focus on drawing those additions or see what you remember then fill it in and label as you study.
You can also hand out the Nephi’s dream sheet with different verses written down on it for your family or class to illustrate then share the meaning with everyone.
Focus on how Heavenly Father answers prayers. Nephi asked and received. Joseph Smith asked and received. We too can ask and receive. Draw other examples of people’s prayers being answers in Nephi’s dream bubble. If you have little children, you can also read Jesus Visited Joseph Smith from The Friend. If you have an older group, read Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision.
You may want to take this time to discuss how, when, and why we pray. You can use my Understanding Prayer Flipbook for Kids to help in your discussion. Focus on Joseph Smith and tie it back into Nephi.
If you still have your brick creations from last week’s Family Date Night Can You Build It? Lehi’s Dream, take them out and label them or point to the parts as you go through the meanings. Discuss how each thing represents that particular thing. What else might represent that today? You can also get out the worksheet included in that date night to review your answers and some of the other discussion questions again.
When was a time you wanted to know for yourself if something was true or understand a principle in the scriptures or General Conference better? What experience did you have as you have sought to find out? How did you receive your answer? How did you recognize that answer? How has that experience helped you as you have strived to understand and know the gospel of Jesus Christ better?
Is your family artistic? Assign everyone a different medium to create their own version of the tree of life. For example, you can give play dough to one person, paint to another, pencil and paper to someone else, twine and sticks to someone else, etc. Then come back and share your creations pointing out what inspired you to make it that way. You can view some great examples of artwork depicting the tree of life as well. As you view the different pieces see what else stands out to you.
Need a quick Family Home Evening lesson? Check out my lesson plan for the April 2015 General Conference talk, “Stay by the Tree” by Elder Kevin W. Pearson.
Study “Spiritual Capacity” by Sister Michelle Craig together. How do you know you receiving revelation? How can you increase your spiritual capacity to be like Nephi?
As you study 1 Nephi 13, point out the parts of Nephi’s vision that have happened using my newspaper headlines. Give a headline to each person and ask them to look through 1 Nephi 13:10-19 to find what it matches in the scriptures. It’s a great way to start thinking about how these scriptures really apply to us today. Plus you can lead it into a discussion about how these events set up the possibility of a restoration. What are some other things that needed to happen before the Restoration could occur?
There are all sorts of Columbus crafts you can do. If you want to have some craft (or food) fun with your family as you discuss Christopher Columbus in chapter 13, start with this list on 123 Homeschool 4 Me.
If you have young children, try these two-piece puzzles from The Friend. The first half discusses something that occurred in the Restoration. The second half shows what it means to us today.
Find some of the plain and precious truths the Book of Mormon reveals in my word search above. First you have to unscramble the word then find it in the word search. These plain and precious truths match Appendix B in the back of your Come, Follow Me Book of Mormon manual. When you are done finding a word, read the scriptures that show that truth in the Book of Mormon as stated in the manual.
Learn a new song this week that discusses the plain and precious truth restored. You can find the music in the May 1998 New Era.
Go back to how you studied Revelation. How did you come to better understand those words? Did you use other scriptures? Try doing a scripture chain from Revelation back to the Book of Mormon or start in the Book of Mormon and go to the Bible. A scripture chain is where you write another scripture reference on the side to go to next. Eventually, it’ll loop back around to the first verse again.
In 1 Nephi 14, we learn that we are “armed with righteousness and with the power of God” when we keep our covenants with God. Discuss this principle further with another Family Date Night, Sock Wars! Earn a shield, enjoy several different styles of battle, and have lots of fun. Afterward discuss with the provided questions and journal page. Don’t have time this week? Don’t worry, use it later and reinforce what you have already learned.
Note in 1 Nephi 15, we are introduced to another type of tree, the olive tree. How does this allegory also teach us about how the Lord remembers those who keep His covenants?
In 1 Nephi 15:24, it mentions the “fiery darts of the adversary.” How were you able to avoid the fiery darts while playing Sock Wars? How can you avoid these darts in real life? What are they? How can we help one another? How does the Book of Mormon help keep us safe? In one of your Sock Wars battle, make an iron rod (tie yarn to some chairs) and make it a safety zone where no one can hit you.
The Planning Sheet has the Key Events and Themes to help give you an overview as you plan out your week. Remember to join my private Facebook group, Come, Follow Me for Families (Chicken Scratch n Sniff) for additional ideas, study insights, and more.
- Remember to check out the Fine Art Kits from My Computer Is My Canvas. Each week you can beautiful painting you can print right at home plus a "Display and Ponder" card which helps you discuss the painting and your Come, Follow Me lesson in a new way each week. They are so beautiful and such a fun addition to your weekly study. PLUS right now you can use my exclusive affiliate promo code CKNSCRATCH for an extra $10 off when you pre-order the year bundle. This is an already discounted bundle that is on sale right now and says you can't use any other coupons with it. However, because you are a Chicken Scratch n Sniff reader, you can take advantage of this exclusive discount!! You won't find this coupon anywhere else.
- Get more activities and insights with the teaching kits from The Red Headed Hostess. The picture above shows her History of the Bible flipbook and note pages.
- Love Pray Teach also has great lesson packets! Here's her one for families this week.
