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Bishop L. Todd Budge’s October 2024 General Conference talk, “Seek Him with All Your Heart” was a great reminder of the importance of spending quality time with the Lord and what that can look like. Dive into this talk with your church class or family with these discussion questions and teaching ideas.

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Discussion Questions

How do you make quality time with the Lord? What tips can you share? How do you truly nourish your spirit, not just take a nibble?
How did Elder Hirst’s explanation of the Japanese translation of “be still” expand your understanding and application?
One of the ironies of life is that we often feel too busy to take time to be still and commune with God. Yet that very act will help ease our busyness, stress, and often guide us toward simpler ways. How do you balance your busy schedule with the need for stillness? How do you convince yourself it’s worth it? For example, when you are sick, rest is best but we often feel we can’t rest.
Have you tried meditation? What works for you? What do you struggle with? What benefits have you noticed?
What are some other ways we can give our attention to the Lord? What are some practices we can implement to truly seek the Lord with our whole hearts?
Bishop Budge reminds us that more time isn’t necessarily needed in order to improve our time with the Lord. How can we adjust our daily spiritual routines to make them more beneficial?
How has your approach to prayer changed as you have strived to include quiet reflection and listening instead of simply speaking? What blessings have you seen come from it?
What helps you savor the scriptures rather than just read them?
What specific actions can help us be more mindful during the sacrament?
How can you make room for some quiet time each day? What are some things that keep us from quiet time with the Lord even though we need it? What might be some things we can give up to make room for this important practice?
What blessings have you noticed as you or someone you know have made time for the Lord?
What are some ways you prepare yourself before you worship in the temple? What about on Sundays before you attend church?
How does being still allow for us to be more committed in our covenants, grow deeper roots, and have the strength to continue forward?

Print Bishop Budge's Questions

Teaching Ideas

Expand on some of Bishop Budge’s concepts with these ideas:

Expand on Bishop Budge’s reference to President David O. McKay’s feelings on meditation with the following quote, “Meditation is the language of the soul. It is defined as ‘a form of private devotion, or spiritual exercise, consisting in deep, continued reflection on some religious theme.’ Meditation is a form of prayer.” President McKay continues, “Meditation is one of the most secret, most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.” Can you think of when our greatest example, Jesus Christ, took time to meditate? President McKay called the place where Christ went to fast for 40 days and to talk with God the Mount of Meditation. Look for any time the Lord goes to be alone for a while. Those are meditation moments! Take a few minutes to think about some examples as a class such as before Christ teaches the Sermon on the Mount, after feeding the 5,000. Christ takes that time to meditate, to think, and to ponder about those things that are most sacred. Try a meditation exercise in your class. Something important to remember is that meditation includes reflection on a religious theme. It is not an empty mind. It is a focused mind on Godly things. There are several guided mediation videos on YouTube like this one from The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square (12 minutes). 12 minutes is kind of long for class but you can sample a portion of it to give people an idea. Mediating might be a little awkward at first as you get used to being still and quiet but it's a great exercise and a great way to bring in the Spirit as we focus our minds on the sacred. I prefer to do activities while meditating such as coloring. You can put on a little music and allow people to draw what “Be Still” looks like to them. Brainstorm other ways we can encourage meditation in our lives.
Pick one scripture from this week’s Come Follow Me lesson- the verse of the day in the Gospel Library app often has great suggestions. Write this verse on the board and learn how to savor it together as a class. What are some methods or ways you have trained yourself to feast on the words of God instead of turning them into something to check off your list or forget all together?
Display some food on a table- either packages or food on plates. Invite someone to choose which foods they would like to eat right then. Underneath or behind the food write ways we can spiritually feast or nourish our spirits. Would you still choice those same items if they were spiritual nourishment? Why or why not? Would we approach it the same way we do when we eat after breaking our fasts? What can help us prioritize our spiritual nourishment more? What blessings have you noticed as you have taken the time to do so? How can we encourage this spiritual feasting in our families and ministering families? How can we support each other?
Fill a clear jar with water and sand or grab a snow globe. Shake it up and show the results to your class. The snow or sand cloud the water making it harder to see what’s inside clearly. This is exactly how our minds can feel at times- busy, chaotic. As we allow the jar to sit on the table, it settles and clears up. As we do so with our minds, we allow ourselves to hear God’s quiet guidance more clearly. How can we settle our minds, let go of our worries and fears so we can be still? What helps you let go of it all and trust the Lord?
Another object lesson you could use includes a compass and magnet. Show your class how the compass works then what happens when you attach the magnet to the compass. It disrupts and no longer works correctly. What are some things that act like the magnet and pull us away from the direction we really want to go? How can we remove these distractions so we can be still and refocus so we can continue on the covenant path.

Teaching Kids?

Try some of these fun printables from our archives as you teach your children about this important message from General Conference. Many links will also lead you to additional church resources.