“Pillars and Rays” by Elder Alexander Dushku Teaching Helps

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Elder Alexander Dushku gave a beautiful talk in April 2024 General Conference entitled, “Pillars and Rays.” The message of light building on light was such a great reminder for us all. While the Restoration of the gospel did start with a big burst, our experiences are often step by small step. As you ponder this talk, put it into action with our Rays of Revelation tracker. And if you need help starting a discussion, check out our Questions to Ponder at the bottom of this post.

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Elder Dushku stated, “No two people experience God’s light and truth in exactly the same way. Take some time to think about how you experience the light and Spirit of the Lord.”

When we are more intentional in taking time to recognize the revelation we receive, it’s easier to notice it next time and we often receive more because we’re paying attention. It’s also easier to feel that we are staying connected to God and growing our testimonies- one ray at a time.

So we made a Rays of Revelation tracker to help you be more aware of God’s hand in your life. Beyond being more intentional about recognizing the inspiration you are receiving, a tracker can help you notice some patterns. For example, if you use different colors for every day of the week, maybe you notice that you receive more revelations on Mondays. Or assign different colors according to activities you are doing such as exercising and driving or track the time of day you notice it more. Once you see a pattern, you can better set yourself up for more inspiration or be prepared with a notebook to jot things down when it happens.

Print your tracker and get started. There are two charts, one with days so you can color it accordingly and one that is blank so you can customize it to your liking. There are 61 spaces to color. It seems absolutely overwhelming at first. The lines may even blur without any color in it. However, as you start to color in the rays, one a time, you realize how many experiences the Lord gives you to strengthen you and help you along.

You can sit down at the end of the day and reflect back on your experiences or carry it with you marking it as you go. Write in the rays key words or how you experienced your ray (thought, peace, etc) for an extra way to take notice.

Questions to Ponder

If you are teaching this lesson (or pondering it for your personal study), here are some great questions to consider:

• In what ways do you experience the Holy Ghost?

• What stood out to you the most about Elder Dushku's talk?

• How can we avoid letting the darkness overtake our pillars of light? or When has the light helped you out of a dark time?

• What experiences have you had that testify to you that the heavens are open and God does want to talk to us?

• What small rays do you think we often overlook in our busy lives? What can help us stop and see?

• What are some things that can help us notice the rays of light coming into our lives?

• What can we do to increase the rays of light in our lives?

• How have you strived to build your testimony each day?

• What additional scripture stories help illustrate this principle of learning line upon line? How does that give you hope?

Need some more inspiration for your lesson? Come join our Facebook group where teachers help out other teachers.

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