FHE: Agency

Agency For more information on this topic read “Choose Eternal Life,” by Elder
Randall K. Bennett, Ensign, Nov 2011, 98.
Thought:
In reality we have only two eternal choices, each with eternal consequences: choose to follow the Savior of the world and thus choose eternal life with our Heavenly Father or choose to follow the world and thus choose to separate ourselves from Heavenly Father eternally.
We cannot successfully choose both the safety of righteousness and the dangers of worldliness.
(Elder Randall K. Bennett, “Choose Eternal Life,” Ensign, Nov 2011, 98.) Song:
“I’m Trying to Be like Jesus,” Children’s Songbook, p. 78.
Scripture:
Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. (2 Nephi 2:27)
Lesson:
Draw a line down the middle of a large sheet of paper or poster board. Have your family read Alma 29:4–5 and find the opposites contained in the verses. List one word on the left side of the board and its opposite on the right side of the board. When finished, the board might look something like the chart below:
Conference Talk:
Life | | Salvation | | Good | | Joy |
Death Destruction Evil
Remorse of conscience Ask your family which list they would rather have and why. What would
they be willing to do to enjoy those things?
Look again at Alma 29:4–5 and underline phrases showing that God allows us to have what we want (for example, “he granteth unto men according to their desire”; “he allotteth unto men . . . according to their wills”; “it is given according to his desires”). Ask:
• How might knowing that the Lord “granteth unto men according to their desire” in this life affect our decisions for the future?
• What can we do to show the Lord that we want life and salvation more than death and destruction?

Story:
by Bishop Robert L. Simpson
[One] night my high-school-age son persuaded me to sit down and watch the second half of a football game. I have always made it a policy that no sacrifice is too great for my boy. So we sat down and watched football. While watching this game, some facts became very apparent. In fact, it had gospel application and priesthood application.
I noticed, for example, that there were no shortcuts to the goal line. It was a hundred yards in both directions. I also noticed that the team that seemed to have had the most practice, that did the best planning, that executed their plays the best, and that had the best team attitude, was the team that made the most points.
I also noticed that when team members cooperated and helped one another, the team made the most yardage.
It was also obvious that when someone broke the rules, there was always a penalty imposed. It sounds a lot like life, doesn’t it? In talking about this to my boy, he said, “Fifteen yards is nothing; but, Dad, when you ground me for three days, that is too much.”
We also noticed that no one was allowed to make up his own rules as the game progressed. They all lost their free agency to do that when they agreed to join the team and play according to the established rules.
And last but not least, I noticed when it was all over, the winning team was a lot happier than the team that lost.
Now brethren, we believe that “men are, that they might have joy”; and joy can best come as we obtain victory in the game of life, played according to the only acceptable rules—those set down by our Heavenly Father.
(Leon R. Hartshorn, Outstanding Stories by General Authorities, vol. 2, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971].)
Activity:
Seat everyone in a circle. Position one person with a thimbleful of water in the center of the circle. The person in the center picks a category that has a limited number of items in it. For example: states, plays of Shakespeare, names of those in the room, U.S. Presidents, units of English measure, countries in Europe, and so on. He then secretly writes down one item in the category.
As the person in the center moves from one person to the next, those seated have to name one of the items in the category. Items may not be repeated.
When a person names the written item, the person in the center throws the thimbleful of water into the face of that person. People also get splashed if they name an item already mentioned.
The person who is splashed trades places with the person in the center, and the game continues with a new category.
(George and Jeane Chipman, Games! Games! Games!, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 1983], p. 44.)
Refreshment

January-get the garden ready

There are two main growing seasons in Phoenix: from mid February until the end of May, and from September to mid November. As a result, nation-wide calendars are ill adapted to our needs.

January
The only winter month in Phoenix.
- Spray dormant shrubs.
- Last chance to plant bare roots trees and shrubs.
- Prune roses and deciduous fruit trees.
- Monitor freeze warnings
- Plant summer bulbs.

What to sow:
African Daisies, Ageratum, Alyssum, Bachelor Button, Calendula, California Poppy, Candytuft, Carnation, Clarkia, Delphinium, Everlastings, Gaillardia, Globe Amaranth, Godetia, Gypsophila, Helichrisum, Hollyhocks, Larkspur, Lupines, Nicotiana, Pansy, Petunia, Phlox, Pinks, Poppy, Salpiglossis, Scabiosa, Shasta Daisy, Snapdragon, Sweet Peas, Sweet Sultan, Sweet William, Verbena, Viola

In the vegetable garden
- Plant bare roots asparagus and strawberries.
- Plant cabbage, carrots, lettuce, potatoes, radishes.

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The eternal nature of the family should inspire us to do everything we can to establish a Christ-centered home.

Conference Talk:

For more information on this topic read “Establishing a Christ-Centered Home,” by Elder
Richard J. Maynes, Ensign, May 2011, 37.


Thought:

We understand and believe in the eternal nature of the family. This understanding and belief should inspire us to do everything in our power to establish a Christ-centered home.

(Elder Richard J. Maynes, “Establishing a Christ-Centered Home,” Ensign, May 2011, 37.)

Song:

“Happy Family,” Children’s Songbook, p. 198


Scripture:

That they should seek the Lord . . . and find him . . . For in him we live, and move, and have our being; . . . For we are also his offspring.
(Acts 17:27-28)


Lesson:

Materials Needed: Several children’s blocks.


Procedure: Display the blocks on the tabletop. Ask for suggestions of things one family member can do to strengthen the family (pray, smile, show respect, obey, etc.). Each time a new idea is suggested, put a block on top of or beside another. Do this until a wall begins to form.


Ask: What would happen if we did at least one of these things for several days? Place an additional four or five blocks on the wall. Point out how much difference one person can make in strengthening the family. Liken the wall to a protection for the family.

Help your family members to understand that everything you have talked about also strengthens personal spirituality while strengthening the family. Similarly, as they continue to do things that increase personal spirituality, they also help protect family members. Discuss ways we can strengthen our personal testimony.

Story:

Ardeth Greene Kapp

Since I grew up in Alberta, Canada, I never had to dream of a white Christmas. There was always plenty of snow and cold at Christmastime. At least that’s how I remember it.

I also remember, besides the cold temperatures, the feeling of warmth, that happy feeling of being together as our parents, four aunts, uncles, and many cousins of all ages gathered
at our grandparents’ big three-story house, where we remained from Christmas Eve clear through New Year’s Day.

This tradition must have seemed strange to the folks in our small town of Glenwood, since all of our aunts and uncles and cousins lived within walking distance of each other
all year long, only a few blocks away from each other. It was not inconvenient for our dads and brothers to return home night and morning to milk the cows, do the chores, and be back in time for our large and happy family breakfast and evening supper. During the morning
Conference Talk:
we played games and listened to favorite stories told and retold by our grandmother as we gathered around the large grate in the floor that let the heat pour out from the furnace below. In the afternoon we practiced for the evening’s talent show while our mothers made pies and cakes. I don’t remember what our dads did during the day, but they joined us as we all gathered for supper; and after the evening meal we presented a talent show to a very responsive audience, who all sang together. We had a family orchestra and it was agreed, especially by our grandpa, that we were a very musical family.

Our Christmas morning tradition required everyone to wait at the top of the stairs until we could all go down together and gather around the big Christmas tree in the parlor. We had decorated our tree with strings of popcorn and cranberries. At the bottom of the stairs we waited for what seemed an awfully long time while Grandpa gave the family prayer. I remember wondering if the reason he prayed for so long was that all together we made such a big family. It seemed to me that each year, as our family grew bigger, his prayers got longer.

All these things occurred many years ago, but the memory of being together as a family for Christmas burns as brightly in my mind today as the flames in the fireplace that kept us warm.

I have a little pillow that hangs from our fireplace all year long. The message reads, in cross- stitch, “All Hearts Return Home for Christmas.” The quiet yearning to be home for Christmas does not diminish after childhood or after marriage. Since my husband’s parents were not living, it seemed essential that we travel from Utah to Glenwood, Alberta, Canada, every Christmas. It didn’t really matter that our car was old and the tires were smooth, that there was no money in our pockets, that the tuna fish sandwiches became very soggy by the second day, and that the radio announced that due to hazardous road conditions people should not travel except in emergencies. There was no question in my mind that being home for Christmas was an emergency.

Each year, so long as my parents lived in Canada, we went home for Christmas. Finally, eventually, I learned that you can be home for Christmas in Utah even though Christmases aren’t always white.

(Keeping Christmas: Stories from the Heart, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1996].)


Activity:

Hang a stocking for Jesus on the mantel, and fill it with notes listing all the good things that the family members commit to do to better themselves and those around them.

(Kimberly Bytheway and Diane H. Loveridge, Traditions, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 2003], p.89.)


Refreshment

Peppermint Angel Food Dessert

1 angel food cake
3/4 cup crushed red and white peppermint stick candy
1/2 cup milk
1/2 envelope (1 1/2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons water
2 cups heavy cream, whipped until stiff
1/2 cup chocolate syrup

Prepare or purchase an angel food cake. Slice into 3 horizontal layers when cool. Combine candy with milk; heat and stir until dissolved. Soften gelatin in water and add to
milk and candy mixture. Chill until mixture starts to set; fold into whipped cream. Spread whipped cream mixture over bottom layer of cake. Drizzle chocolate syrup over whipped cream mixture. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat layers of whipped cream mixture and chocolate syrup. Repeat with third layer. Cover outside of cake with whipped cream mixture. Chill and serve.

FHE Spiritual Growth

Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).

Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Become as a Little Child,” by Jean A. Stevens,
Ensign, May 2011, 10.


Thought:
If we have a heart to learn and a willingness to follow the example of children, their
divine attributes can hold a key to unlocking our own spiritual growth.

(Jean A. Stevens, “Become as a Little Child,” Ensign, May 2011, 10.)

Song:
“I Will Follow God’s Plan,” Children’s Songbook, p. 164.


Scripture:
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him
be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)


Lesson:
Ask family members to name their five senses. (Touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing.)
Discuss these questions:

• Which of your five senses do you use most? Why?
• How does each of your senses help you learn or discover truth?
• Why does your confidence in something grow if you use more than one of the five
senses to understand or know about something?

Explain that John, like several others, had the opportunity to be in the presence of the
glorified, resurrected Lord. Ask your family to study 1 John 1:1–4 and look for which of
John’s five senses he used during his interaction with Jesus. Ask:

• What do you think about John’s witness?
• What do you imagine it would be like to see and hear the voice of the resurrected
Lord?

• How do you think it increased John’s witness to be able to “handle” or touch the Lord?
• Can you think of other people who have had similar experiences?

Ask your family what they think it would be like to have fellowship with the Father and
His Son and what we can do to obtain it.

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The New
Testament, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006], p. 302.)


Story:
A member of the Seventy was on assignment in Hong Kong. He visited a very humble
ward that was struggling in many ways, unable to provide for its own needs. As the bishop
described their situation, the General Authority felt the impression to have the members
pay their tithing. The bishop, knowing their dire circumstances, was concerned about how
he could carry out that counsel. He thought about it and decided he would approach some
of the most faith-filled members of his ward and ask them to pay their tithing. The next Sunday he
went to the Primary. He taught the children about the Lord’s law of tithing and asked if they would be
willing to pay tithing on the money they earned. The children said they would. And they did.

The bishop later went to the adults in the ward and shared with them that for the past six months
their faithful children had been paying tithing. He asked them if they would be willing to follow the
example of these children and do the same. The people were so touched by the sacrifices the children
were willing to make that they did what was necessary to pay their tithing. And the windows of heaven
were opened. With the example of these faithful children, a ward grew in obedience and in testimony.

(Jean A. Stevens, “Become as a Little Child,” Ensign, May 2011, 10.)


Activity:
Have each person write down two or three general topics (such as love, service, faith, etc.) on slips
of paper. Put all the slips of paper in a bowl. Give each family member a set of scriptures (have young
children work in a team with an older person). Draw out one of the slips of paper and read the topic.
Give everyone two minutes to find a scripture on that topic. Have each person share the scripture they
found. Repeat with as many other slips as time allows.

Refreshment

Cinnamon Pull- Aparts
You’ll get rave reviews and repeat requests for these.

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1⁄2 cup sugar
1⁄2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
2 to 3 (12-ounce) cans refrigerator biscuits, quartered
1⁄2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 cup brown sugar

Heat oven to 350o F.

Put cinnamon, sugar, and nuts, if desired, in a resealable plastic bag. Add quartered biscuits to bag
and shake to coat biscuits. Place biscuits in a greased 10-inch bundt pan.
Mix butter and brown sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved. (Can also be put in saucepan and
heated together.) Pour sauce over top of biscuits, distributing evenly. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. (Check at
30 minutes—3 cans of biscuits may take 40 minutes.) Turn pan upside down on serving plate to release
the biscuit ring.

Serves 6 to 8.

FHE: Working Together

"Alone, we are weak and easily broken, but together, we are strong." -Aesop

Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “LDS Women are Incredible!” by Quentin L.
Cook, Ensign, May 2011, 18.


Thought:
All members of the Church of Jesus Christ are “to labor in his vineyard for the salvation
of the souls of men.” (Doctrine and Covenants 138:56.) “[The] work of salvation includes
member missionary work, convert retention, activation of less-active members, temple and
family history work, … teaching the gospel,” (Handbook 2: Administering the Church (2010),
page 22.) and caring for the poor and needy (See Handbook 2, 6.1.).

(Quentin L. Cook, “LDS Women Are Incredible!,” Ensign, May 2011, 18.)


Song:
“When We’re Helping,” Children’s Songbook, p. 198.


Scripture:
Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the
weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.
(Doctrine and Covenants 81:5)


Object Lesson:
Materials Needed: One large box filled with several heavy objects.

Procedure: Have a class member try to lift the box. (Be sure he does not hurt himself.) Ask
how it feels. Instruct two other class members to help the first lift the box. This will be easier.

Explain that the box is like the burdens we might carry in day-to-day life. Discuss what
some of these burdens could be. When we help other we can ease their day-to-day burdens.
(Beth Lefgren and Jennifer Jackson, More Power Tools for Teaching, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1991], p. 99.)


Story:

United We Stand

You can learn a lot from a horse. For example, I heard about a Canadian competition
during which huge Clydesdale work horses are hitched to a special sled that allows weights
to be added to measure the horse’s strength. During the most recent competition the winning
horse pulled about 8,000 pounds, while the second- place finisher pulled 7,000 pounds.

Hey, there’s a reason we use the phrase “strong as a horse.”
The competition also includes a team pulling event, and it turned out that during this
year’s competition one of the teams consisted of the first- and second- place finishers from the
individual pulling event. So it stands to reason that if you put them together, they should be
able to pull about . . . wait a second . . . these are big numbers . . . using ALL my fingers and
toes here . . . about 15,000 pounds, give or take a kilogram. Right?

Wrong.

Actually, when the two horses were hitched together they managed to pull a sled weighing
33,000 pounds— more than four times the amount each could pull individually!

I’m sure there’s some scientific principle of physics that comes into play here— equine
synergism, perhaps?—or some complex mathematical equation that would explain how such a
thing happens. But that would doubtless require brilliant insight, thoughtful consideration, and at least
two teenagers’ worth of computer know- how, and you know perfectly well you’re not going to get any
of that here.

I prefer the explanation of an ancient teacher named Aesop (and no, he wasn’t MY teacher—
he was a little before my time, and I’m pretty sure he went to a different high school). This wise
philosopher would use sticks to illustrate the point. He would hold up one stick and ask one of his
listeners to break it— which could easily be done. Then he would hold up two sticks, and repeat the
process. Then three, and so on until the little bundle of sticks couldn’t be broken, no matter how hard
his student tried.

“Alone, we are weak and easily broken,” Aesop would explain, “but together, we are strong.”

Abraham Lincoln tried to teach the same concept to a nation coming apart at the seams. “United we
stand,” said he, “divided we fall.”

Or was it the 5th Dimension that said that? I always get them confused.


In any case, it’s a significant concept for families, communities, church congregations, businesses,
and nations. No matter how strong we may be individually, our strength is multiplied exponentially
when we stand shoulder- to- shoulder, arm- in- arm, together with others.

But don’t take my word for it. Go right to the source.

Ask a horse.

(Joseph Walker, Look What Love Has Done, [Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2007], p. 112.)


Activity:

Divide the family into pairs. Mark a starting line on one end of the room and a goal line on the
other end. Each pair of players put a balloon between their foreheads and run to the goal line and back
without using their hands. The first team finished is the winner.

We must work with our brothers and sisters to reach our gospel goals. We cannot do it alone.


(adapted from Alma Heaton, The LDS Game Book, [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1968], p. 302.)


Refreshment

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1⁄2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)

1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla

3⁄4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

3⁄4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

3⁄4 cup finely chopped pecans

Graham crackers or Honey Maid® Chocolate Sticks

In a bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars. Beat just until
combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture onto a
large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Refrigerate at least 1 hour longer. Roll cheese ball in
pecans. Serve with graham crackers or Honey Maid Chocolate Sticks.

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