Follow the Prophet
by Shauna Gibby
Conference Talk:
For more information on this topic read “Give Heed unto the Prophets’ Words,” by Quentin L. Cook, Ensign, May 2008, 47–50.
Thought:
Prophets are inspired to provide us with prophetic priorities to protect us from dangers.
(Quentin L. Cook, “Give Heed unto the Prophets’Words,” Ensign, May 2008, 47–50)
Song:
“Follow the Prophet” Children’s Songbook, p. 110.
Scripture:
Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all [the prophet’s] words and
commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all
holiness before me. For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against
you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and
cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.
(Doctrine and Covenants 21:4, 6)
Lesson:
The words and phrases below describe the titles the Lord gave Joseph Smith in
D&C 21:1. Show each description to your family and have them find the word that
matches the description. Have them use their Bible Dictionary if they need help.
Description:
• God’s messenger. Preserves and edits records, denounces sin, foretells
punishment, and is a preacher of righteousness. (See BD, 754.)
• Revelator and prophet. Uses the Urim and Thummim. Greater than a prophet.
(See BD, 771.)
• One sent forth as a special witness of Jesus Christ. Part of an administrative body.
A personal, select representative of God. (See BD, 612.)
• Older men in a tribe entrusted with governing or ruling others. Ordained in Old
Testament times. A priesthood office in New Testament times. (See BD, 662.)
• One who translates one language into another.
Title from D&C 21:1
• Prophet
• Seer
• Apostle
• Elder
• Translator
Invite everyone to underline in D&C 21:1 all of the titles by which Joseph Smith is known. Then
ask:
• How did Joseph Smith act in that specific role (of apostle, prophet, elder, and so on)?
• Which of those roles has the current prophet functioned in?
• Can the current prophet fulfill all those functions as the need arises?
Bear your testimony that the president of the Church holds all the keys of God’s power that have
been restored to the earth at this time.
(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants,
p. 44.)
Story:
I grew up in the ’50s under the leadership of President David O. McKay, who was probably the
best known for his teachings on the family. All prophets emphasize the family, but President McKay
brought an urgency to our focus on family home evening, strong marriages, and healthy parent-and child
relationships.
During the decade of the ’50s and even into the early ’60s, the societal pressures on the home and
family were minor, especially compared to today. This was the age of Father Knows Best and Leave it
to Beaver. Almost every thing I saw on television or at the movie theater supported my family’s value
system. Since attacks against the stability of the home were nominal, why did President McKay place
such an emphasis on family issues? He had eyes that could see afar off. He was laying defensive
preparations for the all-out war against the family that would begin vigorously in the middle of the ’60s
and continue through today.
Part of President McKay’s encouragement to families was probably based on the impact it would
have on children raised during those times. If their parents followed the counsel to hold family home
evenings, for example, the children would be in the habit of having them and would have a testimony
of their importance. I hold family home evenings, family scripture reading, and family prayer largely
because I was raised in a home where these things were standard.
Why don’t seers move with the times? Because they are ahead of the times. They often disagree
with the temporal view because they have an eternal one. Whenever a seer offers counsel, our first
question should be, “I wonder what he sees that is causing him to speak these words?”
(S. Michael Wilcox, Don’t Leap With the Sheep, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2001], 59-61.)
Activity:
Play “Follow the leader”
Assign one family member as the leader. Tell the leader to start doing something. He can walk, run,
dance, sing, talk or do any activity or combination of activities he wants to do, in any order he wants.
Everyone else must follow the leader, doing whatever the leader does exactly the way she does it.
Anyone who doesn’t follow exactly is out of the game. Signal the end of the game when only person is
left following the leader. That person then becomes the leader of the next game.
Variations:
1. If you need to speed the game up or make it more kid-friendly, you can set a time limit on
leaders. This way, no one has to drop out of the game if they make a mistake, and everyone gets a turn
to be the leader.
2. For older children, assemble the family into a circle around one blindfolded middle player.
Everyone else silently picks a leader, then the middle player takes off his blindfold and tries to guess
who is the leader.
Refreshment
David O. McKay’s Baked Apples
6 apples
1 cup brown, white, or maple sugar
Lemon juice
Cinnamon
Butter
Cream
Preheat oven to 375° F. Wash and core apples. Fill center of each apple with 1 tablespoon sugar,
sprinkling a little over the outside. Then sprinkle with lemon juice and cinnamon, and dot with butter.
Place in deep casserole with a lid. Add enough water to cover bottom of baking dish. Cover and bake
about 35 minutes or until tender.
Remove apples and boil syrup remaining in the casserole dish until
thick. Pour syrup and thick cream over apples to serve. (If apples are baked uncovered, it is necessary
to baste them during cooking.) Makes 6 servings.
(Lion House Desserts, [Salt Lake City: Eagle Gate, 2000], p. 53.)
Click here to download the PDF.
Deseret Book
Posted by Tammi
from Mt. Green, UT
HI, just can't download the PDF for this FHE lesson. I click the link and it says it cannot be found.
Thank you
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Posted by Diana
from Rocklin
I love this feature, and use it each week, but the PDF feature is not working.
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