FHE Ideas

President Monson has said of Family Home Evening, "We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program...the lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest."

Collette shared these awesome ideas at out FHE Idea Night. (All of these require little or no preparation!)

• Scripture Memorizing – study a scripture (use student manuals http://institute.lds.org/courses/) apply and memorize throughout the week
• Family Memory Book (blurb.com or other photo book site) – once a month work as a family to write stories for a memory book. These are saved online so you can order them later if you can’t do so now.
• Scripture Videos ( http://www.lds.org/media-library/video?lang=eng) – apply and testify
• Ensign – having a lesson from the Ensign each week using an entire talk or creating a spiritual thought
• Children’s Hymn – sing a song and use the scriptures listed with each song to teach the doctrine
• Life issues – develop lessons from scripture that address current issues, good and bad (i.e. bullying, CTR)

Putting on the Armor of God

FHE By Jen B (and her mom. Ok, mostly her mom)

(Jen is the top left.)

Opening Song: “Keep the Commandments” Children’s Song book page 146

Scripture: Ephesians 6:11 “Put on the whole amour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Lesson:

Talk about things that protect us physically today. Seatbelts, football helmets, bike helmets, shin guards, etc. Then, talk about things that people wore to protect them in battle a long time ago. This could be armor for knights, armor from WWI, armor for Indians, etc.

Ask your family what battle we are fighting today. What has the Lord given us to protect us today?

Take turns reading D&C 27: 15-18. While you’re reading, write down the things we can do to protect ourselves from Satan and the pieces of armor the Lord describes.

Discuss each piece of armor with the help of the following explanations:

• "Loins girt about with truth." Tell your family that to be "girt about" is to have a large belt around you, and that the "loins" are your many vital organs and the sacred procreative parts of your body.
• "Breastplate of righteousness." Ask "What important organ does the breastplate cover?" (The heart.)
• "Feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace." Ask your family how far they think they could walk without shoes compared to how far they could walk with shoes. Remind them that mortal life is like a long journey to a place we can't really see at this time.
• "Shield of faith." Have your family look again at D&C 27:17 and identify what the shield specifically does. (Stop the fiery darts of the wicked.) Ask them why they think Satan's weapon is compared to a dart rather than a large tank or cannon. Invite them to give examples of how others (including Satan) have tried to get them to doubt the truths of the gospel. How has your faith helped you to overcome?
• "Helmet of Salvation." A helmet of salvation shall guide our thinking all through our days. How would remembering Christ more regularly help us resist the influence the devil tries to have over us?
• "Sword of my Spirit." Ask your family how the sword is different from the other pieces of armor listed. (It is a weapon rather than merely protection.) What are some ways we can receive God's word through the Spirit?

(Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter- day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 55-6.)

Story from Elder L. Tom Perry:

One day I was made an attractive offer by a group of marines, buddies of mine, as we were about to go on liberty. It wasn't until after we were on our way that I discovered this was not the best company to be in. It was then that I found out the reason they had invited me. It was because they knew of my standards. They knew that I would be sober when it was time to return to the base, and I could guide them back.
We found ourselves in Los Angeles on a streetcar headed toward a dance hall. They had already started to drink a little, and I was ready to part their company. It was here that that protective shield took over and I knew of the prayers of my parents for my welfare. The streetcar stopped and allowed new passengers to come aboard. The new passengers separated me from my buddies and pushed me to the back of the car. It was there that I discovered a nice group of young people standing and seated. Immediately upon finding me in their company, one spoke up and said, "Hi, Marine! We're Mormons. What do you know about our Church?"
I answered, "Plenty," and got off the streetcar with them and went to a ward social.
You see, the shield of faith was there. It was protecting me from the fiery darts of the wicked in order that in a proper time in my life I would be worthy to take an angle into the temple of the Lord and there at its altar be sealed together for time and all eternity.
I know be personal experience the value of having noble parents to build around their children a protective shield of faith of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. I give you my witness that it works. Should not every child of God be given that opportunity in their lives--to start each day having their fathers blessing their home and giving them that protective shield of faith as they depart from the home to go about their every activity.

(L. Tom Perry, "Build Your Shield of Faith," Ensign, May 1974, 98)

Activity:

Create “Shields of Faith” with your children. You can cut the shape out of cardboard boxes. Cereal boxes work great. (they don’t need to be huge!)

Cover the shields with aluminum foil to make them look like real armor. Then, you can use markers or pens to write on them! (Permanent markers work best, but you should be able to use other markers; just be careful with your little ones!) Have them include things like their favorite scripture, things they are going to do to keep the faith, or pictures of the Temple/Church/etc.

Make sure you take a picture!!

***If it’s just you and your husband: make sure you have the discussion together, and then talk about experiences you had when you felt grateful for the Armor of God (like Elder Perry’s)

Scripture Power

Last week our lesson was on Chapter 10: The Scriptures, The Most Valuable Library in the World. We had a great discussion on the scriptures and how to make them a better part of our lives. Here are some of the wonderful ideas that were shared:

Scripture Videos –Help children learn the stories. You can buy scripture DVD, find them at the library or even short videos produced by the church. Click the link to find Book of Mormon Stories and New Testament Stories.

Memorize Scriptures – Pick a scripture a month to memorize.

Include children in scripture study – Use signals for phrases that young children can remember (http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/in-tune-with-the-music-of-faith?lang=eng)

Focus on smaller sections of scriptures  - Don’t feel like you need to read an entire chapter

Decorate your home with scriptures -  For example: http://media-cache5.pinterest.com/upload/33073378483070883_4Krwom5e.jpg 

Read scriptures with visitors to your home

Act out the scriptures – Make it fun!

Ask questions for each member of the family – Help them to apply the scriptures and understand the principles.

Getting to Know Lauren B

My name is: Lauren B

My favorite dinner is: Southwest Chicken Chili or Pizza

My favorite dessert is: Cookie dough when I'm not prego, but right now chocolate cupcakes

My favorite flower is: Orange Roses

My favorite hobby is: Reading and Music

My favorite restaurant is: Gecko Grill in AZ

A game I like to play is: Uno, only for the thrill of giving my husband a chance at winning

The music I listen to most is: Jimmy Eat World or Coldplay

My favorite thing to buy is: Probably food because I'm very hungry right now

A book I highly recommend is: The Percy Jackson series is a fun read

A movie I watch over and over is: The Young Victoria

A smell that makes me pause is: Baking bread

The city I would most like to visit is: Paris, France

My favorite thing to do on a date is: Frisbee Golf

The best vacation I ever had was: A road trip to California with my best girlfriend. Only because it happened on 6-6-06 and our big white Astro Van with the license plate "Girls" broke down in the middle of the LA freeway. Long story short, we survived and got to ride some roller coasters at Magic Mountain.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? Giselle, so I can make all my clothes out of curtains and have talking animals clean my house

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Quilting or competitive eating

What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Planning "what's for dinner."

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Sleep, zzzzz...

What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? My hair is really soft?

What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? The bad times, to make the goods ones really worth it

What is your dream vacation? Anywhere with a beach.

What's the coolest thing you've ever done? Win a bowling championship with the only all girls team. Well, 2nd place at least.

How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? Break. The. Fast. He tried to get me to hike Timp at night to see the sunrise. Romantic, right? Well, I very much dislike hiking, but we ended up on the wrong trail anyways, so I was saved.

The best thing about being married is: Having someone I'm not afraid to be my true self with and vice versa

What do you and your husband like to do together? Play games, frisbee, and bike riding

What would be your perfect day? A summer day in the sun, swimming and eating otter pops

What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Be willing to change and forgive

What story does your family always tell about you? When I split my head open as a little girl, I told my grandma on the way to the ER, "I don't want to die!"

Getting to Know Morgan H

 

My name is: Morgan H

My favorite dinner is: Sushi or Thai Food

My favorite dessert is: Guava Chiffon Cake

My favorite flower is: Peonies

My favorite hobby is: Finding new recipes and trying them out

My favorite restaurant is: The Cheesecake Factory!

A game I like to play is: Apples to Apples

The music I listen to most is: Doesn’t matter the genre, as long as the song is good (and clean). Currently listening to “Jerusalem” by Matisyahu.

My favorite thing to buy is: Dresses from Anthropologie

A book I highly recommend is: Fire of the Covenant by Gerald N Lund

A movie I watch over and over is: Pride and Prejudice :)

A smell that makes me pause is: Coconut Lime

The city I would most like to visit is: Paris

My favorite thing to do on a date is: Go to dinner and a movie

The best vacation I ever had was: My husband is from Canada, so we went to Waterton National Park (the Canadian counterpart of Glacier National Park) for our honeymoon and it was amazing! Lots of hiking and boating and fun!

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? The Little Mermaid, I love the ocean.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? I want to learn how to quilt really bad!

What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Cleaning toilets.

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Read a book, or waste time on Pinterest.

What do you think is your very best feature or characteristic? I like meeting new people, I’m a little shy at first, but I love meeting new friends.

What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What is your dream vacation? Israel

What's the coolest thing you've ever done? I went shark diving with friends on my 20^th birthday! They put you in a cage and lower it into the water with the sharks. It was awesome!

How did you meet your husband? How did he propose? Taylor and I met while we were both serving missions in the Ohio Cleveland Mission. I served in the Visitor’s Center in Kirtland (and surrounding areas) and he served on the other side of the mission. I met him a few times and thought he was a really nice person. When we got home he contacted me and I came up to Utah to visit him. A week later we pretty much knew we were going to get married. We dated long-distance for two months until I flew back to Utah to visit again. He took me to La Caille for dinner and then to Temple Square and proposed at the Christus :)

The best thing about being married is: Having an eternal “companion”! Haha. Seriously, the best thing is having your best friend and companion always with you to walk with you through eternity!

What do you and your husband like to do together? We like to try new foods, have friends over to visit, play board games, run together and spend time outside.

What would be your perfect day? A BBQ at the beach with nothing else to do.

What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage? Our family motto is “Loyal to God and to each other”, I feel like if we follow that we will be able to get through anything.

What story does your family always tell about you? My parents love to tell people about the first words I spoke…Fifty dollars and Cheeseburger

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

By Amanda N, Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can chicken broth
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Directions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, broth, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Getting to Know Kelsey C

My name is: Kelsey Ann C

My favorite dinner is: Homemade pizza

My favorite dessert is: Cheesecake

My favorite flower is: Carnations

My favorite hobby is: Playing tennis or reading a good book

My favorite restaurant is: Wingers

A game I like to play is: Boggle - it's the only game where I'm guaranteed to beat AJ.

The music I listen to most is: I've been on a Fun./The Format kick lately.

My favorite thing to buy is: Clothes for AJ...I can almost double his wardrobe with every purchase.

A book I highly recommend is: The Book Thief

A movie I watch over and over is: How To Lose a Guy in Ten Days

A smell that makes me pause is: BBQ

The city I would most like to visit is: Bangkok, Thailand

My favorite thing to do on a date is: Anything that requires tennis shoes.

The best vacation I ever had was: I lived in Germany for 5 years growing up and we traveled super often. I consider that period of my life an awesome, giant vacation.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? I think I read this on several others but I would choose to be Katniss Everdeen too.

If you could learn to do anything, what would it be? Become fluent in ASL.

What chore do you absolutely hate doing? Vacuuming.

When you have 30 minutes of free-time, how do you pass the time? Read, close my eyes, or listen to a podcast while doing the dishes.

What is the "thing" you are most grateful for? My husband, AJ, and that the Gospel is as important to him as it is to me.

What is your dream vacation? Someday me and AJ want to ride the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Hong Kong just to say we did it. I'd also take two weeks in Bali.

What's the coolest thing you've ever done? Got myself married to AJ.

How did you meet your husband? How did he propose?

AJ and I met on a BYU intramural water polo team beginning of last winter semester. His friend knew my roommate and invited her and any other girls she knew to join the team. I liked AJ right away but despite all my obvious hints, his roommate was the one that asked me out. They must have had a strong "bro-code" because it took AJ months after that to ask me out.

He proposed in Midway after recreating our first date. He played my favorite song (All About Us by He is We) while we danced and then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I'll love him forever.

The best thing about being married is: Just being with my best friend all the time.

What do you and your husband like to do together? Play racquetball, hike, read, compete, and hold hands.

What would be your perfect day? It would be a warm and sunny day. I'd wake up to no alarm and be able to run around and play with AJ all day. We'd play frisbee, read in the park, go on a hike, laugh, grill some hamburgers. We'd come home exhausted and slightly sunburnt.

What was the best advice you got/would give on marriage?  Go to the temple together as often as possible.

What story does your family always tell about you? I think my mom has told AJ ten times how when I was younger I used to say, "I want to be a server or a doctor." Both admirable goals.