Come, Follow Me Daily Study Guide for the week of June 14-20, 2021 covering Doctrine and Covenants 64-66. For personal and/or family study of the scriptures, geared towards families with teenagers.  

*These are suggested resources that coincide with the Come, Follow Me manual that I have gathered along with my own thoughts and testimony.  

*SCRIPTURE JOURNALS – I strongly suggest having a scripture journal. On occasion it is suggested to write something down in your scripture journal. These are also great for writing down any impressions or “Aha” moments that you might have as you study the scriptures. 

*A free PDF DOWNLOAD of the Study Guide is available at the bottom of this post. You can also add Melanie’s Library to your mobile device home screen by following these instructions, click HERE

*SONGS – For a list of suggested songs for each day of the week, be sure and check out the blog called Music for Latter-day Life by clicking HERE. Suggestion for NON-SINGERS: Instead of singing, listen to the song suggested on Music for Latter-day Life and as you listen, write in our scripture journals how you have seen the hand of the Lord in your life or something you are grateful for. It is a great way to invite the Spirit to your scripture study.    

 

FHE DAY

For additional resources to help you prepare a Family Home Evening that goes along with Come Follow Me, sign up for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive FHE resources delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up at the bottom of this post. 

 

GOD REQUIRES MY HEART AND A WILLING MIND    

SCRIPTURE 

D&C 64:31-34

SUMMARY

The Lord tells us that we should not be weary in well-doing for we are laying the foundation of a great work. For “out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” The Lord requires our hearts and a willing mind and those who are obedient shall “eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.”

VIDEOS

1. Flecks of Gold (3:15), click HERE
2. The Heart and a Willing Mind (7:43), click HERE

ACTIVITIES

1.What does Heavenly Father want your family to do to bring about His “great work”? Maybe it’s going to the temple, sharing the gospel with a neighbor, or overcoming contention. Perhaps each family member could collect small objects, like rocks or buttons or puzzle pieces, and use them to represent “small things” we can do every day to “[lay] the foundation” for God’s great work. As a family, pick one of these small things to work on this week. (CFM manual)

2. STORY: The St. Paul Cathedral in London was significantly burned in London’s great fire of 1666. The world-famous architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild the structure. Five years into the project, Wren noticed three bricklayers working on the cathedral. One bricklayer was crouched down, one was half-standing, and the third was standing tall and working much harder than the others. “What are you doing?” Wren ask the first bricklayer. “I’m stacking bricks.” Wren asked the second bricklayer the same question. He responded, “I am building a wall.” Wren approached the third and asked, “What are you doing?” This hardworking bricklayer exclaimed, “I am building a cathedral to the Almighty!” (Come Follow Me Through the Doctrine and Covenants)

3. OBJECT LESSON: By Small and Simple Things, click HERE

QUOTES

DAVID BUTLER (Taken from Don’t Miss This): “Ezra Booth, an early missionary, became disenchanted with Joseph and the work of the Lord. He saw Joseph and Edward Partridge get into an argument with each other, and it left him unsettled. He also was underwhelmed by the lack of success he found preaching the gospel. Ezra Booth eventually turned against the Prophet, and his disenchantment seems to have stemmed from these initial experiences – experiences that did not meet his demands or expectations. This revelation [D&C 64], given during a time of questions about future missionary work, the fate of Kirtland and Missouri, and the issues of disappointment, reminded the Saints how important it was to forgive and have compassion. It reminded them that Joseph was not perfect, but God was not requiring perfection. All He was asking of them was to give their heart and willing mind. He encouraged them to keep going because, out of their small efforts, God was going to build something magnificent. This is such a wonderful advice to those who expect too much of themselves or others. Don’t be weary of doing good. Perhaps we could add a charge not to be weary of thinking good about others who are doing their small, best jobs at the work of the Lord.”

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From Truth Shines

PONDER & DISCUSS

1.Have you ever felt “weary” with all the “well-doing” you’re trying to accomplish? Look for the Lord’s message to you in Doctrine and Covenants 64:31–34. What does it mean to give your “heart and a willing mind” to God? (verse 34). (CFM manual)

2. How can we offer the Lord our “heart and a willing mind”? Verse 33 teaches that “out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” What are some small things that have had a great effect on your life? (The Doctrine and Covenants Family Reader)

CONFERENCE TALKS

1.Stand Up Inside and Be All In by Elder Gary B. Sabin, click HERE
2. “Let Us Not Weary in Well Doing” by President Spencer W. Kimball, click HERE

 

 

PREPARE YE THE WAY OF THE LORD 

SCRIPTURE

D&C 64:41-43 and 65

SUMMARY

In this revelation [D&C 65], Latter-day Saints were told to call upon the Lord. The Lord also commanded all humanity to prepare for His Second Coming and the glorious events surrounding it. The Lord issued a divine exhortation to pray. In general, this revelation helps us see the magnitude and destiny of the kingdom of God and the great purposes of having membership in that kingdom. (The Essential Doctrine and Covenants Companion)

VIDEOS

1. Surgery Prep Gone Wrong – Studio C (2:24), click HERE *Just as someone preps for surgery, how can we prep ourselves and others for the Second Coming? 😉
2. Prepare Today for the Second Coming (1:07), click HERE
3. MUSIC VIDEO: A Great Work (4:08), click HERE
4. The Church to Fill the Earth (1:34), click HERE
5. The Gospel Shall Roll Forth – Membership Growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2:47), click HERE

ACTIVITIES

1.ASK: “If you knew that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ would be in two days, what is one important thing you could do to prepare?” Share ideas and then read D&C 65:1, 3-5 and mark the word “prepare” each time you find it. Discuss the preparations mentioned in those scripture verses. (Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)

2. Preparing for the Second Coming FHE Lesson by Lara Goold. I really like her FHE lesson where she summarizes the Parable of the Ten Virgins and then she shares a quote by President Kimball that lists things we can do to prepare for the Second Coming. As you read the quote, she has printable drops of oil that you can put into a printed out oil lamp. I’d also suggest your family spending time coming up with additional things you can do to prepare and write them on blank printed out drops of oil. If you have your own oil lamp at home and it has no oil in it, you could put your printed out drops of oil in it OR if it does have oil in it, you could tape your printed out drops of oil to the outside of your oil lamp.  

 

3. Share the following story by Brad Wilcox: THE CRUISE SHIP Our mortal experience could be compared to God sending all of His children on a cruise ship from one shore to another. The journey is filled with opportunities to learn, grow, be happy, and progress, but it is also full of dangers. God loves all of His children and is concerned about their welfare. He does not want to lose any of them, so He selected some He could trust and made them members of His crew. That’s us. So when we look around on this cruise ship called earth and see other people sitting in lounge chairs drinking, gambling in casinos, and partying late into the night and wonder why we can’t, we must remember who we are. We are not ordinary passengers. We are members of the crew. And before we complain too long and too loudly about having crew member responsibilities passengers don’t have, we need to remember that crew members get something passengers don’t get: a paycheck.

There is nothing we could ever be asked to do in Christ’s Church for which we have not already been paid-paid in advance and paid in full, for we have been given a birthright. Because God trusts us, He sent us to earth with an extra portion and charged us with the well-being and safe return of all His family. Think of it! Of all the people on the earth, God looks to us, the members of His Church, to save the world. No wonder President Brigham Young once said, “All the Angels in heaven are looking to this little handful of people.”

It is one thing to be loved and another to be trusted. (For more insight to the story, click HERE)

QUOTES

EMILY BELLE FREEMAN (Taken from Don’t Miss This): D&C 65:4 “Whenever something is wrong in our home, I text my friend Nish and tell her to light the candle. She has a tradition I love. When someone is in desperate need of prayers, she lights a candle in her kitchen. Then, every time she walks past the candle and sees the light flickering, she stops and prays. She has lit the candle in our behalf for Broncos games, for health emergencies, and for times of great sorrow. There is no need too great or too small for the lighting of the candle. If we are praying, Nish wants to pray with us. I believe in the power of unified prayer. I have seen the miracles that have come because someone thought to pray. That is why I love the end of this verse so much, ‘Pray unto the Lord, call upon his holy name, make known his wonderful works among the people.’ Don’t you love how He sets up the expectation for us? We can expect that wonderful works will follow prayer and calling upon His holy name, but there is more. He wants us to testify when we experience the wonderful works that follow those prayers.”

JOSEPH FIELDING SMITH: D&C 65:3 “This prophesy of the marriage of the Lamb is a figure of speech, having reference to the second coming of our Savior and the feast, or supper, that the righteous shall receive at his coming. When teaching the Jews, and more especially his disciples, the Savior spoke of the Bridegroom when referring to himself.”

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*Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty; used for educational purposes

PONDER & DISCUSS

1.Matthew described John the Baptist as one who cried, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord” (Matthew 3:3; see also Isaiah 40:3). In Doctrine and Covenants 65, the Lord uses similar language to describe His latter-day work. What similarities do you see between what John the Baptist did (see Matthew 3:1–12) and what the Lord wants us to do today? What do you find in this revelation that inspires you to help fulfill the prophecies it contains? Ponder ways you can “make known [God’s] wonderful works among the people” (verse 4). (CFM manual)

2. An ensign is “a flag or standard around which people gather in a unity of purpose or identity” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Ensign,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org). How has Zion—or the Lord’s Church—been like an ensign to you? Consider these other examples of things that are held up, like an ensign, to bless the people: Numbers 21:6–9; Matthew 5:14–16; Alma 46:11–20. What do these verses teach you about how you can help the Church be an ensign where you live? Look for other ways the Lord describes Zion in Doctrine and Covenants 64:41–43. (CFM manual)

3. Referring to D&C 65:4 you could ask: (Taken from Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)

• Why is prayer such a valuable tool of preparation?
• How can we improve our prayers?
• Why do you think it is important to share our knowledge with others?
• What is a missionary activity we could participate in this upcoming week?

CONFERENCE TALKS

1. An Ensign to the Nations by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, click HERE
2. Prepare Ye by President Ezra Taft Benson, click HERE
3. Now Is the Time to Prepare by President Russell M. Nelson, click HERE

ENSIGN ARTICLE: The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming by President Nelson, click HERE

 

 

THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF MY HEART

SCRIPTURE

D&C 66

See also Saints, 1:138–40; Gospel Topics, “Patriarchal Blessings,” topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

SUMMARY

Shortly after joining the Church, William E. McLellin asked Joseph Smith to reveal God’s will for him. Joseph didn’t know it, but William had five personal questions he was hoping the Lord would answer through His Prophet. We don’t know what William’s questions were, but we do know that the revelation addressed to him, now Doctrine and Covenants 66, answered each question to William’s “full and entire satisfaction” (“William McLellin’s Five Questions,” Revelations in Context, 138). (CFM manual)

VIDEOS

1. Principles of Peace: Repentance (2:38), click HERE
2. How Repentance Can Help You Overcome Pornography (4:04), click HERE
3. Repentance: A Joyful Choice (4:37), click HERE
4. Patriarchal Blessings Contain Life Warnings (4:21), click HERE

ACTIVITIES

1.D&C 66:3 How will you teach the importance of repenting? You could serve some food on a plate that is partially clean and read the Lord’s words to William McLellin: “You are clean, but not all.” Then you could clean the plate and share the food while discussing how Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to be spiritually clean. (CFM manaul)

2. Ask your family to think about this question: “If you could ask the Lord any five questions, what would they be and why?” *Great introduction to section 66.

3. Show your family 3 sheets of white paper: one perfectly white, with no marks on it; a second one with a few pencil marks or other dark marks; and a third that is almost completely covered with pencil or other messy markings. Have your family imagine that these papers represent a person’s spiritual life. Ask, “Which paper would you want your life to be like and why?” Read D&C 66:3 and identify which paper best exemplifies the life of William E. McLellin. ASK: “What might it mean to be “clean, but not all?” “How do we become clean?” (Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families)

4. A Disappearing Sin Object Lesson for Kids (Super easy!), click HERE

QUOTES

DAVID BUTLER (Taken from Don’t Miss This): “William McLellin was a school teacher who came across the restored gospel and heard of the role of Joseph Smith as a prophet in the summer of 1831. He wanted to test whether Joseph was actually a prophet. In his own journal, he wrote that he ‘went before the Lord in secret, and on my knees asked him to reveal the answer to five questions through his Prophet.’ Then, without telling the Prophet about his prayer, William asked for a revelation-it was a revelation that answered every one of his five questions. William would eventually leave the Church. He would even join the mobs that forced the Saints out of their homes. He would ask to fight Joseph with a club. Surely, the Lord knew all of those things were ahead. And still, He had time for those five questions. What I love most about this story is that we discover the Lord cares about our five questions, whatever they might be, and He intends to answer them. A seminary-teacher…had a girl approach him one day after class telling him she was thinking of leaving her faith. In an inspired invitation, my friend asked her if she would be willing to try an experiment. General conference was coming up, and he asked her if she would write down all of her questions beforehand, go into the weekend with prayer, fasting, and humility, and then come back and report on Monday. When she returned, like William, she had a notebook filled with answers to every one of her questions. This is not always how the Lord does it, but the promise is still valid: He will find a way to show us His will- particularly His will concerning us.”

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Used for educational purposes

PONDER & DISCUSS

Think about what the Lord knew about William McLellin and the concerns and intents of his heart. How has the Lord revealed that He knows you? If you have a patriarchal blessing, consider studying it. As you do, what does the Holy Ghost help you understand about God’s will for you? (CFM manual)

How can your family follow the Lord’s counsel to “seek not to be cumbered,” or burdened with many things to do? You could talk about the story of Mary and Martha (see Luke 10:38–42), and discuss how your family can keep from being cumbered by things that aren’t of eternal value. (CFM manual)

CONFERENCE TALKS

1. Your Patriarchal Blessing: A Liahona of Light by Thomas S. Monson, click HERE
2. Conference Talks on Repentance, click HERE

 

 

GENERAL CONFERENCE DAY

Study a recent General Conference talk. A great way to study a conference talk is to read along as you listen and highlight the parts that stand out to you. Then after the talk, review and discuss what you have highlighted.    

THIS WEEK’S TALK: Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul by Elder Ulisses Soares, click HERE

 

 

CATCH UP DAYS

Do one of the days that you missed OR any of the additional resources listed.

Yours Truly,

 

P.S. For more Come, Follow Me resources, check out my post Your Ultimate Guide to Come, Follow Me. It lists over 100 Come, Follow Me resources that are available online starting with the church’s resources at the top. You can find it by clicking HERE. 

P.P.S. Sign up here for the Teach Me FHE email group and receive FHE resources delivered right to your inbox every Sunday morning. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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