Primary 7 lesson 6 “Jesus is baptized.”

Opening Prayer.

Attention Activity: 2 groups — who can finish the verse first?

_____ came to John the ____ in Judea ____ ago and was baptized by ______ in the river ______’s flow.

Question: What does it mean “baptized by immersion?”

Scripture reading: two students do a mini-play.

Jesus: I want to be baptized.

John: I can’t do it. I need to be baptized by you; why come to me?

Jesus: this is how it must be for now; this way we do everything right.

John: Then I’ll do it.

Discussion question and activity: Jigsaw.

Break students into two groups.  Give them two minutes to discuss and decide why we need to be baptized.  Tell them you want reasoning, not just “because God says so.”  When two minutes are up, combine them into one group.  Tell them to compare and discuss their answers and come back to you with an answer they all agree on.

Enrichment activity: categorze the following strips into the things we promise God when we are baptized and the things He promises us.

Give us eternal life.

Stand as witnesses of Heavenly Father at all times and in all places.

Give us daily guidance through the Holy Ghost.

Help others.

Give us many blessings.

Serve Heavenly Father and keep his commandments.

Forgive our sins.

Become members of Jesus’ church.

Share testimony.

Closing prayer.

Things went pretty well today, in large part thanks to the support I’m getting from the new Primary Presidency.  Nikolai and Stephen were being disruptive and rude so I sent them to see the Primary President.  I expected her to keep them for a few minutes and send them back; she just kept them.  This lessened my numbers, which made the groups more difficult to arrange, but also upped the atmosphere by quite a lot.  The kids still tended to silliness but it was at managable levels.

I actually ended up with five minutes left over at the end of class.  I improvised and asked if anyone could recite the Fourth Article of Faith.  John searched his scriptures for it (totally on his own initiative) and read it out to the rest of us.  We then wrote it on the bookmarks I made to remind them of their reading assignment.  This was a mixed success; John did well but the others either have writing difficulty or are still too new at it.  Almost no one finished and few were legible.  Oh well, we tried.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what to do with class clowns?  Stephen isn’t a bad student, just full of energy and a need to be the center of attention.  When I make him our “chalk man” (he gets to do the writing on the board) he does well with that and is more focused in class but I can’t do that every single time.

 

I did it. I couldn’t help it! I snapped!

In January I went home for a week. During that week my husband decided to surprise me by cleaning out the computer room. Needless to say, most of the computer room ended up in the living room as an amorphous mass of papers, books and other miscellanea that we needed to weed through. Said amorphous mass ate the dining table and all of the floor space.

The Home Teachers came over. I straightened up, made sure there were clear seats available, then smiled and shrugged.

My Visiting Teachers are coming over tomorrow. This will be the first VT visit I’ve had in a year or so. (Not that I’m SuperVisitngTeachingWoman myself.)

I couldn’t take it. The idea of these women seeing my house in this state… Gyaaaah.

After considerable digging, the table has been re-discovered. Though earlier efforts had yielded encouraging results from the floor blob, one final push of locating and categorizing was necessary before the floor was re-claimed.

The dusting and vacuuming will be done tomorrow. The bathroom will be wiped down. The amazing pile of dishes we managed to accumulate this weekend (in large part because I have declared Sunday my No Housework Day) has been whittled down and will be vanquished tomorrow.

I ain’t touching that Great Wall of Books-to-be-Sold-or-Donated in the laundry area though. Even if it is clearly, plainly, unavoidably visible due to the open-concept aparment design. Gyaah.

 

A Primary Lesson That Worked

This is what I did (with some help in planning from my husband who is in teacher’s college) for lesson number one from the Primary 7 manual. Lesson title is “Becoming Familiar with the New Testament.” (See here to “meet” my students.)

Opening Prayer.

Attention Activity: Book Scramble. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.) Questions to ask: What are these? Where do we find them?

Brainstorm (5 Minutes) : How scriptures can change our lives. (Example: when I need comfort, I read the scriptures.) Assign a student to list everyone’s ideas on the chalkboard.

Scriptures: Ask for a volunteer to read 2 Timothy 3:16 &17.

Questions: What does Paul say the scriptures are good for? What does he mean?

Game: Four Corners. Hand out four pieces of paper and pens. Ask one group to write “Doctrine,” and “Correction” the other to write “Reproof” and “Instruction.” (Write the words on the board for them to copy if necessary.) (Note: these categories came from the scripture reading.)

Have the children clear the room of obstacles. Tape the papers in different corners of the room. Have the children stand in the center. Explain to the children that you are going to point to items on the list they made during the Brainstorming Section and you want them to run to the corner they think applies best. Compare and discuss eachother’s decisions.

Share your testimony of the scriptures.

Closing Prayer.

This lesson went very well; the kids really enjoyed the game and actually asked to keep playing at the end of class. They were interested, involved and interacting. Most importantly, they were thinking! Yay thinking!

Things I would do differently next time: I would ask the Scripture question BEFORE I had them read the verses so they’d know what to listen for. Isn’t it always the little, basic things that trip you up? As it was, they had to read the verses three times and still didn’t really get it, even though by the second reading I’d asked them the question. I’m thinking of doing a mini-lesson at some point on how to read Biblical English; perhaps I’ll pair it with a mini-lesson on methods for studying the scriptures.

 

Taking a stand for Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Recently sextuplets were born to a family in Vancouver. Little is known about the family other than that they are devout Jehovah’s Witnesses. Last week the state seized three of the four surviving infants to give them transfusions because it is against the tenets of the JWs and the parents had refused. The parents and their doctors were pursuing alternative methods of treatment. The responses in the editorial pages have been vile.

“Perpetuating the myths”

Michael Rai-Lewis (Imposing Religion — Feb 2) writes that parents should not be allowed to impose their religion on infants, who are not capable of choosing anything. When carried to its logical conclusion this is an idea that no religion could ever permit.

Imagine if parents were prevented from imposing religion on their children until they could make an informed choice for themselves — say, at 14 or 16 years old. The children would reject such ludicrous fairytales, the same way children outgrow Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

No, we won’t be seeing this any time soon. The mythmakers simply could not allow it. The duty of parents to brainwash their children is sacrosant in every religion for a very good reason.

My response, which I hope the paper will print:

If choice is what bothers Michael Rai-Lewis (Feb 2) and Christpoher Price (Feb 3), then I wonder how they can condone the state forcing transfusions on those infants. They could not make an informed decision; how does the state have more right than their parents to make decisions for them? These are not parents who have neglected or abused their children in any way; these are parents who have fought every step of the way for these children’s lives. “Selected terminations” and DNRs were recommended by doctors; if not for these parent’s choices, those children’s fates would not even be up for debate. What about those choices? Should the state, which forced a decision on those children in order to save their lives, have forced a decision on them to end their lives?

In the end, it is the parent’s job, even duty, to make decisions for and on behalf of their children. Mr. Price appears to advocate not teaching our children anything until they can understand and make the decisions for themselves. When taken to its logical conclusion, this is an idea that no parent and no society period can permit. Don’t teach your children how to eat healthfully? What three-year old would choose whole grains and vegetables over a cupcake and chips? This is a choice a parent must make. For that matter, what about global warming? If we were to wait to act upon it until everyone completely understood it and was able to make what those who advocate such a choice feel would be “quality” decisions, then we would be waiting a long time indeed. Say, for everyone on the planet to get a Ph.D in environmental studies.

So what Mr. Price’s comment comes down to is “don’t allow parents to teach their children anything I disagree with.” Should I then advocate that people like him should not be allowed to teach their children their brand of athiesm? Afterall, I disagree with it. And if my children are too young to be taught my values and the basis upon which I make them, then so are his.

I am disappointed with the Globe and Mail for printing the nastiness and ignorance I have seen these last few days. Canada prides itself on its openeness and tolerance but apparently that doesn’t extend very far.

 

 

You’re not the person I married.

Friends of mine are in the process of divorcing. I find it very sad, especially in light of my parents’ impending divorce. I know there are many factors that go into such a drastic decision. For the most part, I tend to think that a dose (a heavy dose) of charity is what’s needed to fix the problems. (Believe me, I know it’s not an instant cure.)

But how much is too much? My friends were married in the temple. Something has happened that has changed one of them drastically. Beliefs have changed or been lost. Personality has changed to the point where the other spouse says that their spouse is a completely different person.

The person you married made certain promises but now has become another person, one who doesn’t care about those promises. Does that mean the marriage is nullified?

 

Oh, boys! (Hide me?)

The Valiant Femmes are femmes no more. Or, more correctly, not only femmes any more. I suppose it’s only to be expected in a small, transient ward like mine but still I find myself caught a little flatfooted and a little sad. Lynette’s family will be moving out of our ward in spring and Natalie will be joining Young Women’s this year. This leaves only Anna in the class. The teacher for the boy’s class has moved away. So we have a teacher without a class and a class without a teacher. I don’t think you need to have a degree in economics to figure out the same thing the Primary Presidency did.

So, starting in the New Year, I’ll be teaching a class of about six children. Other than looking for a larger room to teach them in, I don’t really know where to start. The girls responded well to the structure of the lessons in the Primary manual. I don’t think the boys will as much, especially the one who seems to have ADD. By the same token, I don’t want Anna to feel overpowered, buried and ignored as the only girl.

Meet the new class:

Nikolai: About 10 years old. Anna’s older brother who possibly has ADD. It’s hard to keep him focused.

Stephen: Eight or nine years old. Doesn’t like to participate.

Benjamin: About 10 years old. Pretty good at understanding and participation but easily distracted by his new step-brother.

Alvin: Eight years old. Youngest boy in the class and Benjamin’s new step-brother. Bilingual with some reading difficulties. His wheelchair is one reason I need a bigger classroom. He also likes to scoot around in it so I need to do something about getting him to stay still.

John: About 10 years old. Son of one of my VT ladies. Well-behaved, thoughtful and always brings his scriptures… so far, the ideal Sunday School student.

So, Bloggernacle, please share with me your thoughts, tips and suggestions for herding boys in Sunday School. I do have a cattle prod on order. 😉

Edit:  Here’s a refresher on the girl’s info:

First is Anna, age 8.  She used to refuse to read even the shortest verse but recently she volunteered and read her way through a good chunk. She was doing well with the other girls in class but she doesn’t seem as happy with a class full of rowdy boys.

Lynette is 9 and the bossiest little thing you’ve ever seen.  She loves new ideas and projects and always volunteers to give a prayer.

Natalie is 11 and struggling with a number of challenges.  She seems quiet and sensitive when she’s on her own and understands gospel principles easily.

 

House-hunting and advice-seeking.

…I’m looking forward to this with equal parts excitment and dread.  Well, not dread so much as trepidation.  You see, this will be the first time for us.  We’ve been aparment hunting sure, but that was in Japan and that was just for the two of us.  We hope to be starting a family soon so there’s all of those considerations to take into account.

Of course we’ll settle wherever DH gets hired but part of what we’re going to try to do is search out areas we’d want to live in and then apply to those school discricts.  (He’s going to be teaching high school.)  Here’s where your help comes in.  What kind of things do you look for in a city or township?  What are good points and bad points?  Great bonuses and run-screaming-the-other-way points?  Who would you talk to to find out such things?

 

Your “standard” radio station.

I’ve been listening to the radio a lot lately.  The radio (usually) has more variety than the collection of songs I have on my computer and I enjoy the chatter of the djs.  Every now and again when they come back from (or head off on) a commercial break, the announce makes some comment about how 99.9 mix is a “standard” radio station.

Oh, don’t I wish.  I wish there were such a thing as a radio station with standards.  Ideally such a station would screen all new releases.  It could even have a contest (like 99.9 does) where the listeners get to choose which songs get added to the playlist and which get dumped.  I think there’s a need — and maybe even a desire — for such a thing because the airwaves are getting dirtier and dirtier.  If I hear Justin Timberlake’s asinine, oversexed song one more time, I think I WILL whip him as he so kindly offers to allow me to “if he misbehaves.”  IF he misbehaves?  He misbehaves just by singing that pathetic excuse for a song.  Boasting to the world that every girl you see — even the one already with someone — will “burn it up for you” is bad enough but then, in the same song, claiming that “no on else makes you feel this way…”  Words fail me.  What’s even sadder is I didn’t have to look up those lyrics– they play the song about five times a day.

Then there’s Pink’s latest offering.  I rather enjoyed “Stupid Girls.”  It was funny and smart.  There’s nothing redeeming about “It’s Just You And Your Hand Tonight.”

I know there are songs that some people love and some that get on other’s nerves.  I find “Lips Of An Angel” to be pretty stupid but find nothing objectionable about it.  That is part of why I listen to the radio after all, to hear songs outside of my usual favorites.  I like variety and I like the chance to find new favorites.

I just wish for a radio station that weeded out the offesive, gratuitous, stupid over sexual songs.

 

What did you think? What did you do?

When the woman in your row, or in front of you, behind you, across the aisle, up at the front– wherever she was sitting– when she abruptly sat down during the intermediate hymn (“Families Can Be Together Forever”) and huddled in her seat with her shoulders shaking miserably.   How did you respond?  Did you respond?

 

What a world…

I’ve seen it suggested that in places like Europe, especially the more socialist countries, where the state is seen as the protector, people don’t feel as much of a need for religion.  While statistics would seem to bear that out it’s still not something I can understand.  The state can provide a certain level of physical protection like employment insurance and health care.  These are both good things. I’m all for people who have lost their jobs still being able to eat and have a roof over their heads and not having to worry how you’re going to pay for it as you or your loved one is rushed to the emergency room.  However physical protection is not all that is needed. 

One of the FMH-ers recently posted on the joys of life and contrasted them with the attitude that this world is a vale of tears.  I have to disagree with her.  There are many things right with my life; there are many blessings I have or look forward to experiencing.  I try to be truly grateful for them but there are other things in my life that, while they are exceedingly minor compared to what others bear, bring me to my knees weeping and screaming.  In so many ways, I want off.  I feel like I’ve had it with this world, its inhabitants and the imperfections of both.  (Readers can relax; I believe suicide would be a sin and anyway I could never intentionally inflict that kind of pain on my family.)

The above brings me to my point: while the state may be able to protect my body it can do nothing for my soul.  Even putting aside for the moment the issues of human nature, sin and eternal progression, the state can neither protect me from nor offer me comfort for the slings and arrows that flesh is heir to.  I truly hate to think of what my life would be like without the gospel.  Nothing could replace it for me; how can those people in Europe NOT notice this hole in their lives?  What do they turn to to help them bear their emotional burdens?