Product Description
Author - Christine Shelley Albrecht
Everything you need for family home evening. With this easy-to-use resource, watch your FHEs become stress-free, fun, and educational for everyone in your family, from children to teens. Spend less time preparing and more time being with your family.
256 pages.
EXcerpts:Gratitude
Scripture
"He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious." (D&C 78:19)
Music from Children's Songbook and Hymns
• Children All Over the World (CS, 16)
• I Am Glad for Many Things (CS, 151)
• I Think the World Is Glorious (CS, 230)
• Count Your Blessings (Hymns, 241)
Quote
"We can lift ourselves and others as well when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues. Someone has said that 'gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.'" (Thomas S. Monson, "The Divine Gift of Gratitude," Ensign, Nov. 2010)
Scripture Stories
• Jesus heals ten lepers. One leper, when he sees he is healed, returns to Jesus and gives thanks. (See Luke 17:11-19)
• At the gates of the temple, Peter and John meet a lame man who asks for alms. Peter says he has no money but that he will give the man what he has. In the name of Jesus Christ, Peter heals the man, "and he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God" (Acts 3:8). (See Acts 3:1-9)
• Amulek teaches the Zoramites about Jesus Christ, His Atonement, faith, repentance, prayer, and redemption. He tells them to worship God and live in gratitude every day, recognizing and giving thanks for all God's many blessings to them. (See Alma 34)
Gospel Art Pictures
• The Ten Lepers (#46)
• My Father's House (#52)
• Young Boy Praying (#111)
• Family Prayer (#112)
Church History
In 1964, Joseph William Billy Johnson of Ghana was converted when he read the testimony of Joseph Smith in a pamphlet. For fourteen years, he shared the gospel despite tremendous opposition. When Joseph heard the announcement that "all worthy male members of the Church may be ordained to the priesthood without regard for race or color" (Official Declaration 2), he "jumped and started crying and rejoicing in the Lord with tears that now is the time that the Lord will send missionaries to Ghana and to other parts of Africa to receive the priesthood." Missionaries were sent to Africa to organize branches. The Cape Coast Branch, with Joseph William Billy Johnson serving as branch president, was quickly organized. Johnson said, "It was a day of jubilation when they came. I was so happy that they came and so happy that the Church is not brand new; it's on its feet in Ghana." To learn more, see https://goo.gl/KS8AyJ. To see footage of the first baptisms in Ghana and Nigeria, see https://goo.gl/LW8tQ4.
Adaptations for Younger Children
Quote
"Be grateful. There are two little words in the English language that perhaps mean more than all others. They are 'thank you.' … Be thankful to your parents, who care so very much about you. … Say thank you to your friends. Say thank you to your teachers. Express appreciation to everyone who does you a favor or assists you in any way." (Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Prophet's Counsel and Prayer for Youth," Ensign, January 2001)
Lesson from Behold Your Little Ones
"I Will Be Thankful" (Lesson 15, pages 64-67)
Faith in God
"Plan and complete your own activity that will help you learn and live the gospel." ("Learning and Living the Gospel," 7) Read the scriptures and quotes on gratitude included in this FHEasy lesson plan. Decide on a way to develop a habit of having a grateful heart. For example, every night, right before praying, think of ten things you are grateful for, write or draw them, and include them when you pray. Throughout the day, notice things you are grateful for and silently thank God for them. Daily go through the gratitude ABC game below.
Activity
Go on a gratitude walk. Walk around and talk about all the things you see that you are grateful for. Then, write or draw some things you saw and thought of that you are grateful for.
A fun way to make a gratitude list is to do it alphabetically. Start with the letter A and think of things your family is thankful for that start with the letter A. Then move to B and go through the alphabet. Brainstorm as a family for each letter or take turns. For more visual families, you can make a gratitude collage. Draw or cut and paste pictures of things you are grateful for.
Adaptations for Older Children and Teens
Quote
"Why does God command us to be grateful? All of His commandments are given to make blessings available to us. Commandments are opportunities to exercise our agency and to receive blessings. Our loving Heavenly Father knows that choosing to develop a spirit of gratitude will bring us true joy and great happiness. But some might say, 'What do I have to be grateful for when my world is falling apart?' Perhaps focusing on what we are grateful for is the wrong approach. … I don't believe the Lord expects us to be less thankful in times of trial than in times of abundance and ease. In fact, most of the scriptural references do not speak of gratitude for things but rather suggest an overall spirit or attitude of gratitude. It is easy to be grateful for things when life seems to be going our way. But what then of those times when what we wish for seems to be far out of reach? Could I suggest that we see gratitude as a disposition, a way of life that stands independent of our current situation? In other words, I'm suggesting that instead of being thankful for things, we focus on being thankful in our circumstances-whatever they may be. … Being grateful in our circumstances is an act of faith in God. It requires that we trust God and hope for things we may not see but which are true. … Gratitude is a catalyst to all Christlike attributes! A thankful heart is the parent of all virtues." (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Grateful in Any Circumstances," Ensign, May 2014)
Preach My Gospel
"Pray with Faith" 93-95
Personal Progress
Good Works #1 - Be grateful for the service others give to you. "For two weeks record in your journal the quiet acts of service your family members and other perform. Acknowledge their service in some meaningful way." (54)
Duty to God
Study, discuss, and personally apply the section on "Gratitude" in the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet (p. 18). This will help you do part of each section titled Live Worthily. (See pages 16-17, 40-41, 64-65)
Activity
Have everyone look around the room and pay special attention to everything that is one color, for example, brown. Tell them that afterwards, you will all close your eyes and see how many brown things everyone can remember. Let them look around for about 30 seconds and then have everyone close their eyes and report what they remember. Tell them to keep their eyes closed and report everything they remember that was a different color, for example, green. When everyone has shared what they recall, have them open their eyes and see what else is green that didn't register in their minds because they were focused on the other color. Tell your family that what you focus on is what you notice, see, and remember the most, so focus on the things you are grateful for!
Daily Scriptures
Sunday: "Be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." (D&C 78:18-19)
Monday: "Worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." (Alma 34:38)
Tuesday: "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. … For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands." (Psalm 92:1-2, 4)
Wednesday: "Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 37:36-37)
Thursday: "He that asketh in the Spirit asketh according to the will of God; wherefore it is done even as he asketh. And again, I say unto you, all things must be done in the name of Christ, whatsoever you do in the Spirit; And ye must give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with. And ye must practice virtue and holiness before me continually." (D&C 46:30-33)
Friday: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Saturday: "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." (D&C 59:7)
About the Author:
Christina Shelley Albrecht grew up in Orem, Utah. She attended BYU and graduated cum laude in Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She then did a year of graduate work at BYU to receive a graduate certificate in TESOL. Christina then moved to Southwest Colorado with her new husband, Ryan Albrecht. She is the primary editor for Elona Shelley, author of Confessions of a Molly Mormon. She has taught Primary, Sunday School classes, and early-morning seminary. While she loves to teach Church classes, she has sometimes struggled with family home evening and scripture study. She has spent the past five years writing different family home evening and scripture study books for herself and others.
Christina Shelley Albrecht grew up in Orem, Utah. She attended BYU and graduated cum laude in Linguistics and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). She then did a year of graduate work at BYU to receive a graduate certificate in TESOL. Christina then moved to Southwest Colorado with her new husband, Ryan Albrecht. She is the primary editor for Elona Shelley, author of Confessions of a Molly Mormon. She has taught Primary, Sunday School classes, and early-morning seminary. While she loves to teach Church classes, she has sometimes struggled with family home evening and scripture study. She has spent the past five years writing different family home evening and scripture study books for herself and others.
Cedar Fort