Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Elder Holland: Fan the Flame of Your Faith



In his talk "Lord I Believe," Elder Holland taught one of the most important principles to have in your testimony tool kit.  When doubts and problems arise--(which they will)--do not lead with your unbelief.  Instead, "Be true to the faith you do have," and "Fan the flame of your faith."

The Brethren teach with such tangible imagery, and as parents we'd be wise to help our children latch onto and experience first-hand what these analogies mean in real life, so that they can understand how they apply spiritually.

I decided that an easy way to word Elder Holland's teachings for wee little children is to say, "Stick with your faith."  Don't leave it when things get hard, but "stick" with it.



To go along with this catchphrase, we made a candle display using sticks from our backyard that we hot-glued onto fabric and then glued to the candles.


Being able to light their candles was a big thrill. 



And I think they were proud of their creations.



But you can't exactly "fan the flame" of a candle the same way you can a fire. 


So, while we were making our "stick with your faith" candles inside, Steve was building a fire outside.

Now, my kids have seen me stoke a fire before, but I'm guessing that most children have not had a ton of experience being allowed to fan a fire themselves, before...which makes teaching the words of the apostles this way that much more memorable and effective.


Seeing that our once brilliant fire had died down, we talked about what we should do to give it the best chance of surviving and returning to it's previous, roaring glory.


The children were instructed to "fan the flame" and then to feed the fire with brush and branches that they could collect from around the yard.


This took work, but it definitely drove the point home that Elder Holland was making.  If your fire is burning low, you don't stomp it out...You must take care of that tiny flame of a testimony that burns inside of you, no matter who or what throws water on it.  You must "first and forever fan the flame of your faith, because all things are possible to them that believe."


Find more General Conference Review Lessons below:
Catch the Wave - Elder Nelson
Fan the Flame of Your Faith - Elder Holland
Stay in Condition - President Packer
A Christ-centered Home - Elder Scott
The Importance of a Body - Elder Bednar

And be sure to check out "The Prophetic Family Proclamation" on WBMW!

12 comments:

  1. brilliant object lesson for all ages!

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  2. Muchas gracias, me ayudo mucho esta leccion y recordar la importancia de creer, desde colombia un saludo , gracias!! debo decir si tú puedes hacer algo”, él dijo, “¡ten misericordia de nosotros y ayúdanos!

    “Y Jesús le dijo: Si puedes creer, al que cree todo lo es posible.

    “Y de inmediato el padre del muchacho clamó, diciendo: Creo; ayuda mi incredulidad”1.

    Thank you very much, helped me a lot this lesson and remember the importance of believing, and I say thank you, this lesson helped me and remember the importance of believing, from Colombia a greeting, thank you! I must say if you can do something, "he said," have mercy on us and help us!

    "And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, you believe everything is possible.

    "And immediately the father of the child cried out, saying, I believe, help my unbelief" 1.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Muchas gracias, me ayudo mucho esta leccion y recordar la importancia de creer, desde colombia un saludo , gracias!! debo decir si tú puedes hacer algo”, él dijo, “¡ten misericordia de nosotros y ayúdanos!

    “Y Jesús le dijo: Si puedes creer, al que cree todo lo es posible.

    “Y de inmediato el padre del muchacho clamó, diciendo: Creo; ayuda mi incredulidad”1.

    Thank you very much, helped me a lot this lesson and remember the importance of believing, and I say thank you, this lesson helped me and remember the importance of believing, from Colombia a greeting, thank you! I must say if you can do something, "he said," have mercy on us and help us!

    "And Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, you believe everything is possible.

    "And immediately the father of the child cried out, saying, I believe, help my unbelief" 1.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Muchas gracias, dear friend! :) Believe on...now and forever!~ :)

      Delete
  4. What a fabulous idea for an awesome FHE. Very cool! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If only every FHE could be had around a campfire...with mallows!!!! :)

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  5. What a fantastic object lesson and FHE! You have such inspired ideas that make General Conference real and ongoing for your family.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the lessons and ideas you have shared. I've used several with my own children and plan to use a couple more. This talk by Elder Holland really touched me. The word "fan" stuck out to me and led me to create my own lesson based on this talk. http://www.panamenos.blogspot.com/2013/09/fan-flame-of-your-faith.html

    ReplyDelete