Lesson 34: Psalms 102-103; 110; 116-119; 127-128; 135-139; 145-150

August 22-28
Psalms 102-103; 110; 116-119; 127-128; 135-139; 145-150
"Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord"

Materials: flashlight labeled "God's word", scriptures, boards (printed), cards (printed and cut out), glue sticks
Opening Song: "Teach me to walk in the light" (Children's Songbook, 177).
Opening Prayer:

Attention Activity:

Turn off all the lights in your home and shut window coverings. Have your family go on a dark walk with around your home or living room. Was it hard to see? Hand a family member a h flashlight labeled "God's word" and have them lead everyone around the room again. How much easier was it to walk with light?

Lesson:

Psalms 119 celebrate's God's word and instruction to His people. It is a set of prayers each beginning with a different letter of the Jewish alphabet. Psalm 119 is used in Jewish tradition to celebrate Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year).

Have your family members take turns reading the verses from Psalms 119 below. Look for what all the verses have in common.

119: 1, 119:3, 119: 10, 119:30, 119:32, 119:35, 119: 45, 119:59, 119:101-102, 119: 105, 119: 113, 119: 168

What similarities did you see with all those verses? In the scriptures and even today, prophets like to refer to our mortal lives as a journey or a path. Show the quotation from President Nelson below. 

We hear phrases like the "covenant path", "the straight and narrow path", and "the path to eternal life" a lot in the church. Psalm 119 also uses this same kind of analogy. We are all traveling along the path of life, but are we on the right path--the covenant path? Where are we right now and what direction are we headed? Hopefully we are headed towards the Savior. 

Activity: The Covenant Path Sort

Directions: (Before FHE, print out the boards and cards below. Cut out the cards.) Give each family member 1 board,  1 set of cards, and a glue stick. 

Each of the cards has examples of experiences that might be on the covenant path. Sort and glue these activities and life experiences along the board from birth to death. The cards don't necessarily have to reflect your personal life, but they should be in a logical order. For example, you can't have grandchildren before you've had children. The cards in bold are necessary ordinances to obtain eternal life and should be put in the correct order. After your family is done take turns sharing your paths. 

Share the quote below from Elder Maxwell. What do you think he means by it not being a freeway or an escalator? 

Sometimes the path we travel may be hard and it may seem slow. Sometimes we might wander off the path. In Psalm 119: 105 it says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Just like the flashlight at the beginning, the light of Christ can direct us if we ever go astray. We can listen to the word of God as we read the scriptures and counsel from church leaders. We can repent and seek solace and comfort from the Holy Ghost. As we seek the light of Christ, we will be able to get back on and stay on the covenant path back to our Heavenly Father. 

Bear your testimony. 

Closing Song: "I will walk with Jesus" ("Additional Songs for Children, Gospel Music App)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: Banana Pudding Cake recipe here

Lesson 34: Psalms 49-51; 61-66; 69-72; 77-78; 85-86

August 15-21
Psalms 49-51; 61-66; 69-72; 77-78; 85-86
"I will declare what He hath done for my soul"

Materials: unshelled peanuts (or another unshelled nut), Paper heart cut in half (large), Small paper hearts cut broken, video (link provided), scriptures 
Opening Song: "I stand all amazed" (Hymns,  193)
Opening Prayer:

Attention Activity: Set out a bowl of nuts with a shell like peanuts. Have your family open nuts to get to the nut inside. How are hearts like nuts? 

Lesson:

Show the paper heart. Most of the time, when we think of a broken heart, we think of it as a bad thing. We don't want to feel sad or heartbroken. But today we are going to talk about having broken heart in a different way. Read Psalms 51: 17. Here in Psalms, we read that the Lord wants us to have a broken and contrite heart. When the Savior appeared to the Nephites after his resurrection, he said, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit" (3 Nephi 9:20). 

Why does the Lord want us to have a broken heart? What does he mean by have "a broken heart and contrite spirit?"

In Psalm 51, David asks the Lord for forgiveness. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to they lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. David, had made a terrible mistake, but David is a powerful teacher of what it means to be truly sorry. When we make a mistake, we have to let go of our pride and knowledge that we need the Lord's forgiveness. We have to have a broken heart for our sins. 

Watch "Daily Bread: Change" video from the church website

Activity: Broken heart journaling.

Using paper and art supplies, have everyone make a broken heart. On the broken heart have, your family write out their testimony of repentance and the atonement of Jesus Christ or have them draw a picture of Christ. Have them place their heart in a special place like in their scriptures.

Joseph Smith said, “Our Heavenly Father is more liberal in His views, and boundless in His mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or receive.” Heavenly Father wants us to come unto him and repent, but it's up to us to humble ourselves and come unto Him so that we can receive his grace. We have to be ready to repent, we have to feel sorry for what we have done and be willing to do whatever it takes to make it right. That is what it means to have a contrite spirit and a broken heart. Bear your testimony. 

Closing Song: "Help me dear Father" verse 2 (Children's Songbook, 99)
Closing Prayer:
Refreshment: heart-shaped raspberry rolls recipe here