April 2016

Our Stake (Arlington Texas) is studying one scripture a month this year. To help families to integrate the scripture into their homes in meaningful ways, for each scripture we will share the following:

free printables of the scripture for display in the home
family home evening lessons for all types of families
ideas for memorizing the scripture
the accompanying challenge

The scripture for April is John 14:27.

The accompanying challenge is to study the General Conference talk, Of Things That Matter Most, by President Uchtdorf, with the purpose of determining how we might simplify our lives.

Watch the talk below or read it here.

To help you complete this challenge, we share the following ideas and resources:

Define what is essential to do in the ways that President Uchtdorf describes:
- Your relationship with the Lord
- Your relationship with your family
- Your relationship with your fellowmen
- Your relationship with yourself
Discard one item every day of the month.
Get off junk mail lists by following the tips shared by SimplifyDays.com.
Declutter one area of the house each week.
Use the Pomodoro technique to use time more effectively. The Tomato Timer can help you implement it.
Find a planner system that works for you.
Eliminate a social media channel or restrict your social media use.
Turn off your phone from 8pm to 8am.
Set aside at least two nights a week to not be away from home.
Do a media fast for a certain period of time.
Clear your email inbox.
Unsubscribe to 5 mass email subscriptions.
Consider a capsule wardrobe or Project 333 wardrobe simplification:
- Project 333
- Capsule Wardrobe ideas and how-to’s
Read a book on minimalism
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay
- The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential by Leo Babauta
- Simplify: 7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life by Joshua Becker

Printables

Download one of these free printables of a quote from President Uchtdorf’s talk from HaveJoyDesigns.com.

This free printable is in PowerPoint format, so you can change the size or even color if you like.

You may like this quote on simplification from Sister Hinckley created by ItWorksforBobbi.com.

You can download the MormonAd on peace here.

Family Home Evening Ideas

This verse discusses the peace of the gospel available to men through the Savior Jesus Christ.

With Children

This lesson was designed for Sharing Time, and it works equally well in families.

LDS Family Fun shares this very detailed lesson on peace. The video clip below goes with the lesson.

Although this lesson contains adaptations for young children, it may be suitable only for older children, due to its inclusion of 9-11.

With Teens

This short FHE lesson from AmberMayBe would work well with teens, as would this one from LDS Living.

This video/object lesson would make another excellent short lesson, as would this one:

Adults

Although it’s unusual to find an FHE lesson geared to adults, this lesson on peace is.

Watch President Uchtdorf’s talk and compare it to the Ensign article Finding Harmony as We Struggle to Juggle. Use the discussion questions below:

How can following the advice to simplify our lives bring us the peace promised in John 14:27?
How is the type of peace promised by the Savior different from the peace the world promises?
What are some areas of your life that most need simplifying?
What prevents us from eliminating the busy-ness from our lives?

Extend the conversation by reading this handout from BYU Women’s Conference entitled Living a Balanced Life. It is somewhat lengthy, but includes specific, measurable steps you can take towards a life of peace from a gospel perspective.