Deseret Book. Theme: Oliver Cowdery Packet # tips for successful Family Home Evenings. Family Home Evening Materials

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1 Deseret Book Family Home Evening Materials Theme: Oliver Cowdery Packet # tips for successful Family Home Evenings 1. Pray. Pray about the needs of your family as you consider topics for home evenings, and pray as you prepare. 2. Prioritize. Make Family Home Evening a priority; learn to say no to other activities. 3. Involvement. Involve everyone in the family; help little children take part. 4. Commitment. Be committed and be consistent. Set a designated time and stick to it. Holding Family Home Evening on a weekly basis takes dedication and planning on the part of all family members. 5. Relax and enjoy it. The most important thing your children will remember is the spirit they feel in your family home evenings and activities. Be sure the atmosphere is one of love, understanding, and enjoyment.

2 Oliver Cowdery Thought: We owe so much to Oliver Cowdery for his special service as a scribe. (Neal A. Maxwell, By the Gift and Power of God, Ensign Jan 1997, 36) Song: The Priesthood is Restored, Children s Songbook, p. 89. Scripture: Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive a knowledge concerning the engravings of old records, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the manifestation of my Spirit. (D&C 8:1) Lesson: Ask family members to briefly write down one thing that happened to them yesterday that they think no other family member would know about. When everyone has finished, ask the following questions: How common is it for you to have experiences that only you know about? Do you think any family member could guess what you wrote on your paper? Who, besides yourself, knows about that event and what you wrote on your paper? (God.) Tell your family that Oliver Cowdery had an experience while living in Palmyra, New York, that he had not shared with anyone. He explained, After [I] had gone to [Joseph Smith s] father s to board, and after the family had communicated to [me] concerning [Joseph] having obtained the plates, that one night after [I] had retired to bed [I] called upon the Lord to know if these things were so, and the Lord manifested to [me] that they were true, but [I] had kept the circumstance entirely secret, and had mentioned it to no one. (Account related by Joseph Smith in History of the Church, 1:35.) Read D&C 6:14 24 as a family. Look for evidences that show the Lord knew about Oliver Cowdery s experience, even though no one else did. When you have finished, discuss some of the following questions: What would this experience teach you about Joseph Smith? (That he was a true prophet who could receive revelations from God.) What would this experience teach you about God?

3 If you were Oliver Cowdery, what phrases would have given you comfort? Why? What feelings did Oliver Cowdery experience from the Holy Ghost? (Enlightenment [see verse 15]; peace [see verse 23]; a witness of truth [see verse 24].) How are these feelings similar to the times when you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost? Invite family members to write down an experience when the Lord answered their prayers. Ask them to keep this experience in their journals, so they can refer to it later in their lives. (Dennis H. Leavitt and Richard O. Christensen, Scripture Study for Latter-day Saint Families: The Doctrine and Covenants, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004], p. 10.) Story:. On April 7, 1829, Joseph started translating with Oliver Cowdery serving as his scribe. The two of them worked very well as a team. As the work went on, Joseph and Oliver learned that the Savior himself had visited the [Book of Mormon] people in the new land, after His crucifixion. The Savior taught them the principles of His gospel and established His church among them. Joseph and Oliver were especially interested in what He had said about baptism. I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people, the Savior had said, when I am again ascended into heaven. Clearly, this meant that baptism must be performed by someone who had the authority to do so. Joseph and Oliver talked about it and decided that no one in their day held this authority. Only God could restore it to earth. The two men prayed to know how they could bring about the restoration of the priesthood authority. It wasn t long before they found out. One morning as they sat down to work, a commandment came through the Urim and Thummim. It told Joseph and Oliver to be baptized. They still weren t sure exactly what to do. So on May 15, 1829, they went into the woods to pray for further knowledge. As they prayed, a messenger from heaven came down in a shaft of light. The angel identified himself as John, who had been called John the Baptist in the New Testament. It had been he who baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. The angel laid his hands upon their heads, saying, Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. John said he acted under the direction of Peter, James, and John, who held the keys of the Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Joseph and Oliver would later receive. He told them they should now go into the water and be baptized. Joseph was to baptize Oliver, then Oliver was to baptize Joseph, under the authority of the new priesthood they had received. They hurried to the nearby Susquehanna River, where they waded into the water and baptized each other, as they d been told to do. Then, as instructed by the angel, Joseph laid his hands on Oliver s head and ordained him to the Aaronic Priesthood. Oliver did the same for Joseph. After this spiritual experience, Joseph and Oliver found that their understanding of their work greatly increased. The meanings of scripture passages were made much clearer to them. They were so excited that they wanted to shout it out to all the world. When John the Baptist had bestowed the Aaronic Priesthood upon him and Oliver, he had spoken

4 of a greater priesthood after the order of Melchizedek that would soon be given to them. This priesthood would give them the necessary keys and authority to organize the true church at a time that would soon be revealed. One day, probably in May 1829, just as John had promised, Peter, James, and John did indeed appear to Joseph and Oliver between Harmony and Colesville where Joseph Knight lived. The exact date of this restoration is not known, nor is the exact place where it occurred. The important thing is that it happened. Peter, James, and John, ancient apostles of Jesus Christ, laid their hands on the heads of the two men and bestowed the Melchizedek Priesthood, restoring to the earth authority that would be needed to reorganize and operate Christ s church. This restoration placed a heavy responsibility on Joseph and Oliver, but they accepted it with joy and returned to their work of translation with renewed determination and urgency. (Richard E. Turley Jr. and Lael Littke, Stories from the Life of Joseph Smith, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003], p ) Activity: Play a game with your family. One player leaves the room. In his absence the others change the position of the chairs or other items in the room. It is called and upon his return must point out the changes. If he is successful another it is chosen. Explain that Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were paying attention to the scriptures as they translated them. When they noticed something different than what they currently knew (the need for baptism by Priesthood authority) they went to the Lord to find out what they should do.

5 Oatmeal Raisin Cookies 2/3 cup granulated sugar 2/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup margarine or butter, softened 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Refreshment 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 3 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup raisins, chopped nuts, or semisweet chocolate chips, if desired 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Mix all ingredients except oats, flour, and raisins in large bowl. Stir in oats, flour, and raisins. 3. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. (Betty Crocker Sunday Dinner Cookbook, [Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing and Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2007] p. 20.) FHE-20 percent coupon clip this coupon and save 20% OFF AT DESERET BOOK On this week s selected FHE titles: Who's Who in the Doctrine and Covenants Stories from the Life of Joseph Smith FHE Or any regular priced item on Monday (excludes scriptures, Church distributed items and Willow Tree figurines) expires 8/12/2007