Gifts of the Spirit

            Families, communities, and nations are blessed when individuals recognize their particular gifts of the Spirit. These gifts can be made known in various ways, such as through prayer, observation, and patriarchal blessings, but the best way is to turn into the Holy Spirit. He can teach us what we need to know.

            The world is full of noises that distract us and many voices that attempt to persuade us. President James E.Faust invites us to listen to the voice of the Spirit and follow His promptings. His voice is calm and quiet, and He will lead us to eternal life. 

            President Faust taught that we must listen for the “still, small voice” of the Holy Spirit, or we will not hear it among the many voices and other noises in the world. The ability to “hear” the voice of the Spirit develops with practice. As we listen to this calm and peaceful voice, we can learn to recognize the gifts that He brings to us.

            The scriptures teach us that there are many gifts of the Spirit, even though they all come from the same Spirit. The scriptures also say that we are to pray for spiritual gifts and then to use our particular gifts to bless the lives of all people. The Apostle Paul taught the Corinthian saints:

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9 To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ (1 Corinthians 12:4-12) 

            Paul lists specific gifts of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, and several others. Similar lists of the gifts of the Spirit can be found in both the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ and the Doctrine and Covenants. These lists contain only a few of the many gifts that the Spirit brings to individuals, but they give us an idea of the sort of gifts we can pray for. Gifts that come from the Spirit but not listed are gifts such as cheerfulness, being a peace maker, being able to teach as the Savior taught, etc.

            A wonderful family home evening lesson is titled “How does the Holy Ghost work?”  It teaches about how to recognize the Holy Spirit and encourages family members to help each other to discover their own special gifts of the Spirit.

            Then-Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke on the topic of “Spiritual Gifts” at a Brigham Young University women’s conference on March 28, 1986. He discusses many spiritual gifts before making the following statement.

I have spoken of many different spiritual gifts. I have pointed out that these gifts come by the power of the Holy Ghost and that they are available to every member of the Church, male and female.

We should seek after spiritual gifts. They can lead us to God. They can shield us from the power of the adversary. They can compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections….

            As we follow the counsel to seek spiritual gifts, we will receive those that are fitting for us. Gifts of the Spirit are special blessings given to worthy individuals to benefit themselves and to help others. Individuals who seek these spiritual gifts and use them appropriately can strengthen their families, communities, and nations.

Family Home Evening

                Every family can be strengthened by holding weekly family home evenings.  Family home evenings (FHE) are simply times when family members get together to pray, sing, learn, work and/or have fun together.  Just as each family is unique, each family does their FHE in their own way.

                In April 1915 the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day first counseled members of the Church to hold FHE. The First Presidency at that time consisted of Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose.  In a letter to stakes and wards, the First Presidency reminded members of the Church of the counsel given in Doctrine and Covenants 68.

                “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion … that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents; ...

                “And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” [see Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-28].

                The First Presidency added that “children of Zion should also observe more fully the commandment of the Lord given to ancient Israel and reiterated to the Latter-day Saints:  `Honor thy father and thy mother:  that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth the’ [Exodus 20:12].

                “These revelations apply with great force to the Latter-day Saints, and it is required of fathers and mothers in this Church that these commandments shall be taught and applied in their homes” (“100 Years of Family Home Evening,” Ensign,April 2015, 80).

        I cannot remember when I first heard counsel about holding FHE simply because it has been given to parents and families for all my life and previously.  I do remember begging my parents to hold FHE; as I remember, our family did not hold them very often – at least formally.  We lived on a farm with our nearest neighbors at least half a mile away; we were responsible for evening chores.  We spent our evenings together at home on most evenings.

                We did not own a television and very few of our neighbors had one.  We prayed together, played together, we sang together, and we communicated with each other, but we did not hold FHE.  Why?  I do not know.  I believe my parents did not hold them because they had never experienced a FHE.  They did not know what they were supposed to do.  We had the same problem in my home because neither my parents nor my husband’s parents held them in their homes.

                I did not know what I was doing, but I attempted to hold FHE somewhat regularly while our children were growing up.  I did not receive much support from my husband, which made it difficult to convince the children the program was important.  Now my children are grown with children of their own, and they hold weekly family home evenings.  Their FHE are simple and child-centered, but they are regular.  The children know what to expect and seem to enjoy their time.

                The Church leaders regularly encourage members to hold FHE.  In a letter dated February 11, 1999, the First Presidency stated:

“We counsel parents and children to give highest priority to family prayer, family home evening, gospel study and instruction, and wholesome family activities.  However worthy and appropriate other demands or activities may be, they must not be permitted to displace the divinely-appointed duties that only parents and families can adequately perform.”

                The April 2015 Ensign includes at least two articles on FHE; in fact, the entire magazine gives ideas for FHE.  Besides excerpts from the 1915 First Presidency letter, there is an article, entitled “Family Home Evening – You can do it!” This article urges us to keep these “attitudes in mind as you make family home evening part of your week”:  (1) “This applies to me.”  (2) “I can find time.”  (3) “I can find what works for my family.”  (4) “I can start this week.”  (5) “I want the blessings.”

                The article also includes some general suggestions for organizing a FHE:  (1) “Start and end with prayer.”  (2) “Use music, including hymns and Primary songs.”  (3) “Learn from the scriptures and modern prophets.”  (4) “Include a variety of physical activities, service projects, and gospel-centered activities from week to week.”  (5) “Have fun!  Play a game or make refreshments.”  (6) “Be consistent.  If you can’t do it on Monday, find another day that works.”

                Family home evening was first suggested one hundred years ago when children and youth had fewer temptations.  Today’s children and youth are bombarded with temptation!  Although I am far from being one hundred years old, my childhood was much different that children have today.  Technology was fairly new, but most families had radios of one kind or another.  Televisions were not introduced to my farming community until I was a teenager.  Even then, television programs were fairly wholesome and family friendly.

                One hundred years later family home evening is a necessity for every family in order to prepare the children and youth to face their everyday world.  New technology is regularly introduced, and each new type has its own way of bringing smut into the lives of its users.  Wise parents will use family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evening as “armor” to protect their children.

                Prophets have promised great blessings for participating in family home evening:  more love and obedience at home, stronger faith in our children and youth, and “power to combat the evil influences and temptations” that surround us.  With these promised blessings, parents are fools to not hold weekly family home evenings!

More Effective FHE

                Parents can do much to strengthen their families, communities, and nations by holding more effective family home evenings.  Parents are accountable to God for teaching and rearing their children properly; they have the responsibility to lead their families in gospel learning and to make sure their children know the scriptures and counsel of modern prophets and apostles.  Effective family home evenings help parents fulfill this great responsibility.

                Since the early 1900s prophets and apostles have counseled families to learn and have fun together at least once each week.  Many families throughout the world hold weekly family home evenings.  In fact, Monday evenings were set aside by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for family home evening.  There are no Church meetings or temple sessions scheduled on Monday evenings to allow Church leaders and members to be with their families.

                In a recent presentation at BYU Campus Education Week, Darren E. Schmidt, a seminary instructor in the Church Educational System, shared some of his ideas for enhancing family home evening and scripture study.

                Brother Schmidt knows that rearing a family is hard work and takes much time.  That is just one of the reasons why he believes parents must make family home evening as effective as possible through lessons, songs, and prayer.  He believes that “time together as a family is critical to building testimonies and strengthening relationships.”  He believes this can be accomplished by “focusing on simple, practical elements” to “enhance their time together.” 

                Brother Schmidt shared eight suggestions for parents to consider doing.   (1) Be consistent in holding family home evening.  Teaching and training children is a process, not a product. 

                (2) Work together with your spouse and be united in your efforts – one spouse could be in charge of discipline while the other makes things happen. 

                (3) Make family home evening inspired and purposeful. “By the family being prepared the Spirit is able to teach.  In those moments the Lord will often inspire parents to teach something that their child may have questions about or have a desire to learn more about.  It is as parents are purposeful in their preparations, the Lord will be able to prepare the hearts of the learners.

                (4) Plan far enough in advance to the children and to help them prepare their assignments.   

                (5) Be a shepherd, not a sheepherder.  “A shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep know him.  They can hear the voice of the shepherd and are reliant on him.  They come when they hear him call….  A simple five- or ten-minutes warning before family home evening … helps children to finish what they are doing” and come prepared to participate.  “A five-minute warning shows you are respectful of their time.  It is less forceful and creates an atmosphere with the Spirit.”

                (6) Be sure every person has a role to play in the meeting.  Each family member should have an assignment of some kind for family home evening.  Each person should have some form of the scriptures to hold and read during scripture study.  Family home evening is a good time and place for families to set or update family goals.

                (7) Educate yourselves.  Parents have many resources available to them for teaching their children.  The Church websites such as lds.org have many materials available to help.

                (8) Use the scriptures consistently.  “Just as important as it is to hold family home evening, it is important to spend time in the scriptures and focusing on Christ.  Fun and games are good for families, but teaching children while they are young how to have a relationship with their Heavenly Father is the most important duty as a parent.  As parents make a point to study together from the scriptures, they are able to teach and testify as they learn together.”

                These eight ideas are good suggestions to aid parents in holding effective family home evenings with their children.  As parents improve their family home evenings, they will strengthen their families, communities, and nations.

Family Home Evenings

                Families, communities, and nations are strengthened when families spend time together on a regular basis.  Relationships between members of a family - or members of a group of people living together such as college roommates – are improved by spending quality time together.  Family nights or family home evenings should be held weekly.

                Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been encouraged to hold family nights since the First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, Anthon H. Lund, and Charles W. Penrose) introduced a formal family home evening program in April 1915.  The program was endorsed for all members of the Church in the June 1915 Improvement Era.  “We advise and urge the inauguration of a `Home Evening’ throughout the Church, at which time fathers and mothers may gather their boys and girls about them in the home and teach them the word of the Lord.  … This `Home Evening’ should be devoted to prayer, singing hymns, songs, instrumental music, scripture-reading, family topics and specific instruction on the principles of the Gospel, and on the ethical problems of life, as well as the duties and obligations of children to parents, the home, the Church, society and the Nation.”

                The First Presidency concluded their counsel with this promise:  “If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result.  Love at home and obedience to parents will increase.  Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influences and temptations which beset them.”

                Many parents struggle to hold family home evenings and wonder if they are wasting their time and efforts.  Elder David A. Bednar recognized the difficulties but said that consistency in holding family home evenings is the key to successfully rearing wholesome sons and daughters.

                A successful family home evening can be held by including the following essential ingredients:  1) Prayer:  Starting and ending with prayer “invites the Spirit, increases love, and teaches your family how to pray.”  2) The scriptures and the words of latter-day prophets can “help your family live the gospel.”  3) Music, such as hymns and Primary songs, can “create an atmosphere of love, peace, and joy.”  4) Keep the atmosphere light, loving and fun by “playing games, acting out scripture stories, and making treats.”  5) Consistently hold family home evening.  The Church set aside Monday nights for families to be together; if Monday does not work for your family, find a night that does work.  6) Add variety to your home evenings by doing something different:  “help a neighbor in need, hold a lesson at the park, or go for a walk as a family.”

                A family home evening lesson is so easy to prepare that even a child can do when they know how to do it.  Here are seven easy steps to help children, youth, and adults learn how to plan lessons.  1) Kneel in prayer and ask Heavenly Father for help in preparing a lesson.  2) Choose a topic and select one or more scriptures about the topic.  3) Look for a spiritual story about the topic.  Jesus used stories to help people understand His teachings.  Appropriate stories can be found in the scriptures, Church magazines, or from our own lives or the lives of family members.  4) Gather pictures or objects that relate to your topic.  5) When presenting your lesson, ask questions.  Good questions require more than a simple yes or no and will lead to better discussions.  Encourage everyone to share their thoughts on the topic.  6) A good lesson should be short and simple.  An appropriate length of lesson for children is three to five minutes.  7) End your lesson by bearing your testimony about what you taught.

                I learned a simple way to involve children in family home evening from my son and his family.  Each child chooses a picture depicting a scene from the scriptures or Church history.  At the appropriate time during family home evening, each child is given the opportunity to hold up the picture and tell the story.  The older children are expected to give more details about their stories.  This gives children the opportunity to be the center of attention for a few minutes as well as to gain experience standing and speaking in front of a group of people.  It also gives them the opportunity to take part in the family experience.

                President Thomas S. Monson emphasized the importance of families meeting together regularly in family home evening:  “We cannot afford to neglect this heaven-inspired program.  It can bring spiritual growth to each member of the family, helping him or her to withstand the temptations which are everywhere.  The lessons learned in the home are those that last the longest.”

                I encourage all of us to either begin holding family home evenings or to hold them more consistently.  I know that spending time together in family home evening will strengthen our families and thus strengthen our communities and nations.

Learning and Teaching in the Home

                Do you realize that there are many opportunities for learning and teaching in our homes?  Many parents take the opportunity to teach their children in their homes and use various ways of doing so.

                As part of His plan for the happiness of His children, Heavenly Father planned for us to be born into families.  It is within the family circle that we can gain our most happiness; the loving atmosphere of the family circle is also the best place for us to learn and teach correct principles and help children prepare for eternal life.

                Heavenly Father has charged parents with the vital responsibility of helping their children to prepare to return to His presence.  Parents who teach their children to follow Jesus Christ and live His gospel fulfill this responsibility.

                In the Book of Mormon – Another Testament of Jesus Christ, we read instructions to parents:  “And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God, and fight and quarrel one with another, and serve the devil, who is the master of sin or who is the evil spirit which hath been spoken of by our fathers, he being an enemy to all righteousness.

“But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another” (Mosiah 4:14-15).

The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith, “And again, inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the sin be upon the heads of the parents.

“For this shall be a law unto the inhabitants of Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized.

“And their children shall be baptized for the remission of their sins when eight years old, and receive the laying on of the hands.

“And they shall also teach their children to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord” (Doctrine and Covenants 68:25-28).

                Because of this charge from the Lord Jesus Christ, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have always placed great emphasis on the importance of gospel learning in the home; many years ago the Church instituted what is called family home evening.

                “The home is the most important place for gospel learning. No other organization can take the place of the family.  Latter-day prophets have repeatedly called on parents to nurture their children with love and gospel teaching.

“In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency began a Churchwide effort to strengthen the family. They called on parents in the Church to gather their children once each week for a “Home Evening.” Families were to take time to pray and sing together, read the scriptures, teach the gospel to one another, and participate in other activities that would build family unity.

“In 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith joined with his counselors in the First Presidency to designate Monday night as the time for family home evening. Since that announcement, the Church has kept Monday evenings free from Church activities so families can have this time together.

“Latter-day prophets continue to urge Church members to give highest priority to family home evening. They have promised that our dedication to this program will help protect our families against the evils of our time and will bring us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.

“All members of the Church should make Monday evening a sacred time, reserved for family home evening. If you are married, have weekly family home evening with your spouse. As you have children, include them in family home evening. Adapt the program to their needs and interests, and let them participate. After your children grow up and move away, continue to hold family home evening with your spouse.

“If you are single, consider asking your bishop or branch president to organize a home evening group for you and other single members of your ward or branch. He may call a home evening leader, who is responsible to organize the program and see that home evenings are held regularly.”  (See “Family Home Evening,” True to the Faith, pp. 65-66.) 

The Church suggests the following outline for family home evenings:  opening song, opening prayer, scripture reading, lesson, activity, closing son, closing prayer, and refreshments.  Family home evening lessons should be based on the scriptures, the teachings of latter-day prophets, personal experiences, and personal testimony.  The Church provides many resources to help parents in teaching their children; these resources include True to the Faith, Family Home Evening Resource Book, Gospel Principles, The Family Guidebook, and Church magazines.

Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles gave the following counsel about the stewardship of parents:  “In our remarkable parental stewardship, there are many ways that goodly parents can access the help and support they need to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to their children.  Let me suggest five things parents can do to create stronger family cultures:

                “First, parents can pray in earnest, asking our Eternal Father to help them love, understand, and guide the children He has sent to them.

                “Second, they can hold family prayer, scripture study, and family home evenings and eat together as often as possible, making dinner a time of communication and the teaching of values.

                “Third, parents can fully avail themselves of the Church’s support network, communicating with their children’s Primary teachers, youth leaders, and class and quorum presidencies.  By communicating with those who are called and set apart to work with their children, parents can provide essential understanding of a child’s special and specific needs.

                “Fourth, parents can share their testimonies often with their children, commit them to keep the commandments of God, and promise the blessings that our Heavenly Father promises His faithful children.

                “Fifth, we can organize our families based on clear, simple family rules and expectations, wholesome family traditions and rituals, and `family economics,’ where children have household responsibilities and can earn allowances so that they can learn to budget, save, and pay tithing on the money they earn.

                “These suggestions for creating stronger family cultures work in tandem with the culture of the Church.  Our strengthened family cultures will be a protection for our children from `the fiery darts of the adversary’ (1 Nephi 15:24) embedded in their peer culture, the entertainment and celebrity cultures, the credit and entitlement cultures, and the Internet and media cultures to which they are constantly exposed.  Strong family cultures will help our children live in the world and not become `of the world’ (John 15:19).”  (See “Becoming Goodly Parents,” (Ensign,Nov. 2012, 26-28.) 

                The Church and the home are to help and strengthen each other.  The Church provides the doctrines and priesthood ordinances needed for eternal life.  Righteous families serve to make the Church a strong and vital organization.

                Many blessings come to those who participate in gospel learning with their families through prayer, scripture study, family home evening, or wholesome recreational activities.  I know there are many opportunities for us to learn and teach correct principles in our homes, and I know our families will be blessed for following the teachings of the prophets.