April Apprentice Class

APPRENTICE:

Study/Learn

1 - Read: “21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” Chapter 15: Relationships

2 - Read: “The Young Traveler's Gift” Chapter 8: Forgive Others – The Power of Grace and Mercy.  Then finish off the book by reading chapters 10 & 11.

3 – Read: Doctrine & Covenants 98:1

4 – Read this article: “The Merciful Obtain Mercy” by Elder Deiter F. Uchtdorf

5 – Read this article: “Hidden Wedges” by Pres. Thomas S. Monson

6 - Find principles as you read.  Choose 2 of the principles that you found in each article.  Re-write them in the "if...then..." format.  Make a list of 3 actions for each principle that you could take to more fully live that principle.


Know/Understand

DO THE FOLLOWING :

We often carry around hurt or pain from our past.  We may think that these things don't bother us anymore.  But unless we have made peace with them -- have expressed the feelings, got them all out, forgave and moved on -- we carry them around with us.  The old negative feelings continue to hold us back and taint the relationships that we build in the future.  These feeling continually keep us with a "heart at war" towards others.

Think of the people in your immediate family - parents and sibling (mentors, you can include your children in this).  Which family member do you have a "heart at war" with?  (Having a "heart at war" with someone doesn't mean that you hate them.  It looks more like someone who bugs you or who you are easily drawn into contention with.  We all have these feelings, so don't feel bad, we can fix it!)  Choose the person you feel your heart is most at war with and write, beginning your writing with "My heart is at war with _(name)__ because...".  Don't worry if you don't know what you are going to write.  Once you start a paper with that sentence, it will come to you.  Write everything that comes to your mind, don't edit things out (even if it's yucky).  Get it all out.  End your writings with "please forgive me for feeling this way and holding onto these negative feelings."

Now that you have written this paper, it is very important that you do the following: DO NOT SHOW IT TO ANYONE,  DO NOT SHOW IT TO THE PERSON YOU WROTE ABOUT, and DO NOT KEEP IT AND REREAD IT.  Take your paper and either shred it into little pieces and throw it away or even better, take it outside to your BBQ grill and burn it.  (Please get your parent's permission before using fire, and DON'T BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!)

This pulls the negative feelings out of your heart and mind and is the beginning of healing your heart and your relationship with this family member.  Do this as many times as you feel like you need to and with as many family members as you feel you need to.

Become/Serve
(If you are doing more than 1 level of class this week, just choose ONE Become/serve for the whole week.)

Elder Uchtdorf said:

“My dear brothers and sisters, consider the following questions as a self-test:

Do you harbor a grudge against someone else?

Do you gossip, even when what you say may be true?

Do you exclude, push away, or punish others because of something they have done?

Do you secretly envy another?

Do you wish to cause harm to someone?”

Journal for 15 minutes about your thoughts on Pres. Uchtdorf's questions above.  Be honest with yourself.  How are you doing?  How can you be better?  Set 2 goals to improve on the questions you could use a little bit of help with and work on those goals this week.

April Journeyman Class

JOURNEYMAN:

“What is the answer to the dilemma that surrounds us?  The answer is to love our Founders, our country, our founding document, and the God that gave them to us.  We must teach that love to our children, pray for our leaders and plead for help.  The answer is to get involved.” 

- Pam Openshaw, author of “Promises of the Constitution”

Study/Learn

1 – Read: “Promises of the Constitution.”  pages 264-312.  Write one or more sentences at the end of each mini chapter that summarizes the main point.

2 - Do a Hero Study on someone you would consider a “present-day patriot” (See “Promises” 13.7).  This doesn't have to be someone who is alive today, but can be someone who lived within the last 100 years.

3 – Read this article: “Our Priceless Heritage” by Pres. Ezra Taft Benson


Know/Understand

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Create an acrostic for the words “moral leader”.  Remember to use words, phrases or sentences that describe what moral leaders are or what moral leaders can do for their country.

• Do a word study on “apathy”.  What is an antonym, or opposite, for apathy?  Come to class prepared to discuss it.

• Read the story of Esther that is found in the Bible.  Mordecai's question, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” was an expression of faith in God's plan for Esther and the Jews.  Make a list of things that you can do to strengthen your faith to the point that you will be ready and willing to accept God's call to action in your life. Bring your list to class to share.

Become/Serve
(If you are doing more than 1 level of class this week, just choose ONE Become/serve for the whole week.)


In Pres. Benson's talk he said this:

“In the 1940s while serving as the executive officer of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives in Washington, D.C., I saw in a Hilton Hotel a placard depicting Uncle Sam, representing America, on his knees in humility and prayer. Beneath the placard was the inscription, “Not beaten there by the hammer and sickle, but freely, responsibly, confidently. … We need fear nothing or no one save God.”

That picture has stayed in my memory ever since: America on her knees in recognition that all our blessings come from God! America on her knees out of a desire to serve the God of this land by keeping His commandments! America on her knees, not driven there in capitulation to some despotic government, but on her knees freely, willingly, gratefully! This is the sovereign remedy to all of our problems and the preservation of our liberties”.

Your assignment this week is to kneel down and in prayer to Heavenly Father, thank Him for this wonderful nation that we live in.  Thank Him for your freedoms and everything you hold dear.  Thank Him for the courage of the Founding Fathers and the patriots and soldiers and all of those from the beginnings of our country who gave everything so that we could have what we have today.

April Master Class

MASTER:

For Master Class this week we will be studying a current issue - Religious Freedom.  

1 –  Go to this website.  It is the LDS church resource page on Religious Freedom.

Thoroughly read the information that you see on the page.  (When it says “read more” you do NOT have to click it, just read the first paragraph that you can see)

Watch all 3 videos.

Choose one of the topics to “read more” about.  (Email me which one you want and I'll update the blog).  Thoroughly study your section and prepare a lesson or way of teaching the rest of the class about your topic.

• What religious-freedom means. - ADRIANNA & TARA
• Why we need religious-freedom. - MEGAN & GRACE
• Why Religious Freedom Matters to Mormons. - PATTY & MACK
• How Religion Is Vital to Society. - HANNAH
• What Religious Freedom Requires of Us. - SAM

2 – In our most recent State Legislative session 3 bills involving religious-freedom were presented.

They were:

•  (1) Senate Bill 296 - a non-discrimination bill that the Church publicly supported and which carefully balances LGBT rights with religious liberty rights; 
• (2) Senate Bill 297 - a bill that provides religious liberty protections on same-sex marriage issues; 
• (3) House Bill 447 - a bill that gives parents the final say about what their children learn in school about human sexuality.

Go to this website (at lds.org) and read about what the problem is that the legislature is trying to solve.

All 3 bills passed and SB296 was signed into law by the governor on March 12, 2015

If you would like to read the bills in their entirety, you can find them by clicking on the bills above.

3 - Discuss this issue with your parents.  With their permission, do more research on the internet on this topic.  Come to class prepared to discuss what you learned and how you feel about it.

March Leadership Academy (all classes)

This month we will be spending the day at the State Legislature having a tour of the capital building and observing the session.

Please come to class dressed in your Sunday best.

Please do the following to prepare for our trip:

Field Trip Inspirements:

• Watch this little video. "I'm Just a Bill"

• This website is the government website for the Utah legislature. Visit the web site and answer the following questions: (Spend at least 30 minutes on the website exploring.)

                    1. Who are my representatives? (see legislators section)
                    2. What bills might be discussed during our visit? (see Bills section)
                    3. Pick one section in the legislative guide tab that looks interesting to you and

                        read it.

• Think about and journal for 10 minutes on the following questions:

                   - How does the government impact your life?
                   - How do you know if a bill is a good bill or not?
                   - What part will you play in shaping the future government of our state and
                           country?
                   - What can you do to be involved now?

BONUS: (not required) Read the Utah state constitution.

February Apprentice Class

APPRENTICE:

Study/Learn

1 - Read: “21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” Chapter 3: Commitment

2 - Read: “The Young Traveler's Gift” Chapter 9: Persist – Persevering with faith until the end

3 – Read: Ephesians 6:18

4 – Read this article: “The Blessings of Perseverance” by Elder Claudio D. Zivic.  Find principles as you read.  Choose 2 of the principles that you found in the article.  Re write them in the "if...then..." format.  Make a list of 3 actions for each principle that you could take to more fully live that principle.

5 – Do a Hero Study and be prepared to tell us how your hero showed perseverance.

6 – Start reading the book: “Soul Surfer”.  You can take all month reading it.  We will be discussing it during our March Leadership Class

Know/Understand

CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING TO DO:

• Watch the movie “A Man Called Peter” (1955).   (You can find it on Netflix or rent it for $2.99 on Amazon Prime) As you are watching, make a list of the setbacks that Peter encountered and what he did to overcome them.  Was it easy for him to do what he did?  Would you have persevered through all that he did to reach your goal?  Write a paragraph when the movie is over about how the Peter Marshall inspired you and what you are going to do in your own life to over come obstacles and persevere.

• Prepare a 5 minute hero presentation. Have fun with it! After researching your hero and taking notes, find some fun ways to present your hero to us! Here are some ideas:

              - Show pictures of your hero and some of the things he or she did to make the
                world a better place
              - Perform part of a speech your hero gave, or play part of a musical composition
                he or she wrote
              - Show us a short video clip about your hero
              - Create a skit that portrays your hero’s characteristics and what he or she
                 accomplished
              - Write a poem about your hero
              - A short game to help you teach the class interesting things about your hero
              - Be sure to include what characteristics you admire about your hero, and your
                 plan to develop one of those characteristics.

• After reading the article by Elder Claudio D. Zivic, find a quiet place to ponder and write or type. Spend 30 minutes or more writing the main points of the article, and what you should do to learn to live what you learned. Bring your writing to class, or find another way to teach what you learned to the class.

• Create a collection or collage of quotes and scriptures about perseverance. Feel free to illustrate your collection if you’d like. Record how it could affect your life in different areas (academically, family, spiritually, etc) as you choose to persevere.  Bring it to to class to share.

• Write a poem or song about perseverance and what it means to you that you can share with the class.

 Become/Serve
(If you are doing more than 1 level of class this week, just choose ONE Become/serve for the whole week.)

Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Paul Harvey, the famous news analyst and author, once said: “Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that someone will ask me, ‘What’s the secret of it?’ I shall say simply this: ‘I get up when I fall down.’”  

(from the talk "Perseverance" by James E. Faust April 2005) 

Is perseverance really that easy?  In the book “21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader”, on page 20, he says “When it comes to commitment, there are four types of people.”  Read through the four types and decide which one you are.  Be honest with yourself.  Journal for 20 minutes about the type of person you are and whether that is how you want to be or if there are things you would like to change in your life and how you can work towards that change.

February Journeyman Class

“What is the answer to the dilemma that surrounds us?  The answer is to love our Founders, our country, our founding document, and the God that gave them to us.  We must teach that love to our children, pray for our leaders and plead for help.  The answer is to get involved.” 

- Pam Openshaw, author of “Promises of the Constitution”

Study/Learn

1 – If you didn't last fall, see if you can memorize the Preamble to the US Constitution. This “School House Rock” song makes it easy. The song left out one phrase.  Tell us what it is.

2 – Read the Constitution of the United States of America.  You can find it online here, or here.  There is a plain text version that you can print here.  Once you are finished reading it, go here and test your knowledge.  If you don't know the answers to some of the questions, go back and find them out.

3 – Read: “Promises of the Constitution.”  Chapter 11.  Write one or more sentences at the end of each mini chapter that summarizes the main point.

4 – As you are reading the Constitution, make a list of the words you don't know the meanings of.  Make a list of at least 20 words and write a short definition of each one.  Choose one of the words from your list and do a word study on it.

5 – Try to understand the Constitution as best you can.  You never know when that information may come in handy.  ;)



Know/Understand

Choose 3 of the following to think about and journal on for 15 minutes each:

- Why do you think God cares about governments?

- Because freedom of religion was placed first in the Bill of Rights, this would indicate that religious freedom was of greatest importance to the Founding Fathers and the people.  Why was freedom of religion so important to the people back then and why is it important to us now?

- What can a US citizen today do to make his opinions known to the local and national government?

- George Mason, one of our Founding Fathers, said that the best way for any government to enslave its people is to disarm them.  Why does he compare disarmament to enslavement?

- Look up synonyms for “enslave” and determine if you can find similarities between enslavement and not being able to defend oneself.

- There are some people who believe that we have no need for privacy if we are doing nothing wrong.  Do you believe this is true?  Why or why not?

- If a person is guilty of committing a crime, why should he still have the right to be heard, treated fairly and receive justice?

- US citizens have the ability to prevent power-hungry individuals from usurping our rights.  Three ways to do so include voting on Election Day, expressing your opinions to your local representatives, and staying informed.  Describe how each of these three actions can prevent our rights from being usurped.

- Should government compel – or force – a person to do what is right?  Why or why not?

Become/Serve
(If you are doing more than 1 level of class this week, just choose ONE Become/serve for the whole week.)

“Like other early settlers of America, many of the Founders governed their lives according to the 'Good Book'.  Its pages gave them their basic education, their spirituality, and their common reason.  Bible study guided their everyday actions and provided instruction and practical application in such matters as their use of time and the conduct of their relationships.”

(from “Promises of the Constitution vignette 1.2)

How does the Bible influence your life?  How often do you read it?  Should/could you be reading it more often?  Evaluate your use of the Bible in your every day life and set a goal to read and think about it more often.

Constitution Quiz

Question #1:
In which of its seven articles does the Constitution create Congress?

Article 1

Article 2

Article 3

Article 7

Question #2:
The Constitution says that Congress shall consist of which two groups?

Supreme Court and White House 

House of Representatives and Senate

House of Representatives and Supreme Court 

Senate and Supreme Court 

Question #3:
How old do you have to be to serve in the House of Representatives?

50

25

40

35

Question #4:
How many years older do you have to be to serve in the Senate?

3

5

10

15

Question #5:
There are 435 members of the House of Representatives. On what basis is the number of members of the House of Representatives divided among the states?

Taxation

Amount of land

Population

Date the state entered the United States

Question #6:
There are 100 members of the Senate. Each state gets the same number of Senators. What is that number?

4

5

1

2

Question #7:
There are 27 Amendments to the Constitution. Which Amendment set the voting age to 18 years of age or older?

Amendment 19 

Amendment 26

Amendment 15

Amendment 24

Question #8:
Who must sign a bill passed by Congress before it becomes a law?

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 

Secretary of State 

Attorney General 

President

Question #9:
If a bill is not signed by the person mentioned in question 8, Congress can still make it a law by a vote of how many members?

Three-fourths of the House and three-fourths of the Senate 

Three-fourths of the House and two-thirds of the Senate 

Two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate

Three-fifths of the House and three-fifths of the Senate 

Question #10:
Each of the three branches of the federal government has distinctive duties. This term describes the duties of Congress.

Legislative

Executive

Judicial

Administrative

Question #11:
This Amendment to the Constitution altered the method of electing Senators

16th

17th

18th

19th

Question #12:
True or False. The Vice President is President of the Senate and has full voting privileges.

True

False

Question #13:
True or False. The Constitution does not specify that the Speaker of the House of Representatives must be a member of the House

True

False

Question #14:
Which of the following is NOT a specified power of Congress?

Establishing a uniform rule of naturalization 

Regulating foreign commerce 

Punishing piracy on the high seas 

All of the above 

None of the above

Question #15:
Which Article in the Constitution uses the term “Electoral College” when referring to the process of electing the President?

Article 1 

Article 2

Article 4

None of the above

Question #16:
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 failed to prohibit states from implementing which of the following provisions:

Literacy Tests 

Interpreting the Constitution 

Poll Taxes

None of the above

Question #17:
Members of Congress are privileged from arrest during congressional sessions and “in going to and returning from the same” except for cases of:

Treason

Felony

Breach of the peace

a and b only 

a, b, and c

Question #18:
Which of the following was not specifically mentioned in Section 8 of Article 1 of the Constitution:

Post offices and post roads 

Letters of marque and reprisal 

Standard of weights and measures 

Penitentiaries

Counterfeiting

Question #19:
Article 1, Section 8 grants Congress the right to exercise “exclusive legislation … over such District” that might become the seat of government and over areas purchased for what purposes?

Forts

Dockyards

Arsenals

All of the above

None of the above

Question #20:
The Constitution prohibited Congress from doing all of the following, EXCEPT:

Passing bills of attainder 

Passing ex post facto laws 

Suspending writ of habeas corpus

Taxing exports