Five Tips to Help You Read Sunday Lessons

by Miriam Caldwell | More from this Blogger

02 Jan 2007 10:04 PM

One of my New Year's resolutions for this year is to beginning reading the lessons before I go to class on Sundays. I have been successful at this in the past. But somehow, I have let this habit slip away. I have a lot of excuses-we lost our manuals in our recent move, the kids do not nap on Sundays anymore. I could go on and on, but the simple truth is that I stopped making it a priority. Here are five tips to help me (and you) keep this new resolution.

1) I like to read the next week's lesson the Sunday before the lesson. This gives me time to think about the principles being taught. It also helps me to look for examples of the lesson in my life, so that as I listen to others comments I am more open to learning.

2) I find that marking the manual or the scriptures helps me to remember key points. I also like to write my thoughts in the margins of the manual. It is interesting to look over those thoughts later on and see how they have changed.

3) It is helpful to discuss the lessons with someone while you are studying. This could be an excellent way to spend time with your spouse. You could read the lessons aloud together and discuss them or you could just discuss them together that night.

4) It helps to study at the same time every week. It may be that waking early on Sunday morning works best for you. You may find that the house is quietest on Wednesday night, and that is the time that works best for you. If you set aside the time consistently you will be successful at your lessons.

5) You can access the lessons online at www.lds.org. You can also request that the Relief Society or Elder's Quorum presidency let you know in advance which conference talks you will be studying on the fourth Sunday of the month. I will start posting the reading assignment for Sunday school in my Dinner Discussions blog next week. Next Sunday the reading assignment is Isaiah 61:1-3; Joseph Smith Translation, Luke 3:4-11; John 1:1-14; and John 20:31. The lesson for Relief Society and Priesthood will be determined by your presidency.

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Learn more about Miriam Caldwell

Miriam is a SAHM mom of three children. She has a daughter who is seven, and two sons, four and two. She loves being a parent and spending time with her children.

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blossy (1161) 03 Jan 2007 03:52 AM

What a great New Years Resolution! I have seriously thought about doing the lessons on my own now especially since I have a calling in Nursery. I am unable to go to Sunday school lessons now and I truly miss them a lot. I loved my Sunday school teacher, he is fantastic and so inspiring! I just hope that I am able to be motivated to do this every week.

Nola Redd (7081) 03 Jan 2007 08:40 AM

I try to break down the lesson over the course of a week and use my personal scripture study time for them. I've resolved to study the New Testament in the morning and the RS lesson in the evening. This is especially helpful when the Sunday School lesson is several chapters long, and gives me time to ponder the parts of the lesson more fully. It also means that even if I wind up missing a day, I can have a large part of the lesson read.

Definitely a great New Year's resolution. It's like the joke about smoking; I resolve to start doing it every year. LOL.

Miriam Caldwell (8030) 03 Jan 2007 10:28 AM

The years that I have done best with this goal were the years I was in Primary or Young Womens. You really can learn a lot from the lessons, and I miss not getting them. Breaking it up over a week works as well. The key is to really make a plan and stick to it. Thanks for your suggestions.