Seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
I found an article about the history of the Young Men's organization, that is interesting to read in light of the recent changes announced to the present day program. The article focuses on the many different arrangements of ages and leaders and structure over the years, and when you see how often changes are made, the recent changes don't seem as surprising. What is probably more noticeable is how relatively few changes had been made in the past 30 years or so compared to how often they changed things in the past.
This study will present a comprehensive study of the YMMIA from 1939 to 1974. This study includes the emergence of different programs and the changes in age groupings, as well as goals of the program. A short historical background chapter will be included to acquaint the readers with the previous growth and development of YMMIA since it was instituted.
One section talked about changes made in 1972, where the wards and stakes were given more leeway in planning activities and events. There are also mentions of how the church needs to meet the needs of members across the globe, and you kind of see that it still is taking time to make a program that meets the needs of the members in all situations. Continuing revelation will provide future guidance, and I'm sure there are still many things to come as we enter a new phase of church growth.
"We are commanded to repent of our sins and to come to the Lord with a
brokenheart and a contrite spirit and partake of the sacrament in
compliance with its covenants. When we renew our baptismal covenants in
this way, the Lord renews the cleansing effect of our baptism. In this
way we are made clean and can always have His Spirit to be with us. The
importance of this is evident in the Lord’s commandment that we partake
of the sacrament each week."
The question for the Aaronic Priesthood lesson, “What has President Monson taught Aaronic Priesthood holders?”, and the associated content is something I have thought about putting together for President Hinckley. The suggestion is to use the last few General Conference addresses by President Monson to the Priesthood Session:
I always enjoy the talk by the Prophet at the Priesthood Session, and think that looking at them over the last 20-30 years you would certainly see patterns and areas of focus that repeat themselves and also demonstrate how to best prepare for the future.
There are two video resources for this lesson. The first is “A Priesthood Duty” and the focus is on missionary work:
The second is called “Dare to Stand Alone” and tells the story of an experience President Monson had at boot camp when he followed the advice of an old Primary song:
The focus is on Prophets and Revelation, and it seems pretty easy to get conversations going on either topic without much prompting. One of the things I am enjoying this year is that the lesson topic/question itself often starts enough of a conversation to get through a good deal of material simply by asking it as it is written in the lesson outline.
I also like that the topics are updated with recent conference talks, to include the April 2013 General Conference. I was surprised to see one of the talks as a reference just a few weeks after it was given in conference! It helps to integrate the most recent messages, and also gives an opportunity to learn more about the speaker.
The question for the lesson this week is “How can I strengthen my testimony?” and begins with the following thought:
A testimony is a spiritual witness of the truth given by the Holy Ghost. As members of the Church, we have sacred opportunity and responsibility to obtain our own testimonies. If we seek a testimony through study, prayer, and living the gospel, the Holy Ghost will help us know for ourselves that the gospel is true.
The scriptures for the lesson include the following:
John 7:16–17 (If we do the Lord’s will, we will gain a testimony)
