I’m a big fan of Barry Levinson films. Diner…Rain Man…Bugsy…Wag the Dog… The man can tell a story. In one of his lesser known classics, Tin Men, Bruno Kirby (may he rest in peace) is in a bar teaching an old Mexican the words to “La Bamba.” Bruno clearly doesn’t speak Spanish and as he recites the phonetically butchered lyrics, the old man abandons the language of his fathers to try and follow along.
This is how I feel when teaching from conference talks to high priests. It’s hell expounding on the stuff. Take this Sunday– a brief talk by Elder Jefferey Holland proclaiming how we believe the Father, Son & Holy Ghost are separate & distinct individuals, and why. And I’m supposed to stretch this out to 40 minutes for these lifers. Sounding like I’m imparting wondrous, insightful pearls of wisdom, spinning it like they’ve never heard it before. The Nicene Creed… Are Mormons Christian?… How do you explain to your gentile friends how we’re alike when it comes to the “oneness” of the Godhead? How should Mitt respond? Have we really only been talking for 5 minutes?
Yup, I’m dead meat.
Manual lessons are much easier. The manual-makers broke it down so nicely. Story, scripture, quote, question…story, scripture, quote, question… I’m actually trawling blogs for thought-provoking angles, see what I’m reduced to. According to Heather Moon on the Orson Scott Card fansite…
This isn’t anything new. Every month around this time I do my murmuring, right up until Saturday night, then somehow it gets pulled together. Sometimes it’s that I found that elusive angle, sometimes it’s finding just the right question to get them arguing until we’re out of time. All I know is, there’s no fixed process (outside of prayer & manic study). If anyone out there has one, I am your eager pupil. Ay arriba y arriba…
Meanwhile, I’m still reading Sargeant Nibley, Ph.D. and find it the most entertaining book I’ve ever read about WWII stories. It’s a combination A Man Called Intrepid and Catch-22. Good stuff, Maynard.
4 responses so far ↓
1 queuno // Dec 20, 2007 at 2:58 am
Easy. Assign the lesson to one of the other HPs to handle.
I’m a long-time EQ instructor (multiple stints, multiple wards). It’s my favorite calling (and a lot of us are lifers, too).
For lessons like these, I like to play devil’s advocate (it’s the last refuge of the desperate). As in — So what if it’s the trinity and not three distinct individuals? So what if Joseph Smith hadn’t seen 2 people? Would it have been *that* big of a deal if he’d had double vision that day? What aspects of our theology would have *really* changed?
2 David // Dec 20, 2007 at 5:17 am
Queuno,
True, I could have assigned it to someone else, but I try to save the brethren for manual lessons. Our quorum (or group? I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of what we call us) attendance is thin after the stake and bishopric sucked our talent reservoir nearly dry. Usually it’s 6-8 guys in the chapel, half are too terrified to teach and a couple of others quickly lose their audience.
I agree, I do like the devil’s advocate approach– and I like some of the ideas you threw out, thanks.
3 queuno // Dec 20, 2007 at 3:42 pm
High priests afraid to teach? I’ll send you some of ours…
At the very least, the “so what’s the big deal, really?” lesson forces people to consider the source for some of their favorite theological elements.
Would we still have a priesthood if it were a Trinitarian God? Sealing power? Which Bible/BoM stories do we need to reinterpret? Depending on how awake/disagreeable people are, you might be able to go an hour without doing more than simply acting as a traffic cop…
4 s'mee // Aug 4, 2008 at 2:07 am
Preach My Gospel.
Teach as if you were teaching on your mission. No where have we been asked to do more than teach the basic. I think far too many times it becomes a battle of “In my BYU class….” or “Elder Packer said….” and in fact it’s more a spin to teach ohers that the speaker of the moment is more learned or Spiritual.
Find your topic. Then make this your mantra:
Search. Analyze. Apply.
Search the scriptures or the conference talk for ONE principle your ward needs to work one.
Analyze the principle according to the personal needs of your ward.
Apply it by making specific assignments that will increase the effectiveness of this principle in your ward members. Follow up on the assignments and see if your applications are effective.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
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