Week 27: Alma 30-31 "The Virtue of the Word of God"
From Come, Follow Me :
The accounts in Alma 30–31 clearly demonstrate the power of words—for evil and for good. The "flattering" and "great swelling words" of a false teacher named Korihor threatened to bring "many souls down to destruction" (Alma 30:31, 47). Similarly, the teachings of a Nephite dissenter named Zoram led a whole group of people to fall "into great errors" and "pervert the ways of the Lord" (Alma 31:9, 11).
In contrast, Alma had unwavering faith that the word of God would have a "more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else" (Alma 31:5) ... These are valuable examples for followers of Christ today, when "great swelling words" and "great errors" again have a powerful effect on the minds of the people (Alma 30:31; 31:9).
"When you are willing to listen and learn, some of life's most meaningful teachings come from those who have gone before you. They have walked where you are walking and have experienced many of the things you are experiencing. If you listen and respond to their counsel, they can help guide you toward choices that will be for your benefit and blessing and steer you away from decisions that can destroy you. As you look to your parents and others who have gone before you, you will find examples of faith, commitment, hard work, dedication, and sacrifice that you should strive to duplicate ... It's hard to imagine a scenario in which it would not be worthwhile to consider and learn from the experience of others."
"There are great lessons to be learned from the past, and you ought to learn them so that you don't exhaust your spiritual strength repeating past mistakes and bad choices….what impact will the lessons of the past have on the personal choices you make right now and for the rest of your lives?"(M. Russell Ballard, Learning the Lessons of the Past, April 2009 General Conference)
See how a troubled young man finds power and hope from the words of his great-grandfather.
Many of your ancestors may have already written or recorded some of their life experiences for your benefit and the benefit of your children. However, you probably have living relatives who have not written or recorded any of their life experiences. One of the benefits grandchildren can learn from their grandparents is that you should "[t]urn to grandparents for life lessons and other advice because they've often lived through the same or similar experience—possibly more than once." This blog article has some other family history suggestions, such as 'Grandma and grandpa may actually know where they [those old black and white pictures of unknown relatives] were taken and who those mystery people are.' Ask about your family tree—who are their siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles? You'll know about tons of family members you didn't know existed. And maybe they can share some funny stories about your parents when they were young." (10 Things Grandchildren Can Learn From Their Grandparents)
How well do you know your grandparents? See how millennials in Singapore respond to questions about how well they know their grandparents. (Grandparents' Day is a holiday recognized in numerous countries throughout the world on varying days.)
It would be a shame not to take the opportunity to learn about your living relatives firsthand. Too often there are regrets when a relative passes on and you have not taken time to get to know them. Rachel Carter tells of her experience: "As part of a recent research project, I was asked to conduct an interview with my oldest living relative. Being the shy and quiet person that I am, I felt a little uncomfortable with this task because I didn't really want to interrogate my grandma. However, once I was with her and asking her questions, I recognized the long-term value that this interview could have for generations to come. I learned more about my grandma in that interview than I had known about her my entire life. (Inside the Guide: Interviewing Relatives)
In her blog article, Rachel also suggests some ideas that might be helpful in preparing for your interview:
Pick a topic
Have questions prepared
Record the interview
Be flexible
Avoid asking yes or no questions
Ask follow up questions
Be respectful
Have fun
Express gratitude
Transcribe the interview
Interviewing your relatives is a way you can make sure their stories are captured and their words are recorded that their words might have a "more powerful effect" (Alma 31:5) upon you and future generations. Capturing family history recollections from living relatives ensures that their legacy can be shared before they pass on.
As a family, write down 20 questions you can use in an interview. Here are just a few sites to give you some ideas about what questions you may want to ask during your interview.
After you have decided your questions, discuss one or more relatives that you could interview. Set up an appointment with at least one relative. Practice asking the questions within your family before the appointment time arrives. Have fun!
Grandparents Make Headlines
Do you ever wonder what your grandparents did when they were your age? They have many stories to share. All you need to do is ask! When they tell you about an experience, you can write it down so others can read it. Find out how in Extra! Extra! Read All About It from The Friend Magazine. See more ideas for interviewing grandparents in The Family History Guide K5-02, K5-04, and K6-01.
Interview Yourself
You want to capture memories of those living before it's too late, but you can also tell your own story. "We all have inclinations to record or tell our story, but it can be very difficult to know where to start or how to go about it. One way you can do that is by interviewing yourself as Zach Matthews explains in Who's Interviewing You? How to Tell Your Story.
Note: Check out "interviewing" on the Come, Follow Me Companion Activities Index page for previous week's activity ideas.
Your Personal History
Write (or audio-record) one story about your life as you study each Come, Follow Me lesson to have 52 by the end of the year. Save as a story and add it to your FamilySearch memories to preserve it. Use your own questions, those from (or inspired by) Come, Follow Me, or the #52 Stories Project. See below for ideas:
How have you seen the word of God lead "people to do that which [is] just"? (Alma 31:5)
What are some of the signature phrases, quotes, or sayings that remind you of your dad? Your grandfathers? Your mom? Your grandmothers?
What are some stories you loved hearing from your mother's or father's younger days? Or from your grandmothers or grandfathers younger days?
