Prep:
Lesson: President Hinckley's last be is Be Prayerful. The text is pasted below. Read it with your family and discuss it. It's not long, but it is great counsel.
You cannot do it alone. I look at this vast congregation, and I know that you are young people who pray, who get on your knees and speak with the Lord. You know that He is the source of all wisdom.
You need His help, and you know that you need His help. You cannot do it alone. You will come to realize that and recognize that more and more as the years pass. So live that in good conscience you can speak with the Lord. Get on your knees and thank Him for His goodness to you and express to Him the righteous desires of your hearts. The miracle of it all is that He hears. He responds. He answers—not always as we might wish He would answer, but there is no question in my mind that He answers.
You have such a tremendous responsibility, you young men and young women. You are the products of all of the generations that have gone before you. All that you have of body and mind has been passed to you through your parents. Someday you will become parents and pass on to succeeding generations the qualities of body and mind which you have received from the past. Do not break the chain of the generations of your family. Keep it bright and strong. So very much depends on you. You are so very precious. You mean so much to this Church. It could not be the same without you. Stand tall, proud of your inheritance as sons and daughters of God. Look to Him for understanding and guidance. Walk according to His precepts and commandments.
You can have a good time. Of course you can! We want you to have fun. We want you to enjoy life. We do not want you to be prudes. We want you to be robust and cheerful, to sing and dance, to laugh and be happy.
But in so doing, be humble and be prayerful, and the smiles of heaven will fall upon you.
I could wish for you nothing better than that your lives be fruitful, that your service be dedicated and freely given, that you contribute to the knowledge and the well-being of the world in which you live, and that you do it humbly and faithfully before your God. He loves you. We love you. We want you to be happy and successful, to make significant contributions to the world in which you will live and to the on-rolling of this great and majestic work of the Lord.
Activity: Prayer is an art. I know... what a weird sentence, but it's true. Have you ever heard a truly eloquent prayer? Temple dedicatory prayers come to my mind. Now, we don't need to say fancy prayers or anything, but there is a pattern we should follow when conversing with our Heavenly Father. Open the prayer in the name of the Father. Thank Him for the blessings in your life. Ask Him for the things you stand in need of. Close in the name of Jesus Christ. Simple. Effective. We have also been counseled not to give lengthy and preachy prayers. If there is something we need to receive guidance for, those prayers are better served as private prayers. Teach your family the appropriate way to pray and that there are different kinds of prayers that are appropriate for different situations. (I know that's not much of an activity, but it is important).
Treat: Mint Chocolate Brownies. You can even point out how all the ingredients come together and make something yummy, just as all the parts of a prayer come together and make a great conversation with Heavenly Father. =] Get in all the teaching moments you can, right?!?
