I was asked to give a talk at our Ward’s Temple and Priesthood Preparation meeting last week. Here is the outline of my message, which I followed only loosely. These notes are meant to spark ideas in your mind, not to be followed exactly. Depending on the length allotted to your talk, you’ll only have time to expand on a few of them.
Object lesson
An item or items that are not yet complete, but have the potential to become so under specific conditions. (Pick one; I used the seed.)
A seed (tree)
Sun, rain
Protection from nibblers and destroyers
Pruning
A sketch (painting)
Paint
Brushstrokes by skilled hands
Eraser
A tune (symphony)
More notes
Pleasing harmony and rhythm
Team work
The most miraculous, marvellous, incomplete thing of all is …you!
You are like a seed, needing —
specific conditions to grow into your complete form
protection from things that would harm you
some things pruned out of your life
You are like a painting (a masterpiece!) in progress
life's experiences and your choices are the paint
a Master Painter stands ready to guide you (listen)
you must use the eraser (sketch stage) or scraper (paint stage) to correct parts that aren't right
You are like a tune
adding more notes to your symphony every day
a Master Musician stands ready to guide you (listen)
some notes don't belong in your piece; you must remove them to regain the sweetness of the melody
Who does God want you to be?
To understand what a seed can become, look at the tree. To understand what you can become, look at your Creator.
Learn about Him through the scriptures
As man now is, God once was. As God now is, man may be — Lorenzo Snow
God wants you to be like Him, and to have everything that He has!
It's hard to imagine, right? Just think of the sweetest memory you have of feeling happy and safe and loved. Now times it by infinity!
The temple is a vital element in you becoming all you can be (= complete, or perfected)
God has provided the temple to make us fit for heaven (ref: Away In A Manger, verse 3)
Show the “You Are Here” Plan of Salvation diagram
The crow tries to whisper in your ear that bathing your seed in sunshine and water is too much trouble. But crows eat seeds, don't they? Hey, little seed, take advice from the Gardener, not a crow!
The covenant path is one of loving obedience, and yes, some sacrifice.
Sacrifice is giving up something you want now, for something you want most.
Give me your $1 and I'll give you $100—that'd be a pretty sweet deal!
God's deals are even better. Just do your best to obey His commandments, repent when you go astray, and He'll give you *everything* He has. Infinity!
We don't follow the covenant path because of what we can get. We do it because we love Him! And we love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4.19)
How can pre-teens prepare for the temple?
Make good choices (see the new FSY booklet)
Repent when you slip up
Get help from parents and leaders/Bishop where needed
Participate in Indexing
Participate in temple baptisms
Temple Testimony
The peace I felt, that came home with me
Needs replenishing! It's not set-and-forget
What will you do to get the sunshine and water your seed needs?
It might grow without the temple, but it can't bear fruit
Slides
Below is a PDF of the slides I showed our group. We’re in NSW Australia, so I’ve used the Sydney temple. You can replace those slides with a picture of the temple in your area. Note: The Plan of Salvation graphic is not mine, though it’s so cool, I wish it was! The pinecone and tree pictures came from Pixabay.