Pergler's Primary Place: Reading, Listening and Looking at Things that are Pleasing to Heavenly Father Sharing Time

Reading, Listening and Looking at Things that are Pleasing to Heavenly Father Sharing Time

August 2012 Week 2

Wagon came from http://www.lds.org/images/Magazines/Friend/Archive/friendlp.nfo:o:152e.jpg and was enlarged and printed on construction paper. The hay is yellow construction paper in a shredder.

I would like to tell you a story by Elder David Sorensen who is a Seventy, a servant for the Lord. He shared this story in the 2001 April General Conference. http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2001/04/you-can-t-pet-a-rattlesnake?lang=eng&query=rattlesnakes

“My mind raced back to the days of my youth on the farm. In the summertime one of our responsibilities was to haul hay from the fields into the barn for winter storage. My dad would pitch the hay onto a flatbed wagon. I would then tromp down the hay to get as much as possible on the wagon. One day, in one of the loose bundles pitched onto the wagon was a rattlesnake! When I looked at it, I was concerned, excited, and afraid. The snake was lying in the nice, cool hay. The sun was glistening on its diamond back. After a few moments the snake stopped rattling, became still, and I became very curious. I started to get closer and leaned over for a better look, when suddenly I heard a call from my father: "David, my boy, you can't pet a rattlesnake!”(picture that goes with story- May 2002 New Era, p. 45) http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/2002/May2002NewEra.pdf

Why did David’s dad tell him that he couldn’t pet a rattlesnake? Certainly David has agency (the freedom to choose) whether to touch the snake or not. If someone was with him, he might have been dared to touch the snake. What might have happened if he made the wrong choice and touched the snake? We have to be careful around rattlesnakes because they can bite and can harm us with their poison.

Today we are talking about reading, listening and watching things that are pleasing to Heavenly Father. The media (television, radio, movies, newspapers) is full of rattlesnakes (picture- Ensign, September 2011 or February New Era, 2005, p. 19 http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/2-2005-NewEra/Feb2005NewEra.pdf

The media can help/benefit us greatly, but rattlesnakes in the media can harm and poison us if we aren’t careful. There are some rattlesnakes in this Primary room today that are going to help us learn how to be careful around the things we read, listen to and watch. We are going to carefully, with these binoculars, (you can make binoculars out of two rolls of paper taped together) spot some rattlesnakes around the room. But don’t worry, they are construction paper snakes! Each rattlesnake has a number on him that matches a rattlesnake picture on the board. BE CAREFUL NOT TO PET THE RATTLESNAKE. Then we will discuss the picture on the back. Who would like to use the binoculars first?

Rattlesnake clipart came from http://www.clker.com/cliparts/6/0/y/5/Y/q/rattle-snake-md.png

RATTLESNAKES

RATTLESNAKE #1- INTERNET--(computer with spoon from New Era, March 2005, 36 http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/3-2005-NewEra/Mar2005NewEra.pdf , other computer clipart taken from Ensign, March 2012, 54,55 or February 2006 New Era, 39, http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/2-2006-NewEra/Feb2006NewEra.pdf or could just use the wordstrip “INTERNET”

The internet can be a great benefit to us. It can help us with wholesome research on a variety of topics, including our family history. LDS,org is a wonderful blessing to be able to search a gospel topic and receive countless articles on it with just one click. But we also have to be careful with the internet because it can have poisons just like the rattlesnake. There are many inappropriate pictures, words, and articles that can be spooned into our minds with poison and be very damaging.

Say with me: DON’T PET THE RATTLESNAKE!!!!

Rattlesnake craft idea came from http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mpaper-chain-snake.htm

RATTLESNAKE #2- MUSIC- (picture- “Some Music Can Hurt You” New Era, March 2005, 19 http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/3-2005-NewEra/Mar2005NewEra.pdf or just use the wordstrip, “MUSIC”

Some music can be uplifting (like this Primary song CD that we gave you at the beginning of the year!!). It can be fun and fill our mind with good thoughts. However, some music can hurt you, it may have lyrics (words) that can poison your spirit. We must choose carefully the music we listen to and change the station if it makes us feel uncomfortable.

Say with me: DON’T PET THE RATTLESNAKE!!!!!!

RATTLESNAKE #3- BOOKS-(picture taken from Friend January 2012, 4 or could just use the wordstrip, “BOOKS”)

“Seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (D&C 88:118). There are many wonderful books out there filled with knowledge, light as well as some with fantasy and fun. You know what the most correct book on earth is? The Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Book of Mormon [is] the most correct book of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion.” He said that “a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.” (History of the Church, 4:461.) There are books that can have bad poison, bad language, inappropriate content in them too. We must be careful about the quality of books we choose to read.