We
are Blessed When We Keep the Ten Commandments
September
2012 - Week 1
Keep
the Commandments, Bowl a Strike in Life Sharing time
Anyone know what
bowling is? “Seventeen hundred years ago
bowling was a religious ceremony in Germany.
In those days if a person bowled the ball and knocked a pin down, he was
leading a good life. But if he did not
knock a pin down, it meant that he needed to be better.” http://www.lds.org/friend/1975/02/how-bowling-began
The goal in modern
bowling is to keep the bowling ball on the lane for the entire length and hit
as many of the ten pins as possible. If
the bowler knocks all the pins down on the first ball it is considered a
strike. That is the best you can do! http://www.helium.com/items/853781-basic-bowling-rules
We are going to
play a game of bowling today and learn about the Ten Commandments. Each pin will represent a commandment or one
of God’s rules that was revealed to the prophet Moses; from God to us. (show picture http://www.lds.org/gospellibrary/artbook/images/ArtBook__014_014__TheTenCommandments_Sm___.jpg )
These
Ten Commandments, if we follow them, will help us lead a good and happy
life. So for our bowling activity, when
we knock down a pin, it will represent that we have conquered that
commandment. Our goal is to conquer all
Ten Commandments, to bowl a strike each day and reach our goal of celestial
glory.
(Point to large
bowling ball on board. The bowling ball
was cut from a black trash bag and the circle categories were taped on)
If you look at a bowling ball, use your
imagination, haha!, there are three holes on it. The ten-commandments can be separated into
three categories. RESPECT AND WORSHIP
GOD, HONOR PARENTS, RESPECT OTHERS (each
category is written inside one of the three holes on the bowling ball)
We will invite one
of you to come up and roll this bowling ball down the lane to the ten pins.
Your goal is conquer all the commandments (to knock over all the pins).
After you’ve bowled, we will choose one of
the commandments that you have conquered (select one pin you have knocked down)
and learn about it. There is an object
and information inside each pin to help us learn more. Some pins also have a song that we will sing
and decide which one of the three categories it should fit in. We will continue until we have conquered all
Ten Commandments. (Bowling pins were made from empty water bottles that have
been cut in half.
Remove water bottle top half so that the objects can be
inserted in the “pin”, replace top. Source for craft http://www.creativedish.com/2011/08/lets-bowl-make-a-bowling-pin-set-from-recycled-plastic-water-bottles/)
*if time is running
short, open a couple of conquered pins on the same roll. Note: For each pin conquered and commandment
is learned, remove the pin from the lane.
Commandment pins-
(picture do not show the included slips of paper that have the below information on them
(picture do not show the included slips of paper that have the below information on them
1. “Thou
shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus
20:3). “We should do “all things with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 82:19). We should love and serve
the Lord with all our heart, might, mind, and strength (see Deuteronomy 6:5; D&C 59:5)”
OBJECT- Gold medal representing
that we should not place worldly achievements above God, but that He should be
number 1 above all!!
2. “Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image” (Exodus
20:4). “In this commandment, the Lord condemns the worship of idols.
Idolatry may take many forms. Some people do not bow before… statues today, but
instead replace the living God with other idols, such as money, material
possessions, or [fame].”
OBJECT- bag filled with coins with
$ sign
3. “Thou
shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). We should keep
our mouth clean by using Heavenly Father’s name reverently just as toothpaste
keeps our mouths clean.
OBJECT- Small toothpaste
4. “Remember
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus
20:8).
OBJECT- Small calendar or old
sacrament program
SONG - “REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY” (CS, 155). Match with category on bowling ball- Respect
and Worship God
5. “Honour
thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12).
… “we should be grateful to the father and mother who provided our earthly
bodies; we should honor those who raised us in the knowledge of the truth.
Above all, we should honor our Heavenly Parents. The way we honor all these
fathers and mothers is by keeping the commandments.”
OBJECT- Picture of a mom and dad- picture of mom and dad with child came from February 2008 Ensign http://www.lds.org/churchmagazines/EN_2008_02_00___02202_000_000.pdf
SONG-“QUICKLY I’LL OBEY” (CS, 197). Sing just the 1st verse for the
sake of time. Match with category on
bowling ball- Honor Parents
6. “Thou
shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
OBJECT- Plastic/pretend knife
7. “Thou
shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14)
Husbands and wives are supposed to stay true to each other forever and love
each other always.
OBJECT-
Broken heart made out of red felt or construction paper
8. “Thou
shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15). Take
things that do not belong to us is an example of stealing, like candy from a
store.
OBJECT-
Hand made out of construction paper with candy taped on it
9. “Thou
shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). “Be honest and tell the truth with others.”
OBJECT-
Floss with “lie”, “LIE”, “LIE” attached to it.
representing one white little lie can grow into bigger lies
10. “Thou
shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17). You
should be happy for other people’s blessings and not be mad that you don’t have
the same things.
OBJECT-
Bracelet or jewelry
SONG
- “KINDNESS BEGINS WITH ME”, (CS, 145). Match
with category on bowling ball - Respect Others
***Source for ten
commandments/AND all additional quotes taken from http://www.lds.org/topics/ten-commandments?lang=eng)
CONCLUSION
I hope as we journey through life, we will bowl a
strike daily and conquer all Ten Commandments. We will receive blessings from
keeping the commandments and can have a good life. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
