The Good Shepherd

What Manner of House Am I Building?

The Story of the Three Little Swine, although a seemingly simplistic child’s tale, poses a very important and profound question that we should all periodically ask ourselves: What manner of house am I building?

What manner of house am I building? Have I foolishly supposed, as the swine that built their houses of straw and sticks, that I can construct my own house using the materials of procrastination and idleness, and that the big bad wolves and the storms of life will not be able to blow it down? Or have I realized, as the wise swine that built his house of bricks, that I must construct my house with hard work, perseverance and sacrifice, in order to make it strong enough to withstand the trials and adversity that come to us all?

Even more importantly, what manner of spiritual house am I building up unto myself? Am I constructing it using materials that will be able to protect me from the evil one who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour?”¹ Have I, as the wise man, built my house upon the rock of the word of God, which is able to resist the winds, rains and floods of the adversary? Or have I, as the foolish man, erected it on a sandy foundation which cannot weather the spiritual storms of life?² Am I doing that which is necessary to reserve unto myself a mansion in the Kingdom of Heaven?³ Or am I feeling my way toward the great and spacious building, whose foundation is nothing but thin air, and whose destiny is to fall?⁴

Is my tent pitched toward Sodom (worldliness), as Lot of old, whose end was disaster and ruin?⁵ Or is my tent pitched with the door toward the temple of the Living God, as the people of King Benjamin, that I may continually be strengthened by the words of Christ, as delivered by his appointed servants?⁶

These are questions that we should all ponder. As we do so, let us remember that “it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”⁷

1.       1 Peter 5:8

2.       Matthew 7:24-27

3.       D&C 72:4

4.       1 Nephi 11:36

5.       Genesis 13:12

6.       Mosiah 2:6

7.       Helaman 5:12

Savory Swine Soup

Warm up with this Atwater family favorite and enjoy a pig themed family home evening with your own little pack.

6 large potatoes peeled and chopped
1 head of cauliflower chopped
1 large onion chopped
2 tsps. salt
1 lb. chopped ham
2 sticks butter of margarine
1.5 cans condensed milk

Place chopped potatoes, cauliflower, and onion in large pan along with salt. Add just enough water to barely cover them. Bring to boil and then add chopped ham. Let boil for 5 minutes, and then reduce heat to low. Add butter or margarine. When butter or margarine is fully melted, add condensed milk. Do not dilute. Turn off heat and enjoy! Some people like to add beans and cheese. It's yummy with these also, but it can stand on its own without them.

I know that in the story, the little swine got away. But in this case, the unwise little swine weren't so fortunate, and now your little family of wolves will really enjoy them for dinner. This was a favorite of mine growing up, and I hope it will become a favorite of your family as well.

Family Night with the Three Little Swine

I wanted a new approach to teaching my kiddos the gospel, a fresh look at things that would be both fun and spiritual. Kids love stories of all kinds, and I especially love the old Fairy Tales because they teach good morals already. Combining the gospel with these timeless tales has helped me to see that they are just as relevant today as they were when the brothers Grimm first wrote them down.

I hope you have as much fun as my family did likening the Fairy Tales to the scriptures and to our lives.
 

Family Night

Start by having the younger children go outside and each gather a handful of grass, a few sticks or twigs or even flower stems, a rock or small pebbles. Bring them in and each child will set their collected items on the table in front of them.

After the opening prayer, read the story of The Three Little Swine out loud to the family. Show the younger children the illustrations as you read through the story. When you get to the point where the wolf blows down each house have the children pretend to be the big bad wolf and blow on the grass, the sticks, and the rocks respectively. After they blow on each one ask them which one was the easiest to blow "down".

What do the scriptures say?

Tell the children that there is another story similar to the Three Little Pigs that was told in the scriptures. Ask them if they remember the story of the wise man who built his house upon a rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.

Read the verses in Matthew 7:24-27 about the wise man who built his house upon a rock and the foolish man.

Ask them how the story of the wise man and the foolish man similar to the story of the Little Pigs.

Tell them that the foolish man was a lot like the two pigs who didn't want to do too much work and so they built their homes out of things that were quick and easy but not sturdy and strong. Have a small amount of sand or dirt in a jar with a lid. Allow the children to move the jar and watch the sand slide about in the jar. Ask them to imagine building a house on sand. Would it be a good thing? The foolish man's house was like the first two pigs' houses only it wasn't a big bad wolf that blew it down, it was a storm and strong winds.

The wise man was a lot like the last pig who built his house out of something that would last even though it took a lot of work. Nothing could bring his house down. Consider taking your children where they can touch the foundation of your home, either outside or in your crawlspace or basement. Give them each a chance to touch it and to make observations about it. Compare the solid foundation of your home to the rock upon which the wise man built his home instead of the sand like in the jar you used as an example.

What is wise?

The house the wise man built was built upon testimony and faith in Jesus Christ and sacred covenants. Explain to them that every good thing we do we are building our house of faith to the Lord. For example, when we read in our scriptures every day we are building a strong house of faith.

Ask the children to think of some other examples of how to build a strong house of faith. (When we pray often, when we are kind and share and don't fight, when we tell the truth or help someone who is sad or hurt or go to the temple, pay our tithing, attend Church, build up food storage....)


Ask the kids if it is always easy to live by faith and to keep our covenants? No, it can be very hard. It takes a lot of courage sometimes to do what is right.

Share with the children a time that you did what was right even though it was hard to do.  Tell them how it helped build your testimony.

Just like the last pig who worked hard to build his house so that it would be strong, we sometimes have to work hard and sacrifice in order to build our house of faith, but if we do then when the storms come or the big bad wolves come we will be ready for them and we will be strong in our faith in the restored gospel and in our testimony of Jesus Christ.

Sing The Wise Man and the Foolish Man together. Do the actions if you know them.

Heavenly Father wants us to be faithful and to keep our promises so that we can go home to him someday. He knows that choosing the right is the best way to live a happy life and to be worthy of the blessings he wants to give us.

For older children: Ask them if they see any other way to liken the story of the three pigs or the story of the wise and foolish men to everyday things in our lives? Give them some examples to help them see how they can apply these stories to their daily choice and relationships. One example is that as a family we must be built upon a sure foundation or we could be blown down or fall or in other words we could become dysfunctional. Families are only forever if we live worthy of that blessing but many people have already lost that blessing and their families are torn apart because their family wasn't built upon a sure foundation. What are some things a family needs to be built on if it is outlast the storms of life? Another example of how to liken the story of the pigs to our daily lives is if a child is learning a new skill or talent, do they want to be lazy in practicing and build a very little talent or are they willing to put in some hard work and learn to excel at their new hobby or talent or skill? When the time comes, if they have put the time and effort into playing the piano well, it will be a talent that will serve them well throughout life, but if they did not apply themselves they will eventually abandon it the way the first two piggies ran from their easily defeated homes.

Big Bad Wolves Today

We may not actually encounter a real big bad wolf or even a heavy storm, but there are things that we will experience that will try to shake our faith in Christ and our determination to live the restored gospel. Talk for a minute with your children about what types of "storms" or "wolves" they might encounter in their lives now and in their lives later that hey must prepare for now by strengthening their house of testimony and faith.

Bear your testimony that as we apply ourselves to living the gospel, we are building upon a sure foundation that will be stronger than the storms of life and sin and temptation. Tell your children that you know the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only sure foundation.

Right click on image to print

Hand out this coloring page to the younger children.

Right Click on image to print

For older children: Ask them to write on a blank paper three things that they can do throughout the week to build a stronger foundation of faith in their own lives or to describe a personal storm they are struggling with and in what ways they can change their "foundation" or priorities to overcome it? Or ask them to think of something that is distracting them (sandy foundation) from focusing on living the gospel or from focusing on living a Christ-centered life. Ask them to keep the paper in their scriptures throughout the week so they will see it often.

Additional resources:

https://www.lds.org/friend/1991/02/sharing-time-build-upon-my-rock?lang=eng

http://www.ldsemergencyresources.com/the-wise-man-built-his-house-upon-a-rock/
















http://fairytalesofkingjames.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-manner-of-house-am-i-building.html

Family Night with Jack the Giant Slayer

After an opening prayer, read The Book of Jack together. Show the younger kids the pictures as you read along.


What did Jack use to get up to heaven and find an unexpected answer that solved the p
roblems he had such as not having enough food to eat or money to buy food with?

We don't have magic beanstalks, but what do we have that can help us "reach" heaven and find answers to our problems? Prayer can help us "slay our own giants".

Sing A Child's Prayer.

As we pray daily we are actually planting the seeds of a relationship with our Heavenly Father. How do we get to know someone? By spending time with them and talking to them. Can we get to know someone without ever talking to them? Why is it important to pray to Heavenly Father?

Jesus promised that if we ask, he will answer: JST, Mark 9:40-48; Doctrine and Covenants 4:7; 3 Nephi 27:29; 3 Nephi 18:290.

Do you remember a story from the scriptures when somebody else slew a giant? Who was it?

Read 1 Samuel 17:1-11, 16-24, 26, 31-37, 40-51.

How was David able to slay Goliath the giant? He had faith that God would help him. Why is faith in God important to be able to overcome hard things? Hebrews 11, Moroni 7:33

Testify that as we ask God for help in prayer, and then exercise faith that he will answer our prayers, we can overcome our trials or "slay our giants".

Learn the following hymn as a family:















Hand out this coloring page to the younger children:

For older children: Ask them to identify and write about one or more personal giants that they are struggling with. Challenge them to pray during this upcoming week for strength and faith to overcome their giant, just as David exercised faith and received strength to overcome his. If they wish, they can tape their piece of paper by their bedside to remind to pray about it daily. Let them know that they will be given time to report on their success in overcoming their giants through prayer and faith during your next family home evening.


Additional Resources:

https://www.lds.org/friend/2001/07/trying-to-be-like-jesus-christ/prayer-and-faith-go-hand-in-hand?lang=eng&query=prayer+and+faith


https://www.lds.org/liahona/2014/10/the-prayer-of-faith?lang=eng










http://fairytalesofkingjames.blogspot.com/2015/03/personal-giants.html


The Book of Jack







Magic Beans and Rice

This recipe is an invention of my brother-in-law's who is from the south, so I guess it should really be called Don's Red Beans and Rice, but where's the fun in that! It is a favorite for our family gatherings. Tastes excellent on rice. Besides, this just might be the easiest meal you've ever poofed together.


1 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage sliced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
2 - 8 oz cans of "magic" red beans un-drained and slightly mashed up
Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning to taste

Brown sausage slices in a skillet. Add vegetables to skillet and sauté in pan. Do not drain fat. Add red beans and seasoning. Let simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve on top of white rice. Enjoy!

This really is delicious and gets eaten up at family gatherings. It is super easy to make with just a few simple ingredients so it is a great one to make for pleasing large crowds. Plus it is budget friendly and is packed with nutrition. So it is a success from every angle.

Personal Giants

Why have fairy tales endured through the ages? Why do they continue to be popular today? I believe it is because they teach us a lot about the human condition. We identify with them because, although they come from a time far removed from our own, they deal with the same struggles and problems that mankind has dealt with since Adam and Eve ate that fruit.

Take Jack and the Beanstalk, for instance. Who hasn’t had a giant or two to conquer at some point in their life? I know I’ve had my share, and continue to face them on a daily basis. It seems I’m constantly being pursued by one or more of them, as I strive to make off with some blessing or other of which they would deprive me.

One of the giants I’ve been struggling with lately is the giant of self-doubt. Sometimes I doubt that I’ll achieve the temporal goals that I’ve set for myself. I doubt that I’ll become the kind of husband and father that I so desperately want to be. Or I sometimes even doubt that I have the capacity to be what the Lord wants me to eventually become.

Self-doubt is a particularly ugly giant. It would deprive you of the great treasures of self-confidence, motivation and faith, without which it is impossible to please God, or anyone else for that matter. Doubt and faith cannot exist in the same heart or mind at the same time, and a lack of faith in ourselves is simply a lack of faith in God. It is a lack of faith in that Perfect Being who created us with the capacity to succeed, and who paid the ultimate price to ensure that success.

The fruit of faith is power, while the fruit of doubt is powerlessness, fear and despair. Fortunately, there is an effective weapon with which we may battle this formidable giant: the weapon of belief.

Belief and faith are closely related, but are not the same thing. Faith comes as we exercise our belief and see the positive results that flow from it. This is what the apostle Paul calls the “evidence of things not seen”.¹ But how can we believe before we have seen those results? It is a simple matter of choice, one of the most precious gifts that our Heavenly Father has given to us. We can choose to believe, first in God and then in ourselves through Him.

The prophet Alma said that even just a simple desire to believe is enough, as long as we act upon that desire.² But how do we act upon the desire to believe? A very wise man said, “We become what we want to be by consistently being what we want to become each day.”³ In other words, if you desire to believe, then act as though you do believe. Adopt the attitudes, say the words, and do the deeds of one who believes. This is not hypocrisy, for you are not pretending to be something you are not. You are striving to become something that you want to be. As you do these things, your desire will turn into belief, and then as you experience the evidences that your belief is not in vain, that belief will turn into faith, and then all doubt and despair will disappear.

So when I find myself struggling with self-doubt, I simply choose to believe. I choose to believe in the God of my fathers, who descended below all things, to lift me above them all. I choose to look that giant in the face, and say as David said to his giant, “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel… and that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give [thee] into [my] hands.”⁴

^{1.               Hebrews 11:1}

^{2.               Alma 32:27}

^{3.               Richard G. Scott, in Conference Report, October2010}

^{4.               1 Samuel 17:46-47}