I was recently tasked with preparing a 7-minute talk for Stake Conference on how the Come, Follow Me program is going in our home. This would terrify most people but I’m a talker so it’s not a big deal. The hard part for me is how to trim everything I have to say on the topic in a measly 7-minutes. Although, it’s not like a boxing glove will come out of the podium and sock me in the stomach if I go over time, but I mean, the Stake was pretty adamant that I not go over. So, I’ll do my best to stick to 7-minutes in the actual talk, thus, most of my thought process will go into this post, and applying that will help me to trim it down.
The first question I had is identifying why the Come, Follow Me program is important. For that, I jump back to when President Nelson and Quentin L. Cook first introduced 2-hour church and the home-centered and church-supported initiative known as Come, Follow Me. President Nelson shared that in recent years, the presiding councils of the church wrestled with one question, “How can we take the gospel in its simple purity and the ordinances with their eternal efficacy to all of God’s children.” (Russell M. Nelson) He continued by reminding us that, “The long-standing objective of the Church is to assist all members to increase their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His atonement, to assist them in making and keeping their covenants with God, and to strengthen and seal their families. In this complex world today, this is not easy. The adversary is increasing his attacks on faith and upon us and our families at an exponential rate. To survive spiritually, we need counter-strategies and proactive plans.” (Russell M. Nelson) That line struck a chord with me. “To survive spiritually, we need counter-strategies and proactive plans!” This is no minor change. No slight recommendation. The prophet of God and the leadership of the church are not gently nudging us in a direction. They are standing on a tower and telling us what we need to do in order to protect ourselves and our families, we need to implement these counter strategies to keep ourselves safe and to help others. “World conditions increasingly require deepening individual conversion to and strengthening faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and His Atonement. The Lord has prepared us, line upon line, for the perilous times that we now face.” (Quentin L. Cook)
Reading President Nelson’s quote on how important the youth are to the Lord, then to read how parents and leaders will be held accountable for the discharge of these obligations could tempt one to be overwhelmed. Luckily, the Lord has built the church line upon line and precept upon precept in order to help each of of us to grow our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. On top of that, He will never abandon us to our own devices. If we seek His help and work to accomplish the goal, He will magnify our efforts. I was struck by a quote from this most recent conference in which Ronald A. Rasband quoted 
Spencer W. Kimball. Elder Rasband shared how overwhelmed President Kimball was when he was called as an apostle. “I did a great deal of thinking and praying, and fasting and praying. There were conflicting thoughts that surged through my mind – seeming voices saying: ‘You can’t do the work. You are not worthy, You have not the ability’ — and always finally came the triumphant thought: ‘You must do the work assigned — you must make yourself able, worthy and qualified.” (Ronald A. Rasband) I echo those thoughts, you must become the parents that your children need. You must become the leader they need. You must become worthy and qualified to do the work. Too much is at stake. This is why Come, Follow Me is so important. It helps us to become better and in turn, helps our children.
So, what does this mean for how the actual lessons are going? At first, my wife and I attempted to do the lessons directly after church. But with Four boys between the ages of 4 -10, it was a challenge to get them to sit quietly and participate directly after even a 2-hour church or to retain anything throughout the week. We’ve become more flexible with when we hold the lessons. At first, mom would prepare the lessons, but that became a challenge each week, so I’ve contributed and led the discussions. We’ve had discussions in the van, one-on-one dates where we talked about something we discussed in Come, Follow Me and more recently, my wife and I have spent time together reviewing the lessons. I find this particularly beneficial as I spend each Sunday in Primary and miss the adult discussions that can be had when studying the scriptures. We are not perfect at it, far from it. But we are trying. We read scriptures every school morning. We pray before scriptures and every night before bed. These are things we’ve had to work hard to
implement in our lives, but we’ve been asked to do it, so it’s important. It’s no different with the Come, Follow Me. We are making efforts and it’s slowly getting easier and the boys seem to be growing from it. It has not made us perfect but it has helped us to remember God and to apply the scriptures in to our daily lives. We will try and try and try. We cannot afford to be distracted when it comes to helping our children grow a testimony of Jesus Christ. “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” (David O. McKay)
I know that I’ve benefited from it and I know my kids have too. I know this through discussions and experiences as a primary teacher. I notice it in the boys who I teach and which of them are having the lessons, and I’ve heard similar from other primary teachers. I know it from my discussions with my children and my wife and I know it from the spirit that is present in our home when we have these discussions. I think this is one of the huge benefits to family-centered study. It drives home the gospel to those who participate. Not just on Sundays, but throughout the week.
Randall K. Bennett shares a story about the disconnect between what members believe and what members perceive. In a meeting, the question was asked, “‘Who desires to live with Heavenly Father again?’ Every hand went up. The next question was ‘Who has confidence you’ll succeed?’ Sadly and surprisingly, most hands went down.” (Randall K. Bennett) I think that gap is exactly what the councils of Church were talking about when they were wanting to know how to bring the pureness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to every member. I think the Prophet is gearing us up for something. Things are ramping up. I think the Come, Follow Me program is a direct answer to the questions that prophet and apostles have been praying about. One than will help each of us and our children to have a solid foundation and to know which direction we would like to go.
I’m grateful to be living in these times, with a the guidance of the Prophet of God. I’m grateful for opportunities for growth with my spouse and with my children and I’m grateful for parents who raised me in the Gospel and taught me thru words and actions what it means to be a disciple of Christ. If you haven’t started the Come, Follow Me Program, do it. Open the book and review it. Compare it to the scriptures, say a prayer, invite others to join you. Any effort is good effort, but we need to start, and start now. “An old proverb says, ‘the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second-nest time is now.'” (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)
Lastly, one of the most beautiful things about the Come, Follow Me program and manual is, it can be done in nearly any circumstance. There’s no perfect fit for everyone. For some people, a structured lesson will work. For others, listening to the lessons/scriptures can be done while driving to work. Inviting the spirit and reviewing the lessons individually will help you to know how to best share pertinent topics with your family. The important part of all this, is to do it. Start now. Here’s a link to the Church’s Come, Follow Me resources.
~Todd Bruce
@elkvalleylatterdaysaint
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