2021
Teaching about Keeping Covenants and Building Zion
September 2021

“Teaching about Keeping Covenants and Building Zion,” Liahona, September 2021

For Parents

Teaching about Keeping Covenants and Building Zion

family having home evening

Photograph by Alexandre Borges

Dear Parents,

In this issue, we hope you enjoy the articles on keeping covenants, building Zion, recognizing Satan’s tactics, and more. This page has ideas for using this issue to help you teach these topics to your family.

Gospel Discussions

Covenants and Blessings

What are covenants, and what does it mean to make a covenant? In his article on page 30, Elder Randy D. Funk of the Seventy answers these questions. Use this article to help you discuss the following questions with your family: What covenants have you made already, and which are you preparing to make? How can we better keep our covenants? What blessings have you received from making covenants?

Building Zion

Ask your children what they think Zion means. Then use Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s article “Bring Forth Zion” on page 6 to help them learn more about what Zion means both in the past and today. Consider discussing ways your family can help build Zion within your home and in your community.

Defending against Satan

Identify some key points and quotes from “Knowing the Tactics of Our Enemy” on page 20 and discuss with your family some ways Satan might tempt them. Discuss some ways you can work together to strengthen each other against these temptations.

Come, Follow Me Study Helps

See page 26 for articles on different topics in Come, Follow Me to support your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this month.

Come, Follow Me Family Fun

a sister and a brother at a table together

Blessings from the Temple

Doctrine and Covenants 109

The Kirtland Temple was dedicated on March 27, 1836. Many spiritual experiences were recorded from this event.

  1. Read through a few of the accounts from the “Voices of the Restoration” section at the end of the September 27–October 3 lesson in the Come, Follow Me manual.

  2. Younger children could draw a picture of the Kirtland Temple.

  3. Talk about what it would have felt like to participate in the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. What details from the accounts stand out to you?

  4. Sing “The Spirit of God” (Hymns, no. 2), which was written for this temple dedication.

Discussion: Why are temples important to you? Share spiritual experiences you have had because of temples.

Gratitude Circle

Doctrine and Covenants 98:1

“Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:1).

  1. Stand in a circle and hold hands with the family members next to you.

  2. One person begins by saying something he or she is grateful for, then squeezes the hand of the person on the right or left.

  3. That person then shares an item of gratitude and squeezes a hand, which invites that person to share an item of gratitude.

  4. See how long the circle of gratitude can continue.

Discussion: How does expressing gratitude seem to increase it? How is gratitude comforting? How does it “let your hearts be comforted”?