The Daughters in my Kingdom book is full of interesting things to talk about in our Relief Societies. We learn about our history and what our sisters once did in difficult times. We can learn a lot from how they stood up to those difficult times. Incorporating this book into our lessons will remind us of the strength and faith of our organization. Here’s a list of ideas to help you use this book more.
- Read from the book the first five minutes of Relief Society class.
- Hold a series of Relief Society mini classes, as you would a Book Club, where you take topics of the book and discuss it.
- At Relief Society dinners throughout the year, prepare a question and answer sheet where sisters can discuss answers together, or find answers in the book.
- Find details, of presidents or accomplishments, mentioned in the book, and get the complete story from this site 🙂
- Use the many quotes in newsletters, lessons, visiting teaching, training meetings, gatherings, etc. Use them everywhere as a constant reminder of what we sisters have been, and are always being, told of our greatness and potential.
- Use this book to teach and discuss Presidency Messages for the First Sunday lesson, or any time.
- There are references to past talks in the “Notes,” in the back of the book. Look these talks up at www.lds.org and discuss these words from our past leaders.
- Study the faith exemplified by those in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Latter Days. Recall the life of Abish spoken of by Sis. Dalton this past conference (Oct 2011). Try to imagine what it was like for these women making the choices they made.
- Make assignments for several women to gather information about women from the scriptures. Invite them to share their findings.
- On page 21 you will find a list of ways to prepare to enter the temple. Take this list apart and examine your own life and attitudes.
- Sis. Beck focused on three areas that were clearly emphasized in the Nauvoo Minutes. How can we apply these areas in our lives? See pages 17-25.
- On www.josephsmithpapers.org you can read the Nauvoo Relief Society Minutes for yourself. Many of the meetings are filled with revelation and insight.
- At www.daughtersinmykingdom.com the entire book is available to download or read online. For women who need larger text, you can copy and enlarge as much as needed.
- Take the opportunity to draw close as sisters if there is a situation in your ward that calls for concentrated service. Pull out similar examples in this book and revel in our worldwide sisterhood.
- Ask around (outside of your ward and area) and discover various ways and circumstances sisters do their visiting teaching. Read the examples that are shared in the book.
- There are many ideas in the book about visiting teaching with a love that transcends this world. See how you can make visiting teaching meaningful in your life, and in the lives you are responsible for.
- In the early days, Visiting Teachers used to bring a basket of needed items to the sister they were visiting. Find out what specific temporal or spiritual need your sister has and supply it for her.
- Commemorate the dates in simple celebrations throughout the year listed on pages 182-184.
- The Priesthood is often misunderstood by the women of the Church, mostly from lack of knowledge and misinformed attitudes. Discuss Chp. 8 in depth. Here, on my site, you can find several posts discussing the Priesthood and its benefits for women.
- Discuss self-reliance starting with a discussion from pg. 51-54.
- After reading pg. 44-45, how can we be women of influence?
- What does the entire book tell us how women throughout all time have kept their covenants?
- Gather stories of women who defended their families. You will see what we women are really made of.
- Have Relief Society sisters teach some lessons to the Laurels presenting the book to them, teaching from it, sharing examples, involving the girls in service projects, etc.
- Talk about what the following statements mean and work to make these statements apply to us. Pg. 30 “The Lord has beheld our sacrifice: come after us.” Pg. 34, “Throughout the journey, as they suffered trials of illness and death, they prayed in faith for each other and comforted each other.” Pg. 44, “President Young also shared counsel with the women of the Church. His exhortations and Sister Snow’s teachings combined to expand the sisters’ vision of their power for good in their families, in the Church, and in the world.” (There are many more that can be discussed.)
- On page 84 spiritual walls are described as a circle of sisters. How can your ward reach out to one another where strength is shared and supported? Let Pres. Packer’s experience move us into bonding with our fellow sisters.
- Read sections together and discuss what it means to us, and/or what more we can do.
- Understand that this simple book can bring a group of six million (plus) women together. No matter where you attend Church in the world, the women you gather with, meet, and smile at believe as you believe, know what you know, and love you instantly.
- Centerpieces for each Relief Society dinner can be taken from the list of visuals in the back of the book. Surely sisters in your ward have meaningful items surrounding Church history, Relief Society history, ward history, or family history. It would be fun to guess what is meaningful about each item and/or hear the stories behind them.
- Relief Society sisters have performed charitable acts for many years. See if you can come up with a list of charitable acts your sisters, individually, or collectively, have performed over the years. Discover new ways to continue serving.
This book has the potential to bring a sisterhood to the dinner table where we are preparing a feast that will truly feed us and feed the world as nothing else can.
Several of the women that I know, including myself, read the entire book, more than twice over, the first night it was posted on the web. Good grief, is this the best the Church can do? The historical information is lacking in truth, and the women in the Church are reminded, over and over, to the point of choking on it, to “follow the Priesthood.” Women have been running circles around the fecklessness of the Priesthood for quite some time. Everyone with a brain knows that if you waited for the Priesthood to get anything done, nothing would get done. Reviewing actual history of polygamy, which is unwisely brought up in the manual, the women that were forced to accept it did NOT like it, and the Church coming back and omiting that particular truth is shameful. What is wrong with truth? Are the wimpy stories in the book the only ones they could come up with? How about the story of Deborah in the Old Testament, called to be prophetess, because there were no worthy men to be called? Now THAT would be an example!
Remember, leadership, the truth will set you free. You gain no respect from intelligent, well-educated women, by expecting us to be passive, submissive, and cow-tow to a bunch of men that wouldn’t be able to tell which feet to put their shoes on in the morning without women around to tell you how.
Until the Church gives women truly equal footing, and stops treating women as second or third class citizens, and realises that there is an EXCELLENT reason that our R.S. numbers of attendance are at an all time low, NOTHING will change. Get that 1950’s throwback out of the General Relief Society office, stop expecting us to give away our autonomy, and realise that we are truly a magnificent force that deserves to be treated equally. Don’t placate us with pretty glossy manuals that treat us as imbeciles!
Wow! You’re angry!
There is a small percentage of women who think, as you do, of the stereotypical “Mormon housewife”. But the vast majority of women in this Church actually have testimonies, do feel the Spirit as their companion daily, and are mighty because of their faith, hope, and charity exemplified in their everyday lives.
Are you kidding? Where would we be without the Priesthood? We wouldn’t have the Church, any ordinances, no temples, no purpose in life. I, for one, will follow the Priesthood to the ends of the earth and beyond. The men, who hold the Priesthood, are just as imperfect as women are. But again, many of them actually have testimonies, feel the Spirit daily, and are mighty.
The Lord depends on both men and women to fulfill His purposes. If He’s stuck with a bunch of complainers and wannabes, He’s going to fail, and we know that’s not going to happen. My testimony is that Jesus Christ will win. He will indeed save His people and present them lovingly and victoriously to our Father in Heaven. Many of the men and women I know, and have come to know, in my Church History and Family History research, as well as bumped into casually in my ward associations, will be there because they are the great and noble ones.
You’re right, in one respect, though. Anything the women leaders of this Church say to us is carefully choreographed as to not offend women who are ready to get offended at the drop of a hat. If we were all truly on the Lord’s side, we would throw out the weak arguments of the world and stand on our own two feet as His ensign to the world.
19.The Priesthood is often misunderstood by the women of the Church, mostly from lack of knowledge and misinformed attitudes. Discuss Chp. 8 in depth. On my site, you can find several posts discussing the Priesthood and its benefits for women
I’d like to access your site to read about the above listed questions as I’m very interested in this chapter since I’ve giving a lesosn on it… Your help would be appreciated. Could you please give me your link? Thanks
I love all your suggestions.
All of my past posts are on this blog site and are available to anyone.
I looked up all of the relevant posts and realized I have written quite a lot about this subject. I don’t have time to link all of them, but I will quickly list them for you. A simple Search should bring up each title, or click on “Priesthood” under Categories, and you will get everything that way.
Learning in the Priesthood/Sisterhood
Our part in the Second Coming
Faith and Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
What Ward Councils can do
Unrighteous Dominion
More from Pres. Packer
March 2011 After the Pattern of the Priesthood
March 2011 Under the Priesthood
Priesthood and Relief Society
What women should be
Marriage is Justified by the Lord
The Doctrine of Priesthood
Women’s Conference 2010
Women and the Abrahamic Covenant
The Three Orders of the Priesthood
What I have learned this year
Wow.. Morganne you are very bitter and angry.
“Sisters, some will try to persuade you that because you are not ordained to the priesthood you have been shortchanged. They are simply wrong, and they do not understand the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessings of the priesthood are available to every righteous man and woman. We may all receive the Holy Ghost, obtain personal revelation, and be endowed in the temple, from which we emerge ‘armed’ with power. Sisters, we as women are not diminshed by priesthood power, we are magnified by it.” (Sheri Dew, It is not Good for Man or Woman to be Alone, Liahona, Jan 2002)
Thank you for all the work that was put into how we can use the book “Daughters In My Kingdom”. I have been inspired! This is why I love this site!
Thank you for this wonderful site (my husband Ronnie loves this site, too). I am so inspired! (so does my husband). I love who I am – a truly daughter of Heavenly Father and I love my husband – he has always share his priesthood powers with me by loving me and supporting me in every ways and everything I do. He gave me wings to fly! In fact, he has read the book – “Daughters in My Kingdom”. I am humbled that he would set his busy schedule aside and to read the book and discuss with me (during our FHE when we are alone). Oh! how I love him for that.
Because of my membership in this church and I have become the leader I never would have been. As a newly called RS President I am looking forward to different ways I can use the Daughters in My Kingdom book – Thanks for all the great ideas.- thanks
Thank you so much for your comments on Daughters in my Kingdom, We have been teaching from this book and I am teaching Chapter 8 in a couple weeks. I am not the teacher type, but do the best I can. I love this book. and I have been praying for help and guidance in finding the right way to teach this lesson. I feel your site will help me a lot. Thank you so much.
As daughter of a Heavely Father and Mother I am greatful to have knowledge of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.I feel so much love.No man dare stand in my way of righteousness nor ask me to engage in conduct unbecomming to a woman.I have my own qualites talents abilities and capabilities.I seek knowlege from every good thing.I am greatful for opinions pro and con but I make my very own decisions as my husband would attest to.The scriptures have full knowledge and truth.It is my first resource witht he holy ghost and prayer.Do I have questions..all my earthly days and appreciate all woman everywhere and thier knowledge.Thank you
I appreciate your help so much. You have opened up a whole new level of understanding of Daughters in My Kingdom. I have just been called to teach in Relief Society using this Manual, and have felt so overwhelmed, but with your ideas, and insight am now feeling I can do this. Thank you!