Consider the Blessings

Book Details
Author: Thomas S. Monson
Release Date: September 2013
Publisher: Deseret Book
Genre: Inspiration

One of the things I love most about hearing President Thomas S. Monson speak is the experiences he shares.

Now 50 of those beloved TRUE accounts have been brought together in this beautifully illustrated book.

True, personal experiences of love and devotion and faith.

Encounters that will warm your heart and give you a greater desire to be more like the Savior.

Some of these experiences you might be hearing for the first time and some you will remember hearing in a General Conference or other meetings.

But as you read you will definitely hear President Monson's voice in your head and rejoice in the spirit that each account brings.

Re-read the telling of the pigeons, or the baseballs, or the stick of gum.

Feel once again the love of President Monson and the love of the Lord in this truly treasurable book.

This book makes a perfect gift for any occasion!

AMAZON | GOODREADS

Deseret Book has graciously offered 

a book GIVEAWAY for MY readers :)

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About the Author
President Thomas S. Monson was set apart as the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in February 2008. He had previously served for twenty-two years in the First Presidency of the Church, after having been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles since October1963.

Five years after his call to the Twelve, he was given a special assignment for the work of the Church in Europe, requiring many visits with members behind the Iron Curtain. He was instrumental in the construction of the Freiberg Germany Temple and in advancing the Lord’s work in other eastern European countries that were part of the communist bloc. 

He also served as chairman of the Scriptures Publication Committee and supervised the process that resulted in the new editions of the scriptures. 

His ministry has been characterized by his compassion for the needs of individuals and his gift for one-on-one service. 

President Monson and his wife, Frances, are the parents of three children, grandparents of eight, and great-grandparents of eight.

President Monson knows how to share an experience to bring across a specific point. Now LDS Living Magazine has put together 5 ways in which you can bring experiences to life 
in your teaching methods:

1. Use a true experience. The spirit testifies of truth, so beginning with a true story is always best. True stories are more powerful and relevant to your audience. Remember that President Monson often tells stories from the lives of other people, so if you don’t have a relevant experience, look for another’s. One great resource is a collection of 50 stories President Monson himself has shared during his 50 years as an apostle, available September 27: Consider the Blessings: True Accounts of God’s Hand in Our Lives.

2. Ask, “How does this experience illustrate my main message?” If you’re speaking on tithing and the story you want to tell is about prayer, forcing a connection can confuse your listeners. The more on-point your story is, the easier it will be to explain and fit in to the rest of your talk. Never will you find an irrelevant or tangential story in any of President Monson’s addresses.

3. Keep it short and sweet. A single story should not comprise the majority of your talk. Even though most people are naturally interested in narratives, if a story’s too long, their attention will wander, and they will wonder what the point is. Remember your purpose and cut any details that don’t directly support that message. President Monson often does this by using phrases like, “tears were shed,” or even simply, “time passed,” to gloss over unnecessary details.

4. Specify and then repeat the moral. If you’re speaking to a room of 300 people, there will be 300 different interpretations about what your story meant. Specify your intended message very clearly. Do this often. Preface your story by stating what it is designed to illustrate, and end by restating this purpose. In one example, President Monson started by sharing, “We need God’s divine help. I testify that His help is but a prayer away.” A personal experience about the power of prayer followed, capped off by the moral, “Once more I felt the resolve to provide place for prayer.”

5. Connect your experience to scriptures. To really drive your message home, finish your story by relating it to scripture. This takes your story from a fun recollection to a doctrine-based example. To transition from a  story to a scripture, President Monson uses phrases like, “the words of the Savior come to mind,” or “I reflected on the message of the master, recorded in John 8:12.”

Try adding a story to your next talk. Don’t worry if you’re not master storyteller like President Monson; nobody expects brilliant oratory from a sacrament meeting talk. Instead, remember that a well-told story can illustrate your point and help the congregation remember what you’re teaching more easily. This makes you a more engaging speaker, and more importantly, a better conduit for the spirit.

(A review copy was provided for this review. However, all reviews are of my own opinion :)