FATHERING LEADERSHIP
Develop a Healthier Personal Behavior PatternDAY 3 | TEN DAYS
Learning To Work | No Lunch
PURPOSE OF THIS 10 DAY COURSE:
- LEARN profound lessons through daily stories & reflection
- Gain MOTIVATION to change behavior through understanding
- TRACK your progress | ACCOUNT for what you’ve done
- RECORD your thoughts & impressions
- REPEAT good behavior until healthy habits are formed
WHAT TO DO:
MORNING DEVOTIONAL: LEARNING TO WORK
- Pray | To Heavenly Father
- Sing/Listen to Hymn
- Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel
- LDS Hymn #252
- Read Scripture | Matthew 3:16-17
- Serve | How can I serve today?
- Read Story | Learning to Work
EVENING DEVOTIONAL: NO LUNCH
- Read Story | No Lunch
- Journal | Write in your Journal
- Read Scripture | Matthew 4:1-4
- Sing/Listen to Hymn
- Lead, Kindly Light
- LDS Hymn #97
- Pray | To Heavenly Father
- Harry’s Prayer
MORNING DEVOTIONAL | LEARNING AT WORK
PRAY | TO HEAVENLY FATHER
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank thee… [use your own words]
I ask thee… [use your own words]
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
READ | SCRIPTURE
NEW TESTAMENT | MATTHEW 3:16-17
CHAPTER 3
16. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
NOTE
John the Baptist heard the words, “This is my beloved Son.” May our ears be opened to hear God’s words.
SERVE | HOW CAN I SERVE TODAY?
READ STORY | LEARNING TO WORK
The family garden, orchard, and farm animals kept Harry very busy, especially on Saturdays. Even though he could use the help, he decided to let Tommy sleep in.
It was mid-morning when Harry looked up from his hoeing and noticed his father take his well-worn watch from his pocket, shake it gently, and hold it to his ear. He gently shook it again and held it to his ear once more. Harry’s father seldom checked his watch during the day. For him, relying on the position of the sun was usually accurate enough reckoning.
Something must be wrong with Dad’s watch, thought Harry.
“Something wrong with your watch?” called out Harry to his father. His father nodded, then lowered the watch and called back, “Would you like to help me try and fix it?”
“Sure!” Harry replied. “I’ve never seen the inside of a watch before.”
“I hope we can fix it” said his father.
Harry placed his dirt-covered boots next to his father’s on the back doorstep. The cool air of the kitchen was a welcome relief from the sun’s burning heat. They washed their hands thoroughly before Harry’s father pour two large glasses of cold water to quench their thirst. Harry was used to hard work, but he sure felt glad when the work was done.
Harry watched carefully as his father placed the pocket watch face down on the large kitchen table and carefully inserted a knife’s blade between the back cover and the body of the watch, then slowly twist the blade. The cover resisted for a moment and then popped open. Harry’s father placed the cover aside and showed Harry the most fascinating world of small gears and levers he had ever seen.
Harry’s father quietly studied each part of the watch and then said, “The mainspring has come loose and must be reattached.”
“Mainspring? What’s a mainspring?” asked Harry.
His father placed the watch closer to Harry and said, “Look here. This is the mainspring. It is held from unwinding by this lever. It must be secured here so that, when the watch is wound, it will hold the spring’s coil from releasing too fast.”
Harry peered ever closer as the light from the kitchen window reflected brightly off the now motionless timepiece.
“This gear,” continued his father, “is released and then caught by this lever. This gear then turns this gear and this, this one. Each gear turns at various speeds so that the second, minute, and hour hands all keep the correct time.”
Harry’s father carefully placed the mainspring back into its proper position, tightened the smallest screw Harry had ever seen, and rewound the watch by turning the stem forward, backward, and forward. Then, holding the watch face up, Harry and his father stared intently as it began ticked rhythmically once more. All other sound seemed to disappear as the tick, tick, tick of the watch filled the air.
Long after Harry and his father were back at work in the hot sun, Harry continued to think about the pocket watch. I wish Tommy could have seen the gears of my dad’s pocket watch, thought Harry. He’s probably really tired from his long trip.
“Perhaps some day I’ll be a watchmaker,” he told his father.
“Perhaps so,” said his father.
RESOURCES
PONDER | ANSWER
Work is the physical or mental effort required to accomplish, to create, or to move something in a different direction. Work is frequently how we fulfill our duty.
Work helps keep our life-watch, our heart, ticking. Work develops physical and mental strength.
After labor follows the harvest. It is said that a man who cuts his own firewood is warmed twice. Once while cutting the logs and again while burning it. But it doesn’t end there. Peace of mind comes from being prepared, from sharing with a neighbor, and from watching the fire’s light dance across the room.
The passing of time is made meaningful by measuring the quality of work that has been accomplished. Life gives proof that “faith without [good] works is dead” – see James 2:14-26
JAMES 2:14-26
14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
QUESTIONS
- What good work can you perform near where you live?
- How will others benefit from your labor?
- Commitment: I will do a good work.
- Commitment Kept:
- Signature: ________________________
EVENING DEVOTIONAL | NO LUNCH
READ STORY | NO LUNCH
Near noon, Tommy came walking out to the far end of the garden, where Harry and his father were nearly finished preparing the ground for a new planting.
“I’m hungry,” said Tommy. “When is lunch?”
“Oh, how unfortunate,” said Harry’s father. “We each prepared a sack lunch early this morning for our noon meal. Since you chose to sleep in and have not prepared a lunch, nor have you helped with the work, we have no lunch for you.”
The shock in Tommy’s expression turned from astonishment to rage when he realized that Harry’s father was serious. “I hate you! I never should have come here!” yelled Tommy, and ran toward a nearby tree.
Harry couldn’t believe what just happened. He had never seen his father not share. Not even if it meant going without himself. “Dad?!” was all Harry could say before running over to where Tommy was trying not to cry. “Here, you can have mine.”
Tommy’s curled lip and tightened fist quickly relaxed as he reached for the offered lunch. “Thanks.”
“That’s okay,” added Harry, “I ate a big breakfast and I’m not that hungry.”
Harry’s father soon joined them under the tree’s shade and sat down on the cool green grass.
“I’d like to tell you a story” he said.
THE ANT & THE GRASSHOPPER
One warm summer afternoon a grasshopper noticed his friend, the ant, carrying a very large kernel of corn down the long path toward his busy ant hill.
“Why don’t you rest for a while?” chirped the grasshopper. “Don’t you realize that you work too hard? Come and visit, you can work on that kernel later.”
“I’m in too great a hurry to visit today,” replied the ant, “I’m putting food away for the winter and I suggest you do the same.”
“Why are you so worried? There’s plenty of time for gathering food. The winter is so far away and it’s such a beautiful day, why not enjoy it?” The ant shook it’s head and continued on it’s way while the grasshopper rested in comfort on a large leaf overhead.
Each new day the grasshopper would invite the ant to rest and visit but each day the ant would politely respond “No thank you,” and go on with its work.
One day, a cold winter wind began to blow and the grasshopper suddenly realized that the summer was over and he had not prepared a nest nor stored any food for himself to eat while his friend, the ant, was safe and sound deep in the ground and well prepared for the long winter.
Too late, the grasshopper learned that it is better to prepare for days of want during days of plenty.
“Tommy” said Harry’s father, “on a farm we must be like the ant. You won’t be asked to do more than you are able to do – nor less. Where you come from, everything is done for you. Here, we must work.” He then gave his sack lunch to Harry and returned to the garden.
Harry began to see what his father was trying to do. “I’ll help you, Tommy,” said Harry. “We can work together. Let’s start right after we finish our sandwiches.”
Tommy watched as Harry easily turned the dark soil with his shovel. But when he tried to do the same, his shovel barely broke the surface. After three or four more tries, the shovel finally sank deep enough to turn over half a shovel-full.
Tommy continued working like this for a short time when suddenly he said, “Ouch.”
“What’s wrong?” With a quick look, it was easy for Harry to see the blisters forming on Tommy’s hands. “You need some gloves and a hat.” Harry showed him how to tighten the gloves and adjust his broad-rimmed hat. “You can do it. These gloves will help.”
That evening, Tommy was very quiet during dinner. He seemed to chew his corn-on-the-cob slowly and take a drink of cold milk after each bite.
After the evening dishes were washed and put away they gathered in the living room for their evening reading of a scripture and family prayer. Following the evening hymn, it was no surprise to Harry that Tommy was sound asleep before he could finish writing in his journal.
RESOURCES
JOURNAL ENTRY | DAY 3
Record your activites, feelings, thoughts, and/or questions.
READ | SCRIPTURE
CHAPTER 4
1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4. But he [Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
NOTE
Opposition will come to each of us. Pride must be replaced with a steadiness in following God’s words.
PRAY | TO HEAVENLY FATHER | HARRY’S PRAYER:
“Dear Heavenly Father,
We thank thee for our food and this beautify season.
Help our garden so we might have enough to eat next Winter.
Please bless us and help heal Tommy’s hands.
We thank thee for our good health.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
PONDER | ANSWER
Our life, like a garden, has seasons. There is a season to prepare, a season to plant, a season to harvest, and a season to store up and rest from our labors.
(see Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
ECCLESIASTES | CHAPTER 3
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
You cannot harvest what you have not planted. You must plant wheat today if you want to enjoy eating bread tomorrow.
(see Galatians 6:7)
GALATIANS | CHAPTER 6
7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
A wise person will work to produce sufficient for self, family, and for others who are in need. Good works and good gifts come from a good heart.
(see 1 Timothy 6:17-19)
1 TIMOTHY | CHAPTER 6
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
QUESTIONS
- What can you share with someone
who is in need?
- Why is sharing important to you?
- How will gaining useful knowledge
help you grow?
- Commitment: I will share a cheerful smile and kind words.
- Commitment Kept:
- Signature: ________________________
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
TEMPLES
FATHERS