Challenge #32—Gifted and Talented

Hooray, it’s our first new challenge of 2013!  I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Now it’s time to get back on track…and we’ll start with today:

What are some of your gifts and talents?

I know it’s hard to sometimes admit the things we’re good at, for fear that we’re bragging, but it’s also important to recognize all that Heavenly Father has blessed us with!  Not only does He bless us with things like health, a home, family, and other temporal blessings, but He has blessed us with gifts and talents so that we can help others…contribute to the kingdom and bless His name. 

If you’re not sure what some of your gifts are, read D&C 46, and you may just discover that you have more gifts than you realized!  Also, remember the Parable of the Talents? (Matt. 25:14-30) The man who hid his talent was called by his lord, a “wicked and slothful servant”.  So, I hope that by listing your talents and gifts, you will be better able to use them for good, and the Lord will be able to say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant”!  Also, check your Patriarchal Blessing, mine specifically points out a couple of gifts that I’ve been given!

You can simply make a list of the gifts and talents you’ve been given, write them in your journal, make them into a scrapbook page, or even use one of your talents to do something more (like write a poem about it if you’ve been gifted in that area!).  I’ve also made a Fast Form freebie for any of you who’d like to use it!  Just right click and save the image.  (You could use this whole challenge as your next FHE!)

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Now on to our examples!

(I haven’t gotten anything yet from our team members, but if they get it to me, I will put them up!)

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What I did:

I actually decided to twist this one a little bit.  I’m going to print off and fill out the Fast Form, but I thought it’d be fun to do a scrapbook page based on something my old Bishop taught in a lesson a few years ago that has stuck with me.

Credits:  Paper, Die Cuts With a View (Doodlin’ Around Stack—came as is!), Pen, Zig Writer, Pearls, Martha Stewart, Jewels, unknown.

Here’s what the journaling says: 

“Once upon a time…I thought I didn’t have many gifts or talents.  I wasn’t exceptionally good at anything…I didn’t have a “thing” in High School like others did.  I have always been just “alright” at a handful of things.  Musically, I do okay on the piano—not well enough to play for Church.  I also played the clarinet a bit and I can sing well enough for a choir but not any solos.  Artistically I can’t draw, but I am a pretty good photographer and good at scrapbooking.  Academically I was always a B+ or A- student—not good enough grades for scholarships.  I was (still am) a pretty good teacher, but not teacher of the year quality.  I was/am a pretty good dancer, though I never made any special teams.  I feel that I am just pretty average at all that I do.  One Sunday, our Bishop taught a lesson I’ll never forget.  he was using Elder Oaks’ “Good, Better, Best” talk and focused on how if we spend all our time on just 1 or 2 things we become like blocks, but if we are good at many things, we are well-rounded.  That put my life in perspective!  I may not be the best dancer, photographer, or even mom…but I am WELL-ROUNDED!”

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Now I challenge you to record about some of your gifts and talents—and then put them to use!

Challenge #22--Sing a (Primary) Song!

A long time ago I gave the challenge to record your favorite Church hymn and why...now it's the same challenge, only on a primary scale.  (Pun may have been intended...)

What is your favorite Primary song and why?

Maybe you're serving in Primary right now and hear the tunes every Sunday, or maybe it's been awhile since you've heard them, but remember your favorites from long ago.   Or maybe you're new to the Church and just learning the songs.  Whatever the case may be, think of what song or songs have inspired and uplifted you, helped you through the tough times, helped you rejoice in the happy times, etc.

You can make a simple list of your favorites and explain why, or focus on one of your favorites and tell the story of why.  You could record yourself (or your family) singing or performing your favorite(s) on an instrument--even if you're not the best singer or player.  Or if you are really musically talented you can write a new arrangement of  your favorite!  You could also make a goal to memorize all the verses of your favorites!

If you are stumped and don't know what else to do, you can print off this week's Fast Form and quickly get this challenge done!  (You could also print off one for each member of your family and use this as an activity for FHE after a lesson on good music!)

You can download the Fast Form by clicking on it.  Please remember that freebies are for blog followers! :) 

I did the Fast Form this time and will have my family also do one as well.  I love having my kids do these because it not only reflects their favorites at the moment, but shows off their handwriting as well!  How fun these will be to look back on in 20 years! (Though I can't say that I love my handwriting...)

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Now I challenge you to record about your favorite Primary songs!

Challenge #21--Strengths and Weaknesses

*This week's challenge parallels quite closely to one done on the regular TIMC--you can find it here and here if you want some more ideas on completing this one!

A few weeks ago I had the chance to attend an amazing women's conference.  (I may have mentioned it a few times already...)  One of the speakers talked about how we are usually so quick to make lists of our weaknesses (and are even quicker to compare our weaknesses to other peoples strengths).  She challenged us to set a timer and write down 10 weaknesses, then do the same with writing our strengths.  Often our weakness list will be made much quicker than our strengths list.  My challenge for you today is exactly this!

What are 10 of your strengths and 10 of your weaknesses?

You can set a timer to do both or take your time and really reflect on it.  Write them in your journal, type them up, blog or scrapbook them.  Even writing a poem about some of your strengths and weaknesses.

Of course, you don't have to do 10 of each either--you can make it 5 each or 20.  You can even just focus on one of your strengths or weaknesses, or record about something that is now a strength that was once a weakness and the hard work that it required.

One of my favorite scriptures goes quite well with this challenge.  I'm sure many of you know and love it as well:  Ether 12:27. 

" And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

I have made a Fast Form for you today, with places for 10 of each things to write.  I think it would be fun to do this challenge now, and without looking, do it again in 5 years and see the differences and growth you've made!

To download the Fast Form, please make sure you're a blog follower, then click on the picture.  Thanks! ;)

Now I challenge you to record some of your greatest strengths and weaknesses!

Challenge #17—One Tenth

“I want to give the Lord my tenth, for every time I do, it makes me think of all the gifts He gives to me and you.  He gives us life, this lovely world, and though my tenth seems small, it shows my faith and gratitude to Him the Lord of all.”   -Children’s Songbook, 150

I taught a lesson in Primary a few weeks ago about tithing.  I had one apple, cut it into ten slices and asked the children who would give me just one slice back if I gave them the whole apple.  All of them said they would!  Heavenly Father gave us everything we have here on the earth and really when you stop to think about it, one tenth of our increase is not that much to give back.  It’s all His anyway!  So here’s the challenge for this week:

How did you gain your testimony of tithing?

Record your testimony about tithing, and share the story of how you came to learn the importance of this commandment.  You can write it in your journal, or on the computer.  You can make a scrapbook page or do a video recording of you.  And don’t forget to ask your family as well!

I have a tithing page in my testimony scrapbook.  I laid out some money and a tithing slip, took a picture and put it on.  Then I typed up how I gained my testimony of tithing, printed it out and put it on too.  A simple ribbon for embellishment, and I was done!

Hopefully you can read the journaling…

And here’s a Fast Form for anyone who is going to be doing these!  Please make sure you’re a follower of TIMC-LDS before you download!  Thanks!  (Click on the picture to download.)

Now I challenge you to record your testimony about tithing!

Challenge #15—Called to Serve

Happy New Year!  The first LDS Challenge for the year is here today!  If you’re not a regular over at the original This Is Me Challenge, you may want to check out this week’s challenge to help you set your goals this year!  (I even put a quote from General Conference in there!)
Now to this challenge…

What Church callings have you had so far?

I thought it’d be good to record the Church callings I’ve had so far, because as time goes on, it’s getting more and more difficult to recall all of them.  Plus someday I’m sure my kids will have fun looking at my list.  I guess this is something you can update every few years too.

Of course you can do this challenge many ways:  write it in your journal, type it up on your computer, make a scrapbook layout, do a video or voice recording, or whatever you like!

I did something for today that I’ve never done on the TIMC LDS blog—a Fast Form!  If you’re a TIMC fan, you know that I’ve been making these to help you record your info in record time.  And this year, I decided I need to put a little more gusto into this blog.  

Here’s what the Fast Form looks like.  You can click on the picture to download one for yourself. (Then you can print it and write in the answers or type on it.) The only thing I ask if you decide to download freebies, is that you please become a follower of the TIMC-LDS blog over on the right (or on the top bar).  That’s not too steep of a price, right? 



I love the Fast Forms because it’s how I get my hubby to do the challenges!
Also, just for a happy new year present, you can download a 12x12 digital version of the blue “Called to Serve” paper by clicking on it. 



It’s simple, but you can use it to help  you make pages about your callings or use it for missionary layouts.  (Speaking of missionary stuff, I’ve got some BIG exciting news…not quite ready yet, but REALLY soon, like next week!)

Now I challenge you to record your Church callings!