Introducing Our New Podcast: Third Hour of Power

        

   We’ve all been there.  Opening Exercises in priesthood has ended, all the old guys and youth depart to class, and it’s time for Elder’s Quorum.  The Presidency bounces around trying to abdicate who is actually teaching that day and the least persuasive guy gets stuck with the lesson.  He proceeds to invite someone to read a paragraph and follows up with, “Does anyone have any thoughts on that?”  Being met with crickets, calls on another reader.  Then you rinse and repeat for 20 minutes.  Third Our of Power is our solution for you!

   We have partnered up with the popular podcast This Week In Mormons to bring you this new teaching help.  The folks over at TWiM already have a weekly Mormon news show, but they also have Sunday School Bonanza.  Each week they discuss the upcoming Gospel Doctrine Lesson during the second hour of church.  We are big fans and approached them about also doing a show for the lessons of the third hour.

   Third Hour of Power an Audio and Video Podcast that is a brief 15 minute summary of each of the lessons from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church manual.  This is the manual used during the 2nd and 3rd Sundays in Melchizedek Priesthood and Relief Society Classes.  You can watch it on YouTube and also listen on iTunes and Stitcher Radio.

   I am going to go a little David A. Bednar and give you a list of the three benefits and purposes of the Third Hour of Power.  Then I will explain each one in more detail.  The purpose of Third Hour of Power is to Prepare learners for class, Inspire teachers with ideas, and Extend an invitation to those who cannot or do not attend to learn with us.

   Prepare: In a perfect world we would read each lesson on Sunday afternoon, ponder it’s application during the week, and share our experiences in class.  Until that day comes we want to be the bridge that gets you there.  Our youth are learning through Come, Follow Me that class should be a place where we all share ideas and inspirations with the teacher serving as the discussion guide.  Listening to the Podcast will allow you to become familiar with the lesson content, hear some ideas, and allow you to more fully participate in the lesson.

   Inspire: When I was a youth lesson manuals were easy.  They told you when to read a scripture, tell a fake story, when to ask a question.  Our new lessons are merely chapters in a book.  I actually referred to Elder’s Quorum as a Book Club in class a few weeks ago.  They failed to see the humor or the truth in that.  Listening to me and my rotating co-hosts can give you ideas of what questions to ask to facilitate discussion and some additional content as we talk about our insights.  Doing these things beforehand will also put you in the right mindset to receive revelation of your own to share.

   Extend: In our ward we have about 100 potential Elders.  Those are men who are of an age where they should have the Melchizedek Priesthood; but don’t, typically due to inactivity.   Then add in those Quorum Members or Sisters who have callings in the youth or Primary who do not attend class with you.  Lastly there are those who cannot attend due to illness or employment in emergency services.  The amount of class members missing is much more than those who are there.  We want to give you an opportunity to have a sense of immersion in a class setting.  Even though your lesson in nursery was “I’m thankful for my hands,” you can talk to your husband or visiting teacher about last week’s lesson because you got to experience it.

   So join us won’t you?  The episodes are short; so you can easily catch up and we will have your first lesson for next month up on the first Saturday of the month.

If you love want we do and want to be a guest host click here.