Lesson 1 · Chapter 1 of the manual

Building Emotional Strength in the Lord

My Foundation: Exercise Faith in Jesus Christ 34 slides ~80 min core · flexes 65–105 5 official videos Ready

Present slides Facilitator guide (printable) Read the chapter ↗

Run of show

15 min

Open: welcome, why this year, one warm-up, how the group works, and the weekly pattern

slides 1–10

13 min

My Foundation: exercise faith in Jesus Christ, with the video, Ether 12:18, and the prophetic priorities

11–14

31 min

Learn: what resilience is, challenges in God’s plan, agency, change, and gratitude, plus optional tools

15–28

5 min

Ponder: quiet time with two questions and a personal commitment

29

10 min

Action partners: what they are, what to say, and choosing yours

30–32

6 min

Commit and close

33–34

The optional slides add up to 24 more minutes: the group video, the Circle of Control, Mountains to Climb, the thinking-patterns preview, and the 3-step reset. The manual allows 90 to 120 minutes for the full chapter.

Scripture anchors

“And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.”Ether 12:18 · faith comes first, and power follows

“…they are free to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.”2 Nephi 2:26 · we choose how we respond

“I give unto men weakness that they may be humble … then will I make weak things become strong unto them.”Ether 12:27 · the Lord makes weak things strong

Videos in this lesson

Five official videos.

All five open on churchofjesuschrist.org. Download them before class if the building’s Wi-Fi is unreliable. The starred videos are part of the core 80-minute lesson.

Facilitator additions

What we added and why.

The manual’s content is kept as written. Most of these additions are marked Optional in the deck, so you can skip them. The last one is a card and a note inside core slides.

Four warm-ups (choose one): Battery level, Worst senior-year advice, Stand up: this or that, or The shaken bottle. They take the place of the manual’s one-minute introductions for a group that already knows each other.
The transition zone: one slide that names the pressure of senior year out loud, so the doctrine connects to real life.
Circle of Control: a whiteboard exercise that fits naturally with “act and not be acted upon.”
Thinking-patterns preview: three minutes at most. Lesson 2 covers this topic in full.
The 3-step reset: a physical tool students can take home tonight. Lessons 3 and 4 teach body and stress skills in full.
Action-partner expectations (slides 30–31, not optional): a short “It is / It is not / It takes” card, a sample text exchange, and the line that one check-in a week is the minimum. These sit beside the manual’s description, its six questions, and its two activity steps, which are word for word. Added so students know exactly what is expected of them before they pair up.

Your week

My commitments.

Check the commitments you chose. They save on this device. B and D are for everyone, and you choose at least one of A, C, or E.

AI will act on one way to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ.
BI will write down one thing I am grateful for each day and thank God for it.
CI will work on my personal commitment from the Ponder section.
DI will contact and support my action partner.
EI will share what I’ve learned with my family or friends.

My personal commitment (from Ponder)

Something I want to change

My action partner

Name

Phone

Our check-in (day & time)

Copy a text

Hey! Midweek check-in from our Emotional Resilience group. How are your commitments going? Anything I can help with?

Battery check: what percent are you at today, and what’s the app draining it? Mine’s at __%.

What’s one thing from today you’re grateful for? I’ll go first: __

Did you get a chance to do your faith commitment this week? No pressure, just checking in like we said.

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When the bottle is shaking

The 60-second reset.

Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4, and repeat four times. Then name the feeling, and take one small step that is yours to take.

Full instructions on the home page