Our New Testament Study
with Come, Follow Me 2023
A Note On Our Study Materials
Walking into 2023, and I hope to share more about this after the New Year, but I am making some big goals to simplify our home…and that includes our scripture study. Over the years I’ve gone in waves of just doing the bare minimum, to doing absolutely nothing, to going all in…and in the place I am at right now - I’m looking for a bit simpler pace. And, so I think you’ll see some of that starting to come out in our other studies too.
As we approach the New Year — we’re wrapping up a year-long study of The Old Testament and now we’re moving into the New Testament and I am excited to share what materials we’ll be using. I am REALLY looking forward to a year with a heavy emphasis on Christ and His life.
For those who may be new around here or don’t practice the same faith as we do — we primarily use materials that are aligned with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Each year our church releases a suggested scripture study schedule that coordinates with our Sunday school discussions. During the week we study at-home following this schedule and then come together to discuss in classes on Sunday. Of course our church has always encouraged scripture study at-home but in 2018, there was a great shift in that focus and there were new world-wide curriculums released. The curriculum is called Come, Follow Me or CFM so you’ll see me reference that in relation to our religious studies.
This shift is probably one of the reasons why we’ve also seen a huge increase in homeschoolers within our church. There is an active and on-going realization perhaps somewhat re-enlightened through these studies that the home is one of the most sacred places the Spirit can teach us. The Lord is calling more and more to return to the home to school and raise their children in truth and righteousness.
So, if you practice another faith, please know you can absolutely use any of the resources we use — and I know some who do feel comfortable modifying these things to fit within their own belief systems. I also wouldn’t ever want anyone to ever feel misled here. I try to be respectfully open about our home culture and faith. I know and understand how deeply personal choices in faith and teaching our children and belief systems are though so I just don’t want anyone to be surprised about the religious content others may find in the scripture study materials I suggest. Always feel free to respectfully reach out and ask me if you question the content on anything I recommend. Know that I am more than happy to answer questions and try to be as transparent as I possibly can.
Where To Start
If you’re just jumping into CFM — all of this might overwhelm you so I just tell people to start with what gets you excited! I have a lot on this page simply because people ask me all year long what we’re doing so it’s nice to have just one post to send for reference. But, really, the simplest place to start is with the Come Follow Me materials. For a few years, I solely used the Come Follow Me for Individuals and Families and I loved using it to begin my study and see where I would end up. It’s designed to be open-ended so there is a lot of room for the Spirit to teach versus strict prescribed lessons. The CFM Primary curriculum makes it super easy to teach simple principles and it also gives you quick bite sized scriptures to read with your children. Of course, all of these materials are available for free on-line and many receive free books at the beginning of the New Year.
Then, if you’re interested in some supplemental materials, there is so much out there. So do your research and see what will be the best fit for your family. I’ll share more about what we like to use below. Also know, I truly believe the Spirit can work with whatever you have to work with. The most important part is putting in the effort and creating a home where He can dwell and teach.
My Personal Study
I want to do and learn and read and listen to all the good things and sometimes this is a problem because there are so many good resources out there. Each year though, in addition to our CFM materials, I try to read at least one related book on our study topics. There is truly INCREDIBLE resources available to learn of Christ this year. When I started to be prayerful about what my study would look like next year — the very first prompting I received was to read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. I’ve never read it so I put it at the top of my list, researched a handful of other amazing books — all of which probably would’ve been a good choice — but I ultimately came back to Jesus the Christ. Admittedly, I’m a little intimidated by it’s size, but I know it’s what’s right for me this year. It may not be right for you though. Since there is so much out there, I’ve had to really try to tune into the Spirit to see what He wants me to use. I encourage you to also be prayerful about your study materials and listen to the Spirit’s guidance as you select what’s best for you and your family.
If you’re looking to add in some extra reading material this year, here are some of the books I was considering. I am linking Amazon links because sometimes there are previews of the insides of the books on Amazon, but I would recommend price checking between places like Amazon, Deseret Book and Seagull Book.
Scripture Study Made Simple: The New Testament
Jesus Christ and the World of the New Testament
New Testament History, Culture, and Society
The Kingdom and the Crown Series, Vol I
Right now I am teaching the 16-17 year old Sunday school class in church so I’ll be pulling more for my studies from the Come Follow Me for Sunday School guide. I’m sure I’ll still reference CFM for Individuals and Families. (Got the journaling edition this year!) Also, I’ve also been referencing the adult study pages in the Red Headed Hostess subscription and these have been tremendously helpful for a deeper dive into the background and history of what’s going on during these times.
We will continue with the Word A Week posters and I added a simple one mini page morning devotional book for myself: Jesus the Very Thought of Thee. In an effort to simplify, I almost didn’t go with the weekly posters but when I learned they would have the names of Christ — I knew we’d love it. A little tip if you use the Word A Week posters: we use this 12 inch hanging poster frame and I hang 4 posters at a time so I only have to switch them all once a month. This makes it really easy to flip them over each week.
The last couple of years, I’ve used the journal editions for my own scriptures from Line Upon Line — but I have learned, I don’t love having big heavy scriptures plus they don’t have the foot notes so I’m always have two scriptures around. Their nice when I sit down to study but taking them anywhere when we travel or to church is not ideal. So, I am going back to using my quad and my day planner from In The Leafy Treetops (this link gives you $5 off). I used to use my planner for all my common place notes and scripture study notes but in the last couple of years I’ve tried a few different things and I just didn’t like having everything in different places. So, I am going back to an older routine — I purchased a slightly smaller planner this year so it’s easy to carry with me and then I’ll also have my quad so I think this is going to work really well. ITLT Planners have entire sections dedicated to scripture study and it has the CFM schedule with places for notes so it’s really functional and aligns really well with life in general. I also use these planners for prayer thoughts, revelation records, and all of my life and homeschool planning so having it all in just one notebook is going to be so nice! This year I went back to the 6x9 size, customized it with LDS content, and I like the Monday start date with the horizontal layout.
As far as when I study — I have tried it all the ways! Ideally, I LOVE to sit down and study the weekend before our study schedule so I am always a few days a head of my kids. Also, since I am teaching in church — it really helps to ponder all week on the material. This doesn’t doesn’t happen all the time though so I do slip it in all week. I would say, at this point, it’s just more integrated into my life - a little here and there and whenever I can.
Children’s Study
Our children are so eager to learn the gospel! I have been amazed at the insights these sweet spirits are capable of. Generally speaking, I think when it comes to teaching our children the gospel at-home — parents struggle with making the time to do it and presenting it in a way that children are engaged and understand. I like to use this analogy — what would happen if our children only brushed their teeth once a week? Simply put, they’d be at greater risk for tooth decay, right? Sure, there will be some that may squeak by and be fine, but why not be proactive? Brushing teeth is a daily habit of the simplest self-care. Likewise, daily nourishment of our children’s spirituality is just as crucial to be proactive in today’s deteriorating world. It can also be a simple daily habit that any home can create. Sure, they might be fine, but if we don’t help support these habits — they’re at much greater risk for spiritual malnourishment if we aren’t arming them with the simplest of tools. It’s my hope our kids grow up, leave the house, and daily prayer and gospel study is just as normal and familiar to them as brushing their teeth.
To this end — this has always been my aim with my children’s study. Train and teach them in the way of the Lord, help them create daily habits, and recognize the tools they have available to them. As I mentioned, a great struggle, one I also face every day — is simply remembering and not letting the world’s distractions take priority. When I notice this starts to happen I just think — k what can I do in 5 minutes? Anyone can do anything for 5 minutes. And, sometimes, that’s all it is — 5 minutes of something. A prayer, a hymn, a story, a picture, a scripture. Sometimes it’s in the morning, the afternoon, the evening. And usually what happens is I bring my measly 5 minutes and the Spirit will turn it into 15 or 50 minutes. And sometimes He turns it into hours and hours of learning. Some of the most beautiful days are the ones that have been unplanned and completely led by the Spirit. And this goes beyond just our Come, Follow Me studies — this happens in all of our school studies — so I hope you have these days. And, if you aren’t - I hope you do what you need to do to find them. Because they’re the days that give us strength to get through all of the hard ones. And, heaven knows, there are a lot of hard days.
With this year and there being such a significant emphasis on Christ, my prayer has been — what will lead my kids — guide them — to come to know Christ best? What materials can I use to create a home environment where the Spirit can dwell so when I make an effort to put in my 5 minutes — He can take over and help us out? So, if you’re struggling on what to use to help your children — maybe borrow some of these thoughts and be prayerful so He can help you know what is the best fit for your family.
Morning Time
Our family has a morning devotional which you can read more about here. This year I am adding The New Testament Family Reader. I have gone back and forth on these each year and it felt right this year so we’re going to add it into our morning materials. I like that it has the scripture for us to read, a summary and discussion questions. The questions will be great for my older kids and I can use the pictures to explain what’s going on to my younger boys.
I also bought the table book Hear Him because I LOVE the art work. A big goal of mine this year is to utilize more art — so I am just going to keep this book on our coffee table (which is where I store all our morning/devotional materials). And then I’ll pull from it occasionally in the mornings. It has a lot of text so sometimes I may summarize some of the stories and sometimes we may just look at the art pieces. I also have Look Unto Him which also has beautiful artwork and stories.
Once a week we also watch the weekly coordinating Latter Day Kids videos and utilize the table posters which are in the Red Headed Hostess weekly kit subscription.
Children’s Scriptures
The last two years we’ve used scripture journal editions for my kids - specifically for the books of scripture we’re studying. Yes, each one of my kids get one and yes, I think they’re worth the cost. I like wide margins, hard back, and something that for sure lays flat because it makes it so much easier for like kids to use. We are in these weekly — sometimes multiple times a week — and they’ve been wonderful to teach my kids how to find books and verses in the scriptures, mark their own scriptures, and record some of the favorite things they’ve learned that week. This year we went with the Deseret Book versions. I got the floral for my girls and green one for my son. The floral version has lines in the margin and the green ones don’t. And, these index tabs go with them - we won’t put all the tabs in because the book is so thin but we’ll put some of the major books so they can more easily find them. We’ve used Line Upon Line journal editions in the past and have also really liked those.
My older girls also have quads they carry back and forth for study at church. Remember at church they’re only in class for 20 minutes once a week — so that isn’t a lot of time so I mostly looked at something easy for them to transport and become lightly familiar with in class. Since their hardback scriptures are starting to be filled with a lot of pictures and markings and stickers — I suspect by the time they’re into their teenage years, perhaps seminary age, they’ll probably want some more grown up scriptures and at that point they can make the transition to permanently using their quads and already be comfortable in them.
If you’re concerned about price or these scriptures aren’t available where you live - the cheap and free scriptures also work. I would recommend keeping a blank notebook so your kids can record their thoughts and draw pictures along side where you’re studying. If you use scripture stickers — the notebook can also be a place for the stickers or for little ones who can’t read — just have them place the scriptures over the words. Like I mentioned above I think you can make anything work so as long as you’re putting in the effort. The most important thing is just getting in there and reading and exposing your kids to study skills and habits.
I’m adding a picture of my kid’s scriptures here so you can see a visual for how we use these. When we use these we’re reading and also using a study guide page from the RHH subscription kit — which prompts my older kids with ideas of where to mark. My younger son is also drawing pictures and placing stickers and we’re talking about what’s going on. See more below about our routine.
Additional Study Materials
Over the years, I’ve found that since we are studying just one book of scripture all year — it’s nice to have a variety of materials on hand to pull from. This is because there is a natural ebb and flow of how much time we are able to spend each week — sometimes it’s just a little bit and sometimes it’s more. And sometimes we get bored with one resource so we add in or take away something to mix the routine up a bit. This is one reason I like the Red Headed Hostess subscription a lot because there is always a lot of different things to pull from. But, I also like to have other stickers and books and resources on hand as well.
Scripture Study Caddy: This is still working great for us so I’ll just be swapping out our OT study materials and putting in our NT materials. This is where I keep everything I print out from the Red Headed Hostesses subscription and anything extra that’s loose that I need to store. We keep this on our shelf with our scriptures and any books we’re using for the year so all our items have a home and are in one place. You can see more about what I keep in my caddy here.
Come Follow Me for Primary: I used to use this every week, but I don’t pull from it nearly as much as I used to. I think it’s a great option though so I keep it saved on my browser especially for quick reference and the artwork. If you use this you’ll want to grab the coordinating New Testament Stories book (which you can also find for free online or on the Gospel App).
Gospel Art Book: This is one of my frequent go-tos. This is also available for free digitally.
Red Headed Hostess Subscription and Books: We love the subscription and pull from it pretty much daily. Recently we’ve been keeping the books in our church bag.
Stories of Jesus Fine Art: This is something new I am adding to our caddy from Well-Educated Heart materials. We’re planning to use some the art in our scriptures with the coordinating verses. All of these coordinate with The New Testament. We’re just going to print from this free file because they’re the perfect size and we use washi tape to stick them in. You can also buy pre-printed versions of these if you’d prefer.
Line Upon Line Stickers: This is another favorite. My 5 year old especially loves these!
Children’s Bible Stories: This is a non-denominational version and it has great visuals for art we like to use. We also like to pull from Illustrated Bible Stories for Latter-day Saints.
The Chosen: We love this series and are current up to the end of Season 3. You can watch for free on the Angels Studio app. I would highly recommend it for everyone! My twins (9) have seen all of the episodes. Much younger than 8 may not be very interested in the series, but it is fantastic. Also, the very first episode shows Mary of Magdalen possessed and Christ healing her so if you’re new to the show you may want to skip this episode with young ones since it may be a bit scary for them. It took me a few episodes to get into it so don’t give up. John Hilton III has broken down parts of The Chosen to use along side our study of CFM this year so you can utilize short clips. They can be found in his “Teaching with The Chosen” playlist.
Our Routine
Our routine is always evolving, but essentially I try to follow a similar pattern each week by offering a good balance between all types of learning - visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. I introduce each week’s stories and principles with visual materials such as stories and books with pictures and videos. Mid-week we’re reading in the scriptures and learning how to use them and then finishing up with hands-on and play-based activities.
In more detail, Mondays we usually do the Latter Day Kids video for devotional and we will read the illustrated stories from the RHH materials. Both of these resources really kick off our week. I think anytime you can start with an engaging story of what is going on in the scriptures it is so helpful for kids to understand the reading better - I would say even for adults!
Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, usually right after devotional, we try to work in our scriptures. If there is a coordinating church video for the week (these are often linked in CFM for Primary and RHH will usually link them in her kits too) — I’ll have them watch that first so, again, they have a better visual of what’s going on. This is the time we’re working on reading and understanding what is going on and learning how to USE the scriptures — finding the verses, marking, learning where to look if we don’t understand something, scripture stickers and glue-ins. We’ve got our caddy out and the children’s scripture marking guides from RHH. I also have coloring pages or activities from RHH printed and ready to go for my younger kids so they join in when and where they have interest…it’s a no pressure environment over here — and I would say most of the time they want to be involved because there is always something new they’re interested in doing.
For the later half of the week — Thursday and Fridays — I am aiming for something play based to cement in what we’ve been studying earlier in the week — usually either a hands-on activity or game and usually from RHH materials - there is a lot included in her subscription kits so I rarely need to plan beyond their suggestions. So we’ll either do these things right after devotional or in the afternoon especially if its a bigger project. If we didn’t get to something during the week, we catch up on Sundays and/or my husband helps with a little activity of scripture reading with the kids usually before or after church. This is also a good project or related movie day.
We’ve found, in this stage with young kids, doing scripture related activities and study during the day has just worked so much better than saving them to do night. Also we like a little bit each day versus one longer sit down period once a week. This whole page might feel like a lot because you’re reading it all back to back but remember its like anywhere from 5-30 minutes a day. If we do all our scripture marking in one day (sometimes we break it up over two) it can sometimes take us an hour — it just depends on the section.
But, for us, during the day, everyone is alert and really well focused for the first half of the day so I make sure to do scriptures during this prime time. I also want it to be first on my priority list instead of last. Don’t be afraid to try different routines until you find what works best for you though. I know scripture study at night works in the evenings for a lot of families so I wouldn’t want to deter anyone from doing that. The big con to our routine is my husband isn’t as involved in some of our studies — but we certainly look for other opportunities in the evenings or Sundays where we can study related materials together as a family. It isn’t uncommon for us to watch a movie or read something simple before bed. I just don’t rely on a full study as part of our evening routines because I know it would slip through the cracks with everything else we usually have going on.
Link Summary
My Personal Study
Children’s Study
I think that’s it! I know we’re going to have a really special year in the New Testament so I hope this gets you excited and gives you a few ideas to look into! Feel free to share anything you’re loving in the comments!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!