Lesson Plans Put Together by a Prayerful Human

Exceptional General Conference Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

Elder Holland strengthens testimonies with his unique and powerful perspectives. He covers temple work, how to handle detractors, hidden blessings, and our own essential roles in God’s work. Wonderful talk.

Useful Links

• Tips for delivering a successful lesson are located at the end of the article.
• For other speakers, see General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights
• For printable copies of this lesson – click here.

All blue quotes are from Jeffrey R. Holland’s October 2025 General Conference talk (unless otherwise noted).

Quote #1 (blind)

This is probably one of the most outstanding commentaries on how to handle others who try to get us to doubt and second-guess our testimony. Great strength in this train of thought…”but I now see.”

Possible engagement tool: Tell the story from John, chapter 9:1-7, in your own words – something like: “As Jesus walked by, he saw a man blind from birth. He spit on the ground, made mud, and anointed the man’s eyes with it. Then he said, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” The man went, washed, and came back seeing.”

Well, afraid this miracle would again add to the threat Jesus already posed to their presumed authority, the enemies of the Savior confronted the newly sighted man and said in anger, “We know [Jesus] is a sinner.” The man listened for a moment, then said, “Whether he be a sinner … , I know not: [but] one thing I [do] know, … whereas I was blind, now I see.”

Author’s takeaway: Do not allow other people’s doubts, rob you of your precious sight, and cause you to second-guess what you know. ~Shawnie

Possible discussion questions: What impresses you about this story? How was the blind man wise in his response? (Accept all reasonable answers – he didn’t pick up their fight about putting down or bad mouthing Jesus, he didn’t defend Him, he bore his witness of truth.) What can we learn from the blind man? How does it apply to us? Do others try to get us to doubt?

For printable copies of this lesson – click here.

Quote #2 (disguise)

Note: If you have already introduced the scripture story about the blind man and Christ in John 9:1-7, now is a good time to do that. See “engagement tool” at the top of quote #1.

Possible engagement tool: Write: “Blessings in disguise” on the board. Ask your class to think about blessings they may not recognize or didn’t recognize right away.

Another truth that is evident here are the instruments the Creator of heaven and earth and all that in them are used to provide this miracle: spit and a handful of dirt! These very unlikely ingredients declare that God can bless us by whatever method He chooses.

Author’s takeaway: How often do blessings come in unlikely, surprising ways and from where you least expect them? Or perhaps we didn’t recognize a blessing until much later! One of the endearing things about God’s personality is His repeated use of the MOST unconventional. There’s almost a sense of humor there. ~Shawnie

Possible discussion questions: What are some small things that have blessed you in surprising ways? Have you ever looked back and realized you were more blessed than you understood at the time? Does anyone have an example of a blessing in disguise? How do humility and gratitude help us see past “the spit and the dirt”?

Quote #3 (weak and simple)

Possible Intro: It might be counterintuitive that Christ chose to come as someone who is neither handsome nor of high status, but He did.

But we remember from the Book of Mormon that some things are both plain and precious and that prior to Jesus’s birth, it would be prophesied that “he [would have] no form nor comeliness; and when we [should] see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” How often God has sent His majestic message through a newly called and very anxious Relief Society president or an unlearned boy on a New York farm or a brand-new missionary or a baby lying in a manger.

—AND—

Wherefore, I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit; (Doctrine and Covenants 35:13)

There is a profound message in Jesus Christ (who could have chosen any circumstance He wanted), deciding to come as neither handsome nor privileged. He bypassed the statuses of the world—wealth, beauty, education, power, prestige, popularity, security, etc.—and impacted the world forever without any of those advantages in His favor.

Possible discussion questions: What is Elder Holland’s message to us? What is the repeating pattern we see with Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith? Can we get distracted and pay more time and attention to the glamorous things of the world, putting God and His kingdom at a distant and lower priority? Whom does God bless the most – those whom the world and other humans proclaim or those who humble themselves before Jesus Christ and seek Him first?

Quote #4 (god loves everyone)

Possible Intro: Elder Holland does a beautiful job of explaining the unique purpose of temples and the work for the dead, in a way that would make most Latter-day Saints proud of the Church they attend. We uniquely reflect God and shine to the world through our temples.

And in a church that understands the gift of mercy, wouldn’t it be another marvelous evidence of that church’s truthfulness to see these blessings and covenants go to our deceased kindred, those of our families who have gone before us? Should they be penalized because they did not have access to the gospel or because they were born at a time or in a place when divine ordinances and covenants were not available to them? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sacred, dedicated houses of the Lord in which merciful, salvific work is being done vicariously every day and night for these deceased, as well as offering worship opportunities and ordinances for the living. To my knowledge, this particular evidence of God’s truth, His universal love for the living and the dead, is not seen elsewhere in the world—except in one church that demonstrates truth in this particular regard: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

God loves people on the earth now and those who have been here…His Church should too.

Possible discussion question: Are the dead, dead to Heavenly Father? Why do we care about the dead? How are we unique as a Church? Why do those differences matter? How vital is temple work to our eternal destiny? If we love like God and become more like Him, whom do we love? How has service in the temple helped you?

Quote #5 (bravo)

Love how Elder Holland pushes way back on anti-Mormonism. He just clobbered several of their attacks, mocking how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon with a hat and a rock, etc. All the ridicule that people can come up with has nothing to do with the success and the outstanding results of reading the Book of Mormon. The book has power and Spirit, and it’s undeniable that God sponsored it.

It has been hurled at me that the means by which this book came to be were impractical, unbelievable, embarrassing, even unholy. Now, that is harsh language from anyone who presumes to know the means by which the book came to be, inasmuch as the only description given about those means is that it was translated “by the gift and power of God.” That’s it. That’s all. In any case, the impact of the Book of Mormon in my life is no less miraculous than was the application of spit and dirt placed on the blind man’s eyes.

Possible discussion questions: Why do we not need to worry about all the mocking things people can say to us or about us? If they had their chance, would they have mocked Jesus for using dirt and spit to heal a man’s blindness? What’s a better approach to those kinds of doubts? (I love Elder Uchtdorf’s advice: “Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.” Do we need to respond to every person’s accusations? How do you handle those who ridicule your faith?

Summary

Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about Elder Holland’s talk. Thank your class for their excellent contributions and insights.

Final Comment

Please teach the quotes in any order that makes sense to you.

Teach with confidence, and if you would like some tips on how to feel more confident while teaching – try “9 Tips for More Class Participation.” May the Spirit bless and guide your efforts.

(You can find the full General Conference talk here.)

How to Teach Successfully and Give a Better Lesson

You have great content; now let’s ensure the lesson goes smoothly.

Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2 questions per quote. Prayerfully select the questions that resonate the most with you and would make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities.

The above “5 Highlights” quotes and discussion questions fit with Lesson Template 1 —OR— Lesson Template 2.

Lesson Prep

• You can arrange the quotes in any order that makes sense to you. I suggest starting with the most important ones and working your way down. Don’t EVER worry about covering all the quotes. Rushed lessons are not as effective.
• If you want the discussion to be more robust and meaningful, hand out reading assignments ahead of time and ask the reader to answer one question about them (i.e. pick one of the questions from each quote and give it to them, along with the assigned quote). The sooner you do this, the better, but if possible, at least show it to them before the Sacrament meeting. You can also send it via text or email.
• Ask various people to read and participate, especially those who are not often asked to do so.

Lesson Delivery

• Ensure every class member has the conference talk and scriptures in front of them or on their phone. Always invite the class to read along—hearing and seeing the words together increases comprehension and engagement.
• Avoid videos – they shut down discussion. Save them for personal study.
• If the discussion gets too non-spiritual, pull it back by going to the next quote or question.
• Make sure you assign others to read the quotes. You’re talking enough already, and letting others read allows more people to participate.
• Encourage discussion by accepting all reasonable answers. Validate people for participating, and be thankful they spoke up. Engage with the answer in a conversational way whenever it feels natural. Never say, “That’s not the right answer.”
• Remember, spiritual discussion is golden. We want people to talk about the gospel together.
• Never say, “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.” If the discussion takes a different turn than your planned lesson, roll with it. The Spirit intends for you to be successful.