5 Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

See also Teaching Helps

The topics in this lesson are status, pride, Jesus Christ and becoming as a child.

You can find his full talk here. Unless you opt to spend a lot of time on a particular quote, try to pick around 2 questions per quote. Choose the questions that resonate the most with you and make a meaningful discussion for your group of personalities. These highlights and questions fit with Lesson Template 1 or Template 2. You can also check out several other General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights.

All blue quotes by Jeffrey R. Holland (unless otherwise noted).

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 worry about covering all the quotes.
• If you want the discussion to be more meaningful, hand out reading assignments ahead of time and ask the reader to answer one question about them (pick one of the questions below 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 text or email it.
• Ask various people to read and participate – especially those who aren’t asked as much.

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,” or “We haven’t got to that part of the lesson yet.”
• Remember, spiritual discussion is golden. We want people to talk about the gospel together.
• If the discussion takes a different turn than your planned lesson, roll with it. The Spirit intends for you to be successful.

Quote #1 (greatest)

Possible engagement tool: Jesus addresses His apostles’ prideful dispute by pointing to a child. See what stands out to you from this quote.

“One day, Jesus witnessed an argument among the Twelve and later asked, ‘What was it that ye disputed among yourselves?’ Apparently embarrassed, they held their peace, the record says. But this greatest of all teachers perceived the thoughts of their hearts and sensed the first blush of personal pride. So, He called a little child unto Him and said, ‘Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’”

Possible discussion questions: What scriptural event is Elder Holland referring to? What were the disciples arguing about? (Who among them is the greatest disciple of all?) Do people still want to be seen as better than others? What childlike qualities do you think Jesus wanted His disciples to adopt, and why might those be hard for adults to embrace? Can you think of a time when pride got in your way—how might acting with childlike humility have changed that situation?

Optional reference: Mark 9:33-35

“And he came to Capernaum: and being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest. And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.”

Quote #2 (prayer)

Possible engagement tool: Ask your class to think about this question while you read the following quote: “What can we do when our prayers become stale or inspirational”?

By contrast, is there anything sweeter, more pure, more humble than a child at prayer? It is as if heaven is in the room; God and Christ are so real. But for others, later on, the experience can become more superficial.

Highly recommended activity! (Or read them as three quotes in a row.)

Note: Please ensure everyone in your class has a copy of these three quotes, whether you post them up front or make handouts.

A. Have your class skim through these three quotes on their own and pick which one is most meaningful to them today. Give them about one minute.

B Then ask, “Who picked one and can share why they picked that one? What thoughts came up for you?
(If someone says “all of them,” say something like, “You’re right, who wants to pick one so we can discuss it? “)

Russell M. Nelson – “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives” (April 2018):
“Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to you. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf – “The Sustaining of Church Officers” (October 2007):
“Prayer is not just a polite ritual; it is a powerful means of communicating with our Heavenly Father, who loves us and desires to help us. It is a lifeline to divine strength and guidance.”

Jeffrey R. Holland – “Motions of a Hidden Fire” (April 2024):
“Ultimately, we can look to the example of the Savior, who prayed so very, very often. … Time after time, He retreated from society to be alone before piercing heaven with His prayers.”

Possible discussion questions: How can we make our prayers more effective? Who taught us to pray? (Jesus Christ) How do prayers help us? Do you have a favorite place or time of day to pray? What are the effects of prayer on you?

Quote #3 (jesus christ)

Possible engagement tool: Have your class think about what it means to be close to Jesus Christ as we read the following quotes:

As Elder Richard L. Evans quoted from a similar pulpit sixty years ago, “Many of us profess to be Christians, yet we do not take Him seriously. We respect Him, but we don’t follow Him. We quote His sayings, but we don’t live by them. We admire Him, but we don’t worship Him.”

—AND—

When we focus on Jesus Christ, we draw His power into our lives. I testify that as we center our minds and hearts on the Savior—through studying His words, emulating His actions, and keeping His commandments—we invite His divine power to flow into us. That power strengthens us to do things we could never do on our own: to overcome temptation, to forgive those who have wronged us, to heal from the wounds of life, and to endure to the end. (President Nelson, Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives – April 2017)

Possible Activity: Ask 2-3 people ahead of time to share one of their favorite verses about Jesus Christ and why it touches them. If possible, give them at least a week, but at minimum, before the Sacrament meeting begins, so they have time to ponder.

Possible discussion questions: Is it possible to faithfully attend Church every week and still not be close to Jesus Christ? What are some ways you get closer to the Savior? Why is forgiving others vital to our relationship with the Father and Jesus?

Quote #4 (children)

Children’s love for Jesus can influence their relationships with others.

But children really do love Him, and that love can carry over into their other relationships in the playground of life. As a rule, even in their youngest years, children love so easily, they forgive so readily, they laugh so delightfully that even the coldest, hardest heart can melt. Well, the list goes on and on: purity, trust, courage, character

Possible discussion question: How would our becoming as children help shape the way we interact with peers on “the playground of life”? By show of hands, who could use more childlike strengths in their life? Which quality do you need more of today? (love easily, forgive readily, and laugh delightfully). What other attributes stood out to you from Elder Holland’s quote and why?

Quote #5 (story)

Elder Holland’s story is long. Since we encourage discussion, I would save it for a quiet class that does not participate much or if you have a lot of time at the end.

Come with me to view the humility before God demonstrated by one young, very dear friend of mine. On January 5, 2025—ninety-one days ago—Eastston Darren Jolly had the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon him and was ordained a deacon in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eastston had longed to pass the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper for as long as he could remember, but this sacred opportunity was accompanied by the stomach-wrenching fear that he would fail, that he would fall, that he would be teased or embarrassed—he and his family with him. You see, Eastston has a rare and very destructive illness, congenital muscular dystrophy. It has progressively filled his young life with formidable challenges while shattering his hopes and dreams for the future. He will soon be in a wheelchair permanently; his family does not talk about what awaits him after that.

The Sunday after his ordination, Eastston would pass the sacrament for the first time, and his privately held motivation was that he could present himself and these sacred emblems to his father, who was the bishop of the ward. In anticipating that task, he had begged and pled and wept, extracting a guarantee that no one—no one—would try to help him. For many reasons private to himself, he needed to do this alone and unaided. Well, after the priest had broken the bread and blessed it—an emblem representing the broken body of Christ—Eastston, with his broken body, limped up to receive his tray. However, there were three sizable steps from the meetinghouse floor to the elevated stand. So, after receiving his tray, he stretched up as high as he could and placed his tray on the surface above the handrail. Then, sitting down on one of the higher steps, with both hands he pulled his right leg up onto the first step, then he pulled his left leg up onto the same step, and so on, until arduously he was at the summit of his personal three-step Mount Everest.

He then maneuvered himself to a structural post by which he could climb to a standing position. He made his way back to the tray a few more steps, and he stood in front of the bishop—his father—who, with tears drenching his eyes and flooding down his face, had to restrain himself from embracing this perfectly courageous and faithful son. And Eastston, with relief and a broad smile consuming his face, might well have said, “I have glorified my Father, and I have finished the work He gave me to do.” Faith, loyalty, purity, trust, honor, and in the end, love for that father he so wished to please—these and a dozen dozen other qualities make us also say, “Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Possible discussion questions: What from this story stands out for you?

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.