Lesson Plans Put Together by a Prayerful Human

Exceptional General Conference Quotes Plus Discussion-Promoting Questions

Lesson topics Elder Renlund covered are: identifying and remembering the name of Jesus Christ, emulating the Savior’s attributes, aligning ourselves with His mission, and the blessings of empowerment for those who do so.

Useful Links

• Fast lesson-planning tools. For printable class handouts and a quick teacher guide for this lesson—click here.
• Tips for delivering a successful lesson are located at the end of the article.
• For other speakers, see General Conference Talks with 5 Highlights

All blue quotes are from Dale G. Renlund’s October 2025 General Conference talk (unless otherwise noted).

Quote #1 (identification)

Note to the teachers: The following quotes don’t include the references to the doctor at Utah University because they made the quotes notably longer and didn’t add much to the teaching. The five quotes below are the more powerful part of the talk.

However, the first quote is short and serves as a warm-up, which is how Elder Renlund also used it.

As a teacher, I would leave adequate time for quotes #3 and #5. (Emulation and Empowerment)

Possible Intro: Elder Renlund teaches us how to more fully take upon us the name of Christ by dividing it into five major principles: Identification, Remembrance, Emulation, Alignment, and Empowerment.

Possible engagement tool: Write the five principles on the board and check them off as you go through them or as they come up in comments. DO NOT worry about whether you get to all five quotes below. Just print out the class handout (PDF below) and they’ll have all five to look at. Quick Reminder: The bigger goal is quality discussion that invites participation and the Spirit—covering all five quotes is not essential.

The first parallel is identification…When we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, we link our name with His. We identify with Him. We gladly become known as Christian. We acknowledge the Savior and unapologetically stand up to be counted as His.

Possible discussion question: How do we, as Latter-day Saints, show that we identify with Jesus Christ? (Accept all reasonable answers – logo, the name of our Church, etc.)

For printable class handouts and copies of this lesson – click here.

Quote #2 (remembrance)

Possible engagement tool: Point at the word on the board and/or say “Remembrance” —and then go over the definitions.

remembrance: the act of remembering with respect or honor; to keep their legacy alive.

As we partake of the sacrament, we do so in remembrance of the price He paid to redeem us. We covenant anew to remember Him, recognize His greatness, and appreciate His goodness. We acknowledge repeatedly that it is only in and through His grace that we are saved from physical and spiritual death.

Remembrance means that we follow the advice given by the Book of Mormon prophet Alma. We “let all [our] doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever [we go, we] let it be in the Lord; … [we] let all [our] thoughts be directed unto the Lord; … [and we] let the affections of [our hearts] be placed upon the Lord forever.” Even when we are occupied with other matters, we remain mindful of Him, just as we remember our own names, regardless of what else we focus on.

Possible discussion questions: What are some of the things you like to remember about Jesus Christ? What helps you to remember Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for us? (Accept all reasonable answers – reading scriptures, going to Church, taking the Sacrament, etc.) What does being mindful of Jesus Christ look like to you—how are you mindful of Him? What did Elder Renlund mean by “just as we remember our own names, regardless of what else we focus on”?

Quote #3 (emulation)

Possible engagement tool: Go over the definition “emulate.”

emulate: to match someone’s qualities, achievements, or actions.

Say something like, “As we listen to the following quote about emulation – see which quality stands out for you today.”

As His disciples, we change for the better when we focus on Him, more so than when we focus on ourselves. We strive to become like Him and seek to be blessed with His attributes. We pray fervently to be filled with charity, the pure love of Christ.

As President Nelson taught in April: “As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others. We will stop judging others. We will have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all … is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character.” Alongside charity, we seek, “cultivate, … and expand” other spiritual gifts from the Savior, including integrity, patience, and diligence.

Possible activity: Have your class help you pull out what Elder Renlund and President Nelson counseled us to do and to emulate. (The list does not need to be worded the same or include all the same items – just go with what the class comes up with):

• change for the better
• focus on Christ
• strive to become like Him
• seek for His attributes
• pray for charity
• don’t demean others
• don’t judge others
• charity towards people from different backgrounds
• have integrity
• be patient
• be diligent

Possible discussion questions: What attribute or advice stood out for you today, and why? (If someone says “all of them,” say “true, who would like to pick one so we can discuss it”?) What attribute was most emphasized by Elder Renlund and President Nelson? (charity) Why is charity essential to becoming more like Christ? Can anyone give an example of having charity? Can we be close to the Spirit and Christ without charity?

Quote #4 (alignment)

Possible Intro: Say “Alignment” and/or point to the word on the board. Go over the definition.

alignment: work toward the same goals

Emulating Jesus Christ leads us to a fourth parallel—alignment with His purposes. We join Him in His work…For us, part of taking upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ involves willingly, intentionally, and enthusiastically aligning our goals with His. We join Him in His work when we “love, share, and invite.” We join Him in His work when we minister to others, especially the vulnerable and those who have been wounded, shattered, or crushed by their earthly experiences.

Possible discussion question: In what ways do we “love, share, and invite”? What’s an example of any or all of those three words, love, share and invite? How might we invite someone to join us as we worship and fellowship? Is anyone a convert that got an invitation, or do you know of someone who is now a member because someone else invited them?

Quote #5 (empowerment)

Possible Intro: Say “Empowerment” and/or point to the word on the board. Go over the definition.

empowerment: the divine infusion of inner strength and wisdom that enables individuals to rise above limitations.

Consequently, God blesses us with more of His power. As President Nelson taught: “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. … The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power … that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better.”

We become more spiritually receptive. We have more courage to confront seemingly impossible circumstances. We are strengthened more in our resolve to follow Jesus Christ. We more speedily repent and return to Him when we transgress. We become better at sharing His gospel with His power and authority. We help those in need while being less judgmental, far less judgmental. We retain a remission of our sins. We have greater peace, and we are more cheerful because we can always rejoice. His glory will be round about us, and His angels will have charge over us.

Possible activity: Make sure your class has a copy of this quote #5. It is included in the PDF Class Copy below. Say something like, “The blessings from following Jesus Christ faithfully are most promising and encouraging.” Have your class help identify some of them. Have them pick one blessing from the quote and explain what it might mean or how it might look. Do up to four (or more if you have a lot of hands going up).

• increased access to the power of Jesus Christ
• strengthened to withstand trials
• strengthened against temptations
• strengthened to withstand heartaches
• More spiritually receptive
• more courage
• stronger resolve
• can repent speedily
• influentially share the gospel
• not judgmental
• retain the remission of our sins
• greater peace
• more cheerful
• the Lord’s glory round about us
• angels have charge over us

Summary

Summarize class discussion highlights and/or share your testimony and feelings about Elder Renlund’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.