Other Quotes

Our Potential

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles"

Restoration

"The genuine and simple religion of Jesus will one day be restored: such as it was preached and practised by himself. Very soon after his death, it became muffled up in mysteries, and has been ever since kept in concealment from the vulgar eye. ... I hope that that day of restoration is to come, altho’ I shall not live to see it." [Note: Thomas Jefferson died July 4, 1826]

Thomas Jefferson to Francis Adrian Van der Kemp, 9 July 1820 (full text)

Tithing

“The Lord will open the windows of heaven according to our need, and not according to our greed. If we are paying tithing to get rich, we are doing it for the wrong reason. … The blessing to the giver … may not be always in the form of financial or material benefit”

Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 657 Quoted by Elder Neil L. Andersen GC 2023 Footnote 4

Second Coming

Sometime not long after 9-11, I had a missionary ask me in all honesty and full of faith, “Elder Holland, are these the last days?” I saw the earnestness in his face and some of the fear in his eyes, and I wanted to be reassuring. I thought perhaps an arm around him and some humor could relieve his anxiety a little. Giving him a hug, I said, “Elder, I may not be the brightest person alive, but even I know the name of the Church.” We then talked about being Latter-day Saints. I said, “Yes, Elder, we are in the last days, but there is really nothing new about that. The promised Second Coming of the Savior began with the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820. So we already have about 184 years of experience seeing the Second Coming and the last days unfold. We can be certain that we are in the last days—years and years of them,” I said, and gave him a friendly shake of the hand and sent him on his way.

Yes, my beloved young friends, these are the latter days, and you and I are to be the best Latter-day Saints we can. Put an emphasis on the last word there, please.

When will all of this finish? When shall Christ appear publicly, triumphantly, and the Millennium begin? I have already told you that I don’t know. What I do know is that the initial moments of that event began 184 years ago. I do know that as a result of that First Vision and what has followed it, we live in a time of unprecedented blessings—blessings given to us for the purpose of living faithfully and purely so when the Bridegroom finally and triumphantly arrives, He can personally, justifiably bid us to the wedding feast.

BYU Speaches, Terror, Triumph, and a Wedding Feast, JEFFREY R. HOLLAND, (full text)

Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon: In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us. My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity - I have not the slightest doubt of it. I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he could at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.

Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon. And, though I was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, "a marvel and a wonder," as much so as to anyone else.

The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book. I did not attempt to handle the plates, other than I have told you, nor uncover them to look at them. I was satisfied that it was the work of God, and therefore did not feel it to be necessary to do so;

Question: Did Mr. Smith forbid your examining the plates? Answer. I do not think he did. I knew that he had them, and was not specially curious about them. I moved them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary in doing my work.

Question. Had he not a book or manuscript from which he read, or dictated to you? Answer. He had neither manuscript nor book to read from.

Question. Could he not have had, and you not know it? Answer. If he had had anything of the kind he could not have concealed it from me.

Church: I know Mormonism to be the truth; and believe the Church to have been established by divine direction. I have complete faith in it.

Emma Smith, Interview by Joseph Smith III (see: https://archive.org/details/TheSaintsHerald_Volume_26_1879/page/n287/mode/2up?view=theater)

Keys from Moses, Elias, and Elijah

On Easter Sunday, April 3, 1836, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple and accepted the temple as His house.

Following this vision, three ancient prophets appeared to Joseph and Oliver, one at a time. Moses conferred the keys of the gathering of Israel, Elias conferred the keys “of the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham,” and Elijah conferred the keys of sealing.

Today, said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Church is organized with three executive councils that are based on those three keys that were restored.” These three councils serve under the direction of the First Presidency.

The keys of the gathering of Israel operate within the purview of the Missionary Executive Council. The keys of the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham — of fulfilling the Abrahamic covenant — function in the Priesthood and Family Executive Council. And the sealing keys are found in the Temple and Family History Executive Council.

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said the purpose of these three councils is one work — God’s work “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). ...

The Missionary Executive Council functions as “the extended arm of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles for missionary work,” Elder Uchtdorf said. It focuses primarily on “proclaiming the gospel and making disciples” with the help of the current 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, he said. ...

The purpose of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council is “to prepare people to meet God,” Elder Cook said. “It is to perfect the Saints.” The Relief Society, Young Women, Young Men, Primary and Sunday School organizations serve in collaboration with and under the purview of the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, Elder Cook said. ...

“Everything pertaining to the temples — the covenants, the ordinances, the operations and family history work — is the responsibility of the Temple and Family History Executive Council,” Elder Bednar said.

Church News, 27 July 2021, "Inside Church Headquarters: A Look at Three of the Church’s Executive Councils and What They Do"

Keys from Moses, Elias, and Elijah

To emphasize these elements of God’s work of salvation and exaltation, Elder Cook shared the history of the keys committed by Moses, Elias and Elijah in the Kirtland Temple and what the Church has accomplished with respect to each.

As recorded in Doctrine and Covenants Section 110, these three keys are the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, the gospel of Abraham and preparing people to meet God, and the redemption of the dead and priesthood sealing power.

Church News, 29 August 2023, "Church Education Prepares Students for Eternity, Elder Cook Tells BYU Faculty, Staff"

Purpose of the Church, Helping the Poor

Bishop Waddell told us that the Presiding Bishopric meets regularly with the First Presidency. At one of the meetings, they discussed the efforts they were making to care for the poor and needy around the world. Then they started discussing a plan to use more funds for this effort. President Nelson then stopped them and said something to the effect "Let me teach you an important principle: The Church of Jesus Christ is not focused on being a charity. The Church of Jesus Christ was established to prepare a people for the Savior's Second Coming. That is the most important focus. We help the poor because we are striving to follow the Savior and this is what He would do."

Devotional with Bishop Waddell with Kirtland Historic Site Missionaries, March 27, 2024.

Momentum is the key to make sure we keep moving forward and are not capsized by the waves that hit our kayak. Elder Renlund Building a relationship with God must be based on trust. He trusts us giving us agency. We need to develop complete trust in Him. Elder Paul Pieper Keys from Elias DS: It is the work of helping one another walk along the covenant path to the tree of life to partake of God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life. “With this renewal [of the Abrahamic covenant], we have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. We have the right to receive the fulness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, and qualify for God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life.” (President Russell M. Nelson Oct 2011 GC, quoted in Liahona Oct 2021 "Why did Moses, Elias, and Elijah appear in the Kirtland Temple?") "These keys provide the “power from on high”7 for divinely appointed responsibilities that constitute the primary purpose of the Church.8 On that wonderful Easter day in the Kirtland Temple, three keys were restored: First, Moses appeared and committed the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, which is missionary work.9 Second, Elias appeared and committed the keys of the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, which includes the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant.10 President Russell M. Nelson has taught that the purpose of the covenant keys is to prepare members for the kingdom of God. He said, “We know who we are and [we know] what God expects of us.”11 Third, Elijah appeared and committed the keys of the sealing power in this dispensation, which is family history work and temple ordinances enabling salvation for the living and the dead.12 There are, under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, three executive councils at Church headquarters that oversee these divinely appointed responsibilities based on the keys that were restored in the Kirtland Temple. They are the Missionary Executive Council, the Priesthood and Family Executive Council, and the Temple and Family History Executive Council. Where Do We Stand Today in Fulfilling These Divinely Appointed Responsibilities? First, with respect to Moses’s restoration of the keys for the gathering of Israel, today almost 70,000 missionaries are spread across the earth preaching His gospel to gather His elect. ... Second, Elias appeared and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, declaring that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed. In this conference, significant guidance has been presented to assist in perfecting the Saints and preparing them for the kingdom of God. ... Third, Elijah committed the sealing keys of this dispensation. For those of us alive at this time, the increase in temples and family history work is phenomenal. This pace will continue and accelerate until the Second Coming of the Savior, lest the whole earth “be utterly wasted at his coming.” Family history work, heaven-blessed by technology, has dramatically increased in the past few years. "[All who are gathered] into the gospel covenant ... become 'the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.'(D&C 84:34)" (Elder D. Todd Christofferson Oct 2023 GC)

Joe Jackson; personal experience; recorded 12 Jan 2023 at Emma and Joseph Smith Home, Kirtland Ohio

Temples, Kirtland Temple

President M. Russell Ballard is a cousin of Wallace B. Smtih, President of the Community of Christ Church. Over the years they got to know each other at the Smith Family reunions. In 1994 President Ballard asked President Wallace Smith if he (President Ballard) could have a meeting in the Kirtland Temple. President Wallace Smith approved the meeting and said they could also administer the sacrament if they wanted to. Many people in the Community of Christ church in Kirtland were not happy with this decision. In particular the person who was the caretaker of the temple. The meeting grew in size from its initial list of invitees as other leaders in the Northeastern US heard about the meeting. The caretaker spoke with President Wallace Smith and expressed his strong displeasure with the meeting being allowed to take place. President Smith told him you have two options, 1. allow the meeting to take place or 2. resign your membership in the church. He did not want to resign his membership, so grudgingly he allowed the meeting to take place. On the day of the meeting he is in the congregation. One of the people who is going to pass the sacrament is Karl Anderson. Karl notices that the caretaker is in the area where he is to pass the sacrament and wonders if he should offer him the sacrament. The Spirit tells him to offer him the sacrament, but he probably will not take it. So as Karl passes the bread and water he offers it to the caretaker and the caretaker does not take either the bread or the water. After the meeting the caretaker pulls Karl aside and says I need to tell you what happened. The caretaker related that as he sat in the meeting, he planned to stand up and disrupt the administration of the sacrament and tell why the meeting should not be allowed to take place and especially that the administation of the sacrament should not be permitted in the temple. As he was about to stand up a heavenly power physically restrained him so he could not move and he heard an audible voice say to him "This is not your house, this is not their house, this is My House. I approve of what is happening." He could not move a muscle even to decline the sacrament.

Brigham Young said, “those who were acquainted with [the Prophet Joseph] knew when the Spirit of revelation was upon him, for his countenance wore an expression peculiar to himself while under that influence. He preached by the Spirit of revelation, and taught in his council by it, and those who were acquainted with him could discover it at once, for at such times there was a peculiar clearness and transparency in his face.” (Journal of Discourses 9:89) Mary Elizabeth Rollins as just a girl was also a witness. She left this description of events in February 1831. “Joseph got up and began to speak to us. As he began to speak very solemnly and very earnestly, all at once his countenance changed and he stood mute. Those who looked at him that day said there was a search light within him, over every part of his body. I never saw anything like it on the earth. I could not take my eyes off him; he got so white that anyone who saw him would have thought he was transparent. I remember I thought I could almost see the cheek bones through the flesh. I have been through many changes since but that is photographed on my brain. I shall remember it and see in my mind’s eye as long as I remain upon the earth. He stood some moments. He looked over the congregation as if to pierce every heart. He said, “Do you know who has been in your midst?” One of the Smiths said an angel of the Lord. Martin Harris said, “It was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Joseph put his hand down on Martin and said: “God revealed that to you. Brethren and sisters, the Spirit of God has been here. The Savior has been in your midst this night and I want you to remember it. There is a veil over your eyes for you could not endure to look upon Him. You must be fed with milk, not with strong meat. I want you to remember this as if it were the last thing that escaped my lips. He has given all of you to me and has sealed you up to everlasting life that where he is, you may be also. And if you are tempted of Satan say, ‘Get behind me, Satan.'” These words are figured upon my brain and I never took my eye off his countenance. Then he knelt down and prayed. I have never heard anything like it before or since. I felt that he was talking to the Lord and that power rested down upon the congregation. Every soul felt it. The spirit rested upon us in every fiber of our bodies, and we received a sermon from the lips of the representative of God.” (http://ldshistory.us/pc/merlbyu.htm)