Below are the quotes that were used in the video.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I heard President David O. McKay say to the members of the Twelve on one occasion, “Brethren, we do not spend enough time meditating.”
“I believe that with all my heart. Our lives become extremely busy. We run from one thing to another. We wear ourselves out in thoughtless pursuit of goals which are highly ephemeral [i.e., fleeting, momentary]. We are entitled to spend some time with ourselves in introspection, in development.
“I remember my dear father when he was about the age that I am now. He lived in a home where there was a rock wall on the grounds. It was a low wall, and when the weather was warm, he would go and sit on his wall. It seemed to me he sat there for hours, thinking, meditating, pondering things that he would say and write, for he was a very gifted speaker and writer. He read much, even into his very old age. He never ceased growing. Life was for him a great adventure in thinking. (Ensign, Feb. 1999, pp. 2,5)
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “We all do a lot of studying, but most of us don’t do much meditation. We don’t take time to think. I’d like to suggest that next fast day . . . everybody in this hall set aside an hour or two. Sit by yourself. Go in the bedroom and lock the door. Go out in the yard under a tree. Go in your study if you have one and shut the door, and think about yourself and your worthiness. Read from this great book Book of Mormon…There’s a great word that’s used, “ponder.’“’Ponder.’ What do we mean by “ponder’? Well, I think it simply means kind of quietly thinking things through. Ponder what you have read. Ponder your life. Are you worthy, are you living the commandments?” (Church News, 01/06/96).
Elder Ulisses Soares: “The compassionate attitude of Jesus is rooted in charity, namely, in His pure and perfect love, which is the essence of His atoning sacrifice. Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of those who strive for sanctification, and this divine quality intertwines with other Christian traits such as mourning with those who mourn and having empathy, mercy, and kindness. The expression of compassion for others is, in fact, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a marked evidence of our spiritual and emotional closeness to the Savior. Furthermore, it shows the level of influence He has on our way of life and demonstrates the magnitude of our spirits.” (Ulisses Soares, “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 13–14)
President Russell M. Nelson: “…we learn that the people in 4 Nephi “[continued] in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord” (4 Nephi 1:12).
“We need to meet together. Our weekly worship meetings are an important opportunity for us to find strength, both individually and collectively. We partake of the sacrament, learn, pray, sing together, and support one another. Other gatherings also help foster a sense of belonging, friendship, and shared purpose.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/10/03-a-pattern-for-unity-in-jesus-christ?lang=eng)
Elder Joseph B Wirthlin: “Pondering, which means to weigh mentally, to deliberate, to meditate, can achieve the opening of the spiritual eyes of one’s understanding” (April 1982 General Conference).
Elder David A Bednar: “Writing down what we learn, think, and feel as we study the scriptures is another form of pondering and a powerful invitation to the Holy Ghost for continuing instruction” (New Era, Apr. 2006, 6-7).
President Henry B. Eyring: “Reading, studying, and pondering are not the same. We read words and we may get ideas. We study and we may discover patterns and connections in scripture. But when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit. Pondering, to me, is the thinking and the praying I do after reading and studying in the scriptures carefully” (October 2010 General Conference).
Marvin J. Ashton: “By pondering, we give the Spirit an opportunity to impress and direct. Pondering is a powerful link between the heart and the mind. As we read the scriptures, our hearts and minds are touched. If we use the gift to ponder, we can take these eternal truths and realize how we can incorporate them into our daily actions … Pondering is a progressive mental pursuit. It is a great gift to those who have learned to use it. We find understanding, insight, and practical application if we will use the gift of pondering” (“There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, p. 20).
President Spencer W. Kimball: “We hope, for instance, that either before or after your series of Sunday meetings, depending upon your particular consolidated meeting schedule, you will do what the Savior asked the Nephite disciples to do: After he taught them, he asked them to go to their homes and to ponder and to pray over what was said (see 3 Nephi 17:3). Let us keep that pattern in mind” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 4).
President Dallin H. Oaks: “To remember means to keep in memory. In the scriptures, it often means to keep a person in memory, together with associated emotions like love, loyalty, or gratitude. The stronger the emotion, the more vivid and influential the memory.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 33; or Ensign, May 1988, 29)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “If we fail to stir remembrance of blessings received, the human tendency is to say, in effect, whether to one’s God or to one’s fellows, “What have you done for me lately?’ Indeed, prophets of the Lord have asked directly whether their people had “sufficiently retained in remembrance’ His deliverances and blessings (Alma 5:6 7). It is best to cultivate our “remembering’ capacity now and to be guided accordingly, since at judgment day we will have “perfect remembrance’ (Alma 5:18).” (A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 51)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “To those brothers and sisters who may have allowed themselves to become lax in this vital renewal of the covenants of the sacrament, I plead in words of the First Presidency that you “come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the saints” (“An Invitation to Come Back,” Church News, 22 Dec. 1985, 3). Let us qualify ourselves for our Savior’s promise that by partaking of the sacrament we will “be filled” (3 Nephi 20:8; see also 3 Nephi 18:9), which means that we will be “filled with the Spirit” (3 Nephi 20:9). That Spirit – the Holy Ghost – is our comforter, our direction finder, our communicator, our interpreter, our witness, and our purifier-our infallible guide and sanctifier for our mortal journey toward eternal life.” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 61)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Learning to pray is, therefore, the work of a lifetime. If we keep on praying, we will keep on discovering.” (That Ye May Believe, p. 179)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “By praying, we begin to experience what it is like when we see the interplay of man’s moral agency and God’s directing hand. These are things to be learned only by experience. We learn how important our intentions are, since we are instructed to pray for that “which is right’ (3 Nephi 18:20). Our prayers will be better if they are in fact inspired prayers. “Thus worshipping, serving, studying, praying, each in its own way squeezes selfishness out of us; it pushes aside our preoccupations with the things of the world.” (Men and Women of Christ, p. 98)
McConkie, Millet, and Top: “The Savior’s commandment to the Nephites to “not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together’ has special application to us in the Church today. While we may not verbally “forbid’ others members and nonmembers alike from our fellowship in the Church, they may feel “forbidden’ by reason of our attitudes and our actions. Elder M. Russell Ballard observed: “I believe we members do not have the option to extend the hand of fellowship only to relatives, close friends, certain Church members and those selected nonmembers who express an interest its the Church. Limiting or withholding our fellowship seems to me to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ….
“We might ask ourselves how the newcomers in our wards would be treated if we were the only ones they ever met. Every member of the Church should foster the attributes of warmth, sincerity, and love for the newcomers….“’Brothers and sisters, we members must help with the conversion process by making our wards and branches friendly places, with no exclusivity, where all people feel welcome and comfortable. . . . My message is urgent because we need to retain in full fellowship many more of the new converts and return to activity many more of the less active.
“I urge you to increase the spirit of friendship and pure Christian fellowship in your neighborhoods. A new convert or recently activated member should feel the warmth of being wanted and being welcomed into full fellowship of the Church. Members and leaders of the Church should nurture and love them as Jesus would.’ (“The Hand of Fellowship,” Ensign, November 1988, pp. 28 29.)” (McConkie, Millet, and Top, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 127)
John H. Groberg: “What does it mean to partake of the sacrament worthily? Or how do we know if we are unworthy?”
“If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement? If we remember the Savior and all he has done and will do for us, we will improve our actions and thus come closer to him, which keeps us on the road to eternal life…
“The sacrament is an intensely personal experience, and we are the ones who knowingly are worthy or otherwise.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1989, “The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament”)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “In our own time the Prophet Joseph Smith was asked wherein The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differed from other religions of the day. He replied that the distinction lay in “the gift of the Holy Ghost’ and that all other considerations “were contained in that gift.’ In light of these experiences-ancient or modern, Old World or New-perhaps all disciples of Christ, all members of his true Church, should pray for the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost as that heavenly gift “which they most desire.’” (Christ And The New Covenant, p. 278)
Elder Parley P. Pratt: “The gift of the Holy Ghost . . . quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them by the gift of wisdom to their lawful use. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” (Key to Theology, 1978, pp. 101-2)
Ideas for teaching:
“I believe that with all my heart. Our lives become extremely busy. We run from one thing to another. We wear ourselves out in thoughtless pursuit of goals which are highly ephemeral [i.e., fleeting, momentary]. We are entitled to spend some time with ourselves in introspection, in development.
“I remember my dear father when he was about the age that I am now. He lived in a home where there was a rock wall on the grounds. It was a low wall, and when the weather was warm, he would go and sit on his wall. It seemed to me he sat there for hours, thinking, meditating, pondering things that he would say and write, for he was a very gifted speaker and writer. He read much, even into his very old age. He never ceased growing. Life was for him a great adventure in thinking. (Ensign, Feb. 1999, pp. 2,5)
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “We all do a lot of studying, but most of us don’t do much meditation. We don’t take time to think. I’d like to suggest that next fast day . . . everybody in this hall set aside an hour or two. Sit by yourself. Go in the bedroom and lock the door. Go out in the yard under a tree. Go in your study if you have one and shut the door, and think about yourself and your worthiness. Read from this great book Book of Mormon…There’s a great word that’s used, “ponder.’“’Ponder.’ What do we mean by “ponder’? Well, I think it simply means kind of quietly thinking things through. Ponder what you have read. Ponder your life. Are you worthy, are you living the commandments?” (Church News, 01/06/96).
Elder Ulisses Soares: “The compassionate attitude of Jesus is rooted in charity, namely, in His pure and perfect love, which is the essence of His atoning sacrifice. Compassion is a fundamental characteristic of those who strive for sanctification, and this divine quality intertwines with other Christian traits such as mourning with those who mourn and having empathy, mercy, and kindness. The expression of compassion for others is, in fact, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a marked evidence of our spiritual and emotional closeness to the Savior. Furthermore, it shows the level of influence He has on our way of life and demonstrates the magnitude of our spirits.” (Ulisses Soares, “The Savior’s Abiding Compassion,” Liahona, Nov. 2021, 13–14)
President Russell M. Nelson: “…we learn that the people in 4 Nephi “[continued] in fasting and prayer, and in meeting together oft both to pray and to hear the word of the Lord” (4 Nephi 1:12).
“We need to meet together. Our weekly worship meetings are an important opportunity for us to find strength, both individually and collectively. We partake of the sacrament, learn, pray, sing together, and support one another. Other gatherings also help foster a sense of belonging, friendship, and shared purpose.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/10/03-a-pattern-for-unity-in-jesus-christ?lang=eng)
Elder Joseph B Wirthlin: “Pondering, which means to weigh mentally, to deliberate, to meditate, can achieve the opening of the spiritual eyes of one’s understanding” (April 1982 General Conference).
Elder David A Bednar: “Writing down what we learn, think, and feel as we study the scriptures is another form of pondering and a powerful invitation to the Holy Ghost for continuing instruction” (New Era, Apr. 2006, 6-7).
President Henry B. Eyring: “Reading, studying, and pondering are not the same. We read words and we may get ideas. We study and we may discover patterns and connections in scripture. But when we ponder, we invite revelation by the Spirit. Pondering, to me, is the thinking and the praying I do after reading and studying in the scriptures carefully” (October 2010 General Conference).
Marvin J. Ashton: “By pondering, we give the Spirit an opportunity to impress and direct. Pondering is a powerful link between the heart and the mind. As we read the scriptures, our hearts and minds are touched. If we use the gift to ponder, we can take these eternal truths and realize how we can incorporate them into our daily actions … Pondering is a progressive mental pursuit. It is a great gift to those who have learned to use it. We find understanding, insight, and practical application if we will use the gift of pondering” (“There Are Many Gifts,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, p. 20).
President Spencer W. Kimball: “We hope, for instance, that either before or after your series of Sunday meetings, depending upon your particular consolidated meeting schedule, you will do what the Savior asked the Nephite disciples to do: After he taught them, he asked them to go to their homes and to ponder and to pray over what was said (see 3 Nephi 17:3). Let us keep that pattern in mind” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 4).
President Dallin H. Oaks: “To remember means to keep in memory. In the scriptures, it often means to keep a person in memory, together with associated emotions like love, loyalty, or gratitude. The stronger the emotion, the more vivid and influential the memory.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 33; or Ensign, May 1988, 29)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “If we fail to stir remembrance of blessings received, the human tendency is to say, in effect, whether to one’s God or to one’s fellows, “What have you done for me lately?’ Indeed, prophets of the Lord have asked directly whether their people had “sufficiently retained in remembrance’ His deliverances and blessings (Alma 5:6 7). It is best to cultivate our “remembering’ capacity now and to be guided accordingly, since at judgment day we will have “perfect remembrance’ (Alma 5:18).” (A Wonderful Flood of Light, p. 51)
President Dallin H. Oaks: “To those brothers and sisters who may have allowed themselves to become lax in this vital renewal of the covenants of the sacrament, I plead in words of the First Presidency that you “come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the saints” (“An Invitation to Come Back,” Church News, 22 Dec. 1985, 3). Let us qualify ourselves for our Savior’s promise that by partaking of the sacrament we will “be filled” (3 Nephi 20:8; see also 3 Nephi 18:9), which means that we will be “filled with the Spirit” (3 Nephi 20:9). That Spirit – the Holy Ghost – is our comforter, our direction finder, our communicator, our interpreter, our witness, and our purifier-our infallible guide and sanctifier for our mortal journey toward eternal life.” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 82; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 61)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “Learning to pray is, therefore, the work of a lifetime. If we keep on praying, we will keep on discovering.” (That Ye May Believe, p. 179)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell: “By praying, we begin to experience what it is like when we see the interplay of man’s moral agency and God’s directing hand. These are things to be learned only by experience. We learn how important our intentions are, since we are instructed to pray for that “which is right’ (3 Nephi 18:20). Our prayers will be better if they are in fact inspired prayers. “Thus worshipping, serving, studying, praying, each in its own way squeezes selfishness out of us; it pushes aside our preoccupations with the things of the world.” (Men and Women of Christ, p. 98)
McConkie, Millet, and Top: “The Savior’s commandment to the Nephites to “not forbid any man from coming unto you when ye shall meet together’ has special application to us in the Church today. While we may not verbally “forbid’ others members and nonmembers alike from our fellowship in the Church, they may feel “forbidden’ by reason of our attitudes and our actions. Elder M. Russell Ballard observed: “I believe we members do not have the option to extend the hand of fellowship only to relatives, close friends, certain Church members and those selected nonmembers who express an interest its the Church. Limiting or withholding our fellowship seems to me to be contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ….
“We might ask ourselves how the newcomers in our wards would be treated if we were the only ones they ever met. Every member of the Church should foster the attributes of warmth, sincerity, and love for the newcomers….“’Brothers and sisters, we members must help with the conversion process by making our wards and branches friendly places, with no exclusivity, where all people feel welcome and comfortable. . . . My message is urgent because we need to retain in full fellowship many more of the new converts and return to activity many more of the less active.
“I urge you to increase the spirit of friendship and pure Christian fellowship in your neighborhoods. A new convert or recently activated member should feel the warmth of being wanted and being welcomed into full fellowship of the Church. Members and leaders of the Church should nurture and love them as Jesus would.’ (“The Hand of Fellowship,” Ensign, November 1988, pp. 28 29.)” (McConkie, Millet, and Top, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol. 4, p. 127)
John H. Groberg: “What does it mean to partake of the sacrament worthily? Or how do we know if we are unworthy?”
“If we desire to improve (which is to repent) and are not under priesthood restriction, then, in my opinion, we are worthy. If, however, we have no desire to improve, if we have no intention of following the guidance of the Spirit, we must ask: Are we worthy to partake, or are we making a mockery of the very purpose of the sacrament, which is to act as a catalyst for personal repentance and improvement? If we remember the Savior and all he has done and will do for us, we will improve our actions and thus come closer to him, which keeps us on the road to eternal life…
“The sacrament is an intensely personal experience, and we are the ones who knowingly are worthy or otherwise.” (Conference Report, Apr. 1989, “The Beauty and Importance of the Sacrament”)
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: “In our own time the Prophet Joseph Smith was asked wherein The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differed from other religions of the day. He replied that the distinction lay in “the gift of the Holy Ghost’ and that all other considerations “were contained in that gift.’ In light of these experiences-ancient or modern, Old World or New-perhaps all disciples of Christ, all members of his true Church, should pray for the influence and guidance of the Holy Ghost as that heavenly gift “which they most desire.’” (Christ And The New Covenant, p. 278)
Elder Parley P. Pratt: “The gift of the Holy Ghost . . . quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them by the gift of wisdom to their lawful use. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” (Key to Theology, 1978, pp. 101-2)
Ideas for teaching:
- Share what helps you ponder and how it blesses you.
- How can you “continue to minister?”
- Write in journal of experience when you felt that God “smiled on you.”