“‘I Am He'”

Posted on by Mitch Peterson

General Conference Applied

S4 E5 – Thursday, November 21, 2024 | “‘I Am He’” by President Jeffrey R. Holland; October 2024 General Conference

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Podcast Episode Outline

Introduction

Bio

  • “Jeffrey R. Holland was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on June 23, 1994. He was sustained as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on November 16, 2023.

    “Jeffrey R. Holland was born December 3, 1940, to Frank D. and Alice Bentley Holland. In 1963, he married Patricia Terry. They are the parents of Matthew, Mary Alice, and David; the parents-in-law of Paige, Lee, and Jeanne; and the grandparents of 13 beautiful grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

    “A student leader and varsity athlete at Dixie High School and Dixie College in his native St. George, Utah, President Holland received his bachelor and master degrees in English and religious education, respectively, from Brigham Young University. He obtained master and doctor of philosophy degrees in American Studies from Yale University.

    “At the time of his call to the Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Holland was serving as a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, to which he had been called on April 1, 1989. From 1980 until his call as a General Authority in 1989, Jeffrey R. Holland served as the ninth president of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He is a former Church commissioner of education and dean of the College of Religious Education at BYU.

    “President Holland was active in professional educational activity prior to his call to full-time Church service. He served as president of the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAPICU), on the board of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU), and as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Presidents Commission. For his work in improving understanding between Christians and Jews, he was awarded the ‘Torch of Liberty’ award by the Anti-Defamation League of B’Nai B’rith.

    “He has served on the governing boards of a number of civic and business-related corporations and has received the ‘Distinguished Eagle Scout’ award from the Boy Scouts of America. He is the author of eight books, one of which he co-authored with his wife, Patricia.”
  • This was President Holland’s 62nd general conference address. Here are his five most recent addresses:

What is the speaker inviting me to do, and how might I consider taking action?

Invitations

1: “Down through history many have simplified, even trivialized our image of [Jesus Christ] and His witness of who He was. They have reduced His righteousness to mere prudishness, His justice to mere anger, His mercy to mere permissiveness. We must not be guilty of such simplistic versions of Him that conveniently ignore teachings we find uncomfortable.”

  • Jesus Christ was not just a good man whose life we can study and from which we can learn. He is our Savior and our Perfect Example.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I believe in Christ and accept Him as my Savior. (2 Nephi 25:29)” (Faith)
  • “Consider this scene from the last week of Jesus’s mortal life. A multitude had gathered, including Roman soldiers armed with staves and strapped with swords. Led by officers from the chief priests who had torches in hand, this earnest company was not off to conquer a city. Tonight they were looking for only one man, a man not known to carry a weapon, receive military training, or engage in physical combat at any time in His entire life.

    “As the soldiers approached, Jesus, in an effort to protect His disciples, stepped forth and said, ‘Whom seek ye?’ They replied, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus said, ‘I am he. … As soon … as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.’

    “To me, that is one of the most stirring lines in all of scripture. Among other things, it tells me straightforwardly that just being in the presence of the Son of God—the great Jehovah of the Old Testament and Good Shepherd of the New, who bears no weapons of any kind—that just hearing the voice of this Refuge from the Storm, this Prince of Peace, is enough to send antagonists stumbling into retreat, piling them in a jumble, making the whole group wish they had been assigned kitchen duty that night.” -President Holland
  • “Willing to Receive“, Elder Marion D. Hanks, April 1980 General Conference: “Long ago I heard an important story which has been helpful to me. I have not seen it in writing and therefore cannot give credit as I would like. The story has obviously been deliberately fashioned to teach in a provocative way principles in which I believe.

    “Over a period of time three men, as each of us ultimately will, passed from mortal life to ongoing immortality. Each, as he made the transition, at once found himself in the presence of a gracious person who made him feel comfortable and calmed his apprehensions.

    “Each man in turn found himself responding to questions which somehow formed in the mind and heart, vital above all other considerations. ‘What do you think of Christ? What is your relationship with him? Do you know him?’

    “The first man answered reluctantly, with some chagrin. He had not been, he said, one who had participated in organized religious activity. There seemed to be too much formalism, too much hypocrisy, too little real religion. Neither had he on his own sought a personal relationship with the Lord. He had been a good husband and father, an active citizen, a man of integrity, but it now came to him very clearly that he had missed the central purpose of his life, that he had been distracted from what he should have been seeking. With gratitude, he was received into a circumstance where he could begin to learn what he needed to know.

    “The second man had a briefer interview. Quickly perceiving the import of the questions, he quickly answered. He had, he said, been a soldier for Christ, a crusader for him in business, a spokesman for him in industry. He seemed crestfallen to be ushered after a time into a circumstance where he too could begin to learn what he needed to know.

    “The third traveler came into the presence of his host with an overwhelming sense of warmth and wonder. Understanding the questions, looking tearfully into the loving eyes of him who stood at the gate, he fell to his knees at his feet and worshiped him.

    “In the scripture it is written:

    “‘O … my beloved brethren, … the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name’ (2 Ne. 9:41).

    “Salvation and exaltation, I believe, are not matters of heavenly bookkeeping, but of the qualifying of the soul that comes with knowing the Lord.”
  • Actions:
    1. “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again“, President Russell M. Nelson, October 2024 General Conference: “I urge you to devote time each week—for the rest of your life—to increase your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
    2. Study President Russell M. Nelson’s April 2016 General Conference address “The Price of Priesthood Power” and identify at least one way that you can develop greater priesthood power in your life.
    3. “Learn how Apostles and other Church leaders personally ‘hear’ the Lord Jesus Christ through the Spirit.” Hear Him Video Series.
    4. Build a list of questions that you hope that Heavenly Father will answer through His Spirit. Then, actively seek the answers to your questions.
    5. “Jesus the Christ: Chapter 12: Early Incidents in Our Lord’s Public Ministry“, Elder James E. Talmage: “The incident of Christ’s forcible clearing of the temple is a contradiction of the traditional conception of Him as of One so gentle and unassertive in demeanor as to appear unmanly. Gentle He was, and patient under affliction, merciful and long-suffering in dealing with contrite sinners, yet stern and inflexible in the presence of hypocrisy, and unsparing in His denunciation of persistent evil-doers. His mood was adapted to the conditions to which He addressed Himself; tender words of encouragement or burning expletives of righteous indignation issued with equal fluency from His lips. His nature was no poetic conception of cherubic sweetness ever present, but that of a Man, with the emotions and passions essential to manhood and manliness. He, who often wept with compassion, at other times evinced in word and action the righteous anger of a God. But of all His passions, however gently they rippled or strongly surged, He was ever master. Contrast the gentle Jesus moved to hospitable service by the needs of a festal party in Cana, with the indignant Christ plying His whip, and amidst commotion and turmoil of His own making, driving cattle and men before Him as an unclean herd.”
      • Do you find any of the Savior’s teachings ‘uncomfortable’? Identify these teachings, and then intentionally seek for greater clarity and understanding.

2: “During His mortal mission, Jesus taught that there were two great commandments. … If we are to follow the Savior faithfully in these two crucial and inextricably linked rules, we ought to hold firmly to what He actually said.”

  • Accept Jesus Christ’s definition of the two great commandments – not the world’s definition.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I feel a sincere desire for the eternal welfare and happiness of others. (Mosiah 28:3)” (Charity and Love)
  • “What He actually said was, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments.’ On that same evening, He said we were to ‘love one another; as I have loved you.’

    “In those scriptures, those qualifying phrases defining true, Christlike love—sometimes referred to as charity—are absolutely essential.

    “What do they define? How did Jesus love?

    “First, He loved with ‘all [of His] heart, might, mind and strength,’ giving Him the ability to heal the deepest pain and declare the hardest reality. In short, He is one who could administer grace and insist on truth at the same time. As Lehi said in his blessing to his son Jacob, ‘Redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.’ His love allows an encouraging embrace when it is needed and a bitter cup when it has to be swallowed. So we try to love—with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—because that is the way He loves us.

    “The second characteristic of Jesus’s divine charity was His obedience to every word that proceeded from God’s mouth, always aligning His will and behavior with that of His Heavenly Father.

    “When He arrived on the Western Hemisphere following His Resurrection, Christ said to the Nephites: ‘Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, … in the which I have suffered the will of the Father … from the beginning.’

    “Of the myriad ways He could have introduced Himself, Jesus did so by declaring His obedience to the will of the Father—never mind that not long before in His hour of greatest need, this Only Begotten Son of God had felt totally abandoned by His Father. Christ’s charity—evident in complete loyalty to divine will—persisted and continues to persist, not just through the easy and comfortable days but especially through the darkest and most difficult ones.” -President Holland
  • “The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession” by Michael Finkel: “His mother’s complicity, [Breitwieser] says, is mitigated by a willful ignorance. ‘She knows, and she doesn’t know. She buries her head in the sand.’ An acquaintance of his mother’s, a book editor living in Paris, describes Stengel as well educated and cultured. ‘She forgives her son every stupidity,’ says the book editor, ‘because she loves him, despite all his nonsense, and wants to protect him.’

    “Breitwieser understands the bind in which he’s trapped his mother, pressed to choose between her son and the law. She seems incapable of severing ties with her only child. She’s not willing to kick him out of the house, let alone attempt anything worse. ‘What is she going to do,’ asks Breitwieser, ‘turn me in?'”
  • Actions:
    1. Commit to better understanding the Christlike Attribute of Charity by first studying these two resources from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Topics and Questions Guide:
    2. Study what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches about Parenting in the Topics and Questions Guide: Parenting.
    3. “Essential Conversations“, Joy D. Jones, April 2021 General Conference: “We cannot wait for conversion to simply happen to our children. Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly. Being intentional in loving, teaching, and testifying can help children begin at a young age to feel the influence of the Holy Ghost.”
      • Develop a personalized plan for ‘loving, teaching, and testifying’ that works for you and your children. Involve your spouse and your children in this personalized plan.
    4. “Simple Is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ“, President Henry B. Eyring, October 2024 General Conference: “Some of you may wonder whether it might be better to draw your children closer to you through having fun, or you may ask whether the child may start to feel overwhelmed by your teachings. Instead, we should consider, ‘With so little time and so few opportunities, what words of doctrine can I share that will strengthen them against the inevitable challenges to their faith?’ The words you share today could be the ones they carry with them, and today will soon pass.”
      • Review the interactions you have had with your children over the past week or the past month, then answer these questions: 1) Have I made time to share ‘words of doctrine’ with my children? 2) Do I consistently prioritize ‘having fun’ or entertainment with my children over strengthening their faith? 3) When was the last time my children heard me bear testimony of truths that I believe and cherish?
    5. “The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How.” by Daniel Coyle: “Coaching is a long, intimate conversation, a series of signals and responses that move toward a shared goal. A coach’s true skill consists not in some universally applicable wisdom that he can communicate to all, but rather in the supple ability to locate the sweet spot on the edge of each individual student’s ability, and to send the right signals to help the student reach toward the right goal, over and over. …

      “Patience is a word we use a lot to describe great teachers at work. But what I saw was not patience, exactly. It was more like probing, strategic impatience. The master coaches I met were constantly changing their input. If A didn’t work, they tried B and C; if they failed, the rest of the alphabet was holstered and ready. What seemed like patient repetition from the outside was actually, on closer examination, a series of subtle variations, each one a distinct firing, each one creating a worthwhile combination of errors and fixes that grew myelin.

      “Of the many phrases I heard echoing around the talent hotbeds, one stood out as common to all of them. It was: ‘Good. Okay, now do (blank).’ A coach would employ it when a student got the hang of some new move or technique. As soon as the student could accomplish the feat (play that chord, hit that volley), the coach would quickly layer in an added difficulty. Good. Okay, now do it faster. Now do it with the harmony. Small successes were not stopping points but steppingstones.”
      • After reading this quote, journal about how our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are Master Coaches. Consider reading “The Talent Code” or other books on coaching. Answer the following question for reflection: ‘Do I believe President Holland’s statement that Jesus Christ’s ‘love allows an encouraging embrace when it is needed and a bitter cup when it has to be swallowed”?

3: “So, through abundance as well as poverty, through private acclaim as well as public criticism, through the divine elements of the Restoration as well as the human foibles that will inevitably be part of it, we stay the course with the true Church of Christ.”

  • Commit now to becoming an active lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • Christlike Attribute: “I wait patiently for the blessings and promises of the Lord to be fulfilled. (2 Nephi 10:16-17)” (Patience)
  • “So, if sometimes the harder you try, the more difficult it seems to get; if, just as you try to work on your limitations and your shortcomings, you find someone or something determined to challenge your faith; if, as you labor devotedly, you still feel moments of fear wash over you, remember that it has been so for some of the most faithful and marvelous people in every era of time. Also remember that there is a force in the universe determined to oppose every good thing you try to do.

    “So, through abundance as well as poverty, through private acclaim as well as public criticism, through the divine elements of the Restoration as well as the human foibles that will inevitably be part of it, we stay the course with the true Church of Christ. Why? Because as with our Redeemer, we signed on for the whole term—not ending with the first short introductory quiz but through to the final exam. The joy in this is that the Headmaster gave us all open-book answers before the course began. Furthermore, we have a host of tutors who remind us of these answers at regular stops along the way. But of course, none of this works if we keep cutting class.” -President Holland
  • Actions:
    1. “What Do We Mean When We Say the Church Is True?“, Elder J. Devn Cornish, June 2024 Liahona: “We offer our full love and respect to all who believe in and follow truth wherever it may be found. We respect and value the radiant goodness we observe in so many other churches, and we do not criticize the beliefs of any group or individual. But it is folly to imagine that we can believe in Jesus Christ and the precepts He taught and receive the full benefit of the blessings and ordinances available only in His restored Church without believing in, championing, and defending that Church.

      “Of course, we should testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and other fundamentals are true, but there is also great importance in testifying of the truth of the Church as an institution. …

      “The truths of the gospel do not require the defense and loyalty of the Saints to maintain them. They are true in and of themselves. But belief in general can become so vague as to have neither motivating nor saving power, and near-infidels can claim adherence (see James 2:19–20). By contrast, a conviction that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true and guided by the Lord leads one to attend meetings, pay tithes and offerings, serve in callings, receive ordinances, and keep the associated covenants. With clear belief and conviction come clear and compelling commitments. In other words, once we know it is true, we become morally obligated to act like it’s true.”
      • Study Elder Cornish’s June 2024 Liahona article and journal about specific ways you can better “[believe] in, [champion], and [defend the] Church”.
    2. “Saints Volume 2, No Unhallowed Hand, 1846–1893: Chapter 19 – The Chambers of the Lord“: “[In the late 1850s], Joseph F. Smith found work driving a team of cattle to Utah. One day, he was gathering firewood when some men rode into camp and threatened to kill any ‘Mormon’ they found.

      “Some men in camp hid in the brush beside a nearby creek. Joseph almost fled into the woods as well, but then he stopped himself. He had once encouraged his sister Martha Ann to ‘be a Mormon, out and out.’ Shouldn’t he do the same?

      “Joseph walked into camp with firewood still in his arms. One of the riders trotted up to him with a pistol in his hand. ‘Are you a Mormon?’ he demanded.

      “Joseph looked him in the eye, fully expecting the man to shoot him. ‘Yes, sirree,’ he said. ‘Dyed in the wool. True blue, through and through.’

      “The man gazed back at Joseph, bewildered. He lowered his pistol and seemed for a moment to be paralyzed. ‘Shake, young fellow,’ he then said, reaching out his hand. ‘I am glad to see a man that stands up for his convictions.’

      “He and the other riders then turned and rode out of camp, and Joseph and the company thanked the Lord for delivering them safely from harm.”
    3. “Saints Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846: A Message from the First Presidency“: “Throughout the scriptures the Lord asks us to remember. Remembering our shared legacy of faith, devotion, and perseverance gives us perspective and strength as we face the challenges of our day.

      “It is with this desire to remember ‘how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men’ (Moroni 10:3) that we present Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days. This is the first volume of a four-volume series. It is a narrative history that includes stories of faithful Latter-day Saints of the past. We encourage all to read the book and make use of the supplementary material available online.

      “You are an important part of the continuing history of this Church. We thank you for all you do to build on the foundation of faith laid by our forebears.

      “We testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that His gospel is the standard of truth today. The Lord called Joseph Smith to be His prophet, seer, and revelator in the latter days, and He continues to call living prophets and apostles to guide His Church.

      “We pray that this volume will enlarge your understanding of the past, strengthen your faith, and help you make and keep the covenants that lead to exaltation and eternal life.”
      • To “stay the course with the true Church of Christ”, commit to studying the four volumes of Saints and “[making] use of the supplementary material available online”.
    4. “Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear: Develop identity-based habits. “It is a simple two-step process: 1. Decide the type of person you want to be. 2. Prove it to yourself with small wins… Once you have a handle on the type of person you want to be, you can begin taking small steps to reinforce your desired identity. I have a friend who lost over 100 pounds by asking herself, ‘What would a healthy person do?’ All day long, she would use this question as a guide. Would a healthy person walk or take a cab? Would a healthy person order a burrito or a salad? She figured if she acted like a healthy person long enough, eventually she would become that person. She was right.”
      • Consider your current habits. Are your current habits reinforcing your identity as someone who will “stay the course with the true Church of Christ”? If not, how might you change this week?
    5. “Discipleship“, President James E. Faust, October 2006 General Conference: “In the early days of the Church, other disciples in addition to Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith also laid down their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ. The faithfulness of Edward Partridge [Edward Partridge is my great-great-great-great-grandfather], the first bishop of the Church, is noted in the Doctrine and Covenants. On July 20, 1833, Edward was sitting at home with his frail wife, who had just given birth. Three mobsters burst in and dragged him into the bedlam of the street and then into the square, where they had already taken Charles Allen. A mob of about 300 demanded through their spokesman that Edward and Charles either renounce their faith in the Book of Mormon or leave the county. Edward Partridge responded: ‘If I must suffer for my religion, it is no more than others have done before me. I am not conscious of having injured anyone in the county and therefore will not consent to leave. I have done nothing to offend anyone. If you abuse me, you are injuring an innocent man.’ The mob then daubed Edward and Charles from head to foot with hot tar containing pearl ash, a flesh-eating acid, and then they threw feathers that stuck to the burning tar.

      “The Prophet Joseph Smith characterized Edward’s death a few years later at age 46 in these words: ‘He lost his life in consequence of the Missouri persecutions, and he is one of that number whose blood will be required at their hands.’ Edward Partridge left a legacy that lives on in a large and righteous posterity.”
      • Church News Podcast Episode 215: Elder Kevin S. Hamilton and Steve Rockwood on 130 years of FamilySearch: [Elder Kevin S. Hamilton] “You know, it’s interesting; there’s a fair amount of data — not our data, but just out of the academic community — that says that when children and youth understand their family narrative, they tend to be much more resilient to life’s ups and downs. ‘My grandparents struggled through the Great Depression. I guess I can struggle through the Great Recession.’ There’s just something about knowing your family’s story. Some of this information was published recently in the New York Times. But I’ve found that even with my own children and grandchildren: As we share their family stories, share our family narrative, it helps them be more resilient, strong, have greater faith. And so I think whether you’re a member of the Church or not, helping the rising generation learn about their family stories has a great positive effect. It blesses families and blesses society.”
      • If you have pioneer ancestors, commit to learning their stories and sharing their stories with others, especially your children. If your ancestors’ stories have not been documented, commit to documenting those stories on FamilySearch.

Take Action

How will you take action on the invitations extended in this General Conference address?

Conclusion

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Tags

Jesus Christ | Love | Obedience

Additional Content

Previous Podcast Episode (“Simple Is the Doctrine of Jesus Christ” by President Henry B. Eyring)

Next Podcast Episode (“Nourish the Roots, and the Branches Will Grow” by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

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