A talk on forgiveness
Before you start
This page is a template, not a talk. It's here to get your brain going. It's totally normal to feel nervous.
The best advice I can give you is to be you. What could you bring into this talk that's yours? Your view, your happiness, the joy the gospel has brought into your life. Pray about that. Think about it for a day.
The Gospel Library app has a ton of good material, so use it. Plenty of AI tools will happily write this talk for you too. Use them to brainstorm if it helps... but don't let them write it. You write the talk.
A prompt for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, or whatever you use
I'm giving a 10-minute talk on forgiveness in church. Don't write the talk for me. Ask me five questions, one at a time, to help me find a story from my own life that fits. Then suggest a simple outline built from my answers, with blanks where my own words go.
Who is it for
How long
A 10-minute talk on forgiveness
About 1,300 words when you read it aloud. Built from conference talks mainly about forgiveness.
Stories you could open with
Scriptures talks are built on
Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10 the main scripture in 18 talks
Doctrine and Covenants 58:42-43 the main scripture in 12 talks
Matthew 6:14-15 the main scripture in 5 talks
Luke 15:11-32 the main scripture in 4 talks
Teach from prophets, apostles, and leaders
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2023
Have the courage to repent and come home, because God and His people will welcome you.
Gerrit W. Gong, 2021
Trust God, who waits to welcome us home, and make His Church a home for each other.
Something that happened to you goes here, about 2 minutes.
Your testimony. What you know about forgiveness, in your own words.
What you type is saved on this device, even if you close the page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Your talk
Your talk so far
A 10-minute talk on forgiveness Danny overcomes addiction, serves a mission, and is assured he has been forgiven. (K. Brett Nattress, 2023) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/04/33nattress?lang=eng Doctrine and Covenants 64:9-10 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/64?lang=eng&id=p9#p9 Have the courage to repent and come home, because God and His people will welcome you. (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home, 2023) https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/45uchtdorf?lang=eng Something that happened to you goes here, about 2 minutes. ______________________ Your testimony. What you know about forgiveness, in your own words. ______________________
Want cue cards? Our free cue card maker turns your talk into cards you can read at arm’s length.
Make cue cards from this talkTalks to read first
K. Brett Nattress, 2023
A young man lost to drugs repents, serves a mission, and learns Christ has fully forgiven him.
Kristin M. Yee, 2022
Yee teaches that through Christ we can forgive those who hurt us and be healed.
Jeffrey R. Holland, 2018
Holland urges members to forgive old offenses and become peacemakers through Christ.
Larry J. Echo Hawk, 2018
Echo Hawk tells how his family forgave the drunk driver who killed his brother and urges all to forgive.
Kevin R. Duncan, 2016
Duncan teaches that forgiving others frees victims and leaves justice to God.
Questions people ask
- How long should a talk on forgiveness be?
- As long as you were asked to fill. Sacrament meeting talks usually run five to fifteen minutes and youth talks are often shorter, so ask whoever gave you the assignment.
- How do I start a talk on forgiveness?
- With a story. Pick one from this page or from your own life, then read the scripture that fits it. The outline on this page puts them in order.
- Can I use AI to write a talk on forgiveness?
- Use it to brainstorm, not to write. The prompt on this page has AI ask you questions, so the talk ends up in your words.
- Is this an official Church site?
- No. It’s a family project. Every story and talk links to the real one on churchofjesuschrist.org, so read it there before you use it.