Reviewed by Noelle Jensen, LDSFiles.com Staff Writer

A Prophet's Voice; Inspiring Quotes from Spencer W. Kimball

Retail Price: $13.95 Available here

Spencer W. Kimball was the prophet of my childhood, so to be able to sit and
read of his words as an adult has been an especially delightful experience.
The book begins with a compilation of the major events that occured in
President Kimball's life that shaped him into the amazing prophet of God he
truly was. I was especially touched by the response he had when he received
the call to be an Apostle for the Lord Jesus Christ. "On July 8, 1943,
Spencer arrived home for lunch as the phone rang. The voice of President J.
Reuben Clark, Jr., crackled across the phone lines. 'Spencer, do you have
chair handy? The Brethren have just chosen you to fill one of the vacancies
in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.' Spencer protested that it couldn't
be-that there must be some mistake-as he slid to the floor. President Clark
reassured him. In an instant, every petty mistake, every misunderstanding,
every wounded feeling raced through his mind. Voices seemed to ask, How
could you be an Apostle? You're not worthy. You can't do it." With this
awesome task of being an Apostle of the Lord looming in front of him Spencer
went to the mountains and prayed for a confirmation from the Lord, he
received it and was granted that peace that so many of us search for as we
struggle with our own feelings of inadequacy. I found such comfort in the
fact that he, too, battled with feeling insufficient to fill a calling from
the Lord but, through it all, he was willing; and upon receiving that
confirmation he went forward with faith knowing the Lord would make up the
difference.

After the preliminary introduction into Spencer's life the book is broken
into subjects; all alphabetical starting with adversity and touching on such
subjects of love, hunting, character, wealth and so on. Each page contains
manna for the soul, bits and pieces of heavenly messages that are the
perfect complement to a lesson, talk, or short message. As you read the
quotes on the subjects that the Lord chose President Kimball to address, you
can feel his immense love for all the Lord's creations- from the tiny
sparrow to the mortality and frailties of man. He understood our
difficulties in overcoming the natural man but gave encouragement to each us
through the phrase "lengthening our stride." This entailed choosing to do
the Lord's will in all things whether great or small. To help achieve this
change of heart he gave this direction: "First we make ourselves humble. We
change our own lives; that is the beginning. We all want to change the
nation in a day. A nation is made up of individuals. We start and change our
own lives, then we help another life get the same ideals-and then there are
two lives." With this simple formula and the ever recognized "lengthen our
stride" mantra, we are able to make a larger impact for good than even we
can imagine. I would encourage every family to add this simple volume to
their library. It is an addition everyone will enjoy. As you peruse the
pages of President Kimball's quotes you will feel your testimony grow, "your
mind will be properly stirred and fed" and as you 'come listen to the
Prophet's voice, you will hear the Word of God.'

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