Growing up

Josh had a talk this Sunday. He had been thinking about it all week. On Monday during Family Home Evening we discussed what he could do and then we read our scriptures - Ether 3. That chapter fit perfectly with his topic. Tender Mercy

We got through the week. School is still very hard and he lives for cross country, it makes life bearable for him. Saturday he had a meet. Craig had to dash off to see his grandma and I stayed with the boys. I asked Josh about his talk. He said it was done and kept playing his video game. After a bit I told him to go get it and practice his talk with me as an audience. He felt weird, but he got out his computer and couldn't find his notes. PANIC!

He spent the next hour or so recreating what he had lost. He never did end up practicing with me, but at least I knew he was working on it. We hooked up his laptop (CA school provided) to the printer and got it to print out.

Sunday morning we head to Church early - Craig is a get to places early kind of guy. I have learned the blessings of such a habit.

Josh turned to look at me with panic in his eyes. He didn't have the talk. His dad was parking the car and I sent him out to see if it was in the car. No. Craig headed home to retreave the talk with a list of three places that it might be. Josh sat on the stand nervously watching the door. Boaz and I warmed the bench. Craig came in with the precious piece of paper just as we starting singing the opeining song. (Blessings of arriving early - time to return home and get back again before the Sacrament.)

I just snooped in Josh's scriptures and found his notes. 

He stood up, his nervousness obvious to his father and I, and delivered a well thought out talk. He didn't umm and ahh through it. His voice was a bit altered by nerves, but he spoke clearly. I was so proud of him.

His topic was Developing a testimony of Jesus Christ. He looked up a talk given by President Uchtdorf who listed four steps to gaining a personal testimony.

1. Have a desire to believe.

2. Search the scriptures.

3. Find the will of God and then help further the work by acting on His wishes.

4. Ponder, fast and pray for knowledge we need to form our testimony.

"A testimony is a most precious possession because it is not acquired by logic or reason alone, it cannot be purchased with earthly possessions, and it cannot be given as a present or inherited from our ancestors. We cannot depend on the testimonies of other people. We need to know for ourselves." Deiter F. Uchtdorf

Josh then related the four steps to the brother of Jared taking the stones up the mountain and seeing the finger of the Lord.

His end notes:

We are not given knowledge or spiritual wisdom, only opportunity to find those ourselves.

      Trials are given to us so we can become better.

      The Lord never forces us, only presents us with an opportunity.

      The lessons we learn from experiences are completely determined by our attitude towards the experience itself.

The people around us smiled and told us de did a good job. I said thank you like it was all me. Later I tried to say thank you I will tell him. I feel a bit bad I was kind of taking credit for his talk.

He is growing up. That was listening to his father during Family Home Evening and then running with it. 

Just one more note on Josh. It was a missionary farewell Sunday. The missionary did a fabulous job on his talk. He had just finished his Eagle. He is leaving for the MTC on Wednesday and didn't have time for an Eagle Court of Honor, so they presented his award during Opening Excersizes for Priesthood. They invited the Eagle's Nest to assemble and stand up front. Josh was the only kid to stand with the men in the Nest. As he is struggling with the more demanding work load in school this year, yesterday he had two concrete examples that he can do hard things.