St. Joseph High School students witnessed a dynamic and highly-energized guest speaker on February 24th who made his presentation in the St. Joseph Church sanctuary. Nathan Harmon, a motivational speaker and founder of Youth Life Speaks, has been on a personal mission in recent years to help the many young people he encounters to recognize their own potential and to realize they're more than any problems that might be holding them back.
Harmon spoke with authority and conviction. In his own youth, he weathered the effects of a broken home, suicidal thoughts, alcohol and drug abuse, bulimia and he was even sentenced to prison for several years. He'd been convicted of vehicular homicide over a drunk driving accident he caused which resulted in the death of a close friend. It was at that low point in his life that Harmon made the decision to make better choices, find his faith, and inspire others to do the same. He related to the audience with the vivid details of his story while asking questions of the students about struggles they or their friends might be having.
The literal high point of his presentation involved a tall ladder that had been placed on the church altar. Harmon compared it to fellow humans. "The only way you can go up is from the bottom to the top," he said. "But you can't do it alone. You need others to support it to keep you from falling." A couple of students and teachers were then called up to steady the ladder as Harmon quickly ascended it with both feet landing on top without hesitation or unsteadiness. Everyone was amazed. He did this to drive home the point that with God's help, along with the support of parents, teachers, coaches or other mentors, students can overcome any difficulty and become whatever God intends for them to be.