Response to "A Child of God" by Henry B. Eyring

I was excited to read this talk from the beginning because Elder Eyring is who you might call my favorite general authority. I met him when he came to reorganize my stake presidency a few years ago and love to listen to him speak. This talk was no different. I could tell right away that he has a great talent for rhetoric because he began his talk with both flattery and a short story, both guaranteed to engage any audience. His writing is full of patterns (as is mine, I like to think). When he gets to listing the qualities of a great learner, the layout is evident: the characteristic, academic examples, spiritual examples, and doctrine. He also used similar wording, such as calling these characteristics "natural" to LDS people three different times. Most importantly, I was excited to see the same pattern for closing that so many other great men use: calling you on feeling the Spirit, challening you to follow it, bearing testimony, and promising blessings. As a speaker, President Eyring is both intellectual and persuasive, a combination that attracts many learners, including myself.