R.I.P.

October 20th, 2010

The poor, bruised and beaten Work Shoes Of Justin were laid to rest ceremoniously into a garbage can after more than a year of dedicated service and abuse. A Photograph is not included due to the sad state of the bodies' appearance-- we would prefer that they were remembered as they were in their better days... On a lighter note, new work shoes have been purchased ($37!!! At PayLESS???) and today have begun their courageous crusade of walking, running, and stepping in strange new gross things 8+ hours a day.


I heard today the coolest Remix of Pixar's UP- If you click on the title of this post, you will be directed to a blog featuring the video. In my opinion a work of art worth appreciating.

I love jumping.

Often it takes a running start,
a little preparation of which I am all too fond,
but the jumping is definitely there.
Over hills, into holes,
through rings and clouds
of interesting people
that’s where I’ve found my favorite past times
memories bottled up
then drunk in reflection
now a whole new part of this self.
To jump is to love
oneself and everything around.
And when I happen to land
in a bit of mud
something sharper
harder than expected
that’s when I appreciate.
The colors of soil
swirled into a fluid marble
reflecting
the grandness of things still greater than myself
and the miraculous ability of one soul
to stand, recover,
rebuild the broken, severed, and burned bits
into a much better jumper.

Blogging: From the Voice of the Prophets

Because I was working I missed the Priesthood Session of General Conference, so now I am going back and watching the recording online in my own personal "makeup session." I was very surprised to hear in the very first talk by Elder Russel M. Nelson very specific divine direction to us as Latter-Day Saints in the Blogging Community. I'm not a terribly active or involved member of this community, nevertheless I thought it important that I include such instruction in my humble journal. I probalby included a little more than is actually necessary, but it's all just too good and I highlighted the section I'm referring to:



"Scripture tells us that “there are many yet on the earth … who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it.” Isn’t that your opportunity? You can become their own disciple of discovery!

Now in this day of the Internet, there are new and exciting ways you can do missionary work. You can invite friends and neighbors to visit the new mormon.org Web site. If you have blogs and online social networks, you could link your sites to mormon.org. And there you can create your own personal profile. Each profile includes an expression of belief, an experience, and a testimony. Because this is a new feature, most of these profiles are available in English. Profiles in other languages will follow.

These profiles can have a profound influence for good. Two months ago a young man named Zac—a freshman in college—saw an ad for mormon.org on television in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He connected with the Web site and was intrigued by the profiles of Church members. At our Web site he found the link that informed him where he could attend church. The next Sunday, dressed in a white shirt and tie, he attended church, was introduced to members of the ward, and enjoyed all three hours of meetings. He was invited to a member’s home for dinner, followed by his first missionary lesson. In less than two weeks, he was baptized and confirmed as a member of the Church. Welcome, Zac! (He is listening.)

Each exemplary follower of Jesus Christ can become an effective member missionary. Members and full-time missionaries may walk arm in arm in bringing the blessings of the gospel to cherished friends and neighbors. Many of them are of Israel, now being gathered as promised. This is all part of the preparation for the Second Coming of the Lord. He wants each of us truly to be an example of the believers.

I know that God lives. Jesus is the Christ. This is His Church. The Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith is its translator and the prophet of this last dispensation. President Thomas S. Monson is God’s prophet today. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I'm still not very well attuned to the operations of this site, but I think I've linked mormon.org to the title of this post, and I will see if I can make it a more obvious part of my page. I did a little poking around myself on the mormon.org site and checked out the section including member profiles. It's awesome! There are personal experiences, conversion stories, and all kinds of encouraging testimonies and information just sitting there user-friendly with photos attached. I'm going to have to start to put my own profile together and encourage others to do so. There is so much evil out there on the web and I'm glad to find a little of what is holy as well. So to all you bloggers out there: Remember You Are A Missionary!

Justin David

A Mighty Man of God

Today a lovely friend of mine up at BYU sent me a text message:
"Dearest bestest guy friends, I would really like to thank you for being such incredible men of God. Keep it up :) Alma 48:16."

There was a time when I might have though "that's nice" and switched off my phone, but I've grwon a little since then and had some time since I just started my lunch break. I opened up the book of Alma:

"17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

I love uplifting messages that pop up in the middle of my day. Thank you, Elise! What made Moroni such a great guy was that he was a man of God. Captain Moroni was the man who fortified the cities of the Nephites. He raised the Title of Liberty and consecrated his life to defending his people, his country, and his God. One of my favorite things about Moroni was that he was kind of Mormon's hero; I mean Mormon named his son after him. When Mormon was serving as general during the final battles of the Nephites, you can see how he emulated the same strategies that the plates describe Moroni used during his great wars-- only they didn't work because the Nephites were the wickedest they had ever been, and were doomed to fail no matter how much Mormon did for them. If I could have the zeal and diligence that moroni did, if I could be half the father that Mormon was, I would be unafraid to call myself a true Man of God.
Again I have to thak Elise and all those strong, righteous, and beautiful young women out there who encourage young men to stay on the right path and true to the gospel. I can attest that we need all the help we can get, especially from you who seem to have a foot through heaven's door already.

Gird Your Loins With Truth

Thanks to the upcoming General Conference, Stake Conference, and October Primary Program Justin will not need to prepare a single Primary Lesson for another month. Perhaps he will use the time to do some recreational reading, go geocaching, or actually put something up on his blog. Only time can tell.

Today I spent some time reading an email home from one of my friends in the mission field who is right now serving in the phillipines. It being a mission and all, I can't exactly share all of the awesome things he is now experiencing because I'm only writing during my lunch break, and there is just too much cool stuff. Instead, I would like to expand on a little comment he shared that came from President Faust: When Jesus was in the desert and in the process of being tempted by the devil, how did he combat his foe? Let's take a look at the scriptures (taken from scriptures.lds.org):

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not atempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, aand, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
(Matthew 4:1-11)

Christ fought with scripture! At a moment when Jesus was weakened (at least physically) by days of fasting, he showed us that one of the best ways to deal with the adversary is with the truth found in the scriptures and words of the prophets. This really means a lot to me right now, as I am trying to go back and rememorize the scriptures masteries I learned back in High School. Not just to be able to find them and maybe recite them mostly if I think about it, but to have them down pat-- in order, any time, any place, and by topic as well as I can recite the articles of faith. So far I've been at it about a month and have the Book of Mormon up until Jacob 2:8-9, and Doctrine Covenants 14:7 (including the first four verses of the JSH section... that's a long one so I'm doing it a little at a time). Having those scriptures in my arsenal has already been a great blessing in my life as I use them to answer questions brought by my primary students; I'm sure that I will be greatful for them on my mission and for the rest of my life.

Stay strong everyone, the gospel is true!

Justin David

Shivalree ain't be ded yett, fuu!

So for those of you who don't know, I happen to more or less live in the 'ghetto' part of town. This surprises a lot of people considering I'm probably the least 'ghetto' person you'll ever meet-- I speak excellent english (ex-english major), have a generally mellow temperament, eagle scout, tend to stay in school, do my homework, go to church, drive the speed limit... you get the picture. If you're looking for trouble, well, you probably won't find me there.

Anyway, so the other night I was pulling in front of my house after a long day of work and I drive past this guy double parked in front of a condominium near mine. He's got his engine running and is honking his horn like he thinks it's a snare drum. I could hear him coming all the way around the circle, and it takes a little while for me to collect my apron and work things from the back seat, so he had probably been sitting there honking for a good five, possibly ten or so minutes. Well, as I'm unlocking my door a lady dressed up kind of nicely flings open the door he's parked in front of and screams "Come up to the door and knock, you idiot! Just cause you LIVE in the ghetto doesn't mean you got to BE ghetto!"

As her words registered in my mind, I imagined them appearing on a t-shirt. I have to give major props to this woman, and hope her man either shapes up or she gets a new one. You don't see that many guys these days opening the door, or walking on the outer part of the sidewalk, or doing any of those little things that show respect. I must admit it's even a little harder for me now that my car only unlocks from the driver's side-- if I want to open my date's door I usually have to run REALLY fast and hope they have trouble with the broken handle.

Brambles

"Throughout the world and among the membership of the church, there is great joy and great pain. Both are part of the plan. Without one, we cannot know the other. 'Men are that they might have joy' (2 Nephi 2:25)and 'for it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things' (2 Nephi 2:11) are not contradictory; they are complementary. In describing how he felt when he turned to the Lord, Alma the Younger said, 'My soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.' (Alma 36:20)." (Elder Donald L. Hallstrom, Turn to the Lord Ensign May 2010)


I ran into this quote during my studies and felt that it eloquently summed the need we have for tribulation in our lives. It is so hard to see when we go through hard times how much those had times contribute to the growth of our character and our abilities.

When I juggle, I would not appreciate the ease with which I catch the balls, or the thrill of initiating a faster or altered clawing sequence if i hadn't been for all the hours I remember of dropping ball after ball watching as they roll mischeviously under chairs, couches, shopping carts, parked cars, and various thorny brambles-- then crawling over, around, and through each obstacle so that I could drop the ball again.

Similarly, when I sit in testimony meeting and cry quietly as a child stands to bear pure testimonty of my Savior Jesus Christ, I would not appreciate the overwhelming sense of peace and joy brought by the Comforter quite as much had I not all the terrible memories of loneliness and perceived despair brought on by sin, confusion, and frustration.

By walking among struggling members of the church and looking back on the stepping stones in my life, I know that the Lord lets us experience adversity for a reason-- if it's not for us to learn a lesson, then it is to give someone else the opportunity to serve. I try my best to be tankful for the trials that I'm given and perhaps more greatful for the ones that I'm not. Bearing testimony of my Savior, His Atonement, and the presence of the Gospel and a living prophet upon the earth I leave this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.