Posters

I learned a valuable lesson the other day that has to do with music, but the principle can be applied to so much more. I had a conversation with someone who is quite musically inclined, and I was explaining to him that I wanted to be better at the guitar and better at singing. He asked me who my favorite music artist was, and I told him Jack Johnson. Then he proceeded with a follow up question: Is Jack Johnson an amazing guitarist or singer? Honestly, he's not. But he's an incredible musician.

I mean, I'm a decent musician, but sometimes I don't feel good enough.  It's great to have that desire to get better, but I shouldn't beat myself up because I'm not the best.  In a Jack Johnson song called Posters, he sings:


Looking at himself but wishing he was someone else
Because the posters on the wall they don't look like him at all

Looking at herself but wishing she was someone else
Because the body of the doll it don't look like hers at all

The world today has a way of portraying what we should look like, who we should be, and how good we should be at it.  We don't need to be like the people in the posters to be worth something.  We must remember that "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  (D&C 18:10).  No matter what the world thinks of us, we are all great in the sight of God.  And remember, "it's better to look up." ~ Thomas S. Monson.

Broken

First off, I know what you're thinking: another Jack Johnson blog?  Well, music is something that I can relate to.  I've been playing music ever since I can remember, and plus, you can never have too much Jack Johnson.  The song that I want to talk about this time is a song called Broken.  The song talks about Jack and another person, although it is never revealed who Jack Johnson is talking about.  We can get a lot from it by a line from the chorus though.  The chorus is: "Without you I was broken, but I'd rather be broke down with you by my side."

The question is, who is the 'you' that Jack Johnson is talking about?  Without out this person, he was broken, but even if he is broken, he'd rather have this person there.  So I ask myself who am I broken without?  Well a few answers come to mind: my family and friends are two big ones, but those only cover some aspects of my 'broken-ness.'  The one person that we are all truly broken without is Jesus Christ.

We are completely broken without him.  Acts 4:12 reads, "..for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."  It is only in and through Christ that we can return to live with God.  Even with him in our lives, we will still face some "breakdowns."  It's inevitable.  But remember, without him we are broken, but we'd much rather be broke down with him by our side.  When we have those breakdowns, He'll be there to lift us up and to help us through it.  May we always strive to have him by our side.

Slow Down

There are very few music artists that I could listen to all day long.  Jack Johnson is one of them.  With his combination of acoustic and blues, it just sings to my soul.  Inaudible Melodies, an album and song by Jack Johnson, is a perfect example of his style.  There is a line in one of his songs that I sort of live by.  I'm a sort of 'go with the flow' kind of guy.  I don't like to rush, but sometimes there are so many things that we have to do in a day, that we are forced to rush.  Here's the start of the chorus of the song Inaudible Melodies:

Slow down everyone you're moving too fast
Frames can't catch you when you're moving like that

Are we moving too fast?  Is life too busy?  We often find ourselves are running here, there and everywhere.  We may think to ourselves, "Where has the time gone?"  Many times, our life is filled with so many activities and events that we don't have time to stop and focus on the things that really matter.  Addressing the same topic, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "We would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most."

There's nothing wrong with stepping back and slowing down.  With all of the different things we have to fit into our schedule, are we remembering to fit in those things that matter most?  Do we make it a point to put the precious things first in life, or is our life constantly cluttered so much that we cover those things up?  We must find the balance.  That is when we can excel.  May we all manage our minutes better to make room for those things that matter most.

Saturday's Gone?

One of my favorite musicians, Jack Johnson, wrote a song called Taylor which not only is a catchy song, but it has great lyrics as well.  There is one line that sticks out to me every time I listen to it though.  It says, "He thinks that singing on Sunday's gonna save his soul, now that Saturday's gone."  This line gets me thinking about what religion is, and how big of a role should it play in our lives.

Let's start with the first question, what is religion?  My first thoughts would be something you believe.  As I pondered more and more about it, I realized that it's much more than just a belief.  Religion is something you live.  It's a way of life. 

Now for the second question, how big of a role should religion play in our lives?  My first thoughts are we have church on Sunday and occasionally a youth group activity in the middle of the week.  Those are the things that involve going to church, but do we have to physically go to the church for it to have an impact in our lives?  Absolutely not.  We have to take the things we learn there and apply them to our lives to help others and ourselves.

Matthew 7:21 reads, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  We must live our religion in order to enter into the Kingdom of heaven, not just believe it.  We must follow in the footsteps of the only perfect man to walk the face of the earth, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He will never lead us astray.