Chaotic Body

Closing faces, blinding eyes, watered over
Still no heart beat but a lub dub in your throat
Balmy sweat that drips forensics on the forehead
Nameless notions swallowed slowly by listless lips
Pacemaker in your stomach grinds these lazy minutes
Becoming electrical pulses, a shock of this statesman
Who knew the seconds multiplied infinite over
Took back this soft spoken tongue ignited in flame
Now just a ringing by the anvil in these caverns

A Gaze To Ponder

The bench screams hard and my body cold
Fingers once chilled now nearing numb
Yet the mind forgets to grow weary
These tender eyes gaze upon the House
The place where outgoings are from Him
Home to come from a foundation firm
My heart feels far less then once before
Realize now that a quilt was once a thread
Woven by tireless hands that knew no seam
To soften a life, to kindle a heart of sorts
No doubt worth the potential arthritis
For apart from parting is another blink
Feet that muster to squint a setting sun
Upon a feeble chariot, one mounts tall
In order to ride, no more fear of collision

El Tren

El Tren
My shoes kick the textured yellow strip
A hair closer and a modern day scalping
Distasteful at best but a social reality
Rather then wait, a push ahead gets the go
Why go up when legs scream sit here
Nose bleeds and thinner air, naturally
But a vista that takes such a precedence
Not going to unplug myself from acting
Simply a technological revolution starting
So a bizarre concoction of words spilt
Finally become a motivation to do likewise
No hurling, this ride is smooth as silk
A caterpillar’s invention, man’s discovery
At least you listened in a foreign language
To a rhythm that went without saying
A new progression that needs no introduction

Spiritual Snipets

One of my favorite things in life is attending institute classes taught by S. Michael Wilcox. This guy has been given a true gift for not only obtaining and retaining knowledge, but also sharing it with others. I have tried a number of other classes and with the right spirit and desire, valuable lessons can be obtained. But nothing has ever caught my attention and retained it like Wilcox's classes. Before the mission I took Pearl of Great Price and Women in the Scriptures. This semester I'm in the first half of the Old Testament. So in this first blog in many long months, I would like to share some snipets of knowledge I have obtained from Brother Wilcox. I hope you enjoy. Also, feel free to comment with your feelings. Before proceeding, a last note should be made. Some of the snipets below may not be pure doctrine. Just like any of us, he has the liberty to make his opinions on things. You can choose to accept or sweep aside the snipets below.
1. "It is Better to be intellectually uncertain rather than to be superficially sure." This is a fantastic quote, especially for the study of the Old Testament. There are many things that are vague in the Old Testament. Some things are literal, some are figurative, and we aren't always certain which are which. Thus I love this quote. Some people are willing to bet their life on some piece of doctrine or another that they are really only "superficially sure" about. I hope that as I obtain spiritual knowledge, I will focus on being intellectually uncertain about some of the more ambiguous things.
2.Going on with the first quote are "One spoke concepts." If you can picture a wagoon wheel or a bike wheel, it has a center hub with many spokes going to the outer rim. These spokes serve to provide strength and support so the wheel can sustain weight as it rolls. Now picture how long a one spoked wheel would last. Not long. The problem is, it just can't support much weight. In the church, throughout the years there have been many "one spoke quotes" or "one spoke concepts." They have been made by members, Apostles, and even Prophets. They may be true, but it is better to put our weight on quotes and concepts that have been backed up repeatedly by a number of valid sources.
3. The flood could have been a local flood. The logistics just don't make sense when you think of every animal in the world fitting in the ark. It is possible that the flood was a local flood.
4. Read Genesis chapters 21 and 22. "Can we have faith and trust in a God who is often incomprehensible; who makes and fulfills unbelievable promises and demands unthinkable sacrifices." That is a question each of us must ask ourselves. These two chapters show the amazing promises the Lord made(that Abraham and Sarah would have son) and then he required an unthinkable sacrifice of them(the sacrifice of Issac). We can't comprehend our God. At times he may give us things we never deserved or asked for and at other times he may require things of us that we don't think possible. We must pray for faith in this great God.

These are just a few for now. If these snipets are enjoyed, I will continue to add more as the semester continues.
-Juice

The Accounting Drudgery

I hunker down in my leather chair and release the lever till the back swings low enough to skim my bench. I spin around in my confined space, bumping the table until it sways. I lean forward in the semi natural light; the accounting book still lays open-faced on my desk in front of me. I squint through my lint ridden glasses at the story problems of the practice test. I'll work one, get answer C and then check the key. Wrong again! Oh these cunning people, purposely putting the wrong answers on the key, knowing all too well the mistakes we will make. I swivel closer to my computer, only to burn more precious time surfing sites I have already hit at least twice today. My phone sits quiet. Even though she texted an hour or so ago, it feels longer. Danielle left me for some other...cruise. Can i blame her? No, no I can't. If I were done with finals and had California sitting in front of my nose, I'd be whiffing that up the nostrils too. So although I miss her and am jealous of the good time she's having, I'm glad she isn't still thinking about grade calculations and pesky finals. As I ponder on procrastination, I come full circle in realizing it won't prolong the inevitable forever. Soon i must figure out how to factor a bond's discount rate and determine whether a stock is preferred or common. So now would be a good time to get back to it. I think I can stick to it for a good solid five minutes. Let me try....

Expressions of the Mind

Sometimes the world screams my name
And chases me around till my legs give out
I slip into the grass as if it is made of down
I close my eyes to release the reeling darkness
Waiting for the key to unlock this jigsaw
To release his organ from a trove of momentos
Clasping my hand around these blades I squeeze
Juice flows from my veins into the dry topsoil
Floating upon a layer of these lasting impressions
They let my limbs etch out a list of flowing letters
Until we’ve spelled out the ultimate expression

Help your Utah Jazz!

As the semester comes to a close the jazz tip off the second game against the Houston Rockets.  After being in the D.R for two years, it is nice to be cheering the jazz on again.  I like being a jazz fan.  I decide that as a loyal Jazz fan, I should do my part in supporting the Jazz.  Thus, I am now accepting donations to support the Jazz.  This is a true way to show your love for the jazz.  Your donations are preferred in check and can be made out to Justin Lake.  Please make out checks in the amount of 100 dollar intervals.  Rest assured that your money is going toward a good cause, rooting the jazz on to victory!  

Finally, April 15th!

As Christmas nears, you can see the anticipation in the eyes of every youngster.  I have seen this same anticipation in the Ace's eyes.  January on through April 15th require the "shoulder to the wheel" at LHM.  Finally, after tonight midnight, the mad rush, the stress, will be relieved;  At least some of it will.  On behalf of all the family, we wish to thank you Ace for all the years of biting the bullet, for putting in the long hours.  We know how hard you work and are all grateful for your great work ethic.  So give it a go today and then sleep cozy tonight.  Then you can take off to St. George for a little sunshine by the pool.  After that we can hit up Costco and outfit you with that well deserved big screen...!

The Essex and Self-Smarting Gratitude!

I felt the urge to read a book. So to whom did I go? The book worm of the family of course: Spence. That, by the way, comes as a compliment. He referred a handful of books to me, most of which have more pages then a 2-year mission has days. He finally caught my attention when he mentioned "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whale ship Essex.” I dove into it and just yesterday I finished. Nantucket, a small island off the coast of Massachusetts, was a booming whaling community. In 1819, it sent off the whaling ship Essex. The Essex proceeded to sailed around South America before being attacked by a giant Sperm Whale in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The book tells the story of what happened to these 19 men as they fought death for 93 days at sea in 25 foot whaling boats. 8 men survived off of hardtack bread and the bodies of their dead shipmates. As I read the book, I learned about starvation, dehydration, sperm whales, the pacific ocean, other disasters at sea, navigation, Nantucket, the Quaker belief, cannibalism, and endurance. Some may nestle into a comfortable chair in their luxurious houses and read of such horrifying events, judging these men for resorting to cannibalism. I did not do this. I sat amazed at their determination, their will to live. I became grateful for the meals I have to eat, the water I have to drink. I have a hard time going 24 hours fasting; I can’t imagine starving for 3 months. I can’t judge these men for their actions. How can we understand the workings of the human mind from starvation if we have never starved? Their actions are to be judged by God the Almighty only. My heart went out to these men. At times I was glued to the book, anxious to see how their predicament would play out. I would encourage anyone looking to self-smart themselves (see You Tube video “Self smart”) to read this book. Pick it up, put yourself into it, let your heart go out to these poor men, and you too may become a little more grateful your blessed circumstances in life!

APRIL FOOLS!

Ok, Ok, so yesterday's post was just a joke!  Danielle and I are dating of course but not engaged.  E pa' lante que vamos!