In the Rough - The Blog of Joel McDonald Jr.

I think I’ve finally come to the realization that my true LJ friends are on LJ no more. This is sad…but true. I believe I’ve finalized my decision to code my own blog in the next version of my site. I was worried about interconnectivity…but no one is here is connect to anyways.

I finally got my phone talking to my computer last night. I had to upgrade to Service Park 2 for XP to begin with. After loading the sync software for the phone, the computer couldn’t find the device (well, the software couldn’t anyway). I ended up unintsalling and reinstalling without my firewalls or virus protection on. I’m not sure if turing them off helped, but I’ve been able to sync two times in a row now…and that’s really good. I loaded a text editor, the Sudoku game, and a IP Subnet/Network Calculator (yeah…I’m a geek). Had to pay for the calculator twice (I pay for software…sometimes) because the first version I got didn’t work on my device. Working on a refund for that one (a whopping $3.95). I’m so happy I’ve got my phone working now. I’m not sure if I’m going to invest in the GPS software/receiver for it or if I’m going to get a stand along unit (I’m directionally impaired). It looked like I may have a connection to get a stand along for $100. I may go that route.

Had a great family 4th of July Party yesterday !! Happy Day after Independence Day everyone! While at the party I thought “Shoot! I didn’t patriotic-ize my site!” I guess I’m just not used to updating often (it has been a while).

Might go camping today. A little sore from playing with my younger sister and cousins though. Might just take it easy and watch a few movies…speaking of movies…

Memoires of a Giesha: Three stars. Good movie, but I had some difficulty following it. The cinematography could have been much better with the addition of more vivid colors. If this movie was combined with the flare of Moulin Rouge (a movie which could have used the substance of Memoires), I think it would have been incredible.

Kiss the Girls: One Star. I could have lived well without seeing this movie. Horrible script. Horrible plot (or lack of it). Horrible cinematography. Two things were good about this movie. The basic idea was good and much could have done with it, but wasn’t. Second, Morgan Freeman. I love this actor, but I don’t think he was given much to play on in this movie. He shouldn’t have accepted the role.

The Da Vinci Code: Four Stars. The movie was good. The book was better. I was concerned going into the movie that I was going to have issues accepting Tom Hanks as Rober Langden, however true to form Hanks pulled it off well. It’s always difficult for me to watch a movie after reading the book it was based on. Overall I thought the movie was well done, although there were some scenes that didn’t quite make sense and made me feel like I had missed something.

I love movies. 

Still not employed. Called one of the schools that I submitted a resume to. They said they received my resume and would be setting up an interview soon. I hope to get employed there. It would be a great position for me. (That statement is probably redundant).

Hope everyone is doing well. Ta Ta for Now!

P.S. Looks like LJ is not compatible with Google’s spellcheck…another reason to leave Live Journal behind.

Today I went to church for the first time since returning from Colorado on the 14th. I can’t say that I enjoyed it, but can’t say that it was horrible either. It was certainly nothing like the church service I watched during breakfast (The Crystal Cathedral). Their (the television service) final song of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” moved me to tears with the boy scouts and girl scouts marching into the room with flags, and then a large flag being raised into the tall ceiling. It was quite beautiful and moving.
It was fast and testimony meeting today. I ate breakfast. I forgot that it was Fast Sunday, but even if I had remembered, I probably would have eaten anyway. It’s always interesting to hear the testimonies of the people who get up. The strings of  “I know ____ is true” now have me wondering, can anyone really know that something unseen is true??

I haven’t discussed openly my true feelings about religion. I know that I’ve, in the past as a missionary for the LDS Church, mentioned how I knew that such and such was true because such and such experience. However, now I feel as though I can’t rely on those experiences. I need to be true to what I believe, day in and day out, without having to feel the need to conform to the doctrines and dogmas of others. I need to find my Natural Religion. Even while as a missionary, I have questioned what I truly believe. Below is a rough sketch of what I’ve found…

1. I believe that mankind is unable to comprehend the exact nature, disposition, and purpose of God in mortality. There can be no human authority to which man ought to be accountable for his religious ideas. I accept my own inability to comprehend the designs of God and will continually seek to increase my understanding throughout my life. I reserve the right to change my beliefs as my understanding changes.

2. I believe in One Supreme, Intelligent and Transcendent Reality called God.

3. I believe that salvation will come to all mankind, in one degree or another, through the love and mercy of God which is manifested in Jesus Christ, an example for all mankind.

4. I believe Jesus Christ was fully a man who taught principles of love, compassion, mercy, charity, and forgivess. Because of his ability to love all mankind, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and thus had the ability to perform miracles beneficial to his fellow man. He can be the Messiah of the Messianic Age, and King in the Kingdom of God, if mankind will follow his teachings and love all people.

5. I believe that most of the destruction and misery in the world is born of man’s inability to love. If God expects anything from us, surely it is that we love one another as ourselves, as Jesus Christ taught by word and example.

6. I believe that men are responsible for their own actions within the limits of their individual consciousness, beliefs, abilities, and opportunities; however all are responsible in opposing harmful human intentions. A person may become a Spirit filled agent of God, and true disciple of Christ, by loving all people, and seeking to bring peace and happiness, The Messianic Age and Kingdom of God, to their life and the lives of others.

7. I believe that as all men are given life by God, men must trust God for life after mortality.

Like I mentioned, it’s a rough sketch to just give you an idea of my thoughts concerning God. I am a Christian, in as much as I try to live the teachings of Jesus Christ.

For some time now, I’ve considered myself to be a Unitarian Universalist Christian. While I technically am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (for now), I just don’t feel that it is the place for me. As I have searched for what I truly believe, I find too much in the LDS Church that I either disagree with or is, I feel, irrelevant.

For me, I feel that God would be more pleased with one who is always learning and adapting to what they know and feel, and even changing their religious opinions to fit; than with one who finds something they can agree with at that time and builds a wall to keep it safe, never stepping out to consider what they’ve secured may not be the best solution for them.

Anyway, enough with my theological rambling. Things are otherwise going fine for me. I hope to be invited to a couple of interviews with two elementary schools this week. I really want the Data Support Specialist position. I think it would be perfect.

On another note: Got Apache and PHP running on my system, so now I’m learning PHP. Pretty cool stuff. Hope to implement some of it on my site soon.

Until next time…. - Joel