My Jersey Sponsor (Remix)

So, I posted a very similar blog (the first part is identical, in fact) May 2011, but when I wrote it, I thought of another comparison I could make, so I decided to hold off for a while, rewrite it with the other idea, and republish it. It's not been almost 10 months, so I figured that was long enough. If you'd like to see the original post, you can check it out here.

Soccer is a unique sport, in many ways, but right now I'm going to focus specifically on the jersey. Look at any team in the EPL, and you won't see what you see on, say, an NFL jersey. NFL you see the team name or city/state they're from with the number on the front, then the last name and number on the back. EPL, you'll see a company on the front, with a small shield on the left chest with the team name and logo, then on the back you'll see the name and number. This is also seen in many (though not all, yet) MLS teams. Why is that? Honestly, I'm not entirely sure, but there are some pretty cool looking ones out there. Each team is represented by someone different. Several of the teams are so big, and their partnerships have been with them for so long, that they become seemingly synonymous. I mostly think of Chelsea and Samsung, and Arsenal and Fly Emirates (the same used to be said of Liverpool and Carlsberg and Manchester United and AIG, but they've recently changed). Well, usually you'll only see one company in a league, but you do see Rangers and Celtic (huge rivalry) both sponsored by Carling in the Scottish League. But, you'll never see an English team with their town written on their jersey, it'll always be a company. The MLS is slowly working towards that, with a majority sporting some kind of company.
So, we've come to the part of the blog where we find the relevance of what I just wrote about it our every days lives. It's really quite simple, actually: when we were baptized, we covenanted to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ. Once we've done this, we've become a part of a team, but rather than having a company be the displaying name, it's the Savior. We're to live accordingly, and make our actions in line with what Christ expects of us. We're changed, and we are representing something and someone much bigger than ourselves. Just as the company on a soccer jersey comes to almost symbolize the team itself, so should we be closely linked to the Savior. Just like when people think Fulham, they'll think FxPro, people should see us and think of Jesus Christ. We should always be living our lives in a way that would be pleasing to Him, as well as make us an example of the believer. So, wear that name with pride!

Gospel and Comic Books Part 5: Enduring to the End

Consider the following... You're in a battle. This is no ordinary battle: There are people throwing fireballs at you, other people flying overhead, and did that guy just shoot lasers out of his eyes? It becomes pretty apparent to you who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, and you know that this is no ordinary battle... This is a battle with some serious consequences attached to it. The outcome could not only determine the fate of those involved, but the fate of the entire world. It's pretty obvious who you would root for... The matching outfits make it pretty obvious (good ol' blue and yellow!). You cheer for the heroes, and do anything you can to help. Suddenly, they just stop. All the good guys just sit down and take a breather. You run up to them and start shouting "what are you doing? You can't just let Magneto win!" Cyclops simply replies "We're too tired. We've been up pretty much all night the past couple weeks fighting these guys, and we're just exhausted. We'll try again later." What!? Come on! Not even Cyclops can be that sissy, can he? But you look around, and sure enough, everyone's about to fall sleep. Even Wolverine! (Well, maybe not Wolverine, but everyone else, for sure). What can you do? You can't just force the X-Men to do anything. All you can do is sit back and watch Magneto and his crew of villains take over the city, then the world. And that doesn't bode well for non-mutants. Soon, they'll be enslaved, or worse.
But of course, that would never happen. The X-Men would never give up in the middle of a fight! (Not even Cyclops... though he'd be the most likely). They're going to see it through to the bitter end, no matter what happens. Nothing would stop them from defending the innocent and upholding justice. That's what they do, that's why they're the X-Men. They're there through thick and thin, and are going to make sure the job gets done.

The battle isn't over till it's over, and that's just as true for us as it is the X-Men. Just because it starts getting really hard, even overwhelming, or we're tired or sick of fighting, that's no reason to just sit there and let the Adversary walk all over you. There are times in every one's life when the odds seem insurmountable, and we're not sure where we can turn for help. There are also times when the temptation is so enticing, that we're not sure we can resist it, or if we even want to. No body is perfect, and no body is immune to this.
We're all here to be tested. Just like the prophet Alma taught, "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors." (Alma 34:32). We are meant to prepare for that time when we stand before the Lord to be judged. Imagine what it would be like to get up there and have to tell your Heavenly Father "Well, I got really tired, and that seemed like it would be really fun, so I decided to just go for it." That probably wouldn't go over very well, would it? Just because it's hard to get up and go to church, or you're really tired and don't feel like reading your scriptures, or your friends keep telling you one little drink won't hurt doesn't mean that you can just give up. Once you know who you are and see the path laid ahead of you, it's Exaltation or bust... and that all depends on you. Endure to the End! Live the life you know you should live. Enduring to the End is just constantly redoing those previous steps: It's always having faith in Jesus Christ and in your Heavenly Father, it's constantly repenting and making yourself better, it's living worthily to take the sacrament and renew the covenants you made at baptism, and it's striving to constantly have the Holy Ghost with you. It seems to me that this step is either the easiest or the hardest, and you're the one that makes it that way.

Gospel and Comic Books Part 3: Baptism

Feels like it's been forever since I've done one of these... Probably cause it has been. But, I'm back, and ready to go! So, continuing right along with my theme... we move along the Gospel, following up Faith and Repentance, and we find ourselves at... Baptism! Baptism is an essential part of following our Savior. As He said in John 3:3 "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." But how can a man be "born again"? Jesus answers that question a couple verses later: "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Baptism is a rebirth. We are washed of our past life, and given a new one. The symbolism in baptism is beautiful. The water is a sign of us being washed clean. The fact that we are submerged shows that we are being buried, then raised again, just like our Savior. Our old ways are dying, and we are rising to a new, better life. It's not just a sign of faith and devotion, it's a necessary ordinance for us. If it wasn't, why would Christ be baptized? He was perfect after all. But, "he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments." So, we see that baptism is necessary for our salvation, as Jesus clearly taught and demonstrated. How can we be like Christ? Do the things He did.

Bruce Wayne was a pretty typical kid (except for the billionaire parent thing). But, after his parents died, he was put into a situation that no one wants to be in. So, he left. He left everything behind, and struck out on his own. In this time, he determined that there was too much evil in the world, and he wanted to do something about it. He found himself in a training facilities, run by the famous (yet mysterious) Ra's Al Ghul. After reaching a high level of skill, Bruce decides to return to his home in Gotham, and don a costume, and become Batman. (This is, of course, the origin story presented in the movie Batman Begins. As there are so few consistencies in his origin, I went with this one, since it's probably the best known). Now, what does this have to do with anything, especially baptism? It's quite simple, really: Bruce Wayne's training was a rebirth process for him. He became the Batman... he discovered who he was, what he wanted to accomplish, and how he could do that. He left behind the old Bruce Wayne, and became Batman. It's a similar process, kinda, to our rebirth. We must put off our old persona, who we were, our old vices and bad habits, and become someone better. Just as Bruce Wayne became Batman, we must be reborn, and become something better!