Coach Speak

I think I prefer this type of coach speak over the kind of coach that threatens to bite kneecaps. (But that could just be me.)

Remarkably, Cedar Fort keeps inviting me back to guest host their Come, Follow Me with David Ridges podcast. You can listen to my discussion on Doctrine and Covenants 6-9 here.

Angels Round About You

As a missionary, I used this scripture* to justify all sorts of stupid activity (for example, this scripture and the daily multi-vitamins I took pretty much excused me for having a very unhealthy diet for 22 months (I kid about the food at the MTC, but at least I was exposed to all of the food groups)). I would imagine high school students armed with this scripture could get into a lot of trouble.

That's why it is problematic that this particular gag shows up in the inaugural issue of the For the Strength of Youth magazine. While I'm honored that I'm featured in the first issue of the Church's new youth magazine (the New Era was retired after 50 years!), I do feel a little guilty that I'm exposing the youth of the Church to such a dangerous idea.

*Doctrine and Covenants 84:88.

Mission Curse Redux

When I first started drawing my Mission Daze comic strip, I thought it would be a fun idea to have Elder Van Dyke watch in horror as companion after companion get "dear Johned." After a half dozen or so companions, the challenge became how to tell the same story over and over again without repeating myself. In the end it became quite the chore. 

Which is why I'm grateful that I didn't follow through with another idea: to have Elder Van Dyke accrue new girlfriends every time his companions got dumped. (I rejected this idea mostly because I came up with a strip too good not to use.)

Humpty Dumpty at Jericho

The wall at Jericho isn't the only wall I could have used for this gag. Humpty Dumpty could just as easily been sitting on the wall of Zarahemla when Samuel came visiting. He's surprisingly versatile for a nonsensical nursery rhyme character.

Growing Time

Would that I had a coach back home cheering on any of my missionary weight gain.

The King of Social Distancing

Moroni might have some on our current situation. (He probably has thoughts on the attempted coup in Washington DC yesterday too.)

Offensive Line