A Conversation with Justin

Q:  Why did you learn Arabic?

A:  I graduated from college with a degree in English, no discipline and no direction in life.  I enlisted in the US Army and when they discovered my talent for languages, they let me choose whichever one I wanted to learn.  I took a lot of religion courses in college and was fascinated by the classical era of Islam.  Its advances in science, math, medicine, and architecture amazed me and the language itself intrigued me.  I wanted to read the Quran in Arabic. 

I ended up serving as an interpreter with a peacekeeping force, was a paratrooper, and held a TOP SECRET security clearance in the US Army.  In 2005, I became the first non-military clergy person to meet and speak with prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba while serving as an interpreter for US attorneys.

Q:  Did you grow up speaking a language other than English?

A:  Not really.  I was born in Oslo, Norway to American parents, who taught for the US Department of Defense School System, and we lived around American military bases in England and Germany until I was 18.  My command of German is pretty basic, but growing up in Europe was a great experience.  I did many things that typical American kids do – I played football in high school and was an Eagle Scout – but because my family traveled a lot, I encountered different languages and cultures at an early age.

Q:  What is your book about?

A:  It’s about important lessons I have learned as a diver that relate directly to everyday life.  There are direct parallels between what I do, wear, and see underwater as diver, and what I try to do everyday to lead a happier, healthier, richer life.  The ocean is full of wonder for me, but we have to break the surface and dive deep to fully appreciate its beauty and power. 

In the larger sense, the book is about the spirituality of SCUBA diving.  I feel deeply connected with Life and the Holy when I dive.  I want the same feelings of peace and joy that I experience underwater to color my everyday life.  My book explains how the lessons of SCUBA, practiced everyday, have helped me lead a happier life. 

Q:  How did you go from military service to becoming a minister serving churches?

A:  I was proud to serve my country in the military, but felt best about having helped some individual soldiers struggling with personal issues.  I’m a “helper” by nature and, after leaving the Army, my volunteer service with a homeless shelter and hospice made me think about serving others as a minister.  I lived on a farm in Florida for two years, trapped wild pigs in the orange groves, and wrote while my call to ministry slowly crystalized. 

I did my biblical studies at the University of Chicago Divinity School and earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Meadville Lombard Theological School.  Two decades of service in churches helped me discover my gifts for preaching, teaching, and ministering to people.  They also taught me that I have little aptitude or enthusiasm for administering organizations.  My passion is for helping people grow their souls and managing small non-profit institutions is not something that feeds my soul.

Q:  What inspired Breaking the Surface?

A:  I was deeply fortunate to have been granted a sabbatical from the church I was serving in 2007 and the glimmer of an idea that would become Breaking the Surface™ was sparked to life by that experience.  I made an around-the-world sabbatical journey to visit eight personal pilgrimage sites at which “God’s nature, Mother Nature, and human nature” all merged to reveal something sacred.  One of those destinations was the sunken ghost fleet of Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon in Micronesia.  I believe that Nature reveals the truth about the Holy more than any book, and seeing how Life reclaimed the shattered wartime wrecks in Chuuk was a life-changing lesson in redemption.  That powerful spiritual experience of wreck diving opened my eyes, heart, and mind to the idea that SCUBA was more than just a recreational activity.  Seven years later, I began to systematically organize my thoughts and started recording life lessons that SCUBA was teaching me.  Since leaving the ministry in 2019, I have focused my energy on sharing these lessons with the wider public.

Q:  What are some of your spiritual practices?

A:  I begin each day with a spiritual practice that includes reading scripture, poetry, and other works of spiritual instruction, followed by an extended period of meditative breathing, after which I offer my centering prayer for the day.  The reading gives me direction, the breathing gets me in touch with my body and positions me to listen, and   the prayer sets my intention for the day.  I never miss a day of practice, no matter where I am or how early I need to get up.  It is a spiritual anchor in my life.

I have read the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the Quran, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Analects of Confucius, and the Dhammapada multiple times each, as well as other less well-known scriptures from around the world.  I also read works from teachers in each of these traditions, ancient and modern, as well as poetry.  The best poetry touches on universal themes in human experience and can be both instructive and inspiring. 

I also have a broad support network of groups and individuals that keep me grounded.  In particular, I have regularly scheduled weekly check ins with a handful of “accountabilibuddies” who know me well and ensure that I’m maintaining my own mental, emotional, and spiritual fitness. 

Q:  What are your other hobbies?

A:  I like to cook and bake.  I’m no chef, but I enjoy preparing nice meals for my partner and our friends.  I’m particularly proud of my original Two Cheese Scalloped Potatoes (a.k.a. “Heart Attack Potatoes”), Stewed Okra and Tomatoes, and Mango Pie recipes. 

I read a lot, particularly novels and history.  I enjoy walking in nature.  Diet and exercise are important cornerstones of self-care and I walk an average of three miles everyday.  I’m loved by dogs and small children, and enjoy spending time with both.

I love to travel!  Over the course of my life, childhood and adult, I have visited Stonehenge, Mount Sinai, the Pyramids of Giza, the city of Petra, Ankhor Wat, the Taj Mahal, the Vatican and Colosseum in Rome, the Parthenon in Athens, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Redwood National Forest, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks, Kilauea volcano, numerous Mayan ruins in Mexico, the birthplace of Vlad Dragul (Vlad the Impaler) in Romania, and a voodoo shrine beside Bassin Zim waterfall in Haiti.  You never know when and where the Holy might whisper to you.

Q:  Is it true that you custom paint dive fins?