We are so excited to announce the official Unblog My Soul Facebook group! We hope you, our beloved Unblog My Soul family will join us as we continue the wonderful discussions Brother John Pontius started about personally coming to the Savior and learning how to enter Zion, one person, and one family at a time.
-Terri Pontius
Click the image below to join!
On August 4, 2010, John Pontius said “Hello, World!” — his first “UnBlog My Soul” post. At that time, John had been told he had only six months to live. So, via the UnBlog, John recorded his powerful witness of Christ and of the gospel he loved. Even though he initially intended it only for his family and closest friends, the UnBlog grew in visibility and respect — much of it because John was a humble writer with a unique gift for teaching, preaching, expounding and exhorting all to literally and figuratively come unto Christ.
In the 1,489 days between then and now, the UnBlog has been blessed with 507 posts, 4,637 comments and 922,458 page views. It is subscribed by good people in almost every country on the planet. Statistics show that at any time during the day, someone is researching or reading something found on the UnBlog. As John used to say, “The sun never sets on the UnBlog.”
Yet today, the UnBlog is undergoing a new and exciting phase.
And it involves you.
FROZEN
Effective today, the UnBlog has been frozen to future posts and comments. All content (pages, posts and comments) currently published on the UnBlog will remain online, but will not be added to from now on. Although I’ll never say “never”, I will say that it is not anticipated, nor intended, that the UnBlog will publish any more posts (there may be occasional announcements about John’s books, but these will not be content-based posts which allow comments).
The reason for this is simple: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Now is the UnBlog’s time to step back. It’s as plain and simple as that; no other motive than that.
THE DAWNING OF A NEW DAY
It’s also time for another blog to step forward. A blog which — as Elder Bednar stated at an August, 2014 BYU Campus Education Week — sweeps “the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy.”
That blog…is yours!
That’s right — if you are already blogging about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, fantastic! If not, then I join with Elder Bednar in inviting you to no longer light a candle and put it under a bushel (Matthew 5:15), but to “arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations” (D&C 115:5). Please give this some serious, prayerful consideration.
You may be tempted to feel like you can’t do your own blog. Maybe you’re not a writer, you don’t have time, or you don’t know anything about blogging. I can relate; I didn’t feel I could, either.
Technically, there are ample Youtube videos to show you how to start and maintain your own free WordPress or Blogger blog.
Spiritually, you have an apostle of the Lord promising you profound blessings by sharing your voice online (especially read the last two paragraphs of Elder Bednar’s talk). And with the strength of the Son of God giving light and lift to your words, over time, He will help your online testimonies soar to heights that will astound you and inspire others. Of this I can testify.
The Lord will also bring experiences to your recollection which will provide you with content ideas. Simultaneously, He will often lead people to your blog, where they will read your posts, contact you and exclaim, “You have no idea how much I really needed your post today!” It may take some time, but never despair — it will happen.
He’ll also bring resources and people into your life, as He did mine, to help you easily clear any technical and content-related hurdle. The obstacles Satan will erect in your way are but illusions on your God-ordained path.
The content which John and I, and everyone who’s posted or commented on the UnBlog, will also be here to help you, too.
THE UNBLOG — A TERRIFIC CONTENT SOURCE FOR YOUR BLOG
The UnBlog features a rich reservoir of resources to help you with your non-commercial blog, social media posts, FHE/church talks or lessons, etc. Here are four ways you can incorporate the resources found here into your online content:
Search UnBlogMySoul By Topic
At the top right of every UnBlog page, just underneath the banner, is a search box with “Search UnBlogMySoul” above it. Just type the word or phrase you’re researching in the box, then click the “Search” button, and up will pop up every UnBlog post that contains that word or phrase.
Review the Archives of UnBlog Posts
Under that Search box (on the right-hand side of every UnBlog page) is an “Archives” section. Here, just click the pull-down menu and select the desired month and year. The UnBlog will then display every post from that month and year, in reverse chronological order (newest at the top, oldest at the bottom).
Books, Downloads & More
When you hover over the menu tab “Books, Downloads & More”, you’ll see sub-tabs for all of John’s books, free downloadable essays and audio recordings, and links to some meaningful videos which address Zion and some of the principles regarding it.
Links to Other Terrific Blogs
Over the years, I have had the blessing of becoming familiar with other blogs which have an approach and content similar to the UnBlog’s. I enthusiastically recommend you visit the blogs listed in the “Recommended Blogs” section at the top right of all UnBlog pages.
A NOTE FROM JOHN AND TERRI
There are no mortal words or emotions to describe the profound gratitude we have for everyone who contacted us, commented on posts, attended the UnBlog Family Reunion, purchased books and CDs and attended firesides. These were all done with one and only one objective in mind: to help bring you closer to the Savior.
Yet John’s and my highest degree of appreciation goes to our family and — as our extended family — those who actively administered the UnBlog since John’s passing. I have no doubt that your sacrifice and time, talents and energies will be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams by He who delights in exceeding our expectations.
Finally, to our UnBlog family, I have a personal request: Please finish what “UnBlog My Soul” started. We would love nothing more than to see many, many more blogs emerge, actively encouraging anyone and everyone to “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him” (Moroni 10:32).
Because, when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “It’s all true, it’s all true, it’s all true!”
Hurrah for Israel!
Terri Pontius
The following is from Patrick…
Not more than a year ago I believed the Lord would be there for us whenever we needed him, but that he really wouldn’t be involved in the details of our lives–like if we bought a car or other routine, worldly duties. I believed we should use our experience and knowledge to take care of these small (or large) tasks and leave the life-changing events to the Lord.
I was wrong.
My change started with a good lifelong friend of mine, Troy. Several years ago we had read “The Cleansing of America” by W. Cleon Skousen. Later Troy came across “Visions of Glory” and he instantly called me and bought me the book so we could read it at the same time. The similarities of these two books were amazing, and how both books came to be published is even more of a miracle. To me, this testifies to the truth of Spencers vision.
Spencer’s vision helped me realize how much the Lord does help us and always provides the assistance we need, that angels are always standing by. We only need to come closer to the Spirit and constantly pray to overcome our fallen state to be in tune with that Spirit.
Spencer also shared how quickly our thoughts can summon the souls that are trying to deceive us, and how important it is to constantly fight that influence. We need to surround ourselves with positive uplifting activities, and most importantly, service.
After reading “Visions of Glory”, getting a glimpse into the building of Zion, and reading the many experiences revealed to Spencer and how close we are to the veil, I was changed. I looked at the world differently, I looked at people differently. The best way I can describe this is that I started seeing the world in a more eternal nature; the veil became slightly thinner to me. It made me realize how much I needed to change if I wanted to prepare myself or my family.
Up to this point in my life I had been whatI call a part-time member: I went to church, paid my tithing and did OK in my callings. At this point I had also had plenty of trials and lessons in my life. I was a 42 year-old divorced father with custody of his kids. I was raised in the Church, and had had a life-changing moment where I was “born again” twenty years ago.
Yet now for the first time in my life I looked forward to fasting, and fasted with a purpose. I put more dedication into my church callings. I prayed more fervently; instead of asking for what I wanted, I would pray for the path that the Lord wanted me to travel. I started teaching myself to pay more attention to the Spirit and try to discern my own thoughts from those of the Lord.
I have received many experiences where I have identified the Spirit speaking to me, helping out in my everyday life. They were such small whispers that I would have previously missed them. One example is when I was working in my office and leaving for the day. I started to close the door when a simple command stated, “Don’t lock it.” I paused and sat there for a moment. I questioned my own thoughts on why I would think that, but I didn’t lock it. As I started walking to my car I realized my keys were still in the office. I normally kept them in my back pack but had taken them out to get into another door during the day and placed them on the desk instead of back where I kept them.
This was by no means a life-altering event; at the worst I would have been delayed a few hours until I could have gotten the door unlocked. As a single father, I would have had to call and have a pizza delivered for the kids to eat.
So why would I get what I felt was such an insignificant whisper from the Spirit? It was nothing more than an inconvenience that I was saved from. But since I had started listening to the Spirit, I quickly identified that it could have come from no other source. I had locked that same door every day, yet this time a simple command stopped me from doing what I had always done. It was at this moment I received my own testimony about what Spencer had described, which was how very much the Lord is involved in the details of our lives.
The Lord is constantly giving us experiences and placing lessons before us to sculpt us into who He needs us to be. He loves us, He wants us to be happy, and by obedience to the Spirit we will be shown the way. Trials and burdens will still come upon us; Joseph Smith learned this in D&C 121 & 122. But instead of feeling regret, fear or despair, we will understand the reason why this trial was given to us, and what we should learn from it.
In “Journey to the Veil”, we read;
“When anyone sets his or her heart on a course of obedience and taps daily into the empowerment and grace available through the Atonement of Christ, they will soon accomplish all of this much more quickly than they ever thought possible…..A commitment to total obedience will blast you off so fast and high that it will be breathtaking, with a spiritual height that’s unimaginable, and the promised blessings will be very near.”
Since making this change of heart, I find myself constantly recommitting to the life-long struggle of total obedience. As a result of that commitment, the missionary moments have increased, and I have more joy in my heart. I find more joy in service. I work to stay on the path the Lord wants me upon, and I find myself living without fear. There is nothing to be afraid of because you know you are supposed to be there. Such a small effort can make a profound change in your life.
The reason I am sharing this story with you is a result of listening to the still small voice and making a comment to someone that needed to hear it. I didn’t even know at the time it was the whisperings of the Spirit until I received an unexpected response from the other person, confirming it to me.
My friend Troy and I have made this journey together; we compare notes and see the significant changes in our lives. This is an amazing miracle that can only be experienced to explain.
Thank you, Spencer, for sharing your eternal experience. Thank You, Brother John, for setting the example. Thank You, Sister Pontius, for carrying the torch. All of you have changed our lives and brought us closer to God.
Note: This is a reader submission by a dear UnBlog family member, Veronica Clarke.
Shortly after the death of my husband, I was awakened in the middle of the night with instructions communicated through the spirit by my husband. I took my iPad into the bathroom and began to type as they flowed. I typed as fast as I could until I literally felt exhausted and drained. The information was still coming, but I begged to be able to just rest for a while. I climbed back into bed and fell quickly asleep only to be awakened an hour later with more instruction.
This pattern continued the entire night until morning. I remember thinking, “I understand now how Enos prayed all night.” I used to wonder how someone would have enough to say to pray an entire night. Now I understood that Enos’s prayer was one of two-way spiritual communication. Enos was learning and listened as much if not more than he was speaking. On occasions, this experience has been repeated on a much smaller scale during my personal prayers; it has helped me to understand what it meant by ‘mighty prayer.’
As a result of the experiences with spiritual communication right after my husband’s death, I have learned to keep a note pad or iPad near my bed. I have found that communication often comes to me after I have concluded my prayer and when I am in that sleep/wake period in the morning hours. Elder Scott also confirms spiritual communication that can happen during this period. He says, “Revelation can also be given in a dream when there is an almost imperceptible transition from sleep to wakefulness” (Richard G Scott, “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life”, April 2012).
I think perhaps it is when my body is most still, that my spirit can take the forefront. I have also experienced this after fasting. Elder John H. Groberg shares this idea in his talk The Power of God’s Love. When the body’s senses are dormant because of lack of sustenance or shutting down from resting, spiritual senses can take the forefront. These are times when we can be more sensitive to, and perceptive of, the spirit. I have found that the words often start in my mind. If I do nothing and simply listen, I often fall back to sleep and forget what was being communicated to me.
However, if I am diligent and begin to write, then the promptings continue and more and more is given to me. At times, I have written for several hours. The words flow easily, and I am learning as I am writing. When I go back and read what I am writing it is as if I have never read it before. The information is new and surprising to me and does not follow previous things that I have reasoned or thought on my own. These key things, in addition to the reverent feeling and peace from the spirit, tell me that this is personal revelation and not my own thoughts.
Sometimes the information is for my personal enlightenment or to answer questions that I have been searching to understand. At other times, the information is things that I need to share with my children, with a friend that I am trying to help, or with people I am over in my callings. I find that information always comes easier when I am seeking for knowledge to help someone else.
I have also found ‘mighty prayer’ through the process of studying the scriptures. This also isn’t prayer on one’s knees, but active communication with the Lord that is aided in writing. I do not study the scriptures or the words of the prophets without writing. Elder Richard G. Scott has been a great mentor to me in this process. He says,
“When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord wants me to do. Often, more impressions come with increased understanding of doctrine. I have found that pattern to be a good way to learn from the scriptures” (Richard G Scott, How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for your personal life, April 2012).
The death of my husband accelerated me on this track because I had a deep desire for direction and I was willing to sacrifice all practices in my life that distracted me from the spirit.
I was also willing to be obedient to any prompting at all costs. Elder Scott confirms,
“One must be ever mentally and physically clean and have purity of intent so that the Lord can inspire. One who is obedient to His commandments is trusted of the Lord. That individual has access to His inspiration to know what to do and, as needed, the divine power to do it.”
Mighty prayer takes deep dedication. It takes implicit trust in the Lord.
As I have listened to and obeyed the promptings of the spirit, as I have sought to have more powerful prayers, those promptings have guided me line upon line through the process. If we are diligent, humble, pure in our hearts and action, and we are seeking direction to further the Lord’s work on this earth, then the spirit can be unrestrained in our life. That is my solemn witness.
— Veronica Clarke
Blog: not4naught.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/not4naught
UnBlogmysoul 