#94: In Memorium: John M. Pontius.

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I never met John M. Pontius, but I sure wish that I had. Whether he now knows it or not, John has changed my life for the better. John passed away a month ago, on December 10, 2012, less than one month after publishing his final book.

John M. Pontius: May 12, 1952 - Dec 10, 2012

Two years ago, John's doctor told him that he had six months to live. Due to the short time he had left on earth, John wanted some way to leave a permanent record of his testimony to his children. He decided to start a blog (Unblog My Soul) as a way to express his faith and hope in Jesus Christ. As I have read some of John's posts, the Spirit has touched my heart. It is easy to see John's deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ. In his obituary, it says this of John: "Ever since he was a little boy, all John ever desired was to serve the Lord in whatever capacity he was called." A few months ago, John held an "Unblog Family Reunion", where he shared his testimony in person with followers of his blog. You can listen to John's powerful message at this link. For me, the key point of John's talk is that if we learn to have a soft heart and listen for the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we will have access to powerful spiritual experiences and the opportunity to truly know and do the will of God. I have now committed to try to have a softer heart and listen for the voice of the Spirit. During the Unblog Family Reunion, John also invited other family and friends to speak--you can find the full audio of all the talks here.

Last week, my mom recommended to me John's final book, "Visions of Glory: One Man's Astonishing Account of the Last Days". I have now  read the book and it has had a powerful impact on my life. The book does not tell John's story. Rather, in it, John tells the story of "Spencer", one of his friends who has experienced three powerful near-death-experiences. During one of these experiences, Spencer had a vision of the last days of earth, including the second coming of Jesus Christ. Spencer has chosen not to share his real name because he does not want to draw attention to himself or to have people consider him a prophet or an oracle. He simply wants people to know that he is a common Latter-Day Saint who has some uncommon experiences.

I am not writing this post to say whether or not Spencer's story is true or if it is actually what will happen in the days leading up to the second coming of Christ. I personally believe he is telling the truth of what he himself actually saw, but even Spencer says that his visions are not meant to be representative to the world of what will or will not necessarily happen. In deciding to share his experiences after so many years, Spencer said, "I hope that something we might say in this book will bless some soul and may give hope and clarity in preparing for what lies ahead." Of Spencer's experiences, John said, "What you are about to read...is not scripture and should not be considered such. It is not prophetic for anyone but Spencer himself. It is simply an account of how the Lord has prepared one humble man, my friend Spencer, for his latter-day mission. You and I are just blessed to be the fly on the wall, so to speak."

After reading "Visions of Glory", I personally believe that Spencer saw what he said he saw and that he had no ulterior motives for sharing his story. I similarly think John was inspired to publish Spencer's story before passing away. I do not know if the last days will actually play out as Spencer was shown, but the one thing I do KNOW is that reading the book makes me want to be a better and more Christlike person. If you are interested, you can listen to Spencer's own words which he shared as the concluding speaker at the Unblog Family Reunion a few months ago (UPDATE: Spencer's audio is currently not available. Hopefully it will be added back to the Unblog sometime in the near future). I hope your life will be touched as mine has been.