Du Maste Finnas (You have to be there)

This song comes from the Swedish Opera Kristina Fran Duvemala it is a song of a woman questioning her faith in god... She had lost her child at childbirth... She and her husband have been fighting, and she wonders "is there a god?" She sings if there is no god where can I turn? the more she sings the mre she realises that god has to be there, at the end she sings "Du Maste Finnas, Du Maste, Hur kan du då överge mig? Jag vore ingenstans. Jag vore ingenting om du inte fanns" Translation "You have to be there,you have to, How can you abandon me? I would be nowhere, I would be nothing if you weren't there"


This is where you go back and read my post "the Unprofitable Servant"

The Greastest gift

What is Christ's greatest gift to us? Its not Beautiful Women or kissing or even Deserts or anything like that, its Agency, the Ability to choose for ones self,Not just choosing between reading Harry Potter or Twilight but also right and wrong or eternal life or eternal damnation, "God will force no man to heaven" (hymn #240) Agency is the way to return to our Father in Heaven...


Yes Jesus did atone for our sins, but the scriptures tell us "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26) You can believe in the atonement all you want, but , and you have to use the atonement, it'd be like Having a cake there, but no earing it, but expecting t to feed itself to you, it ain't gonna Happen people. So basically You Have to use Agency to be able to the atonement it Has to be your choice, God won't force anyone to do anything, it has to be a choice.

Agency is the only thing that is truly ours, the rest is God's, from the air we breathe to theclothes on our back, every thing is a result of what God gives us. Agency on the other hand is ours. No one, including god, can make us do something we don't want, they can bribe us, threaten us, do horrible evil unspeakable things to us if we don't do what they want, but ultimately it is our choice.

Jello and Funeral Potatoes

Its the 24th of July, the one holiday where Jello and funeral potatoes are the norm around many of our dinner tables, not me though, on a scale of 1-10 I give jello a solid 7. Funeral potatoes I give any where between a 5-8, but what usually happens to me is my funeral potatoes get nixed with my jello and that is where the 5 comes in. I, however, am not here to complain about nasty food, I am here to talk about the reason.

As saints were being pushed from Nauvoo the Willie and Martin were forced to leave before they were ready, and you all know the stories, But I wanted to share this story

Francis Webster - Martin Handcart Company
It was in an adult Sunday School class of over fifty men and women. Nathan T. Porter was the teacher and the subject under discussion was the ill-fated handcart company [Martin Handcart Company] that suffered so terribly in the snow of 1856. Some sharp criticism of the Church and its leader was being indulged in for permitting any company of converts to venture across the plains with no more supplies or protection than a handcart caravan afforded. One old man in the corner sat silent and listened as long as he could stand it, then he arose and said things that no person who heard him will ever forget. 

His face was white with emotion, yet he spoke calmly, deliberately, but with great earnestness and sincerity. He said in substance, "I ask you to stop this criticism. You are discussing a matter you know nothing about. Cold historic facts mean nothing here, for they give no proper interpretation of the questions involved. Mistake to send the Handcart Company out so late in the season? Yes! But I was in that company and my wife was in it, and Sister Nellie Unthank whom you have cited here was there, too. We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and starvation, but did you ever hear a survivor of that company utter a word of criticism? Every one of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with Him in our extremities!

"I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go only that far and there I must give up for I cannot pull the load through it. I have gone to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me! I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the Angels of God were there. "Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No! Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company." 

The speaker was Francis Webster. And when he sat down there was not a dry eye in the room. We were subdued and chastened lot. Charles Mabey who latter became Governor of Utah, arose and voiced the sentiment of all when he said, "I would gladly pay the same price to personally know God that Brother Webster has"


Of all the stories this is my favorite, the lord will never forsake us, and angels will attend us


As we celebrate the truthfullness of the gospel I wish to leave you with a hymn that has special meaning for me today

Come Come Ye saints

International blog

did you guys know I have 16 page views from Russia? and 2 from Germany and 2 from south Korea and 1 from Saudi Arabia , 4 from Canada and over 200 from the states? Wow the lord blesses me

Finding Solace

This Hymn is one of my favorites, right next to Come Thou Fount, and Come, Come Ye Saints. This Hymn has had special meaning to me in times of great trial, it is a song reminding us that even when times are tough, we are never truly alone or helpless. I discovered this hymn in high school, I felt rejected, like I had no friends or anything... before all my high school friends get up in arms, realize this you guys were always out partying and having a great time asking each other to dances, yet you excluded me, Whether or not this was intentional I dunno but, I was never asked to go to a girls choice dance or even asked to be in a dance group or even asked to just come hangout with you guys, but its no longer important.

I heard this hymn in seminary I realized then that I was wasn't alone, the lord truly was on my side and that I didn't have to worry any more even if I felt like life was out to get me I knew the lord loved me and would get me through that time in my life, and he truly did, I made it out of high school and into college, where every weekend was a new adventure and I always had friends who made the effort to include me

Come thou Fount

This video says it all

So I posted this last night, but I was too tired to say much about it But we all wander, but for some reason the lord decides that he doesn't care "streams of mercy never ceasing" Even when we screw up the lord will bless us, There are blessings that we need to ask for but there are an innumerable number of blessings that we are constantly receiving, not because we deserve it but because he wants to...Thats the only reason we have a lot of the blessings is because the lord gives them to us because he loves us.

The Family

My family from Left to Right Hailey (Ke), Max, Mom, Scott, Linsey, Dad, Me and T-Bone (Tyler)

I am so thankful for this gospel, and its unwavering focus on the family, my family has been the biggest source of strength anyone could ever ask for. I dunno where I'd be without them, I'm pretty sure I'd be the world's biggest Screw up with out them. I'm now going to take time to give a shout out to each of them


Mom and Dad, I'm not perfect by any means but I'm as good as I am because of you guys, I'll be the first to admit that we never got along as we could have, I dunno how often I thought you guys never understood, and maybe you don't, but the Lord does, and you guys have always listened to the lord, and you have always loved me, no matter how bad I screw up

Mom, Thank you for being one of my best friends, and always taking time to talk to me when I call. You have fostered a relationship where I can talk to you about basically anything. I love you

Dad, You have always been the one I turn to to bounce ideas off of, you've always believed in me, you've taught me more than you will ever know, I don't know how many times I've said "My dad says.[insert relevant phrase here]"

Linsey, You and I may not have seen eye to eye on certain subjects but nothing gives me more joy than to say I'm Linsey Johnson's little brother, and to have the person I'm talking to say "I know Linsey she's a genius". It gives me chills to know that the person they think they know is infinitely cooler then they can ever comprehend

Scott, Thank you for finding Linsey, and being worthy to take her to the temple, I was scared that Linsey would never find a man worthy of her to take her through the temple. Thank You for being that man for her.

Max, Max oh Max where do I even begin, Thanks buddy for always keeping me laughing yet being able let you confide some of my most personal and private thoughts, thanks for growing up and doing the job I wasn't able to, You became the oldest when Linsey left, not me, I'm sorry you had to do what I never could.

Hailey, you are so amazing words can't begin to describe how awesome you are, your creative abilities put mine to shame, I used to think I was a good artist until you came along and showed me up, the second time you picked up a pencil, your tenacity is astounding, you never give up.

T-bone, You never fail to bring a smile to my face, your endless energy is awesome, you keep going and going and going, you never stop. I have yet to meet someone who knows you who doesn't think your the funniest little guy around

And to the rest of you, you have all made me who I am today I love you all.

Unprofitable Servant

My thought today comes from King Benjamin in Mosiah 2:21-22

21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.

22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

No matter what we do we cannot ever even hope to come even close to doing enough to make ourselves profitable in the eyes of our lord. The beauty of this gospel is, and King Benjamin is quick to point it out, that we were never expected  to be profitable, all God asks of us is to follow his commandments.What are his commandments? His commandments are there not to tie us down, but to liberate us. People often think, that commandments limit us, but the truth is that in the long run they liberate us, to illustrate my point, imagine a man wants to go swimming,   and a sign says: CAUTION Whirlpool, now this man has one of two choices, he can either choose to ignore the sign and go swimming and possibly drown or turn around and go swim somewhere else, at this exact moment he has an unlimited amount of choices  but once he steps into the water and gets pulled into the current, all of his agency is gone, and he is at the mercy of the water, but if he decides to step away he has his agency to go swim at another place or do something eels entirely. Its the same way with the commandments once we break them we lose agency but if we keep them we are free to do whatever we darn well please, it seems counter intuitive but I testify of this fact. 

The Temple

Salt Lake Temple

Today I went to the temple, not to do a session, sadly :( but arguably a much cooler reason, they want me to be a witness on the sealing floor, on Tuesdays and Saturdays. How cool is that? I know I'm awesome, but if you insist on telling me again, I wouldn't Object :)

Now for my spiritual thought on the temple.

How cool is the temple really? Those of you who have been endowed Know exactly what I'm saying, the beauty of being inside the inner sanctum, to walk were god walks on a regular basis, to learn and take the necessary ordinances for eternal life, and the ability to go back as much as you want and learn again and again from the Holy Ghost about truth only learned in the temple.

And the sealing floor, how awesome  is it to see two people who love each other and God enough too be sealed together for time and ALL eternity, get sealed, and to know that no matter what happens that if they try their hardest they and there future Children will be together Forever. I especially love the sealing power, and the ability for families to be together forever because I lost a sister when she was 13 days old, We had, and still have a very special bond, she was born about 2 years after me and she was my favorite thing, I love her and want to see the beautiful young woman I know she is. I will be able to thanks to the sealing Power that only comes from God's anointed inside the temple

The Baptistery is awesome as well, even at the tender age of 12 we are asked to preform vital tasks for the salvation of mankind, for without baptism, the other ordinances cannot be done, and we get to do it in God's House.

I have friends who have fallen away, and are unable to attend the temple, after being endowed and knowing the blessings that come only by attending the temple, I now understand the reason for the urgency by which they strive to return.

I ask those of you who haven't been in a while to make it a priority to go soon. and for those of you who can't go, make the necessary arraignments so you can go. 

Do you Know?

I ran across a man today who thought that all religions were Jokes, but he told me I was free to "believe" what I wanted, I told him in no uncertain  terms that that I didn't believe in this Church was True I KNEW, I knew that this church was restored in its fullness and that Joseph Smith really did see God the father and in his son Jesus Christ in the sacred grove, and they revealed to him that none of the religions were true and he should join none of them, I know the book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.

Below is Elder Jeffrey R Holland Bearing his own witness of the truthfulness of the Book Of Mormon, I'd Like to add my own Testimony to his, and say I KNOW that this book is the truest book on the face of this planet, Why? Because I asked, and my Father in Heaven answered me.

I know, Do you? Do You KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the Book of Mormon is the word of god to the Nephites and the Lamanites. If you don't I beg, nay Implore you to do as Moroni directs.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I Know that the Lord will answer your prayers, he has answered mine and he will answer yours.

PS Subscribe and Share  and comment peoples

Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only

 28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

This is a great scripture, it brings great peace to me. But I wanted  to focus on the Doing implied in these verses, the first word it uses is COME, it does not say stay there and I will give thee rest, no it says come telling us that we need to seek him out. he does Promise us  though "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." Luke 11:9

In the very next verse Christ tells us TAKE my yoke upon you, and LEARN of me... TAKE his yoke, What does that mean? It means that he wants us to take his name upon us, and in Matthew 5 it reminds us that " Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." So in essence its telling us that as bearers his name we need to let our lights shine and, do our part to bring his children into the fold. D&C 4 reminds us  "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;"

But in order to Bring one to the knowledge of the truthfullness of the gospel we first need to  be convinced of it ourselves, "And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." If we try to teach the truth without knowing it, it will do nothing for the person whom we are trying to teach, I know that if we truly seek we shall find, but we need to seek. And how do we seek? we read out scriptures and rely on personal revelation as well  as revelation through the prophet, and the more we follow the commandments the more we will be able to knows the truthfullness of this gospel, and in doing  so LEARN of Christ


and ye shall find rest unto your souls... this promise is given to us only after we COME, TAKE, and LEARN

In Conclusion Eternal life can be ours if we are "doers of the word, and not hearers only"

Great Video, very smart

This video is great, its a Baptist? pastor and he was asked to speak at the University in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, a very atheist university. He is charged with proving the existence of god through astronomy, which he says he would do...

In the end he tells them that they are not atheist but seekers, because, well yoi'll have to watch the video.

Enjoy :)

Fellowship of the unashamed

My thoughts are turned to a poem by Dr Bob Moorehead called Fellowship of the unashamed

I am a part of the fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit
Power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has
been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow
down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense,
and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight
walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions,
mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or
popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised,
regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by
patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my
way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted,
or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the
pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of
mediocrity.
I won't give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I've preached up, prayed
up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a
disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop,
preach until all know, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My
colors will be clear for "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the
power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.." (Romans 1:16)

This Is beautiful. it is a creed we should all live by, the die has indeed been cast. We need to choose who we serve, "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." (James 1:8) I love When he says "I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded" We cant take any of that with us, yet we seek after these things, why?

HI all!!

Hi all, welcome, I've decided to keep a blog om my mission! How cool am I? Yes it is allowed, mine is more of a computer mission. To let you all know I've been called to serve as a stake Missionary for the Logan YSA 6th Stake, I will serve until early to mid December working at the USU institute from Monday s to Wednesdays, and the Logan temple on Saturdays.the rest of the time I do

"At Home or In Office Internet Content Contributor" - Customer Services Representative (ICS) - Work At Home Church-service Missionaries (CSMs) are needed to increase Church-related content on the internet worldwide. Their efforts will help share this important information with the100's of millions of people who use the internet daily. This opportunity is ideal for young adults, who are honorably excused from serving a full-time proselyting mission, and will allow them to bless the lives of others. Work duties are flexible and can be customized to your preference and location. Duties include: a) Submit articles related to the mission of the Church and share them with others online. For example, you may write articles describing your testimony of temple work, the Book of Mormon, and other topics. b) Organize the efforts of others to create gospel related information so that it can be published on the Internet. c) Join in the conversation by participating in online discussions and forums. d) Put information about the Church on web sites. For example, you might gather quotations and videos from the prophets related to food storage and post them on a blog or other key websites. e) Enter information about church resources (websites, chapels) to online directories. f) Use bookmarking and social media web sites like Facebook.com, Twitter.com, and StumbleUpon.com to increase awareness about the Church. The applicant should fill this CSM position for at least six months. A longer term assignment, up to two-years, is encouraged. Any number of hours that can be contributed each week would be helpful. Outside of receiving training and coordinating with others, much of the work could be done from home if desired. You also would be able to do work in the Church Technology Building @ 3740 Market Center Dr in Riverton,

if you want to write me


My Email is jacob.brent.johnson@gmail.com
My House address is 351 W 1600 N Logan UT 84341


Love Elder Johnson