Deseret News Authors

Jerry Earl Johnston

Jerry Earl Johnston is a former Deseret News staffer who currently freelances columns for Mormon Times and the Faith page. He’s from Brigham City, Utah, where he and wife Carol still live. They have a blended family of five kids and 14 grandchildren. While at the News, Jerry worked in sports, features, on city desk and was editor of the Religion section. He has been a columnist for the paper for more than 30 years. He has a Masters Degree in Spanish from the University of New Mexico and is the author of five books. He served an LDS mission to Bolivia.

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Recent Articles by Jerry Earl Johnston

Cholula: Mexico's 'city of churches' is culturally alive, spiritually awake

Published: Wednesday, November 15, 2017 12:00 am MST

When "Popo" the volcano blew last week, many Mexicans worried for their health and safety. They also worried for the health and safety of Cholula, a town five miles of outside the city of Puebla.

Learning from the spirit of Lorenzo Snow

Published: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 12:00 am MDT

For Memorial Day this year, I gave a young friend a cook's tour of the Brigham City cemetery. I think young people need to get close and personal with a graveyard. It sobers them up a little.

God loves a prayer from the heart

Published: Saturday, May 26, 2012 12:00 am MDT

On the Mexico side of the border, the city is called Tijuana. But its California sister, just on this side, is San Ysidro (ee-SEED-row). It is a city named for St. Isidore the Farmer, a Spanish peasant whose pr...

Put faith in magnetism, not needles

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 12:00 am MDT

"So," I was asked recently, "how can you keep your faith in LDS spiritual truth when so many changes have been made over the years?"

Put faith in magnetism, not needles

Published: Tuesday, May 15, 2012 12:00 am MDT

"So," I was asked recently, "how can you keep your faith in LDS spiritual truth when so many changes have been made over the years?"

Adding words to pages that were blank

Published: Tuesday, May 1, 2012 12:00 am MDT

We have writers who are LDS and we have writers who aren't LDS.

'Sacramental' poetry blesses America's soul

Published: Saturday, April 28, 2012 12:00 am MDT

I miss poet William Stafford.

Don't mock what you don't know

Published: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 12:00 am MDT

I got an email today from a friend and fellow Mormon. He's been grappling with some of the quaint and quirky things about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Conference, celebration have different styles, same substance

Published: Saturday, April 14, 2012 12:00 am MDT

On April 1, thousands gathered beneath the trees on Temple Square in Salt Lake City for the general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Top Angels prospect Mike Trout undaunted about beginning 2012 campaign in Bees uniform

Published: Tuesday, April 3, 2012 12:00 am MDT

TEMPE, Ariz. — Baseball America has called Mike Trout the best athlete in the Angels' farm system.

In 2009, at age 19, he was named the Topps Minor League Player of the Year.

Several publications se

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