Songwriting is the act of baring one's soul to another in the form of words and music.
This week we are revisiting the Christmas story in our New Testament Come Follow Me lesson, titled “We Have Come to Worship Him.” What a privilege it is to take another look at this beautiful description of the Savior’s birth as it is found in Matthew 2 and Luke 2. “Stars Were Gleaming” is the recommended song for this lesson and comes from the LDS Primary Children’s songbook and, as is usually the case, the lyrics fit perfectly with the scripture passages in this section.
Happy New Year! We are officially diving into the New Testament Come Follow Me schedule for 2023. This week’s lesson is titled “Be It unto Me according to Thy Word” and covers Matthew 1 and Luke 1. “He Sent His Son” is the recommended song for this lesson and comes from the LDS Primary Children’s songbook. Four or so years ago, I wrote a second verse to this song (the original has only one verse), no rhyme or reason why, I just felt like doing it one day, ha ha.
Merry Christmas! This song is coming out on Christmas Day, the day before the beginning of our new Come Follow Me schedule for 2023 which will be a study of the New Testament. This week is a broad lesson entitled “We are responsible for our own learning” and doesn’t have a set area of scripture, but acts as more of an introduction to the New Testament. “Peace in Christ” is a beautiful song by Nik Day which speaks of Jesus Christ as being our way toward lasting peace. Some of the ways it suggests to find peace in Christ is by learning of him, feeling his love, listening to his words and coming to know him; some of which can be accomplished in the sincere study of the New Testament.
In honor of the Christmas lesson for Come Follow Me this year – I decided to record and post this original song “Remember Him”. I wrote it for a special Christmas Relief Society a year ago, but this time added two wonderful youth to sing harmony with me along with my husband, Brad, on the guitar.
This week, for the first time, I’ve done an instrumental collaboration with a friend of mine, Paige Vogt, who is a beautiful violinist. I am excited to share this with you! I had a lot of fun with this project. We adapted this piece from a two-part voice, violin and piano arrangement of the same song by Nik Day, Josh Rich, and Leandra Gibson. Also, for the first time in this series, I am posting a song that is not the “suggested song” for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson. Paige and I had been working on this project already for another event and I decided that I couldn’t pass up the chance to record it with her. Regardless, I feel that the lyrics of this hymn fit very well with these passages of scripture found in Malachi…
Here is my vocal arrangement of “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” The original song is found in the LDS Children’s Songbook; which is the suggested song for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson on Haggai & Zechariah 1-3; 7-14. The manual this week references Sister Carol F. McConkie when she said “Holiness is making the choices that will keep the Holy Ghost as our guide. Holiness is setting aside our natural tendencies and becoming ‘a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord’ [Mosiah 3:19]. … Our hope for holiness is centered in Christ, in His mercy and His grace” (“The Beauty of Holiness,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 9–10).
Here is my vocal arrangement of “Seek the Lord Early.” The original song is found in the LDS Children’s Songbook; which is the suggested song for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson on Nahum; Habakkuk; Zephaniah. In regards to this study section, the manual says, “Reading the Old Testament often means reading prophecies about destruction. The Lord frequently called prophets to warn the wicked that His judgments were upon them. The ministries of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah are good examples. In dreadful detail, these prophets foretold the downfall of cities that, at the time, seemed strong and powerful—Nineveh, Babylon, and even Jerusalem. The descriptions of destruction are tempered by invitations to come unto Christ and receive His mercy: “Seek ye the Lord … ; seek righteousness, seek meekness” (Zephaniah 2:3). This was the Lord’s way anciently, and it is His way today. “His ways are everlasting” (Habakkuk 3:6).
Here is a vocal arrangement of “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” as found in the LDS Hymnbook; which is the suggested song for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson on Jonah & Micah. The story of Jonah is one where he at first doesn’t want to “go where you want me to go” and flees the call of God to preach to Nineveh. Upon his calamities and repentance he listens again to the Lord’s command and preaches to the people of Nineveh. Jonah has to repent multiple times for not hearkening and not understanding God’s love for his people of all nations, (….and don’t we all need to do the same thing!)
Here is a piano arrangement of “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet” as found in the LDS Hymnbook; which is the suggested song for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson on Amos & Obadiah. One verse that stands out to me as going well with this hymn is: Amos 3:7 “Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets”. I love the idea that God has always and will continue to speak to prophets to warn and preach to his children, to act as a “watchman on the tower”, and to give guidance for their specific struggles in the period in which they live.
Here is a piano arrangement of “Come unto Jesus” as found in the LDS Hymnbook; which is the suggested song for this week’s Come Follow Me lesson on Hosea and Joel. One of the beautiful scriptures from this section that goes well with this hymn is Joel 2:13; “Turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.”