Songwriting is the act of baring one's soul to another in the form of words and music.
I picked “Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise” from the LDS Hymnal, for our song this week. I think it goes well with the scripture passages and is a beautiful hymn. It was really fun arranging a Viola part to go along with it. I had never done that before! I got my good friend Janei Evans, to play it and she did such an amazing job!
“God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son” is a song from the LDS Hymnal and is one of the hymns that is usually sung right before the administration of the sacrament to prepare hearts and minds for that sacred ordinance. This hymn bases it’s text on one of the scriptures from our lesson, John 3:16 ¶ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
This week’s Come Follow Me lesson is studying Matthew chapter 4, and Luke 4-5 and is titled ““The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me”.” In this video – I included depictions from three different stories found within these chapters – Jesus inviting his disciples to follow him, Jesus healing a possessed man and Jesus declaring he is the Messiah.
“Baptism” is a song from the LDS Children’s Songbook – it speaks of the baptism of Jesus Christ and shares an invitation to follow in his example. Blake Roberts, a young man from my ward/church congregation here in Tucson, joined me for this song. His pure, innocent sound was perfect for it.
“The Lord Is My Light” is a very hopeful, joyful and fearless song which I could definitely feel as I began to arrange it. So I decided it would be fun to do this one as another piano solo. To be played “Resolutely” as it suggests at the top of the hymn, (which can be found in the LDS Hymnbook).
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…