Songwriting is the act of baring one's soul to another in the form of words and music.
This lesson studies Mosiah chapters 7-10. This hymn goes well with the text of this lesson. In this section, the people were in bondage and seeking deliverance. They came to a determination that God would deliver them and he does….
I was immediately drawn to ‘Testimony.’ The words ‘I know my Father lives’ came to my mind, and the music came almost simultaneously. The remainder of the piece came very quickly, but I thought it was too simple, so I began working on it. It became more and more complicated and less and less spontaneous. After two weeks of struggling with it, I began to erase all the excess notes, and soon it emerged in its original form.
Hello! Praise to the Man is a suggested hymn for the Book of Mormon lesson “We Lived after the Manner of Happiness” studying 2 Nephi 3–5. This section includes a prophecy about the Prophet Joseph Smith which is pretty astounding!
Hello! The Iron Rod is a suggested hymn for the Book of Mormon lesson “Armed with Righteousness and with the Power of God” studying 1 Nephi 11–15. I decided to create a lyric video that may be useful for people. I kept the melody and rhythm the same so that people could sing along with it, made the lyrics the central aspect of the video and included some nice nature videography that Brad Leishman and Steve Pierce have kindly donated.
As human beings we all experience negative emotion. We are supposed to! It’s a part of life. Many people think that we should always be happy and feel good all the time. But it is in the difficulty that we grow and it is in the trials that we learn and it is the contrast that helps us appreciate all the positive and happy emotions more deeply.