Music

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was officially organized in April 1830. The Book of Mormon had been printed and the gospel was being to travel faster than ever. As the church grew, Joseph Smith continued to receive revelations to help him make sure the church he organized, was the one Jesus Christ wanted it to be: His church. Many of these revelations were written down and would later be compile... Read More

Of all the places I could find myself on Sunday, one of my favorites is the children’s Primary. Now, don’t get me wrong. Primary is not exactly the most relaxing way to spend the Sabbath, but for all their energy and antics there is something pure and beautiful about a child learning the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, the times I spend in the Primary are the times that I hear the gospel in its simplest and pure form. They don’t question, they just see Jesus Christ and love Him. Before all of our analytical brains of adulthood get to it, the gospel is actually very simple and straight forward. It’s all about loving and being ... Read More

Today, my heart is singing “There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today.” I live in a part of the country that is very reluctant to give up it’s hold on winter. Some people like that, but I don’t happen to be one of them. Yes, winter carries its own blessings. My favorites are warm fuzzy socks and hot chocolate. But my heart yearns for sunshine, warmth and the beauty of growing things. It was a joyful occasion for me on Saturday when two of my children presented me with the first flowers from my garden that had triumphed over winter’s cold. It brou... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 6: We be... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 5: We be... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 4: We be... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 3: We be... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 7: We beli... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 2: We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. (Articles of Faith)The gospel of Jesus Christ is good news, glad tidings, and much more. It is the message of salva... Read More

The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements of basic belief for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). They were written as a part of a document called the Wentworth Letter, which Joseph Smith wrote in 1842 to John Wentworth of the Chicago Democrat. Later, these brief statements were set to music by American composer Vanja Watkins. In this series, we will examine the truths presented in the Articles of Faith. Article of Faith 1: We belie... Read More

Recently, I have pondered the second verse of the classic hymn, sung by early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons) as they journeyed across the plains. Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard? ’Tis not so; all is right. Why should we think to earn a great reward If we now shun the fight? Gird up your loins; fresh courage take. Our God will never us forsake; And soon we’ll have this tale to tell— All is well! All is well! (Come, Come, Ye... Read More

On 1 March 1842, Joseph Smith wrote a defining document for John Wentworth, a newspaper man from the Chicago Democrat. The Wentworth Letter, as it has come to be called, included thirteen concise statements of basic belief for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (referred to as the Mormons). These Articles of Faith are often memorized by members of the Church around the world, because they summarize many... Read More

I am a singer and a teacher of singing, so I have always appreciated good choirs. One of the best in the world is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. As a venue for performance, the Salt Lake Tabernacle itself is a unique building with a fascinating history, and the organ it houses is world-renowned. However, the Choir is probably the most recognizable musical representation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Choir is one of the oldest and best known in the United States, and its influence has been recognized by many prominent leaders outside the Church. According to ... Read More

Last weekend, I attended a conference for our Stake in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As I sat with my wife near the front of the congregation, my eyes were drawn to a small group of faithful Latter-day Saints on the left side in the first two rows. They were quietly sitting, intently watching interpreters repeat the words of the speakers in American Sign Language. However, when my wife began playing the introduction to one of the hymns on the organ, these Church members opened their hymnals, set them on their laps, and signed the words as the rest of the congregation sang them. As I sang with these hearing-impaired Saints, my mind was called back to the second verse of a hymn I us... Read More

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, are mourning the passing of a mighty prophet, Gordon Bittner Hinckley, on 27 January, 2008. He was truly a witness of Jesus Christ, and he pioneered the use of various media formats in sharing the Gospel. He was an extraordinary man with a gift for words. We sing a hymn in which he bears simple testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ: I know that my Redeemer lives, Triumphant Savior, Son of God, Victorious over pain and death, My King, my Leader, and my Lord. He lives, my one sure rock of faith, The one bright hope of men on earth, The beacon to a better ... Read More

I recently remembered a little song the children sing in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Help me, dear Father, to freely forgive All who may seem unkind to me. Help me each day, Father, I pray; Help me live nearer, nearer to thee. Help me, dear Father, to truly repent, Making things right, and changing my ways. Help me each day, Father, I pray; Help me live nearer, nearer to thee. (Children's Songbook) Ironically, forgiveness is sometimes easiest for children. Perhaps as adults we tend to re... Read More

This year’s course of study for the Sunday School classes in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. One of my favorite hymns is a setting of a text by Parley P. Pratt, and it provides an excellent view of the purposes and content of the Book of Mormon. It begins by speaking of an angel: An angel from on high The long, long silence broke; Descending from the sky, These gracious words he spoke: Lo! in Cumorah’s lonely hill A sacred record lies concealed. Lo! ... Read More

My beautiful wife and I are preparing for the birth of our first child in May. We recently found out that we will have a boy. As I ponder the responsibility of raising a son, my mind often returns to the story from the Book of Mormon about an army of two thousand young men whose mothers had taught them to have mighty faith in the Lord. Their parents had turned from their former lives of violence and accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and they had buried all their weapons as a promise that they would not kill again. Later, when the followers of Christ were under attack, these righteous young sons went to battle to defend their freedom to worship. Their leader, Helaman, wrote: For as I had ever called... Read More

We are settling into the new 2008, and this is the time of year when most people who have set resolutions for the new year are facing the difficulty of sustaining necessary changes. I am reminded of a poem by Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892), which we sing as a hymn in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, usually around New Year’s Day: Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light. The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old; ring in the new. Ring, happy bells, across the snow. The year is going; let him go. Ring out the fa... Read More

Every time I hear the hymn A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief, I cannot help but think of the prophet Joseph Smith. Shortly before he was killed, his good friend and future President of the Church John Taylor sang this hymn for him. On the afternoon of June 27, 1844, the little group of brethren sat silent and disconsolate in the jail. One of the men asked Elder Taylor, who had a rich tenor voice, to sing to them. Soon his voice was raised: “A poor wayfaring Man of grief hath often crossed me on my way, who sued so humbly for relief that I could never answer nay.” Elder Taylor recollected... Read More

Mormons love music. We love to sing. We love to dance. For me, personally, music brings great joy to my heart. When I am sad, music can life my spirits. When I'm in the mood to clean, music can make me motivated. When I want to the feel the Spirit of God close to me, music fills my heart, spirit and mind until everything in me is tuned to the heavens. At the very beginning of the Mormon hymnbook we read: Three months after the Church was organized, the Lord, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, instructed Joseph's wife, Emma, to make a selection of sacred hymns for the Church: "For my soul delighteth in the song of the he... Read More

As we approach the officially sanctioned season of thanks (all seasons really should be seasons of thanks), it becomes natural to ponder the things in our life that we are truly thankful for. One of these things, for me at least, is the great gift we have been given in music. It is a gift that, thanks to modern technology, touches us in our daily lives almost as much as the gifts of companionship, shelter and food. Music has become so pervasive in our society that it is easy to take it for granted. It's easy to forget that all of the music we enjoy on a daily basis, both sacred and secular, has come to us because there are musicians out there (who often aren't paid very well) that have dedicated their time and energy to perfecting their talents for the edification and pleasure o... Read More