Brightening My Light

I came across this song yesterday and fell in love with the poetic lyrics: Take Time to Be Holy (Dickman) Music for Choirs ,  Submitted Music (2007-2011) Take time to be Holy, speak oft with thy Lord. Abide in Him always and feed on His word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek. Take time to be holy, the world rushes on. Spend much time in secret with Jesus alone; By looking to Jesus like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see. Take time to be holy, let Him be thy guide And run not before Him whatever betide. In joy or in sorrow still follow thy Lord, And looking to Jesus still trust in His word. Take time to be holy, be calm in thy soul. Each thought and each motive beneath His control; Thus led by His Spirit to fountains of love, Thou soon shall be fitted for service above. Thou soon shall be fitted for service above. Text:  ...

Last week at stake conference, I had the privilege to sing alto in a special women's choir for the a cappella number "Lift Thine Eyes" from Mendelssohn's  Elijah . I had never heard it before, and I immediately fell in love with it the first time I listened to it. The message of the song is just as beautiful as the music: Lift thine eyes to the mountains, w hence cometh help. Thy help cometh from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He hath said thy foot shall not be moved. Thy keeper will never slumber. Lift thine eyes to the mountains, w hence cometh help.  To me, the words mean we can get help from the Savior at His temple, the mountain of the Lord. I also love the line, "Thy keeper will never slumber," a reminder that Christ is always there waiting for us to seek Him and rely on His strength and righteousness. We may fall asleep while praying, reading our scriptures, sitting in Church, or even attending the temple, but He is always aware ...

illustration by Jay Gatdula I have been on a worldly music diet the past few months in an effort to invite the Spirit into my home and heart--and my children's hearts. I've been listening to hymns and Primary songs on my iPhone and classical stations on iTunes and the radio. I'm currently without my phone, so Sunday I dusted off my old iPod mini and resynced it with only classical, LDS, and kids music. I have heard some new beautiful music that fills my soul and moves me. In fact, I have now even become a fan of opera! Music truly is a heavenly language that has so much power to bless or curse us. The intense emotions I've felt recently while listening to such uplifting songs has reminded me of quotes from my Hymns of the Restoration BYU class (I highly recommend it!): "There is no music in hell, for all good music belongs to heaven. Sweet harmonious sounds give exquisite joy to human beings capable of appreciating music. . . . Every sweet musical sound tha...

Let every heart prepare him room . ~"Joy to the World" Son of God, love's pure light Radiant beams from thy holy face, With the dawn of redeeming grace. ~"Silent Night" Where meek souls will receive him, still The dear Christ enters in.  ~"O Little Town of Bethlehem" Born that man no more may die; Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. ~"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing" Lord, with the angels we too would rejoice; Help us to sing with the heart and voice. ~"Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep: The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men." ~"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" Sharing Time: What are your favorite words from the Christmas hymns?

I love singing and listening to Primary songs. Their sweetness, energy, and sincerity touch my spirit and remind me to be childlike. Their simple words emphasize the basic yet most important principles of the gospel. They bring the Spirit, joy, and peace. And some songs are just plain fun to sing! Sharing Time: What is your favorite Primary song? photo from deseretbook.com

Yesterday evening I watched the Christmas Devotional at our stake center. It was absolutely beautiful! It opened with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and congregation singing "The First Noel" and then after the prayer the Choir singing "For unto Us a Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah . They sang with such contagious joyfulness. President Uchtdorf spoke first about seeing Christ with the heart. He quoted from The Little Prince , "Anything essential is invisible to the eye." Although many saw Christ with their eyes, they did not see Him with their hearts and accept Him as their Savior and Redeemer. President Uchtdorf exhorted us to unclutter our lives and let it be the season of seeking the Savior with our hearts. The Choir then sang "O Holy Night," my favorite Christmas hymn. I love when the Choir sings! President Eyring followed reminding us that the story of Christmas is a story of love. He advised us to create a small part of the Christmas s...

The Sunbeam lesson I taught today was "Music Makes Me Happy." Whether it be instrumental or voice, music can calm fear, brighten sorrow, and dispel anger, and it serves as a way to praise and pray to Heavenly Father. "There is no music in hell," said Brigham Young, "for all good music belongs to heaven." He also said, "If we could hear the music there is in heaven, it would overwhelm us mortals." We may not yet be able to hear heaven's music, but "never, indeed, do we feel so near heaven as when listening to the performance of some grand anthem, in which the angels themselves might fitly take their parts" (John Taylor). Good music and grand anthems take form in Church-related and classical music. "If you do not have a taste for it [classical music], listen to it thoughtfully," counseled President Hinckley. "If you do not like it the first time, listen to it again and keep listening. It will be something like going to ...