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By Small and Simple Things

7/26/2022

Many people are concerned these days about when the Second Coming of Christ will be. Yes, the world seems filled with evil. Yes, every family has been or will be affected by the evil all around us. Yes, these are the Last Days spoken of and there is much to be concerned about. But, we have been given very specific instructions to help us be ready to be the people who will welcome the Savior when he comes again.

Follow the Prophet, learn to Hear Him (God speaking through the Holy Ghost to us), Study the Scriptures, Keep the Commandments, Repent Daily, Serve One Another, Love One Another.

Sure, these instructions have been reduced to SOUND BITES so we can easily ponder them and live by them. And they are really quite SIMPLE THINGS. The Gospel Principles are intended to be simple enough that even the poorest among us can learn and do them.

Alma said it best from the Book of Mormon, (Alma 37:6-7) "Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Here is a song for a Youth Chorus on that very topic, "By Small and Simple Things" SATB.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

With a helm a great ship is turned, Through obedience faith is learned.
Line on line, truth on truth we are taught by godly grace.
As a seedling becomes a tree, we gain holiness by degree
Until our hearts fill with hope and we feel the Lord's embrace.

Twig by twig robins build their nests. Deed by deed we are heaven blessed.
Doing good day by day we will tread as Jesus trod.
Showing kindness to those in need, being gentle in word and deed,
As perfect love fills our hearts we'll inherit the kingdom of God.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
As many strokes create a portrait, so our lives reflect the Lord.
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
Every time I read the holy scriptures I feel the goodness of His word.
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
And every day I'll wear the armor that befits a son of God.
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
By small and simple things are great things, are great things,
Are great things brought to pass.

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Love Thy Neighbor Concert

7/16/2022

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The Tabernacle Choir Concert last night was lovely. Quiet in tone, but very lovely. It began with two favorite numbers honoring the Pioneers. The visuals combined with the beautiful music had me in tears from the start. The announcers for the concert were pulled from the choir and orchestra. Some were seasoned professionals from the broadcasting field, others were new members of the choir from different lands and cultural heritages. They brought a new look to a Tabernacle Choir concert experience. The soloist for the evening was the new Director of Opera at BYU, Shea Owens. What a magnificent baritone voice! The music and messages were beautiful and tear-jerking.

The music and spoken words were exactly on point for the theme of "Love Thy Neighbor." I was tearing up, honestly full on weeping, throughout the entire concert. I actually could have used some comic relief.

They created a special video on the topic of "Love Thy Neighbor" with a new song and ideas for how to go about serving others in the Savior's way:

"I Would Be True" YouTube video.

We were invited to share it via our phones at a certain point in the concert. The only problem was that I think we overloaded the internet connection. Many people around me couldn't get a connection let alone a download. But we enjoyed the live music.

And, not to nit pick, but there were some things that were conspicuously absent from last night's concert. No Rick Elliott doing a show stopping organ piece. No Lloyd Newell. And no section of stunning classical choral masterworks. I really missed those usually expected elements.

I hope future concerts will have more bells and whistles. While I enjoyed the concert, it was all on one emotional thread, hence the weeping. What I have come to expect from actually attending a Tabernacle Choir Concert in person didn't really happen. All was very introspective. I had hoped for more color, good humor, excitement and hope and joy and motivation! (And dancers! I love seeing dancers at the concert! That's what makes coming to a live concert in the Conference Center so amazing and VERY different from watching the concert on television!)

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Music to Cheer You When You are Blue

7/13/2022

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Last night I attended a performance of "The Drowsy Chaperone." I knew one of the songs, but had never actually seen the show before. What struck me was how the show was an homage to Musical Theater of a bygone era. The tropes, the song styles, the stock characters, the jokes were all harkening back to the early days of musicals as they transitioned from Vaudeville to Broadway to early movies.

The show was lively and fun, but the ending was actually quite touching. The main character was lamenting how sometimes he felt "blue" and just needed something to cheer him up. His records and memories and imaginings helped him feel better. Upbeat music cheered him. Dancing cheered him. Happy endings cheered him. That's what musicals are supposed to do. They take you into a place where you are lifted from your mundane "real" world worries.

Music has great power. Just a few notes into a piece can begin to transport the listener to a different place, time, or mood. It can also create drama, signal dangers, and agitate emotions. We appreciate the underscoring in movies and stage productions. It helps us understand the story on a deeper level. But sometimes, we don't want to think too hard. We just want to escape. That's when going to see a Musical Comedy is so joyful.

While driving in the car the other day I was listening to a classical music station. The announcer gave a tease about playing a Beethoven piece in the upcoming segment. But in the meantime he played a 20th Century Trio for flute, violin and piano. Here I was all gearing up to hear a familiar Beethoven piece and he muddled my mood by playing a meandering avant guard piece with barely any structure. It was jarring to my psyche. Mentally and emotionally, I was expecting Beethoven, and I didn't get it! I had to turn off the radio.

I think I wanted to escape into a familiar musical style to transport me into a better mood away from my mundane worldly worries. But it didn't happen. My mood worsened. Then, I chose other music to listen to. That helped. I love music that can heal, cheer, brighten and lift up the soul!

Yeah, songs from the Beatles catalogue do that for me. Here's an Easy Piano version of "I Will" by Paul McCartney.

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Tabernacle Choir at West Point

7/3/2022

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July 4th, 2015 we were told to get up, get dressed, and get onto the buses. In hindsight, it would have been nice to know what to prepare for that day. It would have been nice to take rain coats or umbrellas. We did not know where we were going or what we would be doing that day. It turned out that we had a long bus ride from New York City going north along the Hudson River. Some of us actually assumed we were going sightseeing somewhere.

And we did go sightseeing, We got to tour West Point Military Academy - in the rain. Very interesting and inspiring. Then we were told that we would be performing with the West Point Academy Band in concert that evening. Apparently, the Band usually did a concert on the 4th of July mostly for the community nearby. Our presence was hush-hush because they did not want more customers than they could handle.

This was a wonderful concert in a beautiful setting. Chairs were set up on the lawn overlooking the Hudson River. The rain earlier in the day took most of the humidity out of the air. By showtime, we were comfortable and confident. Seeing all of the cadets marching in to take their seats was really inspiring. The band played well on their own and to accompany us. We were very touched singing Patriotic songs at the military academy that had trained Army cadets since the founding of our country. (Go Army! Beat Navy!)

A bonus for us in the Tabernacle Choir was that we got to leave the risers and go down behind them to watch the fireworks. What a spectacle! We loved our clandestined outing!

Enjoy a YouTube video of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" from West Point Academy.

P.S. It is amazing that some of the women thought to bring make-up and hair-doing supplies. They helped the rest of us get looking prepared.

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By Small and Simple Things

Love Thy Neighbor Concert

Music to Cheer You When You are Blue

Tabernacle Choir at West Point

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