As was the case Christmas week, the choir had another week off this past week due to New Year's Day landing on a Thursday. So, Mac Wilberg and Ryan Murphy again chose songs today that the choir was mostly familiar with so that we'd be able to quickly get them ready for the broadcast. Fortunately, most of the choir members were in attendance today and I think we looked and sounded fairly complete.
After a few announcements--one of which was about the tour participation roster being posted tomorrow (roster=those who have been selected to go) and the need for those going to find a roommate--we launched into our rehearsal which seemed to go much more smoothly than last week's.
One of the songs we sang today was "Standing on the Promises". We had performed this song back in May but this time I thought more about the words
and how they applied to me in my life right now. While 2014 could certainly be described as a monumental year in the life of me and my family, part of what made it monumental were the trials. It's a bit ironic that in order to grow and move forward in life (and ultimately find happiness), one must go through hard
times. That's just the way it is. But what makes going through trials a positive and rewarding experience in the end, is being able to stand firmly on the promises of God. Through His son Jesus Christ, He is there to help us. He's there to love us. He's there to extend kindness and show us miracles and give back to us much more than we could give Him. While His love to us is freely given regardless of what we do, if we choose to follow Him, specific and wonderful blessings follow. Stand firmly on the promises with faith and then, whether it's immediate or some time down the road, the blessings will be given and we'll be all the more grateful for them.
Standing firm is hard. Walking in the dark or the dim, hoping for more light, is not easy. Having faith that things will work when "reality" seems to speak loudly that they won't, is difficult. But the promises that light will come, that faith will be rewarded, that God will extend mercy, will all be realized if we stand firm.
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
List’ning every moment to the Spirit’s call,
Resting in my Savior as my all in all,
Standing on the promises of God.
I'm thankful again to be in this choir and for the many blessings that flow from the music I get to sing and the people I get to interact with.
Stand firm...and until next week, God be with you!
We sang some very beautiful music this morning including a piece called "Thou Lovely Source of True Delight" which is one of those majestic pieces with grand orchestration to bring the text to life. There was a verse in particular that spoke to me:
Tis here, whenev’er my comforts droop
And sin and sorrow rise
Thy love with cheering beams of hope
My fainting heart supplies,
But ah! Too soon the pleasing scene
Is clouded o’er with pain
My gloomy fears rise dark between
And I again complain
Don't we all go through such an up and down cycle? We have a hard time, we mess up, and then we feel God's love sustain us and help us and give us hope. Only to have something hard come again and we can't help but complain about the lot we've been given, or the weaknesses we have to overcome, or the trial that doesn't seem very fair.
It reminds me of some verses from a prophet Nephi, in The Book of Mormon:
And why should I yield to sin, because of my flesh? Yea, why should I give way to temptations, that the evil one have place in my heart to destroy my peace and afflict my soul? Why am I angry because of mine enemy? Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul. O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever.
Hopefully, you, and I, can trust that our trials are for a purpose and the Lord is in control and as such, we'll be OK if we just keep going forward. Hold on to those cheering beams of hope!
Switching topics, Thursday night we received more details about the upcoming 2015 tour and were given some handouts going over the itinerary, costs for guests, physician signoff, etc. There was an audible gasp over the price to bring a guest ($3500). But then again, it is to New York and staying there is not cheap. Especially when it's for two full weeks. At any rate, it should be a very fun and exciting opportunity.
Until next time, God be with you.
As there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary this week with rehearsals and Music and the Spoken Word, I thought it might be somewhat interesting to jot down some observations I've made lately about the choir experience.
A. It's very interesting to think that during my lifetime in the choir (who knows how long I'll be in, but 17 more years is a possibility), I'll likely not actually meet everyone in the choir. It's a strange thought. But given how many people are in this organization, there's really not enough time or opportunity to even say "hello" to every person. Unless the individual was a fellow bass, I probably wouldn't recognize a tenor, alto, or soprano if I ran into them at a restaurant or a store or some local place. What's strange about this, even though we don't know each other, we can still be a unified choir by expecting everyone to do their part and by praying for everyone to work hard.
B. I've noticed there are three types of people in the choir. You have your extremely social individuals who talk and comment each moment they get. They congregate during breaks to discuss this or that, walk with each other down our long hallways, and enjoy friendships. You have your non-social individuals who are often seen alone reading books during breaks, walking alone, and keep their heads down. They come to choir, sing well, and then go home. Then you have those who straddle the fence and perhaps could be called your "semi-social" group.
C. There are about 350 to 450 who attend our Thursday night rehearsals each week (and certainly several more who attend the Sunday broadcast--probably a couple of thousand). There are those who come for a few minutes; those who stay for a good hour or so, and those die-hards who stay from start to finish. There are always youth groups and groups from other countries who visit on Sunday. And occasionally we have guests of choir members sing with us for fun on Thursday nights. This last time we had a young man, probably in his 20s, who was studying to be a Lutheran pastor. As he was introduced, it was said that he loved the choir and loved talks given by President Uchtdorf! That produced quite a chuckle as you normally wouldn't expect that from someone trying to become a pastor of another faith.
D. The issues that Bro. Wilberg and Bro. Murphy have us fix each week as we rehearse music are very often the same things. Vowel placement and singing on pitch (which are related) win the top prize. It makes me wonder why, if we as a choir know that (and certainly everyone must know that), it takes so much work each week to get those two things implemented and/or fixed.
E. Organ solos are truly cool. I don't think I noticed this when not in the choir, but our organists Richard Elliott, Clay Christiansen, Andrew Unsworth, Bonnie Goodliffe, and Linda Margetts are VERY talented and know how to play some very inspirational and moving pieces.
F. Us new choir members have a lot of work cut out for us as we try and learn and memorize new songs. We currently have two concerts in the not too distant future and we practically have to memorize the entire song lineup! It takes me a few days just to memorize one and now when I see I have twenty to commit to memory in just three to six weeks, I feel overwhelmed. I wonder what I'll be listening to on my iPhone several hours a day for next few months!
That's about it for this week. We have our Pioneer Day Concert coming up on July 18 and 19th. And we have the Deer Valley Musical Festival coming up on August 8th.
To end on a spiritual uplifting note, here were the words spoken today by Bro. Newell on our Music and the Spoken Word broadcast:
The Bible records that the Apostle Paul had what he called "a thorn in the flesh"-a trial or difficulty that helped to keep him humble and steadfast. He asked the Lord three times to take it from him, but it remained. Yet Paul came to see divine purpose in his infirmities and hardships, declaring with great wisdom, "For when I am weak, then am I strong."
At times, for each of us, the path of life seems to be all uphill, filled with obstacles and hazards. But these struggles are not meant to stop us or discourage us. They are meant to change us. If we face our challenges with all of the courage, patience, and faith we have-undoubtedly developing a great deal more in the process-we'll reach the top of that hill and make an important discovery: In the journey of life, the destination is not as important as what we become along the way.
From that elevated perspective, we may notice that our hardships were the very things we needed to make us better and stronger. Becoming our best self often happens because of-rather than in spite of-unfavorable circumstances. Our greatest trials can become our greatest teachers.
Until next time...God be with you.
