Silent Night is one of the most popular melodies ever written. It evokes a peaceful scene of the newborn Savior, lying in the manger, being watched over by Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and stable animals. There can be no more humble or lowly scene, and yet the Creator of the world had come to save it.… Read More Silent Night
Today was a Sabbath day unlike any other day I have had in my life. I have always been a faithful member of the Church. I honestly believe that I can count on two hands and two feet the number of times I have not attended church services – and I’m not exactly young any… Read More A Very Different Sabbath
I have a question for you: Have you received his image in your playing? With this question, paraphrased from the prophet Alma, lies the greatest challenge that faces a Latter-day Saint organist. While we have to be good at what we do, the greater challenge is to do good. As church musicians and especially as… Read More Have We Received His Image In Our Playing?
Father In Heaven, We Do Believe is a beautiful sacrament hymn with a powerful message. The text was written by Parley P. Pratt, one of the most amazing and fascinating people in the history of the LDS church. He was a great missionary, a prophet of God and a special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ,… Read More Father In Heaven, We Do Believe
One day a man traveled through the woods and fell into a deep hole. The hole had been disguised so that it could not be readily detected and the man fell in unawares of the danger he faced. The man tried to get out of the hole, but it was deep enough and wide enough… Read More The Parable of the Hole
1 Corinthians 13 is unquestionably my favorite passage of scripture. In it the Apostle Paul encourages us to develop the greatest of divine attributes – love. The word that is translated as charity in the King James Version of the Bible is the Greek word agape. The Greeks wisely have four different words for love:… Read More Charity
God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son is one of my favorite hymns. Written by two former tabernacle organists, it’s message is direct and powerful: God loved us, so he sent his Son, Christ Jesus, the atoning One, To show us by the path he trod The one and only way to God. He… Read More God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son
It finally happened. I’ve been dreading the day for years but it was inevitable. I had my first senior moment. A few weeks ago I was playing an intermediate hymn in sacrament meeting and lost track of which verse we were on. I thought that the hymn had been completed, so I hit the cancel… Read More The “R” Piston
My mother passed away last year. She was an amazing woman who sacrificed greatly for her family. Her death was fairly sudden and I was left to deal with a complex set of emotions that overlaid another serious trial in my life that was happening at the same time. Fortunately, Mom had taught me well. She… Read More Elegy
To understand this arrangement, I need to introduce you to a member of my family. James is my oldest son. When he was three years old, James was diagnosed with autism. Autism affected James in many ways — some positive, some quite difficult. He was brilliant in many ways and, unlike many autistic people, was… Read More Behold, The Great Redeemer Die
The Organ Is Praise 