2011-03-15 Matis Fireside

This fireside certainly ranks up with others as one of my favorite Matis Firesides.  The topic of this fireside was music and as a good friend of mine recently commented, music plays a huge role in my life.  The fireside started with singing Hymn #125 How Gentle God's Commands.  If you haven't read the words to that hymn recently I highly suggest you do so.  Then, Be Still, My Soul was performed on the violin by a young woman who did an amazing job.  She played the violin so well and it helped invite such a wonderful spirit into the chapel.  It was now time for Bishop Lyman to speak.

What an incredible man Bishop Lyman is.  I thoroughly enjoyed his remarks and his teaching.  He began by making the point that we love Fred & Marilyn because they love us unconditionally and because they have the spirit.  Both statements are so true and what great compliments to receive as individuals.  He shared the following quote by Robert D. Hales:

Moment by moment, breath by breath, our lives are granted to us and are renewed. So it is with spiritual light. It must be renewed in us on a regular basis. We must generate it day by day, thought by thought, and with daily righteous action if we are to keep the darkness of the adversary away.

This quote allowed him to ask the question: "How can we increase the "bubble" around us every day to keep Satan away?".  He relayed an experience of the members of a branch in Santiago where they sang all of the hymns to the same tune.  When he arrived in the area the members were excited to have some that knew how to accompany the hymns and yet, when he played the introduction for the first hymn he was to accompany them for, they looked at him in disgust because that wasn't how the hymn went.  They didn't know any better.  However, those faithful saints, sang the hymns.

He talked for a little bit about where we are today.  We have email coming in constantly, text messages being received, instant messages popping up on our computers and phones, phones ringing.  He told how he reached a point in his life where he asked himself, which part(s) of my life are vibrating too much?  What things in my life are too distracting?

He closed with reading from Hymn #123 Oh, May My Soul Commune With Thee another very powerful hymn.

I really enjoyed this fireside.  I have some other thoughts regarding some songs that have been on my mind lately but I'll share those in a different post soon.  For anyone looking to make some changes in their life, take a minute and evaluate the music you let influence your life.  Bishop Lyman openly admitted that it may not be appropriate for us to only listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the church hymns throughout our day.  However, his challenge was, be aware of what your allowing to influence your day and if it doesn't influence it for good, perhaps a change would be helpful.