The theme this year for the youth in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Doctrine and Covenants 87:8:

“Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”

Shawna Edwards, songwriter and young women leader in her stake, wrote a song called “Stand” to celebrate this theme, to invite young women to reflect on what it can mean to stand in holy places, and to testify that God’s grace is real.

She writes:

I’ve been thinking about holy places for a long time — where they are, and what they are. To begin with, members of the Mormon Church revere their TEMPLES as the holiest places on earth – literally God’s house, where we come out of the world to learn of Him and make covenants with Him. Our homes can also be holy places, and our churches, of course. But the concept of a holy place isn’t merely geographical. It can be an event, an action, or even a feeling. James E. Faust has said, “Holiness is the strength of the soul.”

Of course, JESUS CHRIST was and is our ultimate example of holiness, but there are many other examples in the scriptures of people doing simple, yet holy things that had profound consequences.

What are some of your holy places? What simple things help bring you closer to God? How have you seen others stand in holy places? How have you seen or felt the reality of God’s grace and power? 

Share your thoughts at Shawna’s website and she’ll send you a free MP3 of the song.

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Editor’s note: Perhaps the greatest story in human history is the story of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This short musical film, created several years ago, depicts the early part of the sacred Christmas story when Mary tells Joseph of the angelic visitor, and he receives his own angelic visitation confirming the truth of her words.

Watching the video made me reflect on how God uses ordinary people to do His extraordinary work, on the reality of angels, on the power of faith, and on the blessing of prophecies of holy prophets that helped people know of the Savior’s first coming, and prepare us for His Second Coming.

Thanks to Charles Cranney, one of the Mormon producers of this short Christmas musical film, for sharing it. Mary (Joy Gardner) and Joseph (Dallyn Bayles) are played by musician/actors who performed in “The Savior of the World” a musical production of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, performed at the Church’s Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

You can hear producers’ comments on this version of the video. Read more about how this short came to be under the “about” section.

The post To Us is Born (a Christmas musical short) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

We shared the sneak peek video teaser of the arrangement of Have I Done Any Good? featuring Alex Boyé and American Idol singer Carmen Rasmussen. The final version of the video has been released, in time for yesterday’s Mormon Helping Hands (MHH) day of service.

The post Have I Done Any Good? Alex Boye and Carmen Rasmussen MHH appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Below, find a link to an interview with David Archuleta that was broadcast on BYUtv a while ago.

BYUtv – Latter-Day Profiles: David Archuleta.

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I played on a soccer team, named Spirit, for seven years. Some of my fondest memories of learning true work ethic took place on that team. I have a special bond with the members of Spirit, and with all of their families. So many members of our team are believers in Christ, and though we were from many different denominations, we learned to work hard together — always making our focus on becoming united.

Howie, our coach, was a very inspirational part of my life. He has shown true belief in all of us, taking interest in our lives on and off the field. He pushed us to be better, faster, stronger, but never in a degrading way. He knew our potential and built us to that point. I always knew he loved us more than anything.

Since he’s developed Lou Gehrig’s disease [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS] he’s continued to teach me. His faith and positive attitude is beyond anything that I’ve seen. He is not bitter, just believing, and has expressed his thanks to God for the life he has and the guidance He’s given him through all the years.

One of Howie’s favorite scriptures is the following: Psalm 16:8– I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me. (New Living Translation)

I wrote this song to honor Howie and the faith we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

The post “From the Sidelines” (Original music) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

To watch the broadcast, you can go here. The live broadcast will be at 6:00 p.m. MST on December 6, 2009. But you can also watch the archived version anytime after the live broadcast at that link. If you are interested in live audio streams in a different language, look at the bottom of the live broadcast page for a list of languages that are available.

You can also listen to a live audio feed at Mormon Channel, the official online LDS radio station.

The 2008 First Presidency Devotional can be found here. It can be heard in the following languages: Arabic, Armenian, Bulgarian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Cebuano, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Fijian, Finnish, French, German, Guarani, Haitian Creole, Hindi (Fiji), Hmong, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mandarin, Marshallese, Mongolian, Navajo, Norwegian, Papiamento, Pohnpeian, Portuguese, Portuguese (EU), Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Tahitian, Thai, Tongan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.

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For another wonderful live broadcast, this of a concert by various choirs and the philharmonic orchestra at Brigham Young University, you can go to Classical89.org tonight at 7:30 p.m. MST. This concert, A Celebration of Christmas, includes a variety of music, including a few fun traditional Christmas songs like Sleigh Ride. But the true celebration is of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the focal point of our faith.

This concert will also be rebroadcast on Classical89.org on December 20, 2009 at 5:00 p.m., MST.

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If you get a chance to listen to either of these broadcasts, we invite you to share what you liked.

The post Links We Like: First Presidency Devotional; Christmas Concert Broadcast Tonight! appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Shawna writes this about her song:

It was only a few days before Christmas, and I was in the throes of the Christmas Crush — you know — that somewhat sickening feeling you have when you’ve spent way too much time at the mall, and you’re still not “ready”? And then I read an article written by President Thomas S. Monson, who said,

“[P]ersonally invited to undertake a search for the babe…did the shepherds concern themselves with….their possessions? Did they procrastinate their search for Jesus? The record affirms that…they came with haste.”

I felt a pang of conscience as I realized that I, too, had received a personal invitation to come unto Him, but had lately ignored it in favor of buying up worthless trinkets. I was the innkeeper, with no room for Him. I didn’t notice the star and I didn’t hear the angels sing.

I continued to read:

In these busy days there are many who have time for golf, time for shopping, time for work, time for play—but no time for Christ. Lovely homes dot the land and provide rooms for eating, rooms for sleeping, playrooms, sewing rooms, television rooms, but no room for Christ.

I sang it to my family on Christmas Eve, then filed it away in my music drawer and forgot about it. It might still be there, if it weren’t for my Dad, who regularly asked me, “Have you done anything with that song?”

After her father’s death, she did do something with that song. She made a video and posted it on YouTube and shared it with a half dozen other people.

I was reluctant to send it to anyone else, but my kids weren’t. Within a few weeks, I was getting  emails from people all over the world, and from many different faiths and walks of life. They shared with me their stories of struggle and tragedy; of courage, hope, and triumph. I answered every email–it was the season of a thousand new friends.

The post Sharing Our Voices: “Do You Have Room?” appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Story in Boston Globe about Mormon authors

Mormon moms express and share their faith through dance

BYU (Brigham Young University) Professor helped with Where the Wild Things Are movie storyboard

Read more about various other Mormon artists in Mormon Artist magazine

Some of the most well-known Mormon Artists are not known individually, but as a group — the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Read about the 2009 Mormon Tabernacle Choir tour here. You can also enjoy many of the choir’s songs, beautifully put to pictures, here. For example, read this post about gratitude for this beautiful world in which we live, and then enjoy the following video Mormon Soprano created:

The post Links We Like: Mormon Artists appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

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Singer Natalie Cole (a nine-time winner of the Grammy award) will be joining the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in December for its Christmas Concert. David McCullough, noted historian and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, will provide the narration. Tickets are free, but do require registration for the random drawing to distribute tickets (demand is always high). Find out more here.

Speaking of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, enjoy several videos including their music here.

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This video includes the words from apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ testifying about how the Atonement of the Savior can help us face our trials in life.

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The post Links We Like: Gospel Principles; Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert, Music; The Atonement Lifts our Burdens; appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.