~by Michelle

Truths about God’s love and His plan and His Son Jesus Christ are truths that even children can comprehend. Today, a children’s song came to mind that carries with it this kind of beautiful simplicity — and also points to so many layers of awe-inspiring truths.

This song talks about how we all lived with God before this life. We were given the opportunity to choose whether or not we wanted to come to earth and receive bodies and learn by experience through this mortal journey. We knew Jesus before this life, because He was central to God’s plan to allow us the opportunity to come back Home.

In this life, we have an opportunity to choose God’s plan and to choose to have faith in Jesus — again.

The song reminds me of William Wordsworth’s poem, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” (I’d never seen the whole poem before; I recommend reading it in its entirety.)

Wordsworth was an English poet who was born in the later 18th century. His poem articulates this sense that our existence didn’t start here, but that

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

                      Hath had elsewhere its setting,

                         And cometh from afar:

                      Not in entire forgetfulness,

                      And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

                      From God, who is our home:

Wordsworth also acknowledges that as we grow older, experiences of life can leave us forgetting, growing blinded to our divine identity evidences of Light all around us.

But we don’t have to walk blind, in the dark. We can, as the scriptures say, be as little children.

As these children sing, we can “Choose Him Again.”

[Song written by Shawna Edwards and performed by One Voice Children’s Choir]

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There are two things that, for me, help make Christmas special — lights and music. The list of Christmas music that lifts my spirits is endless.

Today, I wanted to share a new Christmas song by Shawna Edwards and Angie Killian. It’s a children’s Christmas song called “When We Seek Him.” It captures how Jesus is anxious and willing to walk with us in our lives, if we simply seek Him.

We’ve included a couple other songs from these two composers below.

Shawna Edwards’ first song, “Do You Have Room?” was first written for her family as a Christmas gift after reading

You can read the whole story on Shawna’s blog. We also have it shared a few times here on our site. It was a song written for her family as a Christmas gift after reading this article by Thomas S. Monson. Re-reading his words, shared in 1990, they tie in beautifully to “When We Seek Him” as well.

“Before we can successfully undertake a personal search for Jesus, we must first prepare time for him in our lives and room for him in our hearts. 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.”

TIt was after her father’s death that she decided to have the song recorded. Her dad had often asked her if she was going to do anything with the song. Shawna asked April Meservy to record it, and on a whim, Shawna put the music on YouTube to share with a few friends and family members and at a church activity. It quickly went viral. Shawna got emails from people all over the world wanting to listen to and sing this song.

You can download sheet music for the song here and the lyrics can be found here.

Angie Killian started writing music in 2016 as a way to teach her children more about Jesus Christ (and to find her own peace through the long nights of young motherhood). Like Shawna, she has felt compelled to write music and share it to help build faith in Jesus Christ.

Angie recently shared another Christmas song called “Wonderful One.” I thought it was pretty amazing that she was able to include dozens of missionaries in the music video.

As we move into the last week before Christmas, let’s all try to remember the Reason for the Season and make room to seek Him each day.

The post Christmas Music: When We Seek Him by Shawna Edwards and Angie Killian appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I saw this post over the weekend from a Christian woman named Ann Voskamp and it made me think of how Shawna’s song can connect to a favorite Christian song of mine.

Make room for Him. Behold Him. Remember Him. And be held by Him. Enjoy this [not Christmas] song by Casting Crowns.

The post 12 Days of Christmas, Day 8: Make Room for Christ…and then Be Held appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

There was a day that this cross stitch (and another similar one — both possessions of my grandma who passed away in 2000) just caused pain. As much as I ached for all my years as a single adult to be a mom, in truth, I wasn’t naturally suited to motherhood in many ways. And the early years — actually, easily more than a decade — were fraught with paralyzing guilt and fear. At times, I truly believed that my kids “deserved better” (after all, I loved and cared about them so much and knew myself and my weakness so well — how could I as such a weak mortal be what these precious children deserved?)

I remember one day where I was neck-deep in the chaos and exhaustion of young motherhood when I called a treasured friend of mine, a mother of nine. I expressed my fears and guilt and concerns to her.

She said something like this:

Your children are alive, and you know how to dial 911 [emergency number]. You are doing awesome!

I still laugh at her words, but of course she wasn’t just trying to be funny.  She was telling me that all I was agonizing over simply wasn’t worth agonizing over. I was never supposed to be all that (whatever that was in my head).

As my relationship with God has deepened over the years, I’ve come to realize that God’s love, however IS all that and more. The Savior really fills in the gaps where I fall short, and then some (times eternity). And now that I’ve been doing this mothering thing for nearly 18 1/2 years, I see how God has sent so many other nurturing souls, both male and female, into my children’s lives.

I am grateful to say that now I can enjoy Mother’s Day in the safe arms of my Savior’s love and His compensatory power that makes my motherhood enough. God’s plan was for His precious children to be sent to imperfect parents.

We are told to be like a little child. I hope this beautiful Mother’s Day song, intended to reflect the pure, simple beliefs of a child, can bring peace and love from God to your heart on this Mother’s Day. And I’d like to invite you to think about how you enjoy expressing love to your children? If you do not currently have children of your own, I hope you will consider and know how your influence makes such a difference. (Such a difference!)

I hope you will have eyes to see what you are doing, especially today, and trust that God is always working in the background of our lives and the lives of our children. We were never meant to be enough without Him.

p.s. Many thanks to Shawna Edwards for her mother heart and the love she extends to so many through her music.

The post More Than Enough: A Mother’s Day song appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

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The post I’d Sing You a Song (Children’s Christmas song) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My favorite way to engage the Christmas season is to ponder how the Christmas story relates to me in my life. Today. Now.

For example, I have a post brewing in my head about the simple phrase that appears in the Christmas story more than once: “Fear not.” (I hope to write that post soon, especially given the fear that can be stirred by headlines like the tragedy in San Bernadino yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with all who were affected personally, and for all of us as we process yet another act of senseless violence.)

There is so much symbolism in all the different elements of the Christmas story.

I’m grateful to share a beautiful, simple Christmas song, written by Shawna Edwards, that ponders the message of the Star of Bethlehem. There is endless truth in the message that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and can be the Light in our individual dark times.

As in the past, Shawna is offering a free MP3 of the music, at The Star Still Shines.

“The Star Still Shines” is sung by David Osmond. Tyler Castleton arranged the song.

The post The Star Still Shines — New song from Shawna Edwards appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

It’s become a tradition here to launch the Christmas holiday with this video, featuring Shawna Edwards’ “Do You Have Room?”

How did this song come to be? Shawna writes:

I wrote Do You Have Room? as a Christmas gift for my family, after reading these inspired words by Thomas S. Monson:

“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. No room. No room. Ever has it been.”

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.

This video has over 600,000 views, and Shawna’s YouTube channel now has over a million views.

You can download a free MP3 of “Do You Have Room?” song here.

This experience spurred in Shawna a desire to share her love of the Savior through music. She has two more Christmas songs coming soon.

p.s. We get a lot of traffic on our site and requests for Shawna’s music. (A post on The Miracle was the most frequently clicked-on page this past month.) If you are interested in sheet music or minus tracks for any of her songs, we encourage you to visit her site. Please note that the cost of sheet music and minus tracks helps cover costs of the music recording and video production. As you honor copyright laws as you use this music, it helps Shawna be able to continue to create these recordings and videos.

The post Do You Have Room? — Christmas song and video appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The miracle of the Atonement of Jesus Christ is such an unspeakable gift. Happy Easter to you all.

Editor’s note: “The Miracle” is an Easter song that was written by Shawna Edwards for the Primary children in her ward. Some of those children are my own. This is a very special song to us. I hope you enjoy it. ~Michelle

p.s. Music is available here.

The post The Miracle that Rescues Me (Easter video) appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Easter season is upon us and so we hope to share a few inspirational posts this week to celebrate and prepare for this sacred day.

A song that many of our readers have loved and wanted to share with others is “The Miracle” by Shawna Edwards.

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