Almost every day I get a notification from Facebook saying that I have memories to look back on things that happened on that day. I love these memories and seeing little snippets of what was going on in my life. After having been on Facebook for over 10 years, I see a lot of things that make me smile in my memories.
Something that popped up recently made me happy. Every year I attend several trade shows. A couple of them are held at a different location each year around the USA. Last March, one of them was to be held in Salt Lake City. These shows are a chance to see a lot of my customers, to see other friends in the industry, and to show off our latest products. I kept thinking it would be nice to be able to give everyone a tour of Temple Square, but I wasn’t sure how to go about that. I love Temple Square and it is a really interesting and historical place to visit. I didn’t know how I would take a large group there, or if anyone would have any interest.
One day I was listening to Music and the Spoken word, and it hit me. I looked at the calendar, and the trade show actually started on Sunday. What if I invited everyone to come see Music and the Spoken Word before going to the Salt Palace to the trade show? I got in contact with the someone at the Mormon Tabernacle choir and explained that I wanted to invite a large group from all over the U.S.A. to come see the choir perform, and asked if it would be OK to come with such a large group? They gave me some instructions and said it would be great to have them there and that I would just need to coordinate the number of seats to reserve.
Now I know that the readers of this blog are from many different faiths all around the globe. I think many other religions and faiths teach many very good principles and I know many good people who belong to other churches and religions. I happen to think that I have found the truth in my faith, the LDS (Mormon) faith. However, I didn’t want to seem preachy or to have people think this was me trying to convert them. I did want to introduce them to something very special, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and give them a glimpse into our beliefs. I worried how people would respond. Mixing politics or religion with business can be tricky.
I felt like I needed to do this and I put together an Eventbrite registration. I read it and re-read it over and over. Then I hit send, and sent out my invite to all of my customers. I held my breath wondering if some might take it the wrong way. Almost immediately I started having some really good feedback thanking me for organizing it and how excited they were to get to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Some said it was a life-long dream. Others said they didn’t even know that was an option. Well to my relief, it was very successful. We ended up having around 100 people come to see the choir including my good friend Shawn Rapier and his family. They were very accommodating at the tabernacle and gave us a section that was reserved just for our group. They even recognized us and had us stand before the show began.
If you have never heard the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform live, you should put it on your bucket list. They give a live free performance every Sunday at 9 a.m. in Salt Lake City at the tabernacle on temple square. It is broadcast on radio and TV nationwide. But hearing them live, is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. As far as introducing this group of people to the Mormons, nothing shines brighter than the choir. They are world-class and in a league all their own. Everyone was moved, many to tears. I received so many thank yous, handshakes, emails, notes, etc. telling me it was the highlight of their trip, and what a way to start out the day. I found out that many returned to Temple Square later to tour around. It was really special. My hope is that it gave everyone a new perspective on who the Mormons are. There is so much confusion and so many untruths and rumors about the Mormons. We are a good people. We believe in Christ. We try to follow His example and His teachings. We hold the Bible as sacred text. We also revere the Book of Mormon as another testimony of Jesus Christ and His ministry. As a people we are not perfect. But there is much goodness if you take a close look at our Church, our beliefs, our religion, and our people. President Hinckley, formerly the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said that our religion is “to make bad men good and good men better.” (and women)
At the end of the performance, the choir sings, “God be with you till we meet again.” It is a beautiful song and you could almost imagine that you could hear angels singing with them. Maybe you could. I sure love the choir. I couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all turned out. I’m thankful that the Spirit guided me to invite these people to experience the choir live. It’s something I will never forget. I don’t think they will forget it either.
In a world with so much violence, so much sadness, so much pain, so much evil and turning away from God, I think that we could use more uplifting things in our life. Things that bring us peace and joy. Things that turn our minds to God. Whatever religion you might associate with, or if you don’t have any beliefs whatsoever, I think the Mormon Tabernacle Choir can bring you some added peace and joy to your life, and maybe just inspire you to draw closer to God.
You can watch the weekly Sunday program live online here: Music and the Spoken Word
Rocky Mountain Sunshine 