"Saints and Soldiers"

My wife and I went to see this much acclaimed and much awaited movie tonight. And belive me, it was worth the wait, and merited the acclaim.

It's powerfully done, great drama... I just can't say enough good about it.

After the show, my wife asked me what I thought the message of the show was. I had to think about that one for a moment. There were so many underlying messages. It was tough to pick the one that came through as the point.

But I think I found it.

There are ugly situations in life. Like war. But even in very ugly times, very horrible circumstances, there are people who are good. Who do good. Who see good in others, even in the enemy (even the enemy that should be on your own side). And these good people inspire others around them to be good, or at least better.

It also had an underlying subtext of forgiveness and redemption. As Deacon learns to forgive himself for a horrible mistake, as others around him learn to forgive perceived wrongs.

Just like Brigham City was way more than a murder mystery, Soldiers was way more than a war movie.

MRKH
http://markhansenmusic.com

Leaving the Church

I have a tough time with this one, especially over the last few days.

Not long ago, a friend of mine was visiting Tal Bachman’s website, where his bio announced that he had made the difficult decision to leave the Church. He had read evidence that had convinced him that Joseph Smith was a fraud, that the Church is not true.

This hit me for a number of reasons.

First of all, I always admired Tal. His music and his seeming commitment to the gospel was a light to me. It was exciting to see someone that represented morality and spirituality making it in the music world where sleaze seems to be predominant.

But this goes to show just how important it is not to base your faith or your testimony on someone else. If the core of my faith was “Tal (or “My dad” or “whoever”) says it’s true, so it must be”, then I’m in big trouble when that person recants, or even lapses in choices.

I mean, many have fallen away due to sin, never leaving their faith, but feeling they can no longer practice it. Others fall away because they perceive some flaw in the core beliefs. Some fall away because of sin, and justify it by “discovering” a perceived flaw in the core beliefs.

Which leads me to the second reason it hit me:

Several years ago, a neighbor of mine went through this process. He found a lot of anti-church websites and eventually fell prey to their rhetoric. It was pretty ugly. He left the church, and joined another denomination, and eventually became one of the Temple Square street preachers that harass the temple and conference goers. Soon, his wife, who was trying to hold on to her family, ended up filing for divorce. The oldest son went on a mission, and struggled through all that while trying to preach the gospel. The youngest son still struggles, as do they all, but so far, all of the children of the family have remained faithful.

As I spoke with the family, it was revealed to me that before the breakdown, there was years and years of misdeeds on the part of the father. Lots of steps down the wrong roads that eventually led to the final snap.

It’s sad to me to see. It makes me realize just how precious my own testimony is, and how fragile it can be if I don’t constantly nurture it.

It gives new meaning to the phrase, “Ask and ye shall receive. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” We usually interpret that to be referring to obtaining spiritual witnesses. But it also applies to darkness. Whatever you ask for, you’ll receive. Whatever you seek, you will find.

MRKH
http://markhansenmusic.com

A Little Raving About my Friend Greg...

Rene posted a reply and said that she liked Greg Simpson.

There’s another hot button. I think Greg is one of the LDS Music’s best kept secrets. And it bugs me, because I don’t think it should be a secret.

I’ve got both of his albums and I go see him perform every chance I get. He’s a really nice guy, too. Not big headed at all. Of course, frankly, nobody in the LDS music world is "big" enough to get a big head anyway. Still, he's as cool as they come.

And he's one of my favorites.

I think I’d have a hard time deciding whether I like “Seven Wonders” better than “Unspoken”. There are moments on both of them that really give me chills.

“The Better Angels of Our Nature” is a powerful one off of “Unspoken”. It really talks to the need for us to be compassionate when judging others, because we ourselves are in such need of compassion when being judged by our maker.

“…But I looked in his tears and I caught my reflection
And I knew that I could not cast the first stone.

“Let the gavel fall slowly, though truth’s been revealed
Sequester the jury for a moment to feel
In the courts of compassion, I hope we can appeal
To the better angels of our nature.”

And the one that is probably my favorite is from “Wonders”:

“One solitary question
Opened heaven once again
Bringing in the restoration
Piercing veil and parting friends..”

And then there’s fun ones like, “Best of Me” and of course, “Seven Wonders”.

It’s funny, because Greg is by far and away my favorite of the LDS artists I listen to. He’s not as hard or heavy as I’d like him to be, but he’s as close as it gets in the rockers. And he’s got the depth in his writing that really draws me in.

And I thought as I watched him perform the opening number at this year’s Pearls, how many times he’s been nominated, but never got the prize. THAT’s a shame…

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com