I wrote a song for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint’s Young Men and Women’s Mutual Theme. The song is called “I Am All In”. I don’t even remember exactly how the inspiration for this song came, except that the girls in our ward were asked to sing for a musical number in church, and the song that was available on the church’s website didn’t seem like a great fit for the topic of faith that our sacrament meeting was on.
I had already been wanting to write a song for the mutual theme (as I’ve written songs for the youth in years past) and thought this might be a good opportunity. Like I said, I don’t even remember exactly what inspired the phrase, but I definitely felt the spirit immediately and loved the direction it was heading in. It was going to work perfect for a song about faith, as well as to fit the mutual theme.
I made a recording of the song, and shared it on my Kerby Music website. I was thrilled when our Young Women’s president thought the song would work well for the musical number for our own girls. It’s been cool to have the theme of being “All In” also used for this year’s camp theme, and a major theme for our young women’s program this year.
Today the Sacrament Meeting talks were all based on the concept of being “All In”. Three of our little beehive girls spoke, and after the song, two of the young women leaders spoke. The song was sandwiched in between. There couldn’t have been a better song to fit the theme. It’s a humbling and amazing experience when you know that you’ve been instrumental in helping a meeting like that. I hope it’s also leaving an impact on those girls.
The girls practiced the song before church. I wasn’t sure the congregation would be able to hear them, and the girls seemed a little unsure of what they were singing. A sweet sister stood at the back of the chapel to let us know if they could hear the girls okay. Afterwards she told the girls, “I could hear you okay… but I couldn’t FEEL you”. She placed her hands on her heart, and said, “You’re singing about being All In, I want to be able to FEEL those words!”
I had been prepared to sing along while I was playing the piano. It’s what I had been doing during our practice time, but when the girls started singing their musical number, the spirit in the room was overwhelming. The girls sang loud and strong. I was overcome with emotions and the spirit. I tell you what, there is no better feeling.
Not many things in this life make me happier or feel more joyful than getting to hear young people singing a song that touches their hearts and others. I feels like I’m being the instrument God intended me to be, and that gives me hope and a feeling of joy that I can’t even describe. It makes any efforts or work totally worthwhile and immediately forgotten.
I love writing these types of songs and making them available for others to enjoy as well. I do it because of the way it makes me feel and with the hope that experiences like this will happen again, not just for me, but for others that sing the song in other places in the world. I love getting those types of comments.
It might be hard to imagine how that would feel, and that’s why I’m so excited about starting this business writing songs for people. Songs4u.com has been such a fun venture for me! I’ve loved putting other people’s thoughts and messages into songs that can touch others and give that person who is writing the song with me that joy when it touches someone else’s heart. It only takes one person who is touched to experience that joy!
It was hard to get started writing. You can hear about some of my journey on my hope songs podcast (hopesongs4u.com) but it’s been SO worth it for the last 20 years now of writing songs. Definitely I Am All in!
