About Joyce Anderson

Her family and friends call her the Queen of the United States...and Mom -- Joyce Anderson has been involved in LDS apologetics for over 20 years and with the Millennial Star since 2010. Since the beginning of the Covid19 pandemic she has added homeschooler to her list things she does in addition to being the butcher, baker & candlestick maker. When not schooling the children, she reads, paints, declutters, teaches primary, and is happy to share a bowl of chips & salsa with anyone who stops by.

Announcements from the Church

Posted on January 21, 2021 by Joyce Anderson

A few announcements have been shared from the church over the last few days.

April 2021 General Conference will be an all virtual Conference again. I hope that by October we can all meet in person, regular Sunday worship services will have resumed and the temples are so packed, there is a waiting list to get in. Read more about this HERE.
There are some new chapters to the General Handbook that have been released this week. You can read more about that HERE.
BYU Women’s Conference will also be a virtual Conference this year. Some of the sessions will be broadcast and will be free to watch, others will require a Conference ticket. Read more about that HERE.
Read about the 39 announcements and changes that have taken place since Pres. Russell M. Nelson became president of the church HERE.

Here is a video clip to brighten up your afternoon:

Winter Solstice 2020: A Message from Pres. Nelson

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Joyce Anderson

APOD: 2020 December 20 - A Volcanic Great Conjunction

“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” Genesis 1:14

Today is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, and a rare astronomical event, with the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky. Some people are calling this the Christmas star. I don’t think this was or is the Christmas star, but it’s still exciting to observe the stars in the sky and know that they were put there by Heavenly Father.

Today on his facebook page, Pres. Nelson shared this message:

Christmas Music: Handel’s Messiah

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Joyce Anderson

Growing up, from age 15 to about 20, I would sing the choir for our Stake’s performances of Handel’s Messiah. Our stake would perform Messiah at Christmas and Easter every year, and it was something that I looked forward too with great joy. The first year my mom invited me to come and sing in the choir, I thought I had made it to the apex of my choral singing experience because as far as my little 15 year old brain was concerned, Messiah was the pinnacle of all music ever written. My forty-somethin-somethin self still thinks that and, Messiah continues to be my most favorite work to sing.

I came across a Messiah concert this last week broadcast from Trinity Church in New York City. I loved the fact that the orchestra was a very small one and had period appropriate instruments and a very small choir — as it would have been performed in Handel’s day. The concert was held at the St Paul’s Chapel in lower Manhattan. This church is historically significant for two reasons in particular. After George Washington was inaugurated as president he attended a church service at St. Paul’s and after September 11th, this was one of the few buildings in the radius of the World Trade Center that was not damaged. In fact, the church served as a sort of command center for emergency response personnel. The church yard is also the burial ground for many important American’s such as Alexander Hamilton. Greatest choral work ever written + historical church = one happy me.

Now, if you’re me you listen to the whole concert twice in an afternoon and grab your Messiah score and sing along both times. If you’re not me and don’t have six extra hours to spend, here are some highlights to fill your ears with. There are a lot of highlights I could include and this was hard to whittle it down to just a few. I decided to omit For Unto Us a Child is Born and the Hallelujah Chorus, mostly because we all know those songs quite well and they get plenty of time in the spotlight. Here are a few other selections that are just as deserving of that spotlight.

Continue reading →

Christmas Music: Longfellow’s Christmas Bells

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Joyce Anderson

We don’t have a Civil War with guns and cannons raging right now in our land, but I feel like we have a civil war raging in our hearts and communities this year more than ever. I know many of you are carrying heavy burdens right now. I know I have certianly felt the sting of mortality in many ways this year. I thought this video so appropriate for 2020. The story of Longfellow’s “Christmas Bells”

. “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

I hope you believe and know that God does not sleep. He hears your prayers. He knows your sorrows and struggles. His son Jesus Christ came to this earth with healing in His wings to bless you, to guide you, to save you from sin and death. Listen for those bells like Longfellow did and find hope in today.

Christmas Music: What Christmas Is All About

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Joyce Anderson

My favorite Christmas movie/show is the Charlie Brown Christmas. I know you love it too. One of the best things about this show is the music done by the one and only Vince Guaraldi Trio Who didn’t get excited when Linus & Lucy started to play on the radio when they were a kid?