We should always heed any inspiration we might receive and never take our talents and abilities for granted.

Mary Hiett, the composer of the inspired hymn medley, Stay Thou Nearby, said, “There have been many times in my life when I knew that I should have responded when I was prompted to act on inspiration or personal revelation that I had received. Without a doubt, there have been times in the past when I have received inspiration or a personal revelation that I have asked, “Why me?” So, if you have ever had a similar experience and have asked this question, you should know that you are not alone.

For many of us, revelation can sometimes be hard to recognize. It is easier to recognize when we are receiving personal revelation if we do our best to be worthy of the Spirit, live our lives in humility, and allow the Lord to direct our footsteps. We are admonished in the scriptures, “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give the answer to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10).

Stay Thou Nearby – The Backstory – By Mary Hiett

A few months back a new friend of mine, Keith Lionel Brown, reached out to me. These are his words:

I am looking for someone who can combine my three favorite hymns into an inspirational melody. The three hymns are, “I Stand All Amazed,” “I Need Thee Every Hour,” and “Abide With Me, Tis’ Eventide.”

I felt so inspired to contact you. Please know that this collaboration is not per chance nor by accident. I believe that it was meant to be and that God will help both of us to make this something that is beautiful and will bring praise, glory, and honor to Him.

I have felt so strongly inspired about this!  

I strongly believe that there is someone out there who needs and is waiting to hear this!

Keith was right! He acted on the inspiration that he had received by reaching out to me. I, in turn, felt to act on his inspiration. Out of it came the medley, Stay Thou Nearby.

Arranging the three hymn medley was totally a stretch for me! I know that Keith’s inspiration was right because the medley is now finished and is just waiting to be orchestrated. I  KNOW it absolutely came from someone trusting in the timing of it.

Thank you, Keith, for your prayers and your spiritual insight, and for including me in this wonderful project! I cannot think of a better tribute at this Christmas time, then to have been able to think, ponder, and pray for inspiration every day and use my God-given talents to arrange these three beautiful Christ-written hymns about the most remarkable man that ever walked this earth!

This inspired medley of hymns is a song of adoration. Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior, is worthy of all praise and glory. O come, let us adore Him! He who is the Life and the Light of the world has promised never to leave us nor forsake us but to always stay nearby.

The Medley, Stay Thou Nearby, is Completed

The hymn-strumental medley, as composer Mary Hiett refers to it, Stay Thou Nearby (arranged by Morgan Byers), is now fully composed, arranged, and orchestrated. It is Mary’s hope that the medley will be available for download and streaming on iTunes by the end of January 2019. Stay tuned! The video below is just a snippet of the medley. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of the sheet music, it is now available! You can contact Mary Hiett through her Facebook page, The Music of Mary Hiett. Below is a picture of the cover art that will be used for the iTunes release of the single.

Special thanks to my friend, Mary Hiett, for believing in this author’s vision and inspiration to compose this magnificent medley, and thanks to my new friend, Morgan Byers, for the arrangement. This is an inspired medley that can be used as prelude music, at baptisms, at funerals, as a special music number for LDS Sacrament services, during times of personal reflection, and even as a serene instrumental piece used in worship services of various faiths. This is definitely one tune that you will want to include in your music library and listen to it over and over.

The medley, “Stay Thou Nearby,” is now available for purchase and download on CDBaby and iTunes. It is also available for streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.