"O Holy Night" has been one of my favorite Christmas hymns since I can remember. Though, I can't say that I've heard it sung during congregational singing much. Maybe that's because it's a tough song to sing since much of it is written in higher notes. It surely isn't because of the words or the message that the song brings, which is one of hope and salvation.

During the period of time covered by the Book of Alma, the Nephite nation is intended to be "one nation under God." The system of government is one designed by Mosiah, a seer of God. It replaced the former system where kings ruled over the land. In Alma 51, the new system of government — only about 25 years old at this point — faces a severe challenge as the nation becomes severely divided, making it difficult to continue as one nation under God. This article presents an overview of this episode. See if you can spot any parallels to another nation that is intended to be one nation under God.

Change in Leadership of the Government

At the end of Alma 50, the previous leader's term expires — actually, he dies — and a man named Pahoran is "appointed chief judge and governor over the people, with an oath and sacred ordinance to judge righteously…and to grant unto them their sacred privileges to worship the Lord their God, yea, to support and maintain the cause of God all his days" (Alma 50:39).

Often, when we think of Jesus Christ as a baby, we think of the manger scene and how nice it is and how exciting it must’ve been for them to be there on that holy night. We hear the stories of Mary and Joseph, how they traveled a difficult journey and Mary’s faith in what happened to her.

But it’s not too often that we think about God as a small baby. The lyrics in "Welcome to Our World" by Chris Rice are extremely touching.

“How I wish we would’ve known”...

Not many people welcomed Christ into the world. We expected a King, someone regal and large in presence. This song expresses the humbling realization of God coming down to take on flesh and blood for us. But He was essentially a stranger, unnoticed for so many years, until He comes into His own.

Today's Miracle Monday, submitted by Sister Tammy Valenti, is in response to our call for articles about weather-related experiences. This one is certainly a whirl. Enjoy!

About 20 years ago when I was working at a hospital, God spared me from a tornado.

It was a long day at work, which started about two hours before my normal tour of duty. I was in charge of a patient event that very hot summer day and found myself exhausted around 4 p.m. I was supposed to be on the job for another 30 minutes, but the rains had begun, and I wanted to get home before the weather got worse.

The next time you're thinking of staying home from Church on Sunday, remember today's Good Word. It reminds us that thanking God and praising Him with song is a great way to spend our time.

The next time you're thinking of taking credit for something that the Lord has done, remember today's Good Word. It reminds us that thanking God rather than singing our own praises is the best way to go.

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year!

I love playing Christmas songs and baking cookies with our daughter. I love hearing our children laugh as they come back inside our home all rosy-cheeked from sledding. I enjoy hearing their stories of who went the fastest and how many times someone fell in the snow.

I love watching Christmas movies together as a family and enjoying my cup of coffee. I look forward to making homemade cinnamon rolls every year for Christmas morning; it's one of my favorite family traditions.

I just love this time of year. It gives me that warm, fuzzy feeling.

When I go in my basement, I see several shelves stacked with brightly colored boxes containing the board games from my younger days (and my children's younger days). It seems that board games have gone out of style today, but we have many fond memories of taking out the game boards and the various pieces and competing against one another to be the winner of the game. Here are some of the board games we played:

• Monopoly: The object of this game is to amass property, houses, hotels, and money. If I am the winner of the game, I eventually own Boardwalk, Park Place, and all of the property on the board as well as having lots of money. And then…everything goes back in the box.
• Risk: The object of this game is to conquer countries with your armies. If I am the winner of this game, it means my armies have taken over every country in the world such that I own the whole world! And then…everything goes back in the box.
• The Game of Life: In this game, sometimes you get married and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you have children and sometimes you don't. You could have a high-paying career (such as a doctor or lawyer) or perhaps earn a somewhat lower salary. At the end of the game, you can wind up at Millionaire Acres or in the Poor House. And then, regardless of how your journey has gone or how it has ended…everything goes back in the box.

When I think about Christmas — and especially its tunes — I tend to love the ones that have a special meaning more than any others. Perhaps it’s the time of year and what the season truly means, or perhaps it’s because I write for a living and words mean a lot to me.

One of my favorite songs to listen to during the holidays is “I Come with Love” by Harry Connick Jr. (surprise, surprise to anyone who knows me).

In a world that’s seemingly full of tragedies and evil at every turn, this song reminds me that there is something bigger at work. It reminds me that God had a purpose for sending His Son here — and it was to bring love to those who needed it most.

Today's Miracle Monday happened during feet washing. Sister Patricia (Tish) Palensar relates the short, sweet tale.

We went into feet washing, and I had a strong feeling to ask Sister Wendy Giannetti to wash my feet. I normally never ask anyone specific to wash my feet.

Are you in need of a victory today? Many of us have ongoing challenges and troubles that dampen our spirits and burden our minds. You may feel like you're in a perpetual boxing match with life's problems, and after a while, you're too bruised and beaten to keep fighting.

If you're all battled out today, we pray that this Good Word directs you to the only one who can overcome what you're facing. Our Lord Jesus Christ holds the key to victory. In the context of this verse, we understand "victory" to mean victory over spiritual death and the hope of spiritual life eternal in God's Son.

I can’t say it is easy to narrow down a Christmas song that inspires me during the Christmas season. Yet, the song that pricks my heart every time is “Mary Did You Know.” Perhaps it is because Mary has always intrigued me. As scriptures reveal, she was very special and chosen by God to bear His Son, Jesus. The lyrics of this song pose many questions to Mary that portray the life of Christ, such as miracles of healing, walking on water, calming the storm, etc.

I believe that Mary knew Christ was no ordinary child, and she took her calling very seriously. Like most mothers, she loved and nurtured her child and watched him grow. The scripture points out two occasions where she pondered things in her heart. The first mention of this is in Luke 2:19. This scripture depicts the manger scene and the amazement of all witnesses. Verse 19 says, “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

Had there been such a thing as Boy Scouts at the time Moroni lived, he would have been a great example of one. The Scout Oath sounds almost like the Title of Liberty:

"On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, and to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight."

Much of Alma 49 is dedicated to describing how the Lamanite armies are frustrated at every turn because the Nephite armies, under the direction of Moroni, have followed the Scout Motto of "Be Prepared." Every Nephite city has had high piles of earth arranged all around it such that the Lamanites can only enter through the city entrance, which is heavily guarded by a Nephite army:

Have you ever realized you have no clue as to the meaning of a song you’ve been listening to for years? Or a scripture you’ve read over and over that never actually clicked until the 100th time? That was me with “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” a 279-year-old Christmas song I’ve always loved for its uplifting, celebratory, and classic Christmas-y feel, but never understood. Till now.

One would think, me, a Christmas Eve baby, a.k.a. that annoying person playing Christmas music way before Thanksgiving, would know all the season’s carols like the back of my hand. Turns out, not so much when it comes to the oldies. As a kid, I thought Herald was the name of one of the angels or something. To be fair, the song was written in super Old English that no one under the age of 279 could understand. And while beautifully poetic, it’s just plain confusing. But now that I’m an “adult,” I’ve realized there’s a big wonderful message about light, hope, and life I’ve been missing all along.

Since we just enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving weekend, we'd like to once again share this experience from The Church history book. Travel back in time 90 years to the home of Sister Helen Campitelle.

It was in the year of 1928. My husband was out of work because of sickness. As it was the night before Thanksgiving, my children wanted me to go to the store to buy food for a Thanksgiving dinner. I did not have any food in the house except beans. I told my children I was very sorry that I was unable to make a dinner for them as their father was out of work, and they would have the beans which I had in the house.

We hope that yesterday you enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with those closest to you. Chances are good that, at some point, you reflected on all the things you're thankful for in life. Chances are good that those reflections made you feel happy and content.

Do you need more of that happiness and contentment every day of the year and not just on Thanksgiving? If you do, then try to "live in thanksgiving daily" as today's Good Word encourages us to do.