Today's Good Word is one of the favorite scriptures of Sister Teresa Pandone. Save it to your smartphone and memorize it, or pass it along to a friend.

If you are into geocaching, Indiana Jones, "I Spy" books, or Laird Macintosh, this one is for you. Our year-end survey was full of requests for more trivia and games. So, here goes...

Scripture is stuffed with treasures. Pearls of wisdom. Golden rules. And words that are more precious than glittering gemstones.

Today, we're taking you on a treasure hunt through the book of Genesis. Just Genesis. If you haven't read it in a while, then you may be surprised by some of the wild stories and facts recorded there.

Distractions, the great divider of attention... the cause of driving accidents, burned lasagna in the oven (the horror), and thousands of lost hours playing Candy Crush or updating Pinterest.

I am distracted more often than not. And the concept of multi-tasking is a myth. Research confirms that the brain can only concentrate on one task at a time, but our minds are somewhat effective at switching tasks rapidly to give us a feeling that we are efficiently handling multiple things at once.

I have a slight addiction to notebooks and journals. And by slight, I mean a big addiction.

I love opening a new journal, cracking the spine, sitting to write or jot a few notes down. Here's a snapshot of my collection:

I have a notebook just for my to-do lists.
I have a notebook just for taking notes on Sunday's sermons.
I have a notebook just for writing my favorite quotes from books I've read.
I have a notebook just for taking notes on my scripture studies.
I have notebooks just to sit on my desk and look pretty.

Told you I had an addiction.

We hope you've enjoyed reading Blessing Bits from the Gospel News this month. If you don't already, please consider subscribing to the Gospel News. If you enjoy getting the Gospel Blog in your daily inbox, you'll love getting the physical paper delivered to your door. It's packed with inspiring columns, such as Word Up, Blast from the Past, 5 Amazing Facts, and the Children's Corner.

Today's Good Word comes from Sister Joanne Schweitzer. She says, "This is one of my favorite verses because I do worry and I need to remember not to."

Dream a dream, and each step brings you closer to living that dream.

Can my mind be boxed into little tiny thoughts and hopes, longing for small expectations day after monotonous day, or can I live with a dream, wrapped in joy, with an eye on the prize. I want to set my mind free. No walls, no barriers, no confines — just wide open sky.

"Dieting" is the key word today, along with "better nutrition," "watch the fats," "lowering our cholesterol," and "exercise." This is very good advice for healthier living. And we need to keep this in check. But I would like to talk about a different diet, one that is also necessary for a healthy and long life.

This is our spiritual diet, or S-diet.

Let me give you a disclaimer before you read this article:

The brothers and sisters in my branch give me reasons each and every Sunday to realize and understand better just how deep the family of God is.

The Sunday when it was announced from the pulpit that the Lord had opened the door for me to meet the family of God in Guatemala, I had so many handshakes and hugs of congratulations after the meeting.

Today we're bringing you two more Blessing Bits from the Gospel News. If you haven't already, please share your short, sweet testimonies with the paper by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Today's Good Word comes from the pages of Genesis.

"Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall."

We're rounding out the week with more experiences courtesy of the IMOC. Yesterday, we asked you to pinpoint the common thread shared by all three experiences. It was that all were immediate, on-the-spot healings. Today, we're not going to make you guess the common theme. It's baptism. Here are two powerful baptism experiences — share yours for Miracle Monday next month!

Yesterday, we shared several experiences from the IMOC, and we've got more for you today. God is truly working with our brothers and sisters outside of the U.S. Yesterday, we asked you to find the common thread in all three experiences. It was that each one involved the rebuking of an evil spirit. Today's experiences have a common thread, too. Can you see it?

Today we're sharing several experiences given to us by the International Missionary Operating Committee (IMOC). These all occurred in the mission field — can you tell what they all have in common? Post a comment below and guess at the common thread.

Happy Monday, brothers and sisters. We're continuing this month's Miracle Monday theme by bringing you more Blessing Bits from the Gospel News. If you have a short, sweet experience that you've wanted to praise God for, please send it to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. While you're at it, renew your subscription to the Gospel News, or subscribe for a friend or young person. It'll bless you — and them — more than a bit.