God has given all of us free will. This means every day we have hundreds of choices to make.

Some choices are obvious, like should I eat something because I am hungry? Should I wash my hands after going to the bathroom? Should I brush my teeth? What should I wear today?

Other choices might take more thought and have more of an impact.

Grace. Mercy. Love. Sounds like a recipe that’s needed in forgiveness, right? It's impossible to go through life and not have our feelings hurt. It doesn’t just end when we become an adult, either. I have found that the sting hurts just as much now that I'm a grown woman as when I was a kid.

I have someone in my life, a dear, close friend of mine, who hasn’t spoken to me in a year. I don’t know why, but God does. And you know what? I may never know the reason why, and I have to be OK with that.

Lightning McQueen "matchbox" car.

Legos made into a train.

These are just a couple of the toys that our son, Rocco, falls asleep holding in his hands at night. Almost every evening, he makes SURE that he is holding tightly onto something that is important to him as he goes to sleep. And also he makes SURE that he immediately has them close by as he starts the first moments of his day. He will literally wake up and ask to find them if during the night they get lost in the sheets. I saw this the other day and thought ... there is a lesson in this!

Today's article is another installment in Brother P.'s column, "Lessons From the Nursing Home."

One of the funniest situations that I have ever dealt with while working in a nursing home had to do with a lady who had broken her forearm. (No, she did not break her humerus!) She had fallen and broken her forearm while drunk, which is not usually a reason for a nursing home admission. However, her physician knew that she had a problem with alcohol and could end up further injuring herself if sent home. So, he casted her arm (wrist up to just above the elbow) and sent her to the nursing home.

If you're anything like me, you don't handle chaos well. My first instinct in the midst of chaos? Freak out. Next? Tell people I'm freaking out. Then, take things into my own hands. "Woman up." Power through. (Or at least try.) If you're nodding in agreeance, you know none of this really works.

Why, when I have the most high God on my side do I try to control chaos myself? God says, "Be still and know." But let me tell ya, not my forte. I don't have a long attention span. I'm not patient. And sitting still is like, my least favorite thing. On top of that, bad as it sounds, sometimes I have a hard time believing that what I don't think is possible, really is with Him.

Have you ever been to a sporting event or other venue where a group of people are gathered doing something together? Everyone is watching or participating together, and there's an energy about it. Sometimes that energy can be good, but other times it can be downright evil.

I've seen it happen a few times, personally. Everyone is excited and happy, and then something goes wrong; maybe like a blatant penalty that doesn't get called in a playoff game. The next thing you know, everyone is livid and hateful. The crowd hurls insults at the target, with some making threats. It feeds off itself and gets worse and worse. It's so easy to get caught up in it. Even good Christian people who normally would never think of acting in a belligerent way can become part of the angry mob.

Sometimes I wonder what we must look like to the Lord going about our day-to-day life. Does He care when I’m making a run to Target? Is He interested in my Starbucks order? What about when I have the piano tuned at church? Maybe…

Somehow He manages to have time for the biggest of big and the smallest of small. How He does this, I truly cannot fathom. But, besides being omnipotent and omniscient, He also finds a way to be omnipresent, too. So I’d argue that, in some way, yes, He does care when you make that stop at the grocery store or treat yourself to a haircut. (He did want us to experience joy, right?) He sees our good days and bad — and is always there no matter what.

If I had to imagine what God was saying from His throne as He looks down on us, I think it would go something like this:

“Only thing we have to fear is fear itself” – Franklin D. Roosevelt

I fear a lot of stuff, but I usually don’t feel like I’m fearing fear. I fear heights, sickness, the unknown — you know what I’m talking about. Insert your fear; we’ve all got them. When I find myself getting fearful, I get careful, protective, and my lizard brain (fight or flight) kicks in. My decisions are hasty, and my judgments are quick.

“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:30-31)

WHAT???

Music has always been a huge motivating force for me. Gloria Estefan sang a hit song declaring "The rhythm is gonna get you," and while I'd agree that a catchy beat or even a beautiful melody is mesmerizing, the lyrics are what really get me. Words are so powerful.

Music often serves as the backdrop of our lives. At work, in the car, at home going about our daily routines, or even in church, we may hear a song dozens of times before we actually process the words.

Recently, while my favorite Christian radio station was playing in the background — I don't recall what I was doing or where I was going — suddenly the background became the foreground as these words connected to my heart:

War is not something we like to think about, especially at the beginning of a new year. Typically, our focus is on resolutions, new beginnings, and hope for things to come. Yet warfare is alive and is graphically and instantaneously trumpeted to the world through forms of media made so easily available. And resolutions made, even with the best of intentions, can be unrealistic or fall by the wayside as the days and months of the new year pass by.

While the impact of physical warfare and the pitfalls of life are very hard and real, the true battle is not in what we "see" or "feel" as satan's lies would have us to believe. Absolutely and painfully so, satan will stop at nothing to creep in and

Today's article was originally published by the Student Support Program in September 2015 — read the full version here — and Brother Chuck described what it was like to go back to school after having the summer to slow down and reconnect with God. We think the same goes for a long, luxurious winter break, too. If you need a little something extra as you're heading back to school or work, this one's for you.

September can be a month of forgetfulness. We can forget how we felt at camp. We can forget how we renewed our relationship with God throughout the past few months. We can forget to study the scriptures while we are up to our necks in school work. To combat this temporary amnesia, I have three life lessons we can apply to our lives to strengthen our relationship with ourselves, with each other, and, most importantly, with the Lord.

Today's article was originally published by the Student Support Program in July 2014. Click here to read the unabridged article.

I found out that I needed glasses when I was about 12 years old. I was at a large event, and someone pointed out one of the signs in the crowd. I tried, but I couldn’t read it. I couldn’t even make out the letters. They were completely blurry.

The thought came up, “Hey, maybe you need glasses?” I kind of doubted that, but I tried on my mom’s glasses, and the sign was clear. All the signs were clear! I had been missing out on so much because I simply thought that I was seeing as well as anyone else and nothing better was really possible. After I experienced the power of corrective lenses, a new world opened up to me.

Today's article was originally published by the Student Support Program in June 2014. Read the unabridged version here, where Sister Christine Martorana summarizes the story of Queen Esther and helps women apply principles from her story to their own lives.

“I’m a woman and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do in The Church. Women aren’t allowed to do as much as men; what is there for me to do?” I’ve heard this from women and girls in Church, and, to be honest, I’ve said these same words myself. The response? We can be Esthers.

Do you believe me when I say we can be Esthers? Being an Esther means…

Today's article was originally published by the Student Support Program in December 2011. You can view the unabridged newsletter here.

Humility is a virtue that scripture commends and society criticizes. When was the last time someone praised humility in your classroom or on television? In fact, it is very rarely spoken of, except at church perhaps. Maybe part of the reason is because it’s misunderstood — even by followers of Christ.

We often view humility as a personality type, saying, “He is a humble person,” if someone is quiet, shy or timid. If someone else is loud or outspoken, we conclude that that person cannot possess humility. Does humility mean that you lie down in a fight or don’t stand up to injustice? What does humility look like?

Today's article was originally published by the Student Support Program in October 2016. Click here to read the full newsletter.

Graduate high school: Check.
Graduate college: Check.
Find a job: Check
Get married:
… and the list of what comes next in our lives goes on and on, no matter what stage of life we’re at. As humans, we constantly want the next big thing in our lives. We are always searching for the latest iPhone, the next promotion at work, the latest, brand-new diet trends and so on. We are constantly in a state of want and are never just in a state of waiting without acting.

Let’s take a second to think of "The Lion King." Simba could just not wait to be king, he could not wait to be “free to run around all day” or to “do it all his way.”

He just could not wait.