Recently, two of my students, who happen to be biological sisters, taught me an important lesson about perspective and gratitude. I am going to refer to them as “A,” a second grader, and “E,” a fourth grader. They are both new students to our school and previously attended an inner-city school that lacks many things, but most importantly, quality instruction and safety.

As I began working with them, I sensed “E” was extremely paranoid of lockdowns. She asked me about them every day. I finally asked if she had lockdown drills at her previous school, or if they happened to be real, meaning an intruder was in the building. To my dismay, she said they were not drills, but they happened because there was an intruder.

It's Halloween, and I’m filled with childhood memories of how much fun it was getting candy as a child. I couldn’t wait to get home and see what I wanted to eat first — ha ha! Now that I have three children of my own, it's even more fun seeing things through their eyes.

Halloween is about dressing up in fun, silly costumes and filling candy bags full of things that will cause a cavity or two. We walk with our children from house to house and let them fill their bags with goodies.

Halloween can also invite evil into our midst. Our children need to know not only right from wrong, but right from "almost right." We know they are filling their bags with candy, but what are they (and we) filling our minds with?

Today's article by Sister Erin Light discusses Romans 8:35-39, which famously asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"

In this passage, the Apostle Paul is instructing the Roman believers about the glories of Christ, the prophecy about pending persecution and hardship, and exhorting them not to lose their faith. Most importantly, these wonderful five verses are a reaffirmation of why God's love is so profound; nothing can separate us from the Love of God.

Let's think about this for a bit. Who could attempt to separate us from the love of Christ? This scripture is broken down into mainly three components:

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

You may have heard that my job consists of walking with people in a nursing home. However, before you can walk, you've got to get out of bed, and sometimes the old-timers do not want to get up.

Unfortunately, as we age, we decline at an ever-increasing rate, and too much bed can destroy our bodies. Often, the person has just had a surgery or some long hospital stay, and getting out of bed can hurt.

When I (finally) became a mother, I was surprised to learn that certain parenting topics were super-duper controversial. Here are just a few examples:

• Breastmilk vs. formula
• Cry it out or rock to sleep?
• Stay at home vs. working parent
• To spank or not to spank?
• Vaccinations: Harmful or helpful?

When it comes to raising kids, there are thousands of little camps of opinion, and when we join one, we fiercely defend it. We view those in opposing camps with suspicion.

One of the latest trends in society today is minimalism. The idea is that you live with only the necessities and abandon all the rest. Whether it’s clearing the clutter because it doesn’t “spark joy” or moving to a tiny house, it seems there’s always room to pare down and take the “less is more” approach.

After nine months of prayers and interviews, God provided a new job for me at a small local advertising agency. Accepting this position will be a shift for our family budget (hello minimalism!), but it will also provide more time together as a family (a big win!). Adjusting to this focus-on-frugal lifestyle will be a true lesson in trusting His plan and timing, as well as reminding ourselves that He takes care of the birds and will certainly take care of us, too.

The original version of today's article was first published on January 26, 2017.

It's October, and we're on the cusp of the "season of giving." If you're a go-getter, you may already be thinking about some of the ways you'll give back during the holidays. 

One very important way to reach out (anytime of year) is to visit the sick and afflicted. Those who are homebound or bedridden may love to see a friendly face. Some ailments can't be seen, though, and you may find God prompting you to visit someone who is spiritually struggling, grieving, or lonely.

If the idea of visiting someone makes you a little uneasy or unsure, then here is some advice for you to consider.

Raising two small boys under age 5 has me going back to Hebrews 12:5-11 again and again. This passage is a spoonful of encouragement on those days that are especially brimful of "teaching moments" if you catch my drift.

Here's the gist of Hebrews 12:5-11. Don't "despise the chastening of the Lord." God disciplines those He loves. If we receive chastening at God's hand, then that's proof we are His children. We honor and respect our earthly parents, so we should likewise, and even more so, reverence our Heavenly Father.

The logic is lovely. God is the Perfect Parent. I want to be a good parent, so I try to copy Him. He disciplines and corrects His children. I must do the same. He disciplines out of love for His children. I should do it out of love, too.

Wouldn’t it be cool if we could move God’s hand? Control it in some small way? Imagine it was something we could ride and steer around, drive from where we are to where we want to be, clearing every little obstacle in our path. How awesome would that be? We could see and know for CERTAIN that He was working in our lives. Hmm, if only we had a hand in making His move.

Well here’s a little secret: we do.

And I think I know how we can make that happen. (No, not by building a giant mechanical hand or a human ladder to Heaven, though that would be suuuuuper epic.)

For those of you that shop at big box stores, such as Sam’s Club or Costco, you may be able to identify with this true story.

On a recent shopping trip to Costco, I walked past a sample cart that had products such as hand lotion, age-fighting creams, etc. I usually don’t have a problem passing up the chicken tenders or the latest pasta samples, but this one stopped me in my tracks. After all, the last thing I want is dry, wrinkly skin.

Since there was no one manning the station, I pumped a small amount of what I thought was hand lotion into my hand. The bottle was labeled "trial," so I knew this would be OK. As I tried to rub the lotion into my hands, they became sticky, not smooth and silky like I had imagined.

Mark 8...

22. And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.

23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

24. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.

25. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly

On the first go around, the blind man saw men as trees ... very interesting!

I am a plant nerd. I inherited a green thumb from my grandma who taught me about houseplants and bought me terrarium kits while I was growing up. I filled my first apartment with plants I propagated and shared with friends. Recently, a co-worker gave me a cute little Pepperomia started from one she'd been growing for a long time from a cutting I gave her over 20 years ago. How cool to think it came back to me — like a plant grandbaby of sorts!

When we bought our first home, my interests expanded to what I could plant outdoors. Going to the nursery every May is my absolute favorite shopping day of the year. My family knows I’ll be gone for hours contemplating my selections and come home with a minivan full of herbs and flowers ready to welcome the season. When everything is in place in the yard and in beautiful containers, it makes me so happy to see the results!

Many years ago, the university where I work unveiled a master plan for the physical development of our campus. With proper planning and financing, renovations and changes have been methodically rolled out in order to define the fingerprint of our urban campus, improve the student academic and residential experience, and meet the ongoing needs of our workforce. Amidst all the change, my department has remained located in a very old building with the understanding that there would be a move at some future date.

Fast forward to May 2019, well past the “future date” we had hoped for. My coworkers and I were suddenly evacuated from our rapidly aging building because of unexpected issues. Grabbing our personal belongings, we quickly vacated the premises and were temporarily relocated until resolution could be made.

For many of you that know me well, much of what I will say will ring true with you, and you may even recognize yourself in this writing. I pray that this writing starts us all on roads to forgiveness and unity within our branches and within the Body of Christ.

Recently, I confess, I have been offended within the Body of Christ by individuals. In their defense, many may not even know they offended me. This has caused great pain in my family and within my soul. This has caused me to refrain from the cleansing power of taking sacrament.

Since I came to The Church (officially), I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to many of the branches and have made tremendous friendships and have some mentors who love me enough to gently — or not always so gently — steer me back in the right direction.

In adopting a new routine of exercise, which involves walking to and from a nearby park, I have become acquainted with the hummingbird pictured here in this article. Actually, I don’t know if it is the same hummingbird I see every morning, but I do see at least one hummingbird and sometimes two flying in and out of one particular tree.

Since moving to Arizona, I have seen many hummingbirds and have grown very fond of them. I am enamored with how small but fast they are. Obviously, the certain tree where I spot them has a food source that they enjoy, which is most likely nectar.

Immediately, I am reminded of Matthew 6:26: “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”