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

As you may have heard (unless you are new to the Gospel Blog) my career involves getting people to walk in a nursing home. Often times, it is tempting to tell the resident whom I am walking with all the things that they need to fix while walking.

Words mean a lot to me. My husband, Brother Justin, can attest to this — I often lovingly hint he can write me a letter instead of buying fancy perfume or chocolate. As a writer by profession, I find myself collecting meaningful phrases constantly. Here’s a sampling of those visible on my desk at the office:

While we are waiting, God is working.

Trials are preludes to blessings.

His ways > my ways

He’s never failed me; He’s never failed me, yet.

It's been a long time since I've heard No. 84 in The Songs of Zion, but I awoke to it the morning after praying that God would inspire me with an article. I began to read the words and realized that what I was singing wasn't the first verse but the second. As I read it, I thought about its meaning.

"I'll praise God forever,
my scales have been lifted,
He's given my eyes sight,
the shadows are gone."

"Do you have poopy in your diaper?" I'd ask my son, Henry.

"Nope! No poopy," he'd reply.

But, invariably, Henry would fail the sniff test, and in two minutes we'd be at the changing table taking care of business. Even though I knew he didn't fully understand me, I'd explain, "Henry, you have to tell me the truth."

I fly often. Whether for work or fun, flying has become a normal part of my life, and I've gotten pretty good at it. I secured global entry, TSA pre-check, and none of the liquids in my carry-on ever exceed 3 ounces. Like most people, I have common expectations the day I fly. I expect my flight to depart on time. I expect the pilot to get us safely to our destination. I even expect the free beverages to be offered the moment it's safe to move about the cabin. These expectations aren't unreasonable, but they sometimes go unfulfilled — like when you hear the dreaded words:

"Ladies and gentlemen, your flight has been delayed."

Once, I won a contest that sent our family to a Pittsburgh Pirates game in seats smack-dab behind the dugout. PNC Park is lauded as one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums in MLB, so there aren’t any bad seats, as the stunning Pittsburgh skyline envelops fans watching a favorite summer pastime. However, as the usher escorted us to our prize seats that night, we were all in stunned disbelief at our fortune to be so close to all the action. No camera zoom lens was needed. Each crack of the bat was sweeter. We could see and hear the coaches and players interact, and one player gently tossed our son a ball. The fireworks show was magnificent. It was truly a special night.

Those are the kind of seats we all dream about for big events featuring our favorite sports team or at a concert headlined by a musician we love. People are known to wait for hours for prime tickets to mega-popular events. And how about Black Friday shopping and what some people do to be first in line for a good deal?

It’s beginning to feel a lot like spring, although technically it has been here for a month or so now. The green stems of the tulips are starting to sprout, and it’s getting lighter later in the evening, and the temperature is warm most days.

I don’t know about you, but I love spring.

Since we believe the Lord’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Lord looks at things a little differently than we do (Isaiah 55:9, 1 Samuel 16:7). Amidst a disagreement, the other party may propose, “Try to see it through my eyes.” The Lord does not force His will upon us but, He certainly would love if we would try to see as He sees.

Today, we're bringing you the second part of Tuesday's article, "Don't Scatter … Gather!" Go back and check it out if you missed it.

When going to Church falls lower on my priority list, I know that I'm in need of a mindset shift. Here are some ideas and inspirations that I use to revive the spirit of gathering in myself.

This article is Part 1 of a two-part series on gathering together as saints of God.

There are 168 hours in a week. I spend one hour at Church on Wednesday night and roughly four hours at Church on Sunday for both Sunday School and the service. And when I did the math, I couldn't believe that I am only with the saints of God a grand total of 3 percent of my week.

Wait, that's it?

On the day after the school shooting in Florida, while walking on the college campus where I currently teach, I spotted words beautifully etched on the colorful stones in the photo above. I was praying as I walked. Prayers uttered for teachers, our children, my children, students, my students, our schools, my school, and our nation.

There is a quiet place on my campus called The Meditation Garden. On February 15, I decided to sit on a ledge rather than at the tables and chairs because one little ray of sunlight shone there on an unusually cloudy day in Arizona. As I finished my prayer, I looked down and spotted these stones. I immediately took comfort in these words, and I felt God’s presence in hearing my prayers.

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

If you read the Gospel Blog, then you may remember that my job is walking people around in a nursing home. Occasionally people will start to fall during walking, and then my job description changes to “keep them from falling.”

I’ve mentioned before that I like to read – well, “like” is an understatement. If I’m lucky enough to make it to heaven one day, I’ve made my request known that God fills my mansion with books upon books.

Throughout my 33 years, I’ve read hundreds of tales — some real, some not. Short stories, poems, novellas, 500-plus pages, you name it. But only a select few make it onto my coveted “favorites” list and shelf.

Recently the phrase, “You must open the door,” has been on my mind. I recently taught six different groups a recurrent training class and said it in every one. I heard it used on one of my favorite television shows, and it was a takeaway I had from Southwest Region conference.

In all three cases, the point that was being made is that it's up to each person to take some sort of action; the action cannot be done for you or forced upon you. In my classes, I was trying to convey that it was up to the employees to follow the published processes and procedures. No matter what I or any other manager says or does, it’s up to each of them, on an individual basis, to take the correct steps and actions.

Before I jump into the topic that the title of this article promised you, I'd like to give you a little snapshot of what my scripture reading life has been like lately.

It's been embarrassing! My reading has consisted of "a scripture here and a scripture there" whenever I manage to find time, squeezed between diaper changes and loads of laundry. And it's almost always on my phone. Almost always an afterthought.