“I’ve found that the more you rely upon God and your faith, you find that you have the tools to overcome anything," A.J. Edwards said.

When I was very young, my parents planted a magnolia tree in our yard, in hopes of my having magnolias at my wedding. Plans for my future wedding also came up when I was 16 years old. Daddy arrived home from a church meeting with a rolled-up drawing of the soon-to-be Methodist church building. He unrolled the plans and pointed with pleasure to the chapel, saying, “Look, Neill, the new church will have a center aisle, instead of the side aisle of our church now, so at your wedding, I can walk you down the center of the sanctuary!” That anticipation held a particular poignancy since I was the only daughter in a family with six sons. I expected that trip down the church aisle and planned on it. Those expectations vanished like the dew of a Louisiana morning when I took an eternal step and entered the waters of baptism in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When most people hear about Congress, they experience an immediate sense of frustration and a rise in blood pressure. However, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (Republican representative of North Carolina) attempts to shed some light on Christian faith in Congress with her new book, God Is in the House: Congressional Testimonies of Faith.

We’ve all heard them—stories that are widely circulated without a known origin that are frequently told over the pulpit. They are told and retold in hopes of building faith, but is it possible that these stories could be dangerous?

Dave and Julie had six kids in three years: triplets, twins, and a baby boy. As parents, this couple's journey has been filled with joys and triumphs—many of which they struggle to remember in the blur of it all—as well as tears and feelings of inadequacy. But as their triplets turn eight and are baptized, the couple reflects on one of their greatest learning moments: that of true submission to what God is willing to give.

This past year was one for the books for Mormons. From volunteering and organizing relief efforts to sharing their talents on Dancing with the Stars and The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Mormons have rocked 2017.

“The true story of our faith is best seen in the countless lives of those who strive daily to follow our Savior Jesus Christ.”

Most of us think all young Mormon males wear short-sleeved white shirts and ride bicycles and we enjoy the 400 melodic voices that make up the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Ask us about Brigham Young and we’ll tell you he has a pretty good football team this year. But when two practicing Mormons want to be the president of the United States, we suddenly become experts on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elaine Bradley is a wife, mother and Mormon who lives with her family in quiet and conservative Provo, Utah.

In 1841, rumors began to circulate that Martin Harris, one of the three Book of Mormon witnesses, had been murdered. The Mormons (who else?) had supposedly shot him to death. But, in fact, Martin Harris was perfectly healthy. He would live on until age 92, dying on July 10, 1875, in Clarkston, Utah. As Mark Twain later quipped after reading his own obituary, the report of Martin’s death was “an exaggeration.” He was now, the “Painesville Telegraph” wryly observed, “a living witness of what shall be said of him after his death.”