When our Stake President gave us a Book of Mormon Challenge during Stake Conference in August I decided it was something I really needed to do. When we talk about being diligent in our reading of the scriptures we often talk about the need to establish scripture study as a habit. That is the first step. The second step is to ensure that the "habit" doesn't turn into a "rut". For the last several years I've struggled with my own personal scripture study like probably 99% of members out there. When I have been consistent in my scripture study it has been one chapter a day, chronological order, until it is done. Repeat. So the Book of Mormon Challenge presented a way to change things up a little.
As I looked at the schedule it appeared that on average I would need to read about 3 chapters a day to finish it before the end of the year. That was a few more than I was used to. Plus I started about 2 weeks late because I wanted to first finish up what I was currently studying before I picked up the Challenge. So I had some catching up to do.
For the last several years I have turned almost exclusively from printed books to audio books for my recreational reading. With my busy schedule I've found that listening to audio books while driving, walking, exercising, cleaning, etc is a good way to take care of two things at once. I hadn't really considered doing the same for the scriptures until this Book of Mormon Challenge came up. I decided I would tackle the challenge with a combination of reading directly from the Book of Mormon and having KSL-TV News Anchor Bruce Lindsay read it to me on my iPhone (You can download the audio version of all the standard works from LDS.org).
When I saw how quickly I was getting through chapters and books that during other readings of this Book had bogged me down indefinitely, I was encouraged. The inertia of reading kept me going quickly from chapter to chapter and book to book. I was filling every spare moment throughout each day with the word of God. It many ways it was flying by so quickly that the words and concepts became a bit of a blur. Never the less, going so quickly though the Book of Mormon got me out of my scriptural "rut" and though it didn't give me time to ponder and consider powerful individual phrases, it did allow me to ponder and consider larger themes that spread the breadth and width of the book.
I've never read the Book of Mormon in such a quick clip - and I could have gotten through it even quicker if it wasn't for Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol which distracted my reading of the Book of Mormon slightly (curse you Dan Brown and your "page-turning", "can't put this book down" formula). The challenge worked though. I was inspired. My days were filled with the Spirit that reading the scriptures brings. And it has left me wanting more . . . I'm currently a quarter of the way through the Doctrine and Covenants.
e.jpg)
e.jpg)
