Done.

I can't believe a month has passed! I am so grateful to all of you who joined me in reading. Don't worry if you haven't finished. Keep reading. I have really enjoyed this as I have learned so much. One thing that struck me more than ever is how it centers around Christ and testifies of Him.

My testimony has strengthened and I have a stronger desire to be better. It's amazing how making the Book of Mormon a priority helps other parts of my life go well.

Thank you again for doing this with me. It is a great feeling to be surrounded by people who believe the same things and are striving to do what's right.

Stay Tuned for the next challenge. Don't worry. It's less intense :)

Last days

Raise your hand if you think the final days of the Book of Mormon would make a great horror film.

Just thinking about Mormon and Moroni being alone with all those MILLIONS of wild wicked people gives me goosebumps... 

and I thought I had it bad being LDS in Vernal....

The Last Stretch

I just updated the reading guide and i can't believe we're almost there! How is everyone doing? I know some of you have considered "dropping out" but keep reading! It doesn't matter if you finish on time. The goal was to make reading the Book of Mormon a priority. I have had my ups and downs with this, but I have really enjoyed reading the Book of Mormon at such a fast pace. I sure love this book!

My thoughts on Joseph Smith

Book of Mormon: 1830 Replica Edition This is the version of the Book of Mormon that I'm reading right now. I love it. There are no verses marked and it reads just like a novel. I do like that part of it, but the best part is that I can really feel Joseph Smith when I'm reading it. He writes a letter as an introduction and mentions the lost 116 pages, and you can just feel how sorry he is - he apologizes to the reader. Throughout the book, every time I read a grammatical error, I can feel the man, Joseph Smith, and when I read doctrine that really speaks to my soul and reaffirms my commitments, I feel the prophet, Joseph Smith. Reading this version, this way has been a truly testimony-building experience for me.

One man

Throughout today's and yesterday's reading, I couldn't stop thinking about how all this (the conversion of the Lamanites) had happened because of one man - Ammon (and his brothers too, of course - hence the cheesy clipart I attached here - but c'mon, you know we give most of the [non-Heavenly Father] credit to Ammon)
That was a long sentence. Hope it makes sense.
I wonder if Ammon, as he was turning down his father Mosiah's kingdom, had even an inkling of the amazing journey he would take and the incredible success he would have as a missionary. Because of him, thousands (tens of?) Lamanites found the gospel. And they weren't just converts, they were SUPERconverts - "zealous for righteousness." And even when their brothers, the Amalekites and Amulonites (after the order of Nehor - who Malerie probably feels compassion for like Sherem, but I think he's a stinker) came against them to fight, they wouldn't. They were in the act of praising God as they were murdered. Which brought some Lamanites (Laman and Lemuel's actual descendants) to the gospel and repentance - even more than the number that were slain (1,004, right? Can you imagine whose job it was to count all those dead bodies?!). They became the Anti-Nephi-Lehis, then the people of Ammon, whose sons later became the famous stripling warriors (every YW's fantasy boyfriend).
All because of one man.
I hope someday I can do something cool enough to have such a tremendous effect on the world.

Mind wandering...

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has this issue:

My mind wanders while reading scriptures for lengthy periods of time. Like... more than 10 minutes. Or two. Depends on the day.  

It's bad. 

I'll be reading about Ammon's mission to the Lamanites...and remember we're having the missionaries over for dinner...and start thinking of what to make for dinner...and remember we don't have anything in the house...and plan when to make a trip to the store...and dread bringing my crazy toddler out in public... all of a sudden, I'm at the end of the chapter, and I can't remember a thing I just read! 

Help!

Priorities

Wow - this challenge has really made me examine my priorities. I have recently started blogging and spend some time doing it. Somehow I always have time. When I accepted this challenge, I decided that I would not blog until I had read my assignment for the day. That has really put a crimp in my blogging! . . . and made me realize that priorities are something that I always need to re-examine. What a blessing to have this challenge and re-aim my focus.

Speaking of which, I had better get off here and read my assignment for the day!

Real People

Reading at such a fast pace has made me think about things a little differently.  It has been easier to follow the story line and pay more attention to the people. I almost said characters, but they were real people.  In today's reading, several people stood out to me:

Sherem - Jacob 7:1-23  At first I thought Sherem deserved what was coming to him.  Afterall, he spent so much time leading people astray.  But then as the story continued, I began to feel sad for him.  After receiving his sign, he realized his mistake and feared his "case shall be awful," but confessed anyway.  I thought it was interesting that he immediately gathered everyone together to tell them he was wrong and to testify of Christ.  As a result, "peace and the love of God was restored again among the people" I was impressed with his urgency to tell everyone he was wrong and as a result, saved many souls. I hope somehow his soul was saved.

Enos - I was struck with the intensity of Enos.  He had such faith and he cared so deeply for his brethren - both the Nephites and the Lamanites.  I hope I can someday have the heart and faith of Enos.

Omni - v2. He declares that he is a wicked man who has not kept the commandments as he ought to have.  And yet he saw the importance of keeping the record and passing it on to his son.  This kind of reminded me of men during the restoration who fell away from the Church, but never denied the truth of it.  I wonder if Omni ever repented and became strong again.  I hope so.

Mormon - What a responsibility and burden this must have been for Mormon to keep the record safe, especially when he knew it was vital for future generations.  "I deliver these records into the hands of my son; and it supposeth me that he will witness the entire destruction of my people.  But may God grant that he may survive them...that perhaps some day it may profit them."  Thank you, Mormon.  It has profited so many in so many important ways.

Did I cheat?

We did a long car drive this week (726 miles, to be exact) and I get a little nauseous if I try to read while in the car. So I borrowed the BOM audio CDs from the library and LISTENED to my 18 pages per day!
Is that cheating?
:)

My motivation

Yes, I am motivated to read the Book of Mormon in one month because of Twilight.
Stop sneering at me.
I can explain.
See, this morning when I saw Malerie's blog post about this little escapade, I initially thought, "nice idea. Too bad I just don't have the time to read that much."
But fortunately my husband was there to give me a kick in the pants. He's always good for that. I shared the idea and my qualm with him, and he kindly reminded me that I've read 4 thick novels in the last couple weeks.

[insert foot in mouth]

So that's how I got roped into this. Not by guilt - I despise doing things with that motive - but by the simple realization that I DO have time - I just have to CHOOSE to.
So - here we go! I've grabbed a small paperback copy for this project so I can keep it in my purse. With the great weather we've been having, I'm sure to be spending a lot of time at the park with my little girl. Perfect time to get in some reading!

Ready, Set, Go!

Ok, tomorrow is the big day. Now that a week has passed since I woke up and felt really motivated to do this, I don't feel so up for it anymore. It's a good thing I told all of you about it or I might talk myself out of it.

I posted the reading chart on the side bar and I sent an email out to you with an attachment that you can print out, or make into a bookmark. I'm a visual person and I like checking things off! If you didn't get my email, or didn't get an invite to be an author on this blog i probably don't have your current email. Leave a comment with your address and I will make sure I add you.

Good luck and feel free to write posts so we can all motivate each other.

Thanks for doing this with me!

Welcome!

I'm really excited to get started on this one month read. Thanks for joining me. I know it will be a memorable experience that will make us stronger and more faithful. Besides learning from scripture, I am excited to hear your thoughts as you read. I am surrounded by such intelligent and thoughtful friends and I am anxious to learn from you. If you would like to post anything, please email me and I will add you as a contributor.

We will be starting Monday, May 11 and finishing Tuesday, June 9. I have a reading chart that I will post so you can track your reading. If anyone has any other tips or ideas to make this a great experience, please let me know!

Happy Reading!