I have just experimented with a great way to study scriptures.  I would love to hear the various ways you study your scriptures, because I know there isn’t just one way.  But this was very successful for me.

If you check out  http://scriptoriumblogorium.blogspot.com/, you will get a good idea of how she shows you how to break apart a verse and ponder upon it for awhile.  For me, this was very motivating; and I love what she has already discovered, especially Isaiah for Teenagers.  Good stuff!

It’s easy to just read through verses, without thinking about deeper meanings.  I catch myself doing that a lot, but it isn’t that much more of an effort to write notes, use study aids or search on the Internet, all for the purpose of understanding better.

I chose to read through Isaiah 58.  I have a problem starting at the beginning of a book of scripture, because it seems I reach a certain point and quit.  So instead of reading the same first few chapters, I change it up by picking random chapters that I might not get to otherwise.  

By taking it phrase by phrase, relating it to the footnotes, recalling other things I have studied, and taking time to ponder, I am able to bring to mind thoughts that help me gain that additional breadth.  I also can spend time searching the Internet for ideas there.  In this particular chapter, I was able to research Sackcloth and Ashes and learned that that is an old tradition that actually was not favored by the Lord, because it drew attention to a performance of sorts.  I didn’t even realize this is where Ash Wednesday comes from.  I also learned that fasting is very closely tied to keeping the Sabbath Day holy, because it is all about separating yourself from the world.  And as I soak in the abundance of blessings which are in store for the obedient, I feel overwhelmed, yet anxious to prove myself.  These are simple things that I would have missed if I had just read through it.  But taking a little more time, checking out the references and pausing to make sense of it all, really made a difference for me.

A few things I have learned in my scripture reading:

·         Pay attention to punctuation.  If the verse doesn’t end in a period, you need to read on to get the complete thought. 

·         Some verses are pretty clear and not terribly deep, and don’t require a whole lot of thought.  Other verses have multiple depth levels and will require some time to fully understand.  It’s okay to take the time you need to properly relate everything to your life, or what the Lord wants you to understand.

·         Find a way to write all of your notes in your scriptures.  In the margins, in the inside or back cover pages of your books, or even with glue-ins that you have created yourself or copied down from other sources.  By having your notes available to you as you use your scriptures you will have a constant reminder of what you have learned.  I may have a notebook and use it as a place to gather what I am learning, but once I’ve gleaned my information, it goes into my scriptures so I don’t forget.

·         Pray before, during and after you study.  Your mind really will open up and you will be able to link what you are reading with what you have ever learned.  The Lord helps us build on what we already know, so we don’t feel like a bunch of “dumb greenies”.  When we finish learning these great new things for the day, thank the Lord for these sweet little revelations.

·         There are two places to search on the Internet: google the entire Internet, which will give you a world-wide religious viewpoint of your subject matter (which can be very interesting) and www.lds.org , which will take you to Conference talks and lessons, giving you the LDS viewpoint.  You will be able to compare information and gain an additional perspective.