Hands up if in January you promised to read your scriptures more this year. Yeah, me too... I’m learning that making a new habit isn’t so easy as just saying it. Life does get away from us and simply sitting and opening your Bible, Book of Mormon, etc. can get boring/overwhelming/tedious REAL fast.
Growing up we got all kinds of creative access to scripture stories. We met the characters in cartoons and songs, associated the lessons with snacks or games. Knowing those stories is something we can directly trace back to childhood. We should be proud that at one time we were nearest to God. Instead of becoming like little children, we *were* those little children!
Fast forward to being an adult. I can barely remember to brush my teeth in the morning or feed myself lunch. Taking a quiet moment to improve our relationship with God is more of a to do list item than an actual part of our daily lives. We set our goals but we have to go outside the box to meet said goals and overcome the potential snooze fest of traditional scripture study. Thankfully there are plenty of tools out there to help. These are my picks, mainly geared towards Mormon doctrine and resources. But no matter your faith I encourage you to find similar ways to make scripture study a more unique and fulfilling part of your day.
**This post contains NO affiliate links. All writing and opinions are mine and exist only because I want to share cool stuff with you.**
Audiobooks
While in school Spencer and I were taking a class focused on studying the Book of Mormon. A semester-long project required us to put together a plan for reading daily. We knew just reading through wouldn’t be too fun so we decided to listen via audiobook. We would sit down together every night and hit play while we worked on other things. It was really smart for allowing us to multi-task. We’ve done this a few more times since for many reasons. May I add it’s perfect for talks too! You can download the scriptures on audiobook here, or access text-to-speech via the Gospel Library mobile app (see below).
Illustrated Books
I had an illustrated Bible growing up. The images I have today of those stories are from that book. Naturally I wanted something similar for learning scriptures when Spencer and I were asked to teach the 4-year-old Sunday School class. We now own all four of the illustrated scriptures. The write ups are simple, you can get the basics quickly. Plus you can visualize things. Someday I’ll own the coloring books too haha.
Purchase
Social Media
I’m kind of obsessed with social media. I spend hours refreshing Facebook and liking posts (which I might be doing while writing this). Twitter is even more enjoyable. But there is a whole lot of nonsense out there. To get a break from all the noise, I follow and like scripture- and gospel-related accounts such as Book of Mormon Central which has some insightful information on Book of Mormon and LDS church history. You learn so much! And my friend works there, so I feel cool.
Now while I generally stick to Facebook and Twitter, another great account is 3 Mormons on YouTube. I just found them and their discussions are insightful as well as addicting and fun. I’ve left Instagram of this list because I’m not a huge fan and because I don’t know of any interesting Mormon- or Christian-based accounts. If you know of any to check out send them my way! And don’t forget you can follow the LDS Church and its leadership on pretty much every platform. *thumbs up*
My fave social accounts:
Twitter LDS Quotes
Facebook Book of Mormon Central
YouTube 3 Mormons
Apps
I have an LDS Scripture-A-Day widget on my phone's home screen. Some days that’s all the reading I do, but at least I'm getting something. Also the LDS mobile apps are a must have with everything from scriptures to Conference talks to Sunday School materials. There are even videos and music! Apps are by far the best for accessibility and keeping your back from going out while still having all that stuff with you. Log in and you can keep track of bookmarks, annotations, and notes!
Download the LDS Mobile Apps
Book of Mormon Central also has an app (AWESOME). KnoWhy on Google Play // in the App Store
I wrote this post because I realized fifteen years have gone by since my baptism as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I still don’t know my Book of Mormon stories. Since making the commitment to get more gospel in my day I’ve sincerely tried to find ways to make this easier and more realistic. We are so lucky to have unlimited, quick access to the scriptures in unique ways. Definitely go find out which one of these works for you. Then come tell me what you try or find!
Growing up we got all kinds of creative access to scripture stories. We met the characters in cartoons and songs, associated the lessons with snacks or games. Knowing those stories is something we can directly trace back to childhood. We should be proud that at one time we were nearest to God. Instead of becoming like little children, we *were* those little children!
Fast forward to being an adult. I can barely remember to brush my teeth in the morning or feed myself lunch. Taking a quiet moment to improve our relationship with God is more of a to do list item than an actual part of our daily lives. We set our goals but we have to go outside the box to meet said goals and overcome the potential snooze fest of traditional scripture study. Thankfully there are plenty of tools out there to help. These are my picks, mainly geared towards Mormon doctrine and resources. But no matter your faith I encourage you to find similar ways to make scripture study a more unique and fulfilling part of your day.
**This post contains NO affiliate links. All writing and opinions are mine and exist only because I want to share cool stuff with you.**
Audiobooks
While in school Spencer and I were taking a class focused on studying the Book of Mormon. A semester-long project required us to put together a plan for reading daily. We knew just reading through wouldn’t be too fun so we decided to listen via audiobook. We would sit down together every night and hit play while we worked on other things. It was really smart for allowing us to multi-task. We’ve done this a few more times since for many reasons. May I add it’s perfect for talks too! You can download the scriptures on audiobook here, or access text-to-speech via the Gospel Library mobile app (see below).
Illustrated Books
I had an illustrated Bible growing up. The images I have today of those stories are from that book. Naturally I wanted something similar for learning scriptures when Spencer and I were asked to teach the 4-year-old Sunday School class. We now own all four of the illustrated scriptures. The write ups are simple, you can get the basics quickly. Plus you can visualize things. Someday I’ll own the coloring books too haha.
Purchase
Social Media
I’m kind of obsessed with social media. I spend hours refreshing Facebook and liking posts (which I might be doing while writing this). Twitter is even more enjoyable. But there is a whole lot of nonsense out there. To get a break from all the noise, I follow and like scripture- and gospel-related accounts such as Book of Mormon Central which has some insightful information on Book of Mormon and LDS church history. You learn so much! And my friend works there, so I feel cool.
Now while I generally stick to Facebook and Twitter, another great account is 3 Mormons on YouTube. I just found them and their discussions are insightful as well as addicting and fun. I’ve left Instagram of this list because I’m not a huge fan and because I don’t know of any interesting Mormon- or Christian-based accounts. If you know of any to check out send them my way! And don’t forget you can follow the LDS Church and its leadership on pretty much every platform. *thumbs up*
My fave social accounts:
Twitter LDS Quotes
Facebook Book of Mormon Central
YouTube 3 Mormons
Apps
I have an LDS Scripture-A-Day widget on my phone's home screen. Some days that’s all the reading I do, but at least I'm getting something. Also the LDS mobile apps are a must have with everything from scriptures to Conference talks to Sunday School materials. There are even videos and music! Apps are by far the best for accessibility and keeping your back from going out while still having all that stuff with you. Log in and you can keep track of bookmarks, annotations, and notes!
Download the LDS Mobile Apps
Book of Mormon Central also has an app (AWESOME). KnoWhy on Google Play // in the App Store
I wrote this post because I realized fifteen years have gone by since my baptism as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I still don’t know my Book of Mormon stories. Since making the commitment to get more gospel in my day I’ve sincerely tried to find ways to make this easier and more realistic. We are so lucky to have unlimited, quick access to the scriptures in unique ways. Definitely go find out which one of these works for you. Then come tell me what you try or find!
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