How do you read?

I enjoyed Scripture Group last night.

I liked that everyone who came did so with various levels of preparation--some had "read," some had "studied," and some had come just to come--it was great. We had some good discussion about the Degrees of Glory (Gospel Doctrine Lesson 20) and sharing of perspectives from sisters at our various "seasons" of life.

For a while, I have struggled to come up with a system of scripture study that works for me NOW...at my current stage of life. I know what worked for me growing up, while I was single, in college, before I had kids, etc...there are so many stages. And rather than get frustrated at where I'm NOT right now and compare myself to where I was at different points in my life, I want to be realistic about where I am and work from there.

I know that now, perhaps more than ever, I need the strength I can get from reading the scriptures. Yesterday, as I tried to read an entire Sunday School lesson in an afternoon while my kids were running circles around me, I realized that maybe my realistic study routine cannot involve long, in depth, and uninterrupted sessions. I enjoyed that on my mission, and perhaps some day I will again. For now, and thanks to last night's meeting, I'm feeling motivated to find my ideal (and simple) alternative.

Last night I asked some of the sisters what works for them. I liked the ideas that were shared...reading simplified versions, keeping scriptures handy where ever you find yourself during the day, just to name a couple. I would love to hear more ideas; if you've found a system that has worked for you or something that has inspired you in your scripture study, please leave a comment...or post something of your own. If you would like an invitation to contribute to the blog, email me at jodiecundick@gmail.com.

May Scripture Group

Any last minute-ers, like me? I am sorry for not posting this sooner. We will meet tonight at Julia's house, 7pm. We'll discuss lesson 20 in the Gospel Doctrine student manual.

April Scripture Group

When: April 23rd at 7:00 P.M.
Where: Vickie Dean's house

Reading: With General Conference falling on the first Sunday of April, we will study only 3 lessons in Gospel Doctrine class this month: lessons 13, 14, and 15.

Again, feel free to discuss any topics relating to these lessons or your own scripture study throughout the month. On the 23rd, we will focus on lesson 15, "Seek Ye Earnestly the Best Gifts."

March meeting

See the post below for more details about this month's meeting.

If you are coming to Scripture group this week and have any handouts from Sunday School, or any other things to share, please bring them along. Hopefully we can also talk about ways to effectively use this blog, take time to set sisters up as contributors, etc. See you Thursday.

March Scripture Group

When: March 26th at 7pm
Where: Jodie Cundick's--2365 E 2815 S

Reading for the month: lessons 9, 10, 11, and 12
**the reading assignments list out several scriptures, so I will usually just give you a link to the Church website. Click on the lesson number and it will take you to the online version of the lesson, where you will also find the reading.

Feel free to discuss any of the readings throughout the month, but on the 26th, we will spend most of the time on lesson 12, which will be the lesson covered the following Sunday in Gospel Doctrine class.

Scripture Group Meets

Tonight we held our first Scripture Group meeting at Diane Sorenson's house. We discussed a little bit about what we want to study and how to get the most out of meeting together. We decided to align our study with that of the Gospel Doctrine class, and so we will be reading the Doctrine and Covenants and following the readings outlined in the Class Member Study Guide (I believe Vickie Dean will have some copies available soon for any who would like one).

As you'll notice in the study guide, our study will be mostly topic-driven. Weeking readings include passages from the D&C, but the lessons also lay out a Scripture Chain that takes us through all of the Standard Works.

This will hopefully be a great opportunity for sisters, particularly those of us who are unable to attend Gospel Doctrine class, to enhance our study of the scriptures. Ideas will hopefully be shared, questions raised, and comments made in a non- (or at least less-) intimidating setting.

In addition to meeting each month, sisters can use this blog as a way to discuss the reading for the month. What stands out to you? What confuses you? What connections are you making? When are you finding time to read? What is working for you, as far as scripture study? Just leave a comment after each posted reading, or any post (hopefully others of you will post eventually), and see what discussion follows.

We want to keep in mind that quality scripture study is the goal of this group. Hopefully this blog will help us with this goal rather than detract from it. I know how "blogging" can eat up our time, and I plan to keep this blog simple, yet as helpful as possible.

Simple Rule (as was mentioned tonight):
Spend more time in the scriptures than you do on this blog!