100 Days: Read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year

[Wingnut]

In August of 2005, President Hinckley gave us a challenge. He said, "I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon."

His challenge was to finish the book by the end of that year. For anyone interested in reading the Book of Mormon by the end of THIS year, join with me in my goal to have it read in 100 days (starting on Tuesday, September 23rd). I am one who always does best with a support group behind me, and I love to offer encouragement to those working on similar goals.

I understand that many of you are already immersed in your own study or are focusing on different books of scripture. For any who are willing to start from the beginning, I invite you to join a Book of Mormon Study Group. This will not be a topical study. It will be chronological. To join the group, you will need to be prepared to account for your success or failures in keeping with the reading goals.

A sister in my ward invited us to join her in this challenge (the above are all her words, not mine). As it has been some time since I have read the Book of Mormon in its entirety, and for various reasons I did not participate in President Hinckley's challenge, I eagerly joined her study group. I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this study group, and to give an accounting of my reading. I also am better when I have to check in.

So I invite each of you to join also. We can discuss in this thread our study for the week, and individual insights we may have gained. I will update this post each week with that week's reading assignment.

Week 1: September 23

1 Nephi 1-18

I know it's a lot, but for me, if I can make it through this assignment, I'll be able to do the rest...this is the hurdle that is hardest to get over.

Week 2: October 1

1 Nephi 19 - 2 Nephi 13

Sorry I am late in getting this week's reading assignment sent out! I figure you're all just plugging along in your reading. I think it is best that we stick with the average of 2.5 chapters a day.

Week 3: October 6

2 Nephi 14-30

Week 4: October 15

2 Nephi 31 - Words of Mormon

Sorry I'm late again...was out of town and away from a computer.

Edited October 16, 2008 by Wingnut

[raulrosalez22]

I have been slacking off lately and this might be just the thing =)

count me in!

[Nappaljarri]

I'm in. I'll check in each day. I probebly won't get time to check other threads which is also good for my time schedule.

[raulrosalez22]

How are we going to check in our progress? is there going to be a new thread on the forums? chat? or should we follow this thread?

[skalenfehl]

I'll commit to this.

[Nappaljarri]

Tuesday 23rd September 2008:

I have read 1 Nephi 1-3 this evening. Two main points that have impressed me about reading it this time.

1: The fact that Nephi’s parents were the ones who taught him the language and learning of his people (Egyptian/jewish respectively). This has great importance to me at this time, as I take on the responsibility of home schooling our children. The most important skill I see to teach our children is our language and how to speak, understand and write it. I also believe that our children are blessed in learning how to do this because my focus in teaching them, is reading the scriptures together. I know that as we read the Book of Mormon together, that they are blessed to know the scriptures and understand them better, and also that they are blessed secularly to understand and comprehend our language quicker.

2: It amazes me how fast Laman and Lemuel forget who chastises them. In the last verses of chapter 3, we read the part about Laman and Lemuel beating Nephi and Sam with a rod, then an angel of the Lord chastises them, and immediately after the angel is gone, they are murmuring again. I must apply this to myself directly… asking…. When the prophet speaks, how do I react. How long does it take for me to make excuses for myself. I love how bad examples in the scriptures can help me to check myself and become better....

Good reading. I'm out for the night, peace.

[a-train]

Started last night, on page 6. I love how Lehi had the faith to turn his back on the economy and social structure of his life-long home and literally walk into the wilderness never to return. To him, Jerusalem was already destroyed.

And it was. The filthiness of spiritual darkness had long blackened the once bright city. What remained was the corpse of a once living Zion.

I am reminded of the Saviour who wept for Jerusalem in His time. And now, we weep for our nation.

-a-train

Edited September 23, 2008 by a-train

[Wingnut]

How are we going to check in our progress? is there going to be a new thread on the forums? chat? or should we follow this thread?

Stay with this thread. You don't have to check in daily, but if you're going to participate, please check in with some thoughts/impressions/something to share at least weekly.

Thanks already to everyone who is doing this with me!

[Wingnut]

Tuesday 23rd September 2008:

I have read 1 Nephi 1-3 this evening. Two main points that have impressed me about reading it this time.

1: The fact that Nephi’s parents were the ones who taught him the language and learning of his people (Egyptian/jewish respectively). This has great importance to me at this time, as I take on the responsibility of home schooling our children. The most important skill I see to teach our children is our language and how to speak, understand and write it. I also believe that our children are blessed in learning how to do this because my focus in teaching them, is reading the scriptures together. I know that as we read the Book of Mormon together, that they are blessed to know the scriptures and understand them better, and also that they are blessed secularly to understand and comprehend our language quicker.

2: It amazes me how fast Laman and Lemuel forget who chastises them. In the last verses of chapter 3, we read the part about Laman and Lemuel beating Nephi and Sam with a rod, then an angel of the Lord chastises them, and immediately after the angel is gone, they are murmuring again. I must apply this to myself directly… asking…. When the prophet speaks, how do I react. How long does it take for me to make excuses for myself. I love how bad examples in the scriptures can help me to check myself and become better....

Good reading. I'm out for the night, peace.

I also read chapters 1-3 last night, which I've probably read a million times before. I never thought of the significance of teaching the language, but it si important, isn't it? Even today we still have an oral culture that isn't written -- stories, etc.

I also was amazed at the end of chapter 3 how Laman and Lemuel just start murmuring again. Like, HELLO? How stupid can you guys be? But I'm not sure I don't do it sometimes, too.

[a-train]

The fact that Nephi’s parents were the ones who taught him the language and learning of his people (Egyptian/jewish respectively). This has great importance to me at this time, as I take on the responsibility of home schooling our children. The most important skill I see to teach our children is our language and how to speak, understand and write it.

My children are 4 years and 2 weeks old respectively. I plan now to homeschool my children. As a seminary teacher I teach 16 different students, the three that are homeschooled are my best students. Those from single-parent families struggle the most.

I came from a single parent home and was (un)educated by public schools. I plan to do all in my power to offer my children better.

-a-train

[Misshalfway]

I am so in!!!!!! I just started the book of mormon a month ago......I think I will just keep going but join this effort as well. I am in the end of 1 nephi.

[Wingnut]

I am so in!!!!!! I just started the book of mormon a month ago......I think I will just keep going but join this effort as well. I am in the end of 1 nephi.

Well, we should be caught up to you in about a week. :)

[Misshalfway]

Well, we should be caught up to you in about a week. :)

...grumble grumble.....over acheivers........

[Nappaljarri]

My children are 4 years and 2 weeks old respectively. I plan now to homeschool my children. As a seminary teacher I teach 16 different students, the three that are homeschooled are my best students. Those from single-parent families struggle the most.

I came from a single parent home and was (un)educated by public schools. I plan to do all in my power to offer my children better.

-a-train

Good on you A-train, go for it. I saw differences in behaviour and attitude in the first week that I decided to do it. The world teaches us today, that the education of our children is the government's responsibility. But We are taught in the D&C that we are parents are ultimately responsible for the education of our children. I don't think I would have a leg to stand on at judgement if my excuse for wandering children was that the government taught them wrong principles along with failing secular education.

[Nappaljarri]

Wednesday 24th September 2008

Read 1 Nephi 4-9. Two main points that have impressed me this time are:

1: Lehi’s dream, he says that there is a rod of iron and a path to follow. If the rod of iron is the Gospel of Jesus Christ with all of its covenants, what does the path represent? I have talked about this with my husband, and we believe that the path represents the family. Our earthly family whom we have responsibility for. The rod and the path go together, and you don’t have the one without the other. It is the same with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the family. If we have the gospel, but ignore our family and concentrate on other people and on “the church” at the neglect of our family, then we have lost our way. And similarly, if we have great family relationships and love our family but do not take hold of the rod, we loose our way, because we do not use the gospel as our guide in this life.

2: The above point is strengthened by the fact that during Lehi’s dream his first priority was to guide and call his family to the tree. Then they continued to call others and and guide them as well. But first is family.

It is 5:45am here. We wake up at 4:15am every morning to send Daddy away to work. I am glad this contract is finishing in 2 months.

Peace to you all.

[Nappaljarri]

This morning I have been thinking about today's reading and I thought of two more interesting themes to bring up.

1. We read of Laman and Lemuel accusing their father of being a visionary man (I don't know if that was in my reading today, but I'm sure everyone knows this part of their story). And in my reading today we read that Sariah also has a moment when she is scared for the safety of her sons and also accuses her husband of being a vissionary man and taking them from their land out into a place which is dangerous, and that she thought her sons had been killed because of this. My questioning is, how much influence did Sariah have on Laman and Lemuel? Just a thought, as we all know how much influence a mother has on the teaching and attitudes of their children.

2. "inasmuch as ye keep the commandments ye shall prosper in the land." This notion that comes up many many times in the Book of Mormon. Coupled with the knowledge that Lehi was a wealthy man, and a prophet, we can assume that he was already keeping that principle. So my question is, what are we to do with the wealth? And how does this wealth affect the next generation? My husband and I have been having this discussion, as we are the first generation on both sides of our family to accumulate wealth, and we do not want to be one of those people who have the attitude of.... "we want to give our kids all those things that we missed out on." We can also see the error of our ways if we went down that path. It seems that if you bring children up in wealth (I mean everything given to them that they want), it teaches them to be selfish. So we are taking the road of self reliance. Yes, we may have lots of money, but we won't be showing our children this. We have just sold our first home (which thankfully got us into this strained housing market) and am onto buying a bigger piece of land so that we can till, and raise crops, and chickens and a couple of cows etc. I'm sure you see the picture. I think that the pride cycle has something to do with generational change. That the parents in the pride cycle who repent and come unto the Lord are righteous (and are the ones who are blessed with the wealth), but they make the erronous mistake of allowing that wealth to define their next generation of children. We do not want to make that mistake. One last note, we have found one good reason to spend money, Family history and temple work. We live 700miles away from our Brisbane temple, and so there is nothing better to spend money on then attending the temple regularly (we have been blessed to attend the temple every 2 months). Also we have spent it on gathering certificates which add up and are planning family history trips back to the land of our ancestors. All very suitable reasons to spend money I think (seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else shall be added unto you).

Hope you are all having a nice sleep :)

[skalenfehl]

My questioning is, how much influence did Sariah have on Laman and Lemuel? Just a thought, as we all know how much influence a mother has on the teaching and attitudes of their children.

Very interesting perspective! Thank you for sharing that. One thing is clear, though, from reading further. She truly loved her sons. I'm reminded of the stripling warriors and their faith taught to them by their mothers.

[Guest ceeboo]

Hi All,

Hmmmm, I just might join you all, 100 days huh ??

God bless,

Carl

[pam]

That would be awesome if you joined it Carl.

[Misshalfway]

Wing, are you following a set reading schedule? ....did I miss that? And are we gonna talk about what we are reading??

[pam]

BRB I'm heading out to Deseret Book to buy me new scriptures. Without details to the entire story the ones I had are gone and I need new ones. I've been using ones just found around the house. Besides I need the "Large print" ones. lol That way I can join in.

[pam]

YEAAAAAAA I'm in. So as Miss 1/2 asked...is there a schedule?

[Guest ceeboo]

YEAAAAAAA I'm in. So as Miss 1/2 asked...is there a schedule?

Your in the BofM?????

Just how big is this book ????:)

DA CEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOO

[pam]

Your in the BofM?????

Just how big is this book ????:)

DA CEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOO

Wait...I have to sneeze again...Ahhhhhhhhhhhh CEEEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOO There I feel much better.

[Wingnut]

YEAAAAAAA I'm in. So as Miss 1/2 asked...is there a schedule?

To Pam and 1/2: Yes there is a schedule. I will update it weekly. I will update MY ORIGINAL POST with the current reading schedule at the very bottom. As for discussion, jut post your thoughts in this thread. It doesn't have to be daily, but please share something at least weekly. Thanks for joining!

P.S. This week's assignment is 1 Nephi 1-18.