•9:47 AM
I had to speak in church yesterday, and while I was preparing my remarks on Saturday, I realized I had left something huge off of my 'Best of 2008' list. A couple of you have probably been shaking your heads in puzzlement over this fact. I'm going to fix my post in just a minute, but I'll tell you about it in a little bit of detail here as well.
Last January, I joined Pezmama's online challenge to read The Bible in 90 days. I read every word from Genesis to Revelation, and on March 30th, I was feeling pretty good to be one of seven of the original 30 who actually finished. The weekly check-ins, daily page count guides, and periodical posts of progress and insight by group members were all huge helps. I read the King James Version, but other group members used other translations, which added interest and variety to our online discussions.
Not wanting to lose momentum, I decided to read the rest of my church's Standard Works of scripture in the next 90 days: The Book of Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price. A couple of good friends partnered up with me for this second challenge, and with their support, on June 30th I found myself reading the last verse of The Articles of Faith with a huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
That happy feeling of realizing a goal was second to the joy in the journey, however. Reading at such a fast pace did not lend itself to in-depth study, but I did see things I'd never seen so clearly before: overarching patterns, recurring themes, and how prophets have echoed and underscored one another through the ages. I got a keener sense of the symmetry and beauty of God's plan, and I think I had heightened abilities to deal with the many challenges of last May as a result.
How would I rank this accomplishment? It's definitely in the Top Five; it may even rank right under my #1. Would I do it again? Definitely; I highly recommend it. I'm enjoying the topic study I'm doing at the moment, but someday soon the mood may well strike me to gear up for another sprintathon through holy writ.
Hurray
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9 comments:
You are so inspiring! I once read the Standard Works in one year and was proud. To do it in half the time is astonishing to me, especially with all you do in every other area of life. But I did find the same things you mentioned about seeing patterns and beauty, reading it more like a book in larger chunks at a time.
That is seriously an amazing accomplishment. Glad you mentioned it. I knew about the Bible, but not the rest.
I like the new look around here!
Hoy! All of them? Wow. I don't think I could get through the bible--I did read the book of Mormon in about 6 weeks once, and then in 2 months with my family and I loved that, but the bible in 90 days? That is impressive. Way to go. Maybe one day I'll follow your example. Not yet though :-)
I agree with Jenna - so inspiring!
I love that painting! I totally agree with the benefits of reading the scriptures more quickly. I followed both your links--how interesting about Mr. Card's book--=that is one I haven't read. And I thank you for helping me to understand what the cowbell thing is all about!
Oh, and YES-Firefly!!
wow that's quite a rewarding achievement
I can see that being a different path of meditation. It gives you a great overview.
Wonderful achievement!
Impressive. While I typically tend to ponder and savor (often at a ridiculously slow pace) when I've accepted a challenge like this I've also seen the value in it. I especially love the way you delineated the rewards of a faster pace.