I'm Up to the Challenge!

"I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God." - President Gordon B. Hinckely

This past Sunday, Elder Tate (an area seventy for the LDS church) came to our stake center to give a fireside about the Book of Mormon.  He issued us a challenge to read the entire Book of Mormon before Christmas, and to read it with a purpose.  He encouraged us to pick a topic, such as faith or prayer, and read the BoM with the intention of further our knowledge and testimony of this particular area.  I chose the atonement.  I want to better understand my relationship with my Savior and grow in a deeper understanding of how the atonement works for me.  I know that the atonement is all-encompassing, but sometimes we lose sight of how much in our it truly covers - not only our sins, but our trials, our weaknesses, our internal and physical pains, our fears or insecurities, our heartache or worry, and more.  It is such a powerful gift, and I am still striving to grasp the entirety of all it has to offer me, and how to best utilize those gifts. 

A few other things that Elder Tate suggested, that sill help enhance the experience for us, are to make a playlist that we can listen to of inspiring and uplifting music, and to have a daily devotional with ourselves - aka: meditation and pondering.  I already have a "Sunday Songs" playlist on ITunes, but I'm making one now that narrows down the religious and spiritual songs I have (as well as, piano or orchestral music) to my favorites.  I have chosen a few songs from EFY albums,  I Can Only Imagine albums, songs from Pride & Prejudice or Finding Neverland, MoTab songs... It's more narrow though.  As for the daily devotionals, this is an area I will really need to make an effort to create time for, because I struggle with simply sitting quietly and not "doing."  He did talk about making that daily devotional time also about prayer.  I liked how he asked us to pray to our Heavenly Father and say, "Help me understand your son."

On of my friends put it best when he wrote, 

"The leaders of the Church promise that if you do this challenge, the Lord will teach you where to go, what to say, what to do."  

I know that this is true - I feel the difference in myself and in His guiding powers when I am reading and studying the scriptures.  

President Monson stated, 

"You will be the first generation to rescue your own generation."  

The first step to that is rescuing ourselves, and I truly believe that we can do that through reading and studying the Book of Mormon daily.

THIS is the time to reconnect with your Savior.  If you read, He will listen.  If you ponder, He will teach.  THIS to discover who you really are, while determining who you will become.  Who else will take the Fall 2011, Book of Mormon Challenge?

*muah*

Song of the Day:  This song is SO beautiful and amazing, as is this artist!  I just discovered him, thanks to So You Think You Can Dance and NoiseTrade's free music updates.  If you aren't getting all that free music they give out, you should sign up... for real. Here is Trent Dabbs with "Inside These Lines."