Book of Mormon 6-Month Reading Challenge (and Chart)

We had stake conference this last weekend (for church) and our stake president challenged us to read the entire Book of Mormon before the next stake conference, in 6 months.  Adam and I decided to act on this challenge and made it our personal goals to read it again in this time-frame.  Adam chose to read by verses, so he's reading 36 verses a day.  I don't like being left hanging in the middle of a chapter so I decided to do my study by chapter, which is about 1.5 chapters a day.  But like I said I don't want to be reading half chapters, and I know there are some REALLY short chapters and a couple REALLY long chapters... and I wanted to track my progress to help keep me on track, so I made a reading chart.  I spent a couple hours on it total.  I go kinda crazy planning things sometimes.  But I'm pretty happy with the result (so far...)!  It's only been 3 days.  Hopefully this will help me stay on track and keep up with it!  I also wanted to know how many verses were in each chapter, and I couldn't find anything online, so I did it by going through every chapter...  So there's that.  But then I was able to break up the reading schedule better.  Man, I'm crazy sometimes!

I'm grateful for this challenge to read the Book of Mormon within the next 6 months.  This true book strengthens my relationship with God and helps me feel the Spirit more throughout my day and grows my spiritual knowledge and helps me be more in line with the Savior's teachings, so I can be a better person and strengthen my family.  And I'm finding already that this challenge is helping me be a better study-er.  I've been struggling with being consistent with my scripture study.  I know I need to be better, and I want to be better, but the implementation is always the hard part for some reason.  I know my spirituality can be better improved if I took the time to study more often, and I really need it (don't we all?).  I know this challenge and goal is going to help me develop better and more consistent habits when it comes to scripture study.  I can feel it already!  The Book of Mormon really is true, compliments the Bible, and was written way back then for us, now.  How awesome is that?  Why wouldn't we want to read and study it??  I know I do!

Want to join me?  Only 3 days to catch up on.  That's not too bad!

Download Reading Chart

Does God have time for me?

I hear this certain commercial on the radio every once in a while and it just kills me every time I hear it.  The girl is asking things like, "Doesn't God have more important things to worry about my life and my worries?"  I really wish people wouldn't think this way, but there are so many who do.  The thing that makes me the most sad is that if someone has to ask that question, they don't understand what the whole point of life is.  God is the Father of our spirits, and His work and glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."  His whole purpose is to help us make it back to Him to live with him and our loved ones forever.  He isn't up in the sky somewhere making the tides roll in and the wind blow and just watching us live our lives for entertainment.  He is listening to us and trying to prod us in the right directions and answering our pleadings.  We are His first priority!  And He provided a Savior for us, His Only Begotten Son in the flesh, even Jesus Christ, to come to the earth and show us the way to be able to return to our Father in heaven, and He suffered on our behalf so we would be able to do so.  Because if He did not, we would have no way to repent and be washed clean of and turn away from our sins, and since no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God we would be cast out forever, for eternity.  But He DID suffer and die and was resurrected for US, so we could have a way to overcome the natural man or evil in us and become saints and be able to be permitted into God's presence after this life.

God hears our prayers.  And He answers them.  Most often He answers in ways we don't expect.  He knows us, and He loves us.  He has provided this beautiful and resourceful earth to live on.  He has created these magnificent bodies of flesh and blood for our spirits to be housed in while we live our earthly lives.  He wants us all to make ourselves worthy so we can return to live with Him after this life on earth.  He has provided the way -- Jesus Christ.  We have to give the only thing we have to give, since everything we have been given has been by the hand of God -- and that is our will.  He has given us the ability to choose; and to be the most happy and to gain the most blessings and to be closest to God, we must choose Him and live His way.

So, does God have time for you?  The answer is yes.  His hand is always extended to you; He is just waiting for you to reach back to Him. 

Learn more.

The Lord Gave Me a Temple

One of the reasons our loving Heavenly Father sends His spirit children (us) to the earth is so we can obtain physical bodies.

I love my body!

Recently I have gained greater appreciation for this amazing gift.  And I also realize that it is an amazing blessing that my body is healthy and functions properly so I can do almost anything I want or need to do!  This is my new motivation for taking care of my body, this great gift.  I'm trying to eat regularly, but not too much, and not eat so much cruddy food (some, but not all the time!).  I'm trying to realize my limits when it comes to food!  And I'm getting myself back in shape by exercising regularly.  There are lots of ways to exercise!  In the last two weeks I realize that I don't HATE running as much as I thought.  When it's beautiful outside and you know you're doing something good to benefit yourself and your amazing gift of a body, it can be quite refreshing.  I'm not planning on running a marathon any time soon.  But I'm just sayin'.

I'm thankful for my body!  Its amazing ability gives evidence that there is a God.  And I know there is!

Stress Relief?

A lot of people say that exercise, and lots specifically say running, is what helps them de-stress.  I'm not sure if this particular practice is a stress-reliever or stress-inducer for me.  I guess I'm just not very good at pushing myself through pain.  Soccer practices were never my favorite, all that running and having to be faster than others or a specific time.  Killed me!  I hated it.  Yeah it made/makes me be more in shape, and yeah I probably feel good afterwards, but I just have a really hard time being in the middle of it.  Also, exercise - I guess I'm not so fantastic at getting myself motivated to do it.  I'm trying to be better, and I'm getting there.  But mornings are probably the worst.  And ironically my ideal time to work out (and could be a whole other post discussing that).  If I can stay inside and work out it's usually better.  But trying to get me to get up early and go outside and run?  I can't say that it's easy.  Our new apartment complex has a nice work out facility AND a tennis court AND a racquetball court, and I am determined to do better!  Once we get there.

I think my personal stress relief is sleep.  If you know me at all, you probably know that I enjoy my sleep.  I like the mornings but don't really see much of them.  I'm working on that too.  Baby steps.  So, sleep = stress relief?  I don't know if that really is true, but if I didn't get much sleep the previous night and I find myself alone in my quiet apartment in the middle of the day, the couch is very inviting, and I will probably give in.  This also could be a-whole-nother subject...  I don't pop awake when it's morning-time (I'm not sure many people do? Hopefully I'm not alone in this...) but I also don't have great will power to make myself awake.  My warm and comfy bed is oh so VERY inviting.  It doesn't help that Adam covers the window with a thick blanket, which = no sunlight, and likes all sorts of fans blowing making it chilly up in here.  But on the other hand, if I sleep too much I'm quite susceptible to feeling guilty for doing so.  Which could = some stress.  Hmm.

I really need to learn to lead a stress-free life.  It makes life more enjoyable for me and everyone else around me, and I also worry about my ulcerative colitis acting up when I'm pregnant.  Stress = flare ups.  Example: planning a wedding.  I think I do pretty okay most of the time, but like I just mentioned, I tend to, I guess you could call it stress, when I sleep in and skip my shower to avoid taking another hour or more to get ready and then add a half hour to that to get to work.  I'm lucky though to have a loving boss who doesn't mind what hours I come in to work as long as I get my work done.  She's a good mom, I mean boss.  :D  I just don't want to put any future babies in any sort of harm with any sort of medication I may have to take if I have a flare up while pregnant or breast feeding.

So here's to being stress-free!  Wish me luck on finding my relief-outlet.  Thanks in advance.

Hiatus

I've decided to take a short hiatus in my internet fixation.  At least at home.

Starting today, for the next week:

No e-mail, facebook, or blogger.  And instead scripture study, exercise, and going to bed early enough to be able to wake up to get to work on time.

There are lots of things I need to get crackin' on around here but the tasks are intimidating and only get worse as the days go on.  Constantly having to figure out dinner (with my limited knowledge of such) and then making it (with almost zero counter-space), then also grocery shopping (shudder), not to mention breakfast and lunch, cleaning up - everything!, (which goes hand in hand with) organizing... which I've never been good at, and the classic needing-to-go-to-bed-at-a-decent-hour (so I can get out of bed early like a responsible grown-up!).

Maybe re-occurring short term plans are easier to stay with than long, drawn-out, never-ending plans?