Book of Mormon Challenge

So the other day I was surfing the web. And when I say surfing the web, I mean drowning my life away idly on Facebook. I noticed that a few of my friends were "attending" a "Reading the Book of Mormon - Fall 2011" event.  At first, my thought was "eh, good for them, but I'm WAYYYYY too busy to do that." Riiiiiiiiiight, if that means way too busy going back and forth between my gmail and facebook hoping for something exciting to show up. Yes, I'm a busy mother dealing with two children at all times, but I definitely have my fair share of just sitting time while I nurse Moses or wait patiently for Joey to eat his meals.

So, in rebellion of wasting my life away on useless internet sites, I decided to take on the Book of Mormon challenge. The goal is to read the Book of Mormon in its entirety by the end of the year. Totally doable.

Why do I want to do this? Because I know that as I read this book and gain faith that it is true, I can get answers to some of the deepest questions of life:

• Is there a God?
• What does Jesus Christ expect of me? 
• How can a belief in Jesus Christ help me? 
• What is the purpose of life?
• How can my family be happier and more united?
• And many many more. 

Towards the end of the book, Moroni, the final author of the Book of Mormon, extends a challenge for all people to read it. He says, "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye work ask God, the Eternam Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy HGhost." (found here).

I'm looking forward to having this reaffirmation of my faith as I read the Book of Mormon for the rest of this year. I invite all of you, too, Mormon or not, to read this book. It has changed my life and brings me so much joy. I want everybody I know to share that same joy with me. You can read it online here or if you want a hard copy, just let me know and I'll hook you up. I hope that we all can find some time in our lives  to ponder on these things that matter most and, through reading this book together, can grow closer to God, our families, and each other.

Happy reading!