Scripture Study Poll Results- The Red Headed Hostess

baptismal covenant

You guys are so great!

Thank you for participating in the scripture study poll!

It helps me out a lot, and I have to say that I am working on a few things that I REALLY think will help you.  Because they will help me!  So I hope they will help you too.

Meanwhile, here are the results…. may they be comforting to those of you who feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day.

And I will give my comments and my personal answers below each one.

I am giving the questions with the answers from highest number of responses to lowest…

What best describes your scripture study habit?

  •  I study when I am preparing to give a lesson at church (155)
  • I study once in awhile (147)
  • I study mostly every day at different times (106)
  • I study mostly everyday at a set time (82)
  • I hardly have a chance to study (66)
  • I have a set time where I study everyday (42)
  • I study every day at sporadic times (34)
  • I study every day with my family (35)

I am in the “I study mostly every day at different times” category.  I am working on changing that.  When I taught seminary, I was in the scriptures all of the time.  But – I learned that studying for my students is NOT the same as studying for me, and I personally needed my own study time outside of the classroom or office.

For me, the “at different times” is the part that makes it  unpredictable.  If I get in a good groove I study effectively and don’t want to miss and I fit it in somewhere in my day.  But then sometimes days go by and I realize that I haven’t taken the time for scripture study.  For me, the answer is to put myself on a flexible, but firm schedule so that I am sure to get the important things done each day.  If I leave it to chance, it is sure that a year from now I will have wasted a lot of time and not become the woman I intended to become during 2013.

Out of the answers below, which is your greatest obstacles in scripture study?

  • Making it a priority (261)
  • Finding the time (132)
  • Making it meaningful and worth my time (131)
  • Feeling like I am getting a lot out of it (97)
  • None (16)

I want to say “finding the time” and that is what I say to myself, but I won’t fool myself… the majority of the time is simply that I don’t prioritize it – I mean, if Downton Abby was still on my DVR to be watched – then I could admit that I didn’t have time.  But it isn’t.  So obviously I have time.  

I will never forget a conversation I had with a student who was REALLY into video games.  When he told the class that he didn’t have time for scripture study, I asked him, “what do you think would happen if you spent the same amount of time studying the scriptures as you do playing video games?”.   He thought about it and replied, “I would be become a prophet”.  We all laughed at his response, but then the reality of the answer kind of hit everyone.  It was kind of a moment.

Which best describes your scripture study?

  • I struggle, but usually can understand (206)
  • I have learned how to study and feel like I understand and receive inspiration (172)
  • I must re-read things multiple times and sometimes I understand (137)
  • When I finish a chapter, I typically don’t have a recollection of what I read (115)

Before I started teaching seminary my answer definitely would have been the last two answers.  I REALLY struggled to understand the scriptures.  And if you would have told me that one day I would teach seminary, and help others with their scripture study, I would NOT have believed you.  NO WAY.  

Looking back, I am VERY grateful that I had that experience of learning HOW to learn.  That has been one of the most valuable lessons of my life.

Which of the items below is of greatest help to you in your scripture study?

  • Writing down what I am learning as I study (239)
  • Reading along with a commentary book (192)
  • Marking my scriptures as I read (160)
  • Reading with my spouse or family member (25)
  • Just reading – no marking or anything (13)

It will probably come to no surprise to you that “writing down what I am learning as I study” is a major key in my scripture study, and more importantly, a key to the knowledge I have.  Writing down helps me slow down, receive revelation, show gratitude for that revelation, retain the information, look back at it and build upon it.  And my scripture journals are the most valuable heirloom I have for my Hannah and future children.  

Which time of day are you most likely to study?

  • Just before I go to bed (230)
  • Mid-morning (148)
  • Right when I wake up (135)
  • Mid-day (49)
  • Afternoon (35)
  • Early evening (34)

For me… the MOST likely time is mid-morning.  And that is the time that I will try (when I figure out a personal schedule) and schedule it in.

Which time of day are you most alert?

  • Mid-morning (306)
  • Right when I wake up (127)
  • Early evening (61)
  • Just before I go to bed (54)
  • Mid-day (51)
  • Afternoon (31)

These are very interesting results.  I am assuming that most of us are fitting in scripture study when it doesn’t interfere with family activities.  But, here are a few things to think about:

  1. Gospel learning, I believe, is one of the most difficult types of study.  It requires us to focus mentally AND spiritually.  We are trying to put ourselves in a position to receive revelation.  We aren’t memorizing facts – we are figuring out TRUTHS.  So…. if we are leaving it for a time when we have the least amount to give – then naturally we aren’t going to get as much out of it.  (And then we may get bored, think we don’t understand, get frustrated, etc…)
  2. Fitting in scripture study for when we are the most alert helps us get the most out of it.
  3. Fitting it into a time where our children are around and watching is a daily lesson they will never forget, and will hopefully emulate.

Where do you study your scriptures?

  • In my bedroom (199)
  • Different places (192)
  • In the living room or family room (97)
  • At the kitchen table (68)
  • In my office (59)
  • Other (20)

I am such an environment person.  I like to sit at my kitchen table.  With a CLEAN kitchen table.  With the shades up and the sun pouring in with nice music playing.  I like to have my journal out and ready to write in and my favorite pens to write with.  And I like to have a glass of ice water.  And a laptop so I can look things up (like words and quotes).

Which best describes your family scripture study?

  • We hardly ever study together (228)
  • We study every day in the evening (152)
  • We sometimes study (125)
  • We study every day in the morning (72)
  • We study once a week (39)
  • We study every day in the afternoon

This is something that we are constantly talking about improving.  This is a tough one for us.  Right now we often will listen to a conference talk together – but we plan on making huge changes in this area.    

Which best describes your family scripture study?

  • We could use help making it more effective (359)
  • We could use help reaching everyone’s needs at their various age levels (207)
  • We have an effective method that works for everyone (41)

So I am so excited about this – but my friend Nancy (we worked at EFY together, then later we both taught seminary) has four little kids and is doing a series on this site on family scripture study.  We met and she shared her thoughts – and I LOVE what she has to offer.  So her first article will be TOMORROW!  Yahoo.

If you have any ideas to share of your own about scripture study… PLEASE share!!!!

10 comments

  2. When I do study my scriptures it helps me to pray before I begin for my mind to be open and understand what I have read. I pray after for help in retaining what I have read and learned.

  3. I’m sorry I didn’t leave my response earlier, but we have incorporated a great idea in our family study that I thought I’d share. We have a 14yr old, a 6yr old and a 4yr old so family scriptures can be challenging. I decided I loved scriptures journals so much that I bought a nice journal for my 14 yr old and an artist’s sketch pad for the two younger ones. We read out of the children’s scriptures (the ones with short captions and lots of pictures) and then my 14 year old writes her feelings and doodles in her journal while the younger ones draw their own picture of what we read about. After the younger one’s have drawn their pictures Mom or Dad writes a caption so they can go back later when they are older and know what the picture is supposed to represent. I feel like this has been the best method yet for our family (and I’ve tried many). The girls love it and I think it helps them focus more on what we are reading. They’ve asked some pretty deep questions after these “sessions” that I never would have expected from little kids. Even my 14yr old has said how much she likes this reading this way!

  5. Taking the poll was an eyeopener for me…I saw I was trying to study before bed rather than mid morning when I was most alert! Luckily for me my schedule allows me to study in the morning…just was filling mornings with chores and things…needless to say shifting my schedule and priorities has made me more productive in my scripture study…that and taking the march tofw higher challenge of writing in my scripture journal! Thank you…I love your blog!

  7. I missed out on the poll somehow but loved reading the results! I think it can be eye-opening to see in black and white what our honest answers are to those questions.

    I thought I would share a few things we’ve done that work well with our large family. A bit of background – my husband and I are expecting our 8th child this summer (our 6th son!) and our oldest child is 11. We have one special needs child with many medical needs (he’s 13 months old). The ones in between are 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8. We homeschool, which does give us more than average time together, though DH is not home until late many evenings as a truck driver and leaves before the sun rises (between 3AM and 5AM). So true family scripture study has to be in the evening.

    Personal scripture study for me happens early morning or at daily quiet time in the afternoon. I aim for early morning and if that doesn’t happen then my first priority in quiet time is scripture study.

    Couple scripture study rarely happens, though we have been trying to do it in the last two weeks.

    The children’s individual scripture study is done during their homeschool morning work. I read the scripture readers to any under age 6 who are non-readers (currently the 5yo reads, so I read to the 4, 2, and 1 year old). Sometimes one of the older 3 children will read to the younger ones instead, if asked.

    We do our true family scripture study right after dinner if Daddy has made it home, and before bedtime if not. We read from the actual scriptures (which is hard at first but gets so much easier once the habit is built!).

    This month I created a simple scripture study plan for our family that covers the life of Christ. It is available free to download on my blog here: http://ourbusyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2013/03/easter-countdown-2013a-gift-from-me-to.html
    Basically it puts most of the Church’s Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos in order and we read the verses first, then watch the video to see the scriptures come alive. It is simple and working so well! I have a post going up tomorrow about how it’s gone for this first week.

  8. I took your poll and it was very enlightening. The one question that interested me the most was “Which best describes your scripture study”. This is because I have been trying for years to come up with the best way for me to learn and apply the scriptures. I love reading the scriptures, but so many times I feel I miss out on the true meaning of a lot of scriptures. I feel I understand what is being read, but then I will come across a conference talk, commentary or an article that shows me a whole new meaning to the scriptures that I have thought I understood all along. It makes it very hard for me to continue daily scripture study because I don’t feel I am getting what I need to out of the scriptures. I was intrigued my your remark about how grateful you were for the experience for learning HOW to learn. Can you please give me some insight on how you did this? This has been my problem for a long while. I love the scriptures but I long so much to learn HOW to learn from them.
    Thank you so much.

  9. I liked this poll. It let’s me know that I am not the only one struggling to keep up with all that I am supposed to be doing. Also let’s me know that I am not the only one that reads a chapter and has no idea what I just read.

  10. Hi, Shannon; I was looking for the map pages you suggest on the “Scripture Study” document with tips, tricks & ideas. I would love to get some to add to my binder. Please let me know where you have them so I can order some. Thank you.

    Aurora

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