Scripture Sunday...My Anniversary, Kind Of

Today is a special type of day. Because of the Leap Year I get to celebrate a particular Anniversary twice. Even if this doesn’t make sense, I’m going to do it anyway. Here is my way of thinking, 365 days ago I gave up booze. Because it’s a leap year the actual Anniversary date doesn’t happen until tomorrow, August 20th. So, can I get everyone to jump on board with me for this? How cool is it that during my first year Soberversary I get to celebrate it this way? Alright, the opener is done. I want to talk a little about the scriptures and how they helped me endure for this past year. I also want to talk about Scriptures, as a whole. Like, the actual books and digital formats of the Scriptures that we keep. I figured I would kind of lay that out so it wouldn’t get to confusing, for you or for me.

Latter-day Saints believe in the resurrected Jesus Christ, as depicted in the Christus Statue in the North Visitors’ Center on Temple Square in Salt Lake City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was drunk the night I received my first Book of Mormon. (Fitting that a story I tell on my Soberversary starts out with me being drunk) The Missionaries thought I was high too, but this only shows a little bit of their naivety. I totally would have been asking for ice cream and potato chips if I were high. Silly kids. Anyway, that night I made a promise to read the first opening part of the Book. I also agreed to go to their Church, if they went to mine first. Remember, I was drunk during all of this, so whether or not any of it really happened doesn’t matter. As far as I know, all of this is true. The following day I read the part that the Missionary had asked me to, and the Saturday after that we went to the local Catholic Church. Sunday, as we had promised, we attended their services. It was really something else. I often tell people that if I had gone any other week I probably wouldn’t have gone back ever again. It was very Spiritual. Now, the Book of Mormon that I had received was, pretty much, my first set of Scriptures. I mean, I had a bible but it had been hidden away back in a desk drawer somewhere. Reading the first part of the Book of Mormon really helped me when it came time to stop smoking and drinking. Turning to them every night, while fighting the demons, so to speak, was just as good as having a real good friend around to kick you in the beans if you did something wrong. (Alma 5: 16-21) Now I don’t need them for that, but I do still need them for all manner of other things. That’s why it is so important to try to keep them with you at all times.

A Quad

Like I said that first Book of Mormon was pretty much my first set of Scriptures. I’m not sure where that Book is anymore, I’m pretty sure I gave it away to someone, which is nice. I now have a few sets of Scriptures. Soon after taking the lessons I got online and ordered the basic Triple Combination, and a matching King James Bible. The Triple Combination has The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. They were pretty cheap, maybe four of five dollars a piece. These are the ones I keep at home, to study with. They stay on the end table next to my favorite blogging futon. Next, on the Coffee Herbal Tea Table I keep a 400 anniversary King James Bible, and on top of that is a travel size King James Bible. On the book-case, next to that table, is a travel size New Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants/Pearl of Great Price, and a Principles of the Gospel book. All of the travel size ones go with me when I happen to stay the night somewhere other than home. In my truck I keep my briefcase, which holds my full size, leather-bound, Quad. A quad holds all four, Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. These go with me to Church, so this is why they stay in the truck. I am a Ward Missionary (Looks like I might not get released from this calling.) so I also keep a couple of copies of the Book of Mormon in my truck too. Last, and certainly not least, I have an app on my cell phone that holds all of these Scriptures in one convenient place. It also holds all sorts of Church Talks, Magazine articles, Hymns, and any sort of Gospel help you could think of. Because of this I am never without my scriptures. No matter what.

They can teach us so much. I urge all of you to try and read a few versus each day. I know they help me out all of the time.

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