100 day challenge update

Time to update on the 100 day Book of Mormon challenge. I am almost on track/caught up. I tend to get a little behind on my INSANE days but on other days I try to read extra. I am suppose to be finishing Omni but I am at the end of Jacob. Jacob 5 is my FAVORITE section in the scriptures to read. Every time I read the Book of Mormon I look forward to Jacob 5. I sing about Jacob 5 when I am almost there. I know I'm silly but I just LOVE that chapter. It is all about olive trees, pruning and grafting etc. Well....I studied pruning and grafting in college YEARS AGO. The first time I read Jacob 5 after I had studied it in college my eyes were about the size of a dinner plate. Knowing how difficult it is to graft anything and the exactness of pruning olive trees not to mention the importance of digging about the earth has really strengthened my testimony of the scriptures. The care that the master of the vineyard gives to the olive trees is so caring. When most gardeners would have torched the place and started over.--to me rotting trees are a good sign to give up. Not to mention how SLOW olive trees grow and how LONG they live. They are really a generational crop. Anyway... I love Jacob 5.

A funny thing happened this time I was reading. The Isaiah chapters throughout 2 Nephi have ALWAYS been a struggle for me. It was always one of those sections that I just drag my feet through so I could enjoy the rest of the book. Until this time. This last year I have been reading quite a bit of Shakespeare for my Shakespeare class that I teach. When I was asked to teach the class a year ago I had only read one Shakespeare play way way way back in high school...I don't even remember which play it was--I think it was Romeo and Juliet (stupid teenagers! can't they obey anyone?!?!). Well after I agreed to teach the class I began to read a lot of Shakespeare... A LOT! One of the challenges for the kids is to read/watch/listen to 17 plays and so I knew that I had to dive in! Reading all of this Shakespeare has done something to me...I have found this love for the Shakespeare language. It is enchanting to me. How the language has so many levels...its so poetic..so beautiful..well I love it. Well the writing styles of Isaiah and Shakespeare are very similar to me. So when I started reading the Isaiah I was immediately in my comfort zone of Shakespeare. I still don't understand all of the symbolism but I certainly get more of it. I never knew that learning Shakespeare would bless my scripture study so much. After I finish this Book of Mormon challenge I really want to learn more about Isaiah and his writings. If Joseph Smith said it was his favorite thing to study, its got to have some good stuff in there that I NEED.
Anyhoo...there you have it!
Happy Day!