"The 15 Minute Scriptorian: Quality over Quantity", By Whitney Hemsath

“Perhaps what is more important than the hour of the day is that a regular time be set aside for study. It would be ideal if an hour could be spent each day; but if that much cannot be had, a half hour on a regular basis would result in substantial accomplishment. A quarter of an hour is little time, but it is surprising how much enlightenment and knowledge can be acquired in a subject so meaningful. The important thing is to allow nothing else to ever interfere with our study. … It is better to have a set amount of time to give scriptural study each day than to have a set amount of chapters to read. Sometimes we find that the study of a single verse will occupy the whole time” (Howard W. Hunter, Ensign, Nov. 1979, 64. Emphasis added).

“I don’t have time for _____________”  =   “___________ is not a priority to me”.

“Some of you have heard me tell how overwhelmed my husband, Mel, and I felt as the parents of four young children. As we faced the challenges of parenting and keeping up with the demands of life, we were desperate for help. We prayed and pleaded to know what to do. The answer that came was clear: “It is OK if the house is a mess and the children are still in their pajamas and some responsibilities are left undone. The only things that really need to be accomplished in the home are daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening.” We were trying to do these things, but they were not always the priority and, amidst the chaos, were sometimes neglected. We changed our focus and tried not to worry about the less-important things. Our focus became to talk, rejoice, preach, and testify of Christ by striving to daily pray and study the scriptures and have weekly family home evening.” (Linda S. Reeves,  “Protection from Pornography – A Christ Focused Home”, General Conference, April 2014.)

1 Nephi 10:19
“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old”

IDEAS FOR WHAT TO STUDY
Whether you study the same thing every day until it’s done, or study different things on different days of the week, always have a plan. DO NOT WASTE any of your precious 15 minutes figuring out what to study. 

• Standard Works
• Topic/Theme – Make a list of topics ahead of time  
• Hymns and their scripture references
• Preach My Gospel
• General Conference Talks
• Institute or Seminary Manuals
• Additional gospel books (DC 109:7 - “best books” are scripture based)
• Prepare for lessons – classes you teach OR are a student, kid’s classes, talks/assignments, FHE, etc.
• Memorize Scripture Mastery or other favorite verses

Tricks and Techniques to convert your READING into STUDYING

(For detailed explanations and study examples of most of these techniques, as well as many more we couldn’t cover in class, please look at the Institute Manual called “Scripture Study – The Power of the Word” available as part of the free gospel library on-line or in the Gospel Library app. The manual cover looks like this: 

• Start with a Prayer 
• Ask Questions Before, During and After   (Keep a Questions Journal for future study)
• Don’t be afraid of study tangents! (That means you’re really getting into it!)
• Write down your thoughts or insights (Notes/Tag  feature on app, or in a journal)
• Make Lists (i.e: List things someone DID vs. things they DIDN’T do,  list attributes or qualities mentioned in a passage, list commandment/promised blessing sets, etc.)
• Look for repeated words or ideas (Ask yourself, “why repeat this?”)
• Find Christ in all things “What could symbolize Christ in this passage?” Also, “If ____ represents Christ, what would represent me?” “What does this teach me about Christ?”
• Analyze Word Choices Look up definitions, even if you think you already understand the word. Ask “Why this word/phrase? Why not a different word?”
• Substitute Your Name/Personalize to Liken
• Substitute the Antecedent for the pronoun (Ex: replace the words “thee, thine, they, me, mine, thou” etc with the actual name of who they are talking about. )
• Pay attention to connecting words and the relationship they imply (and, but, again, therefore, now, behold, verily, because, if, then, inasmuch, thus, even, so.) 
• Cross reference other passages with a similar topic 
• Know the context – Immediate context, Chapter/Book context, Gospel Context
• Understand the culture of the author and the audience 
• Look for symbols (Many literal passages can also have great symbolic meaning)
• Use the study aids provided (JSTs, footnotes, Maps, Bible Chronology, pictures, etc)
• Do the suggested activities for that passage in a Seminary or Institute manual
• Prepare a talk or lesson – even if you have not been assigned to give one
• Rewrite the passage in layman’s terms 
• Find a hymn, talk, or other scripture that teaches the same principle (Link or tag them) 
• Write your own “And thus we see…” or bumper sticker summary

When asking ourselves questions as we study, we sometimes doubt the answers we come up with. How do I know if this is a valid interpretation of this symbol? Is this what the author really meant? Am I taking this out of context or stretching a metaphor too far?  If you find yourself doubting your insights, ask yourself if they are in harmony with the gospel principles you have learned and the teachings of the prophets. If they are, run with them! If you are still unsure, look to Moroni 7:13. If your interpretation inspires you to do good things, to improve yourself, to draw closer to God, then rest assured that it is of Him. Whether it is what the author originally meant hundreds or thousands of years ago is not as important as what the Spirit wants it to mean right here, right now, for you.