The Best Resources For Studying the Book of Mormon and Come Follow Me
Like so many of us, one of my goals this year is to read The Book of Mormon along with the Come Follow Me program. Now that we have a few weeks of the year behind us, I am evaluating my study plans and determining what is working for me and what I will continue to use throughout the year.
There are SO many Come Follow Me resources out there, it can be really overwhelming trying to decide what will fit your life and study habits best. What I’m sharing today is certainly not an extensive list. My intent is not to tell you about every single option available, but instead to share the tried and true resources that I love and reach for over and over again.
Every single book, podcast, and service on this list is something I use personally either for my own individual study, or with my family. I would not recommend anything I don’t love and use.
Book of Mormon Study Tools
Wide-Margin Book of Mormon Options
First of all, let’s talk about options for scriptures themselves. I LOVE using a wide-margin copy of the Book of Mormon. I actually have two copies! One I use for studying and reading the Book of Mormon, the other is more of an art journal.
Yes, I paint and collage and do all sorts of artistic things in my Book of Mormon. I know for some of you that seems like “ruining” my scriptures. (Believe me, I know. I hear this all the time when I share videos on Instagram and Facebook.) Some people believe in keeping their scriptures pristine, they believe it is sacrilege to even mark a favorite verse in red pencil, let alone cover a page in watercolor.
As you may have guessed, I disagree with this. I believe in getting the Word into my mind and heart. I am an artistic and visual person; creating art in my scriptures allows me to connect deeply with my thoughts and the powerful words of God that I am studying.
For me it’s a way of pondering and meditating on the word. If you hate that, I hear you. But I politely disagree and I invite you to just do what works best for you and not leave me angry messages or emails. 🙂
That was a bit of a tangent . . . As I was saying, I use two copies of the Book of Mormon daily. I love this study edition from Line Upon Line for my morning routine study time. I include my sketchnotes printed on sticker paper in this version. I take notes and fill up the margins with quotes and deeper insights into the Word.
I also use a wide-margin copy of the Book of Mormon from Deseret Book. This is the copy that you’ll see in my art process videos, both here on the blog and on YouTube. The pages hold up well to watercolor (as long as you don’t use too much water) and I love the size. I feel like it’s the perfect size for an art journal.
In past years I have used a free wide-margin PDF of the Book of Mormon. I had it printed and spiral bound at a local print shop and I think it cost around $25 or so. It held up well and I loved the flexibility of the spiral binding.
Once you have your scriptures (and I HIGHLY recommend using a wide-margin copy) you’re set to dive into some additional resources.
Gospel Library App
I’m sure you are fully aware of the greatness that is the Gospel Library App. It is full of incredible resources to help you study the scriptures, conference talks, etc. In my study this year I am using the Institute Book of Mormon Student Manual. It’s such a fantastic companion to reading the assigned chapters for Come Follow Me!
Citation Index
This is one of my very favorite additions to my scripture study toolbox. The Citation Index links every General Conference address in the history of General Conference with the scriptures mentioned in the talks.
So if you’re struck by a particular verse and want to study it deeply, you can look up the verse in the citation index and find every General Conference address that has ever mentioned it. So, so cool.
Walking With the Women of the Book of Mormon
This absolutely stunning book is a beloved way to study along with the Book of Mormon. Heather Farrell and Mandy Jane Williams have created an absolutely gorgeous book that helps us as readers dive deeper into the scriptures by studying the lives of the women mentioned in the Book of Mormon.
While it’s true that there a very few women mentioned by name in the Book of Mormon, there are actually many more women in the book than we commonly realize. I have learned so much about the culture and lives of these women and have loved every minute of it in this beautiful and approachable book.
Heather and Mandy have two other books together (Walking with the Women of the Old Testament and Walking With the Women of the New Testament) and they are such a treasure in my personal library.
Additional Book of Mormon Study resources
There are so many outstanding resources available for Come Follow Me. There is no way I could possibly list them all and no one person could use them all. I’ve decided to share with you the books and podcasts I am actually using on a daily basis.
I am a firm believer that you do not need to pay for a subscription service for additional Come Follow Me lesson helps. The idea of Come Follow Me is that it is intended to be simple. Your family studying/discussing the scriptures together. You do not need to read every single verse. You do not need to have games and printables and extra resources.
If those things ADD to your experience and you find joy and unity in your family using them, by all means, go ahead! But please, please don’t feel that it is in any way necessary.
Of course, it can be difficult to help children focus on gospel lessons day after day. Sometimes additional activities and videos are extremely helpful. My friend Montserrat has a beautiful website called A Gospel Centered Home. She shares resources from the church website for every Come Follow Me lesson. It’s is such a treasure trove! All the resources are free and you can find something to work for all ages.
DRAWN-IN
If you are looking for a way to help your young family members fall in love with the scripures, DRAWN IN with David Bowman is going to be your new favorite thing. Each week David creates two incredible videos that go along with the Come Follow Me lessons.
I realize I just said that you don’t need a subscription service, and that is true. But if you’re going to pay for ONE Come Follow Me resource for kids, this should be the one. The videos are engaging for our whole family, but I’ve been especially pleased with how much my can’t-sit-still six year old and my too-cool-for-everything 11 year old LOVE these videos.
The 11 year old even ASKED to watch one the other day!
DRAWN IN videos are doctrinally sound (something that is super important to me and really drives me crazy about other books/resources aimed at children), they help us to understand more deeply the verses we study, they inspire discussions of the principles behind the stories and, my favorite, they “liken the scriptures unto us” and share practical applications of the topics we study.
You can see a free sample video here. Our family watched one of the free videos a couple of weeks ago and we loved it so much that I immediately signed up for the full year subscription.
Great news for you! You can use discount code HEIDI10 to get 10% off your subscription! That’s like a full month FREE! Head here to check out DRAWN IN; I’m certain you’ll love it.
Don’t Miss This in The Book of Mormon
Don’t Miss This in the Book of Mormon is a fantastic and simple addition to my study. It covers one verse in each chapter of the Book of Mormon and is written by the awesome duo from the Don’t Miss This Podcast (more on that later).
This book would be a perfect devotional for singles, married couples and families with older children and teenagers. I love it!
Primary Scriptures
I backed Primary Scriptures on their Kickstarter campaign and I’m so delighted that I did! We have been using volume one of their Book of Mormon for kids and LOVE it. Our three year old is especially delighted to have her very own set of scriptures.
The illustrations are beautiful, the language is easy to understand. This is a perfect first introduction to the Book of Mormon.
And more great news for you! Use coupon code ALIVELYHOPE10 to get 10% off your order!
Podcasts
I’m sure it’s no surprise to see Don’t Miss This on my list. Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler do an excellent job of making the scriptures easy to understand and apply. I’m pretty sure everyone in the church is already watching this podcast. But just in case you’re not, you should be.
The Scripture Study Project is another excellent podcasts based on the Come Follow Me lessons. I love their insights and down-to-earth manner.
If you’re new around here, you might not be aware of the weekly Come Follow Me sketchnotes/reading plan that I share. You can find them here. I share a simple reading plan for each week, as well as a sheet of sketchnotes. You can use this as a coloring page, or my favorite way to use them, print on sticker paper and add them to your wide-margin scriptures.
You may also love my free Book of Mormon paper dolls as well as my Come Follow Me Devotional Schedule (and you can see how we use it in my Instagram Stories) and this Book of Mormon Character Study Kit.
I’m so grateful for the Come Follow Me program and the inspiration it provides to study the scriptures together as a family. And I’m so grateful for YOU! Your support and encouragement mean so much to me.