“Scripture Mastery with the Guys,” New Era, Jan. 2014, 44
Scripture Mastery with the Guys
Photograph courtesy of Brennon K.
It’s not at all uncommon for a group of high school kids to throw an evening party. But a party where the sole purpose is memorizing scripture mastery verses? That’s about as common as a surf shop in Arizona!
Yet when Brennon K., a 17-year-old from Colorado, USA, decided to plan a Friday night scripture mastery party at his house with his guy friends—in place of the more typical video-game-themed gatherings they usually held—he received an enthusiastic response. They wanted to “memorize as many of the 100 seminary scripture mastery verses as we could in one school year,” Brennon explains.
Five of Brennon’s friends showed up for the scripture mastery get-together. They worked long into the evening, helping one another memorize scriptures while taking occasional breaks to clear their minds. One such break was playing night games outside in the rain. However, most of the evening was reserved for the goal at hand. “I memorized 14 scriptures that night,” Brennon says.
Afterward, Brennon and his friends all felt energized. “We hadn’t played any video games or watched any movies,” Brennon says. “We had not idled away our time” (see D&C 60:13).
As a result, they were all eager to put that energy to good use in a wood-stacking serving project the next morning. Brennon knows the party was well worth the effort. He says, “As long as we surround ourselves with good friends and good standards and follow Christ, we are much better protected from the adversary’s grasp.”