Let's take a breather here and talk about the scriptures

My friend asked for some good scripture study ideas. Here's what's worked for me:

Scriptures on CD
1. I bought the scriptures on CD from the distribution center. Click here to see them. These things are fantastic and they're only $6. Here's what's included in the CD: the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. It also includes the following scripture study aids: Bible Dictionary, Topical Guide, chapter headings and footnotes, Guide to the Scriptures, selections from the Joseph Smith Translation, cross-references to the standard works, and maps and photographs. Users can search, print, or copy these resources.

2. I do a lot of my scripture study with it. While I'm reading if I find a phrase that interest me, something that I haven't noticed before or that I don't know what it means I can do a search through the entire library of scriptures. If I wanted to know how many times it mentions "love" in the scriptures and read every reference to it I could.
Search

3. This sounds silly but now that I'm reading my scriptures on the computer I'm a lot more likely to look up the cross references at the bottom of the page because all I have to do is click on the link and it will take me right to the scripture. Going to the cross references adds a different dimension to the scriptures I'm studying. Some of them are the exact scripture that I just read but some of them really help clarify or add depth to the subject.

4. Two ways you can read the scriptures are topically or from cover to cover. I like to do both. When I'm reading along and something sticks out to me I stop and do a search for it. I look it up in the Bible Dictionary, The Guide to the Scriptures or lds.org.

Word
5. I like to paste the chapter I’m studying into Microsoft Word. I then can highlight things, add comments off to the side, write in my questions or anything else I find about the topic.

Some Small Helps
6. I’ve heard these ideas about studying the scriptures and they’ve really helped me:

a. Do your studying in the same place at the same time every day. This forms a habit that’s easier to keep doing.

b. Sit up. If I’m lying down and “studying” I’m asleep within three verses. The great thing about the scriptures on CD is that you’ll most likely be doing it at a computer desk, sitting up.

c. Pray before beginning. Ask for the spirit to be there and to help you understand. It helps to be sincere and specific during that prayer. It’s also a good time (while praying) to bring up any questions or concerns you’ve been having (how can I be more kind to my spouse, what do I need to do to be happy right now, how can I change blah about me?). Then, during the study think about those questions and answers will come to you while reading.

d. Don’t think that reading the scriptures is a race. You don’t have to read it in a certain amount of time (unless that’s what you choose, which I’ve also heard is a neat experience). If you want to study just one chapter or verse all week then do it. If you’re still on the same verse after two weeks don’t feel guilty that you’re not further along.

Institute
7. Attend an institute class. I find that if I’m going to an institute class about whatever I’m studying then I get way more out of it than I could have on my own. There are night classes that meet once a week if you work during the day. If you don’t like your teacher or the way he teaches then go to a different class. It’s not offensive. After all, you’re there for you to learn.

Internet
8. The internet, is that thing still around? We have so much scriptural research at our fingertips! It’s incredible! And it’s not just from members of the church. People have dedicated their lives to plotting out exactly what happened during the last week of Christ’s life. Others have spent years tracking down the places Isaiah makes references to. It’s all right there on the internet! If you don’t understand Isaiah do a search on him. You’ll come up with millions of hits. While reading 2 Nephi (the Isaiah zone) I decided to do this. Isaiah 8:6 refers to Shiloah. What’s Shiloah? First I searched for Shiloah and found out that it was the main source of water for Jerusalem back in 600 BC. I was then able to see pictures of this pool and find out the history behind it. Then I did a search on “Isaiah 8:6” to understand exactly what it was saying. I found tons of people who had already given their interpretation of it. It might not be right but at least I’m starting to get an idea of what it could mean.

Maps on the Internet
9. You can look at exactly where these cities are on the internet. Google Earth shows you what it looks like today and there are other maps that show what it might have looked like back in the day. You can also search for history behind the kings and people listed in the Bible.
Lds.org

10. When I’m searching the scriptures topically I like to see what talks have been given about the subject. If I’m interested in learning about “love” I can go to lds.org and do a search for it. Reading those really adds depth to my study.

Example
Here's an example of a good scripture study session for me: After praying I start reading where I left off in Jacob 1. I find the phrase “suffer his cross” in Jacob 1:8 interesting. (Wherefore, we would to God that we could persuade all men not to rebel against God, to provoke him to anger, but that all men would believe in Christ, and view his death, and suffer his cross and bear the shame of the world…” What does it exactly mean to “suffer his cross?” Has anyone else used that phrase in the scriptures? First I paste the whole chapter into Microsoft Word. I write comments in the margins using the Comment tool (this is found under Insert, Comment on the toolbar). Back in the scriptures on CD I check to see if there’s a cross reference and then I click on it, I do a search for the phrase throughout the scriptures, check the Bible Dictionary or Guide to the Scriptures and see if it says anything about suffering or crosses. Any information I find useful I write it into the comments on my scripture Word document. I then go to lds.org and do a search for that phrase and find a talk. I then paste that talk into a different Word document and start adding comments to it while reading. I paste scriptures into the comments to support the talk and paste parts of the talk into my scripture Word document. It sounds like this is one study session but it’s not. It probably takes me a couple days of studying to do all this. I really get a lot out of the scriptures when I study this way, especially if the subject really interests me or is something that I’m struggling with right then.

What do you do to help you study the scriptures?