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Cindy Young introduces part one of her “Power of the Pencil” series on Primarily Scripture, explaining that while some people choose not to mark their scriptures, marking can help turn reading into studying by increasing interaction, retention, and recall. She shares childhood experiences with a red pencil, then gives beginner-friendly ways to start: use multiple colored pencils (with or without a strict color-coding system), switch colors to track ideas, and mark selectively by underlining or highlighting key words and phrases rather than whole verses. She also suggests using symbols like hearts, stars, and question marks to note love of God, memorization candidates, and questions to ponder over time, emphasizing that marking methods can change and should prioritize spiritual learning over aesthetics.

To see the video with Elder Bednar’s advice for marking scriptures: Gospel Library App > Books and Lessons > Seminary > Old Testament Student Manual > Scripture Study Skills > Annotating Scriptures > 2nd video down, under Marking Scriptures

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Don't forget the parable of the snowball: listening to someone else talk about the gospel is like having snowballs thrown at you. Reading the scriptures is like making your own snowball. Taking the time to search, ponder, and pray about what you've read is like rolling the snowball around and around so that it grows and grows. So don't just listen to me - please go read for yourself so your knowledge and testimony can grow and grow!!

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