Hello lovelies! I hope your summer has been the perfect mix of restful and adventurous thus far. How’s your soaking in of God’s Word been lately?

I’ll tell you how mine’s been. At the start of the summer, some ladies from my home church decided to have a casual bible study in the book of 1 John on a back porch while our kids all played in sight in the backyard.

Pros of this idea:

We didn’t need babysitters.

We didn’t take away from evening family time.

It was so nice & laid back!

Cons of this idea:

The kids were still there & some moms had a hard time focusing or were interrupted a lot.

One little boy got hurt & broke his arm on the swing set! 😦

After this group concluded and BASKING ended, I felt the nudge from the Spirit to read Hosea, and ladies, I loved it to pieces.

The theme that occurred to me over and over was just how good of a Father God is. He loves Israel & loves us so much, that he will allow us to wander into the wilderness, just like he allowed Israel to. Only so we can see our desperate need for him and be wooed back into his loving arms.

“I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love.  I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.”  Hosea 11:4

Another thing reading Hosea did for me was just get me excited about reading full books of the bible. To dig into the context of why it was written, who wrote it, what was happening when it was written, etc. The Word is so rich when you are able to study it layer by layer.

This book had me take a hard look at myself & my idols. I don’t have statues sitting around on shelves, but I had things taking God’s place in my heart & he was oh so faithful to point them out! Per usual, he helped me make a list of changes that needed to happen.

“So now, come back to the LORD your GOD!  Act on the principles of love and justice, and always live in confident dependence on the Lord your God.” Hosea 12:6

One action I needed to take was to dive back in to a bible study for my daughters and a group of their friends. Not just any old bible study,

{{Princess Bible  Study.}}

They wear princess dresses.  We talk about being daughters of the King of Kings and how that is a reality they can be sure of in this ever-changing world.

I LOVE the verses we have learned so far.  They answer the questions every girl will ask themselves.

WHO am I?  

Answer:

“I am CHOSEN. ROYAL {PRINCESS}. HOLY. A SPECIAL TREASURE TO GOD.

 But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

I wish you could hear their sweet little voices saying it in their tiaras!

WHAT makes me beautiful?  

“My beauty’s on the inside, inside, inside, a gentle quiet spirit is precious to God.”

Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like this doesn’t fade away. God places great value on it. 1 Peter 3:4

What’s most important in life?  

“Love the Lord with all your heart, all your heart, all your heart, your soul and your mind.” Matthew 22:37

I’ve used a few resources for inspiration for what I’ve taught these little princesses, and I’ve included the links below:

http://www.adisneymomsthoughts.com/2011/11/faith-and-disney-little-mermaid.html

http://www.currclick.com/product/83448/Summer-Girls-Study-Being-a-Princess-of-the-KIng-of-Kings

We plan on carrying on this princess bible study for four more weeks this summer and I am praying for some o-so-sweet memories and truth that will last a lifetime.

I am also reading so great books that I plan on reviewing soon!  They include:  

Wild and Free by Jess Connolly and Hayley Morgan

and Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst.

Stay tuned to hear about those and for what’s coming next here at Refocused Bible study.  I’ll give you a hint:  it’s almost time to go 

Back to school 

and

gain wisdom.

  Details coming soon!