Doing individual bible studies, group bible studies, or just reading books written by Christian authors, are absolutely my favorite ways to dig deeper in to the Word. Aside from attending weekly worship and bible class, I just love how reading and going deeper into what God has to say about a specific topic really helps me to understand more about how He wants me to live my life. It helps me to be a more purposeful wife, mother, friend, daughter, and servant of the Lord.
The first book is one that truly changed my life when I first read it about four years ago.
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp will truly change your perspective of how you view your life and how you live it. This book is perfect for anyone at any place in their life. In my opinion,it is not an "easy" read, as in it is not the kind of book I want to read while my kids play at my feet and ask 50 questions an hour. So be sure to carve out some quiet time for you to be able to sit and read and really take in all that she is saying. I loved reading this book about a chapter a night before bed so I could really focus and think about it throughout my day the next day. She also has a ton of resources available all over the internet for encouragement and inspiration. I follow her on Instagram and love her deep views and poetic thoughts.
The next book I highly recommend is Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge.
Let me just go ahead and tell ya. As a woman, this is hands-down the best therapy you could get aside from prayer with God Himself. This book speaks so much Truth and really puts it all out there. These are the same authors who wrote the book Wild at Heart (the same type of book but for men). I have not read it but I've heard it is also a great one for women to read to help understand men better. I am so in love with Captivating though! I always go back to it and read it again and again. It is powerful.
The next few are some of my favorite Beth Moore studies. Beth has a way of speaking that is exciting, loud, and straight to the point. I really love every study I've done of her's, and any time I am starting a girls bible study or looking for one to do on my own, they are the first place I go to for a good selection of what I know will be a great study! The studies I have done are Daniel, Breaking Free, and Esther. All are wonderful studies! There have been seasons of life where I was able to really dig in and do all of the homework, and then other seasons where I really could just read and watch the videos with my group, but I really feel like I took away a lot either way.
I'm also a fan of Jonah, Life: Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. I did a group study of this one with my bible class girls and I'm sure each and every one of them can testify that the timing of that study and what we were all facing during that time in our spiritual lives was unbelievable. God works in mysterious ways! Priscilla is an amazing speaker and writer, and what I love most about her is that she has young children so she has a fresh perspective for a season of life I am currently in. In my head I picture her and Beth Moore being BFF's and grabbing coffee together while writing the world's greatest bible studies in their free time. ;)
For daily bible study, or even just a quick moment of encouragement, I love my Jesus Calling book by Sarah young.
A sweet friend of mine who I've known most of my life (I used to babysit her children when I was younger) was one of our guest speakers for the Becoming, and she brought me a leather copy of this book with my name on it. I love how I think of her every time I open it! I keep it in my night stand. Some days I read it first thing in the morning, some days I read it at the end of the day before bed. It is amazing at how much each devotional applies to what I'm facing that exact day. I highly recommend this book if you are simply interested in adding a little more Jesus to your every day life, but aren't exactly ready to do a full and intense bible study. Either way, it is a great devo for all Christians, young and old!
One of my favorite, most thought-provoking studies I did was Crazy Love by Francis Chan.
I love how I ended each chapter feeling more prepared than ever before to love God passionately and to really have a deeper prayer life with Him. This book opened my eyes to how I pray, aside from praying for others. This book really showed me how to put every single thing in my life aside and to focus on Him. Loved it.
Similar to Captivating, this book really hit home for me, but more specifically for my role as a Mother.
Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. It has been several years since I have read this and I just decided today, after starting this blog post, that I would pick it back up and re-read it. I think it is especially a saving grace during a season of babies and young children in the home. The first time I read it I only had two children, and I did not home school. I cannot wait to grab a cup of coffee, sit down and re-read it to see how it applies to my life now!
Well, that is all I am going to write about today on this subject. I have many more books I look forward to sharing in the future, but that is for a different post. :) What are some of your favorite devotionals or women's bible studies to read? I am in the market for one to do over this summer so I would love some recommendations!
The thing I love most about Beth's studies are that she is so great at breaking scripture down one at a time, giving you a history of what was happening during that specific time period on the Earth, teaching everything in the exact context as it was written, so you can better understand how God intended for it to apply to your life today. Plus she is a spunky little southern woman and I love her.
I'm also a fan of Jonah, Life: Interrupted by Priscilla Shirer. I did a group study of this one with my bible class girls and I'm sure each and every one of them can testify that the timing of that study and what we were all facing during that time in our spiritual lives was unbelievable. God works in mysterious ways! Priscilla is an amazing speaker and writer, and what I love most about her is that she has young children so she has a fresh perspective for a season of life I am currently in. In my head I picture her and Beth Moore being BFF's and grabbing coffee together while writing the world's greatest bible studies in their free time. ;)
For daily bible study, or even just a quick moment of encouragement, I love my Jesus Calling book by Sarah young.
A sweet friend of mine who I've known most of my life (I used to babysit her children when I was younger) was one of our guest speakers for the Becoming, and she brought me a leather copy of this book with my name on it. I love how I think of her every time I open it! I keep it in my night stand. Some days I read it first thing in the morning, some days I read it at the end of the day before bed. It is amazing at how much each devotional applies to what I'm facing that exact day. I highly recommend this book if you are simply interested in adding a little more Jesus to your every day life, but aren't exactly ready to do a full and intense bible study. Either way, it is a great devo for all Christians, young and old!
One of my favorite, most thought-provoking studies I did was Crazy Love by Francis Chan.
I love how I ended each chapter feeling more prepared than ever before to love God passionately and to really have a deeper prayer life with Him. This book opened my eyes to how I pray, aside from praying for others. This book really showed me how to put every single thing in my life aside and to focus on Him. Loved it.
Similar to Captivating, this book really hit home for me, but more specifically for my role as a Mother.
Desperate by Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson. It has been several years since I have read this and I just decided today, after starting this blog post, that I would pick it back up and re-read it. I think it is especially a saving grace during a season of babies and young children in the home. The first time I read it I only had two children, and I did not home school. I cannot wait to grab a cup of coffee, sit down and re-read it to see how it applies to my life now!
Well, that is all I am going to write about today on this subject. I have many more books I look forward to sharing in the future, but that is for a different post. :) What are some of your favorite devotionals or women's bible studies to read? I am in the market for one to do over this summer so I would love some recommendations!
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