Mother Daughter Summer Retreat

Our Princess and the Kiss Bible study group through the kids' school gathered together for a mother/daughter retreat this weekend.  We began with a pool party and pizza at a member's parents' home nestled in the country next to a beautiful vineyard.

Then we walked and/or drove to her fully renovated farm house for Bible study, volleyball, and Smores out under a blue moon.  The lesson was on submission and sparked a wonderful conversation with the girls and even richer discussion afterwards between the moms.

Most of the mother/daughter pairs camped out in the lovely farm house for the night. 

The girls stayed up too late, but they were up bright and early for the sunrise.  Sorry, folks, but I have no pictures of the sunrise given that I rolled out of bed just in time for breakfast. And what a wonderful breakfast is was.  Our hostess is a broker of all natural, organic, super healthy foods which we combined with lots of fresh fruit, yogurt, muffins, and warm beverages.  It was a beautiful, mild summer morning with such a tranquil setting out on the porch.

Then the girls completed an art project, led by a professional artist who sold two paintings at her gallery the night before.  They used water color paints and scrapbook paper to illustrate scripture related to our lessons that weekend.

3 "Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a stronghold to the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; 

for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall" (Isaiah 25:3-4)

I taught the lesson that morning on feelings following a lengthy discussion between the moms regarding the upside state of the world we are giving their generation in which feelings trump truth. We challenged the girls to make choices based on God's truth instead of on ever-changing, often deceiving, volatile emotions which beat us up like the waves of the ocean (James 1:6).  With God's truth as your anchor, the waves of the world will not move or upset you.  I shared more about our lesson here.   

When we returned home, my daughter asked me to get up early with her each morning for Bible study together before school.  Wow!  What a privilege to have her ask.  What a challenge it will be to get up early, but I must for that privilege.