Practical Proverbs for Women: Living Beautifully by Dara Halydier is quite possibly the most comprehensive Bible study for women I have ever come across. The full-size, softcover workbook has been a wonderful addition to my Bible study shelf. But unlike the majority of the items on that shelf, this one comes down frequently. Dare I say, regularly?

The study workbook is all inclusive with reading text, questions for thought, and an answer key at the back. You will want to have a copy of the Bible on hand though. There is also a leader’s guide in the back for those wishing to do this in a group setting. I’ve been going through the 200+ page workbook alone but am considering getting a group of homeschool moms together to go through it as a group. Practical Proverbs is an eight-week study with assignments five days per week.

Living Beautifully looks at the book of Proverbs: its history, its author, and its intended audience. Defining words, filling out charts, and fill in the blanks are all part of the daily workbook pages. Topics include wholeheartedness, the purpose of rules, biblical foolishness, biblical wisdom, trusting God, worldviews, guarding your heart, and more.

The scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible. That’s not my favorite translation, but it works well in this study. Having my workbook, highlighters, Bible, concordance, and pens ready to go in my Bible study basket help me to be more consistent with my daily time in the Word.

For years I wasn’t consistent. To be honest, I didn’t know what to do, what to study, or even where to begin. My “studies” were haphazard and ineffective. Practical Proverbs has changed all that. Each day in the study is about four pages long and is comprised of some reading in the workbook, looking things up in the Bible, filling in blanks, and some more in-depth questions to think about. There is a lot of memory involved with the study, and not just scriptural. You memorize definitions of biblical principle, characteristics, and more.

I love that reading through the study each morning is like sitting down to a cup of coffee with Dara. She uses real-life experiences to help you effectively apply the principles being taught. Some of the lessons are extremely convicting for me, but isn’t that the mark of a good study?

Living Beautifully has shown a light in some areas of my life (my thought life mostly) where I had some hidden sin and didn’t realize it. Before this study, I wasn’t always excited about my Bible time each day. In fact, many times it was probably done just to get a checkmark on that box for the day. I hate telling you that, but there it is. My point is that Living Beautifully changed all that. I now look forward to that sweet time each day. Dara has helped me grow in many areas of my life, but especially in my faithfulness to meet with the Lord daily.

I look forward to doing a group study with some girlfriends of mine, and then to get my hands-on Book 2- Living Gracefully. Living Beautifully is available on the Abiding Truth Ministry for $16.95 plus $4.00 (flat rate) shipping.

-Product review by Jeniffer Do Nascimento, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July, 2018