Touching the Divine

by Lisa Brenninkmeyer

Touching the Divine draws us into a deeper relationship with Jesus as we reflect on Christ's personality. Knowing Him more intimately will increase our love for Him. St. John referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." As we study, John will teach us how much Christ loves us and how His love is the true satisfaction of our souls.

Genres: Religion

288 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

Lisa Brenninkmeyer is the founder and chief purpose officer of Walking with Purpose. A convert to Catholicism, Lisa created her first Bible study in 2002 out of a desire to see Catholic women come to know Christ personally. In 2008, Walking with Purpose became a fully independent non-profit organization with 501c(3) status and a mission of helping every Catholic woman and girl in America to open her heart to Jesus Christ. Today, over 40,000 women, young women and middle school girls participate in WWP Bible studies in 44 states.

Lisa has authored 16 Walking with Purpose Bible studies which have received the Imprimatur through Archbishop Lori of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Her first book, Walking with Purpose: Seven Priorities that Make Life Work, is a popular title published by Beacon Publishing for the Dynamic Catholic Institute.

In 2012, Lisa was recognized by the Catholic Leadership Institute as a National Catholic Leader, and in 2014 and 2015, she was invited to present at the Amazing Parish Program’s national conferences. Lisa was also a presenter at the USCCB Convocation of Catholic Leaders in July 2017, and a speaker at two Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) national events in 2018 and 2019. Lisa has been a guest on a number of radio, television and podcast shows as well.

Lisa holds a B.A. in psychology from St. Olaf College. She and her husband Leo (pronounced Lay-o) have seven children and reside in St. Augustine, Florida.

Reviews

[Ann Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Walking With Purpose Study I’ve done, and I really enjoyed this one as well! First off, you can’t go wrong with the gospel of John. It’s exquisite. I loved the format of a chapter per week, and I felt like the whole study was really well developed. If you have a chance to participate in WWP I would highly recommend it. And if you don’t, maybe consider starting a group of your own!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Terry Bourbon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second Bible Study with the ladies of St. Denis. I enjoyed delving into the Book of John. The study started in October, and ran through the entire book of John, with the events of Christ's passion coinciding with the church year and Easter. This one was different from Opening Your Heart, which is designed to be a first Bible Study for Catholic women, which I participated in last year, in that it covered only the one book. Opening Your Heart skips around covering parts of the Catholic faith with the back up of the Bible. Opening Your Heart also covers a different saint in each lesson.

This Study did not cover saints at the end of the lessons, but added in the new piece of having a verse study at the end of each chapter. For this study, all the verses were from the Book of John, and were topical to the lesson of the week.

The author of this series of books, under the title of Walking With Purpose, is Lisa Brenninkmeyer, who converted to Catholicism as an adult after having met her husband. I have enjoyed how she addressses her books to women, and how she calls us all daughters of God. If you are a Catholic woman, and are considering a Bible Study, I think this series is worth a try !

[Lynnette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Lisa Brenninkmeyer leads her readers through the gospel of John, bringing about a much deeper understanding of the Scripture by sharing information she has gathered from study Bible notes and the works of other authors. She shares some tidbits on the original language and the broader meaning of each word (more than just the single English word it has been translated to) and shows connections with other books of the Bible. There are many "read and find out" and "share your experience" and "search your soul" questions throughout this study book, and there are videos which can be bought on DVD or accessed online to further enhance the content of the book. If you really want to further your exposure to connections within Scripture, complete the verse studies at the end of each lesson. OpenBible.info is an excellent resource when searching for cross references as you complete the verse studies.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

So blessed to have found these Bible studies and groups to do them with! Reading the Gospel of John from start to finish over the course of the year really opened my eyes to details that I never noticed when reading a verse here and there. The five stars alone could be for the ending though - I never realized how good the ending to John's version was until now!!! Best way to enjoy that ending though is to read start to finish. It made me smile... maybe even laugh. :)

[Sibylle Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Brenninkmeyer has a way of breaking up scripture in a way that is not only scholarly, but also hits the heart! Reading the gospel of John under her guidance brought peace and healing! I LOVE how she combines scripture with the Catechism of the Catholic Church! It helped me see that Catholic Church teaching are based on the Bible! I read this book with a group of women and we met every week to discuss and go over a chapter! I have made lifelong friends in the process! I highly recommend!

[Jennifer Keaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journeyed through this scripture study with a group of wonderful ladies at church.
This study dove deep into the Gospel of John. This Gospel really helps us to discover and know who Jesus is and sparked growth and deeper love for him.

This study has excellent questions to ponder. It also delivers context that helps your understand the richness of the stories found within. Author does a great job leading us on a journey discover Jesus more deeply.

[Amy McCall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've lead this bible study twice now in my parish chapter of WWP, each time gleaning more wisdom from author Lisa Brenninkmeyer and the gospel of John. The apostle "whom Jesus loves" is probably my favorite to read, the writing is rich and introduces us to a Jesus who is real and relatable. It's clear reading this book and the gospel of John how he enjoyed an intimate friendship in this life with Jesus, and desires the same for each of us.

[Carrie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved diving deep in to the Gospel of John. I feel a personal relationship with “the disciple that Jesus loved.” Such a wonderful exploration. This Easter season was so much richer because of this study! Thank you to WWP and all the amazing women involved!!

[Momm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that leads one through a study of the Gospel of John. Designed especially for women.

[Cara Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite enjoyed this study if the book of John.

[Monica Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the gospel of John. This book dove nicely into John. I wish the Walking with purpose team would focus more on doing the books of the New Testament more frequently.