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Journey to the Cross: Forty Days to Prepare Your Heart For Easter
In Journey to the Cross, you will be guided through forty days of encouragement that will help prepare your heart for Easter during the season of Lent. Through Scripture, short essays, encouraging stories, quotes, reflective questions, and prayers, you will be pushed to set aside the chaos and concerns of everyday life to focus on Christ. You will also enjoy being led through the meaningful themes of sacrifice, reflection, gratitude, prayer, and fasting. Prayers and quotes offer reminders of what Jesus has done for you through the resurrection, helping you kindle thankfulness and strip away anything that is standing between you and God so you can experience the full life He promises.
Whether you’re a lifelong believer or a new one, any woman looking to find more meaning in the weeks leading to Easter will find it in Journey to the Cross. Featuring (in)courage’s warm, authentic, and encouraging voice, this book focuses not on your phase of life or circumstances, but on your heart, making it a fulfilling read for women of all ages and stages. It also makes a great gift, which God could use in the lives of your friends, daughters, or ministry partners to help them better experience the power and wonder of Easter with more intentionality and depth.
Whether you’re a lifelong believer or a new one, any woman looking to find more meaning in the weeks leading to Easter will find it in Journey to the Cross. Featuring (in)courage’s warm, authentic, and encouraging voice, this book focuses not on your phase of life or circumstances, but on your heart, making it a fulfilling read for women of all ages and stages. It also makes a great gift, which God could use in the lives of your friends, daughters, or ministry partners to help them better experience the power and wonder of Easter with more intentionality and depth.
- GenresDevotional
192 pages, Hardcover
Published February 11, 2020
3 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 5, 2021
Great devotional for Lent leading up to Easter.
April 12, 2020
3 stars. I enjoyed walking through this devotional, but I found it tedious due to their being so many prompts. Review to come.
March 16, 2020
Have you ever wondered what lent was all about? The thing is, I always wondered what it was about as well. It is a season of reflection and preparation before Easter. It starts on Ash Wednesday, culminating in Easter. During this season of reflection, you can get in-depth reading from this book called "Journey to the Cross" by the (in)courage community.
Just as the front of the book tells us, this book is a great way to prepare your heart for Easter. When you dig into this book, you will find that there is a calendar showing the days that you are able to mark off as you work throughout the book. Notice that Sundays do not have a number. You can use those days to catch up on your readings or take the time to reflect on what you have been reading in this book.
You'll notice that there are many illustrations throughout the book that leaves you room to make your own notes. If you are not comfortable with making notes on the illustrated pages, don't worry. There are plenty of pages that have enough room to write out your answers to the reflection questions throughout the book. But, if you are like me and love to journal or Bible journal, you will have enough space to add notes, stickers or anything else you can think of in those pages. There is plenty of space to write in the margins, in the ample space provided and you can highlight parts of the devotional that stands out to you.
I feel that this book would be great to work through to prepare your heart for Easter. The readings and pages with reflection questions really make you think about what it means to prepare your heart. Parts of this book made me say out loud, "Wow God!!" I can truly see God in a different light after digging through this book. I am a bit behind in this book but that is ok. You might be asking why it's ok. Well, I'll tell you. No matter when you start this book, Ash Wednesday or a couple of months away, there's no better time than to just start. I think you'll love digging into this book as much as I have.
Please note: I was given a copy of this book for review by the B&H/Lifeway Blogger Program. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Just as the front of the book tells us, this book is a great way to prepare your heart for Easter. When you dig into this book, you will find that there is a calendar showing the days that you are able to mark off as you work throughout the book. Notice that Sundays do not have a number. You can use those days to catch up on your readings or take the time to reflect on what you have been reading in this book.
You'll notice that there are many illustrations throughout the book that leaves you room to make your own notes. If you are not comfortable with making notes on the illustrated pages, don't worry. There are plenty of pages that have enough room to write out your answers to the reflection questions throughout the book. But, if you are like me and love to journal or Bible journal, you will have enough space to add notes, stickers or anything else you can think of in those pages. There is plenty of space to write in the margins, in the ample space provided and you can highlight parts of the devotional that stands out to you.
I feel that this book would be great to work through to prepare your heart for Easter. The readings and pages with reflection questions really make you think about what it means to prepare your heart. Parts of this book made me say out loud, "Wow God!!" I can truly see God in a different light after digging through this book. I am a bit behind in this book but that is ok. You might be asking why it's ok. Well, I'll tell you. No matter when you start this book, Ash Wednesday or a couple of months away, there's no better time than to just start. I think you'll love digging into this book as much as I have.
Please note: I was given a copy of this book for review by the B&H/Lifeway Blogger Program. All thoughts in this review are my own.
February 26, 2020
Lent.
It is the forty day span which comes before Easter. It’s a time of reflection and preparation for Easter. While my family did not celebrate Lent, forty days to reflect on the ministry, life, and death of Christ is most beneficial to our lives. We need to remember the completed work of the Cross.
Journey to the Cross by Mary Carver and the (in)Courage Community is a forty day devotional intended to take us on just that – a journey to the Cross.
The book brings to us forty days of devotions, each day different. There are reflections, questions, quotes, and illustrations. Each one is designed to make one think more deeply and reflect on what God is wanting to teach.
We need times of slowing down, regaining focus, and remembering Christ.
“Not only is Jesus our goal when we set aside time for Him, He is our solution for fighting through all the distractions & temptations that work so hard to keep us away.”
In Journey to the Cross, we find ourselves reminded to enjoy and find God in His handiwork of creation all around us:
“Thank God for all the big and small ways His creation breaks the monotony of my everyday and reminds me just how big this world is (and how He is infinitely bigger than that).”
As the journey continues, we come to realize we will never be able to fully comprehend and understand all there is to know about God and His ways. We will always have more to learn.
“No matter how long we’ve known the Lord, we still have so much to learn and so many ways to grow.”
The book is a beautiful hardcover filled with Scripture and truths to turn our thoughts to the Cross and the resurrection of Christ. This is a devotional that will surely make the journey a deep, reflective and blessed one, which will bring you to pray:
“Thank You, God – for loving me and forgiving me and ultimately, conquering sin and death for me. Thank you for everything. I love You.
Amen.”
(from the closing prayer)
**I was provided a copy of this book by B&H Publishing/Lifeway. All opinions are honest and my own.
It is the forty day span which comes before Easter. It’s a time of reflection and preparation for Easter. While my family did not celebrate Lent, forty days to reflect on the ministry, life, and death of Christ is most beneficial to our lives. We need to remember the completed work of the Cross.
Journey to the Cross by Mary Carver and the (in)Courage Community is a forty day devotional intended to take us on just that – a journey to the Cross.
The book brings to us forty days of devotions, each day different. There are reflections, questions, quotes, and illustrations. Each one is designed to make one think more deeply and reflect on what God is wanting to teach.
We need times of slowing down, regaining focus, and remembering Christ.
“Not only is Jesus our goal when we set aside time for Him, He is our solution for fighting through all the distractions & temptations that work so hard to keep us away.”
In Journey to the Cross, we find ourselves reminded to enjoy and find God in His handiwork of creation all around us:
“Thank God for all the big and small ways His creation breaks the monotony of my everyday and reminds me just how big this world is (and how He is infinitely bigger than that).”
As the journey continues, we come to realize we will never be able to fully comprehend and understand all there is to know about God and His ways. We will always have more to learn.
“No matter how long we’ve known the Lord, we still have so much to learn and so many ways to grow.”
The book is a beautiful hardcover filled with Scripture and truths to turn our thoughts to the Cross and the resurrection of Christ. This is a devotional that will surely make the journey a deep, reflective and blessed one, which will bring you to pray:
“Thank You, God – for loving me and forgiving me and ultimately, conquering sin and death for me. Thank you for everything. I love You.
Amen.”
(from the closing prayer)
**I was provided a copy of this book by B&H Publishing/Lifeway. All opinions are honest and my own.
March 6, 2020
Journey to the Cross is a 40 day devotional meant to be used during Lent. It has devotionals that vary from day to day, so you might have one day with questions to reflect and another with more space to dive deeper and journal on as you read, one with scripture, and another with just a simple prayer. The illustrations are lovely and there’s a lot of encouragement as you go through Lent. I’ve used other devotionals, but this is my first one I’ve had that includes journaling space and it’s quite nice to have questions to use for deeper reflection. There’s a lot of focus on what God is trying to teach you and a page at the beginning of the book to write those down along with a tracker to help stay on track throughout the 40 days.
A few of the questions the subjects the book has for journaling deal with focusing on what’s around you (paying attention to nature and also things that are lovely), areas to work on, focusing on God’s faithfulness, sin, and temptation.
Although Lent has started, I would encourage getting this devotional as it is a great reflective tool to start using this season or anytime during the year. It encourages you to carve out alone time with the Lord. This is a wonderful tool to use for Lent and even though I’m filling it out this year, I know I will use it again next year as well.
* I was given a review copy by B&H Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review
A few of the questions the subjects the book has for journaling deal with focusing on what’s around you (paying attention to nature and also things that are lovely), areas to work on, focusing on God’s faithfulness, sin, and temptation.
Although Lent has started, I would encourage getting this devotional as it is a great reflective tool to start using this season or anytime during the year. It encourages you to carve out alone time with the Lord. This is a wonderful tool to use for Lent and even though I’m filling it out this year, I know I will use it again next year as well.
* I was given a review copy by B&H Publishing in exchange for a fair and honest review
April 10, 2020
Journey To The Cross: Forty Days To Prepare Your Heart For Easter is a beautiful Lenten and Easter devotional, edited by Mary Carver and brought to us by the (in)courage community, to help us reflect on the mysteries and miracles of the death and resurrection of Christ through 40 days of selected Scriptures, prayers, essays, stories, quotes, reflective questions, beautiful artwork, and spaces to quiet your mind and journal your thoughts.
Ideally, we would begin their “journey to the cross” on Ash Wednesday (the beginning of the Lenten season) and use the perpetual calendar the editorial team so thoughtfully provided at the beginning of the book to keep track of their days and takeaways.
But, as we know, we are not living in ordinary times.
In this season of sheltering in place and social isolation, I encourage you to start your “journey to the cross” at whatever date and place in time where God meets you. The material in this book will help you to grow closer to God and to appreciate what the life, death and resurrection of Christ means for each of us in a new and personal way...
This excerpt is taken from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.
Ideally, we would begin their “journey to the cross” on Ash Wednesday (the beginning of the Lenten season) and use the perpetual calendar the editorial team so thoughtfully provided at the beginning of the book to keep track of their days and takeaways.
But, as we know, we are not living in ordinary times.
In this season of sheltering in place and social isolation, I encourage you to start your “journey to the cross” at whatever date and place in time where God meets you. The material in this book will help you to grow closer to God and to appreciate what the life, death and resurrection of Christ means for each of us in a new and personal way...
This excerpt is taken from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.
April 17, 2020
This year for Lent I decided to try a brand new devotional, Journey to the Cross. I usually try to read a devotional or do some sort of reading to prepare my heart and mind for the Easter season. I was very excited to start this devotional because it was beautifully designed and a brand new release. After going through the book I have mixed emotions about it.
A few of my favorite aspects were the design, layout, reading calendar, and the questions. Each devotion had follow up and reflection questions based on the day’s reading. Each day alternated between a devotion and a scripture reading or reflection questions. Personally, I loved the alternating days.
However, I personally felt as if the devotions were a little scattered and unnecessarily long. Almost every devotion was four pages plus the questions. To me, that seemed a little too long. It was also hard to follow some of the devotions because they tended to feel disconnected within each other, as if multiple devotions were put together into one.
This may not have been my “cup of tea”, but I would recommend it to anyone who prefers lengthier devotions and enjoys application and reflection questions. I would also recommend this to newer Christians. If you are just starting out as a believer and looking for a great devotional to prepare your heart and mind for Easter, then this is for you.
A few of my favorite aspects were the design, layout, reading calendar, and the questions. Each devotion had follow up and reflection questions based on the day’s reading. Each day alternated between a devotion and a scripture reading or reflection questions. Personally, I loved the alternating days.
However, I personally felt as if the devotions were a little scattered and unnecessarily long. Almost every devotion was four pages plus the questions. To me, that seemed a little too long. It was also hard to follow some of the devotions because they tended to feel disconnected within each other, as if multiple devotions were put together into one.
This may not have been my “cup of tea”, but I would recommend it to anyone who prefers lengthier devotions and enjoys application and reflection questions. I would also recommend this to newer Christians. If you are just starting out as a believer and looking for a great devotional to prepare your heart and mind for Easter, then this is for you.
March 23, 2020
I never did lent growing up, but as I have gotten older I have realized why it's important.This devotional is filled with 40 days of encouragement to prepare your heart for Easter. Inside Journey to the Cross, you get a short devotion, a prayer, reflection questions, and Scripture to encourage your heart through the Lent season. I loved this devotional, and think it would make a great gift, especially for anyone like me who is new to Lent! My favorite thing about it is how it encourages you to go deep with thought provoking questions. It's also beautifully illustrated, which for someone like me who is very visual, it's a big plus to me. This devotional is definitely something I will use again and again for Lent! DISCLAIMER: I received this book from B&H Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. Want to be a B&H/LifeWay blogger too? Apply at bhbloggers.com
February 20, 2020
Journey to the Cross provides an inspiring book to engage our hearts and minds during the Lent and Easter season.
The devotions in this book are a mix of Scripture verses or readings, devotions, prayers, and questions to consider. The questions are followed by space and lines to journal your reflections and answers. The book is a lovely hardcover and has its very own ribbon bookmarker!
Journey to the Cross is accented with pretty artwork throughout. It's a book which I will love having in my collection AND will also make a beautiful gift. It is devotional and thoughtful, providing space to sit in stillness and ponder a bit deeper.
A quote from the book ~ "God will forgive us every time, and no matter what, He will LOVE us with an unfailing love. No strings attached.
The devotions in this book are a mix of Scripture verses or readings, devotions, prayers, and questions to consider. The questions are followed by space and lines to journal your reflections and answers. The book is a lovely hardcover and has its very own ribbon bookmarker!
Journey to the Cross is accented with pretty artwork throughout. It's a book which I will love having in my collection AND will also make a beautiful gift. It is devotional and thoughtful, providing space to sit in stillness and ponder a bit deeper.
A quote from the book ~ "God will forgive us every time, and no matter what, He will LOVE us with an unfailing love. No strings attached.
February 28, 2020
This is a pretty new Lenten devotional for 2020 and beyond. I love the modern illustrations and word art. There’s a daily reading checklist in the front, then a brief and thoughtful devotional. The book also has questions with blanks so you can record your thoughts.
I’ve long been a fan of Mary Carver‘s writing for (in)courage, and her devotionals in this book are perfect for deepening your faith this Lenten season. It’s a great read that will be convenient for busy women who want to pursue their faith in intentional ways.
I received a preview copy of Journey to the Cross from B&H Publishers.
I’ve long been a fan of Mary Carver‘s writing for (in)courage, and her devotionals in this book are perfect for deepening your faith this Lenten season. It’s a great read that will be convenient for busy women who want to pursue their faith in intentional ways.
I received a preview copy of Journey to the Cross from B&H Publishers.
April 16, 2020
Journey to the Cross is the perfect companion to walk your own journey to the cross during the forty days of Lent. The book leads the reader through devotions, prayers, scriptures, and reflections to deepen your relationship with Jesus. The thought-provoking questions and attention to detail throughout the book were just what I needed as I pursued my own journey to the cross. I highly recommend this book.
April 16, 2022
I needed this devotional at this season of my life, and God knew that!
Some of the prompts are long, and some are short, but it is worth carving out the time to do this!
This devotional will also help teach you what Lent is really about. I knew WHAT Lent was, have even observed it for a couple of years now. I did not know what Lent was ABOUT! God used this book to change everything!
Some of the prompts are long, and some are short, but it is worth carving out the time to do this!
This devotional will also help teach you what Lent is really about. I knew WHAT Lent was, have even observed it for a couple of years now. I did not know what Lent was ABOUT! God used this book to change everything!
May 9, 2022
I appreciate the practical and real life stories as well as biblical context and passages of the daily reading. I also like the mix of scriptures, prayers, etc so the format wasn't the same every day. That kept me engaged in reading and journaling. And it's just enjoyable and peaceful visually.
April 11, 2020
Wonderful devotional for Lent.
April 3, 2021
This was a lovely devotional, but it was more a run-of-the- mill devotional. I expected more entries specifically about Easter; but again—a lovely devotional!
May 7, 2022
This book did not have the spiritual depth I had hoped for. It is more like the author's personal journal.
April 11, 2020
This was a wonderful devotional that prepared my heart for Easter. Thankful for the chance to learn more about my journey as a Christian.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews