Adapted from The Deepening Journey Journal Workbook

The Deepening Journey

a seven-day plan

Plan Description:
Have you ever felt there must be MORE to life than what you’re
experiencing? Come with us on a seven-day journey exploring life
as beloved daughters in this broken and beautiful world, what
comes against us, and Jesus’ offer of healing, love, life, and
friendship. Have a journal ready for conversations with God each
day!

Adapted from The Deepening Journey

Video Series and Journal Workbook

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 Day 1: Once Upon a Time
Scripture:
Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an
everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

John 15:4-5 TPT So you must remain in life-union with me, for I remain in life-union with you.
For as a branch severed from the vine will not bear fruit, so your life will be fruitless unless
you live your life intimately joined to mine. I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches.
As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but
when you live separated from me you are powerless.

Psalm 139:13-17 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s
womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the
secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my
unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them
came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!

Devotional:
Have you ever considered our design as image bearers, how we’ve been wounded along
the path of our stories, how we have arranged for our protection and provision, the healing
path back toward our truest selves, and the joy of finding community in a redemptive
sisterhood of women? In these first two days we will explore some of what we were created
for. Today we begin with Love and Shalom. Tomorrow, we continue with how we are
created in the image of God.

We were created for Love.

We are the Beloved of God. Our experience of being loved is foundational for our
deepening journey.

Since the moment we are born, every child asks, “Am I loved? Do you see me? Do you like
what you see?” The answers to these questions shape and direct our heart’s journey
through life.

Even before Christ came to bring us wholeness, God said, “I have loved you with an
everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3). Our Trinity God
is a pursuer of our hearts. He draws us to himself with unfailing kindness. He woos us with his
faithful, deep, everlasting love.

You are his beloved daughter. Do you find this difficult to believe and embrace? If so, you

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are not alone. Many of us haven’t known this kind of safe and enduring love, so we may not
trust it to be true for us.

We were created for Wholeheartedness.

As the beloved, we were created to live more and more wholehearted as our truest, most
authentic self, experiencing life in union with God and with other image bearers in this
incredible world he made. Doesn’t that sound amazing? Almost too good to be true? What
might that even look like in the day to day?

The image in John 15:4-5 is one of union, you and God—the branch is united with the vine,
which allows the vine to provide life to the branch, bringing nourishment, strength,
FLOURISHING. Oh that you may draw from and experience abundant life, the fullness of life
God intends for you, for each of us.

Becoming more wholehearted is experiencing Shalom, perfect peace; not merely the
absence of tension, but delight and honor. You are stunningly created and crafted. You
were made for someone to see you and be captivated by you!

In Psalm 139:17, the psalmist declares that God has precious thoughts about us and our life;
so vast is the sum of his thoughts about us! Do you believe that God has precious thoughts
about you?

We are our Creator’s beloved daughters. We are cherished, delighted in, and God’s
treasure, created for life with and in and through him.

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, how did you see me as a young girl? In what ways did you know me, value me, and
hold me close? How do you see me now?

Jesus, where have I known and felt the absence of love and belonging?

Spirit, are your thoughts about me really precious? Would you reveal to me a thought you
have about me?

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 Day 2:
Scripture:
Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created
them, male and female he created them.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 23:37 How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings.

Devotional:
Yesterday we explored some of our design and intention: belovedness and
wholeheartedness. Today let’s explore what it means that women were created in God’s
image. Here are four of the many unique ways we bear the image of God as women:

Through our Strength

“God said, ‘It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’”
(Genesis 2:18) That word “helper” is the English translation of “ezer” which literally means:
warrior; strong help; man’s perfect match. We use our beautifully fierce heart to protect, to
act justly on behalf of those who are weak, unprotected, and oppressed.

Through our Beauty

Women are the crown of creation. It was only after Eve was created that God declared his
creation very good. Our beauty is about far more than outward appearances. Beauty is set
in our hearts. A woman’s beauty is the very life of God within her. Our very presence can
bring goodness, life, and healing to another. Beauty captivates, awakens, draws us in.
Beauty nourishes and delights.

In Relationships
One of the most beautiful ways women bear the image of God is through our capacity for
relationships. There is something in us that longs to be wanted, to be invited, to be included.
As women we have a unique way of offering presence, compassion, comfort, of engaging
hearts, inviting others near, and of cultivating spaces for connection. Belonging—
connection—happens in the context of relationships. YES! It’s what we long for, because we
were made for it!

Through the Mother Heart of God

In scripture God is portrayed with both paternal and maternal aspects. Jesus declares in
Matthew 23:37, “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings.” He longed to show Jerusalem affection to comfort

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and guide as a mother hen would her chicks. The name of God “El Shaddai” means strong
breasted one. This name describes how like a mother, God desires to embrace, nurture,
and nourish us. We bear the image of God when we protect, provide, nourish, comfort,
and care.

As you ponder all this with God today, ask Him:

Father, what are the ways that you nurture me and care for me with maternal love?

Jesus, what things are in the way of my receiving your love?

Spirit, how do I push back against your care?

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 Day 3: The False Self: Who We Aren’t
Scripture:
Genesis 3: 1, 4-5,7-10 He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from
any tree in the garden’?” …“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For
God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”...Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized
they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves…
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the
garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you
in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God,
will not despise.

Romans 7:15-19 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I
hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no
longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in
me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on
doing.

Devotional:
In Genesis 2, we read how God makes man and woman in his own image, blessing them,
and giving them a lush garden in which to flourish. He created us to live intimately with Him,
to experience first-hand his love and goodness.

Yet the enemy lured Eve into doubting God’s words and desires for her, “Did God really
say?...You will certainly not die… For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be
opened and you will be like God.” (Genesis 3:1,4-5) Instead of rooting herself in
belovedness, she questioned God’s heart for her. You might even say she was lured into
believing God was holding out on her. Satan is sinister, plotting and strategic—he will do
whatever it takes for you to believe lies about God, about yourself, about others, and
about your life.

When we believe him, when we believe his lies that come our way about our true selves,
we hide, covering ourselves with the “fig leaves” of the False Self. What do you do when
you’re feeling ashamed of what you’ve done, afraid of not being enough, afraid of not
being seen, known, and loved? What is it that you cover with fig leaves? What are your go-
to fig leaves? What do you hide behind?

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What keeps us from the intimacy and flourishing God intended for us?
In constructing this False Self, we sacrifice our heart and our truest, most authentic self for
the sake of arranging love for ourselves. When we put on this facade–a way of moving that
“ensures” the attention and care we need–we diminish our True Self, our genuine,
authentic heart and way of moving as God’s beloved daughter. She shrinks back and the
False Self takes the reins of our lives.

Our God wants our honest hearts, our whole hearts, our true selves, to live and move in
union with him. When we self-protect and live life from the lies and fears, the False Self
keeps us from experiencing all the love, wholeness, and goodness God has for us.

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, what lies have I believed about you, about me, and about others?

Jesus, what has been my way of securing love when I have felt the need to hide, prove,
and fear?

Spirit, would you show me what I do when I’m feeling ashamed, afraid of not being
enough, afraid of not being seen, known, and loved?

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 Day 4: Wounded: The Loss of Eden
Scripture:
John 10:10 NIV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they
may have life, and have it to the full.

Luke 4:18 NIV “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery
of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”

Psalm 10:17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and your listen
to their cry.

Devotional:
Today, we are invited to consider going back into our stories–into the beauty and
the brokenness, the joy and the pain, the places where Eden was lost and the False
Self was created.

The False Self comes from the places in our hearts that were missed and harmed,
where we were wounded as little girls or as adults, long ago and perhaps even just
yesterday.

In moments of wounding, harm, and loss, we are renamed. What names landed on
you in those moments? Where is there shame in your story? How did you learn to
shut your heart down? This is where we are being invited to linger for a little while.
In Luke 4, Jesus declares one of his purposes is bringing good news to the poor,
releasing captives, and setting the oppressed free. When the False Self is
constructed, our True hearts are often locked away, held captive, exiled out of self-
protection. Jesus longs for our whole self to be set free to live and move and have
our being in him!

We need to go back in our stories, particularly to our stories of harm. There are
things in your story that need to be named, in order for there to be grieving,
healing, and restoring that Jesus offers and provides.

Often we distance ourselves from our pain and wounding moments, minimizing
them or comparing them with others. We often try to stay positive and push past
them.

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Imagine with me that the sun is setting. In not allowing ourselves to name and process the
past, we are running after the setting sun, but “the quickest way for anyone to reach the
sun and the light of day is NOT to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east
into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise,” (Jerry Sittser in A Grace Disguised).

When we courageously face and move with God toward the pain and darkness of the
past and in his presence honestly name the harm, may we experience his love, his comfort,
and healing in his wings. And may we glimpse the hope of sunrise!
Set aside time today to be still, open, and honest with God, considering what has been
ignored, minimized, or perhaps locked away for far too long. Take time in God’s Presence
to name what happened to you, and how it has affected you to this day.

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, what were some of the wounding moments in my life? Where did I feel vulnerable
and unprotected as a little girl?

Jesus, how have my wounds named me? Where do I feel shame in my story?

Holy Spirit, what are the vows and agreements I made in the wounding moments?

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 Day 5: Healing: A Path Toward Eden
Scripture:
Isaiah 61 (compilation of versions) The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the
LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the
wounds of/bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release
from darkness for the prisoners/those who are bound, to comfort all who mourn, to care for
the needs of those who grieve--to bestow on them a crown of beauty in the place of
ashes, the oil of joy instead of tears, and the mantle of joyous praise instead of the spirit of
heaviness/despair. Because of this, they will be known as/renamed Mighty Oaks of
Righteousness, planted by Yahweh as a living display of his glory/splendor.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

Matthew 5:4 NIV Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Luke 4:18-19 NIV The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery
of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of
the Lord.

Devotional:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim
good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the wounds of the brokenhearted. Jesus
spoke these words from Isaiah 61 as he began his ministry (Luke 4). Jesus came, and
continues to come, inviting us to experience his presence, his comfort, his care, his healing
—in the midst of the darkness, and in the places of our pain. Jesus knows what we have
endured, he knows what we bear in our bodies and our souls. The Man of Sorrows
sympathizes with us, weeps with us when we weep, and comforts us.

Our kind God has made provision for our healing and our restoration. It doesn’t happen
overnight, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all, and it isn’t linear. But healing IS possible. And there are
countless ways we are able to experience healing!

When we are able to consider our stories with sorrow and grief on behalf of our young self
and what she endured, and when we allow tears to come for her and the sorrow that she
didn’t get what she needed in those moments, this opens the door to healing, integration,
and restoration.

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Healing can come in the presence of an empathetic witness who offers safety, comfort,
and good care. It can be incredibly healing when we hear and believe, “It’s not your
fault.” The wounds that happened to you are not your fault.

All of this opens the door for healing. These are holy moments.

Sometimes it’s a song we hear in a new way that helps to unlock something deep within us.
Played on repeat, it can literally help to rewire our brain! God created our neural pathways
to reconnect and heal. Integration happens when we experience the coming together of
the broken pieces that fragmented when we experienced trauma.

The Holy Spirit facilitates healing. And in these spaces, we always need and always have
the Presence, the wisdom, the discernment and the help of the Holy Spirit, who is our most
wonderful counselor. We need and we have the supernatural power and kindness of God
that brings deep healing, restoration, transformation, and life to the full.

Healing happens when our truest self is being restored, welcomed, uncovered, unbound,
let up for air, cared for, nourished, and set free!

There are layers to healing. Oftentimes we are brought back to a story where something
else needs to be explored, named, grieved, and tended to. And a deeper level of healing
can be experienced.

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, what is one wounding moment you want to bring back to my memory and to heal?
What was I feeling in that moment? (pain, shame, abandonment, fear…?)

Jesus, would you show me how and where you were with me in that moment?

Spirit, what did I need at that time and did not receive?

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 Day 6: The Story We Find Ourselves In
Scripture:
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and
accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making
the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.

Ephesians 6:11-12 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the
devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realm.

Devotional:
Have you ever considered that your own story is set in the midst of an epic narrative God is
writing?

The context of our lives has been described as a great love story set in the midst of a war.
This is the larger story our story is situated in, and the battle is over our hearts. YOUR heart!
It’s the pursuit of your heart by a loving God who will move heaven and earth to draw you
to himself. And at the same time, it’s the long and brutal assault on your heart by an enemy
who knows what you could be … and fears it.

Jesus told us we would have trouble in this world, and he also told us he has overcome this
world. From the book of Revelation, we know that the kingdom of light wins the battle over
the kingdom of darkness, but our lives, here and now, are set in the Already-But-Not-Yet.
We have been redeemed by Jesus, but this world and the context we live in is currently
more dystopian than it is the happily ever after. We have a very real enemy who wants us
to stay in our small stories, both unaware of his schemes and how much our lives matter.

May we come to know and trust in deeper measure this loving and strong God–one who
overcomes, one who breathes on dry bones and they come to life, one who raises the
dead, calms storms, casts out demons, and in the end will usher in the new heavens and
the new earth–and will make all things new!

What you believe matters. It has authority in your life. The power of a lie is believing it, living
out of it, and building your life around that false belief. It shapes and colors what you
believe about God, about yourself, and about others, and keeps your focus on a smaller
story.

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Do you realize YOU have a vital role in the Larger Story? Jesus has given us eyes to see, ears
to hear, and redeemed hearts to awaken to and engage in this Larger Story–will you move
with him through the journey of your life? May you lean into the Spirit as you learn to live
and move in the Kingdom of God, becoming more and more oriented: knowing,
experiencing, and living from who you are (God’s beloved), where you are (the Larger
Story), and the good God is up to in your life. You, your voice, your way is needed in the
Larger Story.

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, what do you want me to consider and see through this new understanding of my
story being set in a Larger story?

Jesus, would you show me some of the ways the enemy has uniquely come against my
experiencing my role in the Larger Story?

Holy Spirit, what are some false beliefs I’ve held about You? About myself? About others in
my life?

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Day 7: Sisterhood: The Deepening Community
Scripture:
Hebrews 10:23-25 So now wrap your heart tightly around the hope that lives within us,
knowing that God always keeps his promises! Discover creative ways to encourage others
and to motivate them toward acts of compassion, doing beautiful works as expressions of
love. This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed
the habit of doing. In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to
encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.

Matthew 22:37-40 NIV Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

1 John 4:11 TPT Delightfully loved ones, if he loved us with such tremendous love, then
“loving one another” should be our way of life!

John 10:10b AMP…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to
the full, till it overflows).

Devotional:
You were not created to do life alone! As we mentioned on Day 2, one of the most
beautiful ways we bear the image of God is through our capacity for relationships. We
were created for relationship; for belonging, for knowing and being known, to bear witness
to each other, and where our authentic true self is needed and invited.
As you move along your healing journey, becoming more and more your true self–who you
were created to be–there will be opposition and struggle–familiar voices you’ve heard your
whole life. Do you see that in your life? Particularly as you move with Jesus in friendship and
sisterhood?

Have you ever stopped to consider the ingredients of deep friendship? Each is important to
the fullness of friendship and redemptive community. Just like you can bake a cake
forgetting to add the eggs—the result will be cake-like, but perhaps not the cake you
intended. The ingredients of deep friendship, Redemptive Sisterhood, matter, and we invite
you to explore them here: https://www.zoweh.org/the-deepening-journey#tenents.
Cultivating redemptive sisterhood takes time, intentionality, and commitment.

Cultivating Redemptive Sisterhood takes time. Perhaps you’ve experienced making a friend
quickly, experiencing the delight of camaraderie with a woman you’ve met. And yet it is
the intentional getting together and sharing life and the deeper matters of the heart over
weeks and months that deepens friendship, moving it from ‘Hey, we could be friends,’ to
someone you call when you’re experiencing the dark night of the soul.

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Cultivating Redemptive Sisterhood takes intentionality. Deep friendships are forged in the
face of loss, grief, repair, as well as in the joy and celebration, as we care for each other,
remaining fully present, intentionally exploring our own stories and each other’s stories. It is
far too easy to listen and quickly respond with pearls of wisdom or scripture. It takes more
energy, time, curiosity, and wisdom to allow yourself to stay present to the pain, to ask
good questions, experience empathy, to weep with those who weep, joining with each
other in the moments that present themselves.

Cultivating Redemptive Sisterhood takes commitment. In these days of social media, sound
bytes, short attention spans, and demands on time, it is not unusual to have many casual
acquaintances. May we even dare say that sometimes the semester Bible study culture
perpetuates this? When you commit to investing your time and your heart with friends,
experiencing the messy and hard times as well as celebrating the good with and for each
other, over time you will have endured and experienced much together. Making this a
priority—a commitment—means seizing these opportunities to be together, to get to know
each other, to care for one another, and to build a redemptive sisterhood that could last a
lifetime!

Think about how Jesus has come for you over these seven days; he also longs for flourishing
for your friends, your sisters, your daughters. Will you make space and a place for the
women in your life? In the Larger Story, friendship—SISTERHOOD—is deeply opposed. Will
you pursue it?

As you ponder all this with God today, consider asking Him:
Father, where have I held back in friendships, not allowing my true self to be known and
seen?

Jesus, I long to experience belonging, for friends who love me for me. Will you show me
how this has been opposed in my life? Where have I experienced wounding in friendships?

Holy Spirit, in my deepest heart, I yearn for a redemptive sisterhood. Who might I invite into
exploring more together? Where do I start?

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 If you enjoyed this devotional...

Check out the book it comes from:

The Deepening Journey Video Series and Workbook

Through The Deepening Journey, you are invited to explore with us some of how we were
made to live and flourish in the Kingdom of God, what comes against that intended
flourishing, and the offer of healing, integration, and restoration. Throughout the six video
sessions, you’ll have opportunities to explore more of your story and the incredible journey
of your heart - in both time alone with God and in community with other women. This is a
resource that can be used individually, in small groups, or even as a large group or retreat.

You can find the book at

TheDeepeningJourney.com

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 Consider getting away with God at

What if you could experience the unforced rhythms of grace in epic beauty, with
opportunities to exhale, be still, and explore your heart and story with God?

At The Deepening Weekend, you are invited to explore with us your story in story
God is writing, that you may see and live from your identity as a Beloved Daughter,
knowing your presence, voice, strength, and beauty are needed in the Kingdom.
Through talks, stories, music, and film clips, our guide team will invite you into
deepening intimacy with God.

You’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy adventures and plan through free time
activities, including hiking, zip-lining, self-defense, and creative sessions; or to rest
and soak in the beauty of the mountains from the porch rocking chair.

May you come and see yourself through the eyes of the One who created you,
Beloved and Beautiful.

You can find more details at

TheDeepeningWeekend.com