Everything about life here on earth is so complicated - we love so deeply, we feel so strongly, we want so much, and there is struggle, always lack, we always come up short, always begging God for help and direction. Ann's book provides a beautiful new perspective. She took me to another place, a place where the answers and solutions dim. Rather, Loved to Life took me on a journey to the ONE who created me with all my aches and desires and innumerable blemishes; the One who holds me through my suffering, the One who wants....me.

"But when you see how Jesus chose to take His cup of suffering for you, you can also take yours, the cup handed to you, and you can look to the sky and say, 'You who have given me every breath, You don't owe me more. You who have given me one day, you don't owe me two. You who have given me every single heartbeat for every single second I have ever known, You don't owe me anything more. '"

"God did not make the world so that there is pain, but when a broken world breaks our hearts, God works through the pain so that there is purpose even in all the tender mystery, so that there is always poetry in His intimate presence, so that His passionate love will love us to a deeper kind of a life of meaning, in the midst of the ache."

"His suffering love is meant to be savored, swallowed down - His strength into your sinews. His kind of supernatural love you have to get into your soul, pulsing through your veins, enlarging the chambers of your heart, enlivening the neural matter of your mind, surging and invigorating and beating our the exhilarating rhythm of your being, the essence of you - becoming you."

This book is a gift. I could not recommend it more highly - we have been loved to life! I am grateful to the core.

Loved to Life is a beautiful 40 day devotional that will work perfectly as a study through the season of Lent. Each day leads you on a journey through the book of John. Ann Voskamp caused me to pause and meditate on the deep love of Jesus. In this world that is changing constantly, I was able to find solid ground in Jesus.

I've been digging into the Gospels for the last few years. Primarily, because we get a sense of how Jesus lived through these 4 wonderful books. I've studied different versions plus used a number of different commentators, devotionals and other sources to dive deep into each book. When Ann announced she was releasing a 40-day devotional on the book of John from the perspective of love, it took me about three seconds to order a copy.

Each day is 3-4 pages, longer than the typical devotional reflection. Which is great. Ann has selected 40 key passages from John and dives in deep in her unique writing style. She's clearly studied the book deeply herself, read significant commentators like Spurgeon and captured the original meaning of key phrases and words to give us a challenging and thought provoking reflection. We're given lots to chew on and there is a space provided to write one's own reflections.

In addition, there are illustration on most days capturing an image of the main person in the passage.

Most significantly, Ann provides us with a clear understanding of God's immense love for us and how much He desires a deep relationship with us who he has created for that very purpose. Pilgrimage is a significant theme of the devotional. We are all pilgrims walking with Jesus as we learn His ways of love and grace to bring Him glory in the way we live our lives.

As I was fortunate to be a member of the launch team, I received an early ebook copy of the book from Tyndale via NetGalley which I've been able to study prior to the release date. However, a requirement was that I purchased my own copy of the book, the hardcover for which arrived in the mail today.

I am blown away by this devotional! Captivated from the Introduction, enthralled, tangled up, and hanging on every word. This book is more than a love story...it's our history. As I gaze out the window into the winter snow-covered land, I am certain that what makes you and me whiter than snow is His unfathomable love for us. Journey through the 40 days of Lent knowing you are Loved to Life.

Ann Voskamp's Loved to Life is a true pilgrimage into the heart of Jesus. Perfect for Lent or any intentional season of drawing nearer to God. With its stunning sketches and Ann's unique ability to speak to the deep needs of the human heart, Loved to Life is an invitation to come closer, sit longer, and live more confidently into God's delight over you. Join the woman at the well and learn to abide. Bring your worries, doubts, fears, and all the reasons you think you're not welcome. Find your place at the Table as you too are Loved to Life.