REVIEW: Stay Connected – Journals for Catholic Women

 

PRODUCT

Stay Connected: The Gift of Invitation Catholic women’s journal by Allison Gingras

COMPANY

Gracewatch Media

SOCIAL MEDIA

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OVERVIEW

Jesus is constantly inviting each of us to a more abundant life—but in order to receive that gift, we need to accept his invitation. In The Gift of Invitation, Allison Gingras explores Jesus’ invitation through her own story, sacred Scripture, and the tradition of the Church. You can record your own responses to these insights right in the journal, then bring those thoughts to your small faith-sharing group for further discussion. And as with all the Stay Connected journals, guided prayers and space to journal your own prayer helps you forge a deeper, living connection with Jesus.

PRICE AT THE TIME OF REVIEW

$15

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DECLARATIONS

Nihil obstat

Imprimatur

OVERALL IMPRESSION

I think this is the book that kicked off my whole “what to read while in the car rider line waiting to pick up my kids from school” series. I say this jokingly, but honestly, it’s lovely quiet time in the car that I use to pray, answer emails, make phone calls, and sometimes I’ll even bring my laptop and work on things. But the day I received this book, I grabbed my water bottle, my snack, my two unopened mail packages, and a notepad and pen. Once I got settled into the car rider line, I popped open both packages, and inside was Allison’s book, Stay Connected. I immediately started perusing the chapters, one by one until I got a good sense of the layout, what it was trying to accomplish, and was really impressed. You see, there are a LOT of books out there, but not all have declarations. Hers did. And that drew me in. I knew I could read this and not run into any potential theological hiccups and I liked that. Each chapter is laid out similarly and, for me, I love the continuity and familiarity as a result. I love the unique journal aspect, which gives you plenty of space to “spread out” and jot down your thoughts and reflections from what is covered in each chapter. 

So, how is each chapter laid out?

It starts with a prayer centered upon the chapter’s theme, followed by space to journal your thoughts and reflections from the prayer. After you’ve entered into that prayerful state, the chapter moves into the invitation, which is a short reflection by the author. Once you ponder and journal a bit, you take the invitation and connect it to Sacred Scripture, both reading through and then journaling your thoughts on each of the Scripture verses. Lastly, you are drawn in more closely through a series of questions that get to the heart of the chapter’s content. The chapter closes with a beautiful prayer. 

I know you’re probably wondering what that other package was that day! I often peruse books to read and to find content, so I purchased some page markers. I love that this set included numbered bookmarks, which made tracking the chapters a breeze as I moved throughout the book. If you like them, you can order them here.

I think what I appreciate most about this book is it’s not just something to do individually, but it’s also a great way to connect with other Catholic women, using the book as a tool as part of a book club or prayer group. Have you journeyed through this book? What were your thoughts on it? Please share in the comments.

PHOTOS

DISCLOSURE AND ACCURACY OF REVIEW

Catholic Sistas was not paid to do this review – the author sent free products in exchange for an honest review of this product. All reviews are current as of the publish date. If you notice that a review contains information that is no longer accurate, please email Martina@CatholicSistas.com and we will be happy to amend this review.

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