"Jesus Approaches" by Elizabeth M Kelly caught me by surprise. The subtitle ("What Contemporary Women Can Learn about Healing, Freedom & Joy from the Women of the New Testament") made me skeptical. Healing? I didn't need healing. Freedom? I feel pretty free already. Joy, maybe I could use some work on -- I *do* complain a lot. But I'm a sucker for reading about the women around Jesus, so I decided to give it a go.

Wow. This book has helped ignite my prayer life at a time when I didn't even realize the flame was low. It breathed fresh life into Gospel stories I thought I knew inside and out. Moreover, it brought these stories into my life, speaking to me personally in ways I've seldom experienced.

The methodology of this book hinges on ignatian spirituality which emphasizes meditation, sitting with the Scriptures, then using your imagination to insert yourself into the story. This can easily enough become cringy, overly emotional or downright "woo-woo". But Kelly keeps it on track, sharing her own journey and the journeys of other women to help guide our own.

I must admit at this point that I haven't finished the book, but this isn't because its boring or hard to get through. Rather, I'm savoring it, taking my time on every chapter and meditation because its so rich. I'm considering using it for my Lenten prayer guide this year as well.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. I think if you keep an open heart and mind, and participate in the prayer sections of the book, you'll really find its quite the jewel.