“The power of fiction is that it gives us, as readers, the opportunity to move inside another human being, to look out through that person’s eyes, hear with her ears, think with his thoughts, feel with her feelings. It is the only form of art which can accomplish that feat so deeply, so completely. And thus it is the perfect bridge for helping us coming to know the other — the other inside as well as outside ourselves.” - Marion Dane Bauer

I’ve always been gripped by the power of a well-told story. Not every story, of course, holds such power, but a well-crafted one can move us deeply and even change us. In fact, entire groups of people, who otherwise have no relation to one another, have been known to find themselves connected by nothing but the love of a good story. Take Star Wars, the Chronicles of Narnia, or the Lord of the Rings, for instance. Through these examples alone, we see the transformative power of stories, well-told and well-loved.

If you’ve been a reader of my blog for a while, you’ve seen over time my love for stories. Usually, my blog posts are non-fiction in nature, but even then, I enjoy using stories from my own life to communicate truth. Every now and then, I stretch my creativity and entertain fictional prose, for example here and here. Recently, I’ve had the privilege of writing another devotional for Well Watered Women called Ascending Calvary. Just like the Advent Experience I wrote this past Christmas, this devotional has a fictional story woven throughout its pages.

This time, you will meet the Traveller, a man with no name but with a story to tell. His quest is to ascend to the place of Christ’s death, only this isn’t the literal hill of Calvary. This hill is a spiritual place, and through the events of his journey, the Traveller meets with God.

This climb is his, but it is also ours. Through the allegory of the Traveller’s climb, we will read his story and, hopefully, examine our own stories in the process. In between reading parts of his journey, we will spend days studying scripture, meditating on God’s truth, and reflecting on what it all means in light of our own lives.

This devotional can be used for men and women of all ages. Though you can do it at any time throughout the year, the Well Watered Women community will be walking through this devotional in the 40 days that lead up to Easter.

I appreciate all of you who have come back time and time again. I am humbled by your encouragement, and I am grateful for your community. Thank you for journeying with me. Today, I’d like to invite you to journey with me once again, this time, ascending to the heights of love.