At a glance: this is a 12-week study and discussion guide for Cultivate by Lara Casey, with 85 questions organized by reading assignment. Week 1 is free to read, with no card required.
Lara Casey's Cultivate: A Grace-Filled Guide to Growing an Intentional Life is an honest, hope-filled invitation to trade the frantic pursuit of a perfect life for the slow, faithful work of growing a good one. Drawing on her own story of broken relationships, miscarriage, business pressures, and a garden that taught her more than she expected, Casey argues that meaningful growth is never instant — it is cultivated. The central thesis is deceptively simple: the same principles that turn a barren patch of dirt into a thriving garden apply to every area of our lives. We prepare the soil, we plant seeds with intention, we pull weeds, we water with patience, and we trust God for the harvest. The result is not a picture-perfect Instagram life, but something far better — a life deeply rooted in what actually matters.
This study guide is designed for use over twelve weeks, either in a small group or in personal study. Each week, read the assigned chapter (or chapters, in the case of the shorter introductory and closing sections), then sit with the discussion questions in a journal before gathering with others to talk. There is no right answer to most of these questions — their purpose is to slow you down and help you see your own life more clearly. If you are using this guide individually, consider writing out your responses and revisiting them at the end of the study to see how your thinking has grown. Close each week's session in prayer, surrendering the specific area of life the chapter has surfaced.
By the end of this guide, you will have moved through the full arc of Casey's argument — from acknowledging the exhaustion of striving for perfect, to learning to embrace imperfect progress, to building a concrete, grace-filled plan for your one real life. You will not walk away with a tidy five-step formula. You will walk away with something better: a clearer sense of what God is growing in you, the courage to tend it faithfully, and the deep-rooted confidence that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.