Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Do you like having a special devotional for Advent? My devotional this year was The Spirit of Christmas by Cynthia Ruchti. Unfortunately, I did not receive this book until a few days after Advent started so I was behind from the beginning. I still enjoyed the book but I struggled to keep up with a busy month. I think I would like to start over and read the book better from start to finish. The Spirit of Christmas includes 25 readings--one for each day of the Advent season. Of course, the book could be read any time of the year but the focus is on the Christmas season and the birth of Christ. As you would expect, every day starts with a Scripture verse. Each day's reading is 3 or 4 pages long, followed by a section called Pondering, which includes questions to think about related to the day's reading. Then the reading concludes with a prayer.  The Spirit of Christmas book is a small size so it is a good size to take along and read on the go. Or it easily fits on your nights...

      Do you need a new Advent devotional to read this year? Let Earth Receive Her King by Alister Begg is both beautiful on the outside and full of Christmas reflections to stir your heart on the inside. Let Earth Receive Her King is divided into five parts. Following the introduction: Part One: Christmas in the Beginning Part Two: Christmas in the Land Part Three: Christmas in the Gospels Part Four: Christmas in the Letters Part Five:Awaiting the New Advent I like how this book starts before the Gospels. The story of Jesus actually begins in the Old Testament, which many of us know and yet so many years we just read the Christmas story in the gospels and call it a day. I like that this book studies all aspects of Christ coming and then the full story of his birth. This Advent book has 25 readings that run from Genesis, Isaiah, Luke, and more right through to Revelations. It encompasses the whole Bible. For me, this is new to cover so much ground in an Advent Devotiona...

  Mary's Voice: Advent Reflections to Contemplate the Coming of Christ by Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is a beautiful devotional book to read throughout Advent that focuses on Mary's thoughts about Jesus birth and life. Mary's Voice is unique because, as the author writes in the introduction, in our Christmas programs, Mary is often seen as a quiet woman with no voice. In the programs, she is usually seen as a passive bystander. However, as the Gospels unfold, Mary was anything but passive. Especially in the Gospel of Luke, Mary is at the heart of the Gospel passage as she is the Mother of Jesus, God's chosen son. She is a woman who pondered much, as the Scriptures said, and watched the life of Jesus unfold.  I think Mary's Voice is a unique book in looking at Advent from her perspective. There are 25 readings. Each begins with Scripture, lasts 3 or 4 pages, and ends with a prayer. This book also has beautiful antique painting/artwork photos throughout the book that are bea...

Welcome to the Takeover + Review Blitz for Star of Wonder by Angela Hunt hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours ! About the Book When I saw Star of Wonder was written by Angela Hunt, I knew I wanted to read it. I have enjoyed her books so much in the past. Star of Wonder is an Advent Devotional. It is divided into four parts: The Places of Christmas, The Prophecies of Christmas, The People of Christmas, and The Purpose of Christmas. There is also an introduction at the beginning. In the introduction, Hunt shares how after writing several novels set in first-century Judea and the Savior's birth, she "discovered a divine majesty surrounding the people, places, promises and purposes of Christmas." Hunt hopes this book will rekindle a sense of wonder in the reader as well. I have to start by saying I love the beautiful cover of Star of Wonder. It is inviting and "speaks" of majesty to me. The book is a great size to put on your bedside table or tuck in a pu...

  Prepare Him Room by Susie Larson is a beautiful devotional book for Advent. I really enjoyed the readings and the cover makes this beautiful book a lovely gift too. Prepare Him Room contains 24 readings centered around the birth of Christ. In the introduction, Larson also shares that she based the fasts at the end of each reading on Dr. Alicia Britt Chole's book, 40 Days of Decrease, in which she invites the reader to a different fast each day. She recommends that book for the Lenton season but she draws on it to help the reader draw closer to God through the Christmas season. I liked that idea. Each day starts with a Scripture reading, then goes into a devotional reading that offers some good substance for those who wish to reflect on the meaning of the season. At the end of each reading, there is a prayer called Prepare Him Room followed by a brief section called Look Up with something to fast each day. I found this book to be helpful in drawing me in to the true meaning of th...

    Are you looking to start a Christmas devotional? Joel Osteen has a new one out called Peace for the Season with 40 Christmas devotionals in it. It is a small size at 6 1/4 inches sqaure--easy to fit into your purse for a quick read or to pack into your book bag with your Bible for devotion time. Peace for the Season is divided into 8 sections following the introduction. In the introduction, Osteen encourages you to make time during the busy season to read and to let Jesus be your peace. Then, he says, you will feel at peace in spite of  being in a time when a lot of things happen that aren't very peaceful around us. Each devotional has a Bible verse, short reading and a prayer.  I really liked these short readings with the prayers and the verses. They were encouraging and they helped me think about how I am living during the season. Peace for the Season would be a nice gift for another Christian friend or family member too. I received a copy of this book from ...

  As families spend more time inside together this year, an Advent workbook/journal may be just the thing to help everyone stay focused on the real reason for Christmas A Better Than Anything Christmas by Barbara Reaoch is a unique book that can inspire everyone in the family--no matter what age or experience. A Better Than Anything Christmas has a devotion for all age groups for every day of Advent starting on December 1. Each day has four parts: Explore, Explain, Engage and Enter In. The Explore section involves reading the Bible passage of the day together and answering a couple of questions. The Explain section relates the passage to our modern life today with a short reading. Then the Engage section asks questions and the questions are written for both older and younger children or for those who know Jesus versus those who do not. It ends with a prayer and a journaling page in the Enter In section. Extra pages are in the back for families who have more than one person who wa...

  Does your family read a book together for Advent every year? We did that a lot when our son was younger and all through the years. Seven Words of Christmas by Robert Morris would be a good book to read with the whole family through the Advent season.  Seven is a special number in the Bible. Pastor Morris says that the number seven signifies completeness or perfection. In Seven Words of Christmas, Pastor Morris says that God heralded His son into the world with seven unique prophetic words that still speak to us in our world today. Those words are: Salvation, Favor, Blessed, Guidance, Joy, Redemption and Peace. Throughout Seven Words of Christmas , Pastor Morris shares Scripture and stories around each of these seven words as he shares the story of Christmas. I read through this book in a short amount of time and enjoyed it so much. Seven Words of Christmas brought the Christmas story to life for me today starting with the Scriptures in Luke as Zacharias and Elizabeth find ...

Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas by Ace Collins has all the information you need if you want to find out how a Christmas tradition began. This book details how almost any Christmas tradition that you can think of got started. Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas shares how advent began, why holly is important, the significance of the nutcracker ballet, and why we hang up stockings to name just a few of the traditions that I found interesting in this little book. Stories behind the Great Traditions of Christmas will be a keeper for me in our personal library for future reference. I think it would be a great addition to anyone's personal library and to church libraries. From the introduction in the front of this book through all of the traditions that are detailed, I found this whole book to be quite interesting. It is both interesting reading and a book to reference when you need to as all of the traditions shared in the book are in alphabetical...