Reading, Writing & Pondering

  Sometimes, when there is so much negative stuff in the news, we need to know good things, like miracles, can still happen today too. Christmas Miracles by Karen Kingsbury is a book full of real life stories to encourage people through the Christmas season. Christmas Miracles: True Stories from the Most Wonderful Time of the Year has some wonderful heart-tugging stories in it. I enjoyed them all but I think the first story, Have I Told You Lately?, that Kingsbury wrote about her father and a Rod Stewart song was my very favorite. If you are familiar with Guideposts magazine, these stories are like a whole book of wonderful real-life stories that could have appeared in that magazine. Some of these stories will make you smile or laugh and others will cause you to tear up--some may even do both. They are all stories that bring up the emotions of the holidays.  Christmas Miracles would make a great gift for someone of about any age. I think most people would enjoy these stor...

  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...

  If you are looking for a book with an activity that just may change the dynamics in your family, you need to look at The Giving Manger Boxed Set by Allison Hottinger. I love how this book changes the focus from getting to giving at Christmas. The Giving Manger is a nice large book, measuring about 10 inches square, with a 32-page story to inspire a family to focus on the joy of giving and the true meaning of Christmas based on Matthew 25:40b. I could see where this could be great fun in any sized family--and as I shared this story with my family, we are ready to make it a new Christmas tradition for us. The story encourages family members to be kind to family members, neighbors, strangers, anyone that you can think of. I was just thinking if everyone made a practice of doing this, just think of the effect this could have on others!  I received a copy of this boxed book set from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.