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Waiting Here for You An Advent Journey of Hope
Advent Devotional
Unknown Binding
First published August 7, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
December 24, 2015
I tend to read a few Advent devotionals as I find each author draws out a different perspective of the season. As evidenced by the sub-title of this book, Giglio's focus is that of hope. The hope that Jesus brings at Christmas. Hope involves active waiting, especially when it's centred on Jesus.
The book starts with a powerful family story of new life and death before it takes us into the daily devotionals. Each one starts with Scripture, then Giglio provides a short reflection on it, before a meditation (often a song or poem) and prayer close it out.
There's a delightful peacefulness about this devotional. Each day I felt Giglio took me into a quiet place where it was just God and me, reflecting on the wonder of what He did for us at Christmas.
As the great verse in Isaiah 27 says: "For those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles …" I found as a result of reading this Advent companion I was better able to focus on the true message of Christmas and my strength was renewed.
I expect I'll be reading this next Christmas.
The book starts with a powerful family story of new life and death before it takes us into the daily devotionals. Each one starts with Scripture, then Giglio provides a short reflection on it, before a meditation (often a song or poem) and prayer close it out.
There's a delightful peacefulness about this devotional. Each day I felt Giglio took me into a quiet place where it was just God and me, reflecting on the wonder of what He did for us at Christmas.
As the great verse in Isaiah 27 says: "For those who hope in the Lord, will renew their strength and soar on wings like eagles …" I found as a result of reading this Advent companion I was better able to focus on the true message of Christmas and my strength was renewed.
I expect I'll be reading this next Christmas.
December 25, 2018
This was a very lovely book for Advent. It had scripture and a devotional and a prayer and also a Christmas hymn/poem. It was a lovely way to end each day while heading towards Christmas. I would use this again!!
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12.25.2018
This is still a 5 star book for me - the content is fantastic. Each devotion is perfect for invoking the feelings you should have during the Advent/Christmas season [and truly all year round]. My problem with it this year was that the dates didn't match up with the beginning of Advent this year. They are set for the year it was published and this made it very difficult to use this year [I struggled to figure out where I was as I started on December 1st and that was apparently wrong]. I spent quite a bit of time playing catch up and being lost. It is still an amazing devotional and I enjoyed the passages very much [if not more than the first time]. Unfortunately, I will not be using this again and will be looking for a new Advent devotional to replace it. I would love to recommend this as it is a great great devotional, but unless you are better at numbers than I am [and I totally and completely suck at numbers], then I would have to tell you to pass. Unless the year and dates match up with them.
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12.25.2018
This is still a 5 star book for me - the content is fantastic. Each devotion is perfect for invoking the feelings you should have during the Advent/Christmas season [and truly all year round]. My problem with it this year was that the dates didn't match up with the beginning of Advent this year. They are set for the year it was published and this made it very difficult to use this year [I struggled to figure out where I was as I started on December 1st and that was apparently wrong]. I spent quite a bit of time playing catch up and being lost. It is still an amazing devotional and I enjoyed the passages very much [if not more than the first time]. Unfortunately, I will not be using this again and will be looking for a new Advent devotional to replace it. I would love to recommend this as it is a great great devotional, but unless you are better at numbers than I am [and I totally and completely suck at numbers], then I would have to tell you to pass. Unless the year and dates match up with them.
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December 28, 2023A special advent devotional to center our hearts + minds on the true meaning of Christmas 🫶🏻
December 16, 2015
About the Book-
It comes the same time every year. Christmas. We have plenty of time to anticipate it, or in some cases...dread it. And, before we know it, it's gone as quickly as it came. What's it all for? Is there really hope for today in the story of a baby born so long ago? Those questions and others are answered in the promises of Advent. Advent is simply a season of expectant waiting and preparation. Most often, the arrival of an event or a person is made all the more sweet by our anticipation. How could waiting and expectation change your Christmas season? Join pastor and author Louie Giglio on an Advent journey to discover that waiting is not wasting when you're waiting on the Lord. Take hold of the chance to uncover the vast hope offered through the journey of Advent. In Waiting Here for You, readers will find peace and encouragement for their souls as anticipation leads toward celebration.
My Review-
Waiting Here for You by Louie Giglio is short book on Advent, specifically focusing on the Hope of Christmas. It's a book where you can read one passage each day, which is actually the point of this book or you can do what I did and read it all in one straight shot. And that didn't take long either, I think I read the whole thing in about 30 minutes. Yeah, it's that short. But I loved what I found inside. The Hope of Christmas is something we all need, especially in our world today, which is full of negativity, darkness, and immorality. This is a great Advent book perfect for yourself or as a gift to a loved one for Advent/Christmas season.
(Thank you BookLookBloggers for the review copy)
It comes the same time every year. Christmas. We have plenty of time to anticipate it, or in some cases...dread it. And, before we know it, it's gone as quickly as it came. What's it all for? Is there really hope for today in the story of a baby born so long ago? Those questions and others are answered in the promises of Advent. Advent is simply a season of expectant waiting and preparation. Most often, the arrival of an event or a person is made all the more sweet by our anticipation. How could waiting and expectation change your Christmas season? Join pastor and author Louie Giglio on an Advent journey to discover that waiting is not wasting when you're waiting on the Lord. Take hold of the chance to uncover the vast hope offered through the journey of Advent. In Waiting Here for You, readers will find peace and encouragement for their souls as anticipation leads toward celebration.
My Review-
Waiting Here for You by Louie Giglio is short book on Advent, specifically focusing on the Hope of Christmas. It's a book where you can read one passage each day, which is actually the point of this book or you can do what I did and read it all in one straight shot. And that didn't take long either, I think I read the whole thing in about 30 minutes. Yeah, it's that short. But I loved what I found inside. The Hope of Christmas is something we all need, especially in our world today, which is full of negativity, darkness, and immorality. This is a great Advent book perfect for yourself or as a gift to a loved one for Advent/Christmas season.
(Thank you BookLookBloggers for the review copy)
January 3, 2022
Let’s just wrap up this year (which ended a few days ago, now) with a triple-review of Christmas-related reading. (For my original list of Christmas recommended reading—from which I pulled these titles for this year—click HERE.) And off we go…
THE GREATEST GIFT
The Greatest Gift is the story on which the movie It’s a Wonderful Life was based. A novella—or maybe even a short story in book-form, it’s that short—written by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1943 was likewise inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s a Wonderful Life has become a Christmas classic and is usually on lists of best movies, especially best holiday movies, of all time. Let me tell you, as okay as I am with reading this book, the movie brought a lot of life to a story that was otherwise flat in its brevity. There is, for once, a reason that one would skip the book and watch the movie. The movie is better and adds so much to the story that the book is no longer needed. Sorry Van Doren Stern. It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t my favorite movie of all time, but it is a beloved, really good one (and I do enjoy watching Jimmy Stewart). The original story is more like the skeleton of a book (yes, I’ve said that many times before) and the movie—though less than two hours—goes much deeper with the characters and more intricate with the story. You would recognize in the original the intent to rework A Christmas Carol (which has become a common theme for Christmas stories of all mediums) and for that we can be thankful. Van Doren Stern gives us George Bailey and the angel who otherwise looks like an ordinary man. We’re given the setting and the bridge for a backdrop. But none of it is as compelling, that’s all. Maybe read “The Gift of the Magi,” instead, and then watch 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
Another story-to-movie, A Christmas Story is an after-the-fact compilation of Jean Shepherd’s four short memoir pieces that contributed most to inspiring the 1980s movie A Christmas Story. Yes, you read that right. A Christmas Story is based on at least four short stories (nonfiction, I think) by Jean Shepherd, which were strung together and altered into one story for the movie and Jean Shepherd is, therefore, Ralphie. (He co-wrote the movie, too, and is the familiar narrator. You can hear his voice in your head right now, can’t you? (He’s also an actor.)) While I think, once again, the movie is better than reading the four random pieces, it is fun to read A Christmas Story. The fourth story, “The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds,” let me warn you, can get uncomfortably stereotyping of country folk. However, it seems this is only a comedic version of what really happened to him when he was a kid. Anyhow. The writing is decent. It might make you wonder what else Jean Shepherd wrote. Maybe a collection of his works would be a nice gift for someone who could still remember the good ol’ days of the mid-century. (A Fistful of Fig Newtons, In God We Trust…) Seeing as the stories have little to do with one another, it’s more like reading a short story collection where the narrator is always the same. There are fun differences to discover, like the Bumpus hounds ate the Easter ham, not the Christmas turkey. Overall, though, the spirit of the thing is right there in the short stories and I, too, could sometimes hear Shepherd reading me the lines from the stories. Especially interesting for a fan of the movie.
WAITING HERE FOR YOU
I have been looking for a great Christmas advent book for years. I have never yet found a family advent book that I love, though there is one meant for reading at dinnertime (and for lighting the advent wreath) that we use every year (We Light the Candles by Catharine Brandt). My kids are practically adults, these days, and I have decided to look instead for a meaningful, well-put-together advent book for myself. (It helps that I made a Christmas best books list last year and it has a (short) advent section.) I don’t mind switching up the book year to year, but it would be nice if they were all meaningful and well-put-together, in that case. The first title on the list (for no particular reason) was Waiting Here for You by Louie Giglio. Giglio is a Baptist pastor out of Atlanta and his book was one of a dozen recommended to me by the internet. He’s an evangelical mega-church pastor, so we might have some words for each other if we met, but this is the first thing I have read by him. The format is contemporary and each day’s reading is brief, encouraging the reader to pause and perhaps stay paused after the reading. Each day has scripture (not necessarily the obvious ones) and a short prayer, as well as a short writing from Giglio and often a quote (perhaps a few stanzas of a song) from another father/mother of the faith. I really don’t think the photos are necessary, and bracketing the whole season with the beginning and end of a random story was too weird for me—it was a little hokey and there was no way I was remembering that story from beginning to end of the month (or not just flipping back and reading the thing straight off). But overall the thoughts lead you toward being more contemplative during what should be a holy time of year while also understanding that your advent reading may only get mere minutes in any given, frantic day. An Advent Journey of Hope worked for me. It didn’t exactly grab hold of me and refuse to let go, but it is a fine advent reading if you are of the protestant Christian persuasion.
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE STARVING ARTIST BLOG***
THE GREATEST GIFT
The Greatest Gift is the story on which the movie It’s a Wonderful Life was based. A novella—or maybe even a short story in book-form, it’s that short—written by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1943 was likewise inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It’s a Wonderful Life has become a Christmas classic and is usually on lists of best movies, especially best holiday movies, of all time. Let me tell you, as okay as I am with reading this book, the movie brought a lot of life to a story that was otherwise flat in its brevity. There is, for once, a reason that one would skip the book and watch the movie. The movie is better and adds so much to the story that the book is no longer needed. Sorry Van Doren Stern. It’s a Wonderful Life isn’t my favorite movie of all time, but it is a beloved, really good one (and I do enjoy watching Jimmy Stewart). The original story is more like the skeleton of a book (yes, I’ve said that many times before) and the movie—though less than two hours—goes much deeper with the characters and more intricate with the story. You would recognize in the original the intent to rework A Christmas Carol (which has become a common theme for Christmas stories of all mediums) and for that we can be thankful. Van Doren Stern gives us George Bailey and the angel who otherwise looks like an ordinary man. We’re given the setting and the bridge for a backdrop. But none of it is as compelling, that’s all. Maybe read “The Gift of the Magi,” instead, and then watch 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
Another story-to-movie, A Christmas Story is an after-the-fact compilation of Jean Shepherd’s four short memoir pieces that contributed most to inspiring the 1980s movie A Christmas Story. Yes, you read that right. A Christmas Story is based on at least four short stories (nonfiction, I think) by Jean Shepherd, which were strung together and altered into one story for the movie and Jean Shepherd is, therefore, Ralphie. (He co-wrote the movie, too, and is the familiar narrator. You can hear his voice in your head right now, can’t you? (He’s also an actor.)) While I think, once again, the movie is better than reading the four random pieces, it is fun to read A Christmas Story. The fourth story, “The Grandstand Passion Play of Delbert and the Bumpus Hounds,” let me warn you, can get uncomfortably stereotyping of country folk. However, it seems this is only a comedic version of what really happened to him when he was a kid. Anyhow. The writing is decent. It might make you wonder what else Jean Shepherd wrote. Maybe a collection of his works would be a nice gift for someone who could still remember the good ol’ days of the mid-century. (A Fistful of Fig Newtons, In God We Trust…) Seeing as the stories have little to do with one another, it’s more like reading a short story collection where the narrator is always the same. There are fun differences to discover, like the Bumpus hounds ate the Easter ham, not the Christmas turkey. Overall, though, the spirit of the thing is right there in the short stories and I, too, could sometimes hear Shepherd reading me the lines from the stories. Especially interesting for a fan of the movie.
WAITING HERE FOR YOU
I have been looking for a great Christmas advent book for years. I have never yet found a family advent book that I love, though there is one meant for reading at dinnertime (and for lighting the advent wreath) that we use every year (We Light the Candles by Catharine Brandt). My kids are practically adults, these days, and I have decided to look instead for a meaningful, well-put-together advent book for myself. (It helps that I made a Christmas best books list last year and it has a (short) advent section.) I don’t mind switching up the book year to year, but it would be nice if they were all meaningful and well-put-together, in that case. The first title on the list (for no particular reason) was Waiting Here for You by Louie Giglio. Giglio is a Baptist pastor out of Atlanta and his book was one of a dozen recommended to me by the internet. He’s an evangelical mega-church pastor, so we might have some words for each other if we met, but this is the first thing I have read by him. The format is contemporary and each day’s reading is brief, encouraging the reader to pause and perhaps stay paused after the reading. Each day has scripture (not necessarily the obvious ones) and a short prayer, as well as a short writing from Giglio and often a quote (perhaps a few stanzas of a song) from another father/mother of the faith. I really don’t think the photos are necessary, and bracketing the whole season with the beginning and end of a random story was too weird for me—it was a little hokey and there was no way I was remembering that story from beginning to end of the month (or not just flipping back and reading the thing straight off). But overall the thoughts lead you toward being more contemplative during what should be a holy time of year while also understanding that your advent reading may only get mere minutes in any given, frantic day. An Advent Journey of Hope worked for me. It didn’t exactly grab hold of me and refuse to let go, but it is a fine advent reading if you are of the protestant Christian persuasion.
***REVIEW WRITTEN FOR THE STARVING ARTIST BLOG***
December 24, 2014
Rediscovering Advent
Each day's reading contains a Scripture passage, a devotional thought, meditation and prayer that places emphasis on the gift of grace that steps into whatever situation we are experiencing as Christmas approaches. Anticipation builds not for the gifts and parties of the season but for the celebrations of the birth of the Messiah.
Each day's reading contains a Scripture passage, a devotional thought, meditation and prayer that places emphasis on the gift of grace that steps into whatever situation we are experiencing as Christmas approaches. Anticipation builds not for the gifts and parties of the season but for the celebrations of the birth of the Messiah.
December 23, 2024
Great book full of interesting topics leading up to Christmas - recommended to do every year... Good to read again…
February 4, 2023
On November 27, the first Sunday after Thanksgiving and therefore the first Sunday of Advent, it felt incredibly important to find an Advent devotional that followed the weekly pattern, rather than the 24 days of December 1-24. Despite going through and vetting a lot of other devotionals to find this one that goes weekly; I ended up falling miserably behind anyway! It was very easy to catch up, though, since each day is pretty short. However, that also means some of the ideas were somewhat easy to brush over, and I didn’t retain a whole lot.
⭐⭐⭐
.
There were a couple pages that really “got me”:
“If we are truly waiting on God, we won’t miss anything.” 🙏
The entire Reflection on Day 28 “A Savior Is Born” (Christmas Day), but particularly pointing out the simultaneous irony and beauty of the good news being shared with the shepherds first: “Yet the shepherds themselves could not enter the temple to worship even if they wanted to. Because of their profession, they were ceremonially unclean. They were outcasts in the very worship that their hands made possible. Yet, God chose the shepherds to receive the greatest news ever heard.” 😭 (Last year the Lord was really driving home the idea of "Christmas as Incarnation" to me, and this year it seemed like He was sharing more of the "Christmas as Hope for the Weary." There may be a blog post or something on that someday.)
.
So again, even though there were only a couple things from this devotional that will stick with me, I’m still glad I have it because it might make a return in a few years. Merry very, very late Christmas, everyone!
⭐⭐⭐
.
There were a couple pages that really “got me”:
“If we are truly waiting on God, we won’t miss anything.” 🙏
The entire Reflection on Day 28 “A Savior Is Born” (Christmas Day), but particularly pointing out the simultaneous irony and beauty of the good news being shared with the shepherds first: “Yet the shepherds themselves could not enter the temple to worship even if they wanted to. Because of their profession, they were ceremonially unclean. They were outcasts in the very worship that their hands made possible. Yet, God chose the shepherds to receive the greatest news ever heard.” 😭 (Last year the Lord was really driving home the idea of "Christmas as Incarnation" to me, and this year it seemed like He was sharing more of the "Christmas as Hope for the Weary." There may be a blog post or something on that someday.)
.
So again, even though there were only a couple things from this devotional that will stick with me, I’m still glad I have it because it might make a return in a few years. Merry very, very late Christmas, everyone!
December 24, 2024
I was interested in the "journey of Hope" aspect of this title. I'm not sure I saw the journey. The author has the book divided into four sections and I keep reading the headers to help me understand what he intended us to be moving through. But in the midst of reading, it seemed to really jump around. I think part was that there seemed to be a rhythm and structure to the days (opening verse, reflection, meditation, prayer), until there wasn't. Then, some days were really short and others were long. Some of the meditations were really inspiring (A private litany of humility), while others were common Christmas songs, with O Come, O Come Emmanuel repeated (with different verses) several times. All this change-up seemed to distract me from the journey. I found myself consistently saying "where is this going?" (besides to Christmas!).
December 26, 2018
This is such a special reminder of the true meaning of Christmas, and it gets you in this frame of mind right after Thanksgiving! If you start listening to Christmas music that early, you might as well start this book, too. It's my second year reading it all the way through, and I'm so glad I've added it to my annual traditions!
December 25, 2022
Wonderful devotion to bring you back to the spirit of Christmas
Just a few minutes every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas to bring your heart back to why we even have Christmas. The past and the present and why we yearn for the future - settle us, Lord, while we wait for you, knowing that who you become in the waiting is as important as what you are waiting for.
Just a few minutes every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas to bring your heart back to why we even have Christmas. The past and the present and why we yearn for the future - settle us, Lord, while we wait for you, knowing that who you become in the waiting is as important as what you are waiting for.
December 31, 2023
This was an exquisite advent devotional. Rev Giglio provides a scripture, reflection, meditation, and prayer for 28 days along with a story that reflects the God's grace through adversity. This was such an enjoyable devotional, especially during this time of year. I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as much as I did as it guides you through your advent experience. Highly recommended.
December 25, 2017
I can not recommend this book enough. I’ve never taken in an Advent reader. This one is perfect. And the story at the end is enough to make your eyes water up. Thank you Louie Giglio for helping me remain focused on what really matters at Christmas.
December 25, 2018
This was my first experience with any kind of Advent book. The daily readings are short and full of interesting scripture to mark the season. The book is pleasant enough but not something I'm rushing to make an annual tradition.
December 25, 2021
This Advent devotional has a verse, reflection, song or poem, and prayer each day - a little something to consider in the season leading up to Christmas. I expected more substance after the one I used last year, but it’s still a nice option for Advent.
December 25, 2023
A wonderful daily Advent devotional. Almost everyday has a verse, devotional, prayer and a one or two other things. I have a hard cover, small, bright red book with a few Christmas greenery etchings. A sweet treasure to read each day.
December 25, 2024
A true gift for our hearts at Christmastime!
I love this book … Louie Giglio has a way of conveying the message of the Advent season beautifully and in a way that’s relatable. A wonderfully simple yet deep devotional.
I love this book … Louie Giglio has a way of conveying the message of the Advent season beautifully and in a way that’s relatable. A wonderfully simple yet deep devotional.
December 27, 2016
Good Christmas devotional
This is a very enjoyable read as a devotional for Christmas. I would definitely recommend it during the holiday season.
This is a very enjoyable read as a devotional for Christmas. I would definitely recommend it during the holiday season.
December 23, 2018
A nice little devotional to read every day leading up to Christmas, drawing us back to the real meaning of Christmas
January 4, 2019
After a tough year, this advent devotional was just what I needed to find joy in this Christmas season.
December 25, 2019
I truly loved this book. Short but impactful daily readings, which included a scripture passage, author's thoughts, poem or song, ending with a prayer. It was exactly what I needed this season.
Read
January 1, 2020Each day there is a Scripture, A Meditation, A Reflection, and a Prayer.
Simple, short, but often quite thought provoking.
Simple, short, but often quite thought provoking.
Read
January 9, 2020Lovely Advent Devotional
January 15, 2020
My first Advent devotional. I will read it, too, every Advent. This is what Christmas is about!
December 28, 2020
This is my second time reading this book during the Advent season. It is wonderful. Simple yet keeps you focused on what’s important in the season!
December 29, 2020
I love Louie Giglio's writing! It is always so convicting and refreshing.
This was such a wonderful Advent book to read after the crazy of this year.
I highly recommend it and will be using it again in the future!
This was such a wonderful Advent book to read after the crazy of this year.
I highly recommend it and will be using it again in the future!
December 27, 2021
A lovely slim book that sat out on my coffee table for a month. A few minutes a morning to start off the day. Simple.
December 28, 2021
Just what my heart needed during this Advent/Christmas season.
February 28, 2023
It's an average advent devotional. I would have liked it to delve a little deeper each day instead of more surface level.
December 25, 2023
A great companion devotional to the Advent study.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews