Rediscover the heart of the Advent season As the year comes to a close and the stress and busyness of the consumer Christmas holiday grows, it can be easy to lose sight of what the season really calls us to: worship. In today's world, is it even possible to slow down, to ponder, to wonder in the coming birth of Christ?
This Advent, recapture the mystery and beauty of the season with The Wonder of Advent Devotional. In this insightful and thought-provoking book, beloved devotional author Chris Tiegreen brings you into a deeper experience of this integral time in the church calendar. After completing a week of short readings to prepare your heart for the Advent season, you'll journey through December with daily Scripture readings, prompts for reflection, and guided prayer to help you savor this remarkable divine story. With each day, The Wonder of Advent Devotional will reconnect you with what happened in Bethlehem long ago--and experience it anew in your life right now.
Chris Tiegreen is an award-winning author of more than 60 books and discussion guides that have been translated into more than 40 languages and read by more than 5 million people worldwide. He is also a collaborative/supporting writer on more than 40 book projects. As a journalist/photojournalist, he has written hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles covering city and county government, sports, and education. His experiences in media, ministry, and higher education bring a unique perspective to his writing, which often focuses on cultural commentary and devotional themes.
This is my first ever Christmas/Advent devotional, and hereafter I will do one every year.
The build-up of advant made me experience this entire Christmas differently. Where my focus is usually on all the chaos of the world, this year I felt grounded and focused on the Right thing. And the uncontrollable joy I've been feeling can't be put into words.
I really enjoyed reading this book leading up to Christmas and even afterwards. Mine is a beautiful hardback edition. I love that everyday there is a Scripture reading, something to read pertaining to the Scripture and theme of the day, a reflection question and a section from a hymn. Everything ties in nicely for the theme of the day. It is all very Biblically accurate and Scripture based. I love that the author really stresses the meaning of Advent and the Season and focuses on Christ, instead of just talking about Christmas themed things. He also uses a lot of Scripture from the Old Testament. I learned some new things reading this and it helped my heart to focus on what really matters.
I am a sucker for a good Advent or Christmas devotional book and I read several of them every year through the Christmas season. No matter how many times I read through the Christmas story in the Gospels, I love the fresh look and the new lessons. Besides that, with Christmas comes BUSY, so spending a few quiet moments tucked away with a devotional that brings you into focus and helps you bring it all back to Jesus instead of allowing yourself to get carried away by cookies and presents and decorating and doing, doing, doing and stuff...well, that's a beautiful thing, So, when I saw that Chris Tiegreen (one of my favorite devotional writers) released The Wonder of Advent Devotional, I knew it had to be one of my Christmas reads this year.
The book actually begins with extremely brief readings for the last week of November. These are to prepare your heart for Advent and each takes less than five minutes to read. Following the week of Preparation, the book then offers a slightly longer devotional for each day in December. Each devotion concludes with a brief prayer, a moment of reflection, an opportunity for further reading in Scripture, and a few lines from a Christmas carol.
It's a beautiful book with the gold lettering on the cover and the thoughtful reflections included in the text. One of my favorite passages was, "God has no need to impress. He is completely secure and excruciatingly patient. He has the subtlety of an artist and the precision of an engineer. He is content to dress in unassuming clothes until the eyes of faith recognize him." I'll be enjoying this devotional myself this December, but it could also make a lovely gift for someone else.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
THE WONDER OF ADVENT DEVOTIONAL is the newest devotional by Chris Tiergreen. It starts with November 24 and goes through Christmas, making this the ideal devotional for use during the Advent season.
They start with a verse, includes a bible story related to it, directions for further reading if you want to take it deeper, reflection, discussion questions, quotes from a Christmas carol, and prayers. Not everything is included in each devotional, it varies.
This devotional can be as simple as two minutes of your time, or you could take it as deep as you want, reflecting on the story, looking up the other scripture reading, answering the discussion questions, etc.
A great devotional for this coming holiday season! Also a great gift for someone on your list.
This beautiful book has beautiful embossed lettering on the front cover and is a hardback book. An easy to follow advent that takes you day by day through the holiday season with scripture and stories throughout. I really enjoyed reading this and look forward to using it during the holiday season. This book would make a great gift or a lovely treat for yourself.
Tiegreen write the BEST devotionals! Thought provoking reflection questions invite deeper digging and discussion. So rich. I studied his Lent devotional first, before learning he had an Advent one as well. We used this for an online FB group study and loved it!
I love Christmas devotionals, especially the ones that focus my heart back to Jesus, why He came and what He did for us, since that is what the season is truly all about.
This devotional comes in hardback, with beautiful gold lettering on the cover. I love the navy gold contrast. It is not very thick or big, so could easily be slipped into your glove box to be read in the car, or in a purse or bag to be carried with you.
The thing I especially liked about this particular devotional was that each day includes a passage of Scripture to read. After the daily Scripture there is a selected verse, then the devotional, which ends with some thoughts to reflect on. The initial devotional are not long at all, and would only take about 15 minutes to read if time is of the essence including the Scripture portion.
Different from other Advent devotionals this one also begins in November with a week of preparation for our hearts before the month of December hits. I really liked that too. It kind of sets the mood, and reminds of of what's important as we finish up with the Thanksgiving season and lead into Christmas. As we progress into the month of December there is a little more to ponder in the devotionals, as well as, an added prayer and further Scripture if you want to dig deeper.
I can't wait to read through this whole devotional during the Christmas Advent season. I would definitely recommend it if you are searching for a devotional to better prepare your heart and focus on what is truly important this Christmas.
I was provided a free copy courtesy of Tyndale blog Network. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.
Christmas is all about Christ's birth, but how easy it is to forget during this busy time of the year. This book is a great way to get back to the true meaning of Christmas. I do suggest reading it with your entire family so you can all celebrate Christ's birth together.
The devotionals are meant to be started on November 24th and go until Christmas. I like how they span the entire holiday season, because a devotional is just what's needed as the days get busier. The devotionals vary in type but they mostly include a Bible Verse, a bit of the story of Christmas, and Quotes from a Christmas Carol. They give you references for further study which gives you the opportunity to dive deeper by yourself and the discussion questions give you an opportunity to discuss and grow with your family.
Chris Tiegreen does a wonderful job of reminding us daily of the reason for the season. I truly believe this book is a great addition to any home. It will help us think of Christ as we give, get, and share time with our families. I suggest this book to any family wishing to dive deeper this holiday season.
I received this book for free from Tyndale in exchange for this honest review.
Are you ready for the Christmas Season? Really ready? Are we prepared to celebrate the season to it's fullness? This book The Wonder of Advent by Chris Tiegreen may be just what we need. To quote the author "We want not only to appreciate what happened in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago; we want to experience it in our lives right now.". We have all heard the story and sang the songs, but to experience it by delving deep into Gods word and applying it to our own lives, brings to life a whole new meaning. Within the book are Scriptures, explorations of the passages, prayers, and questions for reflection. It causes you pause, to ponder, to pray. Come to a whole new understanding of the miracle of Jesus' birth through this amazing little book. I was so graciously gifted a copy of this book for review from Tyndale House Publishers.
This is a lovely book that helps your focus during the holidays. It starts on November 24th and takes you through the whole season. Bible passages to look up and things to remember as this often stressful time goes on. This book is nice because it is small and too the point on each day. While a more in depth one would be nice, for those that don't have a lot of extra time this would make for a great book to have during the holidays. This would also make a great gift. Five stars.
"I received this book from Tyndale Publishing for free. All opinions are my own."
A relatively good Advent devotional. I appreciated the week after Christmas additional readings and perspectives that are often left out of the Christmas story.
My church recommended Chris Tiegreen’s “The Wonder of Advent” as a devotional guide for the holy season of Advent. Having used Tiegreen’s Lenten devotional previously I was on board. And I am glad I participated. A little unusual, perhaps, in that it is prefaced by a week-long daily preparation devotional section from November 24 until the Advent devotionals begin on December 1, and continues after Christmas daily through December 31, it nonetheless is quite well done. Each day begins with a short passage of Scripture, generally a single verse sometimes with reference to a slightly broader reading, followed by commentary, a prayer, a few questions for reflection, suggested further reading (always brief, but on point), and an excerpt from a relevant hymn. Very well constructed, easy to pursue daily, and an excellent guide through a season when worldly distractions often get the better of many of us.
With all of the Advent and Christmas devotionals available, it is difficult to say anything new. Then again, the point of an Advent and Christmas devotional is not to say anything new, but to tell the old, familiar story from a fresh perspective. The author successfully avoids the triteness found in so many of these seasonal books. After a week of preparation for Advent beginning on November 24, each day's reading contains a suggested scripture passage to read, highlighted verses from the scripture passage, the author's reflections on the highlighted verses, a short prayer, reflection questions to help make the reading personal, and a few lines from an Advent or Christmas carol. This devotional strikes a good balance between insight and application.
I absolutely loved this advent book! I have always struggled to find Biblically-centered ways to celebrate the advent season and truly align my heart with God’s. But this book changed everything. It had me considering theological points I’d read in scripture but had never thought of so profoundly. Tiegreen has stirred my affection for Jesus, and I am so grateful.
What I like about Chris’s writing is the relevance time daily living in Jesus. It helps me to examine my life in light of His righteous and humbly brings me to a place of sweet surrender.
Excellent Advent devotional. Bible verse, a reading, a prayer, reflection questions, another further reading and a verse from a Christmas Carol. Perfect.
A very good Advent study! It’s set up for a group study, with 1 video included for each week, and discussion questions, and an activity (which sounded very cheesy to me, but some might enjoy - craft, baking, etc), then there are 5 days of study to read Scripture, think on them and answer questions. The questions range from observation of the text to application. I enjoyed the layout and the book is very pretty. The videos didn’t add much to my experience, but the daily studies were great! I enjoyed moving through the entire Bible each week - always ending with the Hope in Revelation. Highly recommend. I did as a solo study, but I think a weekly group discussion would really add to the experience.