Every year at the beginning of Advent I start a new Advent devotional and every year I quit reading because I am getting nothing from the readings. This year, I spent a lot of time searching for a book I would actually enjoy and that would deepen the meaning of the season for me. I also liked this book because the readings go through Epiphany (January 6), which to me is just as much a part of the Christmas season as the time before Christmas. At first, I was a bit put off because there were morning and evening readings. I am a morning person and by evening, I am tired and not really in the mood to read, so despite what the book said, I read two readings in the morning. I know that is not what the author intended, but it worked for me.
I really enjoyed the book. The readings were fairly quick and went well with the bible verse. The morning reading and the evening readings were both on the same theme, but had different bible verses attached to them. The reading themselves had lots of good advice and interesting points. They didn't come across as preachy or too involved. Each week begins with a calendar of suggested activities to deepen your experience. Often they are things to think about or quick things you can do. While, I admit I didn't do many of them, thinking about the suggestions was helpful to me.
I finally found a devotional I enjoyed and that helped me deepen my faith at Christmas instead of just going through the motions. I intend to reread it next year!
