Friday, November 18, 2016

Book Review: Christmas Is Coming!

Christmas is Coming! But Waiting is Hard! Karen Whiting. 2016. Abingdon Press. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: God's love is an ADVENTure, and one of the best ADVENTures happens at Christmas time.

Premise/plot: The book is written with parents--busy parents in mind. The goal is to make the Christmas season less commercial and more spiritual. The author encourages parents to have an advent wreath in addition to a tree. Supplementing both are daily family devotions that are themed around common Christmas symbols.

My thoughts: It was okay. I did like that each day had an activity to do. Yet at the same time it wasn't all arts and crafts. Snippets of scripture were included and each day had a suggested hymn or carol to sing.

That being said, I think that instead of starting with Jesus and making everything be about him--who he is, why he came, what he did, how he is still interceding for us--it seems to start with a symbol (stocking, snow flake, bow, etc.) and search for a way--any way that could make it be about Jesus. The book didn't use hot cocoa as an example, but I will. The world will leave you cold and shivering. Jesus warms you up from the inside out and helps comfort you when you need it the most. If that kind of devotion makes your day, then this one is for you. Deep theology it is not.

I don't think the book is flawed. I just think some readers won't find it nourishing enough. Perhaps some are looking for more about HIM and want to share a feast with their families. For other families, perhaps this is more nourishment than what they usually get and perhaps the Spirit will use this book to whet their appetites for more. I'd suggest the Jesus Storybook Bible or the Big Picture Story Bible. Both are available on audio as well. So maybe car trips could have this on instead of Rudolph!

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

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