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PAUSES FOR ADVENT Words of Wonder Trevor Hudson 4-week study Each devotion includes • a biblical word • a scripture passage • a brief reflection or meditation based on the biblical word for the day • a simple daily action Sometimes we need to pause, to put life on hold for a few moments. The act of pausing can create space for God in our hectic lives. In this beautifully PAPERBACK $8.99 minimalistic book, Trevor 978-0-8358-1710-3 Hudson focuses on one biblical “word of wonder” for each day of Advent. His brief meditations will help you have a more meaningful Advent.
eBOOK $4.99 978-0-8358-1712-7
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978-0-8358-1711-0
Hudson leads you to explore 4 significant characters in the Christmas story, encouraging you to discover how to open your heart and life more generously to God. He also offers guidance on how to use this book and incorporate pauses into your daily routine. Each word comes with a daily practice, but the practices do not demand much extra time and may involve actions you are already doing. Prepare your heart and mind for Christmas with this simple and thoughtful book of meditations.
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Why a minimalistic book? One-word strategies are used more than we realize. In teaching, learning, writing, counseling, and marketing, one-word strategies are used to simplify tasks and messages. Why? One word is easy to remember and goes right to the heart of the matter. In most cases, a single word can define an overall direction. Trevor Hudson began a simple project during Lent a few years ago, concentrating on one word for each day. This concept captured interest and became so popular that he decided to write a book. Pauses for Advent is his second book using this concept. Because of the book’s simplicity, people are more likely to do the readings and suggested practices daily. The book is also easy to share with friends or give to new Christians to introduce them to the daily practices of devotional reading and reflection. Can this be used in a group? You are invited to go on this Advent journey with a friend or a small group of fellow pilgrims. Each week meet and share your experience of the words and practices. Finding words to describe our experiences and listening to the experiences of others helps us grow in our discipleship. We create our own personal stories of faith by sharing with others what God is doing in our lives and by learning what God is doing in the lives of those around us. CONTENTS Introduction First Week of Advent Day 1: Prepare Day 2: Open Day 3: Guard Day 4: Awake Day 5: Wreath Day 6: Key First Sunday of Advent: Mary Second Week of Advent Day 1: Angel Day 2: Shine Day 3: Compassion Day 4: Welcome Day 5: Wait Day 6: Hope Second Sunday of Advent: Joseph
Third Week of Advent Day 1: Patience Day 2: Hidden Day 3: Remember Day 4: With Day 5: Light Day 6: Joy Third Sunday of Advent: The Magi Fourth Week of Advent Day 1: Ponder Day 2: Home Day 3: Grace Day 4: Receive Day 5: Rejoice Day 6: Sign Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Shepherds Christmas Eve: The Messy Manger Christmas Day: The Messiah Has Come! Epiphany: John the Baptist
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MANDALAS, CANDLES, AND PRAYER A Simply Centered Advent Sharon Seyfarth Garner 4-week prayer journal Each week includes: • a brief story and reflection on the weekly theme • suggestions for use with a specific method of contemplative prayer • a simple candle-lighting liturgy for use with the Advent wreath • questions for contemplation and conversation • 7 mandalas • a closing prayer Did you know that coloring can be a form of prayer? Coloring offers a tangible way to stay centered on God during Advent.
PAPERBACK $9.99 978-0-8358-1722-6
Slow down, simplify, and add a splash of color to your Advent using this prayer journal and coloring book. The spiritual practices of coloring mandalas (circular designs), lighting candles, and praying regularly can help us stay focused on God during this busy time of year. Based on the 4 candles of the Advent wreath, this book weaves together the popular practice of coloring with 4 simple methods of contemplative prayer. Designed for flexibility, it may be used for personal devotions, family devotions, or with a small group. This is more than just a coloring book—it is also a visual prayer journal.
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Praise for this book Mandalas, Candles, and Prayer offers a soup-to-nuts Advent experience, combining a weekly ritual of lighting the Advent wreath and a daily practice of contemplative coloring. Each week author Sharon Seyfarth Garner provides seven copies of a simple but lovely circular coloring template to use with a suggested way to pray. The four different forms of prayer are praying for others, examining the day, mining a passage of scripture, and finding focus in stillness. Each is a rich way to concentrate on the Advent themes of hope, love, joy, and peace. But these coloring pages and prayer practices are not only a great way to prepare for Christmas; they also provide us with sturdy tools for the journey with God the other eleven months of the year. —Sybil MacBeth, Author of Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God and The Season of the Nativity: Confessions and Practices of an Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Extremist What is contemplative coloring? When you combine the simple act of coloring with the power of prayer, the spiritual practice of contemplative coloring is born. Contemplative coloring gives us a powerful way to slow down, simplify, savor the season of Advent, and create space for much-needed prayerful rest. Whatever we create in an attitude of prayer will be a divinely inspired piece of sacred art. There is no right or wrong way to pray with mandalas. Can this be used in a group? This prayer journal can be used by individuals, families, or small groups. Invite others to join an Advent coloring circle or an Advent retreat and create a meaningful new focus on the season. These prayer mandalas have already been used in diverse settings, including prison ministries, hospitals (by patients as well as spiritual care volunteers), nursing homes, intergenerational events, women’s groups, clergy renewal retreats, spiritual direction meetings, campus ministries, homes, international prayer exchanges, and prayer card ministries. CONTENTS Introduction: A Simply Centered Advent Ten Tips for Contemplative Coloring How to Use This Book First Week of Advent: Centered in Hope Tips for Getting Started with the Ignatian Examen Candle-Lighting Liturgy for Week One Hope Mandalas for Daily Coloring Second Week of Advent: Centered in Love Tips for Getting Started with Intercessory Prayer Candle-Lighting Liturgy for Week Two Love Mandalas for Daily Coloring
Third Week of Advent: Centered in Joy Tips for Getting Started with Lectio Divina Candle-Lighting Liturgy for Week Three Joy Mandalas for Daily Coloring Fourth Week of Advent: Centered in Peace Tips for Getting Started with Centering Prayer Candle-Lighting Liturgy for Week Four Peace Mandalas for Daily Coloring Christmas Day: Centered in Christ Candle-Lighting Liturgy for Christmas Day Christmas Day Prayer Mandala
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IN DAYS TO COME From Advent to Epiphany George H. Donigian 6-week study Each week includes: • An introduction • Four meditations • Reflection questions The book contains a brief Leader’s Guide. Instead of putting away your nativity scenes and other Christmas decorations on December 26, celebrate all the days to come. December 25 is only the beginning of Christmas, George Donigian reminds us. He offers meditations that begin with Advent and continue through the 12th night of Christmas—January 6 (also known as Epiphany).
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In Days to Come offers devotional eLearning.UpperRoom.org 978-0-8358-1714-1 readings based on a merger of several Christmas traditions: Advent calendars, ancient Advent prayers called the “O Antiphons,” the traditional celebration of Christmas on December 25, and the Armenian Orthodox celebration of Christmas on January 6. Four meditations per week, written in a conversational style and covering diverse topics, will grab your interest and encourage you to move with the Incarnation of Jesus Christ into the new year and into mission and ministry.
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What is included in this book? Advent calendars do more than mark the passage of time; they allow us to be surprised by symbols and signs of God’s love and God’s many different gifts. Each meditation in this study is numbered like an Advent calendar, but in reverse numerical order. The meditations reflect on Bible passages but also incorporate the author’s varied interests, including seasonal music, art, writers and composers, and his Armenian Christian heritage. What makes this study different? In Days to Come includes stories of heritage, tradition, and transformation. It connects two Christmas traditions: the celebration of Christmas on December 25 and the Orthodox celebration on January 6. By embracing the two traditions, we can intentionally slow down the pace of time from Advent to Epiphany and begin to see how God makes us partners in the divine vision of love eternal. What are the “O Antiphons”? Each week begins with an antiphon, a verse that is sometimes sung or chanted as a prelude or conclusion to some part of the worship service. The antiphons in the book start with the word “O” and mention a name of Christ. These are the O Antiphons used: Week 1: O Emmanuel Week 4: O Key of David Week 2: O Wisdom Christmas Week: O Dayspring Week 3: O Root of Jesse Epiphany Week: O King of the Gentiles CONTENTS Experiencing Book and Author First Week of Advent A Prophet A Prayer Practice A Counting Song Vision Questions for the Week Second Week of Advent Seeing the Last An Editor Prudence Dreams Questions for the Week
Third Week of Advent Roots Decorated Trees Saint Nicholas Decking Questions for the Week Fourth Week of Advent Lost Key A Nativity Set Open and Shut Questions for the Week
Christmas Week Candlelight Children A Story A Candle Questions for the Week Epiphany Week Magi Books and Reading Fasting Baptism Questions for the Week Postscript Guidance for Small Groups
Praise for this book At last! An Advent book that also includes the Christmas season and Epiphany. George Donigian has given us an opportunity to follow the season to its logical conclusion—the Epiphany revelation of Christ’s coming. Readers will appreciate this window into the season and into the author’s kind soul. —Safiyah Fosua, Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation, Wesley Seminary at Indiana Wesleyan University FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STUDIES, VISIT PATHSOFSTUDY.UPPERROOMBOOKS.COM
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Light of Lights
Advent Devotions from The Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide Compiled and edited by Robin Pippin PAPERBACK $9.99 978-0-8358-1341-9
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4-week study • Includes weekly overview, a daily prayer, and reflection question Engage in the practice of daily prayer with this collection of devotions. Arranged to coordinate with the themes of the four candles on an Advent wreath—hope, love, joy, and peace. A complete small-group guide and instructions for making an Advent wreath are included.
Simply Wait
Cultivating Stillness in the Season of Advent Pamela C. Hawkins
eBOOK $9.99 978-0-8358-1757-8
KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1756-1
4-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Some Advent titles promise reflective simplicity but actually require a lot of time or reading; Simply Wait is the exception. The exercises are very doable and focus on anticipation, hope, patience, and obedience. Each week of Advent you’ll concentrate on a single word and a simple form of prayer.
Expecting the Unexpected
An Advent Devotional Guide Blair Gilmer Meeks PAPERBACK $14.99
978-0-8358-1004-3
5-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Are today’s anxieties shrinking your sense of joy? Reconnect with the Advent message—the arrival of Christ’s hope and healing for the world. Expecting the Unexpected offers scripture readings, images to help you discover the scripture’s message for you, the author’s reflections, and prayers. Each week features a Charles Wesley hymn.
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Child of the Light
Walking Through Advent and Christmas Beth A. Richardson
eBOOK $7.99 978-0-8358-1250-4
KINDLE $7.99 978-0-8358-1249-8
5-week study • Includes Study Guide Try setting aside at least 10 minutes a day during Advent to be with God. As you reflect on the brief readings inspired by the season’s carols and hymns, you will nurture your spirit and focus on the purpose of the season: preparing for the coming of the Christ child.
While We Wait
Living the Questions of Advent Mary Lou Redding PAPERBACK $6.99
978-0-8358-0982-5
5-week study • Includes Study Guide What questions would you like to ask God during Advent? While We Wait draws you into the Advent journey with its real-life struggles and spiritual inquiries.
Prepare the Way
Cultivating a Heart for God in Advent Pamela C. Hawkins PAPERBACK $12.99 978-0-8358-1004-3 $19.00 eCOURSE
KINDLE $9.99 eBOOK $9.99 978-0-8358-1570-3 978-0-8358-1571-0 eLearning.UpperRoom.org
4-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Prepare your heart for the Christ child through guided prayer, readings from Isaiah and Matthew, and brief reflections on 4 scriptural themes: Peace, Justice, Fearlessness, and Faithfulness.
Why This Jubilee?
Advent Reflections on Songs of the Season James C. Howell
eBOOK $9.99 978-0-8358-1496-6
KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1527-7
4-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Music is powerful and unforgettable. In these 24 reflections on wellknown carols and Christmas songs, James Howell ponders the meaning of certain phrases from these songs and relates them to our daily lives. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON STUDIES, VISIT PATHSOFSTUDY.UPPERROOMBOOKS.COM
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Behold!
Cultivating Attentiveness in the Season of Advent Pamela C. Hawkins PAPERBACK $13.99
KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1073-9
4-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Hawkins beckons you to be still and pay close attention to the Advent story with new eyes, ears, hearts, and possibilities. In Behold! she invites you to focus on a single word and prayer method each week of Advent. Weekly themes: Expectancy, Preparation, Faith, and Promise.
The Uncluttered Heart
Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas Beth A. Richardson
PAPERBACK $12.99 978-0-8358-9994-9
eBOOK $7.99 978-0-8358-1307-5
KINDLE $7.99 978-0-8358-1306-8
4-week study • Includes Study Guide Offers daily readings for Advent through Epiphany. Each day provides a quotation, scripture passage, reflection, prayer, and a message to carry in your heart throughout the day.
Taste and See
Experiencing the Stories of Advent and Christmas Jan Johnson
PAPERBACK $11.99 978-0-8358-1354-9
eBOOK $9.99 978-0-8358-1356-3
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4-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide Experience Advent in a new way through this small-group study built around the imaginative reading of scripture, an approach introduced by St. Ignatius. Drawing on that experience of scripture, you will then consider how these stories speak to your own life.
Embodied Light
Advent Reflections on the Incarnation Melissa Tidwell PAPERBACK $11.99
KINDLE $7.99 978-0-8358-1215-3
4-week study • Includes Study Guide Advent invites us to ponder the mystery of incarnation. Discover how to follow this fully human yet fully divine Jesus with your whole self—mind, spirit, and body.
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Singing Mary’s Song
An Advent Message of Hope and Deliverance John A. Stroman PAPERBACK $13.99
KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1120-0
4 weeks • Includes reflection questions When Mary sings her song of praise to God (Luke 1:46-55), it’s a message of deliverance and hope—for the homeless, the hungry, the refugee, the abused, the powerless, and the despairing. Even today Mary’s song communicates deliverance and hope to a fearful world.
Meeting the Messiah
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Scriptures for the Advent Season Kara Lassen Oliver PAPERBACK $6.99
KINDLE $4.99 978-0-8358-1304-7
6-week study • Includes Leader’s Guide
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How will you meet the Messiah this Advent season? Explore the stories of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany from the vantage point of the Holy Spirit, Mary, the shepherds, the Magi, and others.
Silence and Other Surprising Invitations of Advent
KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1119-4
4-week study • Includes reflection questions and a prayer challenge for each week Sit for a while with Zechariah and Elizabeth. Feel their longings and doubts, and then witness their surprise as an angel tells Zechariah that they will finally become parents in their old age. See what happens when Zechariah dares to question God’s messenger. What blessings emerge from his time of silence? In this fresh approach to the Advent story, Okoro leads you to reflect on the meaning of waiting, living with the unknown, and trusting God. Looking for more? We have updated our UpperRoom.org website to offer useful resources to assist in your personal growth. We have additional tools for reading and understanding the Bible. Find out how to personalize scripture or pray the scriptures. Visit upperroom.org/resources/category/scriptural-resources.
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PAPERBACK $13.99 978-0-8358-1716-5 eBOOK $9.99 978-0-8358-1718-9 KINDLE $9.99 978-0-8358-1717-2
On the first Easter morning, an earthquake rocked the earth, ripped open the tomb, and scared the Roman guards, who shook with fear and became like dead men. James Harnish explores the meaning of the Easter Earthquake. This earthquake shakes up our assumptions about God and about our own lives. Join Harnish in this exciting and practical Lenten study that invites you into a God-soaked world energized by the presence of the risen Christ.
James A. Harnish
How Resurrection Shakes Our World
EASTER EARTHQUAKE
Did you know there are fewer than 100 days until Lent?
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