Lindsay L. O'Connor

Sunday is the first day of Advent! These are some Advent books my family and/or I have enjoyed, are reading, or are TBR. We tend to cycle through and return to ones we love.

Adults:

1. Honest Advent – Scott Erickson – This is an artist I love following. He incorporates thought-provoking artwork with Advent reflections.
2. The First Advent in Palestine – Kelley Nikondeha – I read this last year & learned a lot. The author gives ancient & modern day cultural context of the Advent story. It’s less contemplative but worth the read.
3. Waiting, Accepting, Journeying, Birthing – Sarah Bessey – I loved this one. Bessey uses the 4 words in the title & a birthing metaphor as an alternative to “hope, peace, joy, & love.”
4. God Speaks Through Wombs – Drew Jackson – This is one of my favorites! Jackson’s poetry, theology, & application are brilliant. The poetry corresponds with verses of scripture from Luke 1 – Luke 8. Thru the lens of his experience as a Black man in the U.S., he makes familiar passages come alive.
5. Preparing for Christmas – Richard Rohr – A favorite! Just can’t do better than the richness & wisdom Rohr offers.
6. Advent & Christmas Wisdom from Henri Nouwen – I plan to read this year.

Family:

1. All Creation Waits – Gayle Boss – This has been our favorite! It has stories about the way various animals hibernate & makes a connection between winter hibernation & Advent as a season of darkness & waiting.
2. The Voices of Christmas – Nikki Grimes – This tells the Christmas story through 14 poems, each written from the perspective of a different character. Love the audio version.
3. Ishtar’s Odyssey – Arnold Ytreeide – We DNF just b/c it’s lengthy. May finish this year. It’s written as a historical fiction narrative & is long but engaging. Best for mid-late elementary/middle school kids.
4. The Jesus Storybook Bible – Sally Lloyd-Jones – 25 stories lead up to the story of Jesus’ birth. This does an excellent job of showing how the stories in the Bible point to Jesus.
5. Shadow & Light – Tsh Oxenreider- Daily readings with a thoughtful quote, short reading, scripture, question, a song, & art to contemplate. Love the format but it didn’t capture my kids’ attention as much as the others (6 & 10). Perhaps it would be better now that they’re older.