As the Season approaches, I remember my first Advent candle and the days leading to Christmas Eve. More than anything else, I like Christmas Eve best!Perhaps it is the sole atmosphere of this blessed time, the sprucing of the house, the decoration of the tree and mantel, the purchasing of a few gifts, the preparation of special treats, the sharing of good times, or just hearing from a faraway family member or friend.I love to decorate the Christmas tree of course but I would say hearing from faraway friends and family at this special time of the year ranks first followed by the preparation of special treats to deliver to all!The Advent Candle is truly special to many households in Europe albeit almost unknown of late to the US . Made of evergreen sprigs and a couple of Christmas ornaments, we proudly display it on our dining room table. Each day the candle, marked with the days leading to Christmas Eve, is burned down a little more at the family evening meals thus showing the passing of those special days!
Another custom I remember well, as a child we always had an Advent Calendar, a calendar counting the days to Christmas, made out of colourful cardboard with tiny windows each revealing daily a small chocolate for i.e.Certainly of German origin, Advent calendars seem to go back to the mid Eighteen Hundreds albeit the first printed one is said to have been manufactured in 1902 or 1903!Today we like to make the most of this precious time and welcome a variety of traditions! Be it Anglo Saxon or other, ours is truly a merry time!My heart always remembers our 6 year old son reading on stage the story of "T'was the Night before Christmas" and so I like to continue the tradition and read classics such as The Christmas Carol" and other Christmas Stories...Dreaming, always dreaming...
I will begin by telling you this is a wonderful heartwarming book! Without a Word has so much joy and so much sorrow! It is absolutely inspiring, at times heart wrenching but through it all shines a love that will amaze you!
This book will bless you for the rest of your life! As it unfolds, you will read a story of constant struggles for a child's survival and I have no doubt, the ups and downs of your own life will seem trivial after this!
This is the story of an incredible family, the love they have for each other and how it sustains them through some of their most difficult and emotional times. What shines through each and every aspect of Jill and Jim Kelly's life is their unshakable faith in a Loving God!This is a story that will change you! I will even say it will lift you and guide you through your own difficult times! Unforgettable! I give this book a 5 stars!I received this book from Hachette Publishers as part of their Blogger program and I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
Once again I will say it: I love the Christmas Season! This is a special time for all of us, a time to share with people we love, a time to believe in wondrous things, a time for hope for all mankind of course. It is also a time for just fun things! Christmas tree shopping for one!Alright I will admit there has not been a fresh Christmas tree in our home since...well, let's say long, long ago when my family was still finding needles in July... A bit like Scrooge, it was declared there would never be a real tree again in our home...So you guessed it, we now have a FAKE tree... Not the same at all!
Still, it is a tree and once I finish decorating it, it looks like the real thing...almost!
So invited by my neighbour and friend to go tree hunting, I jumped at the occasion! The tree farm well known to her had acres of trees, all waiting for us to find the "right" one! A bonfire was lit, hot cider was passed around and after being given a roll of tape to decorate "the" tree, on we went.
Now, it is a tad like shopping for candies in a sweet shoppe...Each time your look around, you find something new and of course you wonder if this is the "one" after all...
Much later, we found the "perfect" tree and started to decorate with the red and white striped tape. Since the tree is already tagged, it remained for us once finished with the last touch, to remove the stub which would of course, assure us to have the right tree delivered in December. Voila!
On the way back to the car however we spotted a very special tree...Decorated with strings of shiny beads, this tree was already claimed. The family who adopted it obviously took their decorating seriously. Drawings were tucked in plastic leaves to protect from the elements, each bearing a child's name...
There is a child in each of us and I felt just a bit envious... Their tree looked - almost - better than ours!
Fourty days left to Christmas...and dreaming...
A Praying Life is my first review of any of Paul L. Miller's work and I must admit the title attracted me very much. Like all of us I often struggle with just finding the time to pray. There are so many distractions, our lives are so busy, we simply forget the joy praying can actually bring.
I do not entirely agree with everything Paul E. Miller writes in his book but there is much more positive than negative in his statements and altogether, it offers much by way of guidance.He first offers a kind of Kindergarten through 12 format which makes sense: baby steps are exactly the way we start our lives. Throughout the book you will find his approach getting however more and more detailed and finally in my opinion very helpful.
In the end I found myself intrigued and I can only say this book challenged me in many ways. I particularly liked the following: "At the center of prayer is God, carving me in his Son's image". That's something I can understand.
How about this question? "How would you love someone without prayer?" I am still working on that one!
Overall, A Praying Life is definitively inspirational and practical. It will certainly help you to improve your prayer life and give you a much closer relationship with God. I will certainly add it to my family library and I give it 4 stars.
I received this book free from NavPress Publishers as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not required to write a positive review. 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.”
One of the many things a friend and neighbour often does for me is share the latest additions to her personal library. I love stories, especially when related to real facts. I especially like the Second World War Era albeit I cannot rightly say why, but combined with the advent of Christmas, I am always spellbound!This one can only be described as a gem!
In the Dark Streets Shineth or a 1941 Christmas Eve Story as told by David McCullough relates the meeting and subsequent addresses by President Roosevelt and Prime minister Winston Churchill on the 24th of December 1941. As President Roosevelt went on to say: "Our strongest weapon in this war is the conviction of dignity and brotherhood of man which Christmas day signifies".In turn the Prime Minister would declare: "Here in the midst of war...here amid all the tumult, we have tonight the peace of the spirit in each cottage home and in every generous heart...Here then for one night only, each home...should be a brightly lighted island of happiness and peace."In this book you will find uplifting stories behind well loved songs such as "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and the unforgettable "I'll be home for Christmas" and marvelous photographs you will be able to share with the whole family. In the Dark Streets Shineth is the sort of book that is sure to find its rightful place in your personal library and will surely be treasured for years to come.I give it a 5 stars!Please note this book review reflects my opinion only. I was neither asked to review it or to give it a positive review. This book review is the first of many Christmas stories I would like to share with you in preparation for this upcoming Blessed Season.
In her latest book Kathleen Kent shares with readers the story of Martha Allen (Carrier). Kathleen Kent is a tenth generation descendant of this spirited 19 year old who lived in Colonial Massachusetts. Martha Allen bows to no one and is sent to work as a menial servant in her cousin's home. There she meets a hired worker of enormous size and strength named Thomas Carrier whom she first mistakes for an indentured servant. Theirs is a strange courtship, with much dangers lurking by.Thomas 's past and his part in the (English) Civil War as the suspected executioner of Charles I brings Assassins to this area of the New World, a harsh wilderness inhabited by savages ravaged by smallpox as well as Wolves of all sorts.When Thomas first confides in Martha she writes his story in her household accounting book and hides the book in her pillow case. This powerful storytelling will draw you to turn the next page and the next! Albeit fictional, it is a story filled with historical lore, of love and intrigue, of the courageous men and women who despite all adversities made their living in the New World.The Wolves of Andover will make you feel, smell, laugh, cry and despair, but in the end, it will also bring hope for Thomas and Martha.
I give this book 4 stars!
I received this ARC copy from Hachette Publishers and I was not required to write a review. 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.”
As the Season approaches, I remember my first Advent candle and the days leading to Christmas Eve. More than anything else, I like Christmas Eve best!
Another custom I remember well, as a child we always had an Advent Calendar, a calendar counting the days to Christmas, made out of colourful cardboard with tiny windows each revealing daily a small chocolate for i.e.
