December Reading Recs

Nov 30, 2024

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IN THIS ISSUE: DECEMBER PRAYER GUIDE

Hello friend!

I hope that you and your loved ones had a wonderful Thanksgiving together. With the late date for Thanksgiving, we are suddenly in December before we even breathe a sigh of relief that all the cooking is done. Do you find yourself looking for ways to make the food preparation more simple? If you have great ideas, send them my way because I would like to make an extra dish or two each week to freeze for Christmas so I don’t have to do all the cooking all at once. Except all the dishes don’t freeze well! I am grateful these are the largest problems at the moment.

This month I have done a LOT of reading. Two of the books are by fellow Hope Writer authors and it is such a joy to see their books launched into the world. Crisis of Faith by Carrie Watts is a wonderful fictional work of emotional struggle, family challenges, ministry opportunities and the difficulties of healing from trauma. It took me back to my days in Youth Ministry. Not only was I reading the pages quickly, but I am keeping my copy to refer back to my notes in my own healing journey. You may find that too.

The second book is Escaping Christmas, also fiction, by Becky Avery. There are so many people grieving loss and the holidays are HARD! This book is light-hearted, uplifting, and realistic with moments to learn from. If you or someone you know is grieving, please introduce them to the book and Becky’s Grief During Advent series that is sure to minister to their needs in this season. I already sent it to one friend today.

Your December Prayer Guide is linked here. There is much to learn about sitting quietly and listening for God’s direction. Let’s allow time for listening. Picture the distractions that come to your mind going into a bag and that bag going over a cliff – I learned this technique in Carrie Watt’s book. It has helped me to pause longer for listening when I sit before the Lord.

If you are local to me, send me a message as I would love to meet for a walk, talk & pray especially at our new outdoor walking trails in Mt. Pleasant.

May your faith in Christ this Christmas season allow you to “Count it all joy, my brothers {and sisters}, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 ESV

Merry Christmas!

Bonnie S McDonald