Advent: Aware, Mindful, Ready

As October rounds the corner to November, we start to see Christmas decorations appear in stores, advertisements for toys and TVs begin appearing in our mailboxes, and planning starts to kick into high gear for parties, family gatherings, and other events.

How will we celebrate the season this year?

How will it be different with COVID and social distancing and all that is the blessed end of 2020?

I want my Advent, my Christmas, and the end of this unique era, to be mindful more than anything.

I want it to reflect the joy and the sorrow that have comingled so much on the surface of this year.

It’s fitting that my long time friend and writing partner, Sarah Baughman, and I finally put pen to page again to edit our series for Advent: Make Ready, and make it available for you all. This 101-page devotional is filled with small opportunities to reflect. Each of the 29 daily devotions gives you some space to be aware, mindful, and conscious during a season that can be joyful, but also stressful; filled with fun memories, but also filled with grief and an awareness of loss; generous, but also taxing.

Aware

Read the small Scripture selection or the surrounding chapter of Scripture, depending on your time and energy tank for the day.

Mindful

Reflect on how each Scripture passage connects as a thread between you and God by reading the small, one-paragraph devotional.

Ready

Use the daily journaling question and artwork by our young artist, Magdalena Baughman, to spend more time engaging and to bring the Bible verse and concept of the day to your mind and tongue more often throughout the season. When we engage in the Word through different elements and medians, we better connect both the right and left hemispheres of our brains, working it deeper into our consciousness so that it’s ready when we need it.

Advent can be many things. This year, we’re going for aware, mindful, and ready.

We want to be aware, mindful, and ready together! Join us for a Make Ready Live Event - Make Ready: A Mini Advent By Candlelight on the Heidi Goehmann Writes Facebook Page, Sunday, November 29th, 2020, from 7-8 pm CST. Find out more and RSVP below to receive a reminder.