It wasn't that I disliked what we've been doing and we haven't abandoned it forever, but ten days ago I found out my friend was going to be selling the Advent study she'd written for this year. Heather regularly encourages and challenges me through her writing, so I knew I'd love whatever she came up with for an Advent study. Her study, Experiencing Advent became available to the public on Friday morning and I bought it immediately. It's in the form of an e-book, but I knew a hard copy would work better for our family. I quickly hopped on the website of a local print shop and uploaded the e-book there, then picked up the printed and hole-punched copy that afternoon. (It also later became available in Kindle format.)
Can I just say that I love it? I can't wait to go through the study with the other Ws this year! Heather did a great job of making it meaty enough for adults and older children who want to focus on celebrating the birth of Jesus, but not so academic that it will bore young kids who want to have fun. With a great mix of Bible verses, discussion questions, history, music, crafts, and recipes, it has something for everyone. Although it's packed with lots of information and activities, it's also very easy to skip or tweak things to suit your family dynamic, schedule, and so on.
If you are looking for a new way to keep your household focused on Jesus during this season, then I encourage you to buy this study. Focusing on Jesus does not mean skipping all the festive parts of this time of year, and this study actually includes several of those things, but it does mean not losing sight of the reason Christians are involved in all the traditions and festivities of the Christmas season in the first place.
Here is my hard copy, which I'm keeping in a three-ring binder.
Just a few little details for those who want to buy the study. First, (and I'm sure this goes without saying, but I want to say it anyway), if you prefer a hard copy over an e-book, then don't print copies for anyone other than yourself. Making copies for friends and loved ones (or forwarding your e-book, for that matter) is well-intentioned theft. Don't do it.
Second, if you print your study, then you will lose the links that are in the text. I simply went through my e-book, clicked all the links, then wrote most of them on the top of the pages they were on in my hard copy. (I skipped the links to Bible verses and a couple that were about where to buy particular craft supplies.) If you don't want to write them down, then you can easily pull up your e-book if you want to check out a link.
Finally, if you are local and would like a hard copy that you don't have to print yourself, then head to Yes Graphics' site, upload your study, and pick it up later in the day. I chose black and white, three-hole punched, and the slowest turn around time. It was done before the end of the day and cost $3.00. Easy peasy and you can swing by the library to drop stuff off or pick stuff up while you're in the neighborhood getting your Advent study.
I hope some of you will be enjoy Experiencing Advent while our family is!
UPDATE - Heather later came out with another study, Experiencing Lent, which our family has also enjoyed.
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