Christmas Quiet

I can't help it! I love to color! I have loved coloring since I was able to hold a crayon and now there are so many coloring books to choose from, there is something for everyone. Yet I found a true treasure you will want to order for anyone this Christmas season that combines both a 25 day devotional along with some amazing coloring pages all in one book!

Christmas Quiet by Maisie Sparks and Lauren Younis is designed to have you spend some time just appreciating the time that December brings. Too often we are racing against the clock to get presents bought and wrapped, baking complete, and all the items off our to do list checked off. Yet when it's all over, we feel we missed out on what is important and that is understanding and spending some time with Jesus since it is His birth we are celebrating.

Christmas Quiet takes one page and simply reflects on some theme about this time of the year coupled with a Bible Scripture verse, it takes readers into the quiet time of meditating on the meaning of the theme of the day, from gifts, waiting, worship, hope, joy, Sabbath celebrations, AWE, and even pain. As the author shares in the preface of this book, "I didn't have to rush around at Christmas; I could just wait for it. The Gift of Christmas can't be bought. But He can be received. And to receive Him we must be present. We must sit with the mystery that God became human and came to live among us."

"At first, for many of us, it felt unnatural to slow our pace when everyone else was speeding theirs up. How can a respite be possible with the onslaught of activities the holiday can bring? But for those of us who had the faith to be still - to be present to God's Presence - the Christmas experience had become more than crowded shopping malls and unending to-do lists. The Presence of Christmas is a gift we gave, and continue to give, to ourselves. The gifts of Christmas Quiet came with questions to ponder, as well as contemplative practices that enrich the time given to noticing Christ in Christmas."

I received Christmas Quiet by Maisie Sparks and Lauren Younis compliments of Faith Words, a division of Hachette Book Groups. Since I had a dear friend going through cancer for her third time, I was drawn to Christmas Pain and the coloring page associated with it. It reflects on the pain of birth is real when it is happening but the joy of bringing new life into the world is more powerful than the pain of giving birth and is quickly forgotten to enjoy the moment of new life in a mother's arm. The scripture reference of Isaiah 66:9 ~ "I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born." seemed to speak encouragement to my friend as she was going through her second chemo treatment this round. At the conclusion of this devotion, there came a question, "If you are entering the Christmas season with grief and pain, how might it be an invitation to know God, yourself, and others in new and deeper ways?"

This is just how this book is laid out, designed to get you to spend some time reflecting on the deeper meaning in each day of the advent along with a beautifully designed coloring page. The one thing I really LOVED about this coloring book is the white space between each page, that even if you are coloring with markers and experience bleed through, if you add a couple sheets of paper in between, you won't ruin the next pages. Finally someone is getting it right. For me, this one is one I will enjoy working on throughout the month of December with my kids and thus a 5 out of 5 star rating.

For more information about Christmas Quiet, Maisie Sparks and Lauren Younis or where you can pre-order a copy of Christmas Quiet, please click on the links below:

Christmas Quiet by Maisie Sparks and Lauren Younis

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