further thoughts on advent

Everything I know about the liturgical calendar I’ve learned from bloggers.

Okay, that’s not entirely true, but it was the thoughtful words of writers that are helping me see the beauty in spiritual seasons, and so I thought I would share some links to a few that have helped me better understand the Advent season.

• Pastor and author Rob Bell’s article “Why Should We Care About Advent” from Relevant Magazine explains the spirit of Advent through sound and time and why this season of waiting matters.
• Rachel Held Evans shares 28 practical ideas to make Advent more meaningful, from books to read to steps of action and traditions
• Kristin Tennant began her Advent series at Halfway to Normal with “Defining ‘Near’ and ‘Close.'” (Don’t miss the insightful comments at the end from her reader community.)
• Ryan Hamm wrote a guest post for The Search that says everything I was thinking, only way more eloquently. :)
• And finally, a sweet Advent confessional prayer shared by Micha Hohorst at Mama Monk.

Hoping these words will be helpful and speak to you the way they’ve taught me this past week.