I love everything about the Christmas season… the change in weather (for most of us), the flood of new songs that fill the airwaves, bright lights twinkling and the flurry of activity in every home and store. Most of all, I love the anticipation that all of these things signal. I love the anticipation that Christmas is coming— and with it, Jesus is coming! We celebrate the Savior’s birth that happened thousands of years ago, and yet we also celebrate and long for the return of that very same King. 

I can think of no better time to fully focus and quiet our hearts on Christ that Christmas time. The advent devotion book Waiting Here For You from Louie Giglio is an excellent tool to help usher your heart to the very Heart of what Christmas is all about. The book itself is pretty small (perfect for carrying along on your holiday travels) but I can assure you the truths within are weighty and valuable. It provides a daily guide for four weeks covering all things related to Christ. Topics include: hope, being still, compassion, seeking and finding God, freedom in Christ, healing by his blood, and humility. Scripture is woven throughout the devotional thoughts and are truly the center of the devotional guide. I appreciate when Scripture is the central element in a book, rather than the authors subjective thoughts and opinions.

Beautiful black and white photography though out makes this book suitable for both men and women, there is no gender bias in content or in art. The beautiful, compact formula of this book also makes it a great gift option… just be sure to gift it right after Thanksgiving so the lucky recipient can use it during the advent season! You can purchase this book on Amazon. 

***Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.***

*UPDATE* Giveaway is closed. Congratulations Kristin Goodson, you are the winner! I've emailed you for your address so I can get the book in the mail to you.







As I’ve mentioned before (and will probably mention again before the month is over), I love Christmas. I am always looking for new books to read, devotionals to study and new songs to listen to that will put me in the Christmas spirit. And while its true that there is nothing new under the sun, and it never gets better than reading the Biblical accounts of Jesus’ impending first coming, I do like to expound my reading with other sources. The Christmas Story in 40 Days by Chris Loehmer Kincaid is a short 40 day book with- you guessed it- 40 devotional readings that will take you right up to Christmas. In fact, if you start the book on November 15, you will finish it on Christmas Eve. For the purpose of completing this review, I jumped the gun a bit and read the whole book so I could share my thoughts and give one of these books away to YOU so that you can read it this Christmas season! (See below for giveaway.)

Each day of the 40 day journey begins with a scripture from The Message version of the Bible. This is an easy to read, contemporary parable of the Scriptures, though not a literal translation of biblical texts. For that reason, I would encourage readers to dig a little deeper and look up each day’s scripture in a different version of the Bible as well. I think that reading scriptures in multiple versions can help make a text more dimensional— you can get a better sense of the original meaning by reading several translations. Following each day’s scripture reading is a very brief paragraph from the author, expounding on what was just read. That is then followed by a paragraph or so of application. The questions bring each day’s reading and each part of the Christmas story to a modern-day application. I really like the way that this devotion book helps reflect on the past and look forward to the future by applying the truths and joys of Christ’s birth to our everyday lives.

 This book is super easy to read- no Seminary degree is required to read it! While certainly applicable to adults of all ages, I would even say that older children would be challenged and could learn a lot from this book. If you are interested in purchasing this book, you can buy it HERE.

Though I received a complimentary copy of this book to review, all thoughts and opinions related to this book are mine.

And now for the fun giveaway part!! I am giving away this book to one lucky reader! Just follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter form below! In order for you to receive this book by November 14, I am only going to have the Giveaway open until Monday, November 9th. Hopefully that will give me time to get it in the mail to you so you can have it to start your 40 Days to Christmas!