Sometimes I have to write because there is something inside me that has to come out.  Once, however, I had to write because there was something I needed to read, and no one else had written it.  Waiting for Jesus is the result.

It’s a book about Advent and how to make your own observance of the season more personal and meaningful.  There are reflections, stories from my heart, that focus on the four themes of Advent: hope, peace, joy, and love, along with some “bonus” themes.  I’ve also offered lots of ideas about how each of us can become active participants in expanding those themes into our own lives, families, and communities.  Here’s a little preview:

Once, while driving the Seward Highway in Alaska, I rounded a bend to see an entire hillside covered in fuschia fireweed blooms.  It was the most incredible sight I had ever seen, and I pulled my car over on the side of the road and sat, weeping with joy at such amazing beauty.  I have seen many other beautiful, natural wonders in Alaska and elsewhere, but nothing like that fireweed-covered hillside.  Luckily, there are other experiences that fill me with great joy on a more frequent basis: the Houston skyline, the “ah-ha” look on a child’s face when he finally understands, the smell of coffee brewing, the cozy comfort of a quilt on a cold night, the sweetness of a South Texas grapefruit, and music of almost any kind.  Sometimes I get so busy, so stressed, I overlook these simple joys.  I have to remind myself not only to notice, but also to savor these precious moments and to recall them at times when joy seems just out of reach.

If your church doesn’t observe Advent, or if you have never observed it in your home, I hope Waiting for Jesus will be a guide to help you become more familiar with this sacred time of year.  For all of us, I hope it will inspire different ways of thinking and acting during those busy, commercialized days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The eBook version of Waiting for Jesus is available now at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and iBooks for the very reasonable price of 99 cents.  It will soon be available on a number of other sites, so if you buy your eBooks elsewhere, please check frequently to see when it is offered.   There will be a limited number of hard copies printed.  They will be spiral bound, to stay open while you study, reflect, journal, or create.  The price will be about $10.  If you would like to reserve your printed copy, please email me at countyroadpublishing1@gmail.com.

Stay tuned for more about Waiting for Jesus and to find out how you can join the online community as we share this very special season in anticipation of the arrival of the Christ child.

Blessings…