IVP - Strangely Dim - A Site for the Spent

A Site for the Spent

If your December has been anything like mine, you're probably tired and stressed out with what still needs to get done and overwhelmed by the pace you've been moving at. And frustrated by all of the above. Advent is one of my favorite times of year, yet once again this Advent has been short on quiet space for reflection and long on--snow, for one thing. And dashing (but not in a one-horse open sleigh, though that might have been more helpful than my car in the snow and traffic yesterday).

In the midst of the rushing and frustration--both of which feel particularly true this week--I came across a simple gift in the midst of my work: a "live" Advent calendar from Inter-Varsity Press, our publishing friend across the sea in the U.K. They offer a short reflection for each day of Advent, and all you have to do is click on the number corresponding to the current date. You can't cheat on this one and eat the candy early, though; you can only click on the current and preceding days--which serves as one more reminder to me of the goodness of waiting. This site, granted, will not solve all my Advent frenzy frustration. But for two or three minutes while I read, I'll be still and quiet, which feels like a start and serves as a reminder to my body of the goodness of stopping. So happy reading, reflecting, quieting through this small gift focused on the great gift of the Prince of Peace, come to dwell with us.