“All Mommy wants for Christmas is a silent night.”
Maybe you’ve seen this saying on Christmas-themed merchandise, like mugs and sweaters. Maybe you’ve nodded to yourself, acknowledging the funny truth in these words. It makes me grin anytime I come across this saying because it points to a universal truth no matter who you are, what you do, where you live: young kids are loud.
Years ago, a friend of mine with four little ones got to take a week-long trip with her husband while her mom watched the kids. A rare gift! When she got back home, she was shocked at the volume level in her household. “I’d forgotten how noisy my everyday life was,” she told me, laughing.
I think moms have a special understanding of how Jesus may have been feeling every time we read that he retreated from the crowds to pray. The crowds are needy. The crowds are loud. The crowds are a lot like our kids. We love our kids, and Jesus loved the crowds, but the need to withdraw to a quiet space is important to both our spiritual and emotional health.
Author and professor Susan Moto calls silence “fertile ground for intimacy with God.” I believe we all have a longing for intimacy with God but silence is often overlooked as a way to get there. We often prefer to fill our lives with words: we read devotionals and our Bibles, we pour out our hearts in prayer, and we listen to worship music. All good things. Excellent, even!
Sitting in silence, even for just five or ten minutes, seems almost wasteful, like we’re not doing anything. But author and spiritual director Adele Ahlberg Calhoun encourages us:
“…in order for the Spirit to do his job, we need to cooperate and put ourselves in a place to deeply and reflectively listen. Be alone with God in the silence. Offer your body and your attention to God as a prayer.”1
It’s possible all of our hustle and bustle is turning us into spiritual toddlers who just won’t sit still! This month, I’m going to set aside five minutes every day to practice silence, to hone my inner listening skills. Won’t you join me?
Something I wrote: Finding Christ in the Unexpected: Loving Our Unhoused Neighbors. My latest article is featured over at Red Letter Christians! I wrote it in response to an awkward encounter I had with an unhoused man on Christmas Day. (To be clear, I was the awkward one!) I read an excellent book called Grace Can Lead Us Home by
and I’m newly inspired and empowered to do better!Something I read and loved: 12 Soul-Saving Christmas Ideas from
was an absolute breath of fresh air! I really need to put number 8 into practice.Something I listened to: Sacred Assumption with Faith Eury Cho -That Sounds Fun Podcast. Immanuel means God with us, even here, even now. I loved this conversation about befriending the presence of God!
Something I’m cooking: We are just about done with our Thanksgiving leftovers, and it’s time to cook something new! I’m eager to try this Bruschetta Pasta recipe.
Something I made: Brand new in the shop is this Printable Advent Kindness Calendar for Kids! Print it in card format or as a paper chain. (And if you’re looking for some Advent inspiration for grown-ups, check out these Printable Mindfulness Advent cards!)
The Advent season is almost upon us, and my friend Rachel Fahrenbach has just released a 5-week Advent study and liturgy called Dwell. This guide dives deep into the concept of Immanuel and it's importance to our everyday lives. This isn't simply a daily devotional; it is a study meant to engage your mind and your senses as you dwell on scripture and spiritual truths in a fresh and creative way. Get your copy here, or read on for how to get a FREE copy!
Rachel has given me a coupon code to share with you that will get you a FREE EBOOK copy of the study! Here’s how you can get your hands on it:
1. Go to: dwelladventstudy.com/freestudy
2. Look for the Coupon Code box at the bottom right side.
3. Put in the code SARAHB and hit apply.
4. Put in your name and email.
5. Submit You will be emailed links from BookFunnel that will walk you through how to download the ebook to your device.
I hope this Advent season is a rich time in which you can reconnect with God!
Until next time,
From The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook, p. 123
Crowds and quiet. For me, it always feels like a loom, weaving between making space for both, to be with others and to be alone with the Lord. I love the idea of advent kindness cards for the kids.
Even as an "old person" (79) I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I have been trying to do silence with God for a while and have found it to be a very peaceful moment. I have some stresses in my life and am looking for God to help me find a car since I totaled my old one in a stupid accident. But I expect to find one within the next couple of days. I so depend on HIM for everything. I start my day usually with me thanking HIM for a good night's sleep and the fact that I am still living. That means that HE still has something for me to do.