advent time is here again

{updated to include some of my favorite advent resources}

most years i try to milk the fall season for as long as possible, but this year felt a little different. practically the minute we got home from thanksgiving with my parents in seattle, i (ok, tovi) hauled out the christmas boxes and we started turning our home into a winter wonderland (ok, as wintry as possible in southern california). 

as i've moved through the house adding a candle here or a stocking there, one song keeps playing in my head.

// let every heart prepare Him room //

so what does that look like in the day-to-day? 

how am i preparing room in my heart for Christ this season?

do you ever feel like this? like you are so familiar with the story of the nativity that it's easy to gloss over the wonder and the miracle?

i forget to imagine the faith of mary, nine months pregnant and bouncing towards bethlehem on the back of a camel.

i forget to imagine the terror of the shepherds confronted with the heavenly host (i mean, right?).

i settle for a pandora holiday station that mixes in carols with jessica simpson hits and forget that the wise men traveled for years to find the messiah. 

and don't get me wrong because i looooove some christmas music, and hot cider, and christmas sparkle, but i want to prepare room in my heart.  i want to sneak downstairs early in the morning to spend time with the Lord, sitting by the Christmas tree asking Him to fill me with the wonder and the terror and the miracle of the season. in every day, i want to make room in my heart for what God would do with us in this season.

favorite advent resources:

+ daily devotional book: watch for the light [various authors] 

+ daily devotional book: preparing for jesus [walter wangerin jr]

+ the jesus storybook bible devotionals for advent [i'll be doing this with cruz]

+ family advent christmas devotionals [ann voskamp]