Our 2019 Advent Journal, All the Generations: From Genesis to You, is an offering written by our entire Blessed is She team! For the first time this year, we will be journeying together as a community not only through the Advent season, but through the Christmas season as well.
We want you to get to know the women who will spiritually walk by your side through these transformative seasons. In order to help you get to know the heart behind the Advent Journal, for the next several weeks, we'll sit down with the writers for each week of Advent and Christmas.
Coffee Break with the Advent Journal Writers
Consider this a quick moment over coffee with the Advent Journals writers. We asked the writers of each week the same questions:
- Why she shared the particular story she shared in her Advent Journal writing.
- Her favorite Scripture passage from the day.
- Her hope for us all in healing we're praying for in ourselves and our families.
Let's hear from the writers of Week 6.
Sister Maria Kim // Writer for Blessed is She
1) My reflection is heartfelt acknowledgment of how reconciliation is one of the most challenging things we are asked to do as disciples but at the same time it is *the* thing Jesus Himself came to do. When I prayed about forgiving and reconciling with people who have hurt me I had to come face to face with my poverty and my need for His grace.
2) "Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18).
3) I pray families will be strengthened in love and experience the power of Jesus’ closeness.
Jenna Hines // Writer for Blessed is She
1) I shared my story because I didn't think it was a story; I thought it was my boring life. It turns out that my "boring life" is what God is using to sanctify me.
2) "[W]alk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1).
3) It's sometimes easier to be kind to strangers; I pray this book opens our eyes to the struggles and stress in the lives of our family members, so we can finally heal our relationships.
Brittany Calavitta // Writer for Blessed is She
1) My story deals with the hurt that was caused by my birth father. It is a story of pain, but it is also a story of redemption. We all have broken pieces of ourselves, and I chose this story as a way to bring hope and healing to those fractured parts of our lives.
2) "[W]hen each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love" (Ephesians 4:16).
3) My desire is for the reader to see hope in the midst of despair. Because there is always healing and wholeness and love to be found in Him . . . no matter how broken things seem.
Shalini Blubaugh // Writer for Blessed is She
1) I chose the story I did because I am still, years later, so overcome by the healing hand of God and His unending generosity. I truly believed that I could never love or be loved again because of the woundedness my former relationship left me with. All I chose to see were the emotional scars that remained, yet God saw me just as He created me: whole, beloved, and worthy of newness all around. To love and be loved again!
2) "[A]nd this is a great mystery" (Ephesians 5:32).
3) I pray that the women that read this devotional find comfort in knowing that they are not alone. That their struggles are not unseen. That their crosses, though heavy, are shared simple because they are walking with Him. My prayer is that each woman finds family healing here, knowing that her story is not unlike ours.
Bobbi Rol // Writer for Blessed is She
1) I chose this story because I wanted to bring hope and encouragement to sisters who didn’t have the best experience growing up or who made many mistakes in their past. God’s love and mercy can turn lives around and create beauty from ashes.
2) "Honor your father and mother" (Ephesians 6:1).
3) Healing begins when we humbly open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit. I pray this book helps us open the door of our hearts and heals the hurt we may not even realize we have, so that new life may spring forth from our lives and the lives of our families.
Katie Prejean McGrady // Writer for Blessed is She
1) I wanted to share about a time when I was not only intensely scared about what was surrounding me, but also acutely aware of what that fear & hurt was causing me to feel. And in that fear and hurt, I was able to come closer to Jesus.
2) "Put on love" (Collossians 3:12).
3) I really hope this book provides moments of reflection and fosters reconciliation where it is needed. We all carry so much, and that usually means we’re moving so fast that we don’t take time to notice where healing needs to occur. This book can provide the time and space to take note of those things.
Sarah Ortiz // Writer for Blessed is She
1) Whenever I think about the holidays, my mind immediately considers my siblings. They hold such an intimate place in your growing up years, and then that jump into adulthood happens, and it's always a gamble as to how it will play out.
2) "Perfect love casts out fear" (1 John 4:18).
3) We all carry broken wounds especially from those closest to us, and I hope this book allows us all to peer into those wounds and let the Divine Healer in.
Come Pray with Us?
We cannot wait to share our stories, hear your stories, and help you find the healing that God so desires in your family this Advent and Christmas season.
If you haven't grabbed your Advent Journal yet, you can find it here!
Nell O’Leary is the Managing Editor for Blessed is She, an attorney turned writer, speaker, and editor while tending to her husband and five kiddos. She also facilitates our community groups as she loves helping women find sisterhood. Her undergrad is in English from University of Minnesota and her J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law. Notably, she can down a hot cocoa in two seconds. Find out more about her here.
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