Look, a book!

Well, it finally happened. Someone is actually publishing a book with my name on it.

I’m pleased and proud to introduce my contribution to “The Living Gospel” series published by Ave Maria Press: daily devotions for Advent 2018. (Yes, Advent. It’s a little over two months away. Commence your freak-out now.)  It officially goes on sale today, September 21.

As the folks at Ave Maria describe it:

Daily Devotions for Advent 2018 offers prayerful guidance from the first Sunday of Advent to Christmas Day through a daily reflection on the gospel reading, a focused spiritual exercise, and a brief prayer that sums up the day’s theme and asks for God’s blessing.

Deacon Greg Kandra, creator of The Deacon’s Bench and popular blogger, will challenge you to celebrate Advent with patience and help you be ready for a happy and holy Christmas. He keeps you focused on the mystery of Christ’s coming and shows you how to prepare your heart to welcome him.

Each two-page daily devotion offers brief Bible verses, prayers, wise and practical reflections on the Word of God, and an easy-to-do spiritual exercise that you can usually accomplish in a single day. Kandra’s daily reflections will help root your Advent journey in the daily gospel readings and lead you to spiritual renewal as you get ready for Christmas.

The compact size and affordable pricing make this ideal for individuals as well as bulk purchases in parishes, schools, diocesan offices, and other Catholic settings.

The Living Gospel series of devotionals for Lent and Advent offers spiritual insight and practical wisdom from popular Catholic preachers, speakers, and homilists. A new voice each season and a simple format invite Catholics to hear and embrace the living Word of God.

Whoa. Did you see the “affordable pricing” part? This little book is conveniently priced at just $1.95, and the Kindle edition is just 99 cents. Such a deal!

You can order it through the Ave Maria website (bulk orders get discounts!) and Amazon. 

For years, people have been asking me, “When are you going to write a book?” but it took Lisa Hendey and the good people at Ave Maria to convince me this was actually something I might be able to do. Not only that, but we had such a good time doing this, I’m returning for an encore: I’ll be writing next spring’s devotions for Lent 2019.

Meantime, buy my book! (I’m not going to be subtle). Tell your friends! Tell your pastor! (I know at least one, up in Massachusetts, who is buying a bunch for his parish.) Tell your DRE! Tell your religious ed teachers!

Finally, I hope you like reading it as much as I liked writing it. And my greatest wish is that this little book helps to enliven your Advent and enrich your prayer life. As I write in the introduction:

It is my hope that these brief reflections will serve as a companion for the journey toward Christmas—offering a fresh way of thinking about and experiencing this holy time. Each day is structured very simply, to allow a busy Christian to find just a few minutes every day to reflect on the world around us—to be still and be with God.

Happy reading! And, of course, thank you!