. . . and also a breath prayer for Christmas in July!
Preorder your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
Breath Prayer for Summer
5 Star Read
Early reviews are in, and our forthcoming Advent book is getting five star reviews!
“Are you looking for a devotional to get you into the spirit of Christmas while keeping your heart and mind on the ways of Christ? Then this is your book! This was a great read that was so encouraging to me and my walk with God. “
“The added recipes were such a sweet way to break up the chapters and to provide another way to connect with the reader.”
“Comfort and Joy by Gwen Lantz and Sarah-Leigh Gerber is a book I cant wait to reread during the holiday season. It was all about how to slow down and enjoy the moment in the season. It was a wonderful advent to walk through the season, and remember the importance of the holiday. “
“I found the text to be incredibly helpful for approaching advent with greater intent. A highly recommended book for all who want more joy in the time before and during Christmas.”
It’s humbling and honoring to know others are finding meaning and encouragement through our labor of love. We’re eager to hear how you, our faithful Some Comfort and Joy community, connect with the book in Advent!
Pause for Reflection
One of the elements each week in our book Comfort and Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent, is a chance to pause and reflect. Our lives can be busy and it’s easy to get caught up in the swirl of events.
For some of us summer offers a slower pace, for others our schedules march on!
No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum of busy – ness, take a moment for a deep breath. Breathe in and out slowly, three times. Sometimes counting to three while you breathe in, then holding your breath for the count of three, before releasing it slowly can help slow down your thoughts and your body.
After three deep, slow breaths, consider these questions:
- In what areas of your life have you experienced fun and relaxation?
- What areas of your life feel out of sync?
- How have you experienced God’s presence in this summer season?
Ask God to walk with you during this season of 2024, whatever ups and downs it holds.
Preorder your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
(Iced) Peppermint Mocha
Comfort & Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent includes a variety of writings and prompts to guide you through the Christmas season. One of the special features of our book is a variety of recipes. Drawn from our stories and reflections, we share family favorites along with recipes we’ve created that highlight the scents and flavors of the season.
Perhaps today you can make and enjoy a cold and refreshing version of a Christmastide favorite.
(Homemade) Peppermint Mocha
- 8oz strong coffee (or a shot or two of espresso)
- 2oz milk or heavy cream
- 2 T. hot chocolate mix (or chocolate syrup)
- peppermint simple
Combine cooled coffee, milk, chocolate mix over ice. Shake, stir (or combine in a blender for a frappe type beverage). Add peppermint simple syrup* to desired sweetness.
*Simple syrup is made by heating equal parts sugar and water until sugar is dissolved. You can flavor this by melting in a candy cane. It will keep in the fridge for a few weeks.
Like this kind of content? Preorder Comfort and Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent for more recipes, reflections and blessing this Advent season.
Don’t take our word for it!
Sherah-Leigh and I are excited about our book release on September 3rd, but you don’t have to take our word for it!
“Comfort & Joy is the perfect Advent devotional for busy parents who yearn to experience anew the wonder and joy of Christmas. Through a weekly rhythm of reflections and questions, practices and prayers, readings and recipes, Sherah-Leigh Gerber and Gwen Lantz guide our hearts and minds into a fresh encounter with the profound miracle of Jesus’ birth—God with us. Beautifully written, with relatable stories from two down-to-earth authors, Comfort & Joy is one of those rare books I plan to reread year after year.”
—Jason Porterfield, author of Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace throughout Holy Week
Preorder your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
Feeling Nostalgic for Christmas?
Christmas morning is a favorite time at our house. We hang out in our PJ’s, open gifts, and eat a Christmas breakfast together. I enjoy being with my family without needing to rush off to deliver my son to school or myself to work, and the excitement of opening the long anticipated presents under the Christmas tree.
In honor of our 12 Days of Christmas in July and in celebration of our upcoming Advent book, would you share your favorite Christmas tradition in the comments below?
Preorder your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
Blessing for the Waiting
When the light is dim,
And I wonder...
Remind me that you come near;
For I am waiting.
I am expectant.
I am preparing;
For I know you work wonders.
For healing,
For reconciliation,
I am waiting.
You announce mysteries.
You choose the surprising.
You keep hope alive.
You fulfill your promises.
You transform the ordinary.
You make a way when there seems to be none.
And I am waiting.
And so may I not only know,
but also practice believing.
While I am waiting.
From our forthcoming book, Comfort & Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent, releasing September 4, 2024.
Picture Christmas in July!
To celebrate day three of Christmas in July, click on the comments link below and share a favorite summer picture of your own.
I’ll go first. I love celebrating summer by taking some time at the lake! Those are my toes pictured – after a ride on an innertube, of course. Ahhhhh, summer. If Christmas were in July how would you celebrate?
Preorder your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
Sneak Peek…
We’re excited to share with you some of Gwen’s reflections from the introduction to Comfort & Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
One of my earliest holiday memories is of my family’s annual Christmas Day trip to Pennsylvania from our Virginia home in the Shenandoah Valley. Getting up early enough to open gifts before we set out down the interstate, we made the four-hour drive, arriving in time for the big Christmas dinner.
My grandparents were Amish, so in some ways the trip was a bit like traveling into another time. I was, in reality, sojourning to another culture. We started in the rural, southern countryside, where we were the only Stoltzfus in the phonebook, and arrived in a community where the same last name took up pages and pages.
As we passed through my grandparents’ door each year, we were greeted with kisses and handshakes all around the room. Women, in particular, were clothed differently, wearing cape dresses and coverings on their heads. My mother, sister, and I all wore dresses on that day to smooth the relational rough spots as these two cultures interacted within the same extended family.
Even though the interactions were sometimes complicated, one thing was certain—there was a place for everyone at my grandmother’s table. Sitting together to share a meal is deeply significant in Amish culture. In some traditions, when a person leaves the Amish community, as my father had done, they are no longer permitted to dine at the same table with their former community members. For my grandmother, divided card tables throughout the house would not do. Just one very long table. As the family grew, the long table moved to a basement room and became several long tables fully extended, connected one after the other and dressed in tablecloths, with china plates at every seat.
This specially prepared table and the generous meal enjoyed there is symbolic of the invitation God has extended to us and our communities. The table is long and there is space for each of us to sit down and join in the celebration. In this season of Advent, we prepare to participate in Christmas activities and we also celebrate the joyful reality of God’s presence on earth in Jesus—God with us. As you journey through Advent this year, our hope is that you will experience the same kind of warm welcome, beauty, and delight that I did when I entered the door of my grandparent’s house.
Pre-order your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration.
Christmas in July!
As we hit the midpoint of summer, Christmas may be the last thing on your mind! Between the heat dome temperatures and extended hours of sunlight, dark and cozy nights by twinkle light may seem only a distant memory. But this year, in honor of our forthcoming Advent book, we are inviting the Some Comfort and Joy community to celebrate Christmas in July with us.
While the tradition of Christmas in July originated in the Southern Hemisphere, where this time of year falls in meteorological winter, we’re building on this practice and offering some gifts, encouragement and surprises as we celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas leading up to announcing our pre-order bonuses.
Slow down and savor the season
Connect to what truly matters this Advent with new Comfort and Joy devotional
In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season’s endless to-dos, it can be difficult to slow down and truly connect to what matters. In Comfort and Joy: Readings and Practices for Advent (Herald Press, September 2024), authors Sherah-Leigh Gerber and Gwen Lantz offer a unique blend of reflections and spiritual practices, noticing the sacred amid the ordinary.
“I know too well how easy it can be to disappear into the chaos and activity of a busy life,” writes Lantz. “I wanted something to help me approach the holiday season with a different set of priorities.”
With readings to walk through the Advent and Christmas season, the weekly offerings in Comfort and Joy include a variety of devotional meditations and invitations. Scripture texts drawn from A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church by Wilda C. Gafney accompany reflections, journal prompts, and spiritual practices to help us slow down and savor this meaningful and holy journey through Christmas.
Pre-order your copy today, and follow along for gifts and surprises as part of our 12 Days of Christmas (in July) celebration!
some comfort and joy 