1. I absolutely love the cover and the feel of this book. Before I opened it, I could see it was quality! Can you talk me through how you produced it? Did you work with anyone else?
I’m so glad you like it! I made the decision to self-publish the book, and wanted to make sure it felt like a high-quality product, so I engaged the services of Liz Carter, a good friend of mine, who writes beautifully but also does editing, formatting and cover design for authors who are self-publishing. We talked about the kind of cover I wanted and she came back with a range of great ideas for me to choose from. Liz was fantastic to work with and I would definitely recommend her services! I’m thrilled with the look and feel of the book. I think that’s part of the whole experience for a reader.
2. I hadn’t come across the concept of “breath prayers” before. Can you tell me a little bit more about them and why you decided to use them in this book?
Absolutely! Breath prayers are very simple prayers based around two phrases – one to say as you inhale, and one to say as you exhale. They come from the more contemplative tradition in Christianity. I can very easily get stuck in my head – in my thoughts – and so having a way to pray that helps me connect with my body is helpful. Psychology and science tell us that when we’re feeling anxious, connecting with our breath, and slowing our breathing down helps our body understand that we are safe. So I wanted to offer readers that invitation – to slow down our breathing and refocus our minds on God – in the midst of what can be an overwhelming and very busy season.
3. The original meaning of Advent is often lost beneath a sea of admin, present buying and wrapping, wall-to-wall awful Christmas songs and heightened stress. Your devotional has a wonderful, calm quality which encourages the reader to seek the quiet and the peace beneath the strident and the raucous. When did the seed of this idea come to you?
I don’t come from a church background that follows the liturgical seasons very closely, but I love the practice some churches have of lighting a candle for each Sunday in Advent. In many churches, those candles represent hope, peace, joy and love – the four themes I’ve structured Contemplating Christmas around. When you light a candle, it requires stillness, steady focus and gentleness. Without those things, the candle either becomes dangerous or ends up getting extinguished. So I wanted the book to have that same feeling of calm awareness that draws our attention back to God.
4. I love the simplicity of the devotions. Even the busiest person (and I count myself as one of these) has enough time to lay aside for two short readings, a devotional, a reflection and a breath prayer. If you wanted to, I suppose you could have it done and dusted in five minutes, but that’s not really the point. What is your hope and prayer for this Advent devotional?
My hope and prayer is that the book meets each reader where they are. I hope the book provides a space where people can be honest about what’s hard in their lives but also points us towards hope for what lies ahead. The book offers an invitation (or even an excuse!) to pause for moment in the midst of the chaos to connect with ourselves and with God.
5. I found myself nodding in agreement at phrases like these. “We know it [Christmas] should all be bathed in the soft glow of twinkling fairy lights to make it feel merry and bright. But what if it doesn’t feel like that?” The whole book is shot through with this kind of gentle wisdom. With particular reference to your work as a teacher, how has your experience of the pre-Christmas rush informed this book?
It's fantastic to be around children at Christmas because they are so honest. They’re all caught up in the wonder and magic of the season, and have no problem expressing their exuberance and joy! But there’s always a point where they get over-tired and over-stimulated (much like us adults!) and then there are tantrums and tears when they can’t cope any more. Often we think that Christmas is meant to be exclusively joyful and happy, but children help us understand that we can be real about what’s hard, too. Joy and sadness don’t cancel each other out. It’s great to get swept up in the excitement of Christmas, but it’s also emotionally healthy to express the ways we might be grieving or feeling pain. We can make room for all our emotions because God is the wise, loving parent who is big enough to handle our feelings and help us manage them.
6. I particularly loved your thoughts on being thankful on Day 15. I know myself how difficult it can be to keep on praising God and speaking to Him during difficult times. How have your own life experiences woven themselves into this devotional?
I got married last April, at the age of 44, so for a long time, Christmas was my yearly reminder of the fact that I was still single, that my life didn’t look how I wanted it to. When you’ve been facing the same pain or disappointment for many years, it’s very hard and it can be easy to fall into ‘always and never’ thinking: “life will always be like this, good things will never happen for me.” But gratitude helped me to move away from that. I looked at my life and couldn’t deny that some parts of it were really good. I had a job I enjoyed, a place I loved living, family and friends who cared about me. Being thankful for those things didn’t take away my pain but it did help me gain perspective and find more balance in my thinking. It was a helpful tool in pointing me towards hope.
Thank you Abby!
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