My Review:
"Advent Unhurried: Daily Devotions for a Season of
Wonder and Stillness" by Micha Boyett is a creative and beautiful advent companion!
I love how this unique book helps the reader prepare their hearts and find
special ways to connect with God during the Advent season. This is unlike any
other Advent book I have read before because it contains poetry and because of
how creative it is. The author helps the reader slow down to notice God at work
and choose to live in the mystery of that. Ms. Boyett offers rhythms and
practices to make space during Advent for wonder and to have the right posture
in our souls. The book is divided into four weeks of advent with the four traditional
themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. There are helpful tips and a cast of
characters in the beginning. I love that there is a variety for different days
(e.g. poetry, devotions, lectio divinia—with tips on how to engage with them). An
example of a devotion I loved is one that talked about building our capacity
for joy and then shared a poem by Wendell Berry. I especially love that a lot
of the poetry in the book is written by the author herself. I found the book to
come from a less conservative view than my own (the author mentions wanting women
to preach) and I also found some of the poems on childbirth a little jarring
for my personal taste. Those things aside, I recommend this beautiful book to
those who want something different and creative to celebrate Advent!
Content: I give this a low PG-13 rating. Some examples of
the content: mention of a woman wanting
to preach; a poem alludes to childbirth and mentions a mother’s breasts; talk
of blood; mention of se*uality and se*ual experience; the word “a*s” is used
three times in a non-derogatory way.
TW: mention of mental health and addiction; anxiety.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book
which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest
opinion.
