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Wholehearted Advent | Jen Ludwig · The Wholehearted Enneagram Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: So what exactly is Advent?
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's personal yet communal, traditional, yet varied.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: And ultimately, Advent is about the anticipation and the preparation for the arrival of Christ, both in historical remembrance as well as a reflection of the hopeful expectation of his future return.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: Now, to give a little bit of the details about Advent, it typically begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and it lasts four weeks.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: The exact dates vary each year, but consistently it marks the start of the liturgical year in many Christian traditions.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: You might observe Advent by lighting candles, maybe one for each week leading up to Christmas on a wreath that sits at your church on an altar or on your dining room table.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: These candles traditionally symbolize hope, peace, joy, and love with a central candle called the Christ candle and signifies the arrival of Jesus.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this word avant ultimately is a Latin word meaning adventus, meaning coming or arrival.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_00: And it's this time and invitation for Christians to reflect on the biblical prophecies of the Messiah's coming in the anticipation of his birth that happened over 2,000 years ago.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as you go through Advent and you focus on these different themes, hope, peace, joy, and love, we're encouraged to meditate on the qualities Christ brings into our lives or how he represented those things and therefore how we can live out those things.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: You can observe Advent through spiritual practices like daily devotionals, prayers, acts of kindness and self-reflection.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: There are so many things, even including fasting or giving up certain pleasures as a form of spiritual discipline to prepare for this time.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: So there's even colors associated with this.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: And some churches dress or decorate according to these colors.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it's important to note that Avent is actually different from Christmas.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's about preparing for Jesus' birth.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's about focusing on the spiritual significance amidst the hustle, the bustle, and the worldly celebrations that are all around us, which aren't bad, right?
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: It's just part of it.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: And Advent distinctly helps us prepare our hearts for the ultimate reason for the season.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, you may have grown up observing Advent one way or never even hearing that term in the right context.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: So do a little exploration for yourself, maybe even ask your pastor.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: But ultimately, I hope that you choose to engage in some spiritual rhythms this Advent season that prepares your heart and helps you slow down and savor this beautiful time of remembering the hope that we ultimately have.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, during this Advent season, I thought it would be delightful to have Jen Ludwig share her story about rediscovering Christmas and reclaiming the meaning of Advent in her life.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: She has done this through Story Today with Us, but also in her Advent Devotional.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's called Embracing Advent, Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's a beautiful book that you might want to implement this year.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I'm sharing this conversation with plenty of time to get it and add it to your reading list maybe as you sit under the twinkle lights of the tree in the early morning or in the afternoon or late at night, whenever we can fit it in, right?
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciated all the heartfelt insights that Jen shared today.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get right to this conversation.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Jingle bells, plates of cookies, turkey trots, and Christmas wishes.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it's that time of year again.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Can you believe it?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I'm Amy Wicks, a wife, mom, author, certified coach, and host of this Simply Wholehearted podcast.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the 7th Annual Advent Series, where you'll hear about the practical rhythms for cultivating gratitude and celebration this holiday season.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Let's usher in this time of year with a ton of excitement because Christbirth is something that has changed everything for you and for me.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to share the powerful conversations with you about new Christmas musicals, finding peace in the chaos, sharing favorite holiday traditions, and even how to have healthier expectations this holiday season.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: I pray this wholehearted take on the Advent season blesses you richly, sweet friend.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Merry Christmas.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm just so excited about getting into some of the details about why this Advent season is so special.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: I love that we're talking now.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm have all my fall vibes.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: I've got my candle going and my fall colors on, um, and really looking forward to looking ahead to the advent season.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we of obviously you know we love to talk about Enneagram here.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: So this year I'm having fun opening up with the question about your Enneagram type and getting the scoop of how you would describe your type without telling us the number.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um a bit about me without telling you the number.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I like things to be just perfect.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: Since we're talking about Christmas, I will say that one of those um things you always see is my wrapping paper.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I always have wrapping paper with matching ribbons and not only like coordinated paper and ribbons, but um I have different paper depending on the actual occasion.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like I have all of my gifts wrapped for Christmas at my in-laws in like one wrapping paper.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_01: And then I have like all of my gifts wrapped for my home in a different one.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: And even, I will admit, down to family members like my son and my daughter, because it makes it so much easier because I wrap as I go when I'm shopping.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, it makes it so much easier on when it gets close to Christmas to be like, oh, that pile of gifts is the one going with us to grandma's house and um Christmas morning.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, there's like, yeah.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a little bit about me.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I like jobs to be done well, and I often think that I'm the best one to get the job done.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_01: Um, which I will admit can be exhausting if I'm not careful.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I can be frustrated if I feel like other people aren't doing their jobs and the other things that need to get done.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's a little bit telling.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_01: We were talking before we got on mic that um I consider myself a bit of a Martha in that.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um I love the season of Advent because of its intentionality and order.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_01: And um because it is so meaningful to me, it um drives me to want to tell others about it.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: That was an excellent description.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: And I appreciate that fun tip about the wrapping paper.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's so great.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: It makes things easier on Christmas Day.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: It does.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we I always share that we have three family birthdays the week, actually, technically four, the week of Christmas.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we usually have three different Christmases.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so while I've had to learn over the years to be very or more organized than my nature, I um I'm always enjoying gathering better tips like this to help me sort it out in the end.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'll give you one more because I did know that about your family because I am December 15th.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and although we my husband and I were not gonna um shoot to have a child around the same time because it was so hard for me growing up, being in constant competition with Jesus, um my daughter was due December 27th, uh, but managed not to come till January 6th.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: So my piphany baby.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_01: But um, what's been really neat for her over the years, particularly my husband's parents, always celebrate her half birthday.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: So on her birthday, which is, you know, just 12 days out from Christmas, they'll give her a calendar with a date circled in July and um with something that they will do with her.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because when you're at that time of year, like she's just received so much.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um and so it's always been kind of a neat way for her to feel celebrated and get a little extra special time mid-year after all the fuss at Christmas.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_00: That is fantastic.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: I am all about spreading it out.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if you have listened to my episodes when I moan and groan about all these birthdays, I would gladly celebrate my half birthday.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: It would be uh it would be easier.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: Or even are your family members listening?
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if they do anymore.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: 300 plus episodes in.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think you're tired of hearing me talk.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_00: I love it.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, thank you for sharing that with us.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: And I am sure that our friends are yelling their guesses as they're listening.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: While they are thinking about that, I'd love to have us turn to really the heart of our conversation for today.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we have just um kicked off the holiday advent season on the podcast.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_00: And um I'm just so grateful for the lineup and who the Lord has brought and the ideas that he's put in my spirit to talk about it.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I want to talk about for you the experience of observing the tradition of Advent, because it is a traditional church calendar thing that not every Christian church tradition is um celebrating in a similar fashion.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: So it looks different across the board.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think there's really a wrong way.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe for you, you would say there is a right way.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: But I'd love to hear for you when did you start observing that rhythm and and why?
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um for me, when I was very young, I did grow up in a home where we had at least the very basic Advent calendar where it's like, you know, little paper doors that open, and maybe there's a bit of the Christmas story or a bit of scripture behind it.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: And most of the time those calendars are dated December 1st to 25th.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: And it's basically like a countdown to Christmas.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: And actually, even outside the church, like they're everywhere now.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like you can have them with socks and cosmetics and candy.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: We always pick up the ones at Trader Joe's that are like 99 cents each.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: But um, it's basically like a countdown to Christmas.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: But on the liturgical church calendar, Advent is specifically the four weeks leading up to Christmas.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: So it's always the fourth Sunday before um Christmas.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_01: And those four weeks are themed, and it's most often the four themes of hope, peace, joy, and love.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I didn't discover that form of Advent till I was in college.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I did go to a church that was a little bit more liturgical, and I remember that at the front of the church they would have this giant candelabra, like huge, with these four candles for those four weeks of Advent.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: And every week, um, in those four weeks of generally December leading up, they would light one candle.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: A family would come up and light one candle, and the whole service would be themed around that.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: It would be, you know, the songs and the sermon and the scripture would all be focused on either those the gift of hope or peace or joy or love.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's when I uh started to see a little bit more of a liturgical, like the traditional church execution of Advent.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: And with that, um, was exposed to the first time of the idea of an Advent devotional.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: So actually, it was something that my pastor's wife had written, but just a very simple devotional that was again specific to those four weeks, really focused on preparing our hearts to celebrate Jesus' birth.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I love that.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: For so for you, it it did start in the church and in a way came into the home in your personal life.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: And I'm wondering for you, how did you invite your family into that process?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because uh, you know, we all again, the Trader Joe's calendars with a little bit of chocolate is fun, but I'm always looking for ways to invite our kids to the deeper um beauty of this tradition.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: So that church that I went to in college was the church my husband grew up in, because he grew up in the town where I went to university.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that was already very much part of his growing up.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_01: So it was very easily brought into our home.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And when we had young children, um, we also had a small advent wreath, which a lot of people do in their homes.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's like a wreath with the four candles.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: I love my advent wreath.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's super simple, just a little gold rim that you kind of can put fresh or fake greenery around, and then you put the candles in it.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: And we've always had that on our dining room table as a reminder where we are at in the advent season, what we're focusing on.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but specifically when my kids were younger, we did have the kind of traditional 25-day calendar with little pockets.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: And um we would go through the Christmas story.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: So I had kind of taken um some easier translations for them to understand and put the story chronologically when they were young and just kind of cut those up and tuck them in with a little piece of candy every day.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: And that was one of our traditions uh when they were younger.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_01: So we have always done that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: We've found ways to um modify that over the years.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_01: One year in December, my son was in the hospital for a couple of weeks.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: So we had to modify there.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: As they've gotten older, um, the um simpler verses and reading those every day is no longer really appropriate.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, those are some of the things we've done as the kids were little to kind of be focused on that whole season of preparation and not just Christmas Day.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and it's so valuable.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: Those early years are incredibly impressionable.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that those wet cement moments, it's so great to put in there, however, it looks as they get older, because there is so many nuances and dynamics and and challenges to do.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: But I know that I'm missing the fruit of those, those sewing in moments that they really get that posture of what this season is all about.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's no longer has to be a teachable moment, it's a conversation and it's ongoing practice with them, which is um, which is so neat.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you alluded to kind of an inspiration behind your Advent devotional, and it's called Embracing Advent, Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_00: I love the title, so much beauty in it.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: I want to hear what's what was some of the other inspiration?
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Was there maybe a brokenhearted moment that led to this wholehearted decision to invest some of sharing your story with others?
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I was thinking about that.
• 16:09
  SPEAKER_01: Uh sort of what led to this and realized that it was really years in the making.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I was saying that I was in college, um, that was when I first introduced to Advent and I became a believer in high school.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um I've celebrated Christmas for many years with my focus being on Christ.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um but uh I think there was a moment, and I I loved the question because it made me really contemplate this.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: I would say it was back in around 2008, right?
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um maybe 15 years ago, there was a video that was circling around churches, and it was like a little two or three-minute clip that you could play kind of at the beginning or end of a service, and it was done by an organization called the Advent Conspiracy.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if anybody's familiar with it or do they remember it.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: And so the the concept that they were promoting in the video was that at Christmas we should worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: And um the overall point was just to remember what we're celebrating.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: And also, you know, there was a real focus on um sort of the consumerism that had overtaken the holiday.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: And so um that whole concept of, you know, spend less but give more was about, you know, the debt that people go into worldwide at Christmas time and really stepping away from that and being like, how are we spending our time?
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what are we getting caught up in during the month of December?
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_01: So back in 2008, I found that really convicting, but also really encouraging because I realized that there was like that I could make some changes that could really affect people, like particularly in how I was giving my gifts.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that year, um, I had two little ones at the time.
• 18:07
  SPEAKER_01: So that at that time they would have been two and four, and I had some nieces and a nephew.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so for Christmas, I wrote them all songs as their Christmas gifts.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_01: I wrote and just recorded at home because I'm also a worship leader and a songwriter.
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that was their Christmas gift, and that also led into sort of a season of songwriting.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: It turned into writing a bunch of Christmas songs that I recorded the following year.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and because of that, began to circulate and going to churches and speaking about Advent.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: It just was like a snowball, perfect timing for Christmas of just passion for it and wanting to share more about um how we could do things differently and and taking that step back at Advent to really honor like what we're celebrating.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: So that is sort of, I would say, the heartbreak was my own realization that even as a believer, um, how I'd become distracted.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then coming back to it.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'd actually say the second heartbreak moment which really brought the devotional about was COVID.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that was a heartbreak moment for a lot of people.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, it meant a lot of extra time, you know, and time being at home.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And that was the year I wrote the devotional.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: So during 2020, I wrote it and had a rough copy that I gave about a dozen um copies out just in little um folders to some friends and a couple family members, and they used it that Christmas in 2020.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: And then 2021, I took their feedback and did rewrites and had it published for Christmas 2021.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_01: So that is my silver lining out of COVID of turning that around.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_00: So absolutely.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so interesting.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: I was thinking as you referred to that 2008 campaign, if you will.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_00: I want to remind our friends that 2008 there was a recession that hit us pretty hard.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I know it impacted um my family and friends.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it was, and I had little ones, and I remember in my personal life kind of some, I got really scrappy that year to make some Christmas wishes happen.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was, it was really impactful and it was um, yeah, it was incredibly impactful.
• 20:27
  SPEAKER_00: But all of that to say it's it's just so interesting because I feel like uh I'm praising the Lord, we're not where we were in 2020 and just the limitations and a lot of the fear still, and and so many other things that impacted that year.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_00: But we are facing a lot worldwide and again on an economic scale here this year.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_00: And I don't know that we will never not um have that cycle again.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, some years are gonna look different than others, but so so fascinating that it was in those moments that the Lord spoke through kind of to this point how do you rediscover Christmas in the chaos?
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_00: We are all, whether it's a national chaos or crisis globally or personally, we're all gonna deal with that.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, just a beautiful title of how do we rediscover that and ultimately the meaning.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: I would love to hear because I'm all about giving practical tips.
• 21:29
  SPEAKER_00: Not only do my friends want to get their hands on the devotional, and that's why we're releasing the conversation here at the beginning of November.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that way you have plenty of time to get it on Amazon.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_00: Plenty, plenty of time, and you can begin it to and even follow the traditional church calendar.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: But what are some of the things that you would share with us to implement and to try out after we listen to this conversation and prepare for this app in season?
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I love that this is happening in November.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: The Advent season starts this year, Sunday, December 3rd.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: So it is great to be thinking now about what you want that whole season to look like, right?
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: For me, if there were like three things that I would suggest to be thinking about going into Advent, they would be finding a time to sit quietly, to plan purposefully, and to give joyfully.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: So sitting quietly, I just would love to share really quickly.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: I already alluded to the fact that I am a Martha.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: And when I say that, I see the strengths in her and I also see the weaknesses in her, but just love looking to her story, particularly the one about her and her sister Mary when Jesus visits.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: So do you mind if I just read those couple of verses?
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that'd be great.
• 22:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so this is the Phillips translation, which I love.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because it says, as they continued on their journey, Jesus came to a village and a woman called Martha welcomed him into her house.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: She had a sister by the name of Mary who settled down at the Lord's feet and was listening to what he said.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: But Martha was very worried about her elaborate preparations.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_01: And she burst in saying, Lord, don't you mind that my sister has left me to do everything by myself?
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: Tell her to get up and help me.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_01: But the Lord answered her, Martha, my dear, you are worried and bothered about providing so many things.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: Only a few things are really needed, perhaps only one.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: Mary has chosen the best part, and you must not tear it away from her.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: So Jesus comes to these sisters' house and they have this incredible opportunity just to spend time with him.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_01: But Mary gets so overwhelmed, it says, with the elaborate preparations, which I get on my rock or matches.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: And Hallmark only emphasizes the struggle.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: So because she's making elaborate preparations, which I actually think are probably well intentioned.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, she gets a little too caught up in the preparations themselves and misses just Jesus being with her.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: So he does encourage her, like, just hang out with me.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, that's the best part, is just sit here and be with me.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that happens to us at Christmas.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: We get caught up in a lot of really good things.
• 24:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, there is so much going on.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_01: And whether it's relational or if it's gift giving or if it's crafting, or even if it's like serving at the church, these things can end up distracting us from just being with Jesus.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: So my number one priority is to make time like Mary, just sit at his feet.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: And so I encourage us all now to think about what that will look like and think about when you want to do it during the day.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you're a morning person and you want to set aside 15 minutes every morning.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's fantastic for you to end your day with some reflection and preparing for the next day.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_01: Or maybe like you're gonna make it part of your lunch routine is go for a walk and have some time and do it then.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_01: But I'd say find that time, choose a place.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: Our bodies like become so familiar with places.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: I have a cozy chair that I go to every morning with a big cup of coffee before anyone else is awake.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's my time to be with the Lord.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, as soon as I sit in that chair, my body knows like this is what I'm here to do.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then I would say find something to do, um, an actual, you know, whether it's a Bible reading plan or a devotional.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: I know we're talking about the one that I did, but there's plenty of them out there.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but just finding something so you can find time to sit quietly.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um, my second recommendation is to plan purposefully.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um we have time now before December comes because once it is here, I feel like we just get pulled under.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: I always use this uh analogy of it's like a rushing river, and it's like on Black Friday, we jump into the rapids and we kind of get carried and tossed around, and then we get spit out on shore on December 26th and are like, what happened?
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, right?
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: So true.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: That is the worst feeling, and I've had it in years past of regret of the 26th, of like, we like really, like what happened?
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_01: How did we get here?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_01: It was all such a blur.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_01: So last year I did this with a group of girlfriends, which was great, is we got together 10, 15 minutes, and we did a brain dump.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: Take a piece of paper, write down everything you think you would like to do this Christmas season, whether it is baking cookies, going to the parties, shopping events, whatever it is, brain dump it all onto one piece of paper, and then circle the three things that are really important to you and your family.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like what three things are going to point us to Christ, are going to help us love one another well, and come out on the 26th saying, yeah, I feel good about, I feel good about the seventh season.
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_01: So, like circling those three things, and then I would encourage you to try to cross off at least three things.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_01: What are three things that you are going to let go of this year and not do?
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: And when we did this as a group, I think we were all pretty surprised, first of all, at how full the piece of paper was.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_01: So I mentioned earlier, you know, the little calendar with the pockets with the verses.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, someone had given that to us.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think when my daughter was born, I think it was like, you know, that year or the next year, it was one of my husband's aunts and uncles.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and so it was a very special piece of our family tradition.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: But you come to realize that, like, you know, a 15 and 17-year-old don't need to be pulling little verses out that there's better discussions that can be maybe happening once a week around the advent theme or um just whatever it is in that changing season, but there's just things that we do because we've always done them.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: And um, one of the things we let go of really early on in our family was Christmas cards.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you spoke about having busy December birthdays.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like there was just too much going on in our December for me to get everyone together to take a nice picture, design the card, get them mailed.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_01: So we do Easter cards every year.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: Love it.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: We take our pictures after the first of the year and we send out something a little later.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: But um just that whole planning purposefully, though, taking time to look at the calendar, what do you really want to do?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_01: What can you let go of?
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_01: Seeing that, knowing what it is.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_01: And then I'd say pull out the calendar and actually make it happen.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like if one of your top three things is walking around your neighborhood to see the Christmas lights, pick a day and put it on the calendar.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like so it's actually there.
• 29:45
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to um, you know, spend time with just your immediate family on either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or another day near Christmas, pick the date now, put it on the calendar.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: Because at the other side of that, it makes saying no easier.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_01: Some things you can say no to in advance, but some things you're just prepared to say no to.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: When you are asked, you know, are you going to come to the holiday cookie exchange?
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, you know what?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: I wish I could, but I can't this year.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's so much easier when you already know what you're going to say than when you get those invitations on the spot, or hey, can you lead so-and-so's class Christmas party?
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, you know what?
• 30:28
  SPEAKER_01: I can't do that this year.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm happy to bring the cookies, right?
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like knowing in advance what you're gonna say yes to, what you're gonna say no to, and actually putting it on the calendar.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: And just one last word on that is leaving margin.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: You know, there's always the chance that you know, someone gets sick and you don't want to be um feeling so stretched because of that.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: There's always the chance that your little one comes to you and says, Oh, mommy, I did sign you up to do something and do tomorrow.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then you're not up crying at midnight because it's the thing that broke the camel's back, right?
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_01: So making time to sit quietly, which also, if that's new to you, can go on the calendar if you want to put a little reminder, 15 minutes every morning.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, taking that time to plan purposefully and then giving joyfully.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_01: And for me, that goes back to that advent conspiracy campaign about uh spend less and give more.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: There are so many creative ways to give gifts that are literally out of the box.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and this is a lot about thoughtful giving, spending less money, but giving the gift of time, which can feel incredibly overwhelming when we're just talked about how packed our calendar is.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: But when you think about it, those gifts don't have to happen on Christmas Day.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: If you say, um, you know, maybe you have a skill, maybe, you know, maybe you're a surfer, I don't know, or maybe you sew and you can be like, I'm gonna take my nephew out for surf lessons, or I'm gonna, you know, teach my daughter and her friends a little sewing class, you know, once a week in the spring, and we're gonna make something.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, these ideas of things that you can do that have incredible lasting impact, but maybe don't cost like dollars out of your wallet, yeah.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of cost.
• 32:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think that they are more valuable in many ways.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so along those lines, yeah, giving gifts of time, of lessons, of teaching people something.
• 32:50
  SPEAKER_01: One year I gave my sisters-in-law um note cards for the whole year, like 12 cards self-addressed back to me, that said, this month, this is what's going on.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_01: Please pray for this.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Just to build our relationship and keep us in the loop with what's going on in each other's lives.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: And so that they know I'd be praying for them in those specific things.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: Um, donation gifts can be really um impactful as well, especially if you give to a cause that uh the receiver is passionate about.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is one way we've solved our extended family gift giving for when we get together on Christmas Day.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever it is tends to be something that we give every family.
• 33:36
  SPEAKER_01: So, for example, one year we made donations for building water wells and we gave everyone like water pitchers for their for their dining room table.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: Not expensive ones.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_01: I think we got them at IKEA, you know, but just a little thing to remind them when they use it like actually something's been given in your name to a greater cause.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: So those are just some other thoughts.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but they do take some planning.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_01: So again, it's it's great to talk about that now.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's great to start thinking about those things in November.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_01: I I don't um I do realize that some of these gifts take more effort.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um if we are going to be loving well and worshiping through our gift giving, that they take more thought and prayer, perhaps.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I do think that it can be really impactful and another thing that keeps our focus and our hearts in the right place during the Advent season and um during our time of celebration.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: So um sitting quietly, planning purposefully, and giving joyfully would be my recommendations.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think the invitation of the whole hearted journey is all encompassed in the word intentionality.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: And intentionality does take time, and it takes time to find margin and time to sit and to give in a meaningful way.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: But it is so worth it.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: The fruit of that is incredibly rewarding and it's possible.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's not gonna happen all overnight.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna be able to do all of these things, maybe even this season, the way you want to.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: But this is why we get the books.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: This is why these books are written, the devotionals are written, so we can begin to let that invitation of intentionality sow in us for a time and to take steps in that direction.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I've been part of a mastermind for a year now about focus and creating margin in my business.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we so want to microwave everything in our life.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_00: And it's so easy to, you know, take the lessons the first week of the mastermind and be like, I want this now.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_00: I want my business to look this way, I want my life to look this way.
• 35:59
  SPEAKER_00: But that's that is not how it goes.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_00: I I'm a year later just finally able to implement things or even having the revelation of what it could look like in my life.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so this is why I have the advent conversations every year.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's all one and done where we hear one conversation, suddenly we get it.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_00: We get to have this again and again.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're invited to the rhythm year after year.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is the beauty of the church calendar.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing new every year.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's the same thing, but we can learn a new thing.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: But yes, we can bring in something new every year.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like this whole brain dump idea.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, clearly, I've been telling you that, you know, I've been thinking about Advent for like 30 years.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: And like last year ago, that was a revelation.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like putting it on paper and seeing it.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm even cautious when I do feel like I'm rapid-firing all these ideas that I'm passionate about, that it could be overwhelming.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, oh, I have to do all of these things to make Advent special or to celebrate Christmas well.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: And no, no, it's like grab one of these things to help point you toward Christ during this time of celebration.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like what is the thing that you feel like you can do?
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_01: Or what is the one area where it's like, oh yeah, I could really grow in that.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's pick that one this year.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_01: And again, love that we're talking about this in November.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_01: But if two weeks into December you are feeling overwhelmed, you can take a 15-minute break and be like, okay, what am I gonna let go of now?
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yep.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: I should have let go of it before, but now I gotta look at things again.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: What am I gonna let go of?
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_01: And what can I do to draw closer to Jesus?
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how can I switch this up?
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have to be today, it can be further down the line.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh, so good.
• 37:58
  SPEAKER_00: Cause you hinted at it inevitably, especially as my kids were younger.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: We everything going on, we would have a stomach bug or COVID or lice one year.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_00: And oh no, you know, it was always something.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um, and that's where we get that invitation to prune and come back to the real invitation of the season and what advent is all about.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: So this is so good, Jen.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: So many practical tips that my friends can implement.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_00: As we said, take one that will make a difference for you this year and then um and then revisit these conversations uh again.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_00: And but before you go and before friends start doing their brain dump here, because right before Thanksgiving, those lists start to get longer and longer.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I want to hear for you what is your favorite Christmas ornament or decoration that adds significance to your celebration?
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: And and speaking of maybe paring down a little bit, doing less, Christmas decorations might be the best way to begin where I have some friends, there's they're gonna start decorating in October because you know, they want to do that.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that brings them joy.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: But I also on the flip side, if putting up your tree, you know, causes you to feel like you're gonna melt down, wait to do it or don't do it, or ask someone else to do it.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_00: So anyway, but what is your decoration that you're gonna um that just really brings some joy to your heart?
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_01: So the decoration that brings joy to my heart is um kind of a repeated thing.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_01: Every year we give our kids an ornament that represents an activity they were involved in, an accomplishment from the year, a passion they had.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: So um, my favorite thing actually is when we pull out our ornaments and I go through, and it's like the little silver rattle from when my daughter was born, or the Hot Wheels ornament from when my son was like four or five and obsessed with toy cars.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: And then there's like Sesame Street and Disney princesses, and um, so those ornaments are my favorite, or those one that they each have for each year.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_01: And um, my hope is that, you know, when the time comes that they're in their own homes with their own trees, that they will take those with them as their starter sets.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_01: So that's so those are my favorite.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I mentioned earlier as well, I'll I'll say again, I do love having the Advent wreath on our table.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: And this year, our family um had the privilege.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: We were in Amsterdam in the summer, and I bought candles there.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I am very excited to use those candles in my Advent wreath this year.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, I bet.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, those are fantastic.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: I love that tradition.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: That might spark something for someone who wants to uh do that with their kids.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great idea.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: We do.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's our favorite thing is to go through before we're, you know, we don't always put up all the ornaments, but the kids love to go through and remember and, you know, so many special memories.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, well, Jen, thank you for your time today.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for sharing some of your story and these intentional practices.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I just wish you a very Merry Christmas this year.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: Very much Merry Christmas to you and happy Advent season.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, those tips that Jen had for us were so good.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_00: I really love how she tied in the passage of Mary and Martha.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's such an important reminder of scripture during a season where it's so easy to get swept up into the busyness of things, and yet we're invited to sit there before Jesus, or how I like to do it, by the twinkle lights of the tree, to be reminded and be refreshed and replenished to really celebrate the things that are most important.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, like she said, there are so many Advent devotionals.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, now that this is the seventh Advent season of the podcast, I've shared a lot through the years and I'm always posting about them.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: And I have a few that I rotate through as well.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_00: But Embracing Advent would likely serve you so well if you're wanting to try something new this year.
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_00: So you can get Embracing Advent, Rediscovering Christmas in the Chaos on Amazon.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, I'll link to it in the show notes.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: And also, if you haven't gotten to meet Jen before, I would love it if you would go say hi to her on Instagram, give her a follow, and thank her for being a part of this season and maybe being a part of your season in your reading rhythm this year.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_00: Also, if you thought of someone who could use this resource and the conversation I have at Jen today, would you please pass this episode along?
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_00: It really means so much as I'm genuinely praying for these episodes to reach as many friends as possible.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: I really appreciate every share.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_00: You are truly the best.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, friend, I've got more conversations for you to prepare this advent season.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_00: We're coming in hot with our friend from Canada, Deanna Sudom.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna be talking about expectations.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be so good.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_00: I can't wait to share with you.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: All right, until next time, friend, continue to pursue good perspective, purpose, and plans for your simply whole heart of life.