https://store.upperroom.org:443/contributors/ruth-l-bolingRuth L. Boling is a writer and Presbyterian minister who has served churches in Ohio, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey for more than three decades. She is the co-author of the bestselling <em>A Children's Guide to Worship</em> and author of <em>Come Worship With Me: A Journey through the Church Year</em>. <em>Season’s Greetings</em> began as a labor of love for her congregation in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and grew into a book during her Doctor of Ministry program in Creative Writing and Public Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.https://store.upperroom.org:443/product/season-s-greetings-2<p><em>&ldquo;Be prepared in this book to meet the people of the biblical Christmas story in ways you have never encountered them before.&rdquo;&mdash;Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology</em></p> <p>Imagine opening your mailbox to find a bundle of Christmas letters addressed to you from long-ago Bible characters who were there for the birth of Jesus. <em>Mary. Joseph. The innkeeper. A shepherd. The midwife. King Herod. The Magi.</em> How do each of these writers remember the unfolding story? What did they know? When did they know it? How did it change them?</p> <p>In <em>Season's Greetings</em>, twelve vividly imagined letters from "those who were there" speak to the many meanings of Christmas. Awe. Wonder. Disruption. Scandal. Hope. Collected together, the letters invite you&mdash;the reader&mdash;to add your voice to the conversation, to put Christmas into your own words.</p> <p>Scripture texts, companion prayers, reflection questions and journaling prompts accompanying each letter lend themselves to individual or group study.</p> <p>Whether you love Christmas or dread it, whether you are a believer or a skeptic, the letters in <em>Season's Greetings</em> will speak to you. This Advent devotional delivers straight talk with honesty, intellectual rigor and a touch of humor, allowing you to hear with new ears the old, old story that changed&mdash;and is changing&mdash;the world.</p> <p><em>Season's Greetings</em> also includes an Afterword for Clergy and Church Leaders offering creative ideas for using the book in various ministry contexts, as well as a Small Group Leader's Guide.</p> <p><a href="https://urcenter-assets.upperroom.org/pdfs/Season%27sGreetings_Preview_K.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ A SAMPLE</a>.</p>Tue, 03 Sep 2024 13:10:06 GMThttps://store.upperroom.org:443/product/season-s-greetings-2https://store.upperroom.org:443/product/season-s-greetings<p><em>&ldquo;Be prepared in this book to meet the people of the biblical Christmas story in ways you have never encountered them before.&rdquo;&mdash;Thomas G. Long, Candler School of Theology</em></p> <p>Imagine opening your mailbox to find a bundle of Christmas letters addressed to you from long-ago Bible characters who were there for the birth of Jesus. <em>Mary. Joseph. The innkeeper. A shepherd. The midwife. King Herod. The Magi.</em> How do each of these writers remember the unfolding story? What did they know? When did they know it? How did it change them?</p> <p>In <em>Season's Greetings</em>, twelve vividly imagined letters from "those who were there" speak to the many meanings of Christmas. Awe. Wonder. Disruption. Scandal. Hope. Collected together, the letters invite you&mdash;the reader&mdash;to add your voice to the conversation, to put Christmas into your own words.</p> <p>Scripture texts, companion prayers, reflection questions and journaling prompts accompanying each letter lend themselves to individual or group study.</p> <p>Whether you love Christmas or dread it, whether you are a believer or a skeptic, the letters in <em>Season's Greetings</em> will speak to you. This Advent devotional delivers straight talk with honesty, intellectual rigor and a touch of humor, allowing you to hear with new ears the old, old story that changed&mdash;and is changing&mdash;the world.</p> <p><em>Season's Greetings</em> also includes an Afterword for Clergy and Church Leaders offering creative ideas for using the book in various ministry contexts, as well as a Small Group Leader's Guide.</p> <p><a href="https://urcenter-assets.upperroom.org/pdfs/Season%27sGreetings_Preview_K.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ A SAMPLE</a>.</p>Tue, 04 Jun 2024 19:38:23 GMThttps://store.upperroom.org:443/product/season-s-greetings