Encountering Emmanuel - A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

Embark on a transformative journey this Advent with Heather Khym, cohost of the Abiding Together podcast, as she extends a heartfelt invitation to embrace stillness and silence amid life's chaos, allowing God to dwell in the depths of your being. While the world moves at an ever-faster pace, Heather encourages you to pull back from the hustle and create space for our Savior to come into every area of your life--to transform and heal it through his love.

In Encountering Emmanuel, using poignant reflections and accompanying videos, Heather will gently guide you into the areas of your heart where Christ has not yet come--the areas where you've shut him out, the places you've long forgotten and ignored, or the spaces you're ashamed to acknowledge. You'll learn how to invite him in so that he can bring his light, love, peace, hope, and healing into your heart. From the forgotten corners to the shadowed recesses, Heather encourages you to open these spaces to the transformative power of Christ's love.

Each day will show you a unique way God can come into your life, including the following:

• he comes in the darkness
• he comes to set us free
• he comes to awaken us from slumber
• he comes as a helpless child
• he comes as a gift to the world
• he comes as a person with a face
• he comes to be our food

God will not force--love never does--but he asks, and we have a choice. Will you open wide your heart to the Savior and give your fiat as Mary did?

Each day you'll journey deeper into the meaning of Advent with a meditation, stunning art specially created for this book by Josiah Henley of Heart of IESVS, reflection questions, a prayer, and journaling space.

Encountering Emmanuel is perfect for both individual and group use. Free companion videos and a downloadable leader's guide are available at avemariapress.com.

Heather Khym is cohost of the internationally popular Abiding Together podcast and assistant director of evangelization at Franciscan University. She and her husband, Jake, co-founded Life Restoration Ministries, where she serves as director of vision and ministry for the British Columbia-based apostolate. She also serves as director of the Celtic Cross Foundation.

Khym has more than twenty-five years of experience as a speaker and retreat leader, presenting workshops and conferences throughout the United States and Canada. She studied theology and catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville.

She lives in Steubenville, Ohio, with her husband and three adult children.

Josiah Henley is a Catholic illustrator and designer from Portland, Oregon.

He earned a master's degree in architecture from Portland State University. His work is inspired by the ancient art and architecture of the Church, and aims to create contemporary images that honor her tradition.

He lives with his family in Portland, Oregon.