A FULL ADVENT-URE of TRUST

Since I wrote my last post giving thanks and the rest of 2025 in The Blue Book, I've been preparing or looking for the right Advent plan, because I so love Advent (that special time of preparation of Jesus' arrival, His coming (as He did in a manger about 20 centuries ago) or His return (any time, still unknown but it's looking closer every day)! I've found a couple at YV that I'm considering but then suddenly I came upon a few at Substack, most want a subscription {I still have not given into this, mostly because I don't like doing online financial deals - call me 'untrusting'} Yes, that is my 2025 One Word TRUST, which is part of the reason I'm quickly putting together a blog post at this last minute before Advent starts November 30 ... but as I was gazing through the Substack ones, one of them that I'll share in a second, instantly it dawned on me ... why not use the last 4 posts of 2025 that will make 3,500 for me - A nice round number to end this year with the 4 weeks of Advent? Perfect, right? But I'm totally UN-prepared except that I know how many, and that "RESTFUL" (Substack by Tamara Hill Murphy, one of the top ten in Faith & Spirituality) gave me my idea {if I can make it do-able, it won't be as wonderful as hers or the others I've seen, but it'll be mine} So I'm sharing her image and an invitation to her (& others that will join her) "Restful Advent":

[credit image: Tamara Hill Murphy]

Here are two of her recent posts inviting you to join:

{I already did}

"Welcome Advent Eve"

"The Advent We Need This Year"

There's one more about the ... Advent Daybook that is a great introduction to the preparation and team that did much preparation (as compared to me, winging mine)

[Substack is similar to "blogs" or websites, where people write and share common ideas. I'm basically just a reader there. I am not sure how this or if these links will work, but give it a try.]

My first thought that instantly came to me, and I, of course, brushed aside was "TRUSTFUL" instead of Restful ... which for me, would mean "full of TRUST". Now you can see why I let that one go as well as Restful in Trust - ha, still not yet, and it's been a full year working through my issues with TRUST, but I'm far from resting or restful when it comes to me & TRUST {but I must say, I think I made some progress yet I'm fully aware that I have much more work to do and TRUST God to complete.} anyways, I don't think any of those will work.

Being the traditionalist that I am, and that this serves as one of the four posts left to complete 2025 - I probably have to come back when I work out at least my first week of Advent. With all these excellent resources available, I TRUST God by His Spirit to pull this all together, but I highly recommend you searching the YV plans and Substacks. I do have plenty of books, I've collected through the years perhaps they might help. 

So I HOPE to return and add here for my first Week of Advent on TRUST. I will just repost this and you can scroll down to that portion, now that you've read my plan. If not, as you light your candle for the first week of Advent ... you'll have to be inspired from the writers that prepare in advance, so look for them. If I do re-post, it will be at my regular 6 pm (CT) Sunday. 

Who knows I might have to re-do one of my favorites: "Advent in Narnia" by Heidi Haverkamp? Surely Narnia has reflections on TRUST! If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it, even if you don't remember much about the Chronicles of Narnia, it will still bless & prepare you for the CHRISTmas season. I'm pretty sure I've shared this Narnia adventure for Advent before on my blog. 

Perhaps I might just search Narnia for 

TRUST

 

"... expectations are not only about the giving and receiving of gifts but also about Advent and Christmastime offering us a glimpse of a world that’s kinder, more just, and more joyful than the one we usually experience. To truly enter that world, as Christians, the door we must walk through first is Christ." Heidi Haverkamp, Advent in Narnia

"When we deeply TRUST something we can't see, we must use our imaginations. ... (Hebrews 11:11)" Heidi Haverkamp, Advent in Narnia, Introduction

Who knows, maybe this book, can teach me to TRUST?
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