Ep. 15 Family Advent Devotional | Jess Wolstenholm

Did you grow up celebrating Advent?

For many, Advent has become a sacred rhythm that grounds people in the Christ of Christmas. It spans the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and invites us to return to Jesus each week of the Christmas season.

In this episode of Living the Grace Life, host Jennifer Sakata discusses the challenges and joys of preparing for Christmas, particularly within families. She is joined by Jess Wolstenholm, the editor and executive producer of the award-winning children’s Bible and animated series, ‘The Minno Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids.’ Together, they explore everyday, ordinary ways to celebrate Advent.

Jess introduces her new resource, ‘The Laugh and Grow Bible for Kids Family Advent Devotional.’ This devotional aims to help families observe Advent through weekly readings, activities, and interactive discussions.

Their conversation emphasizes the importance of creating spiritual rhythms amidst the holiday chaos, making space for reflection, and trusting the Holy Spirit in the ongoing discipleship process.

Rhythms Jess and Jennifer discuss include:

• celebrating Advent Sundays with candles, a brief scripture, and prayer
• prioritizing mealtime connections and bite-sized devotions
• limiting activities in December
• stacking habits: start with something you’re already doing and build on that

Listen to this week’s episode for how to “balance inputs” and move toward a more meaningful, less chaotic Advent and Christmas season.

Grace Quotes from Jess Wolstenholm:

“Shouldn’t [Jesus] be born in a fancy place? No, he was not. He was born in a pile of hay because God doesn’t always do things the way we think He should.”

“Don’t underestimate the seeds you’re planting. It’s consistency that matters. Just get started.”

“It’s going to be messy. They’re going to get out of their chair. They’re going to drop their food. They’re going to cry and have a meltdown in the middle of it.  The important thing is to push through that. Keep doing it and be committed to doing it, no matter what, because it does make a difference in their lives.”