We're excited to share some of our favorite InterVarsity Press selections for advent reading, Christmas gift-giving, and enjoyable Christmas break reading. We have a curated list for you, complete with editorial comments from our staff members.
From now until January 15, 2021, you can save 50% on a dozen titles from IVP. You'll also get free shipping to US addresses. Simply add promo code WELL20 to your shopping cart at ivpress.com. (Ebooks are included! Just click through the print book link and then switch to the ebook edition if it is available.)
When you order with the WELL20 promo code, 10% of your purchase price goes back to support the The Well and InterVarsity's Women in the Academy and Professions ministry. The rest goes to support the work and authors of InterVarsity Press.
For Advent and Christmas reflection
Looking at art can be an aid in engaging the stories of the bible in new ways. We're excited to practice with these paintings during Advent.
Magdalen Smith takes us through Advent and Christmas introducing us to friends from the history of the Church encouraging us to live distinctly, keeping the faith in our own anxious times.
If you get The Weekly Well, you know Andrea Bridges loves to borrow prayers, and here are some to keep us through the seasons. A peek into the author's own words: "The distance from Advent to Candlemas is considerable, and there are many ways across its fearful and fascinating terrain. I offer here some 'barefoot' ways — by which I mean ways that are both down to earth and yet full of spiritual aspiration and hope."
Many of us have loved Michael Card’s music over the years. Through lyric and song, he draws us into a deeper reflection of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In this book of 40 devotions he takes us through episodes in the gospels encouraging us to ask again, “Who is this Man?”
To Give as Holiday Gifts
As we start a new year, this book serves as a companion for aligning your own life-rhythms with those of the church calendar. More than merely a devotional guide, this book explains and draws you into the rich traditions of the Church.
Perhaps you know someone who might benefit from some slower soothing activity during this busy, busy season.
They say a picture paints a thousand words — or helps explain difficult theological concepts. The perfect gift for a theology-nerd who also enjoys laughing!
To Read over the Holiday Break
Most of us have lots going on — our days are full. We feel “called” to many things, but the often feel unrelated and sometimes even in competition. What if we were able to gather up all the fragmented pieces of our lives and begin to live coherently knowing they all matter deeply to God? Steven Garber seeks to help us do that in this collection of essays and photographs.
Given all that 2020 has been for so many of us, this is a timely book. It calls us to self-care and to pay attention to what is happening in and around us in order to be our best selves.
2020 has been a year of loss for so many of us on so many fronts. This novel may be a source of encouragement and hope, particularly for those of us feeling them keenly right now.
Books for Current or Budding Academics
Part classroom and time management, part cheer-leading, part spiritual formation, this is a wonderfully written wonderfully encouraging book for those of you called to teaching. Our book club loved reading and discussing this book this past fall. Keep an eye out for our interview with its author on a podcast in early 2021.
In this book, Dr. Gary Burge (formerly at Wheaton, now at Calvin Seminary) hosts the conversation he wishes he'd had when he started out as a college professor, identifying three stages in the academic career and exploring the challenges, pitfalls, and triumphs of each.
Career scholars sum up their time-tested wisdom and pass it on to a new generation. Great to put in the hands of students just starting out in their academic fields.
Books to Engage Current Issues
The authors of this book represent The AND Campaign which exists to educate and organize Christians for faithful civic and cultural engagement. They insist that not only are we called to love our neighbors through the political process, but also that doing so requires us to transcend the binary way the debates are usually framed. It’s definitely a helpful book for our current cultural moment.
Rowe, a professional counselor, exposes the symptoms of racial trauma to lead readers to a place of freedom from the past and new life for the future. She includes interviews with people of color exploring how racial trauma is experienced and resolved and resilience developed. In addition to reading her book, we encourage you to listen to our podcast interview with her.
Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil says reconciliation is “an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness, repentance, and justice that restores broken relationships and systems to reflect God’s original intention for all creation to flourish.” In 2.0, she includes a new chapter on restoration which addresses the high costs for people of color who work in reconciliation and their need for continual renewal. Make sure you listen to our podcast interview with her.
Remember: use the code WELL20 for your 50% discount and free domestic shipping! Joyeux Noel!
