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Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional
Christmas traditions become a treasured part of a familys heritage, passed down from generation to generation. This brand new, four-week devotional guides your family on an unforgettable advent journey, exploring some of the most wonderful prophecies in the Bible and how God fulfills them in Christ. From Bible devotions which tell the Christmas story through the eyes of the prophets to an original Christmas short story called Bartimaeus,Prepare Him Roomhelps you build family Christmas traditions around Christ. The memorable and meaningful activities, songs, and stories of Prepare Him Roomwill become the fabric of your familys Christmas memories. So gather them to watch the amazing gospel story unfold every December for generations to come!
88 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2014
21 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Marty Machowski
63 books124 followersMarty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church, a Sovereign Grace Ministries church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for more than twenty years. As leader of their children’s ministry, Promise Kingdom, he has worked for many years to develop curriculum and devotional material that connect church and home. His passion is equipping families to understand the Bible as one gospel story and help them share that with their children. He is the author of The Gospel Story for Kids series including Long Story Short: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God (OT); The Gospel Story Bible; and the Gospel Story Curriculum: Finding Jesus in the Old Testament and the forthcoming Old Story New (NT): Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God and Gospel Story Curriculum: Following Jesus in the New Testament. He and his wife Lois and their six children reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
October 31, 2014
If my wife didn't forbid it, I would play Christmas music all year. I would give (and gladly receive) presents every day. I would sing "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing!" every Sunday. I love Christmastime.
So I was delighted to hear of Marty Machowski's new Advent devotional and classroom curriculum: Prepare Him Room. By using these resources in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, families and churches will lead their children through a study of Old Testament promises, Jesus' birth narratives, and New Testament explanations of Christ's person and work. This material ties the entire Bible together in a sound and simple-to-use package. I highly recommend it.
How It Works
If you're not familiar with Machowski's other works for children (The Gospel Story for Kids series), an explanation is in order. If you are familiar, and you'd like to get to the meat of my recommendation, you may want to scroll to the next section.
With The Gospel Story for Kids (TGSFK), Machowski developed material for use in both churches and homes. The idea is that church children's ministries ought to support what parents do at home (duh!), and so the curriculum all fits together. The pieces are:
- The Gospel Story Bible - a Bible storybook for young children
- The Gospel Story Curriculum - lesson plans for Sunday Schools, grouped in 3 age classifications: preschool, lower elementary, upper elementary
- Long Story Short - 10-minute family devotionals through the Old Testament
- Old Story New - 10-minute family devotionals through the New Testament
You can use any part of the package independently of the others (for example, if your church doesn't want the curriculum, but you want to use the family devotionals at home). But if you use them all together, they take your children through the entire Bible in 3 years (a year and a half for each testament), and your children will experience the walk through three times (once at each age level: preschool, lower elementary, and upper elementary). All children and families are studying the same Bible passage each week, in an age-appropriate fashion.
Prepare Him Room works just like the rest of TGSFK series, except that it's designed just for Advent season. There is a family devotional book, and a CD with lesson plans for classrooms. For those using TGSFK materials, Prepare Him Room will give you a 4-week break to focus on the birth of Christ.
Why I Like It
My church has used TGSFK for over a year now, and we love it. We use the curriculum for ages 3-11, and a church member donated money to give every family with copies of the Bible storybook and family devotionals. We had a special meeting with everyone to kick it off, and I'm scheduled to lead a seminar this Sunday to refresh those who need encouragement to press on in family devotions.
It has not proven to be a magical ambrosia guaranteeing eternal life to all who partake; we still have to train teachers, equip parents, and shepherd children's messy hearts. Christian discipleship is a heavy business that resists oversimplification and systematization. But these tools have made our job simple and delightful, and here's why:
- Machowski focuses on reading the Bible. His materials supplement the Scriptures but do not replace them. Even in the children's Bible storybook, much space is spent quoting the text of Scripture. The upper elementary curriculum trains students to read and study the Scripture for themselves. Hurrah!
- Every class lesson explicitly connects the Bible passage to the gospel. No child can escape the weekly mantra: "The gospel is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation." The most eye-catching part of each lesson plan is the little box explaining how that week's text preaches the gospel.
- When every child and family reads the same passages each week, it grows our identity as a community. We have shared material to discuss informally. And every time a teacher reads from the story Bible or devotional, at least one child is guaranteed to shout, "We have that book at home, too!"
- The family devotions are short. When the subtitle says Ten Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God, it speaks truth. We've been able to work ours in at dinner time, and it rarely feels like a burden. There are devotions for 5 days per week, but when we're feeling overwhelmed with our family schedule we can drop the 5th one without losing too much continuity. It hardly takes any time, but without sacrificing depth.
- The lesson plans are easily adaptable. They give suggestions in 5-10 minute chunks to cover a class up to 80 minutes long. Our church schedule allows for only 40 minutes of class time, but it's not hard for teachers to figure out which chunks to drop to fit within our constraints.
- The lessons require little preparation. Of course, the best teachers (not me) spend oodles of time and have terrific lessons. I teach, not because I live to teach children, but because I want to serve. And this curriculum doesn't cost me too much. I can gather my props in 5 minutes and spend the bulk of my preparation in study and prayer. I'm not chasing down construction paper, wiping off bottles of glue, or picking glitter out of my hair. Perhaps I'm showing too much of my hand, though, and other teachers may prefer supply scavenger hunts.
A Few Qualifications
Though this review is about Prepare Him Room, the Advent devotional and curriculum, I couldn't review it without reference to the rest of The Gospel Story For Kids series. If you like TGSFK, you'll love Prepare Him Room. If you're unfamiliar with TGSFK, Prepare Him Room may be a painless introduction to the model.
As with the rest of TGSFK, you can buy Prepare Him Room as either a set of family devotionals or a classroom curriculum. There are just a few differences with Prepare Him Room, when compared to TGSFK:
- The family book includes devotionals for just 3 days per week.
- The family book also includes a 4-chapter story, one chapter per week, to serve as a fourth family time. The story is okay but not great, and I wish there was a fourth devotion in the Scripture each week instead.
- Sovereign Grace produced a CD of carols old and new to go with Prepare Him Room.
- For some reason, the fourth week of the Sunday School curriculum doesn't match up with the fourth week's family devotional topic.
Though New Growth Press gave me a complimentary copy of Prepare Him Room in exchange for an honest review, I would absolutely buy it if they hadn't. I'm delighted to recommend it to you.
So I was delighted to hear of Marty Machowski's new Advent devotional and classroom curriculum: Prepare Him Room. By using these resources in the 4 weeks leading up to Christmas, families and churches will lead their children through a study of Old Testament promises, Jesus' birth narratives, and New Testament explanations of Christ's person and work. This material ties the entire Bible together in a sound and simple-to-use package. I highly recommend it.
How It Works
If you're not familiar with Machowski's other works for children (The Gospel Story for Kids series), an explanation is in order. If you are familiar, and you'd like to get to the meat of my recommendation, you may want to scroll to the next section.
With The Gospel Story for Kids (TGSFK), Machowski developed material for use in both churches and homes. The idea is that church children's ministries ought to support what parents do at home (duh!), and so the curriculum all fits together. The pieces are:
- The Gospel Story Bible - a Bible storybook for young children
- The Gospel Story Curriculum - lesson plans for Sunday Schools, grouped in 3 age classifications: preschool, lower elementary, upper elementary
- Long Story Short - 10-minute family devotionals through the Old Testament
- Old Story New - 10-minute family devotionals through the New Testament
You can use any part of the package independently of the others (for example, if your church doesn't want the curriculum, but you want to use the family devotionals at home). But if you use them all together, they take your children through the entire Bible in 3 years (a year and a half for each testament), and your children will experience the walk through three times (once at each age level: preschool, lower elementary, and upper elementary). All children and families are studying the same Bible passage each week, in an age-appropriate fashion.
Prepare Him Room works just like the rest of TGSFK series, except that it's designed just for Advent season. There is a family devotional book, and a CD with lesson plans for classrooms. For those using TGSFK materials, Prepare Him Room will give you a 4-week break to focus on the birth of Christ.
Why I Like It
My church has used TGSFK for over a year now, and we love it. We use the curriculum for ages 3-11, and a church member donated money to give every family with copies of the Bible storybook and family devotionals. We had a special meeting with everyone to kick it off, and I'm scheduled to lead a seminar this Sunday to refresh those who need encouragement to press on in family devotions.
It has not proven to be a magical ambrosia guaranteeing eternal life to all who partake; we still have to train teachers, equip parents, and shepherd children's messy hearts. Christian discipleship is a heavy business that resists oversimplification and systematization. But these tools have made our job simple and delightful, and here's why:
- Machowski focuses on reading the Bible. His materials supplement the Scriptures but do not replace them. Even in the children's Bible storybook, much space is spent quoting the text of Scripture. The upper elementary curriculum trains students to read and study the Scripture for themselves. Hurrah!
- Every class lesson explicitly connects the Bible passage to the gospel. No child can escape the weekly mantra: "The gospel is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our salvation." The most eye-catching part of each lesson plan is the little box explaining how that week's text preaches the gospel.
- When every child and family reads the same passages each week, it grows our identity as a community. We have shared material to discuss informally. And every time a teacher reads from the story Bible or devotional, at least one child is guaranteed to shout, "We have that book at home, too!"
- The family devotions are short. When the subtitle says Ten Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God, it speaks truth. We've been able to work ours in at dinner time, and it rarely feels like a burden. There are devotions for 5 days per week, but when we're feeling overwhelmed with our family schedule we can drop the 5th one without losing too much continuity. It hardly takes any time, but without sacrificing depth.
- The lesson plans are easily adaptable. They give suggestions in 5-10 minute chunks to cover a class up to 80 minutes long. Our church schedule allows for only 40 minutes of class time, but it's not hard for teachers to figure out which chunks to drop to fit within our constraints.
- The lessons require little preparation. Of course, the best teachers (not me) spend oodles of time and have terrific lessons. I teach, not because I live to teach children, but because I want to serve. And this curriculum doesn't cost me too much. I can gather my props in 5 minutes and spend the bulk of my preparation in study and prayer. I'm not chasing down construction paper, wiping off bottles of glue, or picking glitter out of my hair. Perhaps I'm showing too much of my hand, though, and other teachers may prefer supply scavenger hunts.
A Few Qualifications
Though this review is about Prepare Him Room, the Advent devotional and curriculum, I couldn't review it without reference to the rest of The Gospel Story For Kids series. If you like TGSFK, you'll love Prepare Him Room. If you're unfamiliar with TGSFK, Prepare Him Room may be a painless introduction to the model.
As with the rest of TGSFK, you can buy Prepare Him Room as either a set of family devotionals or a classroom curriculum. There are just a few differences with Prepare Him Room, when compared to TGSFK:
- The family book includes devotionals for just 3 days per week.
- The family book also includes a 4-chapter story, one chapter per week, to serve as a fourth family time. The story is okay but not great, and I wish there was a fourth devotion in the Scripture each week instead.
- Sovereign Grace produced a CD of carols old and new to go with Prepare Him Room.
- For some reason, the fourth week of the Sunday School curriculum doesn't match up with the fourth week's family devotional topic.
Though New Growth Press gave me a complimentary copy of Prepare Him Room in exchange for an honest review, I would absolutely buy it if they hadn't. I'm delighted to recommend it to you.
January 5, 2019
I know that this is a little late and I apologize but here lately I've had a lot going on in my life and I just wasn't able to do this until now.
This is such a delightful little devotional book. It's great for families and it can also be used for Sunday school groups during Advent.
It also has great instructions for making things related to Christmas and the children will love it too.
I too love Christmas songs and when the season is over I am disappointed. It's like everything goes back to normal. Sometimes that is good and others it isn't
To me, Christmas is special. It's when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
We should celebrate Him everyday and look up to him to lead the way for He is returning soon!! I so can't wait!! Are you ready?
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and no compensations were received. All opinions are my own.
I strongly recommend this for everyone!!
This is such a delightful little devotional book. It's great for families and it can also be used for Sunday school groups during Advent.
It also has great instructions for making things related to Christmas and the children will love it too.
I too love Christmas songs and when the season is over I am disappointed. It's like everything goes back to normal. Sometimes that is good and others it isn't
To me, Christmas is special. It's when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus.
We should celebrate Him everyday and look up to him to lead the way for He is returning soon!! I so can't wait!! Are you ready?
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher and no compensations were received. All opinions are my own.
I strongly recommend this for everyone!!
November 17, 2018
This devotional by Marty Machowski keeps families from falling into the trap of commercialism by keeping the Word central in the home during the Christmas season and bringing hope to homes that need to hear the promises of God and witness their fulfillment in Christ. The 4-chapter story at the end of each week is a reminder that the meaning of Christmas is not just something to know from history but to know what it means for your story. If you are a family, especially with elementary-aged children, and are looking to keep Christ the focus this Christmas, then pick up your copy of 'Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional' and prepare your hearts to receive and celebrate Christ in your home this Christmas season!
See full review at: http://www.entrustedbygod.org/2018/11...
See full review at: http://www.entrustedbygod.org/2018/11...
December 26, 2025
What I really appreciated about this advent devotional was that there were only 3 readings per week. This is incredibly helpful if you have kids with extracurriculars and don’t have as much time in the evenings!
We did not do the crafts (see comment above about busy evenings) but I can totally see a younger version of myself incorporating this into our homeschool day, crafts and all.
We did not do the crafts (see comment above about busy evenings) but I can totally see a younger version of myself incorporating this into our homeschool day, crafts and all.
December 28, 2025
We loved doing this as a family for advent this year! Even my preteen and teen enjoyed the activities. Highly recommend. I really appreciate that there are 3 readings each week rather than everyday. Trust me, go buy this now so you’ll have it on hand for next Christmas!
December 26, 2020
Our family loved this devotional 💗 super sweet way to focus on Christ this Advent season.
January 8, 2021
Wonderful advent study for families.
January 15, 2023
Loved this Advent Devotional! The best one we’ve done as a family so far! It was engaging, meaningful, had the right amount of activities and songs incorporated! I love that it was 3-4 days a week so we didn’t get behind! Plan on doing this one again next year!
October 24, 2018
PREPARE HIM ROOM is a great Advent devotional for families at Christmas time. It includes instructions on how to make your own advent wreath,words to Christmas carols, activities for each week of advent, and Bible verses, the devotional story and thoughts, discussion questions, a prayer and application.
This devotional for be the perfect gift for your favorite young family going into the season of Advent, or even a great gift for your own family. I could even see it working for a children's ministry group as they meet together on Sunday or Wednesday nights. It includes crafts with lists of supplies needed so you could prepare ahead of time.
Recommended for young families and church groups.
I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.
This devotional for be the perfect gift for your favorite young family going into the season of Advent, or even a great gift for your own family. I could even see it working for a children's ministry group as they meet together on Sunday or Wednesday nights. It includes crafts with lists of supplies needed so you could prepare ahead of time.
Recommended for young families and church groups.
I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.
December 3, 2021
Marty Machowski’s book Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional is a great Advent Devotional. The book is intended to be started 4 Sundays before Christmas. Prepare Him Room is divided up into 4 weeks of devotions, with 3 devotions per week. At the end of each week there is a chapter of a short story called Bartimaeus: A Christmas Story. There is also a special devotion entry to read on Christmas Day.
Before you start the devotional, it is suggested to do a Advent Wreath. The book explains how to do and utilize the Advent Wreath, which I appreciate from the perspective from someone who is new to the Advent tradition. Each devotion includes a Scripture reference, a thought or idea to bring the devotion entry together, a prayer, songs to sing and family activities to do together. Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional is a companion to the Prepare Him Room curriculum and music CD. You can use the devotional without the companion products. (I did.)
I loved the freedom and flexibility that the use of Prepare Him Room brings. As the adult and reader, I felt as though I had the flexibility to choose how and when to use the devotional. If I didn’t start the devotional in the recommended time frame, and I didn’t, that was ok because I could start the devotional when it was right for me. I also liked how it only had 3 devotional entries a week. That way if you needed to adjust the readings to your family’s schedule its easy to do so and doesn’t overwhelm you.
I loved the Bartimaeus short story at the end of each week. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I liked, not only the flexibility of the devotional, but that each devotion entry is easy to understand yet truthful and that the discussions had from the devotions could be great ones. I appreciated that a big emphasis of the book is about giving back and sharing the Love of Jesus in tangible ways through the activities that are in the book and that the activities are meant to include the whole family. There are also cute illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book–it’s become one of my favorite’s of the Season!
Have you read Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional? What did you like about the devotional? How did your family incorporate it into your Advent/Christmas celebrations?
Thank you to New Growth Press for giving me a copy of Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional to review. The review and opinions expressed are purely my own.
This review is also at https://leslieslibraryescape.wordpres...
Before you start the devotional, it is suggested to do a Advent Wreath. The book explains how to do and utilize the Advent Wreath, which I appreciate from the perspective from someone who is new to the Advent tradition. Each devotion includes a Scripture reference, a thought or idea to bring the devotion entry together, a prayer, songs to sing and family activities to do together. Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional is a companion to the Prepare Him Room curriculum and music CD. You can use the devotional without the companion products. (I did.)
I loved the freedom and flexibility that the use of Prepare Him Room brings. As the adult and reader, I felt as though I had the flexibility to choose how and when to use the devotional. If I didn’t start the devotional in the recommended time frame, and I didn’t, that was ok because I could start the devotional when it was right for me. I also liked how it only had 3 devotional entries a week. That way if you needed to adjust the readings to your family’s schedule its easy to do so and doesn’t overwhelm you.
I loved the Bartimaeus short story at the end of each week. It was one of my favorite parts of the book. I liked, not only the flexibility of the devotional, but that each devotion entry is easy to understand yet truthful and that the discussions had from the devotions could be great ones. I appreciated that a big emphasis of the book is about giving back and sharing the Love of Jesus in tangible ways through the activities that are in the book and that the activities are meant to include the whole family. There are also cute illustrations sprinkled throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book–it’s become one of my favorite’s of the Season!
Have you read Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional? What did you like about the devotional? How did your family incorporate it into your Advent/Christmas celebrations?
Thank you to New Growth Press for giving me a copy of Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional to review. The review and opinions expressed are purely my own.
This review is also at https://leslieslibraryescape.wordpres...
January 2, 2019
When it comes to celebrating Advent as a family there are so many great resources available. It can be quite intimidating to find the one that is just right which is why I’m especially grateful for Prepare Him Room by Marty Machowski. This simple book is separated into four sections, one for each week of Advent. Each section is composed of three parts which is especially helpful because it removes the pressure from parents to feel like they need to do an Advent related activity every day of the season. The book also contains a four part story for children to enjoy along with the Advent activities. I really like that the book has actual activities that parents can do with young children that will excite them as they learn about the various parts of the Christmas story. Helpful aspects of the book include the Introduction and How To Use This Book sections. My husband didn’t grow up celebrating Advent and I only celebrated it a small handful of times so we found the information contained in these sections to be particularly useful. Prepare Him Room is biblical, simple and enjoyable for each member of the family. I give it my highest recommendation and look forward to using it next year and in the years to come! I received Prepare Him Room compliments of New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review.
December 3, 2018
wish I had this book when my children were young.
Prepare Him Room is an excellent Advent Devotional for families.
The activity is meant to begin on December 1st but there are not activities everyday making it east to fit into a busy schedule.
There are only 3 days activities for each week.
Each weeks of activities include:
Bible Verses to memorize or discuss
Suggestions for Prayers
Suggestions for songs
Suggestions to talk about each devotional/theme
Craft activities
Families can include all the family in the devotional times. Younger children may not be able to do all the activities.
The book is a medium sized hardcover containing 82 pages.
I recommend for all families. It is economically priced so that you
could 'gift' a copy to family, friends or your church library.
There are also resources for churches to use.
I received a complimentary copy from New Growth Press.
Prepare Him Room is an excellent Advent Devotional for families.
The activity is meant to begin on December 1st but there are not activities everyday making it east to fit into a busy schedule.
There are only 3 days activities for each week.
Each weeks of activities include:
Bible Verses to memorize or discuss
Suggestions for Prayers
Suggestions for songs
Suggestions to talk about each devotional/theme
Craft activities
Families can include all the family in the devotional times. Younger children may not be able to do all the activities.
The book is a medium sized hardcover containing 82 pages.
I recommend for all families. It is economically priced so that you
could 'gift' a copy to family, friends or your church library.
There are also resources for churches to use.
I received a complimentary copy from New Growth Press.
January 20, 2019
This book was incredible writing and giving us so must joy to read with also had and a greatest an Advent journey, discovering some of the most significant prophecies of the Bible-prophecies that foretold Christ’s coming hundred of years before it happened, Then fulfill you with some of prophecies tracing the redemptive plan of God all the way to Christ’s second advent with also provided activities to all of us with Christmas story “ Bartimaeus “ celebration with yours family. I highly recommend to everyone must to read this book. “I received complimentary a copy of this book from I read with Audra Jennings program for this review
December 23, 2022
I've enjoyed every Marty Machowski book I've read with my kids, and given that I have a well-documented love-affair with Advent Devotionals, I was looking forward to reading this one with the girls. But it ended up being my least favorite of all of Machowski's books. The devotional part was pretty good (and I liked that there were three readings per week--we were actually able to stay on track instead of falling behind and then reading big sections to catch up), but the story was cheesy and didn't keep anyone's interest. I think it's one that we'll probably repeat in the future, just without the story part.
October 31, 2018
Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional is a great devotional that all families and church groups should add to their Christmas time tradition. I enjoyed it. It includes some fun activities, as well as, reminding readers what the true meaning of Christmas is.
I give Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional five plus stars. I can not to use it again year after year. I highly recommend it.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
I give Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus Family Devotional five plus stars. I can not to use it again year after year. I highly recommend it.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
December 28, 2022
A nice and easy family advent devo. We look forward to enjoying it again next year. The book is set up for three readings per week. Each reading contains scripture, context, activity, and hymns/songs, as well as discussion questions/ conversation starter. We included our 3 yo and she easily contributed/ responded and it was short enough to maintain her attention while being thought provoking enough to engage us (the adults).
December 26, 2018
Excellent for family devotions. Mixes Scripture, prayer, short teaching, crafts, and singing. Also weaves in a story about the meaning of Christmas.
No pictures of Jesus (for those concerned about such things, but one of the activities involves setting up a manger).
No pictures of Jesus (for those concerned about such things, but one of the activities involves setting up a manger).
November 19, 2023
Detailed devotional with passages to read throughout Advent. Designed to be used by a family or by a whole church in the home and in the Sunday School, intergenerational reading and thinking about the same questions and passages. Bible Centered.
December 25, 2020
Great advent devotional!!
Great advent devotional! Love the Bartimaeus story!,
Recommended by a pastor at our church. This will become a tradition at our house!
Great advent devotional! Love the Bartimaeus story!,
Recommended by a pastor at our church. This will become a tradition at our house!
December 27, 2021
Good family devotional for our whole crew to celebrate Advent. Didn’t do many of the activities listed, but found the discussions to be interesting.
December 25, 2022
A wonderful family advent devotional with an original story to illustrate the biblical truths. Definitely one to revisit.
January 19, 2023
I am a big fan (my family, too) of Machowski's phenomenal Long Story Short. In my opinion, it's the perfect balance of focusing on Scripture, connecting everything to Jesus, and keeping things uncomplicated. That's a huge benefit to my wife and I with our four kids, all under nine years old.
The simplicity that is a strength of Long Story Short is not present in Prepare Him Room, and to be fair Machowski is not trying to just replicate that format. He's brought in some creative elements that sound wonderful, but were just too much for our family to realistically stick to. It's a bit too busy. There's crafts, Bible reading, songs, prayer, discussion questions, advent candles, and a separate story to follow. It's all a bit too much - too many ideas; too ambitious.
Probably the best way to utilize this book is to stick to the essentials (Bible reading, prayer, and questions) and then decide one other thing you want to add in or whatever you decide is manageable and beneficial for your family. Grateful for Machowski's work, but next year our plan is to keep reading Long Story Short and add another less ambitious book/advent plan on the side.
The simplicity that is a strength of Long Story Short is not present in Prepare Him Room, and to be fair Machowski is not trying to just replicate that format. He's brought in some creative elements that sound wonderful, but were just too much for our family to realistically stick to. It's a bit too busy. There's crafts, Bible reading, songs, prayer, discussion questions, advent candles, and a separate story to follow. It's all a bit too much - too many ideas; too ambitious.
Probably the best way to utilize this book is to stick to the essentials (Bible reading, prayer, and questions) and then decide one other thing you want to add in or whatever you decide is manageable and beneficial for your family. Grateful for Machowski's work, but next year our plan is to keep reading Long Story Short and add another less ambitious book/advent plan on the side.
October 31, 2014
The Christmas season is a wonderful time of family traditions to include putting up decorations, gathering together for a sumptuous meal, and unwrapping presents early on Christmas morning. Much has been said about the commercialization of Christmas and the tendency to forget the true reason we even celebrate the occasion. Marty Machowski in his helpful family devotional aptly titled Prepare Him Room: Celebrating the Birth of Jesus, returns the reader to the proper focus of Christmas, namely the incarnation of the Son of God and all that entails.
As noted, this book is a devotional and thus is written in a manner that allows it to be used over the course of the Advent season as part of family devotions. Each week of Advent has three parts devoted to it by Machowski, each focusing on a particular element of the coming of Jesus. In an effort to maximize family participation in the devotions, Machowski provides suggested activities such as listening to Handel’s Messiah or constructing an Advent wreath. Additionally, he outlines a Scripture passage which forms the crux of that week’s devotion to include some very helpful commentary.
I also appreciated the tips for conversation provided by Machowski such as the example provided by Mary the mother of Jesus and her trust of God’s plan. The focus on praying together as a family with suggested prayer topics as well as hymns by which to join together in song and the suggested craft activity round out each week’s insightful devotional material.
Many may already have well established family traditions while others such as my own family are searching for ways to begin what hopefully will be longstanding traditions. Regardless of which of those spectrum you may reside, I highly recommend Machowski’s book as something to either include in what you already do as part of your Christmas traditions or as a great place by which to start a worthwhile tradition. In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is very easy to forget the reason for the season. Thus, having a devotional that will help return the focus to its proper place, namely on Christ, will help ensure your family is fully able to “Prepare Him Room”.
I received this book for free from New Growth Press for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
As noted, this book is a devotional and thus is written in a manner that allows it to be used over the course of the Advent season as part of family devotions. Each week of Advent has three parts devoted to it by Machowski, each focusing on a particular element of the coming of Jesus. In an effort to maximize family participation in the devotions, Machowski provides suggested activities such as listening to Handel’s Messiah or constructing an Advent wreath. Additionally, he outlines a Scripture passage which forms the crux of that week’s devotion to include some very helpful commentary.
I also appreciated the tips for conversation provided by Machowski such as the example provided by Mary the mother of Jesus and her trust of God’s plan. The focus on praying together as a family with suggested prayer topics as well as hymns by which to join together in song and the suggested craft activity round out each week’s insightful devotional material.
Many may already have well established family traditions while others such as my own family are searching for ways to begin what hopefully will be longstanding traditions. Regardless of which of those spectrum you may reside, I highly recommend Machowski’s book as something to either include in what you already do as part of your Christmas traditions or as a great place by which to start a worthwhile tradition. In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it is very easy to forget the reason for the season. Thus, having a devotional that will help return the focus to its proper place, namely on Christ, will help ensure your family is fully able to “Prepare Him Room”.
I received this book for free from New Growth Press for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
December 27, 2015
A good Advent devotional for families with children. It helped to keep our focus on the meaning of Christmas. The craft activities were fun, especially for our son. The companion CD of Christmas music is also nice. We had to modify this book a bit in how we used it, because of our context (living in a country where certain supplies or decorations are not readily available).
December 30, 2015
This book will go on our list to read every single Advent. We loved it! It was a nice open and go for our morning devotions. This book really made me and my kids worship the Lord and savor the real meaning of Christmas. I loved that the activities were easy and didn't require a lot of preparations. Most of all, this book made me love Jesus more. I highly recommend this book!
December 31, 2019
Excellent advent book to read as a family. My kids enjoyed it.
December 26, 2014
loved using this book to help launch an Advent tradition in our family.
December 31, 2018
What a joy and delight reading this Christmas devotional! Not too long, not too short, just right! This book is very well thought out and planned, highlighting 12 different aspects of the Christmas story; 12 different things which make Christmas wonder-full! I also very much enjoyed the lovely short story.
I don't have kids, but if I did I'm sure this would be an annual family favorite. 🙂
I don't have kids, but if I did I'm sure this would be an annual family favorite. 🙂
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