eighth day prayers: daily hope for advent, christmas, and epiphany

An Invitation to Reflect and Pray During Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany

There is no busier time of year than Christmas. So much is vying for our time and attention that it seems impossible to slow down and ponder the true meaning of the season.

What a relief it is that God understands our desire to be still and wants the same for us. His Word helps prepare our hearts for the miracle of Christmas--the story of an almighty God sending his only son into the world to save us.

Eighth Day Prayers is meant to usher us into a place of reverence and prayer where we await the coming Messiah (Advent), celebrate Jesus’ arrival (Christmas), and realize the fulfillment of his promises to us (Epiphany).

Eighth Day Prayers encourages readers to engage with God’s Word and pray words taken from Scripture. Each entry features:

• a Scripture passage to read as you begin your time in the Word
• a brief reflection to take you deeper into Scripture
• a Scripture-soaked prayer to conclude your quiet time and refocus your day
• and a calendar at the top of each page to help you stay on track

We are all living in the eighth day--one of new creation. One where the kingdom of God is ＂already here and not yet fulfilled.＂ Eighth Day Prayers invites us to draw closer to Him as we reflect on His goodness during this sacred season.

Willa Kane is a former global trustee of The Anglican Relief and Development Fund and is presently a trustee of the American Anglican Council. She is the one of the founders of New City Fellows, Raleigh and a trustee for Anne Graham Lotz AnGel Ministries. She was personally discipled by the late Michael Green in relational evangelism and in a commitment to care for the renewal and protection of the gospel on the global stage. For years, she has taught the Bible to women and mentored them. Together with her husband, John Kane, owner of Kane Realty, she has poured her life into community leadership and development. She is a mother to four and a grandmother to twelve. She lives in Raleigh, NC.

Sally Breedlove is the author of Choosing Rest (NavPress, 2002) and one of the authors of The Shame Exchange (NavPress, 2009). She is the cofounder of JourneyMates, a Christian soul care and spiritual formation ministry. She serves as a spiritual director and retreat leader on many occasions and the associate director of Selah-Anglican, Leadership Transformation’s program for training spiritual directors. With her husband, Steve, a bishop in the Anglican Church in North America, she has ministered broadly across the United States, in Canada, and overseas. She is a mother to five and a grandmother to sixteen. She lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

Madison Perry is the founder and Executive Director of the North Carolina Study Center, a Christian Study Center at UNC. He holds graduate degrees from Duke University in both law and theology. He serves on the national board for the Consortium of Christian Study Centers. An ordained priest in the Anglican Church of North America, his heart is to see university communities glorify the Lord, and become places where young people are bought into God’s kingdom, healed, and formed by the power of Jesus. He and his wife Pamela have six children and live in Durham, NC.

Alysia Yates is a writer, editor, and mother of four. She earned her graduate degree in Church History and currently works as the project manager for Caritas Foundation International. Alysia has served as an ESL teacher within the refugee community, a facilitator for JourneyMates, and a mentor for the New City Fellows Program. She lives with her husband, John, and two sons in Raleigh, North Carolina. She enjoys visiting her daughters at their universities, long walks in the woods, and the delights of a good book.