Manger Throne:
Celebrating Christmas Through Song
Focus on the Family and Tyndale House Publishers are pleased to announce a Christmas devotional gift book based on lyrics to holiday songs written by Tony Wood.
Titled MANGER THRONE: Celebrating Christmas Through Song, the book will feature individual short chapters for 28 days of December. Each days chapter will include a scripture reading, brief devotional, prayer, and lyrics to an original holiday song recorded by a popular CCM artist. Several days will feature “Story Behind The Song.”
Artists with songs in the book include: Phil Wickham, Michael W Smith, Zach Williams, For King & Country, Big Daddy Weave, We Are Messengers, Keith & Kristyn Getty, Tasha Layton, Francesca Battistelli, Kari Jobe, Jordan St Cyr, Meredith Andrews, Stars Go Dim, Jason Crabb, Michael Tait, Mandisa, Selah, Point of Grace and others.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love Christmas! I always have. Having recorded five Christmas projects to date, every December I find myself crisscrossing the country sharing music that helps people prepare their hearts for another holiday and hopefully stir afresh the awe and wonder of our Savior’s first coming.
I can slip into the Christmas spirit pretty easily. (After all, a lot of my holiday songs were actually written in the summertime!) But as December approaches, perhaps you find yourself a little slow getting into the spirit of the season. Maybe you feel overwhelmed by it all. Or maybe you’re sad, lonely, or simply have a sense that all is not “merry and bright” in your world.
No matter where you’re at this year, I would love to recommend to you Manger Throne: Celebrating Christmas Through Song, written by my friend and collaborator Tony Wood. Tony has prepared twenty-eight daily devotions and prayers for the days leading up to Christmas—and slightly beyond.
These devotions are based on holiday songs Tony has written with a number of your favorite Christian artists. (Some of them we wrote together!) I believe with each day’s reading, you will be able to look beyond your circumstances toward the majesty of the One who is “God with us” lying in the manger bed.
Michael W. Smith