Look around. Even with the sun radiantly bright, our world is dark.

Humans can argue about raising a family, budgeting for expenses, politics, politicians, climate change, whether the change is cyclical or anthropogenic, diet, exercise, sleep deprivation, big Pharma, vaccines, green spaces, carbon footprints, and more and more and more and more.

That list barely grazes the debatable differences we have with each other. Shadows upon shadows create a darkening world.

Then we remember cancer and other diseases, the bad health suffer from our own causes and the poisoning that the modern industrial world causes. Drug abuse and depression and other psychical injuries can destroy our interest in the world, damaging us as much as disease does. And I haven’t even touched upon digital addictions.

Count all of these shadows, and our world is dark.

What gives us light? What gives us Joy?

Hope. Promise. Unconditional love. Peace. All embodied in Christ our Savior, the Light of the World.

Christ’s all-powerful light casts the darkness away.

That gives us JOY, the theme of the third week of Advent.

In this episode, we discuss the spectrum of crosses that reveal all aspects of Christ, then in the Writing Connection, we reveal the uses a writer can make of spectrum as well as how to use spectrum, with an example story discussed.

TIMINGS

00:00 Opening

00:40 Content

03:37 Chrismons

05:42 For Writers

08:48 Closing

Total Run Time = 9:48

LINK

Website https://thewritefocus.blogspot.com/2025/12/more-advent-week-3.html

As the first week is Hope, the second week is preparing the way for Christ. That knowledge—of what Christ has done, is doing, and will do—gives us PEACE, for we know that He directs our lives.

Many people become caught up in the questions: Who and What? Why and How? Christ is a mystery that we can’t answer. Should we try to understand Him? Yes, but the factual details only reveal bits and pieces. We have historical evidence of His life. Yet we also have Truth, and Truth is eternal. Christ is Truth, at one with God the Father, the great Atoner. Everything He does and says reveals to us the Kingdom of Heaven. When we believe on Him, we have our entry to Heaven.

This is the heavenly Peace, when everyone is dealt with equally, when the innocent are protected and the violent are judged.

The Chrismons for this week all contain symbolic imagery, a picture or icon. Each presents an essay of meaning through the image.

The Lighted Candle / the Burning Bush / Manger / Lyre / Alpha & Omega / Crossed Keys / the Lamb with a Flag

The Writing Connection of More:

This time let’s look at motifs, metaphorical imagery that return several times during the course of a story. Chrismons are metaphorical imagery, images that carry meanings. Motifs occur several times for stories as long as novellas and longer, at 30,000 words and more. For shorter than novellas, think of repeating the motifs about one per 4,000 to 5,000 words. More than that becomes too repetitive and obvious.

TIMINGS

00:00 Welcome

00:40 Content

02:36 Chrismons

07:23 Writing Connection

10:58 Closing

Total Run Time = 11:56

Website Link: https://thewritefocus.blogspot.com/2025/12/more-advent-week-2.html

More: Advent, Chrismons, & Writing ~ 1st Week

Welcome to More and a celebration of the Advent season.

The denomination of my formative Christian years didn’t celebrate the church year. We had Easter and Christmas, but those two Sundays were the only ones devoted to special events of the church: Sunrise Service and Gift-Giving for the Poor. All the other Sundays were a ceaseless progression of one sermon to the next.

My soul was unhappy. I didn’t know that I needed more, and that part of that more was discovering the church year as a constant reminder of God’s relationship with people.

Gradually, I encountered elements of the church year. Lent was mentioned because my high school French class celebrated Mardi Gras. All Hallow’s Eve was followed by All Hallow’s Day on an almanac calendar. Epiphany and Pentecost were Christian words; while I knew them, I didn’t understand their importance.

Advent is upon us, and I’ve learned to celebrate More. Join me as I share a bit of More with you as well as relate each Advent with More on Writing.

TIMINGS

00:00 Intro

1:15 Opening

1:55 Advent ~ the Week of Hope

4:10 Chrismons ~ 1st 7

7:12 For Writers

10:00 Closing

Total Run Time = 11:00

LINKS

Website https://thewritefocus.blogspot.com/2025/11/more-advent-week-1.html