For the fourth year, Gwynn’s Island Baptist Church has published its Advent book, a collection of stories for the season for reading daily Dec. 1 through Dec. 25.

The stories are written by church members, friends, and the pastor, the Rev. Dr. Ed Jordan, who got the tradition started in 2014 when he came to the church. He himself is a professional writer, and author of the weekly “Lifelines” column that appears in the Gazette-Journal’s church pages.

Church members and friends distribute the books free of charge; 1,750 copies have been printed this year, and are available by calling the church at 804-725-2384.

The theme this year is “Sounds of Christmas”; in a preface, Jordan wrote that “Many of the stories in this booklet mention music, but they also dig deeper into our human experiences to plumb some of the subtler sounds associated with Christmas memories, traditions and celebrations.”

He continues, “It is our prayer that as y...