Christmas Carols - Day 17 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 17 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge Today's guest is Alle McCloskey from Finding Eden Media. Alle's day-to-day is filled with old children’s books, large doses of refrigerator art, life-giving music and the world’s best cuddles from her two favorite little people. She prays that by infusing her messy-but-beautiful nest with worship and creativity, they too will learn to become followers of the King. Passionate to see the online conversation filled with the redemptive work of Jesus, she and her husband document the creative journey of brand building and story crafting at Finding Eden Media — where they blend work and play as a freelance family! You can also connect with them over on Instagram — their favorite place to socialize and share online!

Today's Challenge is to create a haiku based on the inspiration of...

Christmas Carols

Perhaps you could select your favorite carol as the centerpiece of your writing, or head in a more general sense of how these Christmas songs find a place in your holiday traditions!

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Christmas Carols

by Alle McCloskey

This past February, my Valentine surprised me with a portable record player and now our entire family has caught the vinyl bug! We look for new records to add to our collection everywhere we go — consignment shops, thrift stores, specialty record spots, and amazon are some of our favorites! 

Our boys’ favorite record is called, Spectacular Space Hits and features themes from Star Wars, Superman, Star Trek, and more. As a result they can now sing Darth Vader’s Theme, the Cantina Band Theme, and Yoda’s Theme from memory. It’s become a bit of a bargaining chip in our home and I can always count on some good cleaning if I put this record on, so thanks for that John Williams!

With the holiday season upon us, we have been so excited to hunt for vintage Christmas records and so far, we’ve lucked out! We found this Christmas with Conniff album featuring the Ray Conniff Singers along that is getting a lot of airtime in our home.

And we also landed some compilation albums that have music from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Julie Andrews, and Nat King Cole, to name a few. We’ve even started listening to a four-album set of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet, but perhaps my favorite is the Merry Wurlitzer Christmas record we found at the thrift store — it makes me giggle every time we play it!

This month, I’ve tried to be intentional in the way I create and influence our home atmosphere. By targeting a few of the senses, I’ve found that I can directly impact the natural tone and mood of our family. A disheveled, crazy home makes for stressed out, unhappy people inside it. You can read more about how I’m focusing on the senses of sight and scent to foster calm and peace in our home over here (we even have a coupon code for some beautiful Christmas prints over there), but perhaps the easiest and quickest way to push the reset button in our home is through sound — specifically with music.

We’re a family of musicians, so understandably music plays a huge part in our day-to-day life — whether being played and shared live with our instruments or flowing through our speakers as a record or Spotify playlist. At Christmastime, it’s become such a natural way to impact the entire home with melodies that can calm, excite, or even inspire reflection on the real reason why we celebrate during this season. Traditional carols bring back sweet memories and carry on traditions from one generation to the next while new holiday favorites breath a new life and freshness into the season!

Sometimes, I’ll turn on some upbeat holiday tunes for a quick dance party when we need to get some extra wiggles out. Other times, we’ll pull out the Christmas books for a much-needed, restful break and we’ll be accompanied by some soft Christmas carols. It’s these small touches that are easy to overlook, but that can have such an incredible impact on your home if used with intention and love!

To help you build out your own Christmas music collection, we’d like to share a Spotify playlist we’ve created exclusively for Wendy’s holiday haiku challenge participants! Check it out below!

https://open.spotify.com/user/1265210505/playlist/2BLAyf2GXrbtQnWsk6wGgW

Herod - Day 14 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

 Welcome to Day 14 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge  

Today's guest, Kelli Stuart, is a writer and a storyteller at heart. The author behind the wildly popular blog Minivans Are Hot.com, Kelli has traveled extensively, constantly honing her craft at weaving words into tales as she experiences life and the world. Kelli can now be found at KelliStuart.com where she shares her encouraging message to never give up on your dreams and passions with mothers who often feel lost in their mothering tasks. Kelli currently lives in Tampa, Florida with her perpetually patient husband and their four rambunctious children.

Today's Challenge is to write a haiku inspired by the earthly enemy of Jesus, the protagonist in our Christmas story:

King Herod

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In the Shadow of the Enemy

by Kelli Stuart

I heard a sermon not too long ago about the birth of Christ. It was one of those heady sermons that you wish you could listen to over and over, because the information was so deep and rich that you couldn't wrap your mind around one sentence before the pastor moved on to another.

He drilled down deep into the birth of the Savior. He went beyond the manger and the wise men, and he told us of the irrefutable evidence for Christ's miraculous birth. From the eclipse that likely hung a large, bright star over Bethlehem, to the time and date stamps that were most probable to Jesus' birth, the sermon was one giant revelation from beginning to end.

And then he hit the crux of his story. The climax, the birth, the moment when God entered this world wrapped in the flesh of a baby. Small, vulnerable, the perfect embodiment of God and man. With the star hung high in the sky, scientific evidence offered to prove it's existence, the Pastor fed us one more beautiful morsel:

Jesus' proximity to Herod.

It's quite possible that Emmanuel was born within five miles of Herod's palace. God not only ushered His Son into the world as a baby, but He placed Jesus right there in the presence of His enemy.

The King of all the earth, as small and frail as they come, born in the shadow of the king of the land. Herod trembled at the news, rage, selfishness, and fear all mingling together, dictating his hunger to remain in power.

It's horrifying and beautiful, all at once. How often does God send us to the place that seems most dangerous? How often do we find ourselves in the presence of those hostile toward the faith? How desperately does He long for us to trust Him, to believe Him greater than the proximity of danger?

Yet in the end, we see it. When God tells us to be still and know that He is God, when He commands us not to fear, but to place full trust in Him - He does not do so as One unacquainted with danger. At His most vulnerable, God became man, and He placed Himself within Herod's reach.

It seems silly to boil this depth down to 17 syllables. Is it even possible to capture the beautiful dichotomy of Christ's birth inside a manger in Bethlehem, while Herod hovered nearby, anxious, simmering, willing to keep his throne at all costs?

Gloria in Excelsis Deo,

Kelli Stuart

Lamb of God - Day 11 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 11 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge Today's guest, author Angie Mosteller, has thrown down the poetic gauntlet. Join the fun by penning a simple haiku inspired by Jesus, the Christ-child, the Holy...

Lamb of God

Lamb of God

by Angie Mosteller

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, I cannot help but ponder the fact that he was born to die – that God’s intention from the beginning of the world was to give his life for the sins he knew we would commit. Only a perfect human life could atone for human sin. Thus, the God of the universe entered into His own creation in order to give his life as a sacrifice for us.

Jesus is often called the “lamb” because in Jewish tradition, it was most often a lamb that was sacrificed for the sins of the people. Yet, Jesus “the lamb” is also our shepherd. Jesus said of himself, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep” (John 10:11). Not only did the shepherd lay down his life for his sheep, he actually became one himself. What a great mystery! The shepherd became a lamb in order to save his flock. Interestingly, the title most often applied to Jesus in the book of Revelation, and the title that he carries into eternity, is “the Lamb.” The Bible records that at the end of time, “the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:17).

Angie is a follower of Christ (of the evangelical sort), the wife of a smokin’ hot philosophy professor, a homeschooling mom, and author of the book Christmas, Celebrating the Christian History of Classic Symbols, Songs and Stories. In her free time, she likes to work on her website Celebrating Holidays where she gathers resources to help families build fun and meaningful traditions. One of her favorite Christmas traditions is to sing a classic hymn or carol with her family each night (and if you enjoy poetry, you will be surely be moved by the rich and beautiful language of these songs). Angie has compiled 25 Days of Christmas Music on her website, and if you want to sing along, there is a lyric video for each song!

Mary - Day 10 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 10 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge  

I have a handful of favorite authors, and this sweet gal is counted among them. Becky Keife writes lovely prose and always searches for contentment. The coupling of those two attributes leads her readers to desire that same peaceful satisfaction which can only be found in Christ.

Becky is a self proclaimed word lover, coffee drinker, and Jesus follower. She writes to slow time, give thanks, and awaken to God's daily wonders and grace.

I hope you will get to know her on her blog, BeckyKeife.com, or on Facebook.

Today Becky challenges us to write a haiku based on Jesus' mother

Mary

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Watchful Wonder

By Becky Keife

Can you imagine how Mary must have felt those last weeks leading up to Christ’s birth? Not only was she becoming a mother for the first time—a wild, scary, joy-filled adventure wrapped in so many expectations, hopes, and dreams. But she was becoming the mother of the Christ child. Her son—God’s Son. The promised Messiah.

What will he look like? What will he sound like? How will I raise him? Will I know what to say, what to do? How will I help him fulfill His Father’s plans?

Oh, how the questions must have swirled in her heart! Surely she was anxious to some measure. What woman wouldn’t have been? But Mary, chosen for her faith and steadfast obedience, must also have been full of joyous anticipation.

What will my son teach me? What ways will my trust in the Father grow deeper? When will Jesus’ true nature be revealed to the world? Will I get to see it? Will I be blessed to support him, cheer for him, pray over him each step of the way?

Christmas marks the end to Mary’s nine months of waiting for Christ’s birth while ushering in the beginning of a lifetime of watchful wonder. We have been given a similar invitation.

Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of Your Son. Prepare our hearts through this advent season to receive the fullness of His coming in fresh ways. Awaken our minds to the wonder waiting for us in You. May we be as humble and patient as Mary, living eyes-opened and heart-surrendered to the work you plan to do in and through us. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

If you have missed any part of our haiku challenge, find a complete list of our daily themes here.

Silent Night - Day 9 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 9 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge I hope you are enjoying this advent exercise in condensing your devotion down to one praiseworthy thought each day. Adventing amidst your holiday hustle, all harnessed in 17 short syllables. If you have missed any of the privious post in this series, find them all here.  And now, onto today's challenge.

Silent Night

Silent Night

by Colleen Mitchell:

God comes quietly, and only quiet hearts will be ready. The world waited in 400 years of prophetic silence so it could hear his first breath. He could have come any other way, but he came quietly and the first to know were the ones who we were still enough to notice the slight shiftings in the heavens, the cry in the cold. How can you silence yourself to hear how he comes?

My guest today is Colleen Mitchell - wife to Greg and mother to five amazing sons here on earth and five precious little ones in heaven. She and her husband serve in Costa Rica where they run the St. Francis Emmaus Center, a ministry that welcomes indigenous mothers into their home. She works out what it means to love Jesus and live the Gospel as an adventure at her blog Blessed Are the Feet.