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.

John 3:16 - Day 8 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 8 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge  

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,

that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

Today's haiku is based on John 3:16. I challenge you to meditate on these familiar lines from Scripture in light of Christmas, then pen your own 17 syllable response. If you have forgotten your Jr. High teacher's lesson describing how to write a haiku, read this beautiful post by guest author (and Jr. High teacher) Bethany Hockenbury for a short and worshipful refresher.

And now, I give you today's #holidayhaiku writing challenge:

John 3:16

Make Room - Day 7 - Holiday Haiku Challenge

Welcome to Day 7 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge Today's writing prompt is

Make Room

I invite you to enjoy our guest's haiku. If you are inspired, please leave your own 17 syllables in the comment threat below or on Instagram, #holidayhaiku. If you have missed the beginning of our series, start here. And now, today's haiku...

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Make Room

by Elise Hurd

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger,

because there was no room for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

We sing freely: "Let every heart prepare Him room..."

But what if He doesn't come alone? What if He comes with "them"? This advent season, as we prepare room in our minds, hearts, and lives to welcome and celebrate Jesus -- let's make sure we prepare enough room for the "them" He will bring our way. Let's ask Him to open our eyes to who we don't have room for, who He wants us to prepare a special place for this season.

Let's prepare room for Him by preparing room for them, and not miss the gift of the great King who is Emmanuel.

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Our guest, Elise Hurd, is a creative mom with a passion to encourage others that ordinary faithfulness is the stuff of miracles. Yet her poetic contribution is anything but ordinary. Like all true art, Elise' haiku is open for interpretation. When I first read her words I was sure she had hidden some social commentary on the Syrian refuge crises within her 17 syllables, but she simply confessed that the people that are often the hardest to fit into our busy lives are the little ones who already live within our homes.

Elise Hurd is a wife and mom to four girls, with a little one on the way. She is a full-time caretaker for her father in law with Alzheimer's, a writer, the director of children's ministry at her home church, and the designer and shop owner of Little Lunch Maker. You can connect with her on Instagram @littlelunchmaker, or on her blog The Giving Place.

Be Still and Know - Day 6 - Holiday Haiku

Welcome to Day 6 of our Holiday Haiku Challenge

Today's guest shares my name and my love for words. I'm so pleased to introduce my sister-in-law, Cathi Speake. She is mother to my two nephews, wife to my brother, and a wicked talented Jr. High Teacher who loves to teach her sevvies (7th graders) the art of the haiku.

Her Holiday Haiku Challenge is to write 17 syllables inspired by Psalm 46:10

Be Still and Know