Five Minute Friday: Wonder

Time for another Five Minute Friday! Every Friday hundreds of writers join in this five minute writing exercise at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts on her blog. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

So here's my attempt at this week's Five Minute Friday. This week's word is...

Wonder...

You see it in the faces of little children as they gaze up at glimmering Christmas lights, reflecting like a sky full of stars in their eyes.

Wonder.

That same wonder led three wise men on a journey across treacherous desert terrain to a lowly stable where they gazed at another Light. A Light in the form of a tiny squirming bundle of new flesh, pink baby toes and perfectly formed baby fingers.

The Word became flesh.

Emmanuel. God with us.

I wonder how Mary felt the first time she looked into His face and knew in her heart He was the Savior of the world. How could she contain her awe? How could she keep the knowledge deep within her soul; how could she restrain herself from shouting to the world, “My son is God in the flesh! Do you hear me? He has come to save you!”

Instead she treasured everything in her heart, savoring the gems of truth delivered to her by the very angels of heaven. 

Jesus, give me eyes of wonder this Christmas. Help me to treasure You above everything, to gaze in awe at Your beauty and to remember Your sacrifice. You are THE gift of Christmas, and You deserve all my praise!

A Thanksgiving Quiz for You

Each year for as long as I can remember, I've read portions of Margaret B. Pumphrey's Stories of the Pilgrims to my children. And each year I learn something new about the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrim's story is an amazing one to say the least. Their story helps me to see that faith in God enables common people to triumph over persecution, hunger, and incredible hardships.

How much do you know about this tiny band of faithful Christians? For example, did you know the Pilgrims didn't go straight to the New World after leaving England? Their first stop was Holland.

While you're digesting your fabulous Thanksgiving feast this afternoon, see how many of these Pilgrim trivia questions you and your guests can get right. You'll find the answers if you scroll down further in the post. Happy Thanksgiving!

1. How long did the Pilgrims live in Holland before leaving for the New World?

2. Which of William Brewster's children stayed behind in Holland and hoped to join the family later?

3. What was the name of the leaky ship that had to return to England?

4. Name the two babies born aboard the Mayflower.

5. Who was the first governor of Plymouth?

6. Who was the first friendly Indian that the Pilgrims encountered?

7. In what year did the Pilgrims celebrate the first Thanksgiving?

 (Scroll down for answers. Don't cheat!)

















1. 12 years 

2. Jonathan, Patience and Fear

3. the Speedwell

4. Oceanus Hopkins and Peregrine White

5. John Carver (not William Bradford as many would think)

6. Samoset (who then introduced the Pilgrims to Squanto)

7. 1621

Five Minute Friday: Stay

Every Friday hundreds of writers join in this five minute writing exercise at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog, Tales from a Gypsy Mama.

We write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that Lisa-Jo posts on her blog at 1 minute past midnight EST every Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday

No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation.

Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

So here's my attempt at this week's Five Minute Friday. This week's word is...

Stay.

I was working late in the newsroom when the real news came. Staring at the words on the screen, trying to make sense of the words blistering my heart on the other end of the line.

My husband’s voice sounded strangely quiet, “It’s Erin… she was in a car accident… she’s…”

His voice trailed off, but I already knew the last word that hung ugly and unsaid.

So hard to imagine how your whole world can change forever in just one millisecond of a moment.

Several states away and a few days later at the funeral home, I looked into the face of my best friend.

Please don’t leave. Twenty-four years isn’t enough time. You need to stay; your life is just beginning.  A few days ago you celebrated your one-year wedding anniversary; your high school students adore you as a teacher. If anyone needs to stay—deserves to stay—it’s you.

But staying wasn’t an option.

The reality was impossible to understand… all these years later, it still is.

The scripture inscribed later on her tombstone expressed what we all wanted so desperately to comprehend: “As for God, His way is perfect.” (Psalm 18:30)

Some people aren’t made to stay. God has His reasons. Our job is not to understand but simply to trust.

His plan is good.

His way is perfect.

Even when staying isn’t an option.

The Artist Manifesto: Will You Create?

Do you write, draw, take photographs, craft, sing, play an instrument, sculpt, dance, paint, or do something else that requires creativity? Then, guess what? You're an artist.

You were made by the ultimate Artist. A creative genius in fact. And since you were made in His image, you were meant to create as well. So whatever your craft, "The time is now. To inspire wonder and awe. To speak up in a world fast asleep at the wheel."

Writer Jeff Goins recently encouraged his blog followers to re-post this manifesto, which he wrote several months ago. His friend, Mandy Thompson, put some visuals to his words. So here you have it: The Artist Manifesto. No turning back. Be an artist.

Find The Artist Manifesto at http://goinswriter.com/artist/

Disturb Us, Lord

 If you've ever attended a writers' conference, you can relate to the feeling you get when it's over. It's a mix between being overwhelmed, excited, pumped up, exhausted, challenged, and inspired... all rolled into one crazy, energetic little ball. Yep, that's me right now.

Processing all the information I took in this weekend at the Indy Christian Writers Conference may take days, weeks even, but I'll try to share bits and pieces here on my blog as I work through it. Tonight, though, I wanted to share one of the amazing prayers presented by Safiyah Fosua in her workshop titled, "Borrowed Words," which explored the importance of writing out our prayers.

The beauty and poignant message of this prayer, along with many others Safiyah presented, struck my heart. As present day Americans, we often talk about "getting out of our comfort zones." The author, British explorer and adventurer Sir Francis Drake, must have felt a similar way as he penned this prayer when he departed on an expedition in 1577:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when

With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our effort to build a new earth
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly

To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back

The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,

Who is Jesus Christ.