Poetry And Power

Our students are in the midst of a beautiful class on George Herbert’s poetic renderings of faith in his book, The Temple.

It just so happens that there is some significant pain and mourning that has come into the group this morning (a good friend of one student was murdered), coupled with great joy (a former Masters students who was paralyzed by a water accident is miraculously walking on his own).

The gift of poetry is it’s capacity to inculcate hope into weary souls through indirect communication.

The following is a poem from me, and then a phrase from George Herbert.

return

free form
in light suspended
graceful return to my infancy
when innocence was my handbag
and playfulness my currency

light around me
every crevice filled
turns to shadows
as the ages pass

my mind so growing
to become someone
distinguished from my peers
by smarter living

now wanting home
to be the child
free form
in light suspended

graceful return to my infancy


“Away, despair! My gracious Lord doth hear….”

From The Bag, by George Herbert

AVAILABLE NOW

Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace help us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. Sheltering Mercy helps the reader pray Psalms 1-75; Endless Grace leads in prayer through Psalms 76-150.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. Each book contains 75 prayers drawn from the Book of Psalms, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning there. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

These artful, poetic, and classic devotional books are a perfect gift, and feature compelling stunning illustrations and hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms. Co-written with Ryan Whitaker Smith, Brazos Publishing.

Pre-Order below, and join my email list, to get author notes and updates about the book and events around it. 

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