P o e t r y

40 Words: An Overheard Confession

by Drew Causey

(a response poem from April 7th's sermon in the ATS chapel, given by JD )

"I want to be Andy Dufresne."  J.D. Walt

I don't get Jesus,
so I don't
understand weakness;
I want
and lack power.

I don't get suffering,
so I don't
understand love;
pushing pain
away.

I don't get death,
so I don't
understand resurrection;
too many I's
still breathing.

Creative Commons Project: Lent

As we begin the Lent season together, we're also beginning a new Creative Commons Project; this project serves as a focused creative outlet for the changes we are experiencing as we walk through the calendar year.

With Lent, we're creating a practice we're calling 40 Words.

In its most basic form, we're asking you to compose a poem using only forty words (it's kind of self-explanatory). It can have any kind of rhyme, rhythm, footing, any kind of stanza breaks or none at all. All we ask is that you focus those thoughts to just 40 words.

However, we're asking that these 40 words be part of your journey through Lent, through the valley and toward the Cross. These words spring out of our experiences in knowing Christ "and the power of His resurrection and the sharing in His suffering, becoming like Him in His death," (Phil. 3:10). As Christ forms His death in us through this season, we pray this spills out in new life in all its forms (including creativity).

So there's the poetic gauntlet, thrown down for any and all. Send your submissions to [email protected] or drop them in the comment section and we'll re-post them for all to read.  

Creative Commons Project: Epiphany

So we're trying to develop some common space for the poetic and poetically-curious here at Asbury, luring the creative peoples of our community from their nooks to make some unique expression of faith together and providing some space for those of us who might struggle with poetry but still want to participate to find some voice.

Ergo: the Creative Commons Project (Better name ideas suggestions are welcomed).

With each season of the Christian calendar, we're going to have a corresponding project to contribute to. Hopefully, this will lead to some interesting poetry, as well as stretch some of our writing chops as we practice the season together.

This season is Epiphany . As JD wrote the other day:

"An epiphany isn't discovering something new. It's finally seeing something old. To have an epiphany is to finally see what you've been looking at so long; something mysterious and sublime long obscured by the ordinary and mundane. It's the sudden opening up of the eyes of the heart."

For phase one of this Creative Commons Project, we're asking for stories of epiphany. Do you have examples of times in your lives where your eyes were opened to something you'd never seen before? Where a long time hope finally was realized? Where you literally came face to face with Jesus (kind of like the Magi)?

In the comments section, leave us stories of epiphany from your journey with Christ. Our goal for this phase is to hear and write our stories of epiphany here, where others can read them and respond. In two weeks, we'll introduce the second phase of this project, so stay tuned...