Tag: poetry

Waiting for Them to Come Home: Prodigals and Those Who Love Them

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Prodigals-bookcoverProdigals and Those Who Love Them by Ruth Bell Graham

“I have, as wife and mother, a good cause – the best cause in the world – but lack the shoulders to support it. The job isn’t too big for me. I’m not big enough for the job.” (Thankfully, God IS big enough!)
 
“We mothers must take care of the possible and trust God for the impossible…We cannot convict of sin, create hunger and thirst after God, or convert. These are miracles, and miracles are not in our department.”


A year ago at our church ladies’ retreat, the speaker mentioned a book title that caught my attention: Prodigals and Those Who Love Them by Ruth Bell Graham, wife of the famous evangelist, Billy Graham. In her book, Mrs. Graham writes from the heart of a mom who knows what it is like to have a child stray from home, and our speaker shared how the book had been an encouragement to her as she experienced something similar with her son. At this time, my three children are young adults (ages 19-23) and thankfully they are all professing Christians. But I have more than one close family member whose spiritual condition I am particularly concerned about, so I set about getting my hands on a copy of Mrs. Graham’s book. It wasn’t what I expected: I was hoping for instructions on how to correct the situation (anyone who knows me, knows I’m a “fixer”), but it turned out to be better than that. (Isn’t it amazing how God always seems to know what we need better than we do!) Continue reading “Waiting for Them to Come Home: Prodigals and Those Who Love Them” →

Satan and Man: Same Fall, Different Landings: Paradise Lost

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Paradise Lost by John Milton

Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the antagoni...
Gustave Doré, Depiction of Satan, the antagonist of Paradise Lost c.1866 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat.


John Milton (1608-1674) is considered one of the most important English writers of all time, ranking with Shakespeare and Chaucer. Milton was a devout Puritan and was disowned by his Catholic father. Unlike many Puritans of his day, Milton did not condemn recreational enjoyments, like art, sports, and theater, and he loved music. Milton was probably the most educated of all the English writers up to that time; he knew five languages, and the Bible almost from memory. Milton became completely blind by the age of 44.

Milton believed he was called by God to speak out against society’s evils. He wrote pamphlets on topics such as marriage and divorce, censorship, and politics. Milton’s other literary works include 23 sonnets, several elegies and odes, a masque drama, and a dramatic poem. Paradise Lost (1667), his opus magnum and best-known work, is considered by some to be the greatest poem ever written. Continue reading “Satan and Man: Same Fall, Different Landings: Paradise Lost” →

An Anglican Minister Bares His Soul: George Herbert

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“A picture of the many spiritual conflicts that have passed between God and my soul before I could subject my will to Jesus, my Master.” – George Herbert

I discovered the poetry of George Herbert in a university British literature class,  and it was a delightful discovery. George Herbert (1593-1633) was an Anglican clergyman who wrote metaphysical poetry – poems that address the mind and stimulate the imagination.  Herbert’s poems, often written in first person, focus on his devotion to and relationship with God and are very personal and reflective in nature. It is as if Herbert is baring his soul, revealing his spiritual thoughts and emotions, even struggles, about God and his relationship with Him. Continue reading “An Anglican Minister Bares His Soul: George Herbert” →

Puritan Poetess: Anne Bradstreet

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one of the more common paintings of anne brads...
one of the more common paintings of Anne Bradstreet (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
 
I am obnoxious to each carping tongue
Who says my hand a needle better fits,
A poet’s pen all scorn I should thus wrong,
For such despite they cast on female wits:
If what I do prove well, it won’t advance,
They’ll say it’s stol’n, or else it was by chance.
– Anne Bradstreet, “Prologue”


Anne Bradstreet originally intended to share her verses only with her family and close friends. Without her prior permission, her brother-in-law John Woodbridge took them to England and published them in 1650 under the title The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up In America. Apparently, Mrs. Bradstreet anticipated the skepticism with which her poetry might be received. In her Prologue (above), she apologizes for her lowly attempts and begs the reader to forgive her for her simple verses. While she admits her poems cannot compare with those of the Greeks or other great poets, she humbly asks to receive due credit for her efforts. I imagine Mrs. Bradstreet would be amazed to know that her humble expressions of devotion for her family and her God are still read and admired today, since she didn’t initially intend to publish them at all. Continue reading “Puritan Poetess: Anne Bradstreet” →