Poems in the Crazy

It is a bit crazy around here these days. Seniors are beginning to talk with churches or future employers, have interviews, and the like. MDiv Middlers found out today where they are going for internship for next year. People are trying to keep up with readings, exegesis, preaching, papers, and even theses for class! Yikes - some of us even have other things: off campus jobs or families, multiple part-time jobs, big responsibilities at our churches. The list goes on and on.

In the midst of this overwhelming crazy, I study poetry. Yes, I'm behind in my classes. Yes, I haven't got much time to spare. Yes, I'm neglecting responsibilities and deadlines. But I'm still going to my poetry class in downtown Minneapolis. I seriously considered dropping it a couple of weeks ago, but a good friend encouraged me to keep at it [Thanks Scott!]. I think reading and writing poetry has been a gigantic asset when it comes to preaching. Both seek to communicate importance, meaning, and shared life. Both use narrative and lyric, image, repetition, and carefully planned space and sounds. Poetry feeds my soul, challenges my creativity, and informs my craft of preaching who this God is with and for us. Poetry is one of the ways I am grounded, and I'm not giving up just because I'm busy.