iambic pentameter is for the weak.

Recently I was asked to write something to be read before our Wednesday night worship service at our church. I was given a fairly short lead time and what I felt would be a near impossible task. This task being poetry. I can see most of you literally smirking at the idea of me writing poetry.

Sarcasm…yes. I’ve got sarcasm. Witty quips and imaginative headlines…at times…yes I’ll say I have that. But poetry…not something I would exactly put on a resume. Especially poetry that is focused on creativity and the love of God. I mean, it’s one thing to write a short poem about dog poo or my poor cooking skills. It’s something totally else to say something meaningful in front of a room of what you consider to be your spiritual leaders and peers. Pressure is not a word I feel sufficiently fufills the need I require it to at this moment. So I began googling Christian poetry in hopes that I would find something dynamic that would melt my face, to which I would give full credit after admitting I never got past the first line of writing “God is good, God is great….”. Turns out, I’m not the only one suffering from “Godly Poetry Block”. After several hours of scouring the online world of Christian poetry the most dynamic thing I found went a little something like this:

“God has been so good to us
Except that we still have no bus
We could simply take out a loan
Or pass out the plate and ask for a bone
Please know that we are on your side
But not when your neighbor kid needs a ride
So dig in those pockets and pull out some coin
We got old ladies with places to be goin”

Okay so I didn’t actually find that so much as write it, but I will say this….
it’s not actually the worst thing out there if I do say so myself. 

Needless to say I came up with a big fat zero nothing. So I said a prayer, bucked it up and wrote something from the heart. Of course I made sure that husband was clear to tell everyone who asked that I didn’t write it. In fact after I read it I sat right down next to him and wrote on my bulletin “I’m so entirely embarrassed”. He just smiled as most supportive husbands would and whenever anyone would ask if I wrote the poem I read, he would just look over at me to see if I was seriously going to let google take responsibility. He is such a good boy. And I am such a horrible public speaker.