Unforced Rhythms

Finding The Message by Eugene Peterson was a pretty big deal in my Christian walk. It had been a long time since I was excited about reading the Bible. I use The Message in conjunction with familiar Bible translations and other resources, because it always sparks something in me that makes me want to dig deeper into what I've read.

Here is a poem I wrote, loosely based on the Golden Shovel form (taking a favorite phrase from a book, and using each word in that phrase to end a line in a poem of your own.) It was inspired by one of the first passages I encountered in The Message, read during a time when I was thinking about rest:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with

me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with

me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of

grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me

and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

--Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG)

You! Yes, you who still needs to learn

what it means to really kick back! The

ways God works are easy, natural, wholly unforced.

While you're spinning wheels, He spins the world with rhythms

of dark and light, of storm and calm, of breath and stillness, of

all we call life, and He calls grace.