Redeemed

Redemption is in the transformation

that occurs in the hearts, minds, and lives

of those who are connected to brokenness –

all who dare not cast the first stone.

Remorse, like resurrection, is not the end,

but the possibility for a new beginning;

not a beginning that jettisons who we were

and what we did, but a beginning

that puts all of that and all of us

on a different road; a road that is not

just the will or refusal to do it all again

if we had the chance, but a road

that takes all of us – our experiences

and choices – to a place where they can be

constructed into a place of hope

we can call home again, for the first time.

 

Lovers Lane

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Dare

Never lose perspective

on your ignorance.

Never settle for what

you think you understand.

Never confine yourself

to those whose thoughts

mirror yours, or even to those

who've travelled deeper

into the jungle of your choosing.

Never accept comfort

exclusively over affliction.

Dare to be challenged

by experiences from afar.

Photo by Lee Lindsey McKinney

Dare to examine the framework

of the house you were born in.

Dare to change.

Dare to grow.

Dare to sit in silence before the wind.

Dare to be held by the darkness

long after the sun has set.

Dare to wait for a new dawn.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Intersection

The intersection of Interstate Need

and Interstate Lead is the place

where the roots of relationship

sink deeply into creation's fertile soil,

nurturing the soul of humanity.

This is the garden from which

the universe's fruit feeds us all;

a table where all are welcome;

where grace is key ingredient;

where hunger and thirst are unacceptable.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Spiritual Formation

Detroit River

It's not reserved for a special few –

those who've mastered the matrix.

It doesn't wait for us to reach

a certain age or intellect or maturity level.

It's what starts happening

the moment we take our first breath,

maybe even sooner (Psalm 139:18).

The universe's purposes and

our raison d'être both begin

to seep their simple truths

into our minds and hearts.

First, it may be nothing more

than a wistful longing,

but then it builds in intensity

and sharpens in focus

until all the lesser realities

upon which we've fabricated life

begin to crumble and fade away

like sepia photos of generations long-past.

It's up to each of us to decide

how we'll respond to this longing.

We can bristle against the mystery

and dig our heels into control's mud;

or we can let paradox move us

toward the "I am" of "both and".

Or is it the "both and" of "I am"?

Regardless of our response,

as time marches on,

we’re being formed.

The only question is,

“Into what?”

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Vacuum

Hope's demise,

in all its forms,

sucks the imagination

out of the universe.

Into this vacuous chasm,

Fear boldly rushes in –

or at least that's what he

wants you to believe –

declaring that all will be well

as long as we toe the line

and quiver behind locked doors,

longing for certitude's control.

But night must eventually fall

as earth spins away from the sun,

and into the blessed rest of sleep

the dreamer's story will not be denied.

 

"Fremont Troll" Seattle, WA

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Tomorrow

The gifts of therapy and faith,

among a host of other

invitations to hope,

 are not to bolt yourself

to a clearly-defined understanding

of who you are at this moment.

They are to equip you to know

where you are, how you got there;

to show you some of the bread crumbs

along the path toward the whole person

you were created to become.

Grace, in all its many disguises, is,

at one and the same time,

an hourly rerouting,

an end-of-day permission

to accept today's journey

as enough for today,

and courage to wake

tomorrow with loins girded,

not because you know

where you’re going,

but because you understand

that journey is life itself.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Church & Hate

"Border Fence" via Ellin Jimmerson

Since Constantine wed religion and state,

Love has taken second chair.

Violence is always there,

at the corner of Church and Hate.

Empire's questions will always trump

Grace's gentle call to care;

threats pop up everywhere,

leaving compassion at the dump.

When children hail from different places

we erase their gift of humanity,

and take away their dignity,

while seeing no Christ in their faces.

"Send them back!" we angrily scream.

Protect our sacred real estate

by any means, including hate;

give them a nightmare for their dream.

How dare their parents let them go!

Unable to fathom, we feign confusion

and pogo-stick to our conclusion

as if we somehow really know.

If our world hasn't faced circumstances

of utterly hopeless brutality,

with no real hope or hospitality,

we can't imagine taking those chances.

The shoes that others are wearing

can only help our hearts transform

if we sit with tea from hot to warm

listening to the stories they're sharing.

© 2014 Todd Jenkins

Undone

It is not how much

you are able to get done

that determines whether

you are able to observe Sabbath,

but how much you are willing

to leave undone;

because you realize the futility

of dying every day by the mantra,

"The hurrier I go, the behinder I get."

Let the moon cast her spell

on the curse of your busyness.

Only then will you be able

to let Grace wrap and rock you

in the hammock of Unconditional Love.

 

May Apple Retreat

© 2014 Todd Jenkins