Beauty

August 14, 1982 First Presbyterian Church, Marianna, FL

Math that cannot be diminished

is rooted in abundance;

givers are the only ones who grow.

My lover is magnet to my steel,

not because she is a specific shape or size,

but because we are attuned

to one another on spiritual,

mental, and physical levels.

We experience one another

in reflection of the divine gift 

of abandonment to knowing 

and being known; our greatest joy 

in giving to one another.

August 1, 2015 Foster Falls/Fiery Gizzard Trail

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Indignation

Photo by Lee Lindsey McKinney

It seems this has become

our sacred homeland;

a deep purple bruising,

never quite healed-over

before another collision

rewinds the process.

Between our fragile veins

and our paper-thin skin,

we are constantly pooling blood

just below the surface.

We are never more bruisable  

than when self-loathing

reflects on those around us.

Neck-deep in a self-righteousness

of our own plans and expectations,

pity the poor soul whose work

falls short of perfection.

Storming the captain's deck,

we demand attention

commensurate with our lot.

All the while, Love remains

squirreled away in our luggage,

never unwrapped;

Grace is kept at bay because

we've never been able

to release her from

the prison of our unworthiness.

Whatever the marvelous journeys

on which we find ourselves,

leaving home without

the cloak of forgiveness

renders our mission invisible.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Given

Religion is often practiced

"winner-take-all."

   Institutional giving has

   a difficult time untangling

   all attached strings, primarily because

   it operates on a model

   of self-sustainability,

   if not self-sufficiency.

      The current generation

      never quite trusts the one

      coming down the road,

      perhaps because it felt

      the same betrayal in its youth.

   Faith is not about taking at all.

   It wins when all is given away;

   its strings woven into a net

   that lies beneath,

   rather than around.

It is the place where generations

recognize the only hope for enduring

is reliance on something greater

than self or progeny.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Reflection

There are those who do not

want to change; who question

any shift from life’s current patterns.

    Be honest enough to count

    yourself among them

    at least some of the time.

There are those who would rather

die than change; who do actually

die a slow death of entrenchment

as the universe spins toward the future.

    Do not let their shadow darken your day.

    Instead, bring light to their path

    and encourage them to join you

    in this giant change-fest we call life.

There are those who would rather

you die with them than have you

go off and leave them behind.

    Pray you will have the patience

    and courage to hold their hand

    as you walk with them.

There are those who can easily

recognize all of these in others,

calling them out with deadly accuracy,

but cannot turn their gaze to the mirror.

    Don’t let the reflection frighten you.

Photo by Linda M. Patrick

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Pouring

The science of pouring amazes me. Our coffee pot has a thermal carafe with less than adequate ventilation (says the non-scientific expert who bases this on anecdotal evidence), so the coffee pours slowly. I've noticed that pouring velocity doesn't seem to increase over the life of a brewed pot, which probably eliminates the perceptive distortion of first-cup anxiety.

The thing that really amazes me, however, is what I call cannonball drops. I'll be pouring a cup, semi-patiently watching the surface-tensioned globes of java appear to form a tiny stream, and suddenly, one drop does a cannonball into the cup, splashing coffee nearly a foot across the room.

This is why you'll often see me, dressed for work or an appointment, either pouring at arm's length, or venturing out into the world with tiny brown stains on my shirt and pants. This morning, after a brief prayer and reflection time, as I poured a second cup, I could almost see the individual coffee-torpedoes joyously diving into the cup (No, we don't have any Irish Cream or Frangelico around that could have seeped into my cup, by accident or on purpose.). It was as if their enthusiasm for life itself gave them additional mass, or velocity, or whatever it took to effect an ebullient entry.

I wondered if those particularly splashy drops had human relatives in the life of faith. Is it possible for our grace-filled exhilaration to spill over into the lives of others? I don't mean a vapid emotionalism that smacks of cheap drama, but a deep reverence and joy for life that is infectious in sacred ways.

What would happen if we let broad forgiveness and rich love temper our life's tenor?

Coffee on!

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Witness

It is to reveal what you know –

   what you've experienced

      with your five senses,

         your one heart,

            your whole life.

Do it with your deeds,

   your smile, your eyes,

      your tenderness, your patience,

         your generosity, your compassion,

      and, if someone does ask,

   let your words enhance the integrity

of the love you're living.

Above all, remember that

   you're not the only witness,

      probably not the first witness,

         and likely not the last witness;

so stop expecting a verdict;

   stop trying to bang the gavel;

      stop handing down sentences.

Seek to engage your own story;

   to live a faithful witness.

      That is all.

         Let God take care of the rest.

© 2015 Todd Jenkins

Praying Up

Praying up a cloud

to shield you

from noonday fire.

Praying up a gentle rain

to slake your painful thirst.

Praying up a quilt

to comfort your deepest ache.

Praying up hope and grace

to wrap your broken heart.

Praying up memories

to reminisce with stories of love.

Praying up a handkerchief

to dry the river of tears.

Praying up anything but a storm

to hold you from now

'til the end of your years.

Photo by Lee Lindsey McKinney

© 2015 Todd Jenkins