A Mini Sonnet Sequence

Recently, I have found enjoyment in sonnets. In this project for my British literature class, I tried my hand at sonnet writing, imitating poets like Anne Lock, who adapted Scripture to poetry. I played with the tension between copying Scripture closely and deviating carefully.

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A Mini-Sequence of paraphrases of scriptures on sloth:

A paraphrase of Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22

I see you truly when yourself you fake.

Alive and yet dead, neither cold nor hot,

So my wrath will root out your false lie stake,

Seeming richly clothed when yet you are not.

Yea, soon I come here, finding you hiding,

As a thief I come, buy my gold and silv’.

Save yourself, repent; I come next as King

In the dark night to see your resolve.

Knocking I offer life should you choose it,

Here my offer I repeat yet again:

Stop up your lying, listen my words split.

I will come to you, come let me begin,

I offer vict’ry conquering the breach,

Hear if you have ears then listen my speech.

A paraphrase of Deuteronomy 6:10-15

Godly promises shall be delivered.

He gives you cities, cisterns, crops, and food

And houses of warmth where once you shivered,

Now comfy, in plenty, filled up--be shrewd.

Beware: forget is the utmost of rude,

Comfort will blind your dependence on Him

Lest ye turn from He who chothéd your nude,

And offer an idol life and a limb.

Come shall He no matter how far ye swim

In flooding of your sinful mud deluge,

Aside He shall set all proper and prim,

Be feared as your mighty awe-ful refuge

Burning heat as bright as He be jealous.

To avoid ye must copy Him: zealous.

A paraphrase of Hebrews 4:11-13

To strive to find rest put your effort all,

As our lord, work six to rest on seven

In His presence is God’s restful Heaven.

If so, be not saddened at the death pall,

For, living it is which speaking He calls:

Sharp point edge and tip, which sword-like driven

Exposes and discerns wheat from leaven,

True motives and intent hearts each enthrall.

The omniscient Lord with His roving eye

Sees all, knows all, is all places all times.

None of all his invent can hide intent.

No clothing nor mask is enough so sly

To shield, protect, to hide in or prevent

Giving account past hallowéd death chimes.

A paraphrase of Hebrews 5:11-14

Much more have we to teach—if you could learn,

Much more to say—if only you could hear.

Sharper wit dulléd, bent—Oh, how we yearn

We agonise for you; we beg: give ear.

You cannot yet sink your teeth into this

For far too long still are you teething, for

Waiting long stale rotten food goes amiss.

Still you require a spoon-feed mentor!

The Word must be chewed for all its pleasure;

No sipping or slurping as if a child.

Righteousness calls for skill to good treasure,

Shun evil: master all basics compiled.

Only a grown-up can discern the chew,

Trained to split right and wrong in all they view.

"Life is Weird."

That's something a friend of mine said recently. And I completely agree.

Next week I'll officially be an adult, but I've been out of school for a few months now. Life is good, and I usually feel like I'm headed somewhere, but life is weird. Making decisions that truly impact the rest of your life is weird. You're Playing With the Big Boys Now from Prince of Egypt is running through my mind. 

Making slow progress is weird. I've been living by the phrase "patient initiative" lately. I'm trying to be content where I am, but I'm also taking responsibility for moving one step at a time. The problem with long-term thinking is there's a lot of short-term living between here and there. 

I've discovered that my love for the written word extends beyond creating writing. I immensely enjoy refining text into publishable pages. That's why I'm hoping to head toward the publishing world. Proofreading and typesetting fascinate me, and I want to learn more about them. The freelance life is weird.

Diseases are weird. In the five months I've had Diabetes, I've certainly adjusted. I'm excited to get better equipment that will help me be healthier, but for now I'm doing well with what I have. I have recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, as well, so it has been exciting being able to create my own diet. Different people deal with having these diseases differently, but right now I personally have no qualms calling myself a Diabetic Celiac--because I readily admit these two things are daily issues that define how I live my life. They do not define me, but they define my life. 

Being an adult is weird in so many different ways, but I'm learning to live in the tension. Part of me keeps begging to go back to the good ol' "care-free" days. The funny thing is, looking back from this perspective, I'm sure it seems more care-free than it was in the moment. Truly, I cannot go back, so I'm living where I'm at.

Thoughts on Language

Hello again from Mexico! I've been here for two weeks now, and I have much to share. But I've found it very difficult to wrap it up in a package I can send you. I used to think "You had to be there" was just a throw-away phrase, but that's what it's come down to. I like words, how we use them, what they stand for. So it was a bit of a stretch for me to share pictures last week, but that's what I had to do to give you a window into where I am, and prove it's all real. If someone told me they had done all the stuff I've been doing, I'm not sure I would believe them. Part of the natural human instinct in enjoyment is to share, to prove to others that it's real, and language is one of the chief ways we share.

Three Word Prayer

Well, I'm 17 and sadly looking at the end of my homeschooled years. I have really enjoyed blazing an non-traditional path through my education. When you finish high school in three years, though, you suddenly realise you're supposed to figure out what you are going to do after the script ends. As I look back, I've been thinking about all the things I didn't do during my homeschooling days.

• I never went to Disney as a child. But I sailed in Canada freshman year.
• I didn't go on a 6th grade trip to DC. But I've been on two mission trips to Chicago and one to NYC. 
• I never once ate a school lunch. But I have eaten a two-pound burger. If you're ever driving through Celina, TN, stop at Ollie's Place and look for my picture on the wall. 
• I haven't become famous. But I helped write a declaration of manhood back in middle school. One of my proudest moments.
• I didn't have friends at school. But I was in an amazing readers'/writers' group.
• I haven't yet done a TED Talk. But I've been a part of some really great homeschool drama productions. The only thing better than homeschool people is homeschool drama people.
• I haven't yet dated anybody. But I have had the coolest friends and the best adventures. 
• I have never won money in a contest. But I've had great mentors, which have been much more valuable.
• I haven't been to a Broadway show yet. But I have been involved in numerous dramas, both backstage and onstage.
• I never took high school physics. But I've volunteered hours upon hours at church.
• I haven't bought a sports car. But I have made more than a few trips from TC to GR.
• I didn't write a New York Times bestseller at the age of 13. But I did try my hand at novel writing and learned from the experience.
• I haven't made my own YouTube channel. But I've written haiku.
• I haven't read all 100 best books of all time. But I'm still working on it. I need another bookshelf...

I haven't accomplished big things, like hiking through Europe or writing an amazing book or starting an organisation to raise money to fight AIDS. But I've been on a great journey. I've had the privilege of growing up in a great home and attending great churches. I've had opportunities to explore who I am, and I'm cool with what I've found. I have had some cool chances to speak into lives. I am in a really cool position to launch into the rest of my life. When I think of all the things I could have done but haven't, I remind myself everything has been preparing me for something great. Something that's much bigger than myself. I'm ready to change the world, but I also know I have to prepare first.

As I've thought about it, 2014 has become to me the year of preparation. Educationally, with opportunities, and most importantly, in my heart. I don't believe that I have to be perfectly educated before I can serve, and I won't let that excuse hold me back. I don't know everything 2014 holds for me or who I will be in another year. But I do know that God is going to use me somehow, and He'll use anything He can to train me.

For starters, I have an opportunity to travel to Mexico for a few months this spring. I'm still working out all the details, but I'm hoping to fly out in mid-March and help however I can at an orphanage. More details to follow. But I'm stoked for a chance to travel and learn from others.

After that, I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing to do next. There are so many options, which makes the choice harder. One of my biggest dreams is to help my generation step up to lead the future of the Church. I love thinking and writing, and I want to use those gifts to this end. I feel called into "fill-time Christian ministry", but knowing me, I want to go Non-Traditional. Instantly, the idea of opening a "writing pub" stands out to me. A cross between a local coffee house and a tea parlour where people can come to write in quiet or gather a writing group. A little Herman's Boy and a bit of the Bird and the Baby. A healthy serving of used books. A dash of friendly baristas. And there you have it: a non-"churchy" way for Believers to love others and build relationships.

We shall see how this all turns out. But in the meantime, I'm working on having my heart in a place where God can work on it. I'm using this time I have left to ask God to use me. I know it won't always be fun, but I'm here for the ride. My prayer is: God, use me.

Why Write Haiku

My friend Greg over at Brushworkings hooked my on haiku a few months back. Now I’m going to hook you on that form of poetry. I didn’t used to think of myself as a poet, but now I am a poet! I’m so excited about haiku I’m currently writing a book of them and calling it a Haiku-a-Day Challenge. In honour of launching of my challenge, I put together five reasons I write haiku.

(1) Haiku is easy. All you have to write is three lines with five, seven, and five lines, respectively. They don’t have to be about anything in particular. You can make up your own rules. In fact, you can even decide how you want to punctuate your haikus.

Septembrrr, wind chill

leaves still green--kinda. Howling

sun’s gone too soon now

(2) Haiku is magically mathematical. Once you start writing haiku, you start thinking about syllables. You are conscious of the poetry and music of what you say. The art of language is beautiful; the rhythm is amazing. It’s cool how some long words are two syllables long and some short words have only four syllables. Even though the lines are five, seven, five, sometimes they are the same length, sometimes the first or last line is longer than the middle line.

In out in out in

Focus, calm, relax, once more

Breath is essential

(3) Haiku changes the way you think. Once you get past 17 syllables, you learn that poetry isn’t just about the words and rhythms: poetry is a way to view the world. Sometimes a brilliant five-word-phrase you come up with just doesn’t fit as the first line. And you want a conclusion in the last line. Sometimes you think up a phrase that fits perfectly as a third line, but you don’t know the first and second lines yet. That’s like life. Haiku is a framework to think of life.

It was a flurry

Now it’s still, it is distant

Was it so urgent?

(4) Haiku tells you about yourself. Some days I can’t stop haiku from oozing out; some days I can’t write anything. Sometimes what I write makes logical sense, sometimes they flow better. Learning your signature way to write the 17-syllable beasts is amazing. With just 17 syllables, there are only so many combinations, right?

I'm a new person

Yet my world is still broken

Sin wreaks havoc

(5) Haiku are so diverse. For how short haikus are, I am continually amazed how many different word combinations there are, like fingerprints. Haiku can be about nature, love, technology, ideas, dreams, anything. The topics are endless. And my style is completely different from Greg’s style.

Is distilled power

Enables power trading

Money runs our world

For these reasons and more, I enjoy writing haiku. Plus, it makes me seem cool. I challenge you to try your hand writing haiku. If you write something you want to share, post it on Facebook or Twitter with the hashtag #Haiku_a_Day. Bonus: check out WriteAHaiku.com.

What is Art Part 3 - The Church and Artists

This is the final part of a three-part series on Art. If you haven’t read parts one or two, I’d encourage you to read them to fully understand this piece.

What is Art Part 2 - Entering Art with Worldview

This is Part 2 of the 3 part series on Art. If you missed the first part, go read it here. Stay tuned for the third part! Part 1 left off mentioning excellence in art. That is where we shall pick it up today.

What is Art? Part 1 - Towards a Definition of Art

This is part one in a series on Art Philosophy. Stay tuned for Parts Two and Three!

Obligatory Introductory Post...

Almost without fail, every blog starts with an optimistic post about all the cool things it will host. And about three posts later, there isn’t a fourth post. Now, this blog is different, because I am different. That came out wrong, let me rephrase: I want to tell you the goal of this blog, starting by sharing a little bit about myself. I’m Pete. Pete Tweets (@wrongvswrite). And he blogs, too. Now, if you’re reading my blog, there’s a high likelihood that you know me in person. I can always hope that the Internet will make me famous, but the chances of that actually happening could be much higher.