I've often wondered what the role of poetry is and why it matters- in my younger and perhaps my more ignorant years, poetry seemed completely irrelevant and unnecessary. The person I was a decade ago would be bewildered that my present self seems to have a new found appreciation for poetry. I still wonder why poetry matters, but in a different way. I'm really glad I came across this sermon which was really enlightening.
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If you're a poet and if you're wondering why poetry matters and how is this gift can be useful, I think you'd find the sermon helpful. In hope to arouse your curiosity, I'll leave you with three quotes =D, two of which came from the sermon and the last (non-theological quote) one I stumbled upon not too long ago:
"Poetry is not the answer, but it is a greater part of the answer than 95% of what we do with our time.
Woe to me if I think souls are saved by me or them becoming poetic. But few are damned by it. And of the thousand things we fill our days with, this could be more useful to the glory of God than what we do most of the time." -John Piper
"The duty of singing praises to God seems to be appointed wholly to excite and express religious affections. No other reason can be assigned why we should express ourselves to God in verse rather than in prose and do it with music but only that such is our nature and frame that these things have a tendency to move our affections." -Jonathan Edwards
“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong” -F. Scott Fitzgerald
Hey Pete! Hope you have been keeping well. I really like your post in relation to poetry. Have you written any of your own? Would love to have a read at yours!
ReplyDeleteI often think of poetry as a way a mortal man expresses himself vis-à-vis the creation and the Creator - to search the deep things of God=))))
hullo there! haha.. yes, I am keeping well (as always). I don't actually write much unfortunately but I have numerous annotations here and there and everywhere. perhaps one day i'll try stitch them together if I can find them..
ReplyDeletehope all is well in London! =D