Peter Menkin, an aspiring poet, lives in Mill Valley, CA USA (north of San Francisco).
My blog:
http://www.petermenkin.blogspot.com
An imperfect poem... Yes!
Usually I send my poems to friends so they can be my readers. One wrote back that I had not followed the form of "names" well enough, but they knew what I meant. I took that as enough license to allow this imperfect poem.
After three years of regular attendance, one could say they have heard all (most) of the Bible read aloud. In this cycle all the readings are complete. Well, as you know probably, the Lectionary is chosen by members of the Clergy, at least in the Episcopal Church. They have Gospel reasons for their selections. Some things are left out. Yet, I am inspired by the inspirational attention that is given to the reading of the Bible in Church, and by the selections that are made.
People read these selections earlier in the week to prepare for the coming Sunday. In the Church I attend there is a Bible study every week to look at the selections. A lot of attention is paid to these readings, and so I hope I have communicated that I read the names in the Bible. This includes the long lists of names of family members, who begat whom.
Huston Smith, a famous theologian, gave a talk at Star King Chapel at the Graduate Theological Union some years ago and talked about how he loved the begats and the begats. I heard him speak.
The Names, Word of God...
by Peter Menkin
I waited on the names,
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Jeremiah, Isaiah.
I have read Isaiah,
and I must read him again.
So many chapters, he writes.
The names of the books
are wonderful.
Have you read the names in the Bible?
The geneology, here
and there--such names!
Did you know that God
is alive in history?
Do you believe?
Is it faith that leads one?
Questions. So many
in this 21st Century;
even questions are familiar
entrance for the inspired words
.
Dare one say, divine inspiration?
In Church, people
say, "The Word of the Lord."
Audio reading of the poem by the poet is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TheNamesWordOfGodByPeterMenkin
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
- Bible - What Is The New Testament
- Which Is Quoted From The Old Testament, The New Testament Or The Noble Quran (1)?
- The Canon of the New Testament
- Did you Know That you Can Cover the New Testament in 45 Days
- The Last Verse in Bible Versus Quran - Chapter (27)
- The Linguistic Uses of "new" in Bible and Quran
- What Do the Bible and Quran Say About "new"?
- Bible Versus Quran Versus Sciences, (62) "new"
A Perspective on writing Short Stories Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Build the action and suspense in the story and engage the interest of the reader till the climax. The conclusion or the climax of the story is the right place for you to tie all the loose ends together. The perfect end is like the ribbon that is tied around a gift with great flourish.
Online Writing Tools Make Life Easy
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009If you are planning to use photos to supplement your writing, you will need tools like the photo editor to help you. These tools are quite easy to use and can edit your photos and images in a variety of colors, styles and shapes.
What to Keep in Mind when you write Short Stories Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009While a word count is essential when you write your story online, don’t focus too much on it. It may stunt the story and your natural style of writing. Consider the word count only when you’ve finished the first draft and you are starting to edit it.
What to Avoid when you write a Story Online
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Online stories are different from news stories. They go beyond just dry rendition of facts and events. Make your stories compelling so that your readers are hooked on to it. They should not only read the story, but be able to visualize it with dazzling clarity - like it was actually happening in front of their eyes.
Tips to Make Online Story Writing Easy
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009When writing your online life story, choose short sentences over long-winded, protracted ones. That helps to speed up the pace of the story. With too many long sentences, the reader might get too bored and feel like giving up half way.
Online Memoir Writing
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009However, even the simplest person may have an interesting story to tell. Therefore, it is a good idea to consider writing a memoir; not only for personal satisfaction, but also as a valuable treasure chest of memories to be left for family and future generations.
The Basics of Writing Online Memoirs
By: Mikal Jhonson | 09/07/2009Plan the layout of your memoir. Consider things like your audience, style of writing, and subject. Make a note of the incidents that you are going to mention and jog your memory by talking to friends and family, reading your personal diaries and looking at your old photos.
Weekly Poems: A Political Poem and More
By: Nicholas Gordon | 08/07/2009A political poem about utopianism, a sad poem, a love poem, a funny poem, a poem about marriage, and a philosophical poem, all drawn from my popular poetry Web site, Poems for Free.
Notes on Spirit Rock: Visit to Monday evening Buddhism class with Jack Kornfield
By: Peter Menkin | 02/07/2009 | ReligionSpirit Rock is not a New Age Center, per se. Located in San Francisco’s Bay Area (Marin County’s Woodacre), Spirit Rock is home to Buddhists. They are not Zen Buddhists, as they emphasized. They are Theravada, as is one of their founding members, the teacher and popular writer Jack Kornfield. Many find Spirit Rock a refreshing and spiritual place to visit and take for a retreat. Marin County, and in specific Southern Marin, is not a place for Christian worship.
Interview: Christian formation, No longer your grandmother's Sunday school
By: Peter Menkin | 26/06/2009 | ChristianityReaders will note that this interview with Sharon Ely Pearson is the result of several questions, answers, and responses over a period of separate days. The title for this piece on “Sunday School,” suggested by Sharon, says a great deal about where 2009 brings us in formation of members of The Episcopal Church in the United States, part of the worldwide Anglican communion of 77 million.
Preparing for Worship, poem by Peter Menkin
By: Peter Menkin | 21/06/2009 | ChristianityDoing the work of worship: Preparing in this room, holy Sacred items reverently placed. One of us prepares the wine for Communion, for blessing: Contained in silver; and the water, For blessing, contained in silver. The bread for the Body, prepared, for Communion, for blessing, Offered on silver. Lovely, lovely, lovely. These items that are earthly, memorials of You.
Special Report: 50th Anniversary of Baptist Seminary in retrospective -- celebration Spring, 2009
By: Peter Menkin | 15/06/2009 | JournalismThe 50th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (Mill Valley, California) celebrated this last part of Spring, 2009, ushered in memories and celebration of a Homecoming on the Mill Valley, Campus. Two highlights of the May 28 and 29, 2009 days included opening a time capsule and homecoming by elder graduates who appeared in Gold Robes.
President Obama, a Christian formed in the American Black church
By: Peter Menkin | 13/06/2009 | JournalismConsidered a man of faith, Barack Obama, the American President of the United States, is formed as a Christian. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, pastor Trinity United Church of Christ (TUCC), Chicago, where the Obama's worshiped for 20 years in Illinois is his Obama's former minister. What kind of Christian was the Church? The church website proclaims: "We are a congregation which is unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian..." Trinity United Church of Christ occupies a tan brick buildin
The resources we’ve known to support the seminary have diminished significantly
By: Peter Menkin | 13/06/2009 | ReligionIn a letter of 2009, The Reverend Doctor Philip W. Butin, President of The San Francisco Theological Seminary (Presbyterian) wrote: The resources we’ve known to support the seminary have diminished significantly. This same Spring season, the San Anselmo Seminary is taking action with a strategy supported by its Board: To overcome a 33 percent decline in the value of its investments, the board of trustees of San Francisco Theological Seminary has approved a four-part strategy...
That God is Love, Commentary on John 15: 1-8, a Homily by Peter Menkin
By: Peter Menkin | 12/05/2009 | ReligionLiving with others in community, as I live the Parish life, and the monastic life in the world, I, like you, follow the poor, chaste Christ through the year. “Me in thee, thee in me.” Love binds us. We are friends in Christ. That Christ invites us: it is an enormous hospitality of God that is extended anew through Christ. We are invited, and this is Grace--for we are accepted. Like Dame Julian of Norwich, we learn the Lord’s meaning that is brought to us through divine longing.
Apartment on the Third Floor, poem by Peter Menkin
By: Peter Menkin | 19/04/2009 | ChristianityThis tells of contemplative prayer, the experience of rising like a hawk, or soaring, as does the hawk. God comes closer to humankind, humankind comes closer to God. That seems an unusual statement in our times, nonetheless, the Lord is here whether we know it or not. I moved from the apartment on the third floor as place of viewing the hawks and place of prayer, to an apartment on the third floor at the other end of the building, place of viewing the hawks and place of prayer.