Peace Like River-Creative Post

God, I don't know what to do. You know what's in Davy's heart and what is happening. Was it my parenting? Did I not do a good enough job raising him in your truths? What went wrong? So many questions with so few answers. In a way, I'm glad for what he did. Those boys had done enough damage to Roofing and selfishly, I wanted to see them dead. It makes me sick to think about what they could have done to little Swede. On the other hand, judgement is yours. But I'm looking for your hand through this situation and it's so hard to see. Cloudy fog is blocking the sights I set on you. On this journey, lead me. Take control of this expedition, lead us to Davy, and give us wisdom on what we are to do when we see him. This is all in your hands. Nothing more to do but wait on you. Waiting on you Lord.

Peace Like a River

I love this book. I am really enjoying the narration coming from Reuben. Despite the most difficult problems his family faces, he's lighthearted and you can see he doesn't understand the severity of the circumstances. The word choice is simple and engaging making the story flow and the pages fly by. A funny, normal thought is: "The second, I suppose, is that the doctor turned out wrong about he brain damage. I'm happy to say none surfaced until I entered tenth grade and signed up for Plane Geometry; but since I can still feed myself and grind out a sentence in English, you won't hear me complain." And where is mind is in reference to the situation, for example, "Dread landed flopping in my stomach. We'd never had an enemy before, unless you counted Russia." Also, I like the little interjections he has so that way the book isn't all dialog and it's not all details either. For example, "I'm not even sure why I mention him here-it's not as if he pops up late, holding a clue or moral or other momentous piece of story."

It keeps the story not so serious even though the problems and situations are serious.

God, A Poem (Problematize)

This poem was so fascinating to me, but I'm not really sure why. I believe this poem represents most of society's view on God. He's just a guy sitting up there and he doesn't really care what goes on down below: "'I'm sorry, I must have been pissed-/Though your name rings a sort of a bell,'" Or they believe that He's real but that He removed himself from being active in our everyday lives: "I didn't exist at the Flood/And I won't be around for Salvation/To sort out the sheep from the cud-" Because of those two beliefs, the last two stanzas are what we think God thinks of us, "'You're a nasty surprise in a sandwich./You're a drawing-pin caught in my sock." And, "'You're a serious mistake in a nightie,/You're a grave disappointment all round-/That's all you are,' says th'Almighty,"

The reason why society thinks this about God and think He thinks that way about us is because they think God as a genie. Someone who is supposed to make life easy and give us everything we ask (Matt. 7:7). But it is what fits into His good and perfect will for us. Non-believers who think this haven't had an encounter with God and studied His character. He is everything He says He is, our minds just sometimes can't wrap around who He is. But that doesn't make Him any less real or active.

The Windhover

First reading this poem, I could pick up on a few things that Hopkins was saying but overall, I had no idea. That is, until Professor DeBorde explained it further. My eyes were opened to the beautiful words written, line by line, stroke by stroke. A gift to be given to our Heavenly Father.

The part that really struck me, however, is the overall meaning of the poem. In our brokenness is when we're most beautiful to Christ. Just as the hawk/falcon made a dangerous move against the wind, Hopkins relished on how beautiful it looked when it did so. Along with this, when it says, "sheer plod, makes plow down sillion shine, and blue-bleak embers,", it's referencing to how the soil looks like after being tilled. The sun reflects the beautiful specks of many colors. But, if one had not tilled the soil, the beauty would not have been seen.

Lastly the most powerful line, I believe, references to Christ and the blood that was spilled on Calvary: "gash gold-vermilion." Gold usually represents aristocracy or kingship and the gold being a brown rustic color symbolizes Christ's blood. Out of the pain and death, came life and life abundantly!