Posts by John Blase

Then Mary said, “My heart is overflowing with praise of my Lord, my soul is full of joy in God my Saviour. For he has deigned to notice me, his humble servant and, after this, all the people who ever shall be will call me the happiest of women! The one who can do all…

Dear John, First, you should know: I devour your poetry.  Secondly: Teach me to hope in love.  I’m one of the lucky ones. My parents are still married, but God and I know they fight every day, because He and I both overhear. Many of my friends are the unlucky ones, and they only know…

Dear John, When I was a poetry-writing Evangelical Christian, my poetry seemed to be all wrong. Insofar as my faith had all the answers, or at least so it claimed, and as my training as a poet taught me to resist answers, I could either write “good” poems, or have strong faith, but never both.…

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,     and cry to her that her warfare is ended,     that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand     double for all her sins. A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord;     make straight in the desert…

Isa. 64. 1-9 KJV Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When…

Dear John, Your poem “The Bravest Thing” has carried me through many a day the past year. I have read and reread, and shared and re-shared your words. I am not sure if I am in a full blown “dark night of the soul,” but it is possible and/or close. Can you tell me, if…

Dear John, I often question that delicate balance, of self-aware knowledge of gifts but humble acknowledgement of flaws– and where to draw the line.  Through your experience, how do you learn to be confident in who you are and yet admit your very humanity and brokenness?  Surely one cannot cloud the other, but we have…

Dear John, I was a Christian for a long time, and then slowly, piece by piece, I was less of a Christian, I think, and now I’m not very much of one at all.  And I read your work, and sometimes I feel like maybe a god could actually exist after all, but I wouldn’t…

the only authentic currency for love is love. counterfeiting is common practice but only a few get away with it so ask yourself: am i that special?   the price tag on each exchange is all you’ve got. just remember – you don’t always get what you pay for. look this isn’t my business but…

Do you see that warm little cabin tucked in the midst of those lovely snow-flocked evergreens? Imagine I’m in that cabin, sitting at my keyboard in a faded flannel and sorta baggy Levis, just waiting for you to ask me anything, anything at all. If you can imagine that, even if that takes a stretch,…