Jill PeláEz Baumgaertner

A new collection from the best and most prolific poets published in the Christian Century over the past twenty-five years. The 34 poets whose work appears defy the narcissistic tendencies of so much contemporary poetry. They do not necessarily express a particular orthodoxy, but they do connect with something larger than the self. Theirs is poetry that attempts to revitalize language, especially theological language. It is poetry that attempts to upset the usual modes of expression and offers up new angles of vision, especially in regard to biblical stories. For most of the poets--though not all by any means--Jesus is the Word made flesh, and the Incarnation is the paradigm as poets attempt to enflesh the abstract, make the spirit tangible, and put into words the unsayable. Poets have a way of taking on what utterly cannot be done. And those are the poems that should appear in a journal of religious news and reflection. The poetic approaches and styles of the work of these poets are immensely varied, from the masterful narratives of Sydney Lea to the finely wrought lyrics of Charles Hughes to the always edgy and surprising poems of Bill Stadick to the most imagistic and prolific work of Luci Shaw to the provocative poems of Christian Wiman. Then there are the superb sonnets of Gracia Grindal and Angela Alaimo O'Donnell and the compelling explorations of the deep spirituality of the everyday that comprise Tania Runyan's vision. The poems in the journal often explore biblical themes, doctrinal issues, or theological conundrums. But many of the poems that appear in the Christian Century present human experience or encounters with the natural world that do not seem on the surface "religious" but reveal a deep humanity at the core. What defines all of these poems is a commitment to communicating with readers seeking truth, beauty, and authenticity.

This collection of poems begins in the growing darkness of November, stretches through Advent and the seasons leading to Easter and to Pentecost, and ends in the budding light of the Scottish Orkney Islands, where the canonical hours measure time over centuries and where God broods over an austere and beautiful landscape. The measurement of time passing and returning, year after year, in the rhythms of the seasons and of the liturgical year, create the pace and the song. But in the biblical voices of Magdalene, Mary, Abel, and Eve, and in the grim historical and political realities of war and suffering, one also hears lament and finds the poet's clear-eyed gaze straight into life's challenges. Memory is at work here, too, in personal reminiscences and in theological reflection. As one philosopher has said, "All truth is God's truth." From Shade to Shine is published under Paraclete Press's Iron Pen imprint. In the book of Job, a suffering man pours out his anguish to his Maker. From the depths of his pain, he reveals a trust in God's goodness that is stronger than his despair, giving humanity some of the most beautiful and poetic verses of all time. Paraclete's Iron Pen imprint is inspired by this spirit of unvarnished honesty and tenacious hope.

Most of the literature on spirituality has to do with our spiritual disciplines and the things we do to draw near to God. This book is about the ways in which God reveals Godself to us in the everyday and the difference that makes in our lives. We can usually muster the courage to live faithfully through the momentous events in our lives. Courage falters in the details of the day. So, it is in the daily, the mundane, pedestrian, prosaic, quotidian, and even banal that God shows us our place in God's momentous story. We witness the banality of grace in our everyday lives: in worship, as we seek reconciliation between individuals and groups of people, in spiritual experiences that are more common to us than we realize, in an ethic informed by the future revealed to us by God, and by lives lived in response to this good future. The singularity of this book is the stories the author tells from his experience as well as from literature. He employs narrative to show, rather than tell the reader about, God's presence in our lives. ""Many pastors add a story to their sermon to illustrate a point or provide a bit of comic relief. Bruce Modahl lyrically weaves stories throughout this book, stories in which the Gospel is fully embedded, if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear. Modahl tutors us to catch glimpses of God's promise and presence in the ordinary, and invites us to live in a new rhythm, 6/4 time, in response to God's gift of grace."" --Phyllis N. Kersten, Retired Associate Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, IL ""Pastor Modahl's extensive experience of what he wonderfully calls the 'banality' of grace shines through in these wonderfully-written and thought provoking essays. This book is a timely reminder that God has willed to use the ordinary elements of our everyday lives--like water, words, bread and wine--to bless us with the grace of the Lord Jesus."" --Marcus Johnson, Professor of Theology, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL Bruce K. Modahl was a parish pastor for 37 years. He is the co-author with F. Dean Lueking of Sermons of Consequence and is a frequent contributor to The Christian Century and publications of Augsburg Press. He writes and edits the newsletter for The Crossings Community and contributes lectionary text studies to the Community's Sabbatheology blog. He and his wife Jackie split their time between Chicago, Illinois and Bradenton, Florida. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.

Most of the literature on spirituality has to do with our spiritual disciplines and the things we do to draw near to God. This book is about the ways in which God reveals Godself to us in the everyday and the difference that makes in our lives. We can usually muster the courage to live faithfully through the momentous events in our lives. Courage falters in the details of the day. So, it is in the daily, the mundane, pedestrian, prosaic, quotidian, and even banal that God shows us our place in God's momentous story. We witness the banality of grace in our everyday lives: in worship, as we seek reconciliation between individuals and groups of people, in spiritual experiences that are more common to us than we realize, in an ethic informed by the future revealed to us by God, and by lives lived in response to this good future. The singularity of this book is the stories the author tells from his experience as well as from literature. He employs narrative to show, rather than tell the reader about, God's presence in our lives. ""Many pastors add a story to their sermon to illustrate a point or provide a bit of comic relief. Bruce Modahl lyrically weaves stories throughout this book, stories in which the Gospel is fully embedded, if we but have eyes to see and ears to hear. Modahl tutors us to catch glimpses of God's promise and presence in the ordinary, and invites us to live in a new rhythm, 6/4 time, in response to God's gift of grace."" --Phyllis N. Kersten, Retired Associate Pastor, Grace Lutheran Church, River Forest, IL ""Pastor Modahl's extensive experience of what he wonderfully calls the 'banality' of grace shines through in these wonderfully-written and thought provoking essays. This book is a timely reminder that God has willed to use the ordinary elements of our everyday lives--like water, words, bread and wine--to bless us with the grace of the Lord Jesus."" --Marcus Johnson, Professor of Theology, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL Bruce K. Modahl was a parish pastor for 37 years. He is the co-author with F. Dean Lueking of Sermons of Consequence and is a frequent contributor to The Christian Century and publications of Augsburg Press. He writes and edits the newsletter for The Crossings Community and contributes lectionary text studies to the Community's Sabbatheology blog. He and his wife Jackie split their time between Chicago, Illinois and Bradenton, Florida. They have two adult children and two grandchildren.