Benjamin Myers Elegy for Trains Village Books Press ISBN Number: 978-0-9818680-6-6 Over the last quarter century, poetry has done some rather public soul . Poets and critics alike have spilled gallons of ink (both actual and virtual) on whether poetry does—or can—still matter and why. Naysayers point out the impact of pop-culture and the plight… Continue Reading
Musical form shapes content in very similar ways to poetic form, yet it is a bit more abstract and thus considerably more difficult to readily recognize. But because music communicates by mimicking natural human expression, anyone can discern the basic meaning of music by simply listening closely and asking a few penetrating questions. Music contains… Continue Reading
The next level of form is poetic meter and rhyme scheme. A poetic meter is basically how many syllables are in each line of the poem, and where the naturally stresses are. Consider this example: A – MAZ – ing GRACE! How SWEET the SOUND That SAVED a WRETCH like ME! I ONCE was LOST,… Continue Reading
Word/Phrase Choice There are several different ways that content can be shaped within a hymn. The first is simply with what words are chosen to communicate the message. Words are important. How we put them together into phrases is important. Words and phrases are important because different words and phrases have different connotations—different “feelings” attached… Continue Reading
My good friend Michael Riley has compiled a book of hymns and poetry that can be used this Friday to commemorate the suffering of our Lord for our atonement. Michael writes, I have put these together in a small booklet that some of you might find useful, either for use individually, with your families, or perhaps… Continue Reading
Fiction is good for the soul. Good fictional literature grips the imagination and shapes the affections, both important for the life of faith. For that reason, I regularly make it a practice to read fiction amidst all of the other theological, musicological, cultural, philosophical, and historical reading I do. I also make it a practice… Continue Reading