Tag: Solitude

Calvin Miller on Writing

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Embark on the sacred pilgrimage of writing! Dr. Calvin Miller’s words illuminate the solitary path that writers tread yet within the solitude of the page, they discover a profound connection.
 
As you journey through the vast expanse of creativity, know that you are never truly alone. With each stroke of your pen, you forge bonds with kindred spirits—writers past, present, and future—who walk alongside you in spirit.
 
In the hushed sanctuary of the blank page, you commune with the divine, channeling inspiration from realms unseen. 🙏💭 Let the silence speak volumes, let the ink flow like a sacred river, as you navigate the depths of your soul and explore the mysteries of existence.
 
Embrace the solitude as a sanctuary, a space where imagination dances freely and the voice of the divine whispers its secrets.  For within the solitude of the page, you discover not isolation, but a sanctuary where souls unite and truths are revealed.
 
A writer's journey is a solitary one, but in the solitude of the page, they find companionship with kindred spirits and communion with the divine - Dr. Calvin Miller
 
 
Note: In early 1979 Calvin Miller entered my life. I was a student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Dr. Miller spoke at a chapel service. The simplicity of his sermon  amazed me. I wasn’t sure if it was the storytelling or the beauty and relevance of his prose. I bought his Singer Trilogy. I remember thinking I have found the American CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien. In the late 1980s I attended a writer’s conference at Ridgecrest, North Carolina where he was one of the teachers/speakers. He agreed to mentor me for a few months. The mentorship (at his suggestion) was simply agreeing to read my weekly newsletter column and give a few suggestions. The results were my church members noticed and commented on an improvement in my writing of the column. Dr. Miller’s best advice was do your best with everything you write, even a weekly church newsletter column. He told me how he had written his weekly pastoral column and his editor saw in it a a future book – The Phillipian Fragment.
 
 

Robert Frost on Poetry

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A poem is born from the depths of raw emotion—a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, homesickness, or lovesickness. Robert Frost, the celebrated poet and only four time Pulitzer Prize in Poetry winner, eloquently captures this essence. These profound feelings ignite the spark of creativity, transforming our deepest emotions into powerful, evocative verses.

When we experience a lump in the throat, it signals an overwhelming emotion that demands expression. It could be an unspoken truth or a poignant moment that touches the core of our being. This intense sensation often becomes the seed of a poem, urging us to put pen to paper.

A sense of wrong, on the other hand, stirs a desire to address injustices or express dissent. It’s a powerful motivator, pushing us to articulate our thoughts and feelings about the world around us. This drive can lead to some of the most compelling and thought-provoking poetry.

Homesickness and lovesickness are universal experiences that resonate deeply with many. The longing for home or a loved one can be profoundly moving, providing rich material for poetic exploration. These emotions are timeless, connecting readers and writers across generations and cultures.

Embrace these moments of intense emotion, for they are the seeds of poetic inspiration. Allow your feelings to flow onto the page, transforming your experiences into verses that capture the essence of your journey.

In this way, poetry becomes a powerful outlet for our innermost thoughts and feelings, allowing us to share our unique perspectives with the world.

Robert Frost on Poetry

Classic Spiritual Disciplines

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Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The faculty introduced me to the classic spiritual disciplines when I was a master’s degree candidate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Ten years earlier during my university study, I encountered a statement made by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

If you’re not familiar with him, here’s a brief introduction — Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a Russian novelist, philosopher, historian, short story writer, and a political prisoner. Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and Communism and helped to raise global awareness of the Soviet Gulag forced-labor camp system.

Solzhenitsyn’s statement was “The meaning of earthly existence is not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prosperity, but in the soul’s development.”

Richard J. Foster

I also encountered the writings of a Quaker, Richard J. Foster. His book Celebration of Discipline had a dramatic impact on my life. Only the Bible has had a bigger impact. As I read and studied, I found that throughout time, many philosophers, theologians, and writers have proposed several practices that might be spiritual disciplines. These include celebration, chastity, confession, contemplation, evangelism, fasting, fellowship, gratitude, journaling, meditation, prayer, self-examination, silence, simplicity, solitude, spiritual disciplines, stewardship, study, and submission/obedience.
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In the early 1980s, I lived in southeastern Louisiana serving as Associate Pastor for Education and Outreach at the Superior Avenue Baptist Church in Bogalusa, Louisiana. On my day off, I found myself in New Orleans doing one of my favorite things. I was browsing through the bookstore at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I found and purchased “An Anthology of Devotional Literature” by the late Thomas S. Kepler. He was an ardent student of the Christian mystics and for many years a professor of religion at Oberlin College in Ohio.

Thomas S. Kepler

Dr. Kepler’s anthology brings you 140 classic articles on prayer, meditation, and other aspects of spirituality by Christian authors of two millennia. Delve into a rich library of… Essays by Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Thomas Merton, Richard Foster, and others. Selections from every major tradition of Christianity. It includes a biographical sketch of each contributor. Author and topical indexes included for quick reference. They updated it from its 1947 original edition in 2001.

I’ve pulled the book off the shelf, blown the dust off of it, and am again using it to supplement my daily devotions. So far I’ve read Clement of Rome’s insights into Christian love from The First Epistle to the Corinthians (not to be confused with the book of First Corinthians in the Bible) and Justin Martyr’s “On The Sole of The Government.”

I’ll mention an idea or two from the book from time to time. It isn’t light reading, but it is interesting. It helps me walk with the Lord and keep my focus on God. It helps me grow in my Christian faith.

Poem: Becoming a Writer

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Writing Poems
Poet and Writer Anthony Anaxagorou. He is of Cypriot origin and he is from North London.

Becoming a Writer
 
To become a
Writer
 
You must read
Books
 
And
 
Often write your
Story
 
In mind-numbing solitude,
Alone.
 
Jimmie Aaron Kepler
2012
 
Photo Credit:  
English: Taken at the Royal Shakespeare Company
Date: 15 October 2010
Source: Hard Drive
Author: Anthony Anaxagorou
Licensing: Public domain

I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. — Anthony Anaxagorou