Sum of the Parts

You are more
than the sum, more

Than the brokenness of your heart, More
than the pride of your spirit, more

Than the memories that haunt and warm you,
memories crafted from a childhood alone,
a life surrounded by love and lies,
of secrets kept just out of your reach,

More than the secrets of your own heart,
exposed and ignored daily, more
Than your late nights where you suspect
you are alone, so terribly alone.

You are more than the sum
of the parts, more than junk, more
than dreams, more than even

your wildest exuberance
will allow you to imagine.

You are more because
deep inside,

no matter how ignored,
how denied or embattled,
no matter what you choose to believe,

God lives.

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My friend Cathy Benson is on to something. Instead of doing without for Lent, she is doing MORE with a prayer project that is thoughtful and caring.

Giving up something for Lent is a church tradition, not a biblical command. It was designed to get our minds and hearts right as we approach the holy week and Easter. It’s a good spiritual discipline.

But I think a spiritual discipline of doing something more is also a powerful way to prepare our hearts for Easter. The Methodists, through their “Rethink Church” initiative have come up with a photographic way to do this (see below). I am going to add a poem with each image for the lent season to help prepare myself. Feel free to glom on to the idea, visit to blog and read, share your thoughts and your prayers.

If you want to read all the Lenten Poems, go to the “lent” category on the right, and it will list them for you.

Lent starts today by the way.

Tom