The Slippery Curse of the Blessed Life
Eighty Poems, Inspirational Reflections, and Helpful Spiritual Nuggets
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Introduction
In 2018, I published Boom! & Adversity; it was a literary sojourn of poetic verse and reflections about a broken man whose physical body was unceremoniously falling apart. After ten surgeries, a broken infected ankle could not be remedied, and the leg came off. Strong antibiotics knocked out the kidneys. The hoofbeats of dialysis were approaching fast, and there was little to be done. Yet, the general thesis of Boom! was that bad things are not God’s purpose, but we can make them purposeful.
In early 2019, I published There Are Always More French Fries at the Bottom of the Bag; this text sported some poetry, but it was primarily a collection of spiritual thoughts and personal inspirational reflections of someone positive, upbeat, and content despite deleterious circumstances. I was now taking dialysis, yet peace and joy continued to prevail.
This project, The Slippery Curse of the Blessed Life, is a collection more like the latter. Now two years into dialysis, this author has discovered there is still a richly gratified life in spite of being hooked up to a machine four hours a day, four days a week. Now armed with a prosthesis, I am beginning to learn to walk again, although I must admit at this point, progress has been remarkably, painstakingly slow. The spiritual reflections in this book tend to be more assertive, affirming, and evangelical. The purpose of this book is not only to explore one’s faith through writing but to better understand the character, nature, and loving habits of our Lord in general. The book is about relationship, not religion. Faith, not fear. Devotion, not division. Commitment, not contrivance. The promise, not propaganda. The actual Deity, not dry, dusty dogma.
This is a collection of fresh ideas and thoughts about a loving God who gives us peace, joy, and hope. Unfortunately, our world of late has become somewhat embittered with incipient strife and unhealthy division. The COVID-19 pandemic and political and marked racial unrest have left us with an uncomfortable sense of wide disconnect. So, let us take a deep breath, and make a concerted effort to remember to “keep our eyes on the prize.” Let us joyfully dip into this text, and look to the Light, and in the process, be illuminated ourselves. Then we can illuminate others. Amen.
—J.D. Emens
Marion, Ohio
May 2021
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Relationship, not religion.
Faith, not fear.
Devotion, not division.
Adoration despite adversity
God is patient, kind, merciful, and forgiving. Eternal life is His true gift. Developing a close, positive, meaningful relationship with the Lord provides peace and joy despite hardship.
In a Christ-centered compendium of reflections inspired by his personal suffering as a physically compromised man, including leg amputation and protracted dialysis, John Emens shares scriptural strategies and life lessons with the hope of helping believers grow spiritually while gaining a more intimate knowledge of God and His ways. Within his affirming, evangelical writings, Emens touches on several topics such as simple spiritual insights gained even if only in an old fishing boat, to the inescapable joy of hearing the still small voice of the Lord despite the daily maelstrom of life, and why it is important to praise and bless Him not for what he can give us but for what He has already done for us, and much more. Included are relatable passages from the bible that remind us of the power and grace of the Lord and the beauty that awaits us for all eternity.
The Slippery Curse of the Blessed Life is a collection of inspirational poems, reflections, and spiritual nuggets that encourages a deep, meaningful exploration of faith in order to better understand the character, nature, and loving habits of the Lord.
About the Author
John D. Emens, PhD graduated from Kenyon College where he was a four-year All-American athlete. He earned a master’s degree from The London School of Economics, a doctorate from Miami University, and also attended seminary at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio. Dr. Emens is a retired Ohio State University professor who lives in Marion, Ohio, with his wife and two dogs. This is his fourth book.