Jody Lee Collins

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My Christmas Book “Living the Season Well”

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Instagram Inspiration

Instagram post 2196684336764694954_1955420147 The birds around me are a daily reminder of God's faithfulness..and such an inspiration for poems. #poetsofinstagram #poetsover60 #creationspeaks #birds #amwriting
Instagram post 2195989179926987926_1955420147 This gray day I am careful what I wish. I am too small to drive thy awesome Will; Would rather, Lord, be guided, hear, and do. To dare to want is given to the few- Renunciation seems an advent dish, A bowl of stone soup will warm us until The salted fire of Godpeace burns anew. -BKAberlin, 12/10 selection The Diary of an Old Soul/The White Page poems #sonnets #Advent #GeorgeMacDonald @betty_aberlin
Instagram post 2195320643233667520_1955420147 Leslie Leyland Fields is a remarkable, inspiring writer. She is also clearly a gifted poet. After you soak here a minute in the words of this poem, click on the link in my bio to listen to Leslie's interview with poet Luci Shaw, where they talk about the idea of Christian poets (imagine that!) and the evolution of Christian publishing through the years. . . . (Luci and her husband Harold-now in Heaven-started their own publishing company in the 70's for just that reason--to publish Christian poets and biographies.) What a rich legacy! . . . #poetsofInstagram #LuciShaw #Christianpoetry #Christianpublishing #linkinprofile @leslieleylandfields7810
Instagram post 2194472571230430693_1955420147 The Lord is Come Before this table small Vast truth held in cup and plate I pause, stilled at the gleam of Silver mirrored by manmade stars And cast my eyes on Godmade we Who sup life, taking in the All who Is everywhere and somehow Contained, yet bursting when Broken, like these crumbs. He has come that we might go Feeding those who hunger with our Shattered selves, blood-soaked Truth shining shards of glory that Prove His breaking is what makes us whole.
Instagram post 2193843468051539260_1955420147 Search. Light. {A #poem} This annual slant of morning searchlight Beams floorward and covers bloom, fir and ribbons alike in December's blazing angle of morning. I grumble like an awakened toddler at the motes exposed mid-air, specks woven in looms at my feet then sigh as I shake out the doorway's rug. I'm shaken by this austere brightness as Christ's coming looms, dusting like Martha, all the while Mary-like, pondering His arrival in my heart. -jlc December 2019 . . . #poetry #poetrycommunity #Christmas #Advent @grunewaldguild cabin doorway
Instagram post 2192442560593323587_1955420147 All creation speaks to us if we are listening. In Malcolm Guite's 'Waiting on the Word', a Poem a day for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, he includes a sonnet cycle for Advent written as a response to the 7 Advent prayers known as the 'O Antiphons'. . . .In its first centuries the Church developed a custom of praying the seven names of the Christ who was to come, primarily drawn from the book of Isaiah: 'O Wisdom!' 'O Root!' 'O Key!' 'O Light!' 'O Emmanuel." (fr. 17 Dec. entry). . . (Aside: @sally.clarkson has a delightful interview with Malcolm about just this subject, along with the importance of imagination. Find her here on IG and have a listen! Twice.) . . Names matter. Who we say that Jesus is and who we believe we are. I wrote a little something about that in today's blogpost, weaving in an example of planting (LATE) my amaryllis and all the Latin and Greek I know, thanks to my plant book and examples from my garden. #Linkinprofile #AllCreationSpeaks #MalcolmGuite #Advent . .
Instagram post 2191577266239557040_1955420147 Ad Vent Glossy pages proclaim paltry purchases as life savers for my overrun soul. I’m run over as they bellow,  beckoning, “buy me! buy me!” I cannot partake of one more  iota of input– how can quiet paper  carry so much loud weight and end up selling me nothing? ... This war of words promises joy and happiness are but a wallet-full away. Enough greenbacks  and I’d have a temporary ticket to  here-on-earth  wealth yet penniless and empty still. Bare bodies bear needless gifts, overbearing bling shimmering their  iridescent faux shine. ... There is no gleam, no honest light  shining save that announced by the  staggering Star far, far away heralding His arrival, harking us home.  No neon needed to find the path to peace,  but simply waiting and watching  in the daily, dull, down-to-earth where our cravings meet the cross  at Christmas. ---Jody Collins c. 2018 **** Photo- cross atop the roof, Our Lady of the Pines, Fremont OH. #Advent #poetry #poetsofInstagram
Instagram post 2191093609812756788_1955420147 Cinnamon tea, a new book and a warm fire. Ahhhhhh... #imaginationredeemed #peaceandquiet #larkrisetocandleford
Instagram post 2190177274194934789_1955420147 Yes, the brightness of this view exposes all the dust motes in my dining room. But I'm so grateful for the sunshine this morning.
Instagram post 2189685744933923833_1955420147 I am a total pretender when it comes to practicing the church year observances, especially since they are fairly new to me. But I'll take pretending any day, as there is so much wisdom in using the liturgies of the Church calendar for the season of Advent, beginning today. I like the possibility that the practices can slow us down so we are not mowed over by the craziness of Christmas. Weekly reading of a short passage and lighting a candle can help set the pace for peace. . I made this simple graphic for myself, and you'll notice if you are part of a traditional church, that the readings may be different than what you're used to. I suppose that's all right, as the point is to just take a moment to stop, light a candle and remember that Jesus came. #scripture #Advent #startsmallstartnow #pause #slow #remember
Instagram post 2189399592997829147_1955420147 It's that time of year when everyone talks about "The Christmas Spirit....." But what is it really? The Spirit of Christmas isn’t anything we DO, actually, although it may fall to that. . . . . Maybe we add all the ‘shoulds’ of the season because we think our lives aren’t enough—they should be more glittery and joyful. Maybe our sometimes ‘meh’ feelings about the holidays are based on a lie—that we’re supposed to be doing X,Y & Z. “I should be _________(fill in the blank) decorating, baking cookies, going to see Santa, going to a Messiah performance, making handmade gifts for my children’s teachers….) this Christmas. . . Maybe if I do ___________ I will be satisfied. It will be enough. What is ‘enough’?" . . More on the blog ...https://jodyleecollins.com/how-can-i-get-into-the-christmas-spirit/ #Linkinprofile #Advent
Instagram post 2188791506025246974_1955420147 Building (a small sonnet) I am His body-house, master designed My skin his indwelling, living walls Word-breathed into being, built by His plan. Transformed by Presence, this Architect calls And cradles me; heart-close, my defenses fall. Surrendered daily, my life expands, He fills each room slowly, my All in All. ..... #poetry #creationspeaks #imaginationredeemed #GeorgeMacDonald Inspired by The White Page Poems/ Diary Of An Old Soul by @betty_aberlin
Instagram post 2188011941929588187_1955420147 It's almost here - Can you believe Advent begins this Sunday? I wrote this little book to help you prepare your hearts and your homes without the hassle of what our culture says we "must do." It's available to order from your favorite local bookseller - or wherever books are sold. Also, there's a FREE download of the weekly watchwords. #Linkinprofile #LivingtheSeasonWell #booksofInstagram #advent #liturgy #churchyear #Christmas #holidays #Linkinprofile
Instagram post 2185811726376018895_1955420147 "Suppose the whole of creation began to speak to us in the silent language of a deeply submerged kinship…" -Theodore Roszak, cited in Malcolm Guite's 'Mariner' via Owen Barfield. Sometimes I read books that take me a long time to digest and make me feel a little smarter than I actually am, chewing on phrases, underlining, highlighting. . . . I started reading Malcolm Guite's Mariner, about Coleridge's famous poem, in August 2018. It's taken a long time to get through it 'cause it's kinda deep and I don't know how to process it all... . . . But I do know how to take photos of what I see that shouts of a Creator. Sometimes a picture IS worth a thousand words. #creationspeaks #Psalm19 #imaginationredeemed #MalcolmGuite #Coleridge
Instagram post 2185028282389845854_1955420147 Advent-Waiting {a #poem} shadows smudge on the wall beside me, gray on red as I look up, pensive, pen in hand to write. how to right this over indulgence, too full of my own bloated worry? I’ve buried my prayers, fed one saturated heart with cares not meant to be carried. fasting from the thoughts that also fill my brain seems a lifeline in this season where we’re drowning in too much. I shut the door, shutter the blinds and feast on silence, making space in my waiting for the gift to arrive, though it tarry. it occurs to me, that like the Christ child’s birth, answers may look far different than I expect. so I make room in the welcome dark, waiting for the light, which will surely dawn. ——– The first day of Advent this year is Sunday December 1st, which is so very much God-timed, don’t you think? And I just planted my amaryllis bulb to bloom (maybe? I hope….) in time for Christmas. Two years ago I wrote a book about slowing down the holiday season, from Advent all the way through Epiphany on January 6th, to help families find ways to more joy and less hurry in the days ahead. Hundreds of readers have found Living the Season Well-Reclaiming Christmas practical, inspiring and super-helpful. My little red and white book is available wherever books are sold. If you and your family are observing the four Sundays in Advent, you can find a FREE download of the watchwords Wait or Hope, Prepare, Rejoice and Love–over on the LTSW website. (Look under the Free Printables tab or tap on the link in the profile If you are new to the practice of observing Advent, it’s okay to begin slowly, like I did. #startsmallstartnow is the mantra in my book. Adopt or adapt your practices this season and find joy again in the celebrations to come. More of my Christmas poems can be found  at this link. https://jodyleecollins.com/christmas-poetry/ #Advent #Livingtheseasonwell #poetry #poetsofInstagram #psalm130
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Recent Posts

  • What’s in a Name? Only Everything {an Advent Post}
  • Advent-Waiting {a #poem}
  • Book Review:In a Strange Land-Ten Kingdom Poets
  • Conversation {a #poem}
  • Ready for the Sights of the Season (sort of)
  • On Reading & Reciting Poetry
  • In Which I Speak of Buying Books & Saying Hello
  • The Problem with Making Plans

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  • Just Because-The Word & Pictures
  • My Book-Living the Season Well: Reclaiming Christmas
  • My Poems
  • On Faith
  • On Reading
  • On Writing
  • Poetry
  • Psalms
  • The Church Year
  • The Sage Ones-Faith Writers Over 50
  • Writing Retreats

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Homepage Headshot by Kris Camealy, all other photos are mine, unless otherwise noted. c. J.L. Collins

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