Your Kingdom, My Neighborhood

In our Experimental Collective group yesterday, we took 10 minutes and wrote poetic prayers about our longing to see God's kingdom realized in our neighborhoods. You would think that 10 minutes wouldn't be enough time to write something meaningful. But it is. As people around the circle read their poems to the group, it was a vulnerable, affirming, moving experience. I hope everyone in the group will put their poem out there for others to read. But since I'm the kind of leader who won't ask others to do something that I am unwilling to do myself, here's the poem I wrote.

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Your kingdom come
Your will be done
Where do I go?
What do I do?

Fingerprints left all over town
On doorknobs and shopping carts
On dollar bills and steering wheels
My fingerprints are on my keyboard
And on the screen of my phone
Your fingerprints are everywhere

Unique, each telling a story
Genetics and DNA and family backgrounds and places and experiences
All conspiring together to make you who you are
And I don't know you

What brings you joy?
What keeps you up at night?
What do you want to do with your life?
What does your future hold?

There is much that I can learn
There is much that I can do
What is holding me back?
What is keeping me inside?
Why is my head down, my mouth closed, my ears ringing?

Your kingdom come
Your will be done
Where do I go?
What do I do?

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