My parents recently gifted my husband and me with a book, Sunday Rhymes & Reasons: Inspirational poems for pastors, leaders and other imperfect saints, by Greg Asimakoupoulos. They’d had the chance to meet Greg when he spoke to their church fellowship group, and they were so impressed, they had to buy a couple of his books. When I began reading Sunday Rhymes & Reasons, I could understand why. Though not a poet myself–and, honestly, not often especially drawn to poetry (except when my husband writes it 😉 )–I found myself  looking forward to starting my day with a poem or two along with my morning coffee. The downside–for my husband, anyway–is that I’m so savoring this little tome that I’ve been hogging it to myself. But Scott’s a good man and is patiently awaiting his turn.

Greg is an ordained minister, freelance writer and newspaper columnist. He and his wife, Wendy, have three daughters and live on Mercer Island, Washington.

First, Greg, that’s quite a last name. How do you pronounce it?

Awesome-ah-COPE-ah-less. Believe me, it’s an awesome name to cope with!

Next, I have to say that poets and poetry don’t often make it onto my blog, but after reading your book of poems, Sunday Rhymes and Reasons, I couldn’t resist. Though I’m not usually drawn to poetry as a form of creative expression, I’ve been amazed by how well your simple poems nurture my soul. What kind of magic is at play here?

Magic? Probably not! Hopefully it’s the Spirit of God. From the time I began “painting with words” as a local church pastor, it has been my desire to touch readers in their soul. I’ve asked the Lord to use my ordinary words to engage people in an extraordinary way. Although I wrote my first poem in second grade and took poetry classes in college (SPU), writing verse did not become a passion until I battled clinical depression twenty years ago and began to journal (using poetry) as part of my therapy.

I like to say that *story* as an art form has a way of bypassing the intellect to sneak through the backdoor of the heart. I believe this was why Jesus taught with so many parables, or stories—He knew His ideas would find much greater acceptance if He presented them as stories rather than lectures. How is poetry like storytelling in its ability to reach the human heart?

That’s a great insight! Poetry uses images and metaphor that impact the soul much like a painting or story does. A poem packages nuggets of truth in gift-wrapped phrases or words that begs to be opened. Movies, television programs and musicals do the same thing. I believe if Jesus were on earth today, he would utilize popular culture big time. It is the dialect most people speak.

In your foreword, you explain that your poetry is not “esoteric or highbrow,” and that most of it has a predictable meter and traditional rhyme. Honestly, I think this is what I find so appealing, but why do you—a gifted writer—intentionally choose this simple form of poetry?

I have always appreciated the simplicity and rhyme-ability of Edgar Guest who used to write daily poems for a Detroit newspaper. He was called the “people’s poet” because his verse was easily accessible to the average person. That’s my desire, too. I believe rhyming truth with a consistent meter makes the message easy to read and easier to remember.

When you are not writing poetry, you serve as a pastor. How has Christian ministry helped form your poetry—and vice versa?

As I indicated earlier, tumbling into the basement of depression as a young pastor sensitized me to feel matters of life and faith more deeply. In my emotional “overcast,” I read the Psalms through a whole new light. I saw how David employed poetry to provide his heart with a vocabulary of praise, confession, despair and hope.

After my bout with depression in the early nineties, I discovered my ability to empathize increased dramatically. After counselees left my office, I utilized poetry as a way of paraphrasing what I heard these struggling people telling me. They would inevitable comment on how helpful my poetic descriptions of their issues had been. I also used poetry in my “calls to worship” and “pastoral prayers.” A short pithy poem in the worship bulletin also allowed me to reference something in the headlines that’s on everyone’s mind. Members need to know that their pastor is aware of what is going in the world. Suffice it to say, my thirty-five years in pastoral ministry have helped me realize that Biblical truth is best communicated in creative ways.

Would you share a favorite poem with us here?

On Being Fit
by Greg Asimakoupoulos

I have come to see that wellness is much more than being fit.
A healthy body needs a healthy soul.
While dieting and exercise can do a body good,
a person really needs a higher goal.

It’s great to run a marathon or jog five times a week,
but running after peace has merit, too.
And while walking before supper can burn dreaded calories,
a daily walk with God is good for you.

To bend and flex has merit. So, we strive to stay in shape.
As we age we must maintain agility.
But God also wants to stretch us to expand our usefulness.
It’s His will that we become all we can be.

Yes, our bodies are a temple that deserve refurbishment
lest (through disrepair) they start to fall apart.
But a temple’s just a building if it’s just an empty shell.
So let’s exercise our souls and guard our hearts.

Greg’s weekly blog is called “Rhymes and Reasons” and can be found at www.partialobserver.com. The book that I’m so enjoying, Sunday Rhymes and Reasons, as well as his latest, Finding God in Its a Wonderful Life, may be purchased at amazon.com.

Now your turn: Can you think of a time when a poem–one of those “nuggets of truth in gift-wrapped phrases”–touched you in a surprising way?