Valley Rise Up: POEM: "Still the Steeple"

Sunday, October 18, 2026

POEM: "Still the Steeple"

STILL THE STEEPLE
on the rededication of the renewed steeple,
at the Community Church of Durham, NH

18 October 2026 / Dave Grishaw-Jones

For Doug Bencks

When a wandering soul wanders free,
Having paid a dear price for his own liberation,
Now seeking shelter for his freedom and courage for his spirit,
   Still the steeple.

When a curious student asks of a strange God
If there might be a place at Her table,
A sanctuary for unscripted grace and sweet renewal,
   Still the steeple.

When a two-spirit sibling risks religion’s history,
Having heard a rumor about Jesus, open and affirming,
And trusts new friends for a feast that truly satisfies,
   Still the steeple.

When a solitary singer aches for other voices,
Dreaming of a song that confounds all despair
With beauty and rhythm and holy chutzpah,
   Still the steeple.

When a child with unanswerable questions and
A heart breaking with love and restlessness
Wants simply a friend, a reason to hope,
   Still the steeple.

No relic of irrelevance,
No artifact of ancient days.
No signpost of surety,
No bright white line between us and them.

Still the steeple.
Always the gospel.
Forever opening the doors of our hearts to a
World of hesed and agape,
And God’s own promise of justice and peace
For us all.

Today, like all days, is sacred and strange; and your life, like every other life, is sacred gift and holy opportunity. I hope you're finding ways to receive and cherish this gift: even and especially now, even and especially as unnerving crises shake communities, nations, neighborhoods to the core. If this blog can help you discern the gift, lean into beloved community, share the gift in a circle of celebration and resistance, I'm grateful for the connection. If it can help you build a stronger network of hope with friends and allies, so much the better.

In the shadow of a thousand empires, our friends have boldly proclaimed it. Perfect love casts out fear. Speaking truth to power, protesting slavery, deconstructing nuclear weapons, our friends have boldly proclaimed it. Perfect love casts out fear. Welcoming weary refugees, organizing with the poorest among us, our friends have boldly proclaimed it. Perfect love casts out fear. Making amends for sexism, making amends for homophobia, making amends for anti-Semitism and colonialism, our friends have boldly proclaimed it. Perfect love casts out fear.

WELCOME to VALLEY RISE UP: a blog exploring faith and wonder, ethics and passion. If you find something helpful here, anything helpful here, I hope you'll take it along and make it work for you. More than anything else, I see myself as a spiritual guide and mentor for seekers and believers. In a beautiful and befuddling world, faith offers courage, resilience and tenderness. At least it does for me. On the side, I love to read and write poetry, and I've written a number of hymns and songs as well. In VALLEY RISE UP, I try to keep the conversation alive, exploring grace, peacemaking, human yearning and hope.

"If the inner life is great," said Meister Eckhart 800 years ago, "the outer life will never be puny." Eckhart and others talk about two dimensions in prayer: the horizontal (connecting us in lovingkindness to others) and the vertical (uniting us in love with the Source of all that is and will be). The two intersect in stillness, in reflection, in meditation, in prayer. And this kind of practice is cultivated, tended like a garden, through daily experience and circles of support. There are so many ways into a practice of prayer. For some of us, silence is the key; for others, it's movement, yoga, tai chi, qi gong. The key seems to be discipline, and steady practice. It's a wild and noisy world out there, so find a place and time to step aside and pray. And do it often.

THOMAS MERTON'S PRAYER

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Sunday, October 18, 2026

POEM: "Still the Steeple"

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