Carnal Striving Spiritual

It's clear that Anthony Jerrod, author of Carnal Striving Spiritual (www.anthonyjerrod.com), was following Robert Front's direction that "Writing a poem is discovering." In Jerrod's collection of thought provoking and witty poems, the author strives to move the reader to discover a more profound understanding of Christ and one's responsibility to live His teachings while reconciling man's inherent carnal nature.

With each chapter, the poetry speaks to different aspects of the reader. The first chapter, Carnality and the Mind, contains poems that reflect the movement from one whose thoughts are separated from the Lord's teachings to one whose thoughts are secured in Christ's message.

As the mountains rumble and the oceans roar, I focus on planting and sowing in the fields,
So, I can harvest and exercise faith, the size of a thousand mustard seeds.
*from: Sowing Mustards

In the chapter entitled Carnality and the Tongue, the author takes on the power of words and how to move beyond the mundane ways of the person who struggles with carnality to the speech and views of a spiritual Christian.

The flatterer,
The outward exercise of spiritual bipolarism,
He exclaims that he loves, when he honestly despises,
He asserts that he supports, when he actually craves for your failure,
He proclaims that he hopes for the best, when he assuredly longs for your ruin,
He pronounces myriad pleasantries, when he really hungers to speak death in your life.

O, God of wisdom, help me to discern the shrewd delicacies of deceit,
The crafty toxicant of the flatterer.
*from: The Flatterer

Jerrod writes several chapters of poetry about the perception of people that we are different, yet in the eyes of Christ, we are all the same. He expounds on the view that people put themselves above the teachings of Christ, such as politicians believing that their views are more important than the word of God.

Shall the world's policies become more paramount than the Word of God?
Take not thy Holy Spirit away, though you may suffer the consequences of your behavior,
Cry out to the Lord with sincerity, "Don't give me over to a depraved mind."
Freedom in the Lord does not beget every desire of your heart.
*from: Don't Give Me Over

Jerrod takes on the complexities of relationships, whether it be parent to child, man to woman, or friend to friend. He interprets the relationships and the interaction each has with the Lord. He stresses the importance of closeness with Christ and his teachings in all of one's relationships.

You are our heritage from the Lord.
Like a golden prize found in a floating basket of papyrus reeds,
The Moses of our lives,
Yet, we must discipline and train you in the admonition of the Lord and spare not the rod,
So, the Pharaoh in your heart will not materialize and take over.
*from: Write Pass the Margins

The last chapter, Pure Romance and Intimacy celebrates the closeness of husband and wife as they worship the Lord. Jerrod examines the love and devotion between two people as well as the temptation of others.

Searing independently, until I smell
Flame is getting hotter
Fleshliness grows, wantonness who knows
I feel like summer is springing forth
Timeless face, curvaceous base
Reading minds, I am not supposed to be here
I am charred.
*from: Fiery Furnace

Anthony Jerrod is a Christian author, poet and featured columnist for One Voice Magazine and the International Christian Network that reaches over 85 nations. His columns focus on encouraging and inspiring people from around the world to grow and mature spiritually. He is a native of Louisiana, and a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Southern University and A&M College and Louisiana State University. He also attended Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University and Alabama A&M University. He lives in Louisiana with his wife Cherrino and his son, Austen.