Hymns, Bad poetry and Counseling

Today is the commeration day of Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann and Paul Gerhardt, hymnwriters of the Church. Songs and poetry are a wonderful gift from God. Songs can express what we feel in a much more visceral way than a tretise or argument can. There must, however, be a balance between the outpouring of emotion and the craft of writing poetry and lyrics. The Psalms are crafted, not vomited out.

People have always felt compelled to show me their poetry, good and bad. You can tell if you are called to a a "helping profession" by the following test.

1.) Do people feel compelled to show you their poetry or lyrics? If so, you are probably emitting the vibe necessary for one of the "helping professions"

2.) When presented with someones personal poetry do you try to find something in it which resonates with you and respond by saying how you appreciate this metaphor, etc. Or, do you say, "Dude, what is this crap" - the latter is a sure sign that you calling lies in Accounting.