2 out of 4 stars
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Let the Holy Spirit Lead: Spirit-filled Book of Poems is a short volume of Christian-themed poetry written by Johnese Puckett.
The book of 50 poems is divided into three sections, “Who is Jesus,” “Stay Free,” and “Going Higher and Higher.” The poems are very conversational, with the narrator speaking directly to the reader. This approach makes the poems seem extremely personal and allows the narrator to come across as a friend who cares about the reader. Throughout the poems, the narrator provides advice about steps to Christian salvation, being strong in difficult times, developing a relationship with God, and more. Some of the poems begin with a rhyme scheme that then gives way to free verse. The majority of the poems, however, are written completely in free verse, and all are one stanza each. The shortest is 15 lines, and the longest is 43 lines. Instead of using poetic devices like imagery or symbolism, the author uses questions and discussion as the primary structure of her poetry. This fits well with the free-verse construction and non-stilted language.
The author’s caring heart shows all throughout this book. Puckett makes up for what might be considered a lack of poetic variety and craft with her honest desire that the reader learns to have a stronger Christian faith. This book could be used as a devotional tool for Christians interested in self-examination or for those who may want encouragement from these poems. Note, though, that unlike most devotionals, this book does not contain any scriptures.
I have some issues with a few of Puckett’s poems. For instance, “Speak to the Bones” offers encouragement to readers who may be undergoing trials. However, there is no background reference concerning the title, and neither is there is a scripture reference. If readers are unfamiliar with Ezekiel 37, they miss the Biblical meaning of “speaking to the bones.” There is also a poem entitled “the Testimony (part 2),” which I found confusing because I couldn’t find a part 1.
With consideration of poetic license, the only punctuation and grammar I scrutinized were in the Acknowledgements, Introduction, and Table of Contents. Unfortunately, I found several errors there, most of those being capitalization errors in the Table of Contents.
I give Let the Holy Spirit Lead 2 out of 4 stars. Because of the obvious enthusiasm of the author for her topic, I wanted to rate this book higher. Unfortunately, the lapses in content and the lack of professional editing prevented a 3-star rating. I considered giving only 1 star, but there is a great deal of feeling that comes through these pages, and that is much of what poetry is about. I am truly disappointed to say that I cannot recommend it.
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Let the Holy Spirit Lead
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