Under the Influence

Under the Influence is a collection of poems shaped by faith lived under scrutiny. It engages belief not as a performance or inheritance, but as a discipline formed through attention, doubt, obedience, and endurance.

The poems return repeatedly to central Christian claims such as grace, sacrifice, assurance, hunger, and calling. These ideas are not treated as slogans or emotional triggers, but as realities that must withstand questioning and time. Scripture and theology appear throughout, not as proof texts, but as sources pressed into conversation with lived experience.

This is not a book written for quick reassurance. It resists the ease of devotional language and avoids resolution that arrives too soon. Instead, it asks the reader to remain present, to think carefully, and to consider the cost of belief alongside its beauty.

Moving through stages of entrance, questioning, longing, and surrender, the collection traces a spiritual journey marked by both conviction and restraint. It acknowledges weakness without celebrating it, and faith without romanticizing it.

Under the Influence is offered as serious work. It invites readers who are willing to slow down, to reflect honestly, and to allow faith to be examined rather than merely expressed.