Stepping into the Unknown

Jim Rapp, in his latest collection of poems, Stepping into the Unknown, follows a familiar pattern, organizing the poems into broad sections: 1) Connections – poems celebrating friendship and the many ways and days we set aside to enjoy them, 2) Habitat – looking at the world in which we live, celebrating the its beauty and utility, 3) Watchmen on the Walls – prophetic thoughts about the cosmos we have constructed and how it serves or, too often, fails to serve us well, 4) The World’s Oldest Profession – poems that bore in on the flawed political system and shines a hard light on self-serving politicians whose professions of love for our country ring false, in fact sound . . . well, self-serving, 5) Speaking with Foot in Mouth – not surprisingly sees the foibles that cause us to laugh at ourselves even while seeking to pull our hair out, 6) Stalled at the Trailhead – addresses uncertainty in our daily lives, 7) The Broken Body – considers the faults and short-comings of the Christian church and the grace that God has bestowed upon it, making it His Body, The Body of Christ, despite its own brokenness. Jim’s poetry is accessible but thoughtful enough to sometimes require multiple readings to fully apprehend the truth it conveys. All of his poetry is a reaching for the truth, even those that might, upon first blush seem obvious or trivial. It is his belief that real life is impossible apart from truth; that the constant, conscious and unconscious, efforts of all mankind are aimed at discovering truth. It is his hope that these poems will open minds in ways that enlighten as well as entertain.

Jim Rapp is a retired public school teacher. Previous to his 27-year teaching career he served as pastor of a congregation in River Falls, Wisconsin for six years. In his retirement years he served his church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin as Director of Drama for 12 years until May 2009. Jim holds a Diploma in Theology from North Central Bible College (now North Central University) 1958. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wisconsin State University - River Falls (now University of Wisconsin - River Falls) in 1969, and a Master's Degree in History with his major area of interest being the Ancient Near East from University of Wisconsin-River Falls 1971. He has written seven dramas, five of which have been staged. In his twelve years as Director of Drama he co-directed, with Music Director, Cheryl Brandt, twenty-two adult musical dramas and nine children's musicals. Jim is author of six books of poetry, Perfect Imperfection (2010); Sandals: The Journey of Abraham and Sarah and Hagar (2010); Second Crop: More Poems by Jim Rapp (2012): Etcetera: An Eclectic Expression of Humors (2013); Chips (2014) and Stepping into the Unknown (2016). He is also author of Inga & Olaf: Modern Parables (2015); Sermon on the Mount: Brief Meditations (2011) and 7 Royalty-free Christian Drama Scripts (2014). All his publication are available in print form from Createspace.com, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble and in electronic form as Kindle and Nook books.