What Peter Looked Like Stepping on Water

Maybe like my drunk buddy
trying to ice fish
on a farm pond
in Oklahoma
suddenly ankle deep in cold cow water.

Or like my own small son
staggering across the living room rug
toward his mother.

But maybe like my father,
lifted light
as a bag of popcorn
in my arms,
slipper feet brushing
the floor between the hospice bed
& wheel chair,
voice swallowed in the unmoving ocean
of morphine,
the pupils of his eyes
two little boats
bobbing
somewhere far out
on that motionless sea.

—Benjamin Myers

Copyright © 2014 by the author or Christianity Today/Books & Culture magazine. Click here for reprint information on Books & Culture.

Also in this issue

Books & Culture was a bimonthly review that engaged the contemporary world from a Christian perspective. Every issue of Books & Culture contained in-depth reviews of books that merit critical attention, as well as shorter notices of significant new titles. It was published six times a year by Christianity Today from 1995 to 2016.

Our Latest

The Bulletin

Saudi Crown Prince Visit, GOP Realignment, and the Performative Male

Mike Cosper, Clarissa Moll

Trump hosts Saudi royalty, Republicans navigate shifts in the party, and a TikTok trend jokes about masculine sensitivity.

What Do a 103-Year-Old Theologian’s Prayers Sound Like?

Jim Houston’s scholarship centered on communion with God. His life in a Canadian care home continues to reflect this pursuit.

News

The Current No. 1 Christian Artist Has No Soul

AI-generated musician Solomon Ray has stirred a debate among listeners, drawing pushback from popular human singer Forrest Frank.

New Frontiers in 1961

CT considered paperback books, the Peace Corps, and the first man in space.

Mastering Masculinity

Jason Wilson’s rite of passage combines martial arts, emotional stability, and lessons from the Bible.

Wonderology

Fault Lines

Am I bad or sick?

News

Utah Flocks to Crusade Event at Campus Where Charlie Kirk Was Killed

Evangelicals take the stage for worship and altar calls in the Mormon-majority state.

The Just Life with Benjamin Watson

Jasmine Crowe-Houston: Love and Feed Your Neighbor

Reframing hunger as a justice issue, not charity.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube