The God of Oscar's Misunderstanding and Other Stories and Poems: The Winners Anthology for the 2012 Athanatos Christian Ministries Christian Writing Contest

By Athanatos Publishing Group

This is the anthology of winners in Athanatos Christian Ministry's fourth annual Christian short story and poetry contest. David Sable wins the short story contest with his work "The God of Oscar's Misunderstanding" and Therese Eby wins the poetry contest with her poem, "Herodias." This year's winners were hard hitting in their creativity, covering topics ranging from original sin to abortion to atheism and Jesus' hard teaching that "he who does not forgive will not be forgiven."

• Language: English
• Publisher: apgroup
• Release date: Nov 29, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301843411

Athanatos Publishing Group

http://athanatosministries.org

Book preview

THE GOD OF OSCAR’S MISUNDERSTANDING

and other Short Stories and Poems

The Winners Anthology for the 2012 Athanatos Christian Ministries

Christian Writing Contest

by Athanatos Publishing Group

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright Athanatos Christian Ministries 2012. All Rights Reserved

Individual stories copyrighted by their authors.

2012 Christian Writing Contest

www.christianwritingcontest.com

Published by Athanatos Publishing Company

www.athanatosministries.org/group

Cover by Julius Broqueza.

Contents

Opening Comments

Sponsors

Poetry Category

1st Therese Eby ~ Herodias

2nd Andrew Bogner ~ Like a Grade School Production of No Exit

3rd Jared Olson ~ The Butterfly and the Bee

RU Hannah Harmon ~ Face Behind Bars

RU Holly Munn ~ Lamentation

Short Story Category

1st David Sable ~ The God of Oscar’s Misunderstanding

2nd Chuck Wasielewski ~ Escape from Wrath and Ruin

3rd Skye Collender ~ Many Sparrows

4th Andrew Bogner ~ Broken Piece of Night

5th Aaron Branch ~ Somewhere in Between

6th Gail Howitt ~ The Narwhal

7th K.I.M. ~ Entertaining

Honorable Mentions (not included in the anthology)

Poetry Category

The John Milton Award: Danielle Ullrich ~ Purls

The Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Award: Sally Clark ~ New tricks

19 and Up Category

Graham Greene Award: Deborah Rocheleau ~ The Diary of Never

The Leo Tolstoy Award: Minka Misangyi ~ The Fisher King

The William Shakespeare Award: Lauren Stoops ~ The Twilight Song

In this volume are the winners of the fourth short story contest and the third poetry contest that Athanatos Christian Ministries has hosted. Since we began, it has become more difficult each year to select our winners. This is because the quality of the entries, as a whole, continues to improve. This year we saw something different: more authors taking ACM at its word when it said that a Christian story or poem need not beat someone over the head with the Bible. We had more authors stepping into the wilds of real life, daring to draw heroes with weaknesses and flaws that went beyond smoking, drinking, and swearing—as if the worst sins we can imagine are those that the 'whitewashed tombs' themselves repudiated.

This year, we have some bad guys who are really bad and some good guys who have real problems. Tough issues are tackled—and handled roughly, as perhaps sometimes they ought. To put it another way, this year we had a higher percentage of stories and poems that even a non-Christian might enjoy reading... if 'enjoy' is the right word. Some of them won awards in our contest and you may be reading them shortly.

We are honored to be associated with them, because we believe that the power of the Gospel is most potent and most appealing when set against the backdrop of real people committing real crimes and acting the way that real people tend to act. No one goes to the doctor unless they are sick, but many Christian authors, worried about describing the world's sicknesses too vividly, describe people in terms that suggest they barely need a doctor at all. At worst, they seem to need only a therapist.

That clearly changes in this year's stories and poems. Consider yourself warned.

In Christ,

Anthony Horvath

Executive Director

Athanatos Christian Ministries, Inc.

2012 Contest Sponsors:

www.christianwritingcontest.com

Athanatos Christian Ministries

www.athanatosministries.org

Confident Christianity

www.confidentchristianity.com

Hieropraxis

www.hieropraxis.com

Christian Manuscript Submission.com

www.christianmanuscriptsubmissions.com

Bard and Book

www.bardandbook.com

Hieropraxis

is proud to present the 2012

Gerard Manley Hopkins Award

1st Place

To Therese Eby for

Herodias

(Category: Poetry)

Bio:

Rising from the barely surmountable odds of having had a normal, happy childhood, Therese Eby yet aspires to the rank of Artiste. She was nourished from infancy with a fare of Epic heroism, classical verse and delicious words and ideas. In later years, at Hillsdale College and the University of Dallas, her diet was expanded to include the meaty substance of Dante, the frothy delight of Keats, and the savory punch of Eliot. And while she might prefer to eschew Milton, John Donne will ever remain as one of her favorite treats. Indeed, this refined taste and delicate palate is one of things that she hopes to share in her work!

HERODIAS

Therese Eby

All rights Reserved

Murmuring how she loved me — she

Too weak, for all her heart's endeavor,

To set its struggling passion free

From pride, and vainer ties dissever,

And give herself to me forever.

~ Porphyria’s Lover; Robert Browning

They bring me jewels, fruit, the latest art, and bright, exotic animals.

They fling flowers below my feet, or when they have no flowers they throw themselves.

They put their lives in my hands, kissing my fingers for the honor of it.

I shall take their hearts.

I am queen here. I am the power, over not mere palaces, cities, or provinces but countries.

Men offer themselves as my playthings, anticipate my whim, know my will,

Beg for my touch, my attention, my glance. They see that life hangs on my fingertip,

And I am not gentle.

They watch me, follow me, live for me, die of desire for me. My daughter is satisfied

With mere notice paid her. Dependant, never my rival: I trained her well.

Where wiles and will cannot get me my way, I will use her to destroy

the man I hate.

His eyes were full of peril. His righteous burning allowed no bowing.

His lack of subservience would not be trouble - it might even have attracted me.

His calm denunciation of me was only a part of the much larger crime:

He looked at me.

His humility and vigor were not subject to me and my potency.

He defied me, being careless. He challenged my king, speaking against my peculiar power.

He stood – caring, blazing, daring - looked me in the eyes,

and he smiled.

I fled to him that night, wrapped in my darkest cloak. When I told the guards

To let me through they fell back before me with wondering eyes.

I slunk in, hiding from my lord, and steeling myself against the discovery

of filth and grime.

He stood by the wall, ankles chained, head high, watching me.

He looked at me, wearing a robe which had been stolen,

Though clothed in my simplest silk and smallest jewelry,

With silent, solid patience.

He looked at me with no sign of obeisance, his ardent eyes held high.

A glance, and he saw in me a choice, an altered life. He saw my sordid strength,

the insufferable man. He knew my art and my will and my rule,

and still he gazed.

He offered me a look so large that my guards of pride and power

were indefensible. He, pure fire, met my eyes. Audacity left this abyss

trembling, as if I felt love. Even as he dared to see who I am,

I had to kill him.

Hieropraxis

is proud to present the 2012

T.S. Elliot Award

2nd Place

To

Andrew Bogner for

Like a Grade School Production of No Exit

(Category: Poetry)

Bio:

When Andrew is not writing, he spends time with his wife and two young children. He makes his home in Hutchinson, KS, which has both a large Amish population and one of the nation's best space exploration museums. He is a therapist specializing in parent management techniques.

LIKE A GRADE SCHOOL PRODUCTION

OF NO EXIT

Andrew Bogner

All Rights Reserved

Like a grade school production of No Exit

where others in the office play Hell

sometimes

(I think)

we play at eternity

standing at the door

or

one toe in the water

which are metaphors:

something

(I know)

that other world is not

Athanatos Christian Ministries

is proud to present the 2012

John Donne Award for

3rd Place

To

Jared Olson for

The Butterfly and the Bee

(Category: Poetry)

Bio:

Currently a senior in high school, Jared is in the midst of completing his second year of PSEO (Post-Secondary Enrollment Option.) It was during his first year as a PSEO student, as a high school sophomore, that Jared wrote his poem The Butterfly and the Bee for his PSEO literature class. In addition to pursuing academics, Jared also fulfills his passion for music as a hobby, playing guitar and bass guitar, on his own, as well as at his church and with his band, Cephas. He has enjoyed exploring the art of songwriting and has developed a particular interest in lyrics, both musical and poetical.

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE BEE

Jared Olson

All Rights Reserved

I glimpsed her gathered with her friends;

Her smile eclipsed the purest art.

Her laugh took flight on gentle winds –

A Butterfly that brushed my heart.

I made a jest, in hopes that she

Might smile again, at least in part.

I met success: Her laugh rang free –

A Butterfly that brushed my heart.

We lay beneath the golden leaves,

Our elbows just an inch apart.

Her laugh and mine, together weaved –

A Butterfly that brushed my heart.

A clever