Hopetimistic

October 15, 2025
​Beloved of God,

I want to share poetry from one of my Columbia Theological Seminary Classmates and
lifelong friend Rev. Todd Jenkins. Todd has been the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Greeneville, Tennessee since graduating from seminary in 1990. His humor, wonder, and creative spirit are true gifts that often point to deep wisdom and faith. We needed to know this.



Hopetimistic by Rev. Todd Jenkins
Prophets are called,
not to be optimistic,
but to be hopetimistic.

 A person who is optimistic usually spends their time and energy constructing a scenario
of the best possible outcomes they can imagine.

 The hopetimistic soul, in contrast, steps back and leaves space for the divine to act in ways
beyond our fathoms.

Optimism is good and useful.
Hopetimism is light years beyond that.
© 2025 Todd Jenkins

All that easy…
Go Be the Hopetimistic Church

In Christ alone,
Pastor Chuck