The Mud Man
Prize Writing Winning Submission by Broc Plattner
Before we share the winner of our first Prize Writing competition,
we would like to thank every participant who submitted their writing for consideration. The works were sincere, worshipful, thoughtful, and beautiful—too much so to keep them all to ourselves.
So, we are holding a public reading of each submission at our shop in Brownville, NE at 5pm on Friday, March 27th!
The writers who can make it will be recognized and read their writing before all who attend. For any of the writers who cannot make it, their piece will be read for them. This will be free and open to the public, so join us if you’re interested in coming to hang and hear!
Thanks to all who supported this endeavor. It was a joy.
Let me introduce you to your Prize Writer:
Broc Plattner is an ordinary man from a small town in Kansas. He has an ordinary job and goes to an ordinary church. But Broc is made in the image of God. In writing this piece, he reflects the creativity of the uncreated Creator. That is extraordinary. And that is something that is true of us all—each of us uniquely gifted to bear and reflect the image of God.
Broc is also a father, which I think you will find shines through his writing. The illustration paired with this piece is the work of his son, Cal—his own image bearer.
Please enjoy Broc’s submission.
The Mud Man
by Broc Plattner
Lifeless, formless, purposeless, is the mud. Its slimy state simulates lowly stench and stagnation. Flown over by flying creatures, and trampled by the beasts of the garden, its only companion is vegetation.
But the uncreated Creator has a purposeful plan for a small patch of mud found in paradise. His gentle fatherly hands and unfathomable creativity carefully curates the Mud Man. The first heavenly breath from the uncreated Creator into the Mud Man ignites the spark of life within. Mud Man awakens. Mud Man does not resemble any of the beasts and flying creations. No, he is a resemblance of the uncreated Creator. He is an image bearer.
Mud Man delights the uncreated Creator. Mud Man is made to worship the uncreated Creator and walk side-by-side in sweet fellowship. Work delights the Mud Man as he tends to flora and fauna around him. The uncreated Creator gifts Mud Man with a helper right sized for him, formed from him by the uncreated Creator.
As Mud Man is created in the image of the uncreated Creator, his offspring are created in the Mud Man’s image too. Mud Man and many future mud men will also be given the joy and task of fatherhood, to reflect the goodness, love, and discipline mud men experience from the fatherly uncreated Creator.
Mud Man lives in perfect harmony with the uncreated Creator and has been granted agency and dominion. Mud Man understands his existence through a narrow lens and does not see beyond the here and now.
Mud Man cannot foresee an encounter with darkness coming, with an empty promise to make him equal with the uncreated Creator. He cannot foresee the consequences that will ripple for millennia. He cannot foresee how smudged and disfigured the image bearers will become.
He cannot foresee a swiftly turning planet in total, unobstructed chaos, with only eight surviving a worldwide drenching with a promise to restart.
He cannot foresee the uncreated Creator inviting another Mud Man to leave everything and follow him into the mystery with promises of descendants, and a test of faith, and a sacrificial ram.
He cannot foresee the plans for evil turned for good and rise of a nation breaking bondage and being led by fire and cloud through water and wilderness.
He cannot foresee the years and years of faith, jealously, generosity, love, and discipline the uncreated Creator shows his multitude of mud people.
He cannot foresee the uncreated Creator using weak and lowly mud people in powerful, giant-wrecking ways to secure victories.
He cannot foresee the oracles told by mud prophets of a king coming to the rescue.
He cannot foresee these oracles, all of them, coming true in mysterious ways, as the uncreated Creator descends and dons flesh in the dead of night.
He cannot foresee the teachings from the lips of the uncreated Creator spoken in grace and truth and understood by mud people who climbed trees, descended from roofs, or leaned in closer.
He cannot foresee the miracles of healing, resurrection, weather, fish and bread, and exorcism displaying the power of the uncreated Creator walking among the mud people.
He cannot foresee the uncreated Creator leaving mud leaders of mud people intrigued, confused, and angered.
He cannot foresee the betrayal of close friends and a kiss worth a handful of silver coins.
He cannot foresee the humiliation the flesh-clad uncreated Creator would experience by the mud people he called into existence. Unjust trials, lies, and ultimately a death sentence lobbied by those fearful of what they did not understand.
He cannot foresee the worst punishment, torture, agony, and final words of, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?”
He cannot foresee the early morning emptiness of a cold tomb and a heroic comeback showing defeat of death.
He cannot foresee the spread of mud people determined to live changed lives and on mission to spread the kingdom message of the uncreated Creator’s rescue plan for His chosen mud people, nay, all mud people.
He cannot foresee that the prodigal mud people would be relentlessly pursued and called into the mystery and to a life of repentance, trust, and obedience to the uncreated Creator.
While Mud Man and his helper have long gone, a distant memory, we are also image bearers of the uncreated Creator who knit us in our mother’s womb. We are meant to live for much more, to be in sweet fellowship with the uncreated Creator whose love is beyond the deepest depths. Not only bearing his image but being adopted as children. Let us cry out, “Abba Father” and cling to him always.
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!...”-1 John 3:1
Thanks for reading. Hosting this competition was loads of fun; let us know if we should run another one!
We would love to see you for the public reading of the rest of the Prize Writing submissions on Friday the 27th — but until then, share your thoughts on Broc Plattner’s Mud Man in the comments!
