Life can be seen as a series of existential encounters always needing interpretation, whether it is with ideas or events, even those that are purely imaginary. Sometimes the interpretation is obvious and universal (such as when the young lady gives a firm NO to your invitation to dinner ). But others can be intensely personal and tragic thus almost impossible to share. Always though, there is a passion to understand, to come to terms with that great paradox-life. In The Boundaries Dissolve, Jim Owen, now in his late seventies, seeks to interpret, in both his essays and poems, some of life's encounters he has experienced over the last decade from the perspective of an evangelical Christian. Quite often he moves from the very personal to a universal application or understanding. The essays are more theological in content, working with an idea that has troubled his thoughts, seeking to understand the providence of God that not only satisfies him intellectually, but also stimulates the mind of his readers. His poetry, as might be expected, is more personal and existential-responding to the moment of encounter, trying to capture the impressions that will interpret the events before they fade. His poems cover a broad spectrum-from the whimsical to the somber, from the purely imaginary to the tragedies of real life, but behind all of them he is a Christian trying to interpret a world desperately in need of the gospel yet oblivious to it. Whatever the reader's position, or taste in poetry, these poems will hopefully ignite one's mind and emotions, and beckon one to see life's many facets from a unique perspective.