Month: March 2026

Posted on in Art, Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust

Grip not Gripe

I frequently think of a quote about the grip of God upon me. Then I do not remember where I read it, saw it, foudn it ….grr. Well, I came across it again last week. I suppose I need to make a poster or 8 x 10 of it and just put it on my wall!

Amy Carmichael wrote in The Edges of His Ways, March 15,

She says Rotherham translates Ephesians 1:19 According to the energy of the grasp of His might. She goes on to write, “It is not my grip of Christ, but Christ’s grip of me: said an old Scotswoman long ago. This is a great word for anyone who feels futile, but it is also a great word for us all. And I think of Paul so conscious of the greatness of his power (power whose lightest touch could have snapped his chains) that he could describe that power in heaped-up words of wonder. Yet he was so utterly content in his prison – so unoffended – that his Lord could use him to write deathless letters like this. What a God and what a servant! And He, Who made him what he was, is our God, even ours.”

That just makes me sit and want to read it over and over until I am saturated with the truth from it. You can read her book at this site https://archive.org/details/edgesofhiswaysse0000carm/page/38/mode/2up. It is also available at Olive Tree Bible Study https://www.olivetree.com/store/product/16733?internal_source=store_search&internal_source_id=product_list

I wish I had known the old Scotswoman, don’t you? Thank goodness her understanding of our Lord is recorded.

I want to be as content as Paul, whatever my condition in life.

 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 NIV

Content – not prone to gripe. Gripe is complain with grumbling. Yuck. Is that me?

We have a neighbor couple who are both desperately ill and there is no cure for either of them. Walking with them reminds me of when Bob almost died in 2018. And it also reminds me that even though I have chronic pain and things that plague my health, I am okay. I am not dying. As Rick Hanson, phd teaches, “I am okay right now. ” Never have Bob and I both been deathly ill at the same time. Our neighbor man is hospitalized and so worried about his wife who is losing strength and is only visiting every other day now. He does not like being away from her but he is still too sick to go home.

Could you be content in a similar situation? Could having interaction with these two remind you not to gripe? We too often feel entitled to gripe and complain. Yet we live in the richest nation on earth. Though the politics in our country has gone outside the bounds of decency we have previously encountered, we have many of our freedoms in tact. Can we practice contentment for one day? One full week? Perhaps a month? Could we follow Paul and learn so much about our God that there would be no room in our life and in our mouth for complaining and grumbling?

Perhaps you might want it give it a try? Lent continues until April 5. Maybe these would help you draw closer to God. Each time you hear yourself out loud or in your mind complaining and grumbling, draw close to God and be still. It could work wonders for your soul. We mostly resist any message about ourselves having sin and needing to be cleansed. However, that is true about each and every one of us. None of us has a pure and blameless heart.

Abba Arsenius said, “If we seek God, he will appear to us. If we grasp him, he will stay with us.”

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4: 7-10 NRSVUE

Posted on in Faith, Listen, Memories, Poetry, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Writing Life

Mockingbird

I wrote this in 2018. Now we live in a different neighborhood and a mockingbird comes occasionally. I hope it does not take residence here and stays 3 blocks over!

Mockingbird © Molly Lin Dutina 18-4-12

A mockingbird has moved into the neighborhood
More specifically our lot
When I awoke this morning he was using
Everyone else’s songs from our rooftop
Mostly a good imitation 
Yet, when I hear the actual individual birds
I realized it was just imitation
Not the rich variations that the actual singers give

The woods are full of spring songs
Bird after bird seeking a mate
Singing and flitting through the branches
(Or racing) each other
To impress the perfect mate

Mocking bird is like the enemy in my ear
Repeating phrases of accusation 
Condemnation and insult
No fresh life-giving inspiration
Such as the Holy Spirit brings

I’d like to shoot at this bird to scare it off our property
As a child there was one who attacked whenever
We tried to hang up the laundry or take it down
Now it is just annoying and incessant
Yet there are likely lessons to learn here

Listen carefully
Do not assume every repeated phrase is from God
Just like the Sheriff will never call and 
ask you for money over the phone
God speaks in that still, small voice
Not the raucous jack-hammer of a mockingbird 
Try to be still in the cacophony of that chorus
Quiet your soul and rest in the peace of His Presence


 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down-he who accuses them day and night before our God.’” Revelation 12:10

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.  1 Kings 19: 11 b-12

Quiet your soul and rest in His Presence.

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Listen, Look, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual growth, Yield

Everyone

Today on the Calm app they quoted H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something.

I often tell people, “Remember we are all broken. Some just hide it better than others.”

We are not so unalike. I was recently asked to read my poem Called Forth from the Cave to a group. The stanza “We’ve got to touch, we’re not so unalike,” keeps ringing through my soul.

I first learned of Ubuntu through the book about Joy from Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dali Lama.

“Ubuntu is a deeply rooted African philosophy that embodies the interconnectedness of humanity. Originating from Southern Africa, the term comes from the Bantu languages, often expressed as “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”—meaning “a person is a person through other people.” This guiding principle emphasizes community over individuality, recognizing that our identities and actions are shaped by our relationships and interactions.”

We are interconnected whether we recognize it or not. We are all human beings. I had a license plate frame made that reads, “We are humankind. Be both, human and kind.” As wars rage on and unrest grips our country as well as so many places around the world it is more important now than ever before to remember our human link to others. In high school speech class the instructor reminded us to look at our audience as we spoke and remember they put on their underwear the same way we do, one leg at a time.

I challenge you today to remember the above truths. We need each other. We each need kindness. There are many things we can do to practice kindness with one another, even total strangers. Remember, if you see someone without a smile today, give them one of yours!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Focus, Look, Memories, Nature, Praise, Rest, Thanks

Glimmers

Remember those? Things that make you pause and be glad. Little things throughout the day that have you stop for a breath and rest momentarily? Here are some recent ones I experienced.

Grass is an impossible shade of green (after several days in the 70s and lots of spring rain)

The honeysuckle bushes are leafing out, a sure sign of spring

This sunrise with glorious shades of pink and gold

A truck center named Rush (my maiden name)

The Sandhill Cranes are in large numbers in Nebraska where we once saw them migrating.

It has been said that if we look for glimmers and for things to be grateful for we will see more and more of those things throughout our day. Have you tried this practice?

My granddaughter gave me a manicure as part of my Christmas gift (five of them actually). The first one was a couple weeks ago. My nails are still shiny and I think of our sweet conversation and her love each time I notice them.

The tulips I planted when we first moved in are emerging again. Each year I say I am going to dig them up. They never get to bloom because the rabbits eat them. (I think it is rabbits? Perhaps white tailed deer?) This year I decided those tulips are just a spring salad for some critter that likely needs the leaves more than I need the flowers. I hesitantly think, MAYBE. I am learning to smile when I see the mowing job the critter has done. It proves a Glimmer of life I do not get to witness, but I see the results from their presence under that front tree.

Watch today for things that delight your eyes. Even if it is just a momentary thing it can be important for your health.

Posted on in Aging, Collection of Quotes, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Obedience, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

My husband and I have been listening to Lenten meditations offered through our church from Holy Habits by Sister Monica Clare. “Written by an Episcopal nun, author and unlikely TikTok star, our 2026 meditations offer an invitation to rediscover—or deepen— HOLY HABITS of prayer, worship and engagement with Scripture. These holy habits provide a path to a life that is given shape, meaning and direction by being rooted in a deeper relationship with God.” If you want to meet her you can go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=org7Dam8yJg

Quoting Mark 7:20-23 she wrote, “And he said, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” 

She noted we often say, “So and so made me feel judged. But then I remember that no one can make me feel anything. My feelings are based on my own thoughts and perceptions of what enters my heart from the outside. Transforming my reactions into healthy responses is something that happens deep within.”

At first her insight sounds like a tall order. The transformation she speaks of can bring us peace and health like no other. “Transforming my reactions into healthy responses is something that happens deep within.” My reactions, taming myself to form responses instead of quickly reacting. Ooh, so often I am tempted to react. Slow down, Molly, form a response.

James 1:19 “Quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.” I stumble over which one to do quickly and which one slowly. Get it right old woman. QUICK to hear. Slow to speak, slow to anger.

Slow to speak, Molly. Slow to anger, Molly. That is what I need more of, (just ask my husband).

Quick to listen, like my beloved wild rabbits with their acute sense of hearing. Quick to listen. I wish when my ears are triggered by another person’s voice my self would assume a posture of full attentiveness and folded hands. I bet AI could make that picture. Lovely adult cottontail with folded paws and active listening.

Until then, I pray for God to help me become the person aware of her own tendency to defile from within. A woman willing to be changed to someone who is quick to hear, slow to speak, and very slow to anger.

I will, with God’s help.

Posted on in Faith, Just do it, Poetry, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Thanks, Worship, Yield

More Wind Than Usual?

I can just hear the humor of my husband churning up at that title! I’m thinking atmospheric, not the other kind that you pass. The wind chimes have been playing for what seems like months on end, both in the backyard and the front yard. I love the wind chimes. A nice warm breeze refreshes me. Perhaps this noticing has to do with the images in Scripture?

In Acts 2: 1-4 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. NRSVUE

The King James version describes the phenomenon as “a mighty rushing wind.” the image of the Spirit of God as wind began in Genesis and is carried right through to the time the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

November of 2025 I wrote the following poem. Looking back, I realize it flowed out of me like prayer. Here is the wonder of it. At an unexpected Zoom meeting I picked up a piece of paper and began taking notes. When I turned it over yesterday I was reading this poem. I was so uncertain that I wrote it that I actually tried to looked it up online.

oh goodness me

Then I checked my document files. Sure enough, 25-11-26, it was right there. So I hope this encourages you and strengthens you in your faith as to what the Spirit can do within you if you simply yield and work with the Trinity.

Mighty rushing wind*  blow over us
Blow away every useless branch
Carry off the finished leaves and twigs
Refresh us with your presence
Lower the temperature of our grasping
Help us stand naked before your power
No shame, just honest awareness

Mighty rushing wind
You come with power and your promises
Promise that we have more potential than we know
Promise that we can be made anew
Promise that in our weakness can be great power
Tempest from God move us over
Help us live more like the unity of the Trinity

Mighty rushing wind
Help us yield to your shaping
Rejoice in your remaking
Agree heartily to the changes you bring
We want to take deep inhalations from your source
Being indwelt by the very breath from on high
We stand still and ask that you permeate our being

Mighty rushing wind
We cannot control you
This day come to us and we will be changed
Your power and promise overflow us
Presence and transparency pervade you
Shine the light of your word upon us
And we shall be known for how we became like you

Mighty rushing wind,
We bow the knee of our heart to you
Touch us and we shall be made clean
Surround us and we shall be shielded
From darkness, debris of soul
Detritus of overgrowth
Unkempt garden of laziness

Mighty rushing wind
Scour the ruin around our feet
Cleanse us from all unrighteousness
Set our feet firmly upon your path
Put your shoes of the gospel of peace upon our feet
And help us walk with your propulsion

Mighty rushing wind
We welcome you
Come and have your own way
In and through us
That praise may continuously ascend
To the Holy Trinity you belong within
As you declare we are in you and you are in us

*Acts 2:2.4a  2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:8 NIV

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Look, Music, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Wow!

My friend Dan posted this and I want to repeat it here for those of you who do not read his posts. In his post he wrote, “The beautiful song, ‘The Blessing,’ sung by an Iranian woman in Farsi and a Hebrew gentleman in Hebrew. Two worlds coming together to bless God. There is always hope in God.”

Yes. there are promises in the word that God will bless us. Let us remember that rather than asking God to bless America, we, the Americans, should be always blessing God.

The Priestly Benediction

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: Thus you shall bless the Israelites: You shall say to them:

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

27 “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27 NRSVUE

Posted on in Book quotes, Challenge, Humor, Joy, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Stephen Ministry Meeting

I was privileged to attend the Stephen Ministry regional meeting last weekend. Stephen Ministry is designed by professionals to train lay people to assist in caring for others through the ministry of listening. Stephen ministry materials are used in all 33 correctional facilities in the State of Ohio! “Since 1975, Stephen Ministries has trained more than 70,000 leaders from the United States, Canada and 29 other countries, who in turn have equipped over 600,000 volunteer caregivers. These caregivers have provide emotional and spiritual support to millions of people affected by cancer,divorce, job loss, chronic illness, grief, financial difficulties, and other crises and life challenges.”

This was an all day educational meeting with boxed lunch (delicious) and new people to meet and befriend. I still think the Stephen Ministry logo should be a large listening ear!

There were folks from all over Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan and likely other places I missed. The speakers were from the St. Louis, Missouri headquarters.

The last time I attended something like this I was younger. This time I was wondering if I could stay awake and not get bored during the lectures. I was pleasantly surprised. The sessions were well run and entertaining. They kept the dialogue moving with NO monotone voices. There were breaks to take a stretch, go to the restrooms or get a snack. It was great.

The Agenda for the Day

The news about the new program to help churches combat the mental health crisis was particularly interesting. There certainly is a crisis in this country. Stephen Ministry leaders have noticed and have been planning materials for a couple of years. They are not ready to be released yet, but certainly sound promising.

The materials for “how to care for and relate to those with cancer and their loved ones” especially appealed to me trying to relate to my neighbors who are both ill. The text book “Cancer, Now What” is used in many cancer facilities all around the country. I bought two copies. One for our neighbors and one for me. Hey! No shipping cost when bought at the conference 🙂 The book looks daunting at first with over 300 pages, but there are blank pages, it is done in large print, and the short chapters are ideal for those who are ill or who have “brain fog.” Here is the link if you are interested https://cancernowwhat.org/default.cfm

I took lots of notes as you can see from this page alone.

And then my humor kicked in. They told us to turn to page 12 in our celebration program. At a glance I thought it said something about shoplifting. I was like ??What?? The actual title was Spotlight Shifting. When I told the other 2 Stephen ministers from our church about my reading error, our fearless leader could not stop laughing. I’m nothing if not entertaining!!

Yikes, Molly!

And each time I say to God, “I am trying, Lord.” He replies, “Yes, dear, very trying.”

Oi,yoi, yoi.

Posted on in Aging, medical treatment, Praise, Thanks, Trust

Somewhat Better

Many have asked how my hand is after the steroid injection. It is somewhat better though still gets tender if I do too much. When I heard my friend had the pancreatic cancer diagnosis I knew I wanted to make her a chemo hat. Before the diagnosis was certain she showed me one she had started knitting for herself. She said she had made many for other friends and family with cancer and realized she would likely need one too. She was having trouble as her brain kept getting foggy and she would have to put it down because she could no longer follow the pattern. I am not a good knitter so I knew I could NOT take over for her. I prayed for wisdom and tried to pace myself doing the work. I got one done and was able to gift it to her before her husband went to the hospital.

So yes, I am somewhat better. Hand pain did wake me up one night. It is unlikely I will ever be able to crochet like I used to. At the time of the injection I had 2 crochet projects going and then realized they were both for my #2 Grandgirl. I soon got the smaller one finished. The other is a small blanket and I am taking it slow as I try not to aggravate the thumb situation.

I have learned that knitting does not cause as much pain as crocheting. I finished a knit scarf for Bob and decided to begin another one so I do not lose what skills I have built so far. Hopefully this one will not have as many holes and errors in it as the first ones.

I can do both knit and purl now!!

The brace hurts and I am not wearing it much. But I do wear it when I think I might forget and overdo things.

So thanks for your interest and concern on my behalf. I do appreciate it!

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Illness and Health, Listen, medical treatment, Music, Obedience, Prayer, Rest, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Thanks, Trust, Yield

So Close

More than likely I have shared this song before. It has not grown to mean less to me! There are heavy prayer requests in our neighborhood and among our friends.

One family has a member with heart disease along with leukemia. He was hospitalized with what ER doc called an irritated heart. That is a new term to me. Perhaps doc made it up to not worry the wife who was diagnosed last week with pancreatic cancer. She is a ghastly shade of yellow/green sort of like Fiona from Shrek. She will have another scan this week and a port put in to facilitate chemo. She has been given 2 years to live. That is in just one family.

Another family has a dad with aggressive Parkinsons’s disease. He has been in nursing facility, brought home due to bedsore and poor care. Has been on in-home hospice care. He will go to facility for hospice care on Friday so his wife can get some rest.

My 92 year old friend got home from rehab facility over the past weekend. She is tired and rather frail, but holding her own , so far. Next week she turns 93. So far, refusing most help when we offer it. She has learned how to put on her back brace. She must wear it when she is up and about due to the 3 broken ribs and 3 broken vertebrae. She is using her cane inside the house and has a grabber in four out of five rooms. Therapist wants her to use the walker, but there is not enough clear space in the house for that. Hopefully when therapist comes to her home they will insist and assist in clearing away some of the stuff so she can use that walker in the house. She is not to bend forward or twist her torso.

There is another awaiting appointment with back surgeon for likely surgery appointment. One healing from skin graft after removal of cancer from her scalp. One with rare autoimmune disease whose husband has Parkinson’s. One with so many untreatable diseases and multiple back surgeries she is basically bed fast. Another in her late 80s recovering from colon cancer. One in her 90s recovering from colon cancer. Aging, disease and death just keep marching on. That is not even concerning the many wars around the world.

Twice I have found myself awake in the night and then my brain slips into overdrive ruminating with concern over these and several other situations. How do you stop that? Here are a few of my ideas.

I breathe in deeply to count of 4. Then exhale slowly to count of 8. This helps. This practice is easier if I have been practicing meditative prayer daily. Regardless, it can work. Lifting these concerns in prayer does not always bring me relief and get me back to sleep. Focus upon breathing can.

I imagine each person in the arms of Father God, those everlasting arms of care and love. Remembering that there is nothing I can do to change their situation, I let them go to the care of the Trinity. They are so much more concerned than I am, and so much more powerful to make a change in the circumstances.

The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms Deuteronomy 33:7a and b

This morning this song came on and I was reminded that this is the answer every time. Rest. Trust. Know none of us are alone. “I am sure the One who made me is catching every word.”

We can try to encourage the ones we know who are suffering. We can make a meal, deliver a flower, pay a visit. We can pray and send a card. We can lift them and let them know we are lifting them. We must also take care of ourselves. Just as the airline says, “In case of an emergency to put your mask on first,” we need to do our best to take care of ourselves if we hope to be an aide to others in their need. Pray, hope and most of all love one another. Share one another’s burdens. Trust God to do what is best in each situation.

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NRSVUE

Give thanks for each life though there is suffering. We are each blessed to be alive though we may be disappointed with our state in life.

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NRSVUE