Category: Art

Posted on in Aging, Art, Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Family, Just do it, Listen, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Writing Life

Convicted or Convinced?

Recently I met with my best friend from childhood for a 2 hour lunch. We talked about everything under the sun including what is most important to us in our lives right now. I spoke about writing this blog. I spoke about editing my poetry. She spoke about how much I need to get involved in a program in Cincinnati called Women Writing for a Change. (Evidently they offer the program in other areas of the country, too.) I’ve known about this program for years. I have a major objection and a minor one.

The minor one is that there is a charge. The major one is much larger. Let’s discuss moving out of your comfort zone. In my family of origin the #1 method of control was criticism. Constant, unrelenting criticism over anything and everything I ever did. And nothing was ever forgiven or forgotten. When there was any opportunity for criticism the past was dredged up and gone over, rehearsed, rehashed again as if it had just happened this week. One of the tenets of writing groups is, as I understand it, sharing your work for input from others. OUCH! I do not believe I could ever risk taking what is so valuable to me and asking others for their input. That’s likely why I like the blog.

One day while driving to another part of town I was listened to a radio program called One-A on public radio. They were discussing a book I had never heard of. One Thousand Words: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg. I did not want to listen, but I was drawn in. Jut like the “Lookie-loos” at a highway accident I had to know what this book was about. It stressed content for those who are writing a book, but I am just interested in being a better writer, I argued. They repeated more than once the importance of sharing your work with other writers who can help you improve your work. I cringed at the very thought. The book is new, so it was not at the library yet or available used at my favorite place, Abe Books. I ordered it that evening from Amazon.

While I waited for it to come I took the challenge of writing 1,000 words. I mean, how hard could it be? I chose a story from 1954 during my childhood. My first mistake was thinking they meant write 10,000 words. Have I ever mentioned that numbers are not my strong suit?

After I got finished writing my dislike for all of this, I began rolling along. Frustrated at the word count I put it away for a day. Next day I realized my mistake in the number of words required. I edited out my complaining and got to work at trying to finish the vignette. I was able to accomplish the piece.

On Tuesday my same friend sent me information about a free introductory class on Core Groups for Women Writing for a Change. (Core groups are the small groups organized for the writers.) Okay, I did it. Signed up for a free Thursday morning class in May. Oi-yoi-yoi. What have I done?

One of my favorite words is oy. Yes, it’s an exclamation of disappointment, dismay or exasperation, but it’s also many other things.

We use oy when things aren’t going so well. It seems older Jews use it much more than younger Jews, perhaps because they always have a pain somewhere.

Oy-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoi (or any multi-syllabic utterance of the term) suggests a more lasting discomfort. Oy vey suggests that things are “hitting the fan”; it says this is not your average oy.

https://www.atlantajewishtimes.com/an-ode-to-oy

The book has arrived. It includes “wisdom and inspiration from more than fifty beloved writers.” Sure hope they can help me move forward with this experiment. Wonder if they are up for the task of overcoming many years of criticism. Maybe, just maybe I will hit my stride and surprise myself?

Psalm 27 was one of my favorites as a teenager and into my early adult years. It applies now, too.

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
    but the Lord will take me up.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    yea, wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:1, 10, 13-14 RSV

Posted on in Art, Faith, Nature, Poetry, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield

Updating Poetry

I have been printing my poetry and placing it in the collection notebook. I am amazed that so far there 168 poems in the notebook. Some are a few lines long. Some are many verses. Some still need editing (not a task I like to do)!

Having spent much of Lent reflecting on Jesus asleep in the boat with me and the other disciples terrified in the storm I think it is perhaps time to share this poem. I am actually uncertain which poems i have shared and which ones I have not. Yes, I should have taken greater care with keeping a record of these!

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 A windstorm suddenly arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves, but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a dead calm. 27 They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

Matthew 8:23-27 NRSV
Lord of the Tempest © 2000 Molly Lin Dutina 

MT 8:27 NRSV They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this,
that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

Lord of the tempest, calm my soul
I turn my troubled heart to You.

Arise in my vessel.
Rebuke the winds and waves
that I might serve You
in holy calm.

Oh me of little faith
cry out to your Master,
become like Him,
faithful even in storms.

There is much to complete.
Lord, order my workday,
my prayer life,
speak to my little faith,
make me new.

Even in a furious storm,
You slept, You arose, You spoke.
Fill me with that same holiness.
Calm my fears and flights of negativity.

I thirst, my Lord,
I ache for You.
Come fill me with Your living water
	reservoir of life
	spring of eternity
purposeful spirituality.

Presence that can be grasped 
in the midst of things to do.
Like the mask that drops down
in an airline emergency
provide for me the breath of life.

Sustain, refresh and keep me
help me to deeply breathe in Your Spirit
even as I serve You at work, at church, at home.

Amen.




Posted on in Amazing Creations, Art, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Recent Reminder

I saw an image years ago a way of reminding myself that I can be with the Lord at any time. I can go meet Him at our trysting place. I wrote the poem below as an attempt to capture it.

Trysting Place Tree© 2011  Molly Lin Dutina

I cannot take a camera to our trysting place
My attempts to draw it are incomplete
You meet me there in a sturdy platform room
protected, sheltered, made from the wood of Your cross
and also like the palm of Your hand
where You fold Your wings of love around me

The wooden floor of the platform tree
is always smooth and comfortable
no splinters, fine weather
leaves dancing in holy wind
my joy to be there

I stand, lie, sit, sing, weep, wait
and always You are there

Occasionally I must place myself 
upon the altar table
Your soul correction treatments are
		swift and sweet when I yield to You
I can make myself miserable imagining what might happen
	if I yield to you.
		Awfulizing is never a clear mirror of truth.

When I get centered in silence
we often travel down the center of the trunk
as if by elevator  
arriving at the stream of living water
that nourishes the tree
refreshes my soul
brings to my being all things I need 


My surrender to this trysting place is sometimes jagged,
	prolonged, not smooth or graceful

Yet once I give myself to the quiet and arrive
	I always ponder 
	what spawned my reluctance?

I recently made a Soul Collage retreat. Our assignment was to depict what we think of as Sanctuary. I tried choosing from hundreds of magazine cut outs to show my trysting place. It is a complicated collage but with reluctance I share it with you.

Hopefully as you read the poem you can discern what the collage means. The African tree drew my eye as a place for the trysting platform. The woman’s hands are to depict the power radiating from this trysting place. (If you have ever tried Tai Chi you learned about the power you can sense between your own hands.) I love how the tree trunk is illuminated! And they show how the brilliant blue from the Living Water travels through the trunk and is drawn from the stream. The diver in the Living Water reminds me that there is nothing dark that the Lord cannot discern. He leads me always.

Hope this has given you some food for thought and perhaps a place to begin your own prayers? How would you describe your trysting place with God?

Posted on in Art, Book quotes, Faith, Illness and Health, Listen, medical treatment, Nature, Poetry, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Yield

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Posted on in Art, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Music, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship, Yield

Last Week My Christmas Worship Began …

…with this song. I cannot hear it too many times because it leads me into the Throne Room with praise and worship. What is it about Chandler Moore? Must be the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He knows how to enter the Presence of the Throne Room and lead us there with him. Twelve minutes is NOT too long to spend worshiping the Presence of the Mighty God.

One of my fondest memories is singing this refrain at Women’s Aglow as a way to enter into praise and His Presence. I was unfamiliar with Jekalyn. Watching this video gives me more perspective on her style. You have to be strong to sing peacefully with Chandler. He has such power !

Yes, Lord, we give You all the glory and praise, adoration and blessing! And the transition to another song, “You are worthy of it all!” How masterful! Yes, He deserves the glory!

Please listen to it prayerfully and worship Immanuel. “Born in the dirt and sitting on the Throne.”

Posted on in Art, Faith, Illness and Health, Listen, Music, Prayer, Worship

Tear Off the Roof

The image above is the traditional one of this Bible story. Jenkins has given it a new and perhaps more accurate image? It certainly left a smaller hole in the roof!

Faith and determination are expressed here. Did you know that Director of the Chosen, Dallas Jenkins, and Brandon Lake cooperated on this video and production of some scenes of the Chosen, telling not only the story of the man paralyzed since birth but also the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 2 and Luke 8. The music video below is form Lake’s latest album entitled Coat of Many Colors.

written by Brandon Lake, Chris Davenport, Jacob Sooter, Hank Bentley, Jordan Colle
Some of the lyrics are:
Tear off the roof 
The King’s in the house 
Just get me to Jesus 
I don’t care how 
I don’t have to wait to get the healing 
I gotta faith without a ceiling 
So tear off the roof 
‘Cause the King’s in the house 
  
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
And He has more in the hem of His garment 
Then the camp of the enemy 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
  
I didn’t come here to hide in the crowd 
I’m pressing through to you 
I don’t care how 
Reaching out my hand to get the healing 
I’ve got a faith beyond the bleeding 
‘Cause I didn’t come here to hide in the crowd 
Oh 
  
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
He has more in the hem of His garment 
Then the camp of the enemy 
There’s power in the presence 
Power in the blood 
Power in the name of Jesus 
There’s power in the name of Jesus 
  
There is a life changing 
Grave shaking 
Dead raising power in the room 
Heart-healing 
Hell-stealing 
No ceiling power 
So tear off the roof

I am praying your faith determines to get to Jesus any way possible!

Posted on in Art, Book quotes, Faith, Just do it, Listen, Nature, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth

Asleep in The Boat

The blog opens with a painting by Ludolf Backhyusen used by the Ignatias.NYC in a newsletter.

In 1999 The Printery House published an icon called Storm on the Sea of Galilee. I was so impressed, I bought myself an 8 x 10 copy. It hangs on my office wall.

You could order 25 card copies at https://www.printeryhouse.org/ProdPage.asp?prod=PCA504&tracker1=REL. Also larger reproductions at https://www.printeryhouse.org/ProdPage.asp?prod=A04

I was asked to write a devotional for our crochet and knitting group of Convent Associates. I chose this icon and the meditation below. The Matthew 8 story seemed to be surfacing in many places all at once , so it seems timely.

I have been re-reading The Cry of the Deer by David Adam, Meditations on the Hymn of St. Patrick. At the end of chapter entitled “Death is Not Fatal” Adam has Exercises. This one goes with the icon!

Meditate on Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd.” Make an affirmation by reading very slowly, giving meaning to each word. The Lord is my Shepherd . . .

Then read Matthew 8:23-27

Pause		Be still and know that He is God and that He is present … peace … etc …
Picture	A calm lake, beauty, a lovely place.
	Allow a storm to hit it. 
	A violent storm. The waves are wild, the wind is fierce.
	Trees are bending, branches are breaking.
	It gets dark. Things get worse. 
	Things are really out of control. Chaos.
	Then . . .
	A still small voice.
	It pierces the storm and somehow triumphs over it.

	Peace be still. 
	And there was a great calm.
	Who would have believed it a minute ago?
	It was like the end of the world . . . everything
	doom and disaster and
	now
	the still waters.

Ponder	This is not a picture of a lake. It is my life.
	Stormy, tempestuous, violent.
	Strange, unpredictable winds blow.
	Many a time we are in danger of sinking.
	So many storms are because we ‘go it alone.’
	We do not call upon Him. And Jesus sleeps.
	“O what peace we often forfeit,
	O what needless pain we bear,
	All because we do not carry
	Everything to God in prayer.”
	“Save us, Lord!” they said “We are about to die!”
	Wake Him.
	Call upon Him.
	Know that He is the Lord and Saviour.”
Promise	To wake His Presence in my life.
	Promise to call upon Him in my need: “To Thy Cross I look and live.”
	Affirm: “With Jesus in my vessel I can smile amid the storm.”

Prayer	“Lord Jesus, the sea is so large and our boat is so small.”
	“Lord, save us or we perish.

I arise today 
Through the strength of his death and burial.

I give absolutely all credit to David Adam for this meditation.

Posted on in Art, Beagle, Book quotes, Faith, Family, Humor, Just do it, medical treatment, Memories, Nature, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks, Worship, Yield

Mahalo, A Word We Learned in Hawaii

  • Mahalo – Thank You – (even on the garbage can flaps)
  • Bird feeders full and busy with bird traffic
  • Cake to bake and pies to create
  • Sweet potatoes 25 cents a pound and bound to cost less after Thursday!!
  • Lucky responding well to Glucosamine Chondroitin, though she still limps
  • turkey!
  • then turkey sandwich spread will follow
  • cranberry sauce
  • lately more sunny days than gloomy
  • Our Lord and Savior
  • Advent begins
  • books of our faith, including prayer books and hymnals
  • online Christian music I can search and play
  • shopping online makes some this so much easier
  • Baby Francesca continues to improve
  • white bread, mayonnaise and left over turkey slices sandwich!
  • fragrant candles
  • those who read my blog and comment
  • those who read my blog and are encouraged but do not comment
  • Betty continues to improve
  • Margie making great strides in her recovery
  • Outdoor Christmas lights
  • the wonders on our walk at Ten Mile Creek park
  • The joy of taking Lucky for a ride
  • wind moving the pinwheels reminds me of the movement of the Holy Spirit
  • those willing to help the less fortunate
  • landscaper who sweeps up leaves off the lawn
  • my friend Lori who absolutely loves all things Christmas
  • banyan tree sending out new leaves on Maui
  • Bob selected cookies for us
  • Willing contributors to Empower Youth toy drive
  • Zoom study of Franciscan book, meeting 10 people there weekly
  • union Township crochet and knit group
  • Crochet and knit monthly meeting at Convent
  • Bi-weekly group with church folks
  • Our family
  • Grandchildren!
  • Mint Chapstick
  • good medical care without too much waiting
  • dental care
  • safe walking area
  • my spiritual director
  • But wait! There’s more!! As Kathy says “There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for!”

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5: 18 KJV


Posted on in Art, Cooking, Family

Proud of This Young Man

This is not a terrific photo of our son. Just not quite in focus, but we were nevertheless proud to hear of this commendation. He works at Catch a Fire Pizza in Lebanon, Ohio. If you visit there he will be in the background as part of the prep team, but obviously he is making an impact at his place of employment.

He began making sour dough bread for their bread, salad croutons and Italian dishes. Huge hit! Then he made pretzel buns for Hoagies. Sent that to the owner. Now on the menu. He is teaching workers at the other 2 locations how to make the special breads.

Save a slice for me, Jeff!