Category: Poetry

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Obedience, Poetry, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Trust, Yield

Hineni and Immanuel

Seems like a long post to me, or perhaps it was just difficult for me to write? WordPress estimates it as about 4 minutes reading time?

The drawing below is me, yielded to Immanuel. It is an attempt to illustrate the poem.

Sometime in the 1990s I wrote this and it still expresses my heart today. I especially recall this poem in the Advent season as we await the celebration of the birth and coming again of our King.

HERE AM I COLLECTION © 1993-2014  Molly Lin Dutina
Here am I, stuff of earth
But by the Spirit's power rebirth
has brought me receptivity.
Fill me with Yourself.
Molded by Your Holy Hand
I wait before You
Cupped and ready,
cleansed, atoned
waiting for Your radiant touch
Virtue compelled to enfold Your own
the vessel of Your making.
Here am I, stuff of earth
yielded for Messiah's birth
be it unto me, O Lord,
as in Your word and will.
The Great I AM
dwells in my heart
there to impart the power
courage and propulsion for
His dream to be fulfilled.

So what does that have to do with the Hebrew word Hineni? First I am learning to pronounce it correctly.

I had heard this word before in a sermon some place and then was reintroduced to it in the book series Sensible Shoes. The character was learning to pronounce it regardless of what life sent her way. Eventually I realized, “Wait! I have a series of short poems that begin with ‘Here am I.” Well, duh, Molly.

The declaration “Here am I” or ‘Hineni’ is more than telling God your geographic location. It is a powerful declaration of surrender and complete availability to God. We are saying we will do whatever the LORD asks, not even knowing in advance what that might entail. Reworded from https://firmisrael.org/learn/here-am-i-the-hebrew-meaning-of-hineni/

Examples are given of Abraham, Moses and Samuel all saying “hineni” to God, with readiness to pay attention or follow instructions. God can make this declaration, too!

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
    and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
    and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.” Isaiah 58:6-9 NIV

The declaration that “God with us” is a name for Jesus, Immanuel or Emmanuel, is huge. The fact that Jesus is both man and God should make us consider what that entails. I think I could ponder the impact of that declaration the rest of my days here on earth and not get to the end of the meaning.

What does it mean to you that the Word declares that Jesus is said to be God with us? What does it mean that the same God wants to dwell within you? Can you capture that meaning in a few sentences? I have not been able to do it.

Immanuel is a masculine Hebrew name meaning “God with us” or “God is with us.” The name Immanuel appears in the Bible three times, twice in the Old Testament book of Isaiah (7:14 and 8:8), and once in the Gospel of Matthew (1:23).

An alternate spelling of the name Immanuel is Emmanuel, which comes from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Immanuel, spelled with an I, is the translation of the original Hebrew name into English, whereas Emmanuel, spelled with an E, is a translation of a translation (from Hebrew to Greek to English). https://www.gotquestions.org/what-does-Immanuel-mean.html

Greek, Hebrew, does it really matter? Can you embrace the meaning?!? Embrace the spelling that speaks to you heart. Can you allow this God to dwell with you and in you? Could this be a Christmas where you make the celebration all about the Mysterious Trinity come to dwell in you?

I was trying to listen to a song by Leonard Cohen called “You Want it Darker” and found it very disturbing, even though it has Hineni in the lyrics. Then I found this commentary from a Rabbi on that very song and the music of Leonard. If you have the time, I think you will find it VERY enlightening as to how the Jewish people embrace Hineni. (Maybe I need to get this tattooed on my arm. Even after taking notes and then writing this blog I STILL do not know how to spell it on my own!)

Posted on in Aging, Faith, Memories, Poetry, Trust, Yield

Cleaning Out a Drawer

I came across an old tract printed by the Faith, Prayer & Tract League. Looking them up online to see if they still exist, the site https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/faith-prayer-and-tract-league,381580500/ says

Faith Prayer and Tract League is a religious organization that focuses on the distribution of religious tracts throughout North America, the Far East, and Europe. The organization was founded with the mission of providing people with religious materials that would help them grow in their faith. The group has been successful in distributing over 60 million religious tracts throughout the world. The organization is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

When you go to “The Tract League” it seems as if most of the activity is now centered in India.

Many years ago it was popular in Ohio to print this poem and attached a few woven threads to it.

The poem The Weaver

My life is but a weaving
Between my Lord and me,
I cannot choose the colors
He worketh steadily.

Ofttimes He weaveth sorrow,
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I, the underside.

Not till the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Shall God unroll the canvas
And explain the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.
-Grant Colfax Tullar

I think this bears remembering! I often say, “God knows! But He is not telling!” I understand that in the end He will explain everything. Hold to that hope, my friend.

Posted on in Art, Faith, Music, Poetry, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Surrender, Yield

Take Hold

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12-14

One person said, “It is not my grip on Christ, but His grip upon me.” Do you ever doubt the grip of Christ? He who bears the nail scarred hands in His resurrected body is not weakened by the suffering He endured. He is stronger since His resurrection from the dead than He was before His death. Brandon Lake sings “there is more strength, more power in the hem of His garment than in the camp of the enemy. ” I firmly believe that. Do you?

The Garments of God visual reflection of poem by Jessica Powers. Painted by Doris Klein, CSA

Yes, I need to keep a grip upon Christ. This poem reflects that sentiment.

God sits on a chair of darkness in my soul.
He is God alone, supreme in His majesty.
I sit at His feet, a child in the dark beside Him;
my joy is aware of His glance and my sorrow is tempted
to nest on the thought that His face is turned from me.
He is clothed in the robes of His mercy, voluminous garments - 
not velvet or silk and affable to the touch,
but fabric strong for a frantic hand to clutch,
and I hold to it fast with the fingers of my will.
Here is my cry of faith, my deep avowal
to the Divinity that I am dust.
Here is the loud profession of my trust.
I need not go abroad
to the hills of speech or the hinterlands of music
for a crier to walk in my soul where all is still.
I have this potent prayer through good or ill:
here in the dark I clutch the garments of God.
Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers (Kansas City: Sheed & Ward), 1989

That just sums it up for me so powerfully. Just like my times with God in the basement under-stairs closet, I can clutch the hem of His garments and know He loves me. He sees me. I am known.

I pray you will sit at His feet as Brandon sings you this refrain. May your faith be strengthened, too!

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Book quotes, Faith, Journal, Listen, Nature, Poetry, Praise

Shores of Living Water and Crickets

Shores of Living Water© 2018 Molly Lin Dutina

At the shores of Living Water
Hear crickets there
Flow of Living Water invites me deeper,
Quieter
Center in pure love
You died to give me radiant love
Your Spirit pulls me from the rubble of death
With Your power You breathe life into me
Help me live to You
Invade me at a greater depth
Use me as Your singing bowl
Your love and power going forth
Like sound waves in every direction
Bring the world into vibrating harmony.

You said all weary and
Heavy burdened should come to You
Here we are
Please rest us in Your Presence

Breathing in You
Breathing out me
Your oxygen of Life
My troubles unpacked
Burdens taken from my arms
Cares cast and put down

Embers of my faith
Blown upon
Rekindled
Ignited
A light in the darkness
And darkness cannot put it out

Your call 
eclipses physical pain, even emotional pain
Straightens my spine
In service to You
Anointing by eternal power
Holiness of God in broken vessel
Yet renewed day by day
As Living Water
I yield to Your flow
The “i” seeks lowest ground
You in ascendancy.

I was recently reminded about a story by Elisabeth Elliot regarding a priest with tinnitus and how he used it as a place for unceasing prayer.

On page 91 of A Path Through Suffering she writes, “He has elected to regard this ‘little problem,’ as he calls it, as an opportunity rather than a curse.”

“Waking up in the morning to the sound of a thousand crickets is not pleasant. Thank God, during the day I’m busy and I seldom advert to it, but the din never stops.”

“Instead of offering canned advice to others he simply tells how he crossed over from a frantic search for relief to a relatively calm condition of acceptance. He believes that the greatest honor he can give God is to live gladly because of the knowledge of His love. His happiness he regards as a sign of gratitude to God, so nothing must spoil it; therefore, he thinks of tinnitus as a friend, not an enemy. He pretends that the shrill sound in his head is an echo of the song of the universe, as all the earth blesses the Lord – the birds, the rivers, the howling winds.

“‘I let the buzzing in my ears become my unceasing prayer of praise. ‘Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing for joy.'”

“It isn’t the problems that determine our destiny. It’s how we respond.”

So the poem above by me and the poem below by Anne Porter both ring out with this praise.

Before The Frost
These are the nights
When every cricket sings
When in the dark around us
There is a flowering
Jubilant Continuous
Festival of crickets

They sing together all night long
Drawing a pulsing
Chiming joy
Out of the dryness
Of their tiny bodies

The sky
Is black and clear tonight
The stars in their mountain villages
Glitter in silence

But in the trilling crickets
Among the autumn grasses
The stars
Have found their voices.

Crickets at the shores of Living Water. Crickets among the autumn grasses. Crickets as a song of the universe blessing the Lord, even if it sounds like tinnitus. Unceasing prayer of praise. We have so many opportunities to praise the Lord. Carry on!

Posted on in Aging, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Music, Poetry, Prayer, Surrender, Thanks, Trust, Writing Life

Mr. Tanner

Harry Chapin wrote and sang a song about Mr. Tanner. He was a dry cleaner and he loved to sing. His friends pressured him to go to New York to have an agent for singers who wanted to advance their careers provide him with a concert venue. The lyrics say, “Music was his life, it was not his livelihood. He did not know how well he sang; it just made him whole.”

The reviews after his concert were not terrific. He never sang again, except late at night when he was alone in the dry cleaning shop. I do not want to become Mr. Tanner. There are interesting videos on YouTube of the actual man who inspired “Mr. Tanner.” His name is Martin Tubridy. There is even a video of the song at a benefit concert for the Harry Chapin foundation where he sings the lines attributed to him. The real-life story is that Martin did not give up his singing career.

A few of my friends have encouraged me to explore publishing my writing. Mostly I feel nudges from the Lord. I have come to the realization that my writing may not ever make it into publication, (no I have not stopped trying). There is a massive work for selection of pieces and re-writing of those pieces that would have to occur. I will most definitely need an editor. (Average pay is $30 an hour.) I am not getting any younger. This writing about my life with Christ keeps me whole. I am so grateful for those who read the blog regularly.

So I continue to ask prayers for guidance from the Lord on how to proceed with all this. As phone calls and appointments interrupt my writing time and life overall intrudes, I will need to carve away dedicated time for the work. The Lord assured me months ago that it would indeed be work. 

Prayer © 1979  Molly Lin Dutina 
A prayer 
Prayed in truth and faith
Through the Blood of Jesus,
Is as a drop of water
Upon the river of life;
Sending out endless
Ripples and waves
Throughout creation.

As the prayer is said
The answer begins movement.

In case you have never heard Mr. Tanner here is a link with lyrics.

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Listen, Poetry, Prayer, Trust, Yield

Early Monday Morning

24-10-7 Earliest Hour of Morning©Molly Lin Dutina

When all color is still black and white
Crows of accusation sound loudest
Seeming to echo my inner life

Then Light of God, Dawn of the Savior arrives
The Brightness of His glory reveals
Accusation is not reality

Crow caws become similar to Blue Jay warnings
Half-light is not truth
Sovereign from on high declares

Reality for what it truly is
Ambiguity clears

Little did I know this verse was to cushion me for what was to come this very morning. Yes, all hell broke loose again in the life of a loved one. That person suffers from mental illness. As often as we try to think it is over and things are well and healed now, wait for it, not mike drop, but boulder crashing down our mountain side. The illness cycles around again and we are each back in the throes of it.


As bewildering and scary as it is for us I know it must be so much more so for the family member. We are helpless to do anything but pray. Again we relinquish the person to Christ. Again ask the Holy Spirit to intervene. Once more asking the Father to break through the darkness.


As one song song lyric set declares, “I’m falling on my knees, offering all of me,”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/erQku5-O0Y0?si=tTTWiam8A7HGfiyF

We wait. We pray. We are cautious for our own well-being. We determine what we will or will not do this time around when the dust settles. We anguish over the ground lost. We cry out to the One who loves each of us best.

So hard not to accuse ourselves that we might have seen the signs earlier. At the same time, realizing there was nothing we could have done to avert the crashing. Feeling helpless is an apt description. I pray and wait . I hope and trust. I despair and repent of that. This is out of my hands.

It has always been out of my hands. When someone is out of their “right” mind I have little or not influence. I enlist prayer warriors and I try as best I can to just let go and get my focus back on Christ our Savior. Oh God, help us we pray.






Posted on in Aging, Amazing Creations, Challenge, Faith, Just do it, Music, Nature, Poetry, Praise, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks, Worship

Height of Summer

Bob and I were eating dinner the other day and I noticed our kitchen counter top was littered with the color of summer! I took only a mental photo. A day or so later a neighbor gifted me with an Athena melon or as they are called locally an Indiana melon. Sweeter than cantaloupe, football shaped, in place of the round shape of the cantaloupe. Its flesh is drippy, lush orange.

When I noticed the bounty on the counter at lunch time the next day I did not get up to straighten the counter, just snapped these photos for the blog.

In the foreground are the zinnias Bob grew from seed. Only one plant came up, but what a beauty. The wind from a thunderstorm had knocked one branch to the ground. I picked that branch and a few other blooms to make a vaseful.

Almost in the background is the uncut Athena melon. The kitchen was redolent with its fragrance.

In the center of the photo are ripe peaches and a small vase with one zinnia and nasturtium blooms.

I stuck some nasturtium seeds in the ground this year hoping for the best! That means hoping for lots of flowers. When we were first married someone planted nasturtiums in the old fashioned driveway that had 2 cement tracks for tires. I have since thought of them as our newly wed flowers. Knowing my physical being is not what it used to be I comforted myself with the thought that as long as I can poke a hole in the ground (with a dandelion digger no less) and stick a seed in the ground, we can have nasturtiums well into our later golden years.

Nasturtiums do not fare well in fertile soil, as much as poor soil. The back hill has poor soil compared to the front flower bed. The nasturtiums I stuck in the ground out front are mostly large leaves, few flowers so far! I do love the round leaves that contrast so well with the feathery ferns! You might remember that my opening photo for the blog shows a snail within the flower of a nasturtium. Ah! treasure in plain sight! The leaves also remind me of the lily poem, “Perhaps I can ask you just to be a lily leaf, stand and tip.” https://wordpress.com/post/treasures-in-plain-sight.org/16894

Mom taught me to take hard peaches and ripen them in a brown paper bag. Wow are they sweet! On my calendar from Joan Chittister the August saying is, “What a gift it is to sit and let the juice of a peach run down your chin.”

So no, I did not straighten these photos or clear the counter, but I wanted to emphasize that each of us have treasures in plain sight. All about us, each day. Maybe you do not have flowers in a garden, but I bet there is something in your house or on your counter that gives you cause to praise.

I cannot sing this song enough. As I wait to see the doctor about “revisionary surgery” I still can praise. At times I just need to get loud with my praise. On film at one church I saw this performed during a worship service with prisoners at a prison in Ohio. If anyone needs to praise I would think, like Paula and Silas (Acts 16:25), those guys did. And praise they did!

In this video look at those young people willing to praise! If you cannot tolerate the tattoos or hairstyles just listen to the words and take them to heart. This is not just a rock concert, this in worship. “Praise is the water my enemies drown in!”

Let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord (You got it), praise the Lord
Let everything, let everything that has breath
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
(Let everything) Let everything (Hey) that has breath (Hey)

I’ll praise in the valley, praise on the mountain (Yeah)
I’ll praise when I’m sure, praise when I’m doubting
I’ll praise when outnumbered, praise when surrounded
‘Cause praise is the waters my enemies drown in

As long as I’m breathing
I’ve got a reason to
Praise the Lord, oh my soul (C’mon)
Praise the Lord, oh my soul

I’ll praise when I feel it, and I’ll praise when I don’t (Yeah)
I’ll praise ’cause I know You’re still in control
‘Cause my praise is a weapon, it’s more than a sound (More than a sound)
Oh, my praise is the shout that brings Jericho down (Yeah) As long as I’m breathing
I’ve got a reason to
Praise the Lord (C’mon), oh my soul
Praise the Lord, oh my soul
I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
So how could I keep it inside? (I gotta)
Praise the Lord, oh my soul
(Yeah, praise the Lord)

I’ll praise ’cause You’re sovereign, praise ’cause You reign
Praise ’cause You rose and defeated the grave
I’ll praise ’cause You’re faithful, praise ’cause You’re true
Praise ’cause there’s nobody greater than You
I’ll praise ’cause You’re sovereign, praise ’cause You reign (You reign)
Praise ’cause You rose and defeated the grave
I’ll praise ’cause You’re faithful, praise ’cause You’re true
Praise ’cause there’s nobody greater than You


I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
How could I keep it inside? (How could I)
I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
How could I keep it inside? (I won’t keep quiet)
I won’t be quiet, my God is alive
How could I keep it inside? (I gotta)
Praise the Lord, oh my soul Let everything that has breath (Hey, hey)
Praise the Lord (Hey, hey), praise the Lord
Let everything, let everything that has breath
(C’mon, c’mon, c’mon)
Praise the Lord (C’mon, c’mon)
Praise the Lord (C’mon, c’mon)

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Psalm 103:1 NIV

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6 NIV

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Poetry, Praise

Traipsing

She goes traipsing through my garden
Blithely sampling the marigolds, roses and such
(At least she leaves the zinnias alone!)
Unaware of my angst as her large hooves wander
She moves through the brush tasting each one as she goes
Thank you Father for this lovely deer. ©Molly Lin Dutina 24-7-25


I must remember that each sighting and experience of wildlife out my window is a gift from the Father. I am always amazed at those who hold up traffic at Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains because they see a white-tailed deer. We have them at home I declare! And then I realize that not everyone if that fortunate.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, 
Who brings the buck and the doe to flower and field. 
May they find nourishment and Your peace in this place. Amen.
Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Nature, Poetry, Praise, Thanks, Traveling

You Tube Videos by r m dutina

I just love when Bob captures some of my favorite subjects on video. Here are two of them. The Great blue Heron, my all time favorite bird for size and grace. And the water lily with “water cupped in center point.”

The Heron is described by Audubon Field Guide as: “39-52” (99-132 cm). W. 5’10 (1.8 m). Huge and gray, with massive bill, black crown stripe on whitish head. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/great-blue-heron If you have ever seen this bird in flight the description of slow wing beats is apt.

The water lily quote is from my poem “Perhaps I could Ask You” https://wordpress.com/post/treasures-in-plain-sight.org/16894

I hope you enjoy these very short video clips as much as I do! I marvel again and again that our Father made these tremendous creations. Though He does not have to let us witness and experience them, He does. And I am blessed for the seeing.

Posted on in Amazing Creations, Faith, Poetry, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship

Enjoying Various Versions

I know there are some who claim the only authentic version of the Bible is the King James version. I am not one of them. I have used the King James, but I find that other translations help me relate to God better. I do not speak King James English or think in King James English.

Recently while visiting a liturgical church I was exposed to Psalm 104 from the St. Helena Psalter. I want to share it with you. Hope I am not violating any copyrights. There is nothing in the program that suggests the church had special permission, so here goes.

25 O Holy One, how manifold are your works!
	in wisdom you have made them all;
	the earth is full of your creatures.
26 Yonder is the great and wide seas
	with its living this too many to number
	creatures both small and great.
27 There move the ships,
	and there is that leviathan.
	which you have made for the sport of it.
28 All of them look to you
	to give them their food in due season.
29 You give it to them; they gather it;
You open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
30 You hide your face, and they are terrified;
	You take away their breath,
	And they die and return to their dust.
31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created;
	And so you renew the face of the earth.
32 May the glory of God endure for ever:
	May the Holy One rejoice in all his works.
33 God looks at the earth and it trembles;
	God touches the mountains and they some.
34 I will sing to God as long as I live;
	I will praise my God while I have my being.
35 May these words of mine find favor;
I will rejoice in the Holy One.
37 Bless the Holy One, O my soul.
	Hallelujah!

Perhaps the whale shark is the Leviathan? Saw these on a PBS special recently. Was amazed at their size!