Category: Praise

Posted on in Challenge, Faith, Listen, Nature, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship

Psalm 19

The Saint Helena Psalter is a work that was completed over many years. “For several years, the sisters of The Order of Saint Helena, a monastic community in the Episcopal Church, have been revising their services of worship. The primary goal of the revision is opening up the human vocabulary of prayer and expanding the ways in which we name and worship God.

“This version of the Psalter, based upon the translation in the Book of Common Prayer, softens the exclusively male Hebrew terminology for the Creator God and recasts texts in ways that avoid the need for a he (or she) personal pronoun.” https://www.contemplativeunderground.org/library/st-helena-psalter

Some congregations read the Psalms responsively with one person reading before the asterisk and the others finishing the sentence. Traditionally when the Psalms are read and you come to the asterisk it is a reminder to slow down and pause as you read. I usually take a breath at the asterisk. It is a challenge in this day and age to get a congregation to slow down even during worship. Give it a try and see how that affects your absorption of the Psalm.

Psalm 19

 The heavens declare your glory, O God, * and the firmament shows your handiwork. 
2 One day tells its tale to another, * and one night imparts knowledge to another. 
3 Although they have no words or language, * and their voices are not heard, 
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, * and their message to the ends of the world. 
5 In the deep you have set a pavilion for the sun; * it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course. 6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again; * nothing is hidden from its burning heat. 
7 Your law, O God, is perfect and revives the soul; * your testimony is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent. 
8 Your statutes are just and rejoice the heart; * your commandment is clear and gives light to the eyes. 
9 The fear of you is clean and endures for ever; * your judgments are true and righteous altogether. 
10 More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold, * sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb. 
11 By them also is your servant enlightened, * and in keeping them there is great reward. 
12 Who can tell how often one offends? * Cleanse me from my secret faults. 
13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me; * then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense. 
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, * O God, my strength and my redeemer. 

					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Aging, Art, Book quotes, Faith, Joy, Praise, Prayer			


							
“Down Into Their Courage Bones Forever”
					


		

			

I am listening to the book “The Dangerous Old Woman, Myths and Stories of the Wise Woman Archtype” by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD. Clarissa is an award-winning poet, certified Jungian psychoanalyst, post-trauma recovery specialist, and cantadora (keeper of the old stories in the Latina tradition). This work is powerful and speaks to my age and current interests.












Here is a blessing she wrote. I had to read this several times.





Hymn of Gratitude by Clarisa Pinkola Estés  

“For We Are Pleased by Dangerous Old Women and Their Wild and Wise Daughters.” 

For all the elders of the world,
each and every kind ever created,
those who have been carried gently by the waves,
and those who have been half-wrecked
by any number of storms and squalls,
those who have clung to the wreckage long enough
to make it halfway in,
and thence to have gained landfall.

For the elders,
who in all their variegations,
in all their sorrows and talents,
who now stand shy or certain,
semi-disheveled or pulled together,
but nonetheless hip-wide and proud.

For the tribes of the grand elder women,
in all their feathers and pelts,
and all their leaves and skins and skirts,
and all their las ropas guerreras,
their warrior full-dress,
in their wings and sashes and shawls,
with their ceremonial broaches and necklaces,
and staves of authority,
in all their athletic and tender pride,
in all their beaks and tails
and tulle and toile,
all flashing and sashaying,
and all their sauntering and sensuality,
in all their unexpected and outrageous behaviors,
and all their eccentricities,
in all their tribal paint and lace and denim,
in all their clan colors and insignias of power,
all their fierce and gentle blood and shining eyes.

For all their conserving and sacrificing and generous ways,
for their supreme caring
that decency, creative life, and care for the soul
should not vanish from the face of this earth.

For all this blessed beauty within them,
for them let us pray strength and healing,
straight down into their courage bones forever…
…let us be granted that we stand in their danger
… forever		Amen


Just makes me sigh, "Wow!"





Think for a few moments about the women you have known who fit this description. “Let us pray stregnth and healing, straight down into their courage bones forever…”

					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Aging, Faith, Family, Humor, Joy, Just do it, Praise, Prayer, Thanks			


							
Merton Knew
					


		

			

The wisdom of that man!





“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance and order and rhythm and harmony.”





The Lakota prayer I posted yesterday reminds me of what Thomas Merton knew. Balance, order, rhythm, harmony. Gratitude, interconnectedness, awareness. 





For my birthday I spontaneously invited some family and friends for a dinner at Los Cabos Mexican restaurant. It was great to hear Emily talking with her Dad about decorating her office with his photos. Our Granddaughter chatting with her Dad and sister. Other Granddaughter at my encouragement showing off her ring and her fiancee. My oldest friend getting to know a newer friend. Each of them ordering what they wanted to eat knowing in advance that Bob would pick up the tab for all of us. 





There was laughter and smiles, joy, and the wonderful feelings of being surrounded by family and good friends. I missed those who were unable to attend. It was not until we got home that I realized the photos were all taken before the engaged Grandgirl and her fiancee arrived. Oh well! At least THIS time I remembered to insist on a couple photos 🙂










We took a chocolate cake to share with the family and friends. Cut a piece for the waiter, too! At the end of our meal the restaurant placed a huge hat on my head and brought out a shot a tequila in an airplane that was fitted with a tiny rocket/sparkler at the end. 






Lizzie, Drew, the Corgis Noodles and S’mores






Balance, order, rhythm, harmony and friends when you can gather them. Spontaneity, spur-of-the-moment. Joy even at my age!





Our church offers prayer weekly for birthdays and anniversaries. As far as the birthday people, I was indeed the oldest one up there. As I was glad to be there. Here is the prayer we say together for birthdays. It is taken from the Book of Common Prayer, page 830, prayer #51.





Watch over thy children, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their hearts may thy peace which passes understanding abide all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.





Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 NIV

					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Book quotes, Faith, Focus, Just do it, Listen, Obedience, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Trust, Yield			


							
Valor
					


		

			

Amy Carmichael wrote: “Can you find a promise that if we follow the Lord Jesus Christ, life is going to be fairly easy? I do not think we shall find even one. But we shall find ever so many promises assuring us that however things are, we may count on strength to make us brave, and peace to keep our hearts at rest.
“Because this is so, our Lord and Captain expects us to be “sons of valor,” as the word translated “valiant” in the Old Testament means. And He is saying to each of us what King David said long ago to his friends: “Now let your hands be strengthened and be ye valiant, be ye sons (and daughters) of valor.”





So many misguided Christians thinking life with Jesus will be easy. Not one single verse to support that. One Pastor used to say “There are no rainbows and unicorns in the Kingdom walk.” We do not go skipping like faux-princes and faux-princesses through life. 










“Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:12-13 NRSVUE





The verse does not say God will make straight paths; we are told to make them. LIFE IS HARD. We are told to lift our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees. And (especially when we cannot do it ourselves), we are told to ALWAYS cry out to the Lord of heaven and earth for help.





God gives strength to make us brave, and peace to keep our hearts at rest. Are you willing to receive that? Will you cry out to God for help? 





So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22 ESV






					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Aging, Faith, Family, Listen, Memories, Music, Praise, Prayer, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Thanks			


							
Another Morning Song
					


		

			

I remember Grandma Snapp playing this. It seemed to me she was playing chords, but this person does a good job of it.














On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.





Refrain:
So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown.





2 O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world,
has a wondrous attraction for me;
for the dear Lamb of God left his glory above
to bear it to dark Calvary. [Refrain]





3 In that old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine,
a wondrous beauty I see,
for ’twas on that old cross Jesus suffered and died,
to pardon and sanctify me. [Refrain]





4 To that old rugged cross I will ever be true,
its shame and reproach gladly bear;
then he’ll call me some day to my home far away,
where his glory forever I’ll share. [Refrain]





United Methodist Hymnal





The hymn was written the year before my mother was born. Her dad was an itinerant Methodist minster in both Ohio and Kentucky. Her mother played the piano and my mother was forced to stand on a soapbox and lead the hymns. When I was young Mom said she had enough church growing up. My sister and I were dropped off at church. My parents attended at Christmas and Easter if we were singing in the choir. American evangelist and song-leader  George Bennard  (1873–1958) wrote the hymn. 





I remember Grandma Snapp playing this hymn on our piano. She was always uncertain she could reach the chords with the arthritis in her hands. To me she did great! She died at age 79 after breaking her hip and contracting pneumonia. 





All these years later, the hymn rings through my soul from time to time. To me the most memorable part is  “where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain.” Jesus, our Savior and King. Help us never to forget your cross and all it stood for then and now.

					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Aging, Faith, Family, Humor, Joy, Marriage and Memories, Praise, Prayer, Thanks			


							
Gift to All Who Truly Know Him
					


		

			

Robert Milan Dutina, the love of my life has a birthday today and I am privileged to make him his favorite carrot cake. Bob is truly a gift from God to me!





This man is kind and considerate. He can get along with anyone who makes an effort to be civil. For decades he has made it his practice not only to read the Bible but to try to live the commands of Jesus in everyday life.





His sense of humor is boundless. Sometimes he drives me wild when I am not in the mood and he continues with his humor. There are as many voices in his repertoire as a stand up comedian. He has a schtick for almost any situation.












As to his birthday cake, I got the recipe years ago from a woman who swore I would like it. To me carrot cake always sinks like a rock in my stomach. Turns out most recipes have a full cup of oil in them. Hers has only 1-1/2 tablespoons.  It is complete with cream cheese frosting. He likes his cake best after it has been refrigerated. Several of his friends in the laboratory where he worked made such a deal over his cake, he continues to deliver a piece (or 2) to those people even though they are all retired now. So yes, Bob is generous. The opening photo is from last year’s cake!





When he heard that Gary had Parkinson’s disease he began visiting him several times a month. When Gary finally passed Bob continued visiting his widow and son. She is now slipping into dementia, but he continues to make an effort to see her with some regularity. Bob is kind and his faith carries over into day to day life.





He is organized and tiny to the point where I dubbed him “Mr. Tidy” and he knows I call him that. His desk is more than likely clear and mine is more like an inch or two deep in projects. He likes the sticker I bought that says, “Creative minds are rarely tidy.” He has been my editor in chief over my writing projects. He is very intelligent.





As we enter our twilight years Bob continues to try to keep pushing himself into activity. Sometimes I wonder if he has sense enough to go sit down and rest? Occasionally he stops in his recliner for a moment or two. I am glad to see that!





We debate who will die first. Neither of us knows for certain. If I die first his goal is to spend 2 or 3 months in Paris mourning. If he dies first I go to the Aran Islands in Ireland to mourn.










Happy birthday to my loving man of 56 years. What a ride!








					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Amazing Creations, Book quotes, Challenge, Faith, Nature, Praise, Prayer, Thanks			


							
Quotes That Inspire Me
					


		

			

The opening photo is from a Bing wallpaper page. I could not resist the beauty!





While reading a novel called Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine, I came across this quote:





“It is a gift to live. There is beauty in the persistence of her heartbeat, the tenacity of her breath, the courage of her bones.“












Then another day I read this from Insight Timer.





“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” -Henri Bergson“





Persistence, tenacity, courage, change, mature, creating oneself endlessly. I find inspiration in those terms. It is not easy to live. There is power though in learning to ‘play the cards you are dealt.’ Using the circumstances of your life to inspire you to rise above, to do better, to be different than the last time you found yourself disappointed in your behavior.












I am watching the foliage out my window as it ceases to make chlorophyll. The spice bush is glowing all yellow. The maple nearest to it is also turning buttery. Less sunlight makes as if there is sunlight in the very leaves! “As summer fades into fall, the days start getting shorter and there is less sunlight.”





As Bob and I age we are very aware of ‘less sunlight’ essential energy in our bodies. The quotes above encourage me to keep growing and changing for the better even as my body degrades and slows down.





As long as I draw breath I hope to always be praising the Lord my God. As long as I wake up “on this side of the grass” I want to pursue the glory and power of our Creator.





Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord! Psalm 150:6 NRSVUE





It is gloomy and drizzly today as Hurricane Isaias has blown through here as a rain storm. A huge tree in the distance is ‘suddenly’ glowing yellow. Tomorrow will be sunny and I imagine the environment around us will look quite a bit different than before the storm. Such is our life day to day. Storms come, things look different. We try to keep smiling as the seasons turn all around us and within us!








					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Faith, Music, Praise, Spiritual discipline, Spiritual growth, Worship			


							
Lake & Jonas – The Author
					


		

			

Here is a new find! I think it was released May, 2026. Evidently it was released quietly. Those of us who like the music of Brandon Lake found it. I think it is a great song!





Here is also an interview with Nick Jonas about his faith and painful experience with the church. https://www.jubileecast.com/articles/36442/20260506/nick-jonas-church-hurt-faith-journey-brandon-lake-the-author-2026.htm





The two men collaborated on the song at a song writing camp. Who knew that artists even attended such things? I certainly did not!





https://youtu.be/oRw4PqBzGc0?is=yXKD_b_C6EOLkSuW





Try the link above.














Here are the lyrics: [Verse 1: Brandon Lake]
Picked up the Book for the first time in ages
Still washed me clean with the dust on the pages
My life is a story I struggle to write
But is it one worth telling? Is it one You like?
Mm





[Chorus: Brandon Lake]
So who am I? Who am I?
Am I just a poor preacher’s prodigal son?
Troubled child, running wild
Chasing the glory instead of the One
Who says that I, even I, have something still left to offer?
So who am I?
Who am I to question the pen in the hands of the Author?





[Verse 2: Nick Jonas]
Like every good story, you learn from the loss
And I lost the plot every time I played God
I live in a moment You already wrote
It’s proof that I’m someone, yeah, someone You love
Oh





[Chorus: Nick Jonas]
So who am I? Who am I?
Am I just a poor preacher’s prodigal son?
A troubled child, running wild
Chasing the glory instead of the One
Who says that I, oh, even I, have something still left to offer?
So who am I?
Who am I to question the pen in the hands of the Author?










Two preachers kids singing their testimony!





Are you willing to tell your story of following Christ? 






					


			

							
			

		




			
				


	


		
	

		
		 		
	


	
		

					
	
			

				Posted on  in Challenge, Faith, Focus, Humor, Look, Praise, Prayer, Thanks			


							
See the Holiness
					


		

			

I have been reading a book my 93 year old friend, Myrtle, loaned to me. It has tales about growing up in Corbin, Kentucky. Some of the things the author relates, I too, can remember from my childhood. These stories are contained within a cookbook that is no longer in print. When I read the quote below it made me think of this book.





Can you see the holiness in those things you take for granted – a paved road or a washing machine? If you concentrate on finding what is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul. RABBI HAROLD KUSHNER





“See holiness in the things you take for granted.” And oh my, how Americans take things for granted! 












A paved road. Automatic washing machine in contrast to that scrub board or the later wringer washer, (Yes, we had a scrub board and a wringer washer. I can still smell those suds!). Rabbi Kushner says we should concentrate on finding what is good in every situation. One recent lecturer said, “Focus on what goes RIGHT instead of what goes wrong.”





“Gratitude can sneak up on me and drive me to my knees with awe, mystery and love.” -Thayer





Can you spend ten minutes in wonder? Are you willing to humble yourself and find things that can “drive you to your knees with awe, mystery and love”?





That brilliant blue sky beyond the curling oak leaves. This computer that helps me get the thoughts of my heart into words and out to all of you. Electric tumble dryer making short work of those wet clothes. The eye drops that help damp down the itching in these autumn eyes. The huge collection of quotes, photos, drawings that I can tap for this blog. The Tylenol I forgot to take earlier – ‘cuse me while I go get some. 





That only took me a few moments. The mail truck just zoomed past the window .. delivery to each of us from all over. It has been said that if we look for things to be grateful for we will find more and more things to be grateful for. I hope this will help you to LOOK for the things that go right today and find ‘holiness in the things you take for granted.’