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Be Thou My Breath
My favorite hymn is “Be Thou My Vision,” not merely because it is a beautiful Celtic melody but because I can use its verses to structure my day-to-day activities. When I rise and open my eyes, I can murmur, “Be Thou my vision.” As I drive to work in the soft morning light or home…
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Stick the Landing
Have you ever had one of those terrible, awful, no-good dreams where you are suddenly forced to do something you’ve never practiced in front of a very large audience? I’m sure it isn’t just me. I have a recurring nightmare in which I am expected to perform a dance solo or gymnastics routine in front…
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Whose Chains do You Wear?
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22, ESV I once wore a small heart pendant on a chain. It was a going-away present with a promise, and I wore it all the time I was abroad,…
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Wonderful: Preventative Grace in a Classic Film
As per tradition, my mom and I watched It’s a Wonderful Life on Christmas day, cozy and sleepy after an early morning. Although I’ve seen this movie countless times, it struck me very differently than ever before. Perhaps it is because this year has been so turbulent, so full of disappointed hopes and thwarted expectations,…
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No Silent Night Was This
Sweet “Stille Nacht” is but a prayer;No silent night was this, When angel hosts announced on highThe birth of God with Us. Holy, yes, but earthly too,No silent night was this,When with one final virgin cryLabor turned to bliss. ‘Tis but a late-come comfort wish;No silent night was thatWhich brought the babe but born to…
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Conjunction
Unlike that lone first star of Christmas nightThis union burns expectedly above, But like that light, this, too, shines highest, brightAnd may still testify of searing love. Drawn closer by the work of innovation,Man captures and contains this far-off flare.How like and unlike the flame of incarnationThat, inverse, came to earth to draw us near.…
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Christmas Fear
I love Christmas. I am one of those eternally annoying people who begins singing along to Christmas radio stations before my birthday (November 14th) and I remain fueled almost entirely by peppermint mochas throughout December. The lady in the video below is my hero. And yet, as I wholeheartedly throw myself into the kitschy joy…
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Morning Music
There is a peculiar cadence to my morning routine. My mom pointed this out a few days ago, and I’ve found it to be a source of amusement and consolation. Each morning, I apparently not only follow the same routine but make the same sounds. First, there is creak of my bed as I search…
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Thank Goodness for the Laundry Pile
My work has gone mostly remote again, which at first was something of a relief. After barely a day of emails instead of interaction, though, I found myself going quite mad. Without a regular schedule, I have far too much space for overthinking, indecision, and wandering aimlessly between tasks. Fortunately, just as I was nearing…
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Stand Out and Show Up
In addition to my work as an editor and church organist, I help teach choir at a Christian high school. This week, in place of regular classes, the school put on a conference (masks required!) during which multiple breakout sessions were offered. I was asked, because of my particular background, to prepare a session on…
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Echo (Chamber) and Narciss(ism): A Modern Myth
I value the old pagan myths, for they metamorphosize over time, developing alongside the human culture that created them. ‘Narcissus and Echo,’ the tragic tale of love and vanity, is one of the most renowned and relevant of these myths, imaginatively testifying to the real consequences of unrequited lust and self-deceiving admiration. A modern reimagining…
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National Novel Writing Month 2020
It’s November, a month that inspires both terror and excitement in writers everywhere. Each November, I reminisce on my first attempt at National Novel Writing Month, in which I hand-wrote my first real draft of a novel. It told a sweet story of personal growth, literary love, and quirky community, and I fondly remember that…
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Ryanne Molinari 