Ryanne Molinari

Writer. Musician. Worshiper.

March 16, 2023

Choral Dissonance: Separating Musical and Biblical Literacy

Originally posted on Ryanne Molinari: “Who’s Goliath?” The past week, I’ve entrenched in Christmas concerts and rehearsals with a community college, a public high school, and a community choir. It is the first Christmas in a long time when I have not been busy accompanying a church choir, where the question “Who’s Goliath?” would never… Continue reading

literary living
March 6, 2023

Doing Death Together

Maybe it’s because it’s Lent or maybe because I played for a funeral on Saturday, but I’ve been thinking a lot about death. Okay, actually, I think that’s just my personality. I’m a joyfully melancholic person with a bent toward the Medieval. Memento mori (“remember that you must die”) has always been more appealing to… Continue reading

Faith, Grace & Gumption, literary living, Musings

carpe diem, christian, christianity, church life, crucified with Christ, death, death and life, death together, deaths, doing death together, doing life, doing life together, life together, medieval, memento mori, shared death, writer, writer life, writers, writing, you too shall die
March 1, 2023

Reading Roundup: February 2023

I read ten books in February and, as usual, my reading tastes are unpredictable. The genres I enjoyed range from speculative fiction to poetry to journalism and nonfiction to historical biblical fiction. It would be a wild ride if I weren’t, well, sitting comfortably on my couch with a cup of coffee and a blanket.… Continue reading

A Bit of Light Reading, Bookish Style, Faith, literary living

author, blogger, Book, book recommendations, bookish, books, cs lewis, flowers for algernon, inspiration, literature, mary oliver, novels, poem, poems, poetry, Reading, reading list, reading recommendations, reading roundup, recommendations, writer, writing
March 1, 2023

Make Christian Nonfiction Beautiful Again

Yesterday, several people asked me what I was reading. When I replied, “Abraham Kuyper’s The Work of the Holy Spirit” and showed them this thick treasure-trove of a tome, there were two basic responses: 1) nodding and backing away as though Reformed theology is contagious and 2) an appreciative nod accompanied by some comment that… Continue reading

culture, Faith, Grace & Gumption, literary living, Literature, Musings

Abraham Kuyper, author, blogger, Book, book review, bookish, books, Christian books, Christian nonfiction, contemporary authors, contemporary publishing, Dutch Reformed, Embodied, literature, new book, new release, nonfiction, publications, the work of the Holy Spirit, theology, writer, writing
February 22, 2023

Ash Wednesday

Speak o’er me those desired and dreaded words:Pronounce my death while I yet live and breathe.Adorn me with the burnt kiss of our Lord,Preparing me for glory—and for grief. Say to me what I most long and fear to hear!Announce my life to be of little worthEven as you declare that I am dearTo the… Continue reading

Poetry

Ash Wednesday, Ash Wednesday Poem, author, blogger, Christian poetry, lenten poem, lenten reflection, poem, poetry, repentance, sacred sonnet, sonnet, theology and the arts, writer, writing
February 21, 2023

I Envy Batman

My husband and I love Batman. He’s probably the only superhero I can actually stand. However, I envy him this one thing: the simplicity of his double identity. I would love to simply be “reclusive millionaire” by day and “avenger of the city” by night. Really, I just like the idea of having a clear… Continue reading

Musings

batman, blogger, creative, musician, musician by day, musician by night, my jobs are other people's hobbies, stress, writer, writer by day, writer life, writing
February 19, 2023

Why I Moved to Iowa

I was asked today how I knew moving to Iowa was the right choice. This picture is the closest I can come to an answer. In June 2021, two weeks before our wedding, Billy and I visited Iowa for him to interview at Prairie Bible Church and it was one of the worst weekends of… Continue reading

Faith, Grace & Gumption, Musings, pastor and pianist

Bible, blog, blogger, christian, christian blogger, Christian living, christianity, church, church life, church musician, faith, gospel, ministry, ministry life, pastor, pastor's wife, prayer
February 16, 2023

Till We Have Faces – Discussion Questions

A friend and I are reading C.S. Lewis’ Till We Have Faces. This is my third trek through this masterpiece and, upon finishing it this morning, I decided to look up the HarperOne reading guide. The questions on this guide are fine, but seem a bit surface-level for such a mythical, mystical book. So, here… Continue reading

A Bit of Light Reading, Grace & Gumption, Scribblings

author, blogger, Book, bookish, books, books books books, buy me coffee, cs lewis, cupid and psyche, discussion questions, harperone, lewis, literary, literature, metamorphoses, myth, myth become fact, novel, reader life, reading guide, recommendation, story, words, writer, writer life, writing
February 14, 2023

Love

Foremost and fertile, it images the TrueVine in Whom all things are made and made anew.It is at once the soil and root:Love, agapé, the Spirit’s firstborn fruit. I’ll likely add more to this poem in the future, but it seemed thematic for Valentine’s Day. Did you know that love isn’t merely the first fruit… Continue reading

literary living

blog, blogger, christian, christian blogger, faith, poem, poetry, writer, writing
February 13, 2023

Bad at Bows…My Most Embarrassing Moment

Alright. It’s time. I survived a weekend of concerts and managed not to panic. Panic over what, you ask? Surely you’ve played enough concerts not to be nervous! True. I have. It’s not the music I get nervous about. It’s the bows. I am finally going to blog about my most embarrassing moment, my origin… Continue reading

literary living

accidentals, accompanist, artist, awkward moment, backstory, choir, choirs, choral, choral music, collaborative pianist, conductor, director, embarrassing moment, eric whitacre, funny story, honor choir, performer, pianist, take a bow, why am I like this

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I’ve been enjoying writing my own little introductions to hymns, transposing theological concepts into musical ones. Today, for Pentecost Sunday, I used imitation between voices (passing the melody from key to key) to represent the gospel being proclaimed by diverse tongues, tribes, and nations.

The reasons behind my facial expression part 2/2

The reasons behind my facial expression part 1/2

From my most recent article on #FruitfulWorship 🎤

Who’s down for “Anne girl summer”? Let’s plant flowers, memorize poetry, and walk through the woodlands. ✨

Loved improvising this introduction for “Up Through Endless Ranks of Angels” 😍 Happy Ascension Sunday! Christ goes to prepare a place for us.

My job is weird part #whoevenknowsanymore

When we first met, we bonded over not knowing what to do with ourselves at weddings. Now, we still don’t know what to do at receptions but at least we don’t know together. 😂

It’s official: I need to stick to black coffee. 😂 But isn’t it gorgeous here? Loving the sunshine after a long Iowan winter.