Author: rutakintome

I married Ruth, my high school sweetheart, in 1983 and we have four children and 5 grandchildren. I have been the worship pastor at Mission Bible Church since 2004. Minooka is a southwest suburb of Chicago. I love singing, bicycling, music, boxing, movies, The Beatles, sunsets, Mahler, the seashore, sunsets at the seashore, and… the seashore. Originally from New York, I grew up 15 minutes from the beautiful beaches of southern Long Island. I have a Fuji X-T30 that I use to capture the world I see. Please let me know what you think about these images.

dear child

dear child
will you stay with me
for a moment
will you listen through my tears
i am searching for words
through the rubble of my life
i need to help you see
so that 20 years from this moment
you will remember
and weep
and tell the story again

dear child
there is evil in this world
it is plain to see
all of history
tells the same sad story
but greater still than all we see
is the darkness in you and me
the darkness in you and me

all the change
i want this world to know
all the healing that i want to see
all that is broken deep inside of me
oh God
start with me

dear child
there are heroes in this world
men and women
brave and true
facing evil
charging
running
the fire of courage
in their eyes
greater than the fires all around
and when walls and steel
when glass and stone
fell down
down
down
it is now upon us all
to remember
our sons
our daughters
our mothers
our fathers
our sisters
our brothers
oh my God they are gone
they were heroes on that day
there are heroes in this world
today

dear child
do not fear
there is evil
yes
but greater still
is the song of hope
is the melody of light
do you see this cross
made from broken steel
rising from the ashes
hope
rising from the pain

do you see the Cross
the Son of Man on a tree
all the evil of the world
all the darkness in you and me
he bore on the tree
He ran into the darkness
the ground zero of our souls
to set us free
to mend our hearts
to redeem

dear child
life is
unimaginably beautiful
delicate
and fleeting
so remember
to sing songs about
the heroes that are gone
so remember
the Cross still stands
and calls to all
giving faith
giving hope
giving love

dear child
remember
tell the story
remember
the Cross

He is here

stillness
reflection
quiet
contemplation
listen
He is here

presence
surrender
holy
encounter
He is here

searching
heart open
hope filled
and broken
He is here

rest now
oh my soul
let grace fill
the questions
the doubts
have no fear
His love is here

He is here

good morning home town

My home town is in the state of Illinois. We are considered a southwest suburb of Chicago. The town is all but surrounded by corn and soy bean fields and so it often seems like any kind of major city is far, far away, even though, if the traffic gods are smiling, we can be in beautiful downtown Chicago in about an hour. These Minooka, Midwest skies are treasures that I always enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.

someone’s falling

someone's falling
oh God
someone's falling
a desperate soul
searching for peace
searching for a place
called home

someone's crying
oh God
someone's crying
a daddy fears
for his little girl
how he longs
to keep her safe
in this dark world

someone's running
oh God
someone's running
and the bullets fly
so hard to breathe
just need to hide
run
keep running

someone's praying
dear God
shouldn't we all
be praying
it's so dark
dear Jesus
shine through
my broken heart
no matter how small
my light may be
shine through me

let me fall
into Your grace
You're my home
and safety
let me weep
with those who weep
You're my comfort and my hope
let me run
into Your arms
and love this world
You love

love this world
You love

memory lane moments

  • GW Bridge
  • Whitestone Bridge
  • Tarrytown, NY
  • Tarrytown, NY
  • Tappan Zee Bridge
  • Ossining, NY
  • Ossining, NY
  • The Hudson River – Ossining, NY

These are images from a recent road trip back to New York. We (my wife and I) made the trip to attend a memorial service and decided to head back to visit the area where we lived during our college days. We visited Briarcliff Manor, Tarrytown and Ossining, NY, and thoroughly enjoyed our trip down memory lane.

Regarding the images: ‘GW Bridge’ is short for the George Washington Bridge, connecting New Jersey and Manhattan. We take the Whitestone Bridge to go from the Bronx to Long Island. We enjoyed lunch at Horsefeathers, and the view of the amazing Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects Tarrytown, NY to Nyack, NY. The homes in Tarrytown and Ossining were 2 of the places we lived in after we were married while in college. It was fun taking in the sights of these old, beautiful towns!

so today

dear God
really glad you're here
i'll receive all you have for me
with gratitude
for i know this new day
is a gift from You

so today
if i see a hurting soul
let me be a comfort

so today
if someone hurts me
let me be grace and forgiveness

so today
if i stumble in word or deed
please help me
change me

on this new day
make me new
on this new day