Author: rutakintome

I married Ruth, my high school sweetheart, in 1983 and we have four children and 6 grandchildren. I have been the worship pastor at Mission Bible Church since 2004. We are located in Minooka, a southwest suburb of Chicago. I love singing, bicycling, music, Mahler, boxing, coffee, movies, The Beatles, sunsets, coffee, Mahler, the seashore, sunsets at the seashore, coffee, and… the seashore. Originally from New York, I grew up 15 minutes from the beautiful beaches of southern Long Island. I have a Fujifilm X-T5 that I use to capture the world I see. I also enjoy writing about the images that surface in my mind and heart as I work with the images from my camera. Thanks for stopping by!

when tuesday said goodbye

Enjoying an unusually mild February and some beautiful skies. Thanks for stopping by.

beautiful new day

A peaceful dawn. The dam on the Illinois River in Marseilles, IL. Then somewhere between Marseilles and Seneca, IL. Midwest beauty is a thing. :)

tranquil morning

A peaceful start to the day over the Illinois River.

goodbye friday ransom illinois style

I don’t have any specific stats, but it feels like the cloudiest winter ever to march across this part of the Midwest. This past week the sun was able to out maneuver Mr. Gray Skies and make an appearance.

oh Lord and Light

like a black sea
stretching out before me
all this mystery
of what is yet to be
all that i cannot see

like a black sky
slowly descending over me
telling shadow stories
all i cannot hide
a dark gray canopy
made up of all my whys

oh Lord and Light
guide me on my way
help me navigate
this story through the night
waiting for the day
longing for all made right
for the unseen real
to replace
what all the senses feel

like a dark wave
swallowing up my soul
all the doubt and shame
why must it
be this way
growing old
is growing close
to a different shore
to so much more
than the sum of my failures
or anything labeled
a success
it’s all just a mess

oh Lord and Light
i’m grateful
that you gave me sight
for this mess
that i call my life
for you carried me
you saw me
you ransomed me
so i’ll follow you
i’ll turn to you
surrender to you
and let you tell me who i am
for you are love
and far above this darkened sky
and far below this blackened sea
your glory and light
your power and might
the Lord and Light
is with me
in me
all around me

the Lord and Light
is with me
in me
all around me

sometimes i wonder

sometimes i wonder
where it all came apart
where the promises and love songs
withered and sighed
the radio station
otherwise known as our lives
just plays static
the noise of our brokenness
the crackle of our selfishness

sometimes i wonder
where all that love went to hide
where the feelings and tryings
the caring that was dying
before our once hope filled eyes
is that love buried
beneath the winter of our self-protection
will there ever be a springtime of affections
sunshine to melt the hardness
to take back all the words
that tore apart the fragile fabric
otherwise known as our lives
do shreds of tenderness remain
i see tattered threads of holding hands
i think i can make out a long lost embrace

sometimes i wonder
if all these thoughts colliding in my mind
can make sense of anything at all
why did i say that
why didn’t i tell you
why did i hide
why didn’t i leave you alone
why did i remain silent
why did i scream
i have so much on repeat in my head
longing to find that clue
that tiny missed detail
to unlock the best of us

i love you
i said it
but you saw through
all i insisted was true
and i couldn't carry the weight
of what it meant to be we
us
together
our true selves
as one
in the story otherwise known as our lives

winter at the river

Here in the Midwest we ended 2023 with an unusually warm November and December. 2024 brought us an unusually cold winter. We experienced over a week of temperatures well below freezing. Cloudy, gray skies have also been a feature for far too many days. So, even thought this morning it was -1 degrees Fahrenheit, I was looking forward to trying to capture a sunrise at the Illinois River. Low clouds on the horizon blocked the sun, but I was more intrigued by the ice formations left on the trees from the receding winter river. Thanks for stopping buy. Hope it’s warmer where you are.

you want some things to stay

your grandchild’s giggle
a warm smile from a stranger
an embrace from the one you love
you just want some things to last
a walk beside the sea
the scent of falling leaves
a comforting glance for your sorrow
you just want some things
not to go too fast
a melody that makes you cry
someone saying i forgive you
sweet vienna fingers with some coffee
you just want some things
to not slip into the past
a frigid cold morning sky
whose design and colors
takes your breath away
couldn't think of a better way
to start and end a day
than losing myself in the beauty
swimming in the artistry
trying to take the whole sky in my arms
you just want some things to stay
you want some things
to never go away
coffee
vienna fingers
embracing the whole sky
i just want some things
to
stay
maybe never have to say
goodbye

happy winter weather event!

Trying to think positive thoughts before I take out my trusty snow shovel and start wrestling with this stuff!

cloudy winter day

so what’s up
cloudy winter day
what have you got to say
you remind me of me today
a little chill
a little gray
the blues are above you
somewhere high in the sky
like the blues
down inside me
where i’m tired
and i don’t want to try
to pretend anymore
that it’s sunny
act like it’s all okay
cloudy morning
i hear what you’re trying
to say

wait
weep
stay
don’t keep
it together
just be
feel
don’t try
to weather the weather
rest
pray
chill
gray
stay
connected
to
your
Creator
on this
cloudy
winter
day