Do you ever open a fortune cookie, eager that it may give you the answer? What answer you may ask. Well, the one that faces the question gnawing at us full frontal. It's the answer, we believe, will lay bear all of our grievances and act as that band-aid we've always wanted. You know, the answer to those questions like...."Why do children die of starvation?", "How can one man kill another?" and the more personal ones such as.."Why am I so frustrated by my parents?", "Why is this relationship so difficult?" and "How is it possible to earn a living doing what you love?"
Well, I think it's time we woke up and smelled reality. There is no cookie cutter answer to all of life's problems. They must be faced with determination and a dedication to hard work as well as the understanding that there is always grace. For you. For me. For us.
With this grace, we may be able to look one another in the face and admit that we don't have the answers. And perhaps agree that this not knowing may be what life's all about.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
words.
It seems ironic that I love to write and the best writing program I have is textedit. Almost as if the universe was challenging me to transcribe a story from thought to life in the most difficult way possible. The truth is that my mind is plagued with thoughts and I've begun to wonder if perhaps I should write them down. I can't explain this. It is the most sincere release to be able to concentrate one's brain and express it in the simplicity of words. "Words? Simple?" You may ask. Yes, Indeed. For how can one word fully contain our infinite beings? Can the soul be harnessed by the likes of the english language? I hope it is not possible. I pray that each language, despite it's seeming complexity, still falls short in it's expression. One must believe that anything can be imagined on the basis of these words, but nothing can be fully realized in the same way that it is lived.
And yet, despite their inadequacy, we press on, using these words. Letting them fill up our lives and speak our hearts to those we love. These simple expressions are our gift to the world. As I'm writing this, I wonder which things that people have said stick out in my mind. It isn't the criticism or congratulations. Not the phrases filled with the wanderings of each day. Instead, quiet reflections, grasping at the truth, come singing to my heart. And it finds its peace.
And yet, despite their inadequacy, we press on, using these words. Letting them fill up our lives and speak our hearts to those we love. These simple expressions are our gift to the world. As I'm writing this, I wonder which things that people have said stick out in my mind. It isn't the criticism or congratulations. Not the phrases filled with the wanderings of each day. Instead, quiet reflections, grasping at the truth, come singing to my heart. And it finds its peace.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
two songs.
Here are the lyrics to two of the songs I've written in the last couple months:
It is a quiet fire
It is a sodden flame
a squelched desire
a word a thought a name
It is irrational
without the work of brain
it is emotional
it cannot hope again
(chorus)
This foolish love
who would call it that?
this eager crush
exempt from fear or shame
It is a solemn breeze
an imagined kiss
it is the gentle tease
of an abandoned wish
It is the afternoon
of the last baseball match
It is the purple bloom
of this tray of ash
this foolish love (x4)
Tagore (excerpt from a poem by Rabindrath Tagore)
Though the evening comes with slow steps
and has signaled for all to cease
Though your companions have gone to their rest
and you are tired
Though fear broods in the dark
and the face of the sky is veiled (X2)
Yet bird, o my bird, listen to me
don't close your wings
It is a quiet fire
It is a sodden flame
a squelched desire
a word a thought a name
It is irrational
without the work of brain
it is emotional
it cannot hope again
(chorus)
This foolish love
who would call it that?
this eager crush
exempt from fear or shame
It is a solemn breeze
an imagined kiss
it is the gentle tease
of an abandoned wish
It is the afternoon
of the last baseball match
It is the purple bloom
of this tray of ash
this foolish love (x4)
Tagore (excerpt from a poem by Rabindrath Tagore)
Though the evening comes with slow steps
and has signaled for all to cease
Though your companions have gone to their rest
and you are tired
Though fear broods in the dark
and the face of the sky is veiled (X2)
Yet bird, o my bird, listen to me
don't close your wings
Friday, November 20, 2009
It is spoken.
The rain hasn't started
but I can hear it.
It is screaming from the thick morbid
veil across the sky
It is moaning through the fabric
tousled by the wind
It is spoken by the quiet
voices inside coffee shops
It is heard as the roots cry out
to the clouds for life
and the leaves breath in
the ladden air
the rain hasn't started
but I can hear it.
twilight (in progress)
Silhouettes
Outlines
Figures in black
Claim the skyline
They're standing still
immobile
and yet fluidly alive
transforming the present
by releasing the past
The conifers become giants
each mountain, a dragon
their darkness breathing life
to the solemn blue blanket of night
And their fire is seen in the heavens
with each new flicker of light
found in the dimming dry ocean
calling all to the evening's warmth
but I can hear it.
It is screaming from the thick morbid
veil across the sky
It is moaning through the fabric
tousled by the wind
It is spoken by the quiet
voices inside coffee shops
It is heard as the roots cry out
to the clouds for life
and the leaves breath in
the ladden air
the rain hasn't started
but I can hear it.
twilight (in progress)
Silhouettes
Outlines
Figures in black
Claim the skyline
They're standing still
immobile
and yet fluidly alive
transforming the present
by releasing the past
The conifers become giants
each mountain, a dragon
their darkness breathing life
to the solemn blue blanket of night
And their fire is seen in the heavens
with each new flicker of light
found in the dimming dry ocean
calling all to the evening's warmth
Thursday, November 12, 2009
the heart which sailed the ocean blue
I knew a girl who had a heart
that longed to sail the ocean blue
she had not the heart of a mistress or maid
but that of a sailor, learned in his trade
It's beat could sound the depths of the deep
It's pulse could quicken the creatures beneath
this heart ruled it's owner, you see
From the bow of the boat, it made her leap
into the silent oceans deep
From the top of the sail it made her fly
from the tip of the waves to the edge of the sky
She soared o'r the the wind
and met birds in her flight
pelicans, seagulls and winged messengers of the night
She flew o'r the waters and
met sea creatures too!
The turtle, dolphin, and wales
made a hula baloo!
But when she had nearly finished her very first flight
Her heart wanted more, which she couldn't set right
For the wind was to fierce
and the waves were to strong
and she didn't believe the sirens song
So she left her heart there
in the depths of the sea
to be rediscovered by you and me
She returned to the boat and set things aright
and made the long voyage home with all of her might
that longed to sail the ocean blue
she had not the heart of a mistress or maid
but that of a sailor, learned in his trade
It's beat could sound the depths of the deep
It's pulse could quicken the creatures beneath
this heart ruled it's owner, you see
From the bow of the boat, it made her leap
into the silent oceans deep
From the top of the sail it made her fly
from the tip of the waves to the edge of the sky
She soared o'r the the wind
and met birds in her flight
pelicans, seagulls and winged messengers of the night
She flew o'r the waters and
met sea creatures too!
The turtle, dolphin, and wales
made a hula baloo!
But when she had nearly finished her very first flight
Her heart wanted more, which she couldn't set right
For the wind was to fierce
and the waves were to strong
and she didn't believe the sirens song
So she left her heart there
in the depths of the sea
to be rediscovered by you and me
She returned to the boat and set things aright
and made the long voyage home with all of her might
Sunday, November 8, 2009
a flower grows
"A flower grows! Look, a flower grows!" A young girl squeals in excitement. Her father peers in search of the source of her delight. "Yeah, honey, there's a flower there". Now, the whole neighborhood has heard her cherished phrase.
Each person stops to realize they haven't quite noticed the bloom. How is it that this flower is on the face of every child, yet we have failed to see it? Yearning for sunlight, the blossom unfolds in the darkest places. In the midst of hunger, poverty, abandonment, war and desolation it is not afraid to unfurl it's petals.
Yet it's eagerness has been misunderstood. It's youth mistaken for foolishness. How have children become the flowers we have learned to ignore? What lessons has a child to give? Is there an end to such a question? To answer this is to discover a priceless gift.
Each person stops to realize they haven't quite noticed the bloom. How is it that this flower is on the face of every child, yet we have failed to see it? Yearning for sunlight, the blossom unfolds in the darkest places. In the midst of hunger, poverty, abandonment, war and desolation it is not afraid to unfurl it's petals.
Yet it's eagerness has been misunderstood. It's youth mistaken for foolishness. How have children become the flowers we have learned to ignore? What lessons has a child to give? Is there an end to such a question? To answer this is to discover a priceless gift.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
new lyrics
Arising (Song of Songs)
Who is this arising like the dawn
as pale as the moon and as bright at the sun
as majestic as an army with billowing banners
she went down to the grove of walnuts
and out to the valley to see the spring
to see weather the grape veins had budded or the pomegrantes bloom
and before she realized it she found herself in a chariot with her beloved
Chorus:
Place me like a seal over your heart (x2)
For love is as strong as death
it's jealousy enduring as the grave
love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame
many waters cannot quench love, nor rivers drown it
if a man tried to buy love, with all his wealth, he would be scorned
Chrous (x4)
Besides Myself
In our fear in our pride in our confusion
we tend to loose sight of the conclusion
for we think that we know all the answers
but deep inside we are lost
and my father says I love you (x3)
can everything else fade away?
In our pain in our lives in our exploration
we cling to the things we can see
for we hold onto hope in each waking moment
instead of looking towards eternity
Yet our father says I love you (x3)
and everything else fades away
With this day with this life
we will glorify you
for your are the hope that's alive
and you answer our fear pain pride and confusion
you heal the wounds we cannot
When our father says I love you (x3)
everything else fades away
Before it so desires
He looks her way and she has nothing to say
for his gaze holds the truth
She holding fast to a love that won't last
he's here he's now, but is he true?
Do not awaken love before it so desires (2)
Reminded of what her father might say
she finally turns away
Now she's left with all of her fears
alone with her wasted tears
Do not awaken love before it so desires (2)
Who is this arising like the dawn
as pale as the moon and as bright at the sun
as majestic as an army with billowing banners
she went down to the grove of walnuts
and out to the valley to see the spring
to see weather the grape veins had budded or the pomegrantes bloom
and before she realized it she found herself in a chariot with her beloved
Chorus:
Place me like a seal over your heart (x2)
For love is as strong as death
it's jealousy enduring as the grave
love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame
many waters cannot quench love, nor rivers drown it
if a man tried to buy love, with all his wealth, he would be scorned
Chrous (x4)
Besides Myself
In our fear in our pride in our confusion
we tend to loose sight of the conclusion
for we think that we know all the answers
but deep inside we are lost
and my father says I love you (x3)
can everything else fade away?
In our pain in our lives in our exploration
we cling to the things we can see
for we hold onto hope in each waking moment
instead of looking towards eternity
Yet our father says I love you (x3)
and everything else fades away
With this day with this life
we will glorify you
for your are the hope that's alive
and you answer our fear pain pride and confusion
you heal the wounds we cannot
When our father says I love you (x3)
everything else fades away
Before it so desires
He looks her way and she has nothing to say
for his gaze holds the truth
She holding fast to a love that won't last
he's here he's now, but is he true?
Do not awaken love before it so desires (2)
Reminded of what her father might say
she finally turns away
Now she's left with all of her fears
alone with her wasted tears
Do not awaken love before it so desires (2)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Dress-Up (to my brother)
Do you remember dressing up
like old ladies
rummaging through mother's hats
in search of something just right?
running across baseball diamonds
through forests
and between the waves
Crashing down to the shore,
picking ourselves up and leaping
back into the tide?
Remember those quiet adventures
in the backyard, dreaming of
lava monsters and people
beyond our sight?
Was it just yesterday that we
entered the world with lunch pails
and toothless grins?
Was it yesterday we played
101 Dalmatians and laughed for
no reason when mom and dad
weren't looking?
My arms ache to hold the
little brother I once knew
but I'm learning to appreciate
the man that you've become
and let go of growing up
amidst the changing seasons
of this life
we will never be too old
to dress-up
and remember.
like old ladies
rummaging through mother's hats
in search of something just right?
running across baseball diamonds
through forests
and between the waves
Crashing down to the shore,
picking ourselves up and leaping
back into the tide?
Remember those quiet adventures
in the backyard, dreaming of
lava monsters and people
beyond our sight?
Was it just yesterday that we
entered the world with lunch pails
and toothless grins?
Was it yesterday we played
101 Dalmatians and laughed for
no reason when mom and dad
weren't looking?
My arms ache to hold the
little brother I once knew
but I'm learning to appreciate
the man that you've become
and let go of growing up
amidst the changing seasons
of this life
we will never be too old
to dress-up
and remember.
unwilling to trust
Tears will come no more
my heart is run dry
the idols of this life
torn away
and self revealed
for what it so often is
lost
confused
disillusioned
afraid
unwilling to trust
in a savior
who gave it all
my heart is run dry
the idols of this life
torn away
and self revealed
for what it so often is
lost
confused
disillusioned
afraid
unwilling to trust
in a savior
who gave it all
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Restoration, Hope: Reaching the Modern Hagar and Ishmael
Hope you can make it! I'll be playing for around half an hour.
Saturday, August 8th
8-10:30 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church: The Hiding Place
1100 Shasta Ave. (at the Corner of the Alameda)
Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba... But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there." Genesis 21: 14,17
Hagar International reaches the modern Hagar and Ishmael to provide foster homes, education and post-trauma counseling to victims of human trafficking and extreme poverty in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.
Join us for an evening of music, coffee, and conversation to learn more about the realities of modern slavery and how you can help ministries like Hagar extend Christ's love and restoration to abandoned women and children.
Cost 5 dollars entrance--all proceeds will go to Hagar International.
Featuring local singer-songwriters : Verlene Schermer and Linnette Bommarito, Lindsay Ringer
Saturday, August 8th
8-10:30 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church: The Hiding Place
1100 Shasta Ave. (at the Corner of the Alameda)
Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba... But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there." Genesis 21: 14,17
Hagar International reaches the modern Hagar and Ishmael to provide foster homes, education and post-trauma counseling to victims of human trafficking and extreme poverty in Cambodia, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.
Join us for an evening of music, coffee, and conversation to learn more about the realities of modern slavery and how you can help ministries like Hagar extend Christ's love and restoration to abandoned women and children.
Cost 5 dollars entrance--all proceeds will go to Hagar International.
Featuring local singer-songwriters : Verlene Schermer and Linnette Bommarito, Lindsay Ringer
Friday, June 12, 2009
my shells
I wrote this poem in the fifth grade in memory of my grandpa.
As I look at my shells,
I remember the sea,
And someone who was very special to me.
When I went to his house,
Right next to the sea,
We went looking for shells regularly.
His heart was loving,
As it will always be,
To every animal,
Including a flea.
I was his grandaughter,
And I could see,
That he was getting weak slowly.
I will always cherish those moments,
And ones to be,
When someone and me,
Walk along together,
By the sea.
As I look at my shells,
I remember the sea,
And someone who was very special to me.
When I went to his house,
Right next to the sea,
We went looking for shells regularly.
His heart was loving,
As it will always be,
To every animal,
Including a flea.
I was his grandaughter,
And I could see,
That he was getting weak slowly.
I will always cherish those moments,
And ones to be,
When someone and me,
Walk along together,
By the sea.
Monday, June 1, 2009
songs
Hey! It's been a while since I've written on here. I'm almost done with school! Hoorah!
If you want to check out any of the songs I've written, you can listen to them on www.nevertheless.bandcamp.com.
If you want to check out any of the songs I've written, you can listen to them on www.nevertheless.bandcamp.com.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
pursuit
I feel like writing right now and I'm not sure exactly why. Just visited with an old roomate and am reminded of how much I miss her. It's funny how lives cross and change and meet again. Sometimes I wonder at how God prepared all this. Did you know, Lord, that it would come to this? Roads diverging and paths turning from college unto the great unknown....
We think we know so much and then turn to discover that it will never be enough. The pursuit of knowledge does not end in peace. In understanding more, we discover that, in truth we understand less. In understanding less, we discover the ability to let go of what we've been grasping for. This is wisdom.
I realize that once in Christ, I want for nothing.
I need no more sustenance, then what he provides. Food, clothing, possession, work, relationship, all fade in sight of his glory. Yet how do we glorify Christ in the seemingly mundane tasks of each day? Can these little things which fill up our lives have a meaning rooted in Him? How does loving our redeemer begin to fill every facet of our being?
Can anything compare to his goodness? dilute it?
And how can we, as his children, turn away from such a gift of peace? For He is in pursuit of our hearts.
We think we know so much and then turn to discover that it will never be enough. The pursuit of knowledge does not end in peace. In understanding more, we discover that, in truth we understand less. In understanding less, we discover the ability to let go of what we've been grasping for. This is wisdom.
I realize that once in Christ, I want for nothing.
I need no more sustenance, then what he provides. Food, clothing, possession, work, relationship, all fade in sight of his glory. Yet how do we glorify Christ in the seemingly mundane tasks of each day? Can these little things which fill up our lives have a meaning rooted in Him? How does loving our redeemer begin to fill every facet of our being?
Can anything compare to his goodness? dilute it?
And how can we, as his children, turn away from such a gift of peace? For He is in pursuit of our hearts.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
rewinding
Rethinking
the miracle of life
i'm astounded at the breeze
how does a shift in air pressure
bring things into movement
Reexamining
the source of life
i'm struck by the green
made by chloroplasts invisible
to the human eye
and yet capable of coloring between the lines
Reworking
the mysteries of life
i'm wondering how this stump
is able to push back against me
with a force equal to gravities desire
to pull me towards the earth
Rewinding
my understanding
I discover
that no explanation can en capture
the beauty found in each living thing
the miracle of life
i'm astounded at the breeze
how does a shift in air pressure
bring things into movement
Reexamining
the source of life
i'm struck by the green
made by chloroplasts invisible
to the human eye
and yet capable of coloring between the lines
Reworking
the mysteries of life
i'm wondering how this stump
is able to push back against me
with a force equal to gravities desire
to pull me towards the earth
Rewinding
my understanding
I discover
that no explanation can en capture
the beauty found in each living thing
the facade
Fashioning lies
out of papermache
I can cover
my brokeness
with this projection of self
yet
an emptiness remains
questioning the source of this desire
to conceal oneself
It eats away
at the colorful paper
peeling back the facade
to reveal what is left
within
out of papermache
I can cover
my brokeness
with this projection of self
yet
an emptiness remains
questioning the source of this desire
to conceal oneself
It eats away
at the colorful paper
peeling back the facade
to reveal what is left
within
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
un cancion
For those of you who are interested, it looks like I'm going to start recording some of the songs that I've written. There is one I wrote this past weekend that I want to post the lyrics below. It's chorus is from Ezekial 11. If you want a copy of the CD, shoot me an email at lringer@calpoly.edu. Thanks!
I don't want to feel anything
I don't want to believe
I don't want this heartache
I don't want to receive
Chorus
I will give them an undivided heart (x3)
and put a new spirit within them
I will remove from them their heart of stone (x3)
and give them a heart of flesh
How many days and how many miles
of exile
till the Lord turns his face from the coldness we feel
(repeat chorus)
Where are we headed and
where have we been
lost in pursuit of the Lord once again
I don't want to feel anything
I don't want to believe
I don't want this heartache
I don't want to receive
Chorus
I will give them an undivided heart (x3)
and put a new spirit within them
I will remove from them their heart of stone (x3)
and give them a heart of flesh
How many days and how many miles
of exile
till the Lord turns his face from the coldness we feel
(repeat chorus)
Where are we headed and
where have we been
lost in pursuit of the Lord once again
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