Have you ever heard the whip-poor-will cry down the twilight? Years since I've heard the haunting chant, it still echoes in my mind. A chance glance recently reverberated melody and memories. As a subscriber to Iowa Outdoors magazine, I receive its lovely DNR calendar each year. Each month features a gorgeous picture showcasing Iowa's natural beauty. The dates are sprinkled … Continue reading Looking for whip-poor-wills
How does a writer fuel the creative muse? What role could poetry or music play? Could sermons or scripture generate creativity? For years, I've believed poetry--or at least being familiar with good poetry--elevated prose. The instructor for my first creative writing course (more than 20 years ago) taught a unit on poetry before teaching prose, … Continue reading What inspires creativity?
Yesterday was a day of blue butterflies. We visited Reiman Gardens in Ames, spending nearly all our time in the butterfly wing, taking pictures and reveling in the profusion of fluttering beauty. About 800 butterflies spend their brief lives in this enclosure, delighting viewers who amble through. My husband excelled at catching the large blue butterflies on … Continue reading Blue butterfly day
The last psalm in the psalter rings with praise. It particularly emphasizes instrumental praise, and since it begins with a direct reference to God's sanctuary, it seems a powerful argument for using all kinds of instruments in worship. It begins with a call to praise God in worship and in the vast expanses of his creation … Continue reading Praise God! (Psalm 150)
Glenda Faye Mathes 