Paint and Pen - by Linda Aleta Tame

The breathings of my heart are included in the pages of my journals.  My personal struggles in life and relationships, and my spiritual growing pains are recorded there, along with new revelations, joys and praises to the Lord.  I've decided to share a few excerpts from entries in my journals. Today, a little breeze has taken my heart's breath and brought it here to you.


September 7, 1990

I have often tried to paint pictures, but somehow I want more meaning in them. I want to express you Father - but how do you paint love?  How do you paint truth or wisdom or faith?  Something happened to me yesterday afternoon.  I visited the art gallery and was profoundly affected by the works of aboriginal artist, Colleen Cutschall.  The exhibition was called, "Voice in the Blood," and her pieces used symbolism and imagery to express her native spirituality.  I thought, "I want to paint my faith."  Then in the evening I went to hear a travelling minister. We sang "Sweet, Sweet Anointing," and I desired you so much Lord.  

The speaker began to prophecy to individuals.  For me, he said, "You see things in pictures.  Anyone can see a picture of Moses with his staff parting the Red Sea, but you see truth in pictures.  God is going to show you how to draw and paint pictures of spiritual things, so others might see."  So, Father, my heart, hands, head are submitted to you for your glory.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006 - Jerusalem

Entry to the Museum of Psalms 

I visited the Museum of Psalms today.  Oh...oh....oh!  As I was viewing the first painting, an elderly Jewish man asked if I would like some explanation about the paintings.  I eagerly welcomed his help.  He spoke with so much wisdom and love concerning the painting.  I asked if all 150 paintings of the 150 Psalms had been created by one artist.  He nodded.  He went on to explain the meaning behind the colours and the Hebrew letters visible throughout the piece.  Then he motioned to other paintings around the room on the walls and even on the ceiling.



He said, "And somehow I painted these by accident," and he gave a slight smile. I asked if I'd heard him correctly.  He lowered his eyes and nodded.  Then our eyes met, and I was overwhelmed by the beauty and the depth of the Spirit that HAD to be in this man to create the Word on canvas the way he had done.  I was unable to contain my tears, though I didn't try that hard.  I wanted to cry.  I wanted to feel and sense the magnitude of the moment.  He saw my emotion and said, "I understand.  This can be emotional.  Take a little time to sit or view alone."  The tears just kept coming.  The Lord gave me a word in 1990 that I would someday paint my faith.

November 25, 2006 - Jerusalem

Yesterday I went back to the Museum of Psalms.  Moshe Tzvi Berger was glad to see me and invited me to sit on the small love seat across from his desk in the reception area.  Then began a lovely conversation about his life and his reasons for painting.  He spoke about his desire to share the loving kindness of God, whom he referred to as HaShem (The Name).   He said his art speaks of HaShem's loving kindness.

Psalm 146 - Hallelujah!  Praise, O my soul the Eternal.

I said I wished I lived in Israel, so I could learn more from Moshe.  I knew he could teach me so much.

"I am not a teacher," he said.  "I am an artist, and that's a different profession," but I had to wonder.

"Today I learned more things I needed to know, just by sitting with you awhile."  I wanted to understand the heart of the creator of these masterpiece paintings.

Then he said, "More important than anything else - more important than art - more important than anything - is love.  Without love, all else is useless.  You must love your husband first, then your children, your family, and then others. When you love your husband, children, others, you show your love for HaShem.  This is the one thing you MUST remember of all I've said today."
                      ________________________________________________________

A journal is an incredible source for writing inspiration, and for faith building!  The breathings of the heart in a journal are acts of writing, and that's what writers want to do!

Here Comes the Son  2014
12 x 16 Oil on Canvas -
Linda Aleta Tame

View a video about the Museum of Psalms on Youtube.

The Breathings of My Heart through Poetry - by Gloria Guest

For me, writing the ‘breathings of my heart’ as encouraged by William Wordsworth has often been a tentative sharing around the edges of my life; sometimes in one of the life lesson columns I used to write for the newspapers or perhaps in one of my blogs. Or maybe at a writers workshop or two where I opened up a part of myself I never had before.
My writing journey has been a long process of learning to trust God, myself and others and many days I still feel as if I am only on the beginning steps. Although I can write vulnerably and have, I am still hesitant to share it in a published format.  I often wish to be further up the ‘published’ staircase than I am, but it can all seem so daunting.  And so, a vital part of my journey has been learning about the gift of hope. 
It was Alexander Pope who penned the words, “Hope springs eternal,” in his 1733 Epistle, An Essay on Man. His words still ring true today.
In fact, Pope’s words remind me of a day a number of years back, when it felt like hope literally did spring right out of the desolate prairie, just for me.
I can still see myself sitting on that solitary hill on a cold spring day, ruminating over too many hopeless situations that were going on in my life.
And then I saw it; one simple little sign of life.
The following is a poem I wrote that came from the ‘breathings of my heart,’ that day on the hillside. In fact William Wordsworth himself  shared his own heart with us through his incredible gift of romantic English poetry. I find poetry to be a genre that winds more gently around those vulnerable places in my heart, wooing me to write and even share the 'breathings of my heart'  with others.

Hope

Signs of Life

Purple stems protruding from prairie earth

With snow still visible on the ground

A day when my heart seeks shelter and solace

How brave and fierce the Crocus is!

Not grown in potting shed or tended in gardeners plot

It’s undaunted courage inspires me and woos me

I cup them to my face

And inhale their fragrance of hope

While Creators breath midst prairie breeze

Surrounds my searching soul

During trying circumstance

                                                        Gloria Lynn Guest 

THE BREATHINGS OF HIS HEART by Bryan Norford

The idea of breathing reminded me of the basic use of breath in the Bible. Remarkably, one original word in both Old and New Testaments is translated breath, wind, or spirit. The Hebrew ruach and the Greek, pneuma, both translate to these three words, the specific meaning depending on context.

However, difficulty in finding the intended meaning in each case is highlighted in both testaments. In both Ezekiel 37—the Valley of Dry Bones—and John 3—Jesus’ discourse on spiritual birth, the overlap of meaning comes through pun style.

Ezekiel 37, uses the word ruach eight times in the first fourteen verses, both for breath and Spirit. Even a cursory reading shows that the translator could have used Spirit for breath in most locations, that is, the breath of God in this instance could equally be His Spirit.

By way of contrast, Genesis 2:7, uses a different Hebrew word, mappah, for breath. This gives the sense God forced breath into the nostrils of the first man providing basic existence, a breathing life all humans share. But in other Scriptures, the same word also means forcing breath out, or loss of life, showing the original existence is temporary.

Like the Ezekiel passage, John 3 invites us to share in a life-giving breath that is permanent. Verses 6–8 translate wind and Spirit from the same root, pneuma. Verse 8 signifies human reasoning can neither understand nor obtain this new life. It is a gift of the Spirit of God.

This revelation colours dramatically what I understand should be the breathings of my heart. Whatever passion our natural life may inspire, it is temporary, but breathing in the Spirit of God as we write will provide the seeds of immortal life as we breathe it out.

As we hear Him, from the Word, or His Spirit’s still small voice, the breathing our hearts will be the breathing of His heart within us. We will find no greater resource for our words to penetrate this life and the next.

Writing with the Breathings of Our Heart by Loretta Bouillon

This months theme is based on William Wordsworth’s quote instructing writers to “fill your paper with the breathings of the heart” This is something that comes very natural to me. My first “journal” was given to me when I was nine years old. We called it a “diary” back then. It was a little hard-covered book that allowed five lines per day to write your thoughts. I had its own lock and key. I remember it well. It was shiny and beige. It was my treasure.

Since that time, I have filled many journals over the years. I have a box of them in my closet from the last twenty years of raising my family. The earlier volumes are really more just rantings and lamenting about difficult pregnancies, sleepless nights and longing for a moment to myself. Over the years, my daily journal has evolved into an ongoing conversation with God. These pages are still filled with lamenting and crying out to Him, but there are also many documented happy times, revelations and praises to the Lord as well.

As my relationship with the God has matured, so has my journal writing. I think there must be a balance between prayer requests and a thankful heart.  I do write with the underlying thought: “Do I want my children reading this and remembering their mother this way when I am gone?” I don’t like to journal with an “editor” in my head, however, instead, I ask God for discernment as I am writing my most personal thoughts.

When I share my experiences to encourage or inspire others, in a more public medium, I want to make sure that I do not dishonor my husband or children in any way. I often like to write about day to day life with my family so if I mention any of them, I let them read what I have written before publishing. If I share thoughts about my faith, I usually ask God what I should do with it. Is this for my own blog or other blogs that I contribute to? Could this be a submission for a magazine? Perhaps it is just a short facebook post that I feel the Lord will use to touch someone that day.

I guess when it comes right down to it, my desire is to be prayerful about everything I write, just like it is to be prayerful about everything I speak. When I write the “breathings of my heart”, I want to glorify my God always.