Spring/Summer 2015
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Spring/Summer 2015 Faith, Arts & Justice Why Words MatterSinger/Songwriter Brian Doerksen Why Words Matter music works on us and in us, and matter we could say cruel things to each means of God-spoken words like ‘Let By Brian Doerksen because of the power of one additional other and nothing would change. But we there be light.’ These words, because of tool of language that we lyricists use to all know what happens when hurtful their inherent power and the power of Words have power. They make us erupt great effect: rhyme. Sing the lines ‘Why words get spoken. People get hurt. the One who spoke them, bring about with laughter or cause our heart to break. she had to go I don’t know, she wouldn’t say. Things change. the reality we find ourselves in the middle Most of you will know the words to the I said something wrong, now I long for of. This was my inspiration for the words I song ‘Yesterday.’ The reason you know yesterday.’ Decades after my first hearing Words matter because words have wrote in Creation Calls. these words is not simply because they of this amazing song I have no problem power. I have felt the wind blow, whispering your are part of our culture’s soundtrack. When recalling the words. They still speak. The name. words are wedded to melody they get first line I quoted speaks of the power of Those of us from the community of faith I have seen your tears fall when I watch the lodged in a part of our brain that words withheld. Even unspoken, words believe that words got the whole cosmos rain. functions as ‘God’s back up hard drive for have power. The second line speaks of rolling in the first place. The opening How could I say there is no God when all humans.’ When we need to access those the collective human experience of chapters of Genesis poetically describe around creation calls . words, they’re there because of how broken hearts and regret. If words didn’t the creation of the world through the continued on page 3 Check out page 7 for our new contest! This Issue: The Power of Words mind while still living on her own. I had onto her balcony at night, and then sit in weep as I tore the edges from all of the felt good to make use of those nasty little Words of Healing, Words of Hope 4 gathered them up and put them in a file her living room and listen to her radio. notes and made them into smaller pieces notes that had been taking up space in Doug Lockhart when we moved her from her apartment to attach to the canvas. my files. They are now in a place of into the care home. Mom often misplaced The notes I had tucked away in my filing reminder that we need to show a bit more A Beautiful Synergy 5 personal items, and unable to admit her cabinet were addressed to these “visitors”, During the journey of helping and caring patience and love to those living in the Renate & Keith Worthington forgetfulness, her mind made up stories or “destroyers” as she sometimes called for my Mom, I had become a widow, and prison of their anxieties. An Essay on True Dialogue 6 about other people intruding into her them. She told them she couldn’t afford to was dealing with desperate feelings of my Deacon Adrian Martens sanctuary. When paranoia takes root, feed them, and that they should “get a own. My mother was immersed in her To quote Bette Davis, “growing old ain’t for reason decreases, and imagination job!” helpless little world, unable to comfort sissies…” Film Review 6 Journey Through Bill Locke increases dramatically. me. This brought on self-condemnation I knew that I needed to do something for wanting a mother back, to console me. Featured Artist 7 She told me about the people who with all these little notes. Throwing them I was angry that I had to be the parent and Rob Hudec insinuated themselves into her home to away seemed like a disregard for her not the child. Fortunately, with the love Dementia: eat her food, steal small items and move distress, so I decided to work them into a and support of family, friends and church Faye Hall works by day in the Winnipeg office Poetry 7 Naomi Shihab Nye My Mother’s Words things around – even rearranging her painting about dementia. I would attempt network, I received much prayer and of singer/songwriter Steve Bell. Her art has drawers, cupboards and purse. At the to put myself into her world and try to support to help wade through the muck been largely influenced by his music, “I am Immigrant” 8 Journey through Dementia: Like many people in my position, I found it fear. She had been brought in for tests worst stages, she imagined that these understand what she had felt. of my grief and loss. photography and the poetry of Malcolm Katarzyna Czyz My Mother’s Words difficult to explain my feelings to others. after a fainting spell. She was very folks had moved into the apartment Guite of the UK (a co-collaborator with Bell.) Books that Changed my Life 9 by Faye Hall Mom could be sitting right beside me, yet frightened, and when we wanted to take her above her, coming down to her kitchen I found a photo that I had taken of her in While creating this painting, I studied the Faye is releasing a book of her art in the fall of Dr. Gordon Smith I missed her terribly. Then there’s the guilt back to the care home, she literally fought us for breakfast. her favourite restaurant, shortly before her face of my Mom, noticing every wrinkle, 2015 called “ART begets ART - One Artist’s My mother, Helen Goertzen, was a loving, about feeling shackled to this person, like a desperate child, thinking the ambu- passing, and sketched the face on the shadow and highlight as an insight into Inspiration”, which shows many of the The Language of Grief 10 caring nurse for most of her life, looking even though you love them. Life seems to lance attendants wanted to kill her. She died Rev. Bob Glasgow Sometimes, “those people” brought their canvas. what she was feeling at the time. Every paintings influenced by Bell and Guite, and after my father who had a heart condition be passing you by. the next day. children along with them, allowing the stroke of the brush seemed to ease and tells some of the stories behind her work. See Theatre Review 11 and died far too soon. Upon her children to scratch her piano bench, pick What is it like to live in constant fear - release – something. her blog for details at www.fayehall.com. Meg Konditi retirement and the loss of my Dad, she My mother passed away suddenly in 2012 Some time later, the time came to clean out the leaves off her floral arrangements, and where one’s imagination goes wild, and Facebook at The Art of Faye Hall. slowly descended into a paranoid form from heart failure. Her last emergency day some files in my studio, and I came upon a Gathered Wisdom 11 cut the edges of doilies. She insisted that a everyone is “looking at you” and judging I can never hope to fully understand her Laura Locke of dementia. I helped care for her for over in the hospital was not pleasant, as her reminder of her suffering – little notes that man used a rope and harness to climb you? My hands shook and I started to anxiety and desperation, but somehow it 20 years. form of dementia often included acute she had written in her confused state of continued on page 2 The words that we think and speak are My other prime focus in this season is to powerful and important, but perhaps mentor and encourage the next most powerful of all are the words we generation to write words in song. My sing. These words are not thoughtlessly hope in doing so is this; when they are in uttered and then forgotten, but deeply trouble – and suffering will mark each of engraved in our memory. It’s these words their young lives eventually – they will And let’s ensure that phrases like ‘I love Brian Doerksen is a JUNO award winning that help us in times of trouble. For me have songs in their musical mother you,’ ‘You are amazing,’ and ‘Will you recording artist, writer of songs like ‘Come, the writing of songs has been one of the tongue to help them remember. I’m forgive me?’ are often on our lips as we now is the time to worship,’ ‘Faithful One’ main ways that I’ve responded to the doing this at Prairie College in Three Hills, interact with people who need to and ‘Refiner’s fire’; member of ‘The SHIYR various storms that have blown through Alberta. experience the power of words in a Poets’; and a professor teaching songwriting my life. Hearing stories of how the words life-giving way. in the Music & Worship Arts program at to these songs have subsequently helped Words help us build a relationship with Prairie College in Three Hills. He’s been people in distress is one of my greatest our Maker and those around us. They married to Joyce for 30 years and they have motivators to keep on writing.