Fare thee well blog land...

For now, at least, my blogging days are on pause. The depth of the ocean ahead of me - one filled with hope, victory, choices, reflection, loss, truth, life, death - will require a keen sense of perception, perspective, purity, and purpose far beyond the road that has brought me to the shores of my future.

Until next time, farewell blog land. It was interesting while it lasted. Perhaps one day in the future I will post again. (Of course, by then, a completely different way of divulging one's thoughts to the world will have risen, but oh well...)

peace-
-db

The Mouth

After completing a 21-day Daniel fast, I was quite sad to go back to normal food.  Of course my mouth was happy, but not so my stomach, body, mind, spirit, and strength.  And, I suppose, that is one of the points of fasting: to show what member of our body is the culprit in bringing us into many troubles…our mouths.
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
(James 3:6)

My name

I just found out the true meaning of my first name:

DUANE
Gender: Masculine
Usage: English, Irish
Pronounced: DWAYN, də-WAYN [key]
Anglicized form of the Gaelic name Dubhan which means "little and dark", derived from dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix.

In other words, my name is Little and Dark Black.

Oh man....

Sometimes, life makes you react this way....

Sometimes I ask a question to my students.   This is the face I get....
Sometimes I'm asked questions by adults.  This is the face I give....
Sometimes I do and say weird things.  This is the face others give me....
Sometimes life happens.  Then I hear that same music in my head....
 (I cannot stop laughing at the sight of this poor dog....!)

Whistle while you work....

Over the years, I find myself becoming more and more like Zaraki. I just hope the reason isn't the same as what Kusajishi says....My commentary follows:
Rukia: Captain Zaraki, we are working on a top secret mission!  Could you please keep the events that took place today a secret?
(Others: "Hey, did you hear what happened? We thought you...oh, cause, well, hm. Oh well, no worries! haha....  Are you coming / going? Huh? Didn't you get the email? You should be here, or there, everywhere!   Oh, that was 2 weeks ago, even though it directly affects you, it's old news.  Eh?...you didn't know about it? Nevermind....haha!  Yea, this and that are happening next week.  Oh, you have work? school? assignments? busy? Hm, oh well...nevermind! hahaha...we'll send you report in the mail, read what happened and try to understand! Haha!...")
Zaraki: I dont even know why all that stuff happened.  And I dont have enough time on my hands to remember stuff I dont understand.
(Me: "Huh? Oh, I see.  I don't know what you're talking about, but as long as you do, it's ok...haha!  Well, how about that.... Oh? Is that so?  Wow, that sounds great.  Mmm hm, yea, I don't know, but ok! haha!") 
(Me: *goes off whistling*)
Kusajishi: Cuz Ken-chans stupid!
(whistling, or purring (!), keeps this from happening)
 :-)

The Longing for Wholeness in Relationships is Fulfilled by Love

The first commandment is to love our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.
The second, as well as the new commandment given by Christ, is to love my neighbor as myself, and to love my fellow brother as Christ loved me.
Next to all the worship, praise, and glorifying types of songs that I desire to sing to my Lord, this song most excellently describes the song I would like to sing to my fellow human.  It is a soft song, one that denotes a quiet atmosphere of genuine conversation, reconciliation, and two individuals wanting to truly understand each other.  Something lacking in our world...
It is not so much the specific words this artist chose to use, but the principle behind them: a simple invitation to allow the love of Christ to gently bring us back to each other in the midst of the hurried, sometimes tulmultous times of our days, months, years, and lives.
At the end of it all, we all just want to be loved, understood, treated with patience, kindness, gentleness, and to tread softly...quietly...with each other.   These can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus did that for us...He did that for me.  His love in our hearts will cause us to pray that love would wash away a multitude of sins....
When it was over and they could talk about it
She said there's just one thing I have got to know
What in that moment when you were running so hard and fast
Made you stop and turn for home
He said I always knew you loved me even though I'd broken your heart
I always knew there'd be a place for me to make a brand new start

Oh love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Make us whole

When it was over and they could talk about it
They were sitting on the couch
She said what on earth made you stay here
When you finally figured out what I was all about
He said I always knew you'd do the right thing
Even though it might take some time
She said, Yeah, I felt that and that's probably what saved my life

Oh love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Love wash over a multitude of things
Make us whole

There is a love that never fails
There is a healing that always prevails
There is a hope that whispers a vow
A promise to stay while we're working it out
So come with your love and wash over us
(c) Sara Groves, Add to the Beauty, 2005

Taking a bite out of life...one bite at a time

The baby is me. The watermelon is my life now. Ah, no matter... I know
the One who made the watermelon...and who made me....and my teeth.
(Let him that readeth understand...)

The other night at prayer meeting our prayer leader said something along the lines of, "You know, if you say you're too busy to do everything you have to do...maybe you're just too busy."

I was like....

A Tribute To Granddaddy

Click here to play!

A plethora of words would fail me, nor would they do justice to the man I called grandaddy. Others had different names for him: warrior, pastor, friend, bishop, the Martin Luther King of the Valley (area he lived and worked in), corrector, teacher, father I never had, hard, a man full of wisdom beyond measure, patient, kind, suffering, acquainted with hardships and troubles, conqueror, etc. These were only a few I heard over the 3 days of funeral activities.

All I could think to do in honor of him was to make this video. Those who knew him would understand. I could write volumes upon volumes about what this man did and who he was to the countless number of people around him. Somehow, words, again, fail me.

Good night, granddaddy. See you soon one day...we're going to pick up the mantle and legacy you left for us....for the world.

See you in a little while...

1924 - 2009