After work when I forgot to send that email to parents...

The road may be difficult but the map is clear. -C.S. Lewis

Boy do we need this back in our public schools...

"Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me:
nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." -Jesus (Luke 22:42)

It would seem from these passages that we are directed both by Our Lord's command and by His example to make all our petitionary prayers in this conditional form; well aware that God in His wisdom may not see fit to give us what we ask and submitting our wills in advance to a possible refusal which, if it meets us, we shall know to be wholly just, merciful, and salutary. And this, I suppose, is how must of us do try to pray and how most spiritual teachers tell us to pray. With this pattern of prayer - the A pattern - I myself would be wholly content. It is in accordance both with my heart and my head. It presents no theoretical difficulties. No doubt my rebellious will and my turbulent hopes and fears will find plenty of practical difficulty in following it. But as far as my intellect goes it is all easy. The road may be difficult but the map is clear.

-C.S. Lewis, Petitionary Prayer

Smart Kid

Lamentations chapter 3...a comment

It is good (it is our duty, and will be our unspeakable comfort and satisfaction) to hope and quietly to wait for the salvation of the Lord, to hope that it will come, though the difficulties that lie in the way of it seem insupportable, to wait till it does come, though it be long delayed, and while we wait to be quiet and silent, not quarrelling with God nor making ourselves uneasy, but acquiescing in the divine disposals. Father, thy will be done. If we call this to mind, we may have hope that all will end well at last.

That afflictions are really good for us, and, if we bear them aright, will work very much for our good. it is not only good to hope and wait for the salvation, but it is good to be under the trouble in the mean time (Lam_3:27): It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Many of the young men were carried into captivity. To make them easy in it, he tells them that it was good for them to bear the yoke of that captivity, and they would find it so if they would but accommodate themselves to their condition, and labour to answer God's ends in laying that heavy yoke upon them. It is very applicable to the yoke of God's commands. it is good for young people to take that yoke upon them in their youth; we cannot begin too soon to be religious. it will make our duty the more acceptable to God, and easy to ourselves, if we engage in it when we are young. But here it seems to be meant of the yoke of affliction. Many have found it good to bear this in youth; it has made those humble and serious, and has weaned them from the world, who otherwise would have been proud and unruly, and as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. But when do we bear the yoke so that it is really good for us to bear it in our youth? He answers in the following verses,

1. When we are sedate and quiet under our afflictions, when we sit alone and keep silence, do not run to and fro into all companies with our complaints, aggravating our calamities, and quarrelling with the disposals of Providence concerning us, but retire into privacy, that we may in a day of adversity consider, sit alone, that we may converse with God and commune with our own hearts, silencing all discontented distrustful thoughts, and laying our hand upon our mouth, as Aaron, who, under a very severe trial, held his peace. We must keep silence under the yoke as those that have borne it upon us, not wilfully pulled it upon our own necks, but patiently submitted to it when God laid it upon us. When those who are afflicted in their youth accommodate themselves to their afflictions, fit their necks to the yoke and study to answer God's end in afflicting them, then they will find it good for them to bear it, for it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are thus exercised thereby.

2. When we are humble and patient under our affliction. He gets good by the yoke who puts his mouth in the dust,lays his hand upon his mouth, in token of submission to the will of God in the affliction, but puts it in the dust, in token of sorrow, and shame, and self-loathing, at the remembrance of sin, and as one perfectly reduced and reclaimed, and brought as those that are vanquished to lick the dust, Psa_72:9. And we must thus humble ourselves, if so be there may be hope, or (as it is in the original) peradventure there is hope. If there be any way to acquire and secure a good hope under our afflictions, it is this way, and yet we must be very modest in our expectations of it, must look for it with an it may be, as those who own ourselves utterly unworthy of it. Note, Those who are truly humbled for sin will be glad to obtain a good hope, through grace, upon any terms, though they put their mouth in the dust for it; and those who would have hope must do so, and ascribe it to free grace if they have any encouragements, which may keep their hearts from sinking into the dust when they put their mouth there.

3. When we are meek and mild towards those who are the instruments of our trouble, and are of a forgiving spirit, Lam_3:30. He gets good by the yoke who gives his cheek to him that smites him, and rather turns the other cheek (Mat_5:39) than returns the second blow. Our Lord Jesus has left us an example of this, for he gave his back to the smiter, Isa_50:6. he who can bear contempt and reproach, and not render railing for railing, and bitterness for bitterness, who, when he is filled full with reproach, keeps it to himself, and does not retort it and empty it again upon those who filled him with it, but pours it out before the Lord (as those did, Psa_123:4, whose souls were exceedingly filled with the contempt of the proud), he shall find that it is good to bear the yoke, that it shall turn to his spiritual advantage. The sum is, If tribulation work patience, that patience will work experience, and that experience a hope that makes not ashamed.

Interesting...

When I am around other people and quiet, it seems to make them uncomfortable, for whatever reason.  Then, as if pre-ordained by some incessant need to 'see if I'm ok', they ask, "Are you angry or something?"  My reaction...

What's been going on....?

It's been almost 2 years. Guess I haven't been in the writing mode, or mood, for a long time. Perhaps the time that has passed gave time to gestate writings yet to be written. Or, perhaps I've just been too busy with the stuff of life. Or, more likely, I've just be too lazy to write what's been going on. Yea, the third one...that's it. Not sure if this will be the last post I write for another two years. Guess we shall see....

Alone With God by G.D. Watson

We have to be alone with God in finding personal salvation. Others may be used as instruments in bringing conviction, light, help in various ways; but there comes a crisis, both in the work of regeneration and of sanctification, in which the soul must be detached from others, and deal only with God. How utterly impertinent are human words in such a crisis!

We must meet our Jesus singly; we must apprehend Him for ourselves; He must speak to us with His own voice. In such an hour we gaze on the salvation promises, such as, "Thy sins will be forgiven thee," or, "I will, be thou clean"; but the words on paper need to be imparted into our consciousness, and to do this, they must be re-spoken into us by the Holy Ghost. No true soul will be satisfied with an inference of salvation, or a dead legal imputation of holiness, or the opinions of others as to our state; nothing less than God alone pouring His assurance into our spirits will answer.

The dear Redeemer Who loved us from eternity, and "formed us for Himself," will not leave the pining soul to the second-hand tinkering of others; He will closet us with Himself, and re-speak into us those living words out of His Book that have been spoken to seeking souls in every generation of the world. God longs to give each of us a perfect personal assurance of His perfect salvation. But we must be alone with God

Dogs are really man's best friend...

'The key specialization of dogs, though, is that dogs pay attention to humans, when humans are doing something very human, which is sharing information about something that someone else might actually want. Dogs aren't smarter than chimps; they just have a different attitude toward people. Dogs are really interested in humans,' Hare went on. 'Interested to the point of obsession. To a dog, you are a giant walking tennis ball.'
-What the Dog Saw, by Malcom Gladwell

When all else has failed...

All grace...all sufficiency....all things

This tree has all the grace it needs to stand. Looks lonely, but it's not.


2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV)
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

The good work that the Lord has destined His church to do is quite doable. There is a plan in the mind of God to redeem the world from the penalty of sin. The church is the execution of this plan - a plan that was formulated by God Himself long, long ago.

How the individual church goer fits into this plan is what this verse intends to describe. Every good work that a child of God does will ultimately, if done for Christ, result in adding a soul or some peculiar fruit to the kingdom. When this happens, the overall plan of the Lord - reconciling mankind back to Himself - will continue throughout the Earth. Since it is God's plan for His kingdom to be fruitful, to prosper, and to abound in good works, the individual child of God is given every grace needed to fulfill even the most minute tasks. As the child of God walks in his or her God called design, they simply align themselves in the already flowing graces of the Lord that flow down from heaven to world in great need.

All grace is given, all sufficiency is provided, and all things are affected by God's supreme plan in the lives of His children. You should never let your circumstances keep your head bowed for too long. Trials, troubles, and tribulations come and go, but if you stay in the plan, in the flow, of God these same situations will, in the end, be the cornerstones of your victory. The grace needed to endure your affliction, your destiny, your calling is sufficient enough to accomplish the things God would have you to do. After all, what God wants you to do is what He wants to do. And whatever God does never fails.

The Process of Purging

John 15:1-8 (KJV)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

The purging of a branch indicates that God is pleased with it. One would think that God would purge the branch that doesn't yield any fruit whatsoever so that it would start to bring forth. Alas, God's ways are not our ways, nor His thoughts our thoughts. It is the fruitful branch - the productive child of the King - that receives this purging process.

The reason is simple: the Lord wants more fruit from this already producing branch. We are cleansed by His words. His words flow toward us as nutrients flow from a tree to its branches. A continual intake of the Word of God will secure eternal truths in our lives. Lest one think it will be an easy task of receiving from the Lord, it is important to remember Hebrews 4:12 at this point:

Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

The Word of the Lord will indeed allow more fruit to be produced by the believer, but the believer must prepare themselves for the sword to come and purge - or prune - that which hinders greater fruit. It will divide the areas of our lives that do not compliment the areas that are sanctified to the Lord. When we see the clear line of distinction between what helps and what hinders our spiritual relationship with the Lord we can confidently leave those hindrances behind and continue to walk in the Spirit.

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