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

Wow…tihs is rlleay ietetrnsnig!

What some kids was doing the whole 14+ hours on my flight home .  I kid you not…

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.  The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.  Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wolhe.  Amzanig huh?

New Year’s Resolution 2009

“I don’t want to be a product of my environment.  I want my environment to be a product of me.” –Jack Nicholson

What is home?

a tree someplace in Australia

Is it a place where one feels the company of like minded people, where conversations revolve around topics of similar interests, humor, and pursuits, where one could speak and others listen, comment, and/or consider with mutual commitment to each other’s value and worth? Is this one’s home?
Is it a place only where one does the  most activities, has meetings, needs to communicate the most, where they are called upon to do ‘things’ or ‘duties’ such that their absence would affect the function of the operations at hand, a place where should the duty, job, or activity cease so too would the relationships with the others cease also? Is this one’s home?
Is it a place that holds the fondest memories in life, where one had  some of the greatest experiences, though long gone and over with, and holds great joy whenever one thinks about it?  Was this one’s home?
Is it a place of friends, comrades, those with whom one can become transparent, vulnerable, tough, and honest all at the same time, a place of strong individual identity yet held together by the group’s unity no matter what the situations call for? Is this one’s home?
Is it a place where one’s blood family (mother, father, sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, etc) reside regardless of their closeness or interaction, a place where one’s immediate and extended family reside? Is this one’s home?
Is it a place where one finds supreme solitude and sanctuary, where culture doesn’t matter and one is free to be oneself wholly, where everyday vernacular is understood, commonality is comforting, and an underlying thread of a shared history is apparent, where the food, weather, and the like make one say in their heart, “ahh…”?  Is this one’s home?
(I suppose it is nice if a person could reside in a place where all of these renditions of what a home is were true at the same time.  For me, each of these places is a different place…hardly the makings of a comfortable existence. To constantly juggle these does become wearisome at times. However, this reality doesn’t sadden me, at least not too much.  For those whose home include all of the above it is hard to explain.  But there is one more definition I’ve thought about…one that has kept me on this journey of life thus far:
Perhaps one’s true home is a place of destiny, a place one has yet to know, but one that is sure to come,  a place promised by a Greater One preparing for those who realize that home is no where to be found on this Earth, a place of promise, of rest, of joy, of never ending love, of enduring peace…a place where eyes nor ears have yet to experience, a place of no death, face to face reality, a place that many of us are living…and dying…for.
There are others who looked for the same thing…
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God….For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country….they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
Heb 11:8-10, 14-16 (KJV)
28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Mark 10:28-31 (KJV)
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? 25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
Romans 8:24-25 (KJV)

Home Part 2

A few things that have happened since I've been away from home....
1. My sister has graduated university.  :-)

2. My hometown (Ridgefield) hasn't changed much.  Still has that good ‘ol New England flavor, feel, and familiarity. 
3. My dentists (both of them) got married to each other. At least now they have something to talk about when they go home.
4. My mom became an ordained minister.
5. One of my cousins had 2 kids, another had 3, another had 1. Haven't met any of them as of yet.
6. My winter clothes still fit me! I've been happy as a bee wearing my favorite type of clothing - sweaters, jackets, gloves, boots, etc.
7. My dad took down our fence that separated our front from our back yard.
8. Everyone in my family has aged...especially my granddad. Missed a lot over the years…
9. One of my cousins won the state championship for football in Texas. you GO boy!
10. None of my equipment at home is broken (my DVD player, TV, tape deck, VCR deck, amp, speakers)
11. My mom's library has increased in size. She has many of the books I have to read for PI.
12. Memories that have waited for me have only grown stronger and were welcomed with more gratitude and appreciation than I expected from my own heart.
13.  Me.
In reality, it feels as if I never left.  Like I was just here yesterday.

Home Part 1

Click here to play!