Flowers or Weeds?

This blog has been up for a couple weeks now, so I guess it's time to comment on the name. Perhaps it's obvious, but the name is a combination of my name, and the first sound of Diedra's name. Tack on "lines" (since this mostly a literary blog) and you get a nice little name that sounds like a common plant. As I pondered this plant a little while, I became pleased with its symbol. In know in a post-modern culture, it can be extremely offensive to explain the meaning of a symbol, since we are supposed to allow everyone the freedom to come up with his/her own interpretation. However, indulge me...

I think at some point, every little boy will present his mother with a fistful of dandelions as a token of his love for her. My mother would exclaim her delight, quickly find a little glass of water, and put the flowers on display. At some point, however, as this little boy grows into the world of grownups he discovers that what he thought were beautiful tokens of love are called "weeds" by mature people. Conscientious homeowners spend money every spring to make sure as few of these plants show up in the yard as possible. This coming of age may or may not be traumatic for the young man depending the manner of its discovery (it may be similar to finding your "art" in the trash can after several weeks of display on the fridge).

So, I find the title of the blog appropriate. These lines may be tokens of love, or weeds. You can put them on display, or spray them with herbicide. At bottom, our goal is to reflect the glory of the Savior.

Mother-in-law

This weekend Dianne, Diedra's Mom flew down from Indiana to spend some time with us. Actually, she came to hang out with Diedra mostly, since I am under some major deadlines for school. They went shopping, sampled some of Dallas' unique eating establishments, and went to the Arboretum to enjoy some flora. A couple of peas in a pod, they are good friends. Dianne is one of the most generous people I know. She refused to let Diedra or myself pay for anything, and she even gave us cash to pay for the gas we used driving around Dallas. It was also very brave for her to fly down her, since she has a touch of claustrophobia, and the plane is not exactly your wide-open space. She took us out on Sunday for a fine Indian meal, and then on to Kohls to pay for some clothes. She is gracious and kind, and I love and appreciate her very much. Thanks Dianne, for encouraging us, supporting us, and for being such a good friend to Diedra! Thanks, David for sharing her with us for the weekend! We missed you!

Held

Dan surprised me with a present yesterday! A CD with my new favorite song on it. I thought I would share...If you can find it listen to it with the music...it's beautiful!

"Held" by Natalie Grant

Two months is too little
They let him go
They had no sudden healing
To think that providence
Would take a child from his mother
While she prays, is appalling

Who told us we'd be rescued
What has changed and
Why should we be saved from nightmares
We're asking why this happens to us
Who have died to live, it's unfair

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held

This hand is bitterness
We want to taste it and
Let the hatred numb our sorrows
The wise hand opens slowly
To lilies of the valley and tomorrow

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held

If hope is born of suffering
If this is only the beginning
Can we not wait, for one hour
Watching for our Savior

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held
How it feels, when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held

Charnock via Hannah

Dr. Hannah gave us this quote the other day in class.

“But what if the knowledge of God, and the liberty of the will cannot be reconciled by man? Shall we therefore deny a perfection in God to support liberty in ourselves? Shall we rather fasten ignorance upon God, and accuse Him of blindness, to maintain or liberty?”

(Stephen Charnock, Discourse upon the Existence and Attributes of God, 450.)

Cold Shoes

Everyone talks about cold feet, but cold shoes? Monday I had to go to work (Baylor Hospital) directly after class. Consequently, I packed my work shoes, my lunch, and my book bag before leaving for school. I went to class, enjoyed my lunch and headed over to Baylor for work. I could not find my shoes anywhere. Which, wasn’t a huge deal, I figured I left them in the apt. in my haste to leave for school. However, when I got home (around 11 pm), my shoes were not where I expected them to be. Diedra usually tidies the apt. while I’m at work, so I figured she put them away. I went to bed. The next morning I asked her if she had seen my shoes. She had not. Now, I had no idea where they were, and was starting to get a bit concerned, not because my shoes are overly nice, but they contain some expensive, custom-made orthopedic insoles. Did I set them on the roof of my car? Did they get blown off and run over by a semi? These are the questions I pondered as I drove to the Seminary on Tues. In my usual routine, I took my lunch to the refrigerator (provided by the school), and noticed a familiar Target sack- my shoes! Apparently, I had packed my shoes in the same type of sack I had packed my lunch. At lunchtime on Mon, I grabbed by lunch, but left my shoes…in the refrigerator! I must be stressed out.

Dan's Bday

Dan's Bday
Originally uploaded by dandeelines.

I'm trying to learn how to post pictures. :-)

Prayer II

The following are some lines from one of my favorite scenes in Shadowlands, a film based on the life of C.S. Lewis starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger. Context: Lewis just received word that his wife’s cancer is in remission. Harry is a clergyman, and Christopher is their skeptical friend.

Harry: Jack, what news?
Lewis: Good news, I think Harry, yes, good news
Christopher: Very glad, Jack.
Lewis: Thank you Christopher, thank you.
Harry: Christopher can scoff, but I know how hard you’ve been praying. And now, God is answering your prayer.
Lewis: That’s not why I pray, Harry, I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray, I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God; it changes me.

Anchor Day

Happy Sunday! This week in class Dr. Hannah (my church history professor) thought Tuesday was Thursday, and said, "The reason I don't know what day it is is because I have not had a normal Sunday in weeks. The past several Sundays, I have been out of town preaching in various churches. When you don't get some rest on Sunday, you loose your bearings a little, and it's difficult to know what day it is. Sunday is an anchor."

Prayer

Some questions:

1)What is prayer?
2)What do you think is the primary purpose of prayer?

Any thoughts?

Friends

Do you have friends that will drop just about anything for you? Last night, as we were trying to get dinner around, we realized we were missing a key ingredient. Faced with the options of: 1) Going to the store to get said ingredient; 2) Changing supper entirely; or 3) ditching the whole thing and going to FreeBirds for some Burritos, option #3 won out. Diedra made a quick call to our friends and asked them if they would like to join us. They said they had already made supper, but had not yet started eating. Get this, they threw their supper in the fridge and met us at FreeBirds! So you're thinking, big deal, it was probably leftovers or something, right? No! It was pan-fried tilapia, and baked potatoes. I couldn't believe it. Plus, after dinner, they took us out for ice cream! Good Friends, Great times. I need to be more spontaneous and interruptible. Thanks Buergers!

BIRTHDAY BOY!

Today Dan turns 26 years old! Happy Birthday! Don't worry Honey, older=wiser,right:o)I am blessed daily by your life and so thankful to God for you! Have a great day! I love you!
~d

"Gray hair is a glorious crown;
it is found in the way of righteousness." -Proverbs 16:31

Smile

When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
the light of my face was precious to them. Job 29:24.

Easing In

I tend to be technologically hesitant, usually lagging several years behind the current wave. So, after dipping the big toe into the blog subculture for several months, I've decided to try my own. Actually, I should say "We" and "Our," since this is Diedra's site too. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. :-)