Darleen's Portfolio

NEW UPDATE

2008-09-16T15:55:00.004-04:00

Dear all my blogspot readers... I bet you now have moved on to other blogs to read, since I haven't updated in ages on my Portfolio site.

The past year I have learned many lessons in God's mercy and love. Life has been hard, life has been sweet, life has been glorious walking along in Jesus' arms! I love Him greater today than ever before, and I pray as I continue on this life, my life with every flow the fragrance of our dear Jesus Christ!

School, work, life, and the sort has been keeping me busy. I just completed my BA Ministry degree! I'm so excited about that! I'm also pursuing photography right now. It is a slow start, so your prayers would be appreciated.

Also, God has brought into my life and heart a grand guy named Kevin Weston! We're courting, which means we're in the process that leads to marriage. We are excited, even though we are not engaged, we cannot wait to see what God will do in the coming weeks and months. God's hand has been in our friendship together and we are thrilled to watch God deepen our relationship further!

The Lord has given us some amazing ways to serve Him together. We are looking forward to seeing how He will guide us together into His work.

Go to my Xanga to see some pictures!

Ladies Luncheon

2007-05-19T19:56:00.000-04:00

Friends Across the Map

2007-05-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

Blog Update:

I've added a picture guestbook at the bottom of this blog page. Please, my friends, sign your name with a picture! I would be thrilled if you would sign!

Darleen

A Tennessean?

2007-04-30T14:12:00.000-04:00

Want to know some interesting news? I'm no longer living in Texas. (Okay, maybe that isn't the most interesting news, but it has created a lot of changes for my family and me.)

We're now living in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. It's a gorgeous area, that's for sure! I've been enjoying the weather immensely. So, you all are welcome to visit our new home in Tennessee.

Not much else is happening in my life right now... I'm trying to keep up with the rigid schedule of college studies, and also keep up with other priorities.

God is giving me a tremendous amount of help in these new adjustments. I'm happy to see God work about some amazing things in my life and my family's life as part of this move. I'm now watching and waiting to see how He will work!

So, all my friends, I would enjoy to hear about y'all. Drop my a line... I'll be most glad to hear from you.

And now for some pictures...
Friends back in TX:

The Move

2007-03-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

Our family is going through a time of a move to another state. The pressures of buying another house can be great, and the outcome is uncertain... This time has been a testing of my faith, I believe.

"Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Here is an excerpt I heard from a recent message, “If we do not have faith, if we do not trust the promise of God, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you,’ than we will feel anxious and insecure, and the deceptive power of money to buy security and peace will be so attractive, that is will start to produce other evils in us.” (J. Piper.)

I now see that not trusting His promise has caused me to grab a hold of material possessions to buy peace and security. That is sin. I purpose now to have faith in HIS promises, even though I can’t see the outcome. When I place my faith in the promise, “I will never fail you nor forsake you,” I have freedom from anxiety and insecurity that craves temporal possessions--money in the form of a nice house, piece of land, etc…

Hebrews 13:5 says,"Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, 'I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.'" (NLT)

My Lil' Sis

2007-03-15T12:16:00.000-04:00

Colleen celebrated her 9th Birthday on Monday! Family tradition says that on an individuals birthday, they have the privilege of selecting their favourite meal for the party. Colleen picked a traditional Cajun dish called Shrimp Gumbo. Yum!

To hear more of this special someone, visit my family's blog.

The Depth's of Christ Love!!!

2007-03-09T16:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Sisters in the Lord,

This week's school subjects have been fantastic, as well as last weeks! I would like to share with you a few points the Lord has been teaching me, specifically on the depths of Christ's love! (These points were shared with me through four of John Piper's series of messages entitled The Depth of Christ's Love)

“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Paul’s prayer is that we would be rooted and grounded in Christ’s love, so we can comprehend the magnitude of its breadth, and length, and depth, and height. It is God’s plan for us to come to faith by seeing Christ’s love through the word of those who knew Him. Through the Bible, which is the Word, I see four ways the dimensions of Christ’s love is revealed.

First, the greatness of someone’s love is shown by how much it cost them. The more someone sacrifices something to love you, the deeper the love. If that someone sacrifices their life, the love is the deepest of all. Christ’s love was the greatest. He gave His precious life out of love for you and me. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

The depths of Christ’s love can also be revealed by the undeserving objects. Someone’s depth of love is shown through how undeserving we are of that love. For instance, if someone treated me well, did only kind things to me, and never spoke ill of me, it would be easy to love them in return. However, if someone shunned, disdained me, and turned their back on me, how could I love them? The Word of God says, “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:5-8). What depth of love Jesus Christ has for me, and how undeserving I am of it.

Also, we all know the depths of someone’s love by the great benefits we receive by being loved by them. John Piper writes this, “If we are helped to pass an exam, we will feel loved in one way. If we are helped to get a job, we will feel love another way. If we are helped to escape from an oppressive captivity and given freedom for the rest of our life, we will feel loved another way. And if we are rescued from eternal torment and given a place in the presence of God with fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore, we will know a depth of love that surpasses all others.”[1] Not only does God’s love demonstrate the cost of His Son and love of His enemies, but amazingly, His love gives us the great benefits of being His child. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not” (I John 3:1). God didn’t stop His love by only giving me life from death. He has drawn me into His family making me a daughter and sharing with me all the benefits of the inheritance of His family, through Jesus Christ my Lord!

Fourth, the depth of Christ’s love is demonstrated with freedom and joy. I know of someone’s love to me by the freedom they give it. If a person is obligated to be kind to me, not because they want to love me, I do not feel loved by them. On the other hand, if someone delights to be with me, and gives to my needs out of that delight, I will feel enormously loved. That is the depth of Christ’s love! He longs and takes joy in loving me. Jesus said, “No one take my life from me, I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:18).

The beautiful song written by Fredrick Lehman beautifully displays the love of God:
The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care. God gave his Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from this sin.
O love of God how rich and pure! how measureless and strong!

It shall forever more endure. The saint's and angels song![2]

O, yes, the love of God is rich and pure. It will last forever! These four ways are just a taste of the dimensions of Christ’s love to me! My heart’s prayer is to be rooted and grounded in this love so deeply that I can experience more of the height and depth and length and breadth of His love; therefore, becoming like Him in that magnificent love. My prayer is that you will be able to experience the magnitude of His love as well!

Tenderly Loved,
Darleen

[1] John Piper, “The Depths of Christ’s Love: It’s Costs,” The Greatest of These is Love, March 26, 1995,

Photo Journal

2007-02-13T13:42:00.000-05:00

January 27th-28th:

February 4th-11th:

Bete Norie

2007-02-12T17:22:00.000-05:00

Bete noire- Noun

Something one does not like or finds extremely fearful. Bete noire is French for "black beast."

Jean got A's in all subjects except geometry, her longtime bete noire.

* David Olson, The Words You Should Know (Holbrook, MA: Bob Adams, 1991), p. 42

God is so good!

2007-01-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

Something inside of my wants to shout of the goodness of my God, but nothing I can say or do will fully express my joy in HIM! What freedom I have experienced in knowing my Lord! Last year, 2006, has been one of the most amazing years of my life!

You might ask why? I've learned to be content in ministering in small jobs. I've experienced God's blessing with humility! I've found rest in His arms! Most importantly, I've experienced God's love more deeply this year. God truly delights in me, unconditionally! I don't have to work or be "good" to gain approval of Him. Jesus has already paid the price for me to have fellowship with Him! He loves me just BECAUSE! This love has given me a delight in being in HIS presence! What joy I have deep down in my soul!

Jedidiah and Rachel Together

2007-01-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

Jedidiah and Rachel's pictures

2007-01-02T23:57:00.000-05:00

Here a just a few of the many wedding pictures...

Trip to WI

2007-01-01T22:53:00.000-05:00

As they say up north, " Hey, you guys!"

I was so blessed by the trip to Wisconsin this past week-end. I was able to attend the wedding of Jedidiah and Rachel (Vande Hei) Beeman. What a blessing to see two lives joined together for the glory of our LORD!

Not only was I able to attend the wedding, but I was able to be one of the photographers. My best friend was my assistant. She is known as my loving sister Kayleen. Also, Mark (a brother in Christ) was another much needed assistant. What would I do without 'em!

I will be posting pictures very soon, so check back!

Good night y'all!

Howdy all!

2006-12-26T22:27:00.000-05:00

Well, it is about time I posted, don't you think? Actually, I've been posting on my Xanga site (www.xanga.com/photomania), which is so much easier to post on. You're always welcome to check it out!

Christmas is here and gone, but the spirit of Christmas is still there. Jesus is the reason for the season. What joy it is to call Him my Savior and Lord! He came to die for the sins of the entire world. All we have to do is believe on His name and He will save us from the penalty of our sins. What a blessing to know that when I die I'll live with Him forever in heaven--live with HIM!! If you would like to know how to become a child of God, e-mail me or check out the link at the side bar of this page entitled "Are you a good person?" If you already have accepted Him, tell someone about Him today!

I wanted to post a few pictures I took with my new camera lens. The 24-105 EF IS L lens! I'm loving it!

Capricious

2006-11-29T18:20:00.000-05:00

Hello all my dear pals!

All is well with me. I'm staying extremely busy with my school studies. This week I've been reading a highly intellectual book on the topic of Holy Scripture! It has been wonderful and some times overwhelming. As I've been reading, I have been noting a mass amount of vocabulary words! You should see all of 'em. Some words I've never even heard of, yet alone know how to pronounce. That is why I love my hand held dictionary.

P.S. The photos are from the Veterans Concert at the ALERT Academy

That reminded me to post another vocabular word!

I really love the sound of this word, capricious, even though I have heard of it before. It also would describe how I'm posting lately on my Blogspot.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1) -
ca‧pri‧cious –adjective
1.
subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.
2.
Obsolete. fanciful or witty.

capricious. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1), Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/capricious (accessed: November 29, 2006).

Guess WHO?

2006-10-27T22:33:00.000-04:00

I've been working on some photos from some very old slides we have! Can you guess who this little girl is?

If you guessed Kimmy Kay, then you are correct. Yes, that would be my mother!

Spectacular Sites

2006-10-27T22:26:00.000-04:00

Check out the Spectacular Sites on the left side bar... more sites to come!

Darleen

Pictures

2006-10-22T21:40:00.000-04:00

My friend and I with our face paintings!

Howdy all!

Much has happened since my last post, among them our long awaited family vacation to Family Camp 2006 in Big Sandy, Texas. Above are a few pictures from that week!

You might ask, "What has Darleen been doing these days?" I would answer, "Busyness!" God truly is good and has been helping me keep up a steady pace on my Bible studies. I'm in my Sr. year with Freedom Bible College and am studying from home, which has its advantages and challenges. Of course, the pros outweigh the cons!

I'm also helping our family organize, pack, and fix up things around the house for our possible move to North Carolina. Our plans are still tentative, but the move looks more than likely to happen by the beginning of next year.

God truly never gives up on his children, because ever since I was young I've been in training. The Lord is teaching me now how not to be selfish. By giving to others I can overcome selfishness... The opposite of selfishness is agape love. Did you know that in order to love as Jesus did, you must give? "For God so loved the world that He GAVE" (John 3:16).

Finally, I must leave with you two verb words that are similar in their actions. Love and Light! You wonder how? Well, light will always cast its beam on anyone... so should the love we posses in Jesus Christ. There is no respecter of persons. We must show our love to all those we are around!

Much love in Christ,

Darleen

Smile

2006-09-26T17:50:00.000-04:00

Two in One!

2006-09-20T12:16:00.000-04:00

Since I've had a constant cataract of school assignments, I've been delayed in posting my vocabulary words; therefore, I'll post two in one today!

cataract \KAT-uh-rakt\, noun:
1. A great fall of water over a precipice; a large waterfall.
2. A downpour; a flood.
3. A clouding or opacity of the lens or capsule of the eye, which obstructs the passage of light.

Niagara is no virgin. Today, its cataract can be stopped with the pull of a lever, and less than half its natural flow pours over the precipice.-- Thurston Clarke, "Roll Out the Barrel", New York Times, February 16, 1997

Bartram was an ace self-dramatizer and avid explorer of nature, whose journals are full of blood and thunder and such dramatic observations of animals as this one of the American crocodile: "His enormous body swells. His plaited tail brandished high, floats upon the lake. The waters like a cataract descend from his opening jaws. Clouds of smoke issue from his dilated nostrils."-- Diane Ackerman, "Nature Writers: A Species Unto Themselves", New York Times, May 13, 1990

So ambitious is he to detail the full background of every individual, group, institution or phenomenon that figures in his chronicle . . . that a reader sometimes founders in the cataract of details.-- Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, review of Common Ground, by J. Anthony Lukasm, New York Times, September 12, 1985

A cataract of names spills over the pages: Henry Kissinger, G. Gordon Liddy, Betty Ford, Frank Sinatra, Alice Roosevelt Longworth.-- Richard F. Shepard, "How '60 Minutes' Ticks", New York Times, December 25, 1985

Cataract is from Latin cataracta, "a waterfall, a portcullis," from Greek kataraktes, katarrhaktes, from katarassein, "to dash down," from kata-, "down" + arassein, "to strike, dash."

Dictionary.com Word of the Dayhttp://www.dictionary.com/wordoftheday/

imperturbability
n : calm and unruffled self-assurance; "he performed with all the coolness of a veteran" [syn: coolness, imperturbableness]

Joyous words reap joyous returns, hateful words reap negativity, consoling words reap imperturbability and helpful words reap welcome results. --Joel Church, Biblical Principles of Prayer. (Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, 2005), p. 117.

imperturbability. Dictionary.com. WordNet® 2.0, Princeton University. http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=imperturbability (accessed: September 20, 2006).

Okay, my friends. All of you know vocabulary, but none of you have posted comments for example sentences. Now is your time to post. :O)

My Ambition

2006-09-15T18:57:00.000-04:00

"My highest ambition in life is to be considered a lady" (Annie Oakley). To be this lady, I purpose to have daily communion with God, and love Him with my whole heart, soul, mind, strength.

God calls me to be a carrier of His Light! As an ambassador of Jesus Christ, I purpose to disciple people in the knowledge of the heritage we have in Christ, the purity we will gain in our lives as we apply His commandments, and the love relationship we can find in communion with Him.

So, I repeat the words of Annie Oakley and add my own, "My highest ambition in life is to be considered a lady" who fears the Lord.

Photo: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pif&GRid=774&amp;PIgrid=774&PIcrid=40037&ShowCemPhotos=Y&

My Cousin

2006-08-30T21:00:00.000-04:00

My cousin and I

Finally, An Update...

2006-08-26T16:11:00.000-04:00

... has been added to my Family's blog site. Check it out: http://waltmanfam.blogspot.com/2006/08/mom-kayleen-darleen-byron-and-brandon.html

There are pictures from our trip to San Antonio posted there! Enjoy

Darleen

WORD = An Unexpected Joy

2006-08-23T20:56:00.000-04:00

Ser·en·dip·i·ty- [ser-uhn-dip-i-tee]
-noun
1. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident.
2. The fact or occurrence of such discoveries.
3. An instance of making such a discovery.

News from my week:

This past week-end my mom, sister, two brothers, and I spent 32 hours packing, stacking, storing, cleaning, and moving stuff for my Grandmother to move into her new home. I must say packing is too blasé to continue doing all the time, but we did receive a blessing just ministering to someone in need!

"Blase" Vocabulary? No

2006-08-10T09:07:00.000-04:00

This would have to be another of my favorite vocabulary words...

blase (blä-z) adj
1: very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world; "the blase traveler refers to the ocean he has crossed as `the pond'"; "the benefits of his worldly wisdom" [syn: worldly]
2: uninterested because of frequent exposure or indulgence; "his blase indifference"; "a petulent blase air"; "the bored gaze of the successful film star" [syn: bored]
3: nonchalantly unconcerned; "a blase attitude about housecleaning"

Taken from www.dictionary.com