Song of Solomon 5:6

I like writing about the Bible every now and then, as it is my favorite book of all time. There are treasures in that wonderful book written by Holy Spirit inspired men who followed and knew God. The truths are timeless, the themes are countless, earth history is established, plans and plots are revealed. I could go on in the endless details this book has in it but I want to focus on a lesser known, or talked about feature. The fact the Bible is a romance.

God romances your soul through true intimacy. It is a pure, luring of your heart wherein He makes you what you were meant to be. It's true love in action. Having relationship with God is sometimes painful, other times emotionally charged; it isn't a stretch to say passion can be defined in allowing God to change you.

God romances our souls and shows us a better way, the Bible also talks about human romance too. God did give us the institution of marriage, love and yes, sex as something to enjoy. The world has taken these God-given gifts and twisted them but that's for another post. For now, I want to focus on the gift of romance.

Sexual love, desire and passion are dominant themes in the book called The Song of Solomon. Yes, there are double meanings to many passages in this book. Many scholarly commentaries discuss the allegory of Christ's love for His people. I'd like to point out the Song of Songs is also what it seems, a poetic literary romance.

Maybe you're blushing at this point in the post, but stop for a minute and think about this book of the Bible that so many read in secret or don't even bother to try and understand because of it's content and the author. Oh my, Solomon certainly had major issues where all this is concerned but that is for another post. I want to focus on the purity of the message found in this guide to romance.

If your committed in marriage to your spouse, there is no reason not to enjoy romancing them and share your passion in an intimate nature. If couples would inwardly focus their desires on each other, there would be a lot less infidelity in this world. Couples should create a secret love world all their own, a safe haven where the outside world can't shake its foundation. This is one lesson I glean from reading Solomon's love poetry.

I have taken chapter five, verse six of the Song of Songs and in my own way described the scene (It's her dream). Abishag was uncertain of partaking of her spouses desires and rejects his advances. She is restless and regrets her cold indifference, after realizing her mistake she searches for him in the dark streets, where shadows and fear lurk, only when she finds her love is she safe again.

Watercolor on Tile by: Nathan Brown

Song of Solomon 5:6

In her bed lay a maiden bare

with flowing spun adumbral hair

Her beloved did come at twilight hour

Allured be her loves' strong power

He knocked and beckoned so he could see her.

She neglected to let him enter.

Toppling here and there, her heart did rise

thus running to the door she did realize

her absence of action created a demise,

She thrust the door open and looked around

to find her lover was not there and

could not be found.

Her ear was strained for the calm of his voice,

the fall of his footsteps to make her heart rejoice.

Deep within her soul did hoist

a cry to the empty darkness, her eyes went moist.

Her brow did strain the shadows while standing upon the threshold,

her fleshly arms crawled from shivers cold

but in her depths roaring passions glowed,

Wrapping her shoulders with finest linen

she set afoot to find her given.

Treading along cobble and lane

she came upon the watchmen

who treated her in vain.

She pleaded and asked if they had seen her Lover,

then they struck and took her linen cover.

She escaped their taunts and stole away

Just as dawn beckoned the day.

Her eyes she lifted from road to yonder

and discovered her beloved,

she need no more wander.

Her hands did ache to be filled with his cloak

And her legs rushed swiftly.

They barely spoke.

She held him and would not let him go

walking arm and waist,

until safely they had sheltered at her families' abode.

Her bosom heaved from raging currents

as she unraveled separations torrents.

His strong arms enveloped her storm

and calmly her heart settled,

Safe,

No more forlorn.

Chandra Debee 1998

Now go read Song of Solomon and apply the lessons to the one God gave you to love. Ahh, romance!
Happy Valentines Day!

WOW, just read an article where mysticism has infiltrated the church and people are equating their intimacy with God as a 'sexual' experience... I do not intend this at all in my writing. God does show you how to love and does change you in a very intimate way, but to connotate a relationship with 'sexual' intimacy is wrong! It is NEW AGE deception!

Here is some awesome teaching on this passage... Come Lord Jesus... In full context... Are you ready for Jesus?

Why A Man Should Give Their Wife Fresh Cut Flowers

The month of February is upon us, Valentines Day is around the corner and once again I hear radio spots and television ads marketing love and romance. I get kind of grumpy when I see the grocery displays eagerly calling out for that purchase. I think my feathers get ruffled from the chintzy feel of this packaged Holiday and the pleading, cojoling and manipulation of the great institution of love.

Although I think about the fixed date 'Love Day' on the calendar with a bit of antagonism; most likely due to my whimsical side chattering to my practical side about the discrepancies of surface gestures, I do love when someone truly digs down deep into their heart and shows their significant other what they mean to them. Especially when a date doesn't dictate they do it.

My husband created three water color on tile art pieces depicting our love when we first met. His creative, giving of himself through his perspective of us melted my heart. Through sixteen years of marriage I have seen our story in those paintings and they have become one of the most precious material possessions I own. This particular gift was spontaneous, it was given of self, it said it all without speaking. If the house was burning and I had to pick the material items that meant the most to me, it would be those art pieces.

Peonies
Photo By: julierocks

Now, I know spouses can't give gifts of that caliber to each other all the time and sometimes trinket gifts make you smile and have their purpose in the spectrum of love story-telling. This is why I want to discuss the age-old romantic gesture of why a man should give their wife fresh cut flowers.

I must admit, I shot myself in the foot on this one. I've let the practical side of myself take a little too much of my personality. I'm happy to say, the whimsical side gained some power and finally won the argument over fresh cut flowers.

My stodgy practical self used to say, "Don't bother buying me fresh cut flowers, they die." Now, if I was thinking clearly, the complete thought to this statement would have jumped in behind the absurd comment with, "Yes, of course, flowers die whether they are fresh cut or attached to the plant. So why not enjoy them both ways."

With my newfound, complete thought I have taken a few moments to slow down when I see those annoying grocery store displays of packaged flowers intended to arouse pleasure from the senses and I smell the roses, so to speak. They are scrumptiously beautiful, artfully arranged, breath taking to say the least. I have even taken a few of them home recently just for the celebration of seeing these gorgeous creatures grace my dining table or maybe the sideboard, or no, I like it on the bathtub ledge. I move the well arranged bunch around the house to see how the sunlight hits the water in the glass vase or how the colors of the flowers graces a window pane or how a wall is used as a backdrop to the ever changing art medium of flowers.



Yes, I have changed my thinking about fresh cut flowers. They subtly say, "I'm only here for a brief moment, make me last as long as you can and enjoy me in every way possible." An aphorism that mimics life.

So, if you're a man that has a wife take a little extra time to find a winsome bouquet of fresh cut flowers that speaks to who she is this Valentines Day. They will keep adding to those little things you do that make her proud she chose you.

Tend Your Garden - Winter Gardening Post #7

Planning Our Winter Garden
Photo by: Chandra Brown

A winter garden, those two words almost sounds like an oxymoron especially when you grew up in Colorado, attempting a winter garden wasn't even a thought. You let the snow blow and just waited for the first signs of life in Spring. Living in a warm climate like Texas has opened up a whole new world of gardening possibilities for me and lends meaning to terms such as winter gardening.

For some odd reason a winter garden makes me think of setting down roots. Maybe this correlation is due to the fact our family transplanted from Colorado ten years ago to a new environment. I think of how our family cultivated a new life on our own away from anything we knew. We were like individual plants transferred from cool hardy zone 6 to a warm hardy zone 8. Adaptability was key to survival and thriving in this new environment.

Laying Out The Greens

Just A Spritz of Water

I must admit, my husband and daughter have transplanted better than I have. I like to say I have far extending roots that stem from Austin to Denver. This winter garden concept has made me realize the unique aspects of the place I live in and if I take the time to dig in and learn about them my Austin roots may just grow a little stronger and help solidify me in the present state of being.

So in honor of our family roots and our new found enthusiasm for winter gardens, Alex and I took advantage of a rare 81 degree day (ha, not very cold) and planted our first winter garden. We learned leafy greens although delicate and soft to the touch are perfect for cool weather. They have a tendency to uptake more nutrients during the cooler months which cause them to flourish in the taste category. They can also yield quit a bit of produce even after the first harvest.

This information caused much delight, our family goes through large plastic tubs of spinach and kale. If I can successfully grow my own this will help cut back our quota of plastic in the recycle bin, add dollars saved at the check out line and last but not least, I can revel in the convenience of fresh, organic pickings literally a hop, step or jump away.

Winter Garden Produce

• Winterbor Kale
• Romaine Lettuce
• Bonnie Spinach
• Carrots
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Beets
• Onions
• Leeks
• Legumes

"Nature has undoubtedly mastered the art of winter gardening and even the most experienced gardener can learn from the unrestrained beauty around them." -Vincent A. Simeone

UPDATE: A couple of weeks have passed, and some darn bug has eaten all my spinach. Good in that the bugs want it because it's organic. Bad, because I can't tell what kind of bug it is to treat the area. There are a lot of different bugs that LOVE spinach. I've got my homework cut out for me.

Tend Your Garden - Post #6

It's been a cool, wet Winter here in Texas and under longterm drought conditions you gladly wait out the weather with a good movie and some hot tea and just hope for inches to accumulate so the Spring and Summer months won't be so harsh. We just got through two long days of a continuous soaking that was a bit chilly, the forecast called for sun and decent temperatures the next day which brought smiles and anticipation for the great outdoors.

It's January, but that doesn't mean working in the garden can't be done and the mud won't stop this amateur from attempting to upgrade that status. Shovel in hand I met the sun and decided to do what I think a good gardener would do on a beautiful day in between rain storms. I weeded, turned-over the dirt, graded soil and even planted a few plants.

I started this learning garden with my family a few years back and we've tried to do right by our efforts each planting season but with little success in the yield. Some of the problems were human error but others were out of our control. As I worked on my little plot of land, the lessons started to shout back at me through what plants were still healthy and alive.

We know now that Mexican Oregano is a very hardy herb. It's so healthy it took the entire corner of our garden bed. I had to cut it back. This plant is an all around great plant, it can be used for ground cover, it's edible and it has an evergreen look year round. Although 'Mexican' is in its name, it can be used in Mediterranean and European dishes. It adds flavor to fish, poultry and pork, can be used in salsas and made into an herbal tea.

Prepping the Bed

Who knew? We hear strawberries can be difficult to grow in Texas, but alas, all our strawberry plants made it through the winter and have new growth. Last year the birds ate the fruit, so now we just need to make a net to remedy this. We must have picked the correct spot in the yard for this miracle to happen.

Our garden bed is made of wood and is starting to rot. I think I can get another year out of this version before we need to repair and re-do. I've already researched the next step and the upgraded, longer lasting, a bit more expensive but worth it version will be made with corrugated metal.

Herbs as Aesthetic Elements

I decided to go outside the garden box and plant some herbs in one of my regular beds. This is taking a chance with the ever present, bed-trampling dog. She did give her sign of approval though when she snuck a kiss on my cheek as I placed the German Thyme in the ground. I added Lavender and Lemon Thyme to the area as well and it gives a varied texture to the walkway into the yard. Deciding to use herbs as a decorative element to the landscape makes aesthetic sense.

Lemon Buds

I didn't work long outside but the time I spent revealed underlying success in our learning garden. I have lemon buds growing on my lemon tree (I had to treat it for disease in the Fall, and protect it from frost in the Winter, so I'm proud my efforts have saved this plant) and empty pots to imagine varied botanic arrangements in for the near future.

It may be Winter but life is wanting, waiting and ready to burst forth. I put my muddy shoes and shovel away with a euphoric sense of what Spring will bring.

"A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them."- Liberty Hyde Bailey.

Homeschool- Sixth Grade Cathartic Release

It is our second year of homeschooling. Sixth grade is definitely different than elementary school. The challenges and learning curves seem a bit more sophisticated. There seems to be more student responsibility, and organization seems to be the key to success. There is no room for laziness and the schedule demands procrastination remove itself from the docket. A grueling task that demands a lot more attention to detail than my daughter wants to give.

The first semester was daunting and with the fresh start of the second semester I had to plan some fun in the mix. Since fun and learning can mix we accomplished this with a field trip to Laguna Gloria and The Blanton Museum. It started out with an educational assignment but ended in more fun and laughter than we could have imagined.

The Artists
Photo By: Chandra Brown

Letting loose during the stressful times of hormones, body changes and academic demands can help relieve those tense muscles and prepare the mental landscape for retaining information, even if it is on the silly, quirky side.

Goofing Off At Laguna Gloria
Photo By: Alex Brown

I charged my daughter with an assignment for our outing. I wanted her to pick two pieces of art that stood out to her, write an opinion piece and do a little research with historical background for the other. That assignment changed real quick once we started viewing the exhibit. We couldn't help ourselves. We were giggling and laughing and bouncing humorous scenes off each others minds.

Click on the the following link that will take you to my daughter's blog- Foxtales. The blog posts named 'Narc At the Museum' is what the assignment morphed into. Leave sophistication and snobbery at the door because the following art critiques may just take you places you never knew existed in the world of art.

We leave you with this truism by Twyla Tharp:
"Art is the only way to run away without leaving home."

My Angel Fair

'My Angel Fair'  by:Chandra Brown

My Angel Fair

Alexandra, angel fair

my little girl with golden hair

not long ago you were a babe

cuddled tightly in my arms.

You are a precious gift from God above.

Each year your date of birth doth bring

a merriment of remembrance

when friends, family and visitors

heralded your earthly entrance.

Alexandra, angel fair

my beauty with a felicific flare

through hazel eyes and soft brow

you personify good nature's grace.

You are a precious gift from God above

and with each passing year,

my love for you compounds

at the amazing growth I see in you.

Love Mom

Happy Birthday!

My Favorite Rag

'Defensible Space' by: Katy Widger Fine Art
Fiber Art 

Bright, white fibers tight and soft
folded up in the drawer.
I brought you home for usefulness
duties of plenty to perform.

Hard work won't stain your durability
Tough strands are your make up.
Project lists, weekend chores,
spills, spots, dirty floors
they won't change your consistency.

Days, months years, time
dull, grey fibers loose and threadbare
folded up in the drawer.
I take you out and look at you
sorrow seeps into my pores.

My favorite rag; all used up.
Holey, unraveled, barren strands,
what good are you for?
Somehow I can't discard you
so I put you back in the drawer.

Moments pass through hazy thoughts
questions linger near.
How can I salvage something disheveled and worn?
My favorite rag has become useless,
limp, there's nothing left to its' form.

A silver strand of weavers thread,
sapphire flecks of dust,
orange, green, red pigments
It just needs an artists' touch.

Tenderly holding threadbare cloth,
fingers gently stroke the fibers.
The Artist begins His work
minutes turn to hours.
Mending, molding, taking shape,
through expressive form.

Bold, colorful fibers beautiful to behold
no longer folded in the drawer.
My favorite rag: refined and new
no longer used for chores.
Resting in its' rightful place, in the open
for others to adore.

My favorite rag; a work of art
hanging on my wall.
Transformed from listless certainty
to glorious rekindled curiosity.
Redeemed by The Artists' touch.


By: Chandra Brown

A beautiful song for all God's children. When we meet with God this is what He does with our lives. Makes us into something beautiful!