Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Are you there God? It's me, AimClaim.




China Town, San Francisco, March 2010

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret.  Psalms 37:7

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Sacrifice

Mighty God of sea and sky,
You are so great and still I try
To live a life so you can see
My heart reflects a love for thee.

I have so much and still I want,
Why does my selfish heart still taunt.
You gave the perfect gift to me
So help me give some back, I plea.

I don't need riches, jewels or pearls,
I don't need much, I'm just a girl.
What can I give that's good enough
So I rely on you to be so tough.

You ask me to follow, to leave it all,
But day after day, another fall.
I let you down and keep what's mine
When I forget that it is all your time.

I give you my heart, but not in whole,
If I keep hold,  I'll have some control.
When I look close the thing I find,
Is Satan's grip making me blind.

Mighty God of sea and sky,
Fall on my knees and to you I cry,
Take it all so that I will be,
A living sacrifice to thee.












With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  Micah 6:6&8

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Hidden Fake Foods

With the latest health food crazes, you've seen the labels...  "all natural",  "low fat",  "no carbs", "low sugar", or maybe "no trans fat".  What does that mean.  I used to trust these labels, assuming that there was no way that the food industry could get away with calling something healthy if it wasn't at all... boy was I wrong.  When you actually flip it over and look at the list of ingredient after ingredient of unknown fake products, you will realize that what is being advertised as healthy is actually jam packed with chemicals, additives, preservatives and sugars.   

We as Chrstians do the same thing... we slap a label on ourselves so that we look good in the eyes of others... "reads her Bible",  "helps others",  "doesn't curse or swear", "goes to church"... but what is really inside?  Is it real?  or fake?  Why are we so afraid to let others see our weakness, to see what the Lord is really doing in our hearts... to see when we fall.  Are we afraid of being judged?  Afraid that we aren't good enough?  Afraid to fall?  Afraid if we do that that we might need the help of another to get back up?

What do you advertise?

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Cheap Flattery

As a teacher, I have learned to be very tolerant (notice I didn't say patient).  Well, even teachers have buttons.  Our goal is to make sure that those buttons are never revealed to our students... because they WILL push them!  So, while this probably began innocently enough, one of my students started commenting on how I looked as I came in the door for school each morning.  On the 4th or 5th morning in a row of hearing him say "Mrs. AimClaim, you look beautiful this morning", I finally snapped.  "No I DO NOT Billy!  When you say that every morning, it loses it meaning and just becomes rude.  Essentially you are telling me that I don't look beautiful."  He kind of just stood there with open jaw for a second and then he smirked as he realized the red flashing button that he had just discovered.

While Billy still continues to push my flashing red button at least once or twice a week,  God has revealed something important to me through this annoying interaction... The Lord doesn't appreciate cheap flattery any more than I do.  He wants real worship... not fake worship.  When I go to church out of obligation... I am a faker.  When I pray a recited prayer... I am a faker.  When I sing a praise song without even processing what the words mean... I am a faker.  Not only am I a faker,  I make the Lord angry with my insincerity.  The longer I feed him cheap flattery, the genuine flattery loses its meaning.  In Psalm 138:1 it says "I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee."  He doesn't want me to praise him with some of my heart, or half of my heart or even alot of my heart... he wants me to worship with the WHOLE DANG THING!

My God deserves that kind of praise... doesn't yours?

Monday, March 01, 2010

Champion

What makes a champion?
Is it the three tiered stand
Gold metal around his neck
And flowers in his hand.

What makes a champion?
Crossing the finishing line
With a scream of success
making it in record time.

What makes a champion?
Endurance to keep on
No matter what the challenge
Or what you happen upon.

What makes a champion?
Is it the goals that are set,
To be the best at it all
Taking every challenge they get.

What makes a champion?
What sets them apart?
Do strength or speed matter?
Or do you just need heart.