Aim Claim

Daughter of a KING

2011-06-16T20:38:00.001-05:00

As I watched the royal wedding back in April, I sat back and dreamed of the dress, of the castle, of the glamor, of the wealth, of the power, of the prince... what a life! We dream of this fairytale life where we are swept off our feet and into the life of royalty. It seems so glamorous until I take notice of all the scrutiny that also comes with such a crown. Every slip up and fault is noticed; so many observant eyes follow her every move. While the perks are many, there are also many people who sit back and say "why would anyone chose that life? That's forever."

A friend of mine recently painted "Daughter of the King" onto her unborn daughters bedroom wall and it got me thinking... I'm royalty too. I wasn't born into this kingdom, but just like Kate, I have chosen a life of royalty and all that comes with it. I may be persecuted, I may be chastised, and I may be praised... no matter how others treat me, I know that I have been promised the kingdom. It's mine, and nothing can take that away. I am the daughter of the King.

As we near father's day, I remember all that my earthly father has done for me. He has provided for me, taught me, mentored me, and loved me... through the highs and the lows... he is there through it all. This fathers day, I while I will take time to thank my father for all that he has done and continues to do in my life... I also want to remember my heavenly father... my king... the one who promises me the kingdom. I am the daughter of a KING.

Hero in Camo

2011-02-20T12:55:00.000-06:00

I could pick up a book, or rent a good flick
But the thought of the war just leaves me sick.

I have no idea what a day must be like,
How much he must miss his home and his wife.

Life doesn't stand still, but we'll wait patiently
For our soldier to return back to us safely.

When he gets here, we'll cherish each day as a gift,
His presence so precious, so many he uplifts.

The result of his work is something he may not see,
But his passion's always there for keeping us free.

It's God who arms him with strength to go on,
He's our hero in camo whether home or whether gone.

Blessed

2011-01-22T15:31:00.001-06:00

I have a beautiful house filled with things I don't need.
I pay my bills each month never truly worrying about the next.
I am healthy and fit and I look younger than I am.
I am educated and it didn't cost me a penny.
I have a job that I love and students who love me.
I am appreciated by my co-workers and my boss.
My friends pray for me even when I don't ask for it.
My family supports and encourages me in all that I do.
My husband loves me and tells me daily.
My God is patient and shows me what He sees in me...even when I don't see it.

Satan, you won't win this one... I am too blessed.

His Glory Appears

2010-10-20T19:37:00.001-05:00

You gave me hope
You made me whole
At the cross
You took my place
You showed me grace
At the cross where You died for me

And His glory appears
Like the light from the sun
Age to age He shines
Look to the skies
Hear the angels cry
Singing Holy is the Lord

Lonely

2010-10-10T16:02:00.002-05:00

It came into her so slowly,

Then took it all away,

And left her there so lonely,

No longer in color, just gray.

She once could tell a story,

And her jokes would please a crowd,

I know she's there behind that mask,

While silent, she should be loud.

The simple is now confusing;

Hard tasks are impossible.

The independent woman within

Splits as the disease does pull.

Why is life so painful?

Why does God end it this way?

Does she know what's going on?

Or is it just our pain that stays?

She is the opposite of a ghost,

Body here, but spirit gone.

Lord, bring this nightmare to an end,

Let heaven be her dawn.

http://www.crystalinks.com/alzheimers.html

www.onesingleimpression.blogspot.com

The View From My Last Day of Summer

2010-08-16T16:22:00.001-05:00

The view from my weekend at a B&B with some amazing girl friends.
Cedar's On The Brazos

Glen Rose, TX

Distance

2010-08-05T17:40:00.000-05:00

With such a history behind us,
And my future straight ahead,
Why the distance between us,
And silence in my head?

Surrounded by my loved ones,
With a life that's going well,
I seek you in the hard times,
but when good, where do I dwell?

I walk the walk and talk the talk,
But hidden deep inside,
I feel that something's missing,
Like part of me has died.

I say I want you close again,
But no action do I take.
Why do I sit and wait,
As my heart continues to break?

I miss that feeling all around,
To know that you are near.
I'm to blame for distance,
As I drift from you, I fear.

I pray for you to come to me,
But you been here all along,
I know the ball's in my court now,
But I keep doing it all wrong.

I hope this is a beginning,
To push me back towards to Truth,
I don't pray for things of this world,
My prayer is to be with you.

Pray for Guatemala

2010-08-01T14:40:00.003-05:00

One year ago, I took a leap of faith and headed out with a group of 15 others to Zacapa, Guatemala to a small orphanage and church there. I didn't know much about what I was to do there except that I felt like the Lord was calling me to be present and to love kids. Many would say a week is short, but that week had more impact on my life than so many weeks all put together... I was broken, moved, inspired and filled with joy. While I have spent a lifetime trying to find joy in the things I have, what I do, or where I live, these children were just happy to be. We embraced without hesitation, spoke in a language of hugs, and experienced the love of Christ in each other. I finally understood what grace looks like. I went to Guatemala hoping to give, and I returned having been given so much.

Yesterday, 15 more people from my church left for Zacapa, Guatemala to do just as I did last summer. I am sad to not be going with them, and yet excited for the impact that they will have there. Please pray for those who serve... for safe travel, for open arms and hearts, and for those precious children in Guatemala.

** This is a video I helped to make upon our return home last summer in an effort to call others to action.**

Stuff in your teeth?

2010-07-19T10:10:00.002-05:00

One of the most embarrassing things that can happen is to spend an entire evening with some large piece of food between your teeth without realizing it until you look in the mirror at the end of the night. The list of people that you talked to and laughed with runs through your head as you slink to the floor in embarrassment. "Why didn't anyone tell me!?!" you think to yourself. So... we make this agreement with close friends and family to always tell us when this happens. Sometimes we even tell strangers when they have something in their teeth. In an effort to protect us from alot of pain and embarrasement, we ask for just a moment of it from those who care for us.

If we are willing to tell friends, family and sometimes even strangers about the junk in their teeth, then why are we so scared to share the gospel?

Thirsty

2010-06-29T14:55:00.000-05:00

Panicked, his eyes began to search the landscape, looking for something to quench the dryness in his mouth. He felt thirst from the tear ducts of his eyes down to the cracks in his heels. He was dry... parched... and longing for something to quench him of this feeling.

Exhausted, he dragged his feet across the ground, feeling as if he couldn't go one step further. He could feel the heat coming up from the ground through his shoes and into his body. With dizziness taking over his ability to walk straight, he decided to sit down on the ground. He leaned up against a stone circular wall. With his hands barely holding his head up, he breathed slowly as he tried to make a plan of where to turn next. Leaning his head back in exhaustion, he all of a sudden realized that what he was leaning against was not just a wall, it was the surrounding wall of a well. With every ounce of hope, he pulled himself up to look over the well wall to see what lay deep down in side. Leaning over the edge, he peered down into the darkness, but he couldn't see anything. Defeated, he plopped back down onto the hot ground.

Just minutes later, a man approached the well with a bucket. "It's empty". The man looked down, surprised to see someone sitting there. The man with the bucket smiled and lowered his bucket down into the darkness. A few seconds passed and the man began to pull his bucket back up. To the tired man's surprise, the bucket was full... overflowing in fact, with water. It glistened as the sun reflected off the surface of the liquid. Once the bucket reached the top of the well wall, the man handed it over to the man resting on the ground. "He who believes in me will NEVER be thirsty."

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty" John 6:35

image by Christians @ Deviant Art

Since Before Your Birth

2010-06-22T11:40:00.005-05:00

Dear Friend,

We've never met, so I hope you don't find this letter weird. I've known you since before you were born. I knew your parents and so I was very much looking forward to your arrival. I guess I was just writing to let you know that I love you. I prayed for you as you were being made in your mother's womb. I knew that you would be beautiful, smart and kind... I knew that you would sin... but most importantly, I knew that you would love.

I'll wait for you until the day when you are ready to meet. Just call on me, and I'll drop everything to be there for you. You are so precious to me and I can't wait to be apart of your life.

Love,

God

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16

Her Gifts

2010-06-11T14:13:00.000-05:00

I see her gift of service,
As she reaches to help another.
Her heart breaks for the lonely,
She puts her needs behind all others.

I see her gift of leadership,
Strong yet gentle to those below,
Always looking for new challenges,
For ways in which she'll grow.

I see her gift of wisdom,
Seeking the Word to guide her way,
While she doubts her knowledge could be enough,
Her heart won't lead her astray.

I see her gift of discernment,
I pray she sees it too.
She knows what feels both right and wrong,
But the veil still blocks her view.

My friend, I see your beauty,
Even when you feel it's lost.
God gave you so many gifts,
And it started with the cross.

For my dear friend MLS.

Mess

2010-06-06T14:41:00.006-05:00

She yawned, jaw wide open as far as it would go, and then she reached her arms to the ceiling in a stretch, hands in tight fists. With heavy eyelids, she scrunched her forehead in an attempt to make the headache go away. She felt like she had been run over by a bus... What a mess my life has become... she thought to herself as she pulled herself out of bed. Pushing through the dirty clothes all over the floor, she reached the bathroom door.

Frozen, she stared at the reflection looking back at her in the mirror. Tears began pouring down her face. She wanted so badly to see someone else in the mirror; she didn't even recognize this person. Who is that stranger? While some would say she is pretty, she could no longer see the beauty that was buried deep down inside. Her heart was pure, but she had let her outside become so filthy. Layer after layer, she had covered herself with masks so that she could fit in with the world, slowly covering over the once radiant beauty beneath. She was living a life of sin, filling herself up with things to satisfy the immediate, and surrounding herself with friends who lacked the integrity that she had always looked for... What have I done? I've worked so hard to be myself, that in the process I have lost myself... She pressed her lips together tightly in attempt to collect herself and stop the tears. Turning away from the mirror, she counted to five as she took a deep breath... in... and out... She wiped her face with the sleeve of her t-shirt and pulled her bed head back into a ponytail before looking back into the mirror... Today, I want things to be different, Lord. It's time to clean up this mess.

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

It's time for HIM...

2010-05-31T20:33:00.000-05:00

Dear Lord,

We are merely human. You created us. We are your creation.

Things have gotten really bad. So bad that we don't know what else to do to stop it. You created even the smartest of us and gave us brains technology, equipment and processes for such things.

Sometimes things don't go as we plan. Maybe because it's not really our plan anyway. Well, I'm done praying for the leaders to figure out a solution. I'm now calling on YOU. You are almighty and powerful... and capable of miracles and this one is big...

To all beauty that you created... the seas... the skies... the animals... the land... and us.

-Amen.

Mantra- Philipians 4:13

2010-05-30T16:57:00.001-05:00

When times are the worst,

I must say to myself,