half my heart.... and all my flatbrats

are on the other side of the globe. But. no worries you can make your very own flat brats to send to your deployed loved one by following this handy dandy link and your very own photo and voila! your deployed service member does not have to be alone. And it is certain to boost troop morale as they all get a smile from your flatbrat crew. Make sure your service member has fun with it, and takes pictures of all of the flat brat adventures....

The Race

quietly waiting.
I can hear myself breathing.
The race begins soon.
The beads of sweat drop off my brow.
As the sun rises another day will dawn.
Another day to wait. and watch. and cling to...
before the big day.

God has chosen this race for me to run.
I cannot do it without Jesus CHrist at the center.
My race will influence others for Christ.
How it will influence them will be determined by how I run the race.
It is a marathon. not a sprint.
I will need to be consistant.
It may be filled with obstacles.
opposition.
perhaps even forces we cannot see.
that WILL try and steal my Joy
and God's glory.
I need to remember in order to win the race.
I can not drop out of it.

so for now.
I will hit my knees
and pray
because the Lord alone
will be the One to give me strength
to endure.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14