Christ in the Clouds

Last December I bought a book that is like our own larger-than-life Advent Calendar, opening up to 25 wondrous stories that tell the family tree of Jesus, from Creation to His Coming.     Written by none other than Ann Voskamp.(One of my favorite Christian authors) Over the years, she has shared many thoughts, ideas, and traditions that celebrate the Advent season. One she shared a few years back turned into a hot chocolate party...well I love hot chocolate, but love vanilla Chai even more. So, this year I've decided to start my own version of this celebration.   "... because,  sure,  who of us doesn’t need to be warmed straight through with His Love?  Who doesn’t need to unwrap Light?  Who doesn’t want the excitement again of unwrapping  the Greatest Gift  And then there’s taking that pen and  scratching it down, a poem — “ A Night Before Advent ” — that’s this crazy take on the “Night Before Christmas,” a quirky old tradition that could become it’s ow

Grace: God’s unmerited favor or kindness, we don’t deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift freely given from God.  That favor gives us access. It gives us the legal right to access the power of God for everything we need. None of us deserves access to God and His power (Rom. 3:10, 23). Because of sin, we all deserve an everlasting hell. Yet God has given us access to all He is and all He has. Everything Comes Through Grace We are saved by grace. Without the  grace —the favor—of God, we could never have access to the mercy of God. Gratitude: Gratitude is more than saying, "Thank you," when someone gives you something.  Gratitude is more than an action which we decide to do by an act of will power. What it takes to turn the words, "thank you," into gratitude is the  real  genuine  feeling  of gratitude. Gratitude is a feeling that arises uncoerced in the heart. It cannot be willed into existence directly if it

I've posted on the subject of "ugly-beautiful" gifts...or being thankful in difficult times, many times here on my blog over the years. The truth is, I seem to always be struggling with this kind of gratitude. I know in my heart that the Lord never wastes any experiences I go through, whether easy or difficult. But my mind keeps arguing with that understanding and I often end up pleading with God, "Lord, how is this going to turn out for the good?" I start to lose patience and my faith, that is being tested, fails.  I'm so thankful, that God understands my weaknesses and when I falter, He only loves and forgives.    Whenever I feel vulnerable or angry, time and time again, He comes to me in the Bible and bring me back to gospel-sanity. How I praise Him for the counsel and consolation of His Word; the grace and power of the Scriptures; the truth and authority of the Bible. Paul writes in Colossians 1:11, “May you be  st rengthened with all power, acco

I can hardly believe it, but it's officially been 4 years that I have been blogging.  I've written over 300 posts here on "CITC".  Lots of stories and many memories are in these posts. They revealed my struggles, my joys, and how God has always gotten me through both.    Below are the first two posts I wrote. My First Post 11/8/2011 There are several reasons I decided to start a blog. First and foremost I like writing, especially about how God is working in my life. I also love to read. I've been reading and following other bloggers for a while and decided it would be fun to be a part of that community.  I have read how others have been encouraged and built friendships from all over the world through blogging. I also know that I have more recently had more time on my hands and God has been working in my heart to do this. I held off doing it, more out of not knowing how to get it started or what I would even write about, than anything else. I also know

source Hi, friends! Well, I decided to establish a page that will journal our journey of a dream my hubby, Ken, and I have had and have continued to pray about for at least a few years.  The first time I wrote on my blog about living a simplified life was back in April of this year. Go  HERE to read it. I also wrote about first sensing our "nomadic" calling in May. You can read about that  HERE. A lot has happened since then, but we continue to feel that tug to simplify our lives, get out on the open road, and see where that road leads. We also have been discussing and praying about what the Lord is calling us to do as we plan to make some big changes in the next few years to come. We don't have it fully planned out, but we are now setting some goals and taking some steps toward those goals. We continually pray that God leads us in the direction that He wants us to go. Sometimes that can be difficult. As humans, we tend to push for the exciting and adventure