Christ in the Clouds

Monday, July 1, 2013

God's Amazing Grace

In church on Sunday, we sang Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone." But we sang the original lyrics, which I didn't realize he had changed in his version of the song.

Of course the first few verses most of us know:
Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
Was blind, but now, I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Then the original lyrics are:
Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home
(I love this!! There have been many dangers in my life and especially in my son's life this past week. Someone had broken into his apartment and stole some of his roommates things. Nothing of his was taken and he was not at home. He also had a couple of accidents, one at work and one at home, that weren't serious, but could have been. Through all these situations, God brought my son "safe thus far", just as this verse says. I am so very thankful for His care and protection!)

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first be- gun

I also love this verse, which Tomlin changes in his version. I think of heaven and no time limits and pure sun! My favorite time of year is summer and I love it when the sun is shining, so this gives me great comfort.

I like the lyrics that Tomlin wrote, especially the chorus. . .
My chains are gone, I've been set free.
My God, my Savior has ransomed me.
And like a flood, His mercy rains.
Unending love, amazing grace.

But I wish he had kept the original verses. They have such true meaning and depth for me.

As we go through the week and many of us celebrate the independence of our nation, may we remember His wonderful grace upon us!! Where would we be without it?

Continuing to count my blessings, one by one at "Multitude on Mondays".

1,391 - An awesome day with my best friend from college days.

1,392 - My ladies Bible study group. Such lovely, fun women!

1,393 - Some very gloomy, rainy weather for several days.

1,394 - A few rough days, but the Lord got me through.

1,395 - Attending a 2-day Christian music festival.

1,396 - Being blessed by musicians, like Kari Jobe and TobyMac.

1,397 - Fresh strawberries that made a delicious shortcake.

1,398 - Catching a 16 inch bass off of our pier!

1,399 - A nice, relaxing weekend.
1,400 - God, protecting my son from any great harm this past week.

1,401 - A great sermon on the subject of grace at church this past Sunday.

Also linking over to these blog hops:
Heart Reflected Blog Hop
Sunday Stillness (He Cares For You)
Weekend Brew (My Freshly Brewed Life)
Soli Deo Gloria Party (Finding Heaven)
Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)
Titus2sdays (Time-Warp Wife)
Gratituesday (Heavenly Homemakers)
Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace)

Thrilling Thursday (The Family Blog)
T.G.I.F. (Bible Love Notes)

Friday, June 28, 2013

Do You Pray With Your Spouse?

“Couples who pray together, stay together”

Study after study has shown that the old adage is true.

Couples that pray together daily have a significantly lower divorce rate.

But, at least for me and my husband, this has been one of the most difficult things to do on a regular, daily basis.

I realize that much of this is due to our individual upbringings. My husband was raised in a very dysfunctional and less than Spirit-filled home. I very much doubt that there was ever family prayer, let alone, his parents praying together. The fact that he is willing to pray with me is a blessing! I grew up in a very structured Christian home. My mom was the spiritual leader, but I always felt that she longed for my father to take that role. He never did.

Throughout our 26 years of marriage, I have attempted to start both family and couples prayer time at home. Usually it starts out awkwardly. Eventually, we just pray less and less together, till we completely stop altogether. I don't think it's ever intentional to totally stop praying, but the daily activites of life distracts us, we get discouraged, or we just forget. I will admit, on a few occasions, when I've been upset with my husband, that I have avoided praying with him. Those are the most difficult times for me to pray.
Lately, though, we have been more diligent in making it a habit to pray before bed each night. We take turns, every other night, so each can get a little break from leading in prayer. Surprisingly and joyfully, there seemed to be a bit of a breakthrough the other night. The prayers seemed to flow more easily and we found ourselves talking on a more intimate level, following our prayer time. I'm not saying it's always going to go so easily, but it was refreshing to finally feel more at ease, for once. It made it worth all of the effort we have put into committing to praying as much as possible on a regular basis.

Benefits of praying together:

- Prayer Promotes Unity

- Prayer Promotes Emotional Intimacy

- Prayer Invites God Into Your Relationship

- Prayer improves relationships

source: Focus on the Family

Below are some articles/posts and materials that may benefit anyone who desires to improve their prayer life as a couple.

Blog post by Jolene Engle, "Why I Used to Hate Praying With My Husband"

This and several other books on prayer for married couples are available. Go Here for more information.

Go HERE for ideas, as you start to pray with your spouse.

HERE is an article to read, if you have a spouse that refuses to pray with you.

Do you pray with your spouse?
Why or why not? I would love to hear back from you!

Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

May you all have a blessed and enjoyable weekend!

Linking over to these blog hops:
Heart Reflected Blog Hop
Unite (Rich Faith Rising)
TGIF (1-Minute Bible Love Notes)
Sunday Stillnes(He Cares For You)
The Weekend Brew(My Freshly Brewed Life)

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Capture and Savor Each Moment

"I'm convinced that the whole world is better when we,
as individuals,

capture and savor each moment as the gift that it is,

embrace the challenge or joy of it,

and thereby transform it

with the magic of creative posibility.

Life, for the most part, is what we make of it.

We have been given a responsibility

to live it fully, joyfully, completely,

and richly

in whatever span of time God grants us

on this earth."

(Luci Swindoll)

Continuing to count my blessings, one by one at "Multitude on Mondays".

1,381 - The moments I find to take a picture almost every day of God's creation.

1,382 - Enjoying all the different animals that I get to see daily, now that we are living on a lake.

1,383 - Fishing has been good.

1,384 - The weather has been, for the most part, really nice, too!

1,385 - Learning to not let daily occurrences get me down, but, just like the Luci Swindoll quote above, remember that "Life, for the most part, is what we make of it."

1,386 - Watching my dog chase the neighborhood squirrel up a tree, and then the squirrel getting bold and chattering down at him.

1,387 - It almost looks like they are carrying on a conversation (maybe more of an argument)!

1,388 - Finally, my dog hears me calling him and gives up the fight to "get the squirrel." Looks like the squirrel won! LOL!!

1,389 - A wonderful new coffee shop opening up near my house!!
1,390 - We FINALLY officially can drive our new pontoon boat out on the water! We purchased it before Memorial Day, but have had many issues! I definitely learned patience the past few weeks!

Thrilling Thursday (The Family Blog)
T.G.I.F. (Bible Love Notes)

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Love, Joy, Peace

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,"

Galatians 5:22

http://th03.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2010/340/7/1/love_joy_peace_watercolor_by_jesserayus-d34cfnk.jpg

I remember singing a song in Sunday School as a child. The song is called "Peace Like a River." Do you remember that song? It's simple, with just a few change in words with each verse. I guess that's why they sang it in the children's programs.
But I started thinking about what it means to have:
Peace like a river,
Love like an ocean,
and
Joy like a fountain

When I think of a river, I think about the sound of water, slowly flowing over the rocks. I think of how the sunlight glistens on the current. Even the thought gives me a relaxed and unhurried feeling. What a wonderful description of what true peacefulness is like!

Love, God's love, is endless and deep! So is the ocean! Another great correlation of two different, but similar things. I also think of how in the storm, the ocean can be rough and scary, but God's love covers all, and in Him we have nothing to fear!

And joy!!! When I think of a fountain, spraying and spouting up and out, I think of how it makes me smile and want to jump into it! The water from a fountain will spray drops of water on those close to it and it feels so refreshing on a hot, humid day!!
The joy God puts in our hearts is like that...full and refreshing! Those around someone who is joyful can't help but find it contagious and uplifting.

The animated video below is a unique version of the song.
May you enjoy the words and visuals!!