Prayers for a Friday

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

As a closing to our postings this week Lord, I’d like to offer up a few prayers if I may.

As You know Father, yesterday morning for no obvious reason our beloved American Eskimo dog Merlin started having severe seizures.  We’ve only seen these with him once or twice before when he was extremely stressed or anxious, such as when he was being boarded overnight or getting examined by a veterinarian.  Each time prior to this, the seizures were isolated incidents, lasting only thirty seconds or so.  Yesterday, he had five episodes over the course of the day with no apparent triggers, each lasting upwards of three minutes.  Shannon took him to our vet first thing this morning, and they’ve put him on medication to try and “break the cycle”.  We’re very hopeful this will get a handle on these attacks, but truly aren’t sure what the outcome of this situation will be.  We consider him a loved member of our family Lord, and pray that You bring Your healing touch to his aid.  Please comfort him through this frightening ordeal, and fill him with the understanding that he’s loved not only by his family, but by the Father of all Creation as well.

On a happier note Lord, this Sunday begins Jonathan’s week away at Kay’s Kamp.  Kamp has become one of the highlights of Jonathan’s year, and he’s extremely excited to be attending this coming week.  And this year Father, I’m actually a little excited about it myself.  Through the kindness of the Kaylyn Elaine Warren Foundation I’ve been given the opportunity to go on Wednesday for the “Media Day” event with other journalists and members of the press, to chronicle the wonderful work You do through this amazing group of people.  Please bestow Your Blessings upon the staff and campers this coming week, and aid this giving group of people in their mission to shine Your Light into these children’s lives.

And finally Father, I pray for You to bring Your comfort and peace to a friend of ours that’s dealing with the results of a house fire this past week.  Open her heart to Your Presence, and embolden her with the knowledge that even in the midst of our struggles, Your strength is greater than any trial we may face.

Heavenly Father, for all the Blessings You’ve graced us with this week, I give thanks.  Please help us maintain the resolve, caring and understanding that we as Followers of Christ need to show the world Your Love, and guide us to best serve Your Will.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Like a Little Child

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

You know Father, sometimes I think that I go to work each week to get some rest after the weekends.  🙂

Once again Lord, You Blessed us with a busy but joyful weekend.  From the “Breakfast for Dinner” Friday night get-together we hosted, to hiking and taking photos with the boys and Shannon’s mother during the day on Saturday, to attending the big yearly party at my father’s home on Sunday after church, it was a wonderful couple days spent in the company of family and good friends.  Thank You for that time together Father!

This week’s Meditations Monday Scripture selection comes from the 10^th chapter of the Gospel of Mark:

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.  When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”  And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them. – Mark 10:13-16 (NIV)

Such a powerful image of tenderness and affection this brings to mind Father, and with it some excellent lessons for us as well.

First off, Jesus’ response to His disciples’ attempt to “head off” the children from coming to Him clearly demonstrates His view that all Your Children are precious; none are too insignificant to seek Christ’s Presence.  As many of us suffer from feelings of being unworthy of Your Love, this is a powerful truth to remember.

And then Father, Jesus makes a statement that I’ll be meditating and praying on this week;

I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

“Like a little child”;

Humble…

Trusting…

Accepting…

Obedient…

Faithful…

Heavenly Father, as adults we allow so many things in our lives to obscure our hearts from You.  Please open us to experience Your Glory with the wonder, acceptance and understanding that only a truly unencumbered spirit can.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Through the Haze

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Today Father, my thoughts are scattered.  While I slept reasonably well (five hours or so), I awoke feeling a bit on the “cloudy” side and I haven’t been able to shake it as of yet.  Funny enough however, even with my focus not being overly sharp I’ve had no problem putting together today’s Thankful Thursday Blessings list.  I love the fact that even when my human frailties present themselves, Your Blessings in my life still shine through the haze.  🙂

Continuing my list from last week Lord, this week I’m especially thankful for…

166. Having Shannon’s mother visiting with us for a few weeks.

167. Unexpected funds showing up exactly when we needed it.

168. New beginnings.

169. An “everything looks fine” report from Jonathan’s MRI.

170. A short break from the oppressively hot weather.

171. Your faithfulness to Your Children, even in our brokenness.

172. Connecting with others in ministry to support one another.

173. Finding deep-discounted treasures in the Christian Music section of a bookstore that’s going out of business.

174. “Tickle Monster” fights with the kids.

175. The Glo Bible Application for my computers.

176. Fresh sweet corn given away by a local farmer.

177. The calming voice of reason from good friends.

178. Ten years of “Normality”.

179. Quality free, open source photo editing and manipulation software.

180. Snuggling up with Shannon at night and watching episodes of classic TV programs.

Heavenly Father, once again I lift up my thanks and praise for the Blessings You surround us with each day; both those that are tangible, and those that remain silently unseen.  Keep us in Your watchful gaze, and guide our actions to best serve Your divine plan for our lives.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Normality Rocks

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

With Kay’s Kamp coming up in a little over a week Lord, and just having gone through Jonathan’s yearly Oncology exams and scans, my head and heart have been drifting back to some very turbulent and fearful times for our little family.  Being helplessly thrown into that uncertain world of doctors, chemotherapy, steroids, surgeries and rescue protocols took Shannon and I to an entirely new place in our marriage, and tested our commitment and resolve to each other by fire each day.  It was a harrowing time in our lives, and one that has shaped our family this last ten years to a great extent.

I didn’t know You then Lord… I mean, I knew OF You, but I certainly wasn’t walking with You at the time.  What I did know is that I was angry as Hell at You for doing this to us; for torturing my son that way, and for making us live in fear and pain.  I blamed You for all of it Father, every little bit.  And somewhere in the midst of all of that turmoil, I hit rock bottom…

And You were there to pick me up.

I’ll be honest Father, I didn’t realize it was You at the time.  I do know however, that somewhere in that dark, terrifying place I began to see things through different eyes.  It wasn’t that Jonathan was improving drastically, but instead of focusing on the despair I’d been feeling while walking down those long, bleached hallways at A.I. Dupont, I started noticing signs of kindness, and love, and hope that somehow I’d missed before.  It was a turning point… no, a starting point in my life, and one I’m still thankful for today.

So therefore Father, today I’d like to thank You.  Thank you for new beginnings… for faithfulness to a broken, scared child… for Your healing light inside Jonathan… and for ten years of normality.

Yes Lord, we still have trials in our lives, and pain, and uncertainty.  But now we also have the knowledge and comfort that You’re with us on this journey; guiding us, nurturing us, and picking us up when we stumble on the Path.  You see, I’ve realized that “normal” doesn’t mean that life moves along smoothly, it means that we understand and Accept that life is a journey of Your Design, and embrace it as the amazing Gift it is.

Normality rocks.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Seeking Fault

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

And once again Lord, we lay behind us yet another lovely weekend filled with family, friends and Your obvious Love for us all.  While the scorching weather restricted our outdoor activities, there were many Blessings to be found inside with good company, good food and great fun to be had by all.  Thank You so much for those days of respite Father!

Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John:

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”” – John 9:1-3 (NIV)

Now Father, something I hear quite regularly from people going through difficulties in their lives is “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why is God doing this to me?”.  I’ll admit it, I’ve even had those thoughts myself over the years.  In the case of this passage, when Jesus and His disciples came across a man who had been blind since birth, the question was raised as to whose sin was at fault for his affliction; the man’s or his parents.  Jesus clearly replied that it was in fact neither, but instead was intended to allow for Your Grace to be made manifest.

This is an important and powerful truth Father, and one that I fear we all miss now and again.  As the limited beings we are, we try desperately to put everything into a “Cause and Effect” bubble.  And while quite often there are certainly consequences for our actions, not all earthly suffering is a direct result of a specific “Instigating” sin.

When my son Jonathan was born and we were initially given his grim diagnosis, I spent many hours asking “Why?!?… Why would You do this to us?!?”  I was angry, and scared, and very insistently sought answers that at the time, seemed never to come.  Ten years later, I realize now that Your Plan for his life, and for mine to a great extent, needed those events to unfold as they did.  Our lives, and the lives of many others were altered by his struggle, and Blessed in ways we’re still unraveling today.  We weren’t being persecuted for something we’d done, but were instead walking a journey designed by the One with the “Big Picture” in His sight.

“but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Heavenly Father, as this week begins I pray that in times of trial you open our hearts and minds to this fundamental truth.  Let us see past our desire to seek fault and lay blame, and gain strength from the knowledge that Your Path for our lives comes from a far greater perspective than our own.

Amen.

~Phather Phil