Last night Lord, we had an absolutely fabulous evening. As you know, my family and I were Blessed to have the opportunity to attend a “Listener Appreciation Concert” held at Calvary Assembly of God in Dover, sponsored by the local Christian Radio Station, 88.7 The Bridge. The production featured Christian Artist and Songwriter John Waller, who led a wonderfully inspiring music and worship concert for those in attendance.
Among the songs that Mr. Waller played, one of the last on the program was his hit from the movie “Fireproof” called “As for Me and My House”. While he was singing on stage, this video played on the room’s two projection screens:
It was a powerful statement, and a rousing moment of worship Father. Thank You so much for placing this song in his heart, that we might be inspired by it’s message.
Heavenly Father,
As we begin the weekend Lord, please guide our decisions and actions to best serve Your desire for our lives. Make Your presence powerfully apparent to all that seek You, and bring Your comfort and aid to those truly in need.
Well Father, it’s certainly been a see-saw of a week for me so far. I knew before it began that this five day period was to be filled with new challenges, anxiety-ridden trials and stressful situations, and it’s absolutely lived up to my expectations. Fears of the unknown held positions all around me, while whispered messages of doubt taunted me from deep within.
Thankfully, I clothed myself appropriately for these battles I’ve faced…
I armored up.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” – Ephesians 6:13-20 (ESV)
The challenges have come, and were conquered. Anxieties flooded my waking mind, and were dispersed. Fear gripped my heart, and was silently sent away.
Wrapped in Your divine protection, those things that prey in the dark corners of my mind and hide in the deep recesses of my heart don’t stand a chance.
Thank You Father.
Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:
316. A big batch of homemade chimichangas shared with good friends.
322. Sharing a big homemade breakfast with friends after church on Sunday.
323. Long weekends spent in the company of our “extended family”.
324. The encouragement I’ve received recently from friends.
325. A fun and successful dinner party we hosted last Saturday night.
326. The strength You provided me to work through my anxieties this week.
327. New non-stick cookware from Kitchen Aid to replace our 15-year old aluminum set.
328. The information and resources to expand PhatherPhil.org that Google offers for free through Analytics and FeedBurner.
329. A bushel of fresh-picked apples from a local orchard.
330. Tickets for the family to attend a John Waller concert in Dover tonight.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You Lord, for all those Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that shine as brightly as the sun, and those that glow softly as a candle in the night. For all of Your many gifts of grace in our lives Father, we give thanks.
To begin with Lord, I want to thank You for this morning’s time together. As I explained in yesterday’s post, I’ve been feeling convicted as of late that I wasn’t spending adequate “still” time in Your presence. Following Jesus’ example in Mark 1:35, I got up a good bit earlier than usual this morning, and spent that time quietly absorbed in Your Word. It was a wonderfully refreshing way to launch the day, and will be my “new normal” going forward.
Last night Father, we were Blessed to host the first of six gatherings to go through a Small Group Study called “Treasures of the Transformed Life: Satisfying Your Soul’s Thirst for More”. It was a wonderful group of people, and while our children played happily together we spent the evening in fellowship and exploration of Your desire to bring us closer to You.
The message title for this week was “Priming the Pump”. In a nutshell, the author of the study teaches that in order to satisfy our thirst for Your presence in our lives, we need to first “prime the pump” before Your Living Waters will begin to flow. We do that by making a genuine and real commitment to seeking You; deliberately putting Your desires for us first, and allowing You to guide our lives along Your path. As part of that commitment, he emphasized the need to determine our role in the Body of Christ, and to step out in faith, working together with others to accomplish Your work on earth.
“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.” – Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)
The information presented was quite thought provoking, and it led our group to branch out and discuss a variety of tangential topics about seeking Your presence, and more thoroughly involving You in our daily lives. It was a truly enlightening and Blessed evening Father, and I thank You for bringing us together to share in that fellowship.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You Lord, for being so powerfully present in Your Children’s lives. We thirst for You Father, and pray that You will continue to fill us, that we may more fully quench our need for Your presence each day.
As I sat here this morning, quietly contemplating what to chat with you about today, I received a conviction on my heart that I hadn’t expected.
“You’ve really glossed over Me today…”
Instant ouch!
Thinking back over my morning though, I realized the comment was well-earned.
Many mornings I pray silently in the shower, preparing myself for the day ahead…
I didn’t today… My head was focused on the tasks ahead of me.
Before heading off to the office each day, I read the daily devotional message in my Stand Firm magazine…
I felt rushed this morning, so I skimmed over it but didn’t spend time to absorb the message.
When I pull into the parking lot at work, quite often I’ll say a quick prayer for the day before going in.
I was running a few minutes late, so I just went inside.
And that leads me back to feeling unsettled Lord. I’m not unsettled because of all the stresses, worries and complications my day has in store; I’m unsettled because I’ve allowed those things to infringe on my time with You. As my days have become more scheduled and complicated, I’ve allowed our time together to suffer as a result. Sure, I sing Your praises along with the Christian radio station on my way to work, I say silent prayers throughout the day, and we certainly have the connection that writing these posts each day establishes, but I’m thirstier than that for Your presence…
…Time to make some changes.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” – Mark 1:35 (ESV)
I need that dedicated quiet time with You Father… Just You, and I, together.
And while I don’t think my couch qualifies as a desolate place Father, it should serve nicely for spending time with You all the same. Tonight, I’ll be setting my wake-up alarm to be a half-hour earlier …
To begin our week’s conversations Father, I want to start by thanking You for yet another wonderful weekend spent in the company of my family and some dear friends. We were Blessed to have a couple of our “extended family” (our kids call them Uncle Robert and Aunt Katie, although there’s no blood relationship) visiting with us for the weekend, and we enjoyed their our time with them immensely. We also managed to host a “Mexican Feast” themed dinner party Saturday evening, and cooked up a Fellowship brunch after church on Sunday as well. We feel very thankful for the people You bring into our lives Lord, and it seems only fitting that we should celebrate those relationships whenever we’re able to. So for the friends, the family, the food and the fellowship Father (wow, that’s a lot of F’s… 🙂 ), thank You!
This weekend held one other significant event for me as well Father.
Last week was rough. It seemed as if each new day brought with it another list of problems to solve, and headaches to endure. By the time Friday evening rolled around I was tired; emotionally, physically and yes… spiritually. Saturday morning I vowed to put all those nagging, earthly worries and concerns behind me and enjoy the festivities we’d planned, but through all my attempts to refocus on You, those unsettling whispers still haunted me.
Saturday was a beautiful day weather-wise, with temperatures in the low 70s and a very comfortable fall breeze in the air. I got my lists for the day prepared, and headed out to pick up groceries and supplies for the evening’s event. As I pulled up to the traffic light in front of my destination, I felt the warmth of the sunlight radiate on my face through the open sunroof…
And suddenly, tears began to stream down my face.
In that perfect moment Father, I felt Your overwhelming presence all about me. It was an amazingly peaceful, joyous feeling; quite difficult to describe actually. But as I was able to pull the truck into the shop parking lot, I remember feeling wonderfully relieved. It was if all the weight in my heart was in that moment, lifted away from me. The sensation itself was short-lived unfortunately, but the after-effects remain vivid. My problems certainly haven’t gone away, but I was afforded a powerful reminder that I’m not dealing with them by myself; You’re here with me, and You care.
Therefore Father, with that experience still fresh in my heart I chose today’s Meditations Monday Scripture to align with Your wonderful message to me:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
One of my favorite inspirational verses Lord, and a very powerful promise as well.
Heavenly Father,
As we go into this week’s activities Lord, please fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit that we may draw strength from Your presence within us. Lead us to make decisions that best justify Your will for our lives, and guide our actions that we may share Your bountiful glory with all those around us.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
