You know Father, as I’ve mentioned before I really LOVE Thankful Thursday posts. While I try to give thanks each day for the abundance of Blessings You grace me with, having a weekly post that leads me to recollect all the little things that bring a smile to my heart puts me in exactly the right perspective:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)
“With God, ‘thank you’ should always come before ‘please.’ The first thing that needs to come out of my mouth in prayer and worship needs to be praise for who God is and what He has done. Not just instructions for what I want or even need Him to do.”
So true.
Therefore Father, with that perspective firmly embedded in my heart, this week I’ve been thankful for:
196. A silly, giggly, tasty dinner with Shannon and the kids at a new Mexican Restaurant.
197. Getting some “one-on-one” time with Aidan while Jonathan was away at Kay’s Kamp.
203. Getting well over 50,000 miles on my truck tires before having to replace them.
204. Free lifetime map and software updates available for my GPS.
205. Finding new school uniform clothing for the boys at Goodwill dirt cheap.
206. Jonathan having another wonderful week away at Kay’s Kamp.
207. Having inexpensive generic versions available for the medications we take.
208. Tootsie Fruit Rolls.
209. My portable digital voice recorder that allows me to note things I’m thankful for at the time they come to me.
210. Waking up next to the lady I love each and every day.
Heavenly Father, once again I thank You for all the Blessings You grace our lives with each day; both those that shine brilliantly with Your Light, and those that Bless us quietly, without fanfare. I pray that You will continue to open my eyes wider to Your gifts, that I may appreciate them to the full.
While doing some Internet research today Lord, I came across a poem that I’d like to share.
I finally got a chance to finish reading “90 Minutes in Heaven” by Rev. Don Piper last night. And while I found it an inspiring, hope-filled story, Reverend Piper’s account left me with far more questions than answers. What I did take away from it however, was a reminder that we’re not meant to understand why some things happen; that’s where our Faith comes in. You’re the One with the “Big Picture” Father, so in Your capable, loving hands is where we need to lay our trust.
And with that thought running through my mind Lord, when I found this poem today it just begged to be shared. It’s entitled “He Maketh No Mistake”, and was written by A.M. Overton:
My Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.
My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
Tho’ night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There’s so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me
He made not one mistake.
Well Father, it certainly was a busy weekend, but all-in-all a wonderful couple days’ time spent enjoying time with family and good friends. With Jonathan still at Kamp and Aidan spending the night with friends, Shannon and I got to go out Friday evening for a fun “date night” (I so love “dating” my wife Lord…). Saturday morning we picked up Aidan, and spent the remainder of the morning attending the closing ceremonies at Kay’s Kamp. We got some quiet time to rest Saturday afternoon, and then headed out to have dinner with a group of our friends. It rained much of the evening, but we had an absolutely wonderful time nonetheless. Sunday morning we braved the downpour to attend morning services at Ewell’s St. Paul United Methodist Church, and enjoyed jubilant music, a wonderful Message from Pastor Kris and the fellowship of our church family. We managed to catch up on a little housework while relaxing the remainder of the day, and concluded the weekend with a tasty dinner out together at a new Mexican restaurant in Smyrna. As I said before Lord, it was a hectic few days, but one that was truly filled with Your Blessings… Thank You!
Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 2. This morning while driving into the office, I heard an extremely inspiring story on 88.7 The Bridge which truly touched my heart. They played an interview with a young lady who is currently facing her own mortality due to an uncontrolled cancer that has now spread to her brain. Instead of dwelling in her suffering, she’s instead focusing on Your Blessings in her life, and lifted praises to You as she was baptized yesterday. It was a humbling message of Faith Father, and it led me to the verse choice I’m praying on this morning:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)
So often when we get into situations that cause us pain, or discomfort, or even just inconvenience we develop “spiritual short-sightedness”, and mire ourselves down in our burdens rather than allowing those trials to strengthen our Faith, and to draw us closer to You. I pray that we can all learn from her courageous example Father, and seek You even in our darkest hour.
Heavenly Father, I lift my voice in praise for the Blessings You bring to our lives each day. I pray that Your comforting embrace continues to be felt by Kim and her family during this difficult season, and that they can draw strength from the knowledge that You’re always with them.
Whew… What a week it’s been Lord. Between a hectic schedule at my office, my visit to Kay’s Kamp and a myriad of other “life” events (getting new tires for the car, dealing with ill dogs, etc..), I’m quite ready for the weekend to begin. That being said Father, even with the fast-paced nature of the past few days I’ve had a very deep sense of Your Presence this week. That embodiment of peace in my Spirit has helped keep me focused, calm and joyful throughout, and for that I thank You.
To close out the week Lord, I’d like to share a song that’s been in my head as of late. It’s actually a song that’s been out for quite some time, but when I heard this rendition it was like hearing it for the first time. The song is called “Bless the Broken Road”, and this recording is by the group Selah :
Such a haunting performance, and a powerful message Father. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your overwhelming presence in my life this past week. The more I open my heart to Your Voice, the more I realize that it’s been there all along. I pray that with Your guidance we’re all able to traverse life’s broken roads, and find our way into Your Loving Arms.
As I wrote to You yesterday Father, Wednesday morning I was Blessed with the opportunity to visit Kay’s Kamp at St. Andrew’s School, and got to witness first-hand the wonderful work the Kamp Staff does for the children that attend. As Jonathan has been a Kamper since they opened their doors in 2009, it was an emotional and eye-opening visit for me, and I left feeling very thankful for the Blessings You deliver through their hands.
As part of my visit, I spent time with the “Newsletter Group”. Each day at Kamp, a newsletter is created by the staff and children which describes what’s going on, reports on Kamp gossip and lists some answers to interview questions posed by the Kamp “reporters”. With the assistance of the staff, I was able to add a question to the list for the day…
What about Kamp are you thankful for?
Here are their answers Father. 🙂
– All the activities we do because can’t do this stuff at home.
– The Pillow Fairy coming every year.
– That kids get to enjoy themselves here!
– Thankful for just being here.
– Pranking the boys.
– Sports and Games.
– Coffee.
– Zoo Keepers.
– Just being part of it.
– The food.
– Bathrooms.
– Dessert.
– Jennie and all floaters.
– Bugspray.
– Learning new things.
– For coming here every summer.
– The Kampers.
– Derek.
– The kitchen staff.
– The counselors.
– Markie.
– Mr. Bling.
– Kristin.
– All the stuff they do for us so we can have fun.
While I don’t actually know what all of these mean, or who some of these folks are Father, it’s obvious that the staff and the Kampers are very thankful for this week of fun. 🙂
Heavenly Father, for all of the Blessings you bestow on us each day; both those that are obvious and those that grace us without fanfare, we give thanks. I pray that Your Light continues to brighten our hearts, and that we are effective in shining that divine radiance to 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. 
