Spiritual Decompression

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Today Father, I hit the wall.

Not literally mind you, but from a mental, emotional and to some extent, spiritual sense I hit a point today where the events of the past couple weeks all seemed to pile on top of one another, and I allowed that self-imposed load to overwhelm me to the point of exhaustion.  I spent my afternoon trying desperately to focus and get a handle on the deluge of tasks strewn about me, but to no avail.

My mind had left the building.

After everyone else had left the office this evening (rather promptly in fact, as today was a payday), I was beginning to get things together to head out myself when all of a sudden I was stopped dead in my tracks by Your Voice in my head…

“Spiritual Decompression” I heard You say.

Huh?  Ok… I hadn’t heard that one before.

Driving home, I had some “quiet time” to contemplate Your somewhat unusual directive.  At first, it seemed like maybe I’d misunderstood, but as I meditated more on the phrase Your point came through loud and clear and I realized why I was in the throes of such inner turmoil.  Over the last week or so with all of the hectic goings-on preparing for the party, having to deal with a series of business nightmares, coping with an onslaught of worrisome news regarding friends’ health along with the day-to-day duties required to keep family life moving along, our time together had been broken up and limited.  Yes, we’d certainly talked but it was always “in-between” rushing to deal with the earthly duties around me.

You were reminding me that I needed to rest in You… To reconnect, and decompress.

Message received, and understood.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)

Thank You for the reminder Father.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: A Roller Coaster Week

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

And once again Lord, we come to one of my favorite conversations of the week; the Thankful Thursday list!  As you know Father, this has been an exceptionally eventful week for us; filled with both cause for joyful celebration, as well as news of a disheartening loss.  However through it all Father, I’ve felt Your Divine Presence in abundance and have much to be thankful for.

Therefore Lord, my list for the week is:

31. Jonathan being off chemotherapy for 10 years as of this month.

32. Warmer, sunny days.

33. Air conditioning for those warmer, sunny days.

34. New friends.

35. Cheesesteak pizza.

36. A glass of Pinot Noir to go with that pizza. 🙂

37. Hidden Treasure in the basement.

38. Being perfectly loved by my Creator, even as imperfect as I am.

39. Inspiring Contemporary Christian music that uplifts me throughout the day.

40. My blood pressure medication.

41. Gas prices coming back down a little bit.

42. A job commitment for Shannon at the boys’ school next year.

43. Good friends coming to visit over the Memorial Day Weekend.

44. New episodes of Doctor Who on BBC America.

45. Daily guidance from my Heavenly Father.

Heavenly Father, as always, I thank You for continuing to be ever-faithful, and filling our lives with such a multitude of Blessings each day.  I pray for Your continued guidance in making choices that best glorify Your Will, and for Your aid in sharing Your Light with those around me.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

In Your Loving Arms

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

Today Father, my heart grieves for the mother of one of Your Children who lost his battle with cancer yesterday, and has left us to join You in Your Kingdom.  His earthly trials are over Lord, and he triumphs in Your Presence, and for that my heart rejoices.  His mother, family and friends however have a piece missing from their lives that will mourn his passing nonetheless.  I pray for Your Healing and Comfort to all those missing Dorian’s light today Father, and ask that You keep them in Your Loving Arms so they may know the joy he’s experiencing with You now.

Searching for words of comfort Lord, I came across a poetic prayer written by Edgar A. Guest that touched my heart so deeply that I wanted to share it here:

A Child of Mine by Edgar A. Guest

“I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine,” God said,
“For you to have the while he lives,
And mourn for when he’s dead.

It may be six or seven years
Or twenty-two or three;
But will you ’till I call him back
Take care of him for me?

He’ll bring his charms to gladden you
And, should his stay be brief,
You’ll have his lovely memories
As a solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay,
Since all from earth return;
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over
In search for teachers true;
And from the throngs that crowd life’s land,
I have chosen you.

Now, will you give him all your love
Nor think the labor vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again?”

I fancied that I heard them say:
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done.
For all the joys Thy child will bring
The risk of grief we’ll run.

We’ll shower him with tenderness,
We’ll love him while we may.
And for the happiness we’ve known
Forever grateful stay.

But should Thy angel call for him
Much sooner than we’ve planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.”

Amen.

~Phather Phil

P.S. For those who haven’t been following Dorian’s struggle, his mother has a page at CaringBridge.org which can be found here.

Spiritually Malnourished

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

Today Father, as You know my thoughts and prayers were very much reaching towards Shannon as she began her new job.  This transition has weighed heavily on her heart, but today went very well and I believe she’s feeling better about her decision now.  Either way, thank You for watching over her today and every day, and guiding her along this path.

Mondays are generally busy days in my office Lord.  And while it’s wonderful from a business perspective to be inundated with work, days like today can hold my focus to the point of excluding other important activities from the list… like eating.

I really meant to take a break and get some food today, but it just never happened.  One project led into another until I looked at the clock and it was already after 4:00pm.  Driving home, I had to pause for a few moments as I got a little light-headed… not a good sign for me.  By the time I got to the house, I was tired, hungry, and even a bit on the grumpy side.

Very much like when I haven’t talked to You in a while Father… Spiritually malnourished.

With the crazy schedules we maintain these days, spending dedicated time with You can sometimes be slid aside by activities we feel are more pressing and immediate.  The catch-22 is of course, that maintaining a tight personal relationship with You is just as vital to our well-being as is food to eat, or air to breathe.  When we don’t spend that “meal time” with You each day, we suffer as a whole.

Nourish me Father…  Feed my desperate spirit.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Blessings You bestow on us each day.  Please fill us with Your Presence, and sustain us through Your Word to lead the lives You Will for us.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Musings on Mother’s Day

Dear Lord; Happy Mother’s Day Father!

This evening Lord, I wanted to pay tribute if I may, to two wonderful mothers in my life; my mother who passed to Your Kingdom in 1995, and my lovely wife Shannon.

I was very Blessed Father, to have an excellent mother-figure in my life growing up.  She was an intelligent, funny, caring woman and worked diligently to instill a sense of honor, understanding and perspective in my brother and I.  Although she battled multiple forms of cancer for over 15 years, her focus was always on caring for and nurturing us.  She was an amazing lady, and although I miss her a great deal I know I’ll see her again someday.  🙂

And Father, You Blessed me yet again with the wonderful lady You sent to be my wife.  She has truly been the epitome of the “ideal mother” to our boys, and I couldn’t be more thankful for her.  Today, we had a lovely Mother’s Day afternoon together.  It started with a late lunch at the local Celtic Pub, then we rode out to Woodland Beach for a walk along the shore to gather sea glass for Shannon’s craft projects.  I of course, carted along my camera and here are some of my favorites from the day:

Aidan spent the bulk of his time wading through the shallow water, finding rocks for his “collection”, and playing in the sand.

Jonathan started out with the idea of shooting photos as well, but the lure of playing in the sand and wading in the cool water quickly had me carrying his camera instead.

It was truly a lovely day out; around 75 degrees and sunny with a light breeze to keep the bugs away.

Shannon spent much of her time scouring the beach for bits of “sea glass” for her crafting projects.

We got the boys involved in the glass search as well, and they had a great time searching out these bits of treasure.

All in all Father, it was a lovely afternoon.  As always, I thank You for the Blessings You bestow on us each day, and for the remarkable examples of motherhood You’ve placed in my life.  Amen.

~Phather Phil