Thankful Thursday: Sing Joyfully

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!

Well Father, today marks week three that I’m celebrating “Thankful Thursday” here at PhatherPhil.org!  I’m really enjoying these weekly postings, as it gets my head focused on all the wondrous Blessings You’ve granted me.  Starting my day thinking “What am I truly thankful for today?” is an excellent frame of mind to be in for the morning ahead.

Today Father, I’d like to thank You for the inspiration and encouragement I receive each day through the wonderful avenue of Christian Music.  Over the last several months I’ve switched to almost exclusively listening to Contemporary Christian Music each day, and it’s brought an amazing change to my mood and perspective.  Between the local radio station we listen to in the car, to streaming K-Love on my computer at work, to the Contemporary Christian Music Channel on our digital cable TV I leave on in the background during the evening hours, my ears are filled with songs praising You for much of my day.  I never have to be concerned with the content not being appropriate for my children, and we’re all the better for having this melodious form of worship going on while being entertained by such marvelous artists.

Jonathan and I even have tickets to see the Newsboys with Kutless and Disciple in a couple weeks!  He’s become a big Newsboys fan, and this is his first concert of any kind so he’s extra excited (ok… so am I.  🙂 ).  As I’ve mentioned to You before, listening to my boys sing these songs of praise along with the radio in the mornings on the way to school just warms my heart to no end.  This music is truly a Blessing, and makes a wonderful impact on our lives each day.

I think this piece of scripture states it beautifully Father:

“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting for the upright to praise him.” – Psalm 33:1

We do, and it is.  Thank You Lord!

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Young Minds Want to Know

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father.

Today Lord, I’d like to start out with a quick prayer of support for my wife Shannon.  Between being ill for the past week, a busy work schedule, college classes and symphony she’s been burning the candle at both ends, and has been feeling the results the last couple days.  Please bring her Your Loving Comfort and grant her the rest she so dearly needs.

This morning Father I decided to get Jonathan and Aidan involved in our conversation.  Therefore, on the way to school I asked them both if they had anything to tell You or ask of You.  The responses I got were not exactly what I expected, but I felt good ones all the same:

Aidan (8) : “Is watching over everyone all the time hard?”

I don’t think Aidan realizes what a significant and deep question this is Father.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that while we don’t have a definitive answer that fits in our limited understanding, there are some scriptural passages which shine some light on this question.

First off, we refer to You as “Almighty God”, which implies the omnipotence of Your Power and that You are “All-ruling” (from the Greek word pantokrator used in the early Bible translations) over what You have created.  Jesus summed it up quite clearly in Matthew 19:26:

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (NIV)

You created us all, and have reign over all You have created; Your Word states this over and over quite distinctly.  This tells me You have the power to watch over us all without question.

The other piece of this answer in my mind, would be the omnipresence of Your Spirit.  Again, referencing scriptures for this I found Psalm 139:7-12:

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.” (NIV)

Through Your Spirit, You reach out and have complete access to the whole of Your Creation.  Ok, so you have the Power, and the Presence.  I realize that this doesn’t answer Aidan’s question specifically about whether or not it’s hard for You Lord, but Your Word clearly establishes the ability for You to do so, and the promise You gave us:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV) (one of my all-time favorite verses)

Great question Aidan!  🙂

Jonathan (11): “What does God have planned for the people of Japan now?”

Bless him Father, he worries about so much and so many people for an 11 year old.

I explained to him that in cases like this, we have to understand that we don’t truly have the “Big Picture” that You do, but that You were still there for those people, still loved them and were still in control.

I’m sure he’ll be talking with You directly later on about this Lord.  Maybe You can give him a better answer than I was able to at 7:45 this morning.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the lessons I learn each day through my children.  I love seeing them growing in Your Kingdom and yearning to know You better.  Please continue to guide them along the path You have chosen, and help me bring Your Love and Wisdom to their hearts and minds.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Making “What Ifs” into Amens

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

First off Father, I want to thank You for the weekend.  As we discussed Friday, Shannon and I both went into it sick and we ended up spending most of the weekend inside.  I did manage to sneak out a couple hours on Saturday with Jonathan for a trip to Barnes & Noble, and made a quick grocery run on Sunday but other than that it was a quiet, reserved couple of days.  Thankfully, Shannon and I seem to be on the upside of this bug, but it’s obviously going to take a few more days to completely clear out.  Either way, although our weekend didn’t exactly go as we planned I did get to spend lots of quality time with my family.  🙂

And then, Monday happened.

We were actually doing unusually well for a Monday morning Father.  Everyone got up on time, got things together and out the door on schedule, and we made it to the kids’ school with time to spare.  About 10 minutes after dropping them off however, came the call…

With no warning, Jonathan had vomited on his way to class.  ~sigh~

I dropped my things at the office, and made my way back to school to retrieve him.  He’d been complaining about some headaches for the last week or so, but other than that this was the only symptom he presented with.  Unfortunately, because he still has a VP shunt in place we have to look at those two particular symptoms very carefully as they can indicate problems with it’s operation.  I picked him up, made a call, and off to the pediatrician we went.

The wait to be seen at the doctor’s office was typical for a Monday morning; a little over an hour.  We sat waiting in the truck (the office lobby was full), me spending time reading in Exodus on my Nook Color (I’m really enjoying my new toy) while Jonathan quietly played a puzzle game on my phone.  When we finally got in to see the doctor the appointment was short and to the point, and we were quickly sent next door to have some sinus x-rays done.  Those too, went without issue and about an hour later we received a call from the doctor indicating that his sinuses looked perfectly clear, and that if his symptoms persisted we would need to have Jonathan evaluated by his neurologist.

So… No immediate answers; just more questions.

Each time we get a reminder of Jonathan’s unique medical needs Father, it’s a vibrant flashback to some very scary times.  For the most part, we’ve slipped back into “normality” in regards to his health; sniffles are just sniffles, not a trip to the emergency room at 2AM.  When situations like this come up though, we’re thrust back into the world of the unknown and the “what if” scenarios.  It’s a place we know far too well, and pray often to avoid.

And yet Father, I know in my heart that You’re with him.  And armed with that bit of Truth, those “what ifs” aren’t nearly as frightening as they once were.

I still worry of course.  That’s my job as his father, and I love him dearly.  You’ve entrusted him to our care, and I’ll do whatever is required of me to honor that assignment.  However, knowing that all the while he’s in Your Loving Arms brings amazing peace to my spirit.  Thank You for that confidence Lord.

Heavenly Father, please continue to watch over Jonathan and bring to him Your Healing Touch.  I thank You for the comfort of Your Presence, and pray that all those in need of reassurance can also feel that peace.  Through Your Love Father, “what ifs” can truly become Amens.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Best Laid Plans

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Well Lord, it’s certainly been an eventful week in the Malmstrom household.  Between hectic work schedules, symphony and quartet performances for Shannon, schoolwork and associated activities and then on top of that Shannon and I both getting a respiratory bug yesterday afternoon, we’ve been running non-stop it seems.  This illness nailed us both out of the blue and hit pretty hard, so this evening we’re finally settling down and trying to get some “quiet time”.

I was actually feeling a little down tonight Father.  Being as tomorrow is my birthday, Shannon and I had been planning to go out Saturday evening for a “Date Night”, but with both of us catching this bug we ended up cancelling our plans.  I’d been looking forward to our night out for a couple weeks, so it was a bit of a disappointment when I realized there was no way either of us was up to it.

Sitting around the dinner table this evening, it was a little on the subdued side; with both Shannon and I projecting raspy voices, conversation was somewhat limited.  About half-way through the meal, Shannon gave me a thoughtful look, and handed me a gift bag from across the table.  I protested slightly that my birthday was tomorrow and that I’d wait, but she was insistent so I gave in and took the bag.  Inside was a beautifully romantic birthday card, a FastBreak candy bar, a bag of jelly beans, and this:

I have such an amazing wife Father…   🙂

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your Constant Presence in our lives.  Whether we’re healthy, sick, energetic, or tired You remain by our sides, ever-faithful.  As my loving wife’s gift reminded me this evening, our disappointments pale in comparison to the Blessings You grant us each and every day when we choose to see them.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Rainbow Connection

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!

As You’re undoubtedly aware Father, it’s a dreary, rainy day here in Delaware.  It’s just one of those mornings where I wake up, look outside, and seriously contemplate finding some excuse to crawl back under the covers.  Alas, today that wasn’t an option so out into the weather I went.

Driving into the office following teacher conferences at the boys’ school (which went very well… thank You!), I started contemplating the lingering clouds and falling rain a little bit more.  Like all of Your Gifts to us, the rain has a purpose; it supports and nourishes life, and cleanses the landscape it traverses.  While we may not always feel joyous when the weather shifts, it is one of Your Blessings to us all the same.

And then comes the rainbow…

“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.  Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”” – Genesis 9:12-16 (NIV)

I LOVE this Lord: a rainbow is the reminder of Your covenant with us.  What an amazing signature You have Father!  Noah must have had such a smile on his face seeing that first rainbow.  🙂

Today Father, You also placed on my heart the idea to start “Thankful Thursday” here on phatherphil.org.  The concept I had was that on each Thursday’s message to You, I’d close by listing some of the things I’ve been especially thankful for this week.  Just for curiosity’s sake, I did a quick Google search on the phrase and found that it was already something that was being done and coordinated on another site.  The site is a blog called “Grace Alone…”, and I’m pleased to link to her site today.

This week has been a hectic roller-coaster-ride Lord, but it’s funny that during those crazy days I find myself even more thankful for Your Blessings.  As this is the first “Thankful Thursday” entry for me, I’ll start with the most obvious and significant miracle in my life:

I’m extremely thankful for the unending support of my wonderful wife Shannon.  As You know Father, things have been difficult business-wise over the last several months.  Through every up-and-down, she’s always been there for me with words of comfort and encouragement.  Her love is an amazing gift Lord, and I feel truly Blessed having her as my wife.

There are so many other Blessings You grant me each day Lord, but we’ll start there.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the cleansing rain and the vibrant reminder of Your Covenant that will soon follow.  I pray we can all see through the apparent gloom and witness Your Shining Majesty in each of our lives today.  Amen.

~Phather Phil