Today Father, I’d like to start the week by thanking You from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful vacation You Graced us with last week. The weather was gorgeous, the scenery was breathtaking and all of us had a fantastic time away together. For the first time since starting my business in 1997, I actually made a conscious decision to leave my mobile phone in the cabin and not call into the office each day… It was a practice that I’ll certainly be repeating on future trips. The personal impact of using that time to focus on my family and on Your Presence, and to recharge my spiritual and emotional batteries can’t be overstated. It was truly a Blessing to all of us, and I thank You wholeheartedly.
Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture reading comes from the book of John, and addresses an issue that all followers of Christ deal with at some point in their Walk; Disdain and in some cases, persecution for our Faith.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” – John 15:18-21 (NIV)
Now Lord, I don’t know of any cases where I’ve been outwardly hated for my relationship with You. However, I have been aware more than once of some people avoiding my company because of the public emphasis I place on Your Word and Your Presence in my life. These daily chats, along with my outreach efforts and scripture postings make some people uncomfortable, leading them to shy away. By drawing the division between “children of the world” and the “children of God”, Jesus warns us that the rift between the two would lead to such conflicts, and to not be surprised by it. Instead, we’re charged to reveal Your Light within us and allow it to bridge the chasm through signs and examples of Your Gracious Love. The important thing to remember is this; although we will likely see hardships and resistance as Christians in a confused and troubled world, by keeping our gaze fixed firmly on Jesus, we’re assured the strength and peace to stand firm against the world around us.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 (NIV)
Well Father, we come again to the end of yet another work-week and I’ll admit to being excited this time. Tomorrow morning, my family and I leave for a week’s vacation at Chestnut Grove Resort in the Pocono Mountains. The kids love it there Lord, and I’ve found that it’s someplace that I can truly relax and spend quiet, meditative time in Your Presence. As Internet connectivity is quite limited, I don’t expect to be able to post our conversations every day, but hope to be able to at least a couple times over the course of the week. Funny enough, it makes perfect sense that in places where my connections to the world are more limited, my connection to You opens up wider. 🙂
In preparation for our time away, I spent some time yesterday picking out new books to read, and music to travel by. For reading material (other than my trusty YouVersion.com Bible App on my Android tablet), I have “Heaven is Real” written by Don Piper, and “Just Too Busy: Taking your Family on a Radical Sabbatical” by Joanne Kraft (Thanks so much Elaine!). As for music, while my iPod is already quite loaded with inspiring songs, I just had to add the albums “Blessings” by Laura Story, and “On Fire” from Peter Furler to the mix. Peter’s song “Reach” has been running through my head a lot the last couple weeks, so I’m excited to have the rest of his solo premier album to enjoy as well…
While we’re up there, we’ve also been invited by friends of ours to attend services at Pocono Community Church. From what they tell us, it’s a wonderful House of Worship and we’re very much looking forward to hearing the Pastor’s message on Sunday morning.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us this week, and for Your abundant Presence in our lives each day. I look forward with anticipation to spending communal time with You this coming week, and pray that You’ll keep us in Your Loving Embrace as we venture away from home. Amen.
And once again Father, we come to the Thankful Thursday edition at phatherphil.org! It’s been an eventful seven days to be sure, and I’ve felt Your Blessings overflowing around me throughout. I usually have to take some time to go back over the past week carefully in my head to pick out the little Blessings I’ve missed, but today for some reason they sprang to mind quickly and easily. It’s wonderful to have days of such clarity, and to feel like I’m walking the right path with You. 🙂
Anyways Lord, on to the list! This week, some things I’ve been thankful for are:
121. Living in a country that allows me to worship You without fear of persecution.
135. The medical technology that allows Jonathan to live a normal life.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings you grace us with, both those that are seen and those that may pass unnoticed. You are indeed a God of compassion and of wonders, and I pray that my choices, decisions and actions will properly Glorify Your gifts to us all. Amen.
Today Father, my prayers are focused on my son Jonathan and my wife Shannon as they spend time at the A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children. The appointment today wasn’t expected to be a big deal; simply an MRI with and without contrast to check and make sure that Jonathan’s LCH was still behaving itself. As the scans were going to take a while and required Jonathan be perfectly still, the plan was to sedate him so that he could sleep through the process. This seemed like a perfectly reasonable idea and after he’d been given some Versed to relax him a bit beforehand they got him ready for the procedure…
And then he saw the IV needle. He was no longer relaxed.
Jonathan has a very serious fear of needles Father, and from what Shannon described he changed instantly from my gentle, loveable little boy into a raving, angry, terrified child. In the end, they had to give him general anesthesia (gas) to get him under for the scans, requiring a longer stay at the hospital and leaving Shannon emotionally exhausted in the process.
Following the phone conversation with Shannon bringing me up to speed on the day’s events, I started thinking about the fear Jonathan must have been feeling at that moment. His dread of needles has deep-seated roots, far beyond what he remembers. As an infant, Jonathan’s disease and subsequent treatments required he be all too familiar with the prick of a needle. And even though he’s not had to endure a large number of sticks since that time, there’s an underlying anxiety that grips him whenever he requires one.
So, how to address this fear with him Lord? Well, if we examine Your Word there’s quite a bit of wisdom to draw on. As I know Jonathan reads this Father, I’d like to use the rest of our time today to pass some of those thoughts along to him here if I may…
Dearest Jonathan,
“For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.” – Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)
Whatever pain, fear or trials we face in this life, we need not be afraid because God never leaves our side. He’s stayed close to you all of your life, and seen you through amazing hardships. When fear grips your heart and threatens to take control, I want you to close your eyes and feel God’s Hand firmly grasping yours.
“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)
The Lord desires that we show our character and faith in him through acts of trust. Courage isn’t the absence of fear Jonathan, it’s having fear and yet doing what you know is right with the knowledge that God will give you the strength to get you through when you lay those burdens at His feet.
“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)
We weren’t created to rely completely on our own strength Jonathan. We get tired, and stressed, and scared. Thankfully, we have our Heavenly Father to hold us up and provide us that “Holy Nudge” to get us through when we call on Him. I see so much of God’s Light in you, and when you seek His help I know that you’ll find it in abundance.
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” – Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
What a wonderful weekends’ respite that was Father! I’m not usually a big fan of three-day-weekends as I tend to try to fit too much in, and end up more tired than usual. This past several days however, we were Blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends, get some things done around the house, and yet still have ample time to rest and recuperate. All-in-all, it was a lovely long weekend and I thank You for such Blessings in our lives.
Well Father, as yesterday was a holiday and I didn’t post our conversation to phatherphil.org, I thought I’d fly in the face of convention and write a Meditations Monday article… On Tuesday. I know Lord, I’m a rebel. 🙂
Today’s Scripture comes from the Book of Romans, Chapter 8. In this passage, the Apostle Paul is discussing our suffering while here on Earth, and how we should be looking at it in the context of Your Plan:
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” – Romans 8:18-21 (NIV)
This is a terribly important piece of Truth Father, and one that all of us overlook from time to time. Our existence here is a season; temporary, and in the eternal scheme of things, brief. And while the suffering, trials and tribulations we go through may seem overwhelming upon occasion, their magnitude and duration pales in comparison to the glory those who are one with Christ will receive when finally raised up in Your Kingdom. Paul also emphasizes the passing nature of our Earthly problems in 2nd Corinthians where he states:
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” – 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV)
If we indeed view our trials here as “light and momentary”, and focus on the “eternal glory” that awaits those who persevere and preserve in the Love of Christ, then our burdens take on a completely different perspective… Through Your Eyes Lord.
Heavenly Father, as we begin this week’s endeavors I pray for Your guidance and assistance in assigning the proper level of importance to our burdens. Please anchor our Spirits in Christ Jesus, and instill in our hearts a glimpse of the wonder and glory that is to come. Amen.
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. 
