The Waters Begin to Flow

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

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.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Just You, and I, Together

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

This morning Father, I come to you unsettled.

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 …

I’ll see you in the morning.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Overwhelming Presence

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

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.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Ups-And-Downs

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, this past week has certainly been filled with ups-and-downs here.  One thing’s for sure though, life is never dull in the Malmstrom household!  Thankfully however, through all of the “tossing about” our lives have experienced as of late, Your Blessings have continued to be the lighthouse in our daily storms.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Father, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

301. A wonderful day spent with friends at the Chesapeake Celtic Festival last Saturday.

302. A good “New Patient” visit for Shannon at our new Primary Care Physician.

303. Spiritual lessons on a cold morning.

304. Finding tasty new recipes on the Internet.

305. New ways to express myself on Pinterest.

306. Our cat Serenity recovering well after having a wound stitched up on her face last Friday.

307. The enjoyment I’ve been getting playing a new video game that was released this week.

308. That what I can handle in life isn’t wholly dependent on my strength alone.

309. A WordPress plugin that allows readers to share my posts on Pinterest.

310. An inexpensive repair for our large color laser printer in the office.

311. Friends that come and help move furniture.

312. Shannon and I being on the “same page” on how we handle the children.

313. Seeing a smile on my beautiful wife’s face.

314. A special deal on one of my prescriptions that allowed me to get it at half price.

315. The salvation we’ve received through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension.

(I’m especially thankful for #315 Father… 🙂 )

Heavenly Father,

We lift thanks and praise Lord, for all of the Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that make Your presence in our lives obvious, and those that quietly support us without due fanfare.  You are indeed a caring Shepherd, a skillful Potter and a loving Father.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Death Has No Sting

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Last night Father, as I was preparing to shut down and head to bed for the night, a message appeared on my Facebook wall that made me pause, and then to pray.

On August 15, I wrote to you regarding an inspiring story of faith I’d heard on 88.7 The Bridge on my way to work that morning.  It described the Baptism of Kim Miller; a young lady dealing with terminal cancer, who instead of dwelling on the terrifying and painful nature of her situation, chose to give thanks and praise for Your Blessings in her life.  The church she attends made a video of her powerful testimony, which was then shared on the radio that morning.

Following that conversation Father, I emailed Kim on Facebook to let her know that her story had touched me, and that I was praying for her.  We ended up “friending”, and I’ve been following her journey since.

Last night, the message came across my screen that Kim had gone home… Into Your waiting arms Lord.  And while my spirit aches knowing the hole this undoubtedly leaves in her family’s hearts, I’m rejoicing in the knowledge that she’s arrived in the one place where her pain and troubles are surely at an end.

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”” – 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (NIV)

Kim’s powerful and courageous testimony of faith touched so many lives Father, including mine.  Yet while we nurse the sorrow of her passing, Kim has achieved that victory the Apostle Paul spoke of, continuing on alive and well in her eternal home.

Death has no sting for those who dwell in Christ.  You’ll be missed here Kim, but we’ll see you again soon enough.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Father, for the victory over death You delivered us through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We pray that You keep the family of Kim Miller wrapped in Your holy presence, and comforted in the knowledge that she rests in Your loving embrace.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil