This morning Father, I had what I think is an important realization; my life is noisy.
Each morning, I’m awakened by an alarm clock which at the same time starts an hour-long process of dogs barking to go out, my smartphone reporting to me all the things that I missed while I slept (or tried to anyways), and the daily rush to get our family moving forward with the day. Then I don the mobile headset for the ride to school and the office, on goes the radio and all the while I’m serenaded by the beeps and blips from the boys’ Nintendo DS’s from the back of the SUV. Once at work, the constant sounds of phones, computers, streaming radio, and a plethora of other office chatter persist throughout the day. The ride home is spent back on the headset along with the radio helping me to drown out the commute noise. Evenings at home are filled with more barking dogs (yes, we have little yappy dogs… lol), television, phones and other such sounds of modern life.
As I said… Noisy.
I’m beginning to think that the struggle I’ve had with insomnia over the years may be partially related to the amount of constant noise in my day. In the wee hours of the night, I can truly find the Stillness and quiet to properly direct my thoughts and listen to Your Voice.
Hmmm… Stillness… It’s been a while since I’ve truly had some.
“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”” – Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
Well Lord, this weekend I’m going to try and focus on that. It’s supposed to be nicer weather the next couple of days here, so I’m planning to try and take advantage of it and visit one of the few places I can almost always get the Stillness I need to hear You; Blackbird State Forest. It’s been months since I’ve been able to go and just walk in Your Splendor, so I’m going to do exactly that.
“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” – Isaiah 55:12 (NIV)
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! To begin with Lord, I want to thank You for another lovely weekend with my family and friends. I was able to get caught up on quite a bit of housework, did a little cooking, had fun time with the kids and even went out on a great date night with Shannon. All in all, a productive and relaxing couple of days away from work. Thank You so much for that much-needed respite!
This morning Father, I was thinking about all the different ways You and I communicate. Throughout my journey to You, I’ve found that the more “in-tune” I become with Your Presence, the more ways I see and hear Your Guidance in my everyday life. I’ve come to rely on Your Voice more and more, and love finding Your influence in the world around me during the course of the day.
So today, I thought I’d run down some of the places and ways I find Your Messages to me each day. Lets see…
Through reading and hearing Your Word; Whether it’s hearing verses quoted on the Christian Radio stations I listen to, reading passages in my Bible or finding quotes while searching the Internet, Your Book brings such amazing Guidance for all facets of my life.
Through Christian Music; Music gets into our soul in ways that not many other things can. The Godly messages and themes present in Christian Music help keep me focused, uplifted and energized over the course of my day.
By reading and interacting with Christian Devotional Blogs and their authors; The blogs I read each day and the wonderful people I’ve met by doing so are an amazing resource and Blessing for me Lord. They give me perspective, encouragement and an online fellowship that has been invaluable in my walk with You.
Through Prayer; Along with our conversations on this blog Father, prayer is my lifeline to You. Whether silent or verbal, much of the guidance and direction I receive from You over the course of the day comes from our “prayer connection”.
By the words and actions of others; As I’ve written to you so often Lord, I see Your Love and Influence in the actions of others. We’re surrounded by miracles every day, and the closer I walk to Christ’s footsteps the more obvious those wonders become to me.
Obviously Father, this isn’t a complete list by any means but these examples are what first came to my mind as I thought about our talks. I love the deepening connection You and I are forming, and I crave for it to expand more each day.
Your Son phrased it perfectly when he said :
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” – John 10:27-29
Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your Loving Presence and Guidance in my life. The more I open myself to You, the fuller and more complete my life becomes. Amen.
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father. As always, I’d like to start today by thanking You for the Blessings You bestowed on me this past weekend. While we had some disappointments in regards to plans that had been made, I did get to spend quite a bit of relaxed time with my family and some friends. All in all, it was a quiet but happy couple of days and I thank You for that.
This morning Lord, I’d like to talk about honesty if I may. It’s been a topic on my mind the last couple of days, as our disruption in plans this past weekend appears to have been the result of some deceit from someone Shannon and I had trusted. We haven’t been able to confirm our suspicions yet, but it’s extremely likely that we’re correct in this case. Either way, the situation got me thinking about the importance of truth in our lives in general, and how as Your Children we need to focus on it in our lives.
To begin with, I have to beg Your Forgiveness Lord. When I started going over the whole subject in my head, I put myself and my actions in a “litmus test” against Your Law and I found myself lacking. While I like to think of myself as an honest individual, if I truly subject myself to Your Absolutes I lie nearly every day in some fashion. Whether it’s a “little white lie” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or telling my secretary that I’m out if someone I don’t want to hear from calls, they’re lies no matter how you slice it. And when I expand that examination outward, it appears that we’re a dishonest society in general Lord.
Wow… What an intense realization for a Monday morning.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16
Ah yes, the good old 9th Commandment. Although we all know this one, we also all violate it at some point as well. There are many other edicts about misrepresenting the truth in Your Book as well Lord, including :
“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.” – Leviticus 19:11
“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” – Proverbs 12:22
“Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.” – Isaiah 33:15-16
Forgive us Lord, for in this respect we have lost our way.
Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our misdeeds. Purge our fragile hearts of dishonesty, and help us focus on Your Guidance and Light as we go about each day, so that we may serve Your Will with honesty and Integrity. Amen.
Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father! Well Lord, it’s seemed like a terribly long week here for some reason. I’m very much looking forward to the respite of some down-time with my family and friends over the next couple of days, and to some Stillness for You and I to spend some “quality time” together as well.
To finish up the week Father, I’d like to share a couple of things that have been on my heart the last several days. To start with, I’ve had a song running through my head very consistently all week. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt tune written and performed by JJ Heller called “What Love Really Means” :
This is a powerful song Lord, with an amazing message of Hope and Faith that touches me each time I hear it. It’s always wonderful to hear Your Voice through music. 🙂
Secondly, as I mentioned before Father, I’ve felt very drained this week. Searching for encouragement and focus this morning, I came across a passage from Isaiah which spoke to me :
“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
Heavenly Father, You are our Hope, and our Strength. In Your Powerful Hands I lay my Trust, my Love and my Burdens. You are indeed a Wondrous God. Amen.
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! To start off with Lord, I want to thank You for yet another lovely weekend. It was a hectic couple of days, but we were able to be productive and yet still have some fun in the process. I went into Friday night still on a “God High” from the release You’d given me that morning, and it carried my spirit through much of the weekend. My heart felt cleansed, and it very much let me recharge my batteries for the challenges that lie ahead.
Along with the concept of a “fresh start”, I spent quite some time this weekend working on reinventing the phatherphil.org web site as well. It’s been quite a process in planning and implementing, but with Your Guidance (and a lot of help from Google) I’m quite happy with what we came up with. It’s obviously still a work in progress, but It feels like a good start. 🙂
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Presence and Guidance in my Life and for the Love You’ve shown myself and my family. We are indeed Blessed and renewed each day by Your Grace. Please let all those who yearn for meaning, for purpose and for understanding find Your Truth and be emboldened and encouraged. Lead us through this week in Courage and in Strength so that we can see past our earthly worries and focus on Honoring Your Glory. 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. 
