Thankful Thursday: Through the Haze

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Today Father, my thoughts are scattered.  While I slept reasonably well (five hours or so), I awoke feeling a bit on the “cloudy” side and I haven’t been able to shake it as of yet.  Funny enough however, even with my focus not being overly sharp I’ve had no problem putting together today’s Thankful Thursday Blessings list.  I love the fact that even when my human frailties present themselves, Your Blessings in my life still shine through the haze.  🙂

Continuing my list from last week Lord, this week I’m especially thankful for…

166. Having Shannon’s mother visiting with us for a few weeks.

167. Unexpected funds showing up exactly when we needed it.

168. New beginnings.

169. An “everything looks fine” report from Jonathan’s MRI.

170. A short break from the oppressively hot weather.

171. Your faithfulness to Your Children, even in our brokenness.

172. Connecting with others in ministry to support one another.

173. Finding deep-discounted treasures in the Christian Music section of a bookstore that’s going out of business.

174. “Tickle Monster” fights with the kids.

175. The Glo Bible Application for my computers.

176. Fresh sweet corn given away by a local farmer.

177. The calming voice of reason from good friends.

178. Ten years of “Normality”.

179. Quality free, open source photo editing and manipulation software.

180. Snuggling up with Shannon at night and watching episodes of classic TV programs.

Heavenly Father, once again I lift up my thanks and praise for the Blessings You surround us with each day; both those that are tangible, and those that remain silently unseen.  Keep us in Your watchful gaze, and guide our actions to best serve Your divine plan for our lives.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Seeking Fault

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

And once again Lord, we lay behind us yet another lovely weekend filled with family, friends and Your obvious Love for us all.  While the scorching weather restricted our outdoor activities, there were many Blessings to be found inside with good company, good food and great fun to be had by all.  Thank You so much for those days of respite Father!

Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Chapter 9 of the Gospel of John:

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.  His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”” – John 9:1-3 (NIV)

Now Father, something I hear quite regularly from people going through difficulties in their lives is “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why is God doing this to me?”.  I’ll admit it, I’ve even had those thoughts myself over the years.  In the case of this passage, when Jesus and His disciples came across a man who had been blind since birth, the question was raised as to whose sin was at fault for his affliction; the man’s or his parents.  Jesus clearly replied that it was in fact neither, but instead was intended to allow for Your Grace to be made manifest.

This is an important and powerful truth Father, and one that I fear we all miss now and again.  As the limited beings we are, we try desperately to put everything into a “Cause and Effect” bubble.  And while quite often there are certainly consequences for our actions, not all earthly suffering is a direct result of a specific “Instigating” sin.

When my son Jonathan was born and we were initially given his grim diagnosis, I spent many hours asking “Why?!?… Why would You do this to us?!?”  I was angry, and scared, and very insistently sought answers that at the time, seemed never to come.  Ten years later, I realize now that Your Plan for his life, and for mine to a great extent, needed those events to unfold as they did.  Our lives, and the lives of many others were altered by his struggle, and Blessed in ways we’re still unraveling today.  We weren’t being persecuted for something we’d done, but were instead walking a journey designed by the One with the “Big Picture” in His sight.

“but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.”

Heavenly Father, as this week begins I pray that in times of trial you open our hearts and minds to this fundamental truth.  Let us see past our desire to seek fault and lay blame, and gain strength from the knowledge that Your Path for our lives comes from a far greater perspective than our own.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Closing the Week in Prayer

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

To conclude this week’s postings Lord, I’d like to say a couple of prayers if I may.

First off Father, it’s hot here today… in fact, dangerously so.  With a temperature of around 100 degrees and high humidity, the heat index shows us at around 117 degrees outside.  For those of us who are Blessed with good health it’s oppressive enough, but for those who are more vulnerable to the effects of these conditions (young children, the elderly, asthmatics, etc.) this weather can pose serious health risks.  Please wrap all those affected by these climatic conditions in Your Protective Embrace.  Let them feel the cooling breeze of Your Holy Spirit, and give them the resources needed to combat the effects of this weather.

Secondly Lord, several of my “Bloggy” friends are attending the “She Speaks” Conference this weekend.  I pray that Your Presence is felt in abundance at this gathering, and that their hearts and minds are opened wide to gain what this experience has to offer.  Please protect and watch over their families while they’re away, and bring them home safely when it’s completed.

And finally Father, I’d like to thank You for leading me to find the Glo Bible website today.  I’m always on the lookout for new sources of information to assist me in my Walk with you, and the Glo Bible is an amazing tool.  After downloading the free version and working with it for part of the morning, I ended up purchasing the Premium content as well.  I’m looking forward to spending time exploring it this weekend, and placing it in Jonathan’s hands as well.  With all the rich multimedia and interactive tools Glo contains, I think it could open a whole new line of thought and prayer for him as he delves deeper into Your Word.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for yet another Blessing-filled week.  I pray that Your Divine Peace and Comfort is felt by all those in need, and for Your continued Guidance in making choices and decisions that best glorify Your Will for us.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Every Season

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, once again we come to the Thankful Thursday post here at phatherphil.org.  It’s been a pleasant week following our return from vacation, however I will admit to missing the wonderfully comfortable weather and serene environment we enjoyed in the mountains.  We’ve been beset by days of hot, humid weather here, so the contrast to our time away is made even more obvious.  However as one of my fellow Christian Bloggers noted, every season exists for a purpose, and this too shall pass when You intend it to.

Anyways Father, no matter the weather conditions I always have a multitude of Blessings to give thanks for.  Such as…

151. Quiet back roads on which to travel to and from work each day.

152. Having the vast research resources of the Internet at my fingertips.

153. A safe drive home from our recent vacation.

154. A lovely dinner out with Shannon on her birthday.

155. Being able to attend the Meet & Greet last Sunday for Kay’s Kamp (Jonathan is SO excited).

156. Whispered challenges on my heart to Dig Deeper.

157. Time spent “Plugged into You”.

158. The perspective gained from visiting other churches.

159. Being a Father to two wonderful little boys.

160. Discussions about Scripture with fellow Christians that help me grow in Christ.

161. Having my children just give me a hug for no specific reason.

162. Quiet time to sit in the dark and read Your Word through YouVersion on my Nook Color.

163. Finding a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant with amazing BBQ.  🙂

164. Receiving my shipment of Pocket Gospels of John from The Pocket Testament League (ptl.org).

165. A good cappuccino after church on Sundays from The Young Bean.

Heavenly Father, thank You once again for all those Blessings you grant us, both those that are obvious and those that may go unseen.  As we Strive for full restoration in Your service, please open our eyes and hearts to better recognize the amazing gifts You bring to our lives each day.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Bridging the Chasm

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

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)

It’s lovely to be back Father.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil