Thankful Thursday: Children’s Tylenol

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Tonight Father, my prayers of thanks are directed towards Children’s Tylenol.

Earlier today, I received a call from the school nurse that Jonathan was in her office.  She explained that he’d come in a little while ago with tears in his eyes, complaining that his head was really hurting him and that when she’d checked he was indeed running a low-grade fever.  She promptly called me, and while I drove over to the school to retrieve him she gave him some Children’s Tylenol to try to knock down the fever and the associated headache.  By the time I got there, he was still not a happy camper but he said his headache seemed a little better.

I had a series of booked appointments already scheduled, so we headed back to my office and he quickly laid down on my couch and fell fast asleep.  The fever appeared to have subsided at that point, and he was able to get some much needed rest.

By the time we got home this evening, the fever had returned with a vengeance.

We got some liquids and food into him, along with some more fever-reducing medication and once again his temperature eased back and he was able to relax a bit.  By the time he headed to bed, he was holding close to normal once again.

“The Lord sustains them on their sickbed
and restores them from their bed of illness.” – Psalm 41:3 (NIV)

Thankfully, Shannon was able to take tomorrow off from work so she can get him over to the doctor to be checked out.  From the symptoms, it seems to be a nasty sinus infection, so with Your Healing and some antibiotics I suspect he’ll feel much better in a couple days’ time.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Blessings that modern medicines afford us.  When our little ones are hurting, there’s truly nothing more miraculous than some respite to their pain.  I pray that You will please grant Jonathan some relief from the discomforts of this illness, and that You hold him closely in Your Embrace while he recuperates.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Cleansing Rain

Dear Lord; Good evening Father!

Ah Lord, spring is truly here in all it’s glory; the grass is growing, the trees are sprouting, the flowers are starting to bloom…

And the pollen is everywhere.

Heading out to work and school this morning, we exited the garage and were faced with a lesson in color manipulation; my nice dark blue SUV had turned a fuzzy shade of green.  The dusting of yellow pollen was so thick across the skin of the vehicle that it literally looked to be a different color.

Yuck.

The golden film held on all throughout the day, leaving the truck feeling dingy and old.

Driving home from a client’s office this evening, the colorful allergen’s grip on my vehicle was torn away as the skies opened and a cooling spring rain began to fall.  The coating was quickly flushed off the surface of the truck, and everything once again seemed bright and clean.

Now, this seems familiar I thought…

Sin does to our souls what pollen did to my truck; it coats, and covers, and dirties and distorts.  And like the cleansing rain, Your Grace washes that sin from our beings.  We are made fresh and new in Your Love, and able to see Your Path more clearly.

“Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” – Psalm 51:2 (NIV)

Thank You so much for the rain Lord.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Big Picture

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Well Father, once again another work-week lies behind me.  It’s truly been a period of transition, with some changes for the positive, and others not so much.  However, through all of the highs and lows this roller-coaster of a week has brought I’ve been Blessed to have felt Your Presence beside me the entire time.  You are truly ever-faithful to Your Children, and even though I may not understand why things happen the way they do, I have complete Faith that You’re always in control and guiding us along the proper path.

As I alluded to yesterday, due to a chain of events outside my control I faced a nerve-wracking situation at work this week that tried desperately to consume my spirit.  More than once, in my communing with You over the last several days I bluntly heard you tell me to do something that seemed strangely out of context, so I foolishly allowed my besieged heart to put the message aside while I focused on my immediate crisis.  Finally, worn and tired yesterday evening I listened to Your Insistent Voice and made the call You had been telling me to make.

In a ten minute conversation, the nightmare situation I had been dwelling on all week was taken care of.

You were trying to tell me all along what I needed to do Father, I just didn’t put the two things together.  Once again, I’m humbled and reminded that only You have the “Big Picture”.

“”For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

Thank You Father, for shining Your light in my dark moments, for teaching and guiding me (even when I’m being stubborn), and for Blessing me with Your Presence in my life each day.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Creation Anxiously Awaits

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

First off Father, I want to thank You for another enjoyable weekend.  I was Blessed to spend quite a bit of quality time with my wife and children, Shannon and I got out for a “date night” on Saturday, I managed to catch up on some laundry, dishes and housework, and the boys and I even went on an outing to walk the trails at Blackbird State Forest on Sunday afternoon.  All in all, it was a restful and satisfying couple of days and I thank You so much for that respite.

As I’ve mentioned to you before Lord, Blackbird Forest is one of those places where I feel most connected to Your Presence.  It was a lovely day here on Sunday, and our time spent trekking through the majesty of Your Creation was wonderful as always.  I’m extremely pleased that Jonathan and Aidan have developed such a love of nature, and that they eagerly look forward to our exploration time together.  We’re already planning some longer day trips together as the weather improves, so we can hike some of the more lengthy trails.  Either way, I look forward to spending lots of communal time with You on those paths in the upcoming seasons.  🙂

Today Father, while doing some reading I ran across a passage in Romans that loudly spoke to me and I’d like to share it:

“ 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.” – Romans 8:18-19 (NIV)

Wow Lord, what a powerful statement the Apostle Paul makes here!  Not only is he reminding us that the trials and tribulations we go through in this lifetime are insignificant when compared to the glory we will receive in Your Kingdom, but also that creation itself is anxiously awaiting what’s coming as well!  From walking through the forest yesterday and feeling Your Presence in such magnitude, these verses just reached out to me today when I came across them.

Heavenly Father, thank You once again for a lovely weekend and for continuing to bless us with Your Presence.  I pray that we all may see past the daily burdens we encounter, secure in the knowledge that these trials are temporary and that Your Glory to come far outweighs any suffering we endure here on Earth.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

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