Thankful Thursday: A Sense of Clean

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, once again we’ve come to that day of the week where I attempt to focus my thanks to You on one particular thing.  When I first started following this “theme day”, I thought it would be the easiest conversation of the week, simply because I’m Blessed in so many ways that I’d have an infinite list of things to be thankful for.  Funny enough, that ended up being the reason that Thursdays can be so difficult for me; too many Blessings to pick just one! 🙂

In today’s case, when I started to contemplate all the things I’ve been thankful for this week a seemingly bizarre one popped into my head.  I shook it off and tried to think of other, more important things but it kept coming back to the front of my mind.  I’m really not sure what prompted this one Father, but I’ll throw it out as long as you promise not to laugh:

Today Father, I’m thankful for Chlorine Bleach.

Ok, ok… Even I chuckle when I say this one.  Laughs are ok.

I use bleach on pretty much a daily basis Lord.  I guess it’s not as much the chemical itself, but the known bacterial and viral destruction it leaves in it’s wake.  From caring for a number of relatives who were seriously ill, very old pets with “control issues”, raising little boys with all the associated grubbiness (as my wife Shannon reminds me regularly, boys are gross… lol) and all the time we spent with Jonathan’s immune system being nonexistent I’ve come to rely on bleach as my “germ killing” solution to a great many problems.

I use it on our bathroom fixtures…

I use it in the kitchen sink…

I put some in the rinse water for our carpet cleaner…

I use it in the laundry rinse cycle…

I power-wash the house with a solution of it…

And the list goes on and on…

While there are absolutely many more important things I could praise You for Lord, this is what was in my heart.  No clue why, it just was.  Therefore Father, I thank You for the cleanliness that You bring to my life through this flexible and powerful chemical.  It helps to keep my home cleaner and my family less subject to infectious organisms and in my book, that makes it a significant Blessing.

Thank You for that sense of clean Father.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Second Guessing Our Blessings

Dear Lord; Good evening Father!

As You’re aware Father, I’ve struggled with high blood pressure for quite some years now.  It’s one of the few true health issues I’ve had, but has always been reasonably well controlled through medication.  Therefore, other than the ritual of taking my pill each day I’ve for the most part been able to forget that the problem exists.

Until a month ago.

Due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, Shannon and I lost our health care insurance effective the beginning of April.  We’ve been researching a number of options to correct it, but so far none have been found that fits our needs or our budget.  Thankfully, Shannon’s medications are all generics and therefore reasonable to purchase without the insurance, however my blood pressure prescription is not which makes it a bit expensive.  On top of that, our Primary Care Physician closed his practice at the end of February, so my options for looking into alternate medications are extremely limited.  Weighing all these items in my head, I therefore made a decision to try and go without the blood pressure pills for a while, and see how I made out.

This was not one of my better ideas Father.

Over the course of the next couple weeks, my BP slowly began to rise and I started reverting to the pre-medication days where ringing in my ears, headaches and uncomfortable chest pains were the norm.  I of course prayed for relief Lord, oh I prayed, but the symptoms continued to get worse.

Then I realized Father, You’d already given me relief, I’d just decided to stop taking advantage of it.

Your solution for me hadn’t changed Father, I was simply trying to second guess You by looking for an “easier” option.  Just because the remedy was a more difficult path than it used to be didn’t mean it still wasn’t the proper choice.  As the Apostle Paul reminded us in First Corinthians:

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

Needless to say, I went and bought the medication and started taking it last Saturday.  It’ll take a week or so to level me out again, but I’ve already started feeling somewhat better.

Heavenly Father, please help me keep focused on Your Blessings and true plan for me each day.  Guide my decisions to honor Your Will, and direct my gaze to not seek answers outside Your Wishes.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Christ is Risen!

Dear Lord; Good morning Father, and Happy Easter!

My heart is light today Father; filled with the power of what this day of celebration represents!

Following a dreary, rainy Good Friday (which seemed somewhat appropriate weather to me), the weather broke late yesterday; almost as if the light were yearning for the coming dawn.  Today I awoke to a beautiful sunlit morning, as if the world itself is rejoicing on this Day of Resurrection!

Brought up in a Lutheran Church, I’ve been hearing the following phrase whispered through my heart quite a bit the last few days:

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Such a simple, yet in my opinion powerful statement of Faith this is Lord.  We can never hope in this life to comprehend the magnitude of the Gifts Christ brought to us, but my heart stretches and my spirit grows each time I contemplate these wondrous events.

This morning Father, I read the story of Jesus’ Resurrection from the Gospel of Matthew to Jonathan and Aidan.  Over the last week, I’ve been talking with them about the significance and importance of what this celebration represents, and although they’re still young in their walk with You, I see Your Light in their eyes more and more each day.  Please continue to bring Your Love and Guidance to their hearts, that they may grow in Your Kingdom and more fully appreciate the Blessings You bring to us all.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”” – Matthew 28:1-7 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, we rejoice at the wonder of Christ’s Resurrection on this sunny Easter Morning, and for the Salvation and Hope that act of Love signifies.  I pray that our hearts will all be filled with Your Glory, and for Your Will to guide us along the path Jesus laid for us.

Christ is Risen!

Amen.

~Phather Phil

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

Thankful Thursday: It’s the Little Things

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Father, I’ll be honest; it’s been a rough time writing this post today.  I usually look forward to composing the “Thankful Thursday” edition, but the last couple of days have been filled with nearly-paralyzing stress and anxiety, and I’ve been having a very difficult time focusing on the many Blessings You’ve bestowed on me.  I know in my heart that You’re here with me, and have never stopped hearing my pleas but the voices of fear and doubt have been quite loud and insistent.  Either way Lord, I thank You for being ever-faithful and ask that You forgive me this weakness.  Our trials temper us, and I continue to cling to Your Strength secure in the knowledge that You will guide me down the proper path as always.

Therefore Father, for today’s “Thankful Thursday” post instead of focusing on some of the more “major” Gifts in my life, I’d like to run down a few simple, little things I’ve been thankful for this week instead:

This Blog. Not only does writing these daily chats with You help me solidify my thoughts and prayers, but I’ve been Blessed to meet some truly wonderful people through doing it as well.

Warmer Weather. I truly enjoy grilling Father, and for the last couple of weeks the weather has allowed me to do quite a bit of it.  Milder temperatures have also allowed the boys to get outside for some much-needed recreation and for us to start our pilgrimages to Blackbird State Forest.

Simple Acts of Kindness. During this current period of fear and uncertainty, I’ve been uplifted by the kind actions of a number of people around me.  Little signs of caring can speak volumes to a troubled spirit and have helped me immensely.

Hugs from my Kids. While I work diligently not to let my concerns and burdens be visible around the boys, they’re amazingly empathetic children and have spent a great deal of effort to show me extra signs of their affection this past couple weeks.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You bring to my life each day.  Please forgive my human frailties, and help me to cast my burdens at Your feet so I may find that Peace in Your Embrace.  In Your Holy Name Lord, Amen.

~Phather Phil