A Truly Wondrous Union: Lessons Learned

Dear Lord; Good evening Father.

Following the conversation we had last night Lord, I’ve been thinking about the lessons I’ve learned over the period Shannon and I have been married.  We’ve had a staggering range of high and low points throughout our time as man and wife, and it dawned on me that on both sides of the spectrum we’ve learned valuable lessons about ourselves, and our bond with each other.  Therefore Father, if You’ll indulge me I’d like to share some of those teachings we’ve acquired over the years:

Everything you do while married is a “Team Sport”, whether there’s obvious direct involvement by your spouse or not. Marriage is a partnership, so no matter what you do while a member of that union the other person is in some way involved or affected; Always take them into account when making decisions, period.

Keeping secrets from your spouse is a bad idea, and will eventually lead to trust issues. This is a big one, and actually goes back to my first point.  Hiding things in your marriage not only erodes the foundation of trust that’s necessary to get through difficult times, but builds resentment over time as things come to the surface.

Never miss the opportunity to show your partner how much you care. Little things go a long way, whether it’s a text message in the middle of the day to let them know you’re thinking of them, or showing up at their office with flowers for no special reason; it’s the “out of the box” displays of affection that linger in their memory.

Intimacy is important. While this may seem obvious, it gets very easy in the course of the hectic lives we all seem to lead to put “quiet time” with our spouse on the backburner.  One of the best ways to stay connected with each other emotionally is to make time on a very regular basis to spend reveling in each other’s presence.

It’s all about balance. In every relationship there are periods where the burdens fall much heavier on one partner than the other.  Instead of dwelling on the added load we’re put under and being resentful, we need to place our strength behind the union as a whole and support our spouse with all we have.

Count your Blessings together regularly. There are days where the stress, anxieties and fears in our lives just seem to be completely overwhelming.  Focusing on the amazing Blessings You’ve bestowed on us all, and most especially on the wondrous gift of our Ordained Union as man and wife helps to put all those other trials in proper perspective.

Pray for each other, and glorify God by being the best husband/wife you can be. Marriage is something You designed and blessed us with Father, and by making that partnership one of our highest priorities we in effect praise Your Gifts while emboldening our union at the same time.

And I’m still learning Lord, blissfully day by day.  🙂

Thank You so much for leading and guiding us along this journey Father.  You’ve provided strength when we were fatigued, comfort when we faced despair and throughout it all You’ve kept us in Your Loving Embrace… together.  Now that’s a truly wondrous union.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Following God’s GPS

Dear Lord; Good evening Father.

Well Lord, it’s certainly been a whirlwind day for me.  In the last week or so, we’ve had an amazing outpouring of new clients coming on board with my company, as well as a significant increase of projects that need to be bid out.  It’s a wonderful and hopeful sign of things to come, and I’m very thankful that You’ve Blessed me with these opportunities.

Getting in the door to new customers can be a difficult endeavor, and with several of these recent additions it was through a complicated series of relationships that I was given the opportunity; a friends of friends who know someone type of thing.  This evening, one of the people who was integral to my getting those introductions texted me, and indicated he was fascinated with the way that chain of relationships had played out.  My response was simple, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since:

God’s ways aren’t always a straight path… That’s for sure.

(Now Father, the gentleman I sent that message to is a devout follower of Yours, and has been an amazing Blessing to me over the years.  I have no doubt in my mind you brought us together for a reason, and I pray that You continue to keep him in Your Gaze.)

Anyways, the more I thought about the reply I gave the more it led me to contemplate other events in my past that came about through seemingly bizarre “coincidences”.  Knowing You as I’ve come to Lord, I realize now that those coincidences were in fact orchestrated twists and turns on my journey personally programmed into Your Divine GPS.

You always know how to get me where You want me to go… I just need to follow the directions You give.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Blessings You’ve bestowed on me this week.  Please make Your Presence felt by all those faced with uncertainties, fears and doubts; not knowing where to turn.  By following Your Holy “roadmap”, we always get to our intended destination.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Calling More Often

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Today Lord, I’d like to close the week by discussing something I read over on Pastor Pete Wilson’s Blog this morning which has had my thoughts churning all day.  It was a short post based around a question that was phrased at a Church Leaders Conference he addressed recently.  Another speaker at the conference, Pastor David Landrith asked the attendees:

“Are you talking about God more than you’re talking to God?”

Wow…  Such a simple, yet powerful and convicting query.

Well Father, as it’s my predisposition to dissect things my mind immediately started contemplating all the different ways I involve You in my day and whether each of those were “talking to You” or “talking about You”.  For example, I write these “Emails to God” each day and while they’re certainly based on my prayers and things You bring to my heart, in the end they’re talking about You, not to You.

Pastor Wilson made what I feel is a key point in his post:

“It’s possible to talk about God and not be transformed. However talking with God always leads to transformation.”

I’ve been Blessed to have had many transformational moments Father, but I also know I have a long way to go on the journey You’ve laid for me.  Therefore, I’ll be “calling” more often.  🙂

Thanks for the wakeup message Pete.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the Blessings You’ve brought us this week.  Please refresh our spirits and deliver Your Message of Renewal to our hearts, so that we may serve You with our whole selves.  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

The Best Laid Plans

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Well Lord, it’s certainly been an eventful week in the Malmstrom household.  Between hectic work schedules, symphony and quartet performances for Shannon, schoolwork and associated activities and then on top of that Shannon and I both getting a respiratory bug yesterday afternoon, we’ve been running non-stop it seems.  This illness nailed us both out of the blue and hit pretty hard, so this evening we’re finally settling down and trying to get some “quiet time”.

I was actually feeling a little down tonight Father.  Being as tomorrow is my birthday, Shannon and I had been planning to go out Saturday evening for a “Date Night”, but with both of us catching this bug we ended up cancelling our plans.  I’d been looking forward to our night out for a couple weeks, so it was a bit of a disappointment when I realized there was no way either of us was up to it.

Sitting around the dinner table this evening, it was a little on the subdued side; with both Shannon and I projecting raspy voices, conversation was somewhat limited.  About half-way through the meal, Shannon gave me a thoughtful look, and handed me a gift bag from across the table.  I protested slightly that my birthday was tomorrow and that I’d wait, but she was insistent so I gave in and took the bag.  Inside was a beautifully romantic birthday card, a FastBreak candy bar, a bag of jelly beans, and this:

I have such an amazing wife Father…   🙂

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for Your Constant Presence in our lives.  Whether we’re healthy, sick, energetic, or tired You remain by our sides, ever-faithful.  As my loving wife’s gift reminded me this evening, our disappointments pale in comparison to the Blessings You grant us each and every day when we choose to see them.  Amen.

~Phather Phil