Parenting Tips from Sinai

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father.

As You know Lord, I’ve been spending time lately delving back into the books of the Old Testament.  There are so many treasures in those writings, and each time I read from those pages I get new life breathed into my spirit.  This past weekend I read through the entire book of Leviticus and although it was a long read for me, I did gain some quiet wisdom from those passages.  Inside of all of those pages of Laws and Rules You dictated to Moses for the Israelites was one common theme:

You care about Your Children, and want us to be healthy, obedient and prosperous.

Now, I realize that’s a serious overgeneralization Father, but I believe a reasonable one all the same.  You laid down Rules for worship, for cleanliness, for conduct and for medical treatment that served to guide them as a society in those times.  You cared enough to give them that foundation, those morals and that guidance.

It’s very much what I try to impress on my own children;

A sense of commitment…

A feeling of wonder…

Respect for laws, rules and ethics…

A sense of responsibility…

Empathy and compassion for others…

And a deep Love and Reverence for You.

And funny enough, that’s exactly what I got from Your Word this weekend.  Thank You.  🙂

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

Young Minds Want to Know

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father.

Today Lord, I’d like to start out with a quick prayer of support for my wife Shannon.  Between being ill for the past week, a busy work schedule, college classes and symphony she’s been burning the candle at both ends, and has been feeling the results the last couple days.  Please bring her Your Loving Comfort and grant her the rest she so dearly needs.

This morning Father I decided to get Jonathan and Aidan involved in our conversation.  Therefore, on the way to school I asked them both if they had anything to tell You or ask of You.  The responses I got were not exactly what I expected, but I felt good ones all the same:

Aidan (8) : “Is watching over everyone all the time hard?”

I don’t think Aidan realizes what a significant and deep question this is Father.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that while we don’t have a definitive answer that fits in our limited understanding, there are some scriptural passages which shine some light on this question.

First off, we refer to You as “Almighty God”, which implies the omnipotence of Your Power and that You are “All-ruling” (from the Greek word pantokrator used in the early Bible translations) over what You have created.  Jesus summed it up quite clearly in Matthew 19:26:

“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”” (NIV)

You created us all, and have reign over all You have created; Your Word states this over and over quite distinctly.  This tells me You have the power to watch over us all without question.

The other piece of this answer in my mind, would be the omnipresence of Your Spirit.  Again, referencing scriptures for this I found Psalm 139:7-12:

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.” (NIV)

Through Your Spirit, You reach out and have complete access to the whole of Your Creation.  Ok, so you have the Power, and the Presence.  I realize that this doesn’t answer Aidan’s question specifically about whether or not it’s hard for You Lord, but Your Word clearly establishes the ability for You to do so, and the promise You gave us:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV) (one of my all-time favorite verses)

Great question Aidan!  🙂

Jonathan (11): “What does God have planned for the people of Japan now?”

Bless him Father, he worries about so much and so many people for an 11 year old.

I explained to him that in cases like this, we have to understand that we don’t truly have the “Big Picture” that You do, but that You were still there for those people, still loved them and were still in control.

I’m sure he’ll be talking with You directly later on about this Lord.  Maybe You can give him a better answer than I was able to at 7:45 this morning.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the lessons I learn each day through my children.  I love seeing them growing in Your Kingdom and yearning to know You better.  Please continue to guide them along the path You have chosen, and help me bring Your Love and Wisdom to their hearts and minds.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursdays: Friendships

Dear Lord; Good evening Father!

Following the example I began last week Lord, today I’m celebrating another “Thankful Thursday” here at phatherphil.org.  While I’m truly thankful all week long, I love the idea of spending our time together one day each week focusing my prayers on one particular Blessing that You’ve granted me.  If nothing else, with all the love You’ve shown me Father, I should have enough material for an infinite number of Thursdays!  🙂

“When we consider the blessings of God–the gifts that add beauty and joy to our lives, that enable us to keep going through stretches of boredom and even suffering–friendship is very near the top.” – Donald W. McCullough, Mastering Personal Growth

Friendships have been at the forefront of my heart this past week Lord.  Over the years, you’ve brought some truly amazing and wonderful people into my life.   Some are still nearby, some have moved away and some have passed on to Your Kingdom, but all have left indelible footprints on my path.  From these vessels of Your choosing Lord, I’ve gained wisdom, acceptance, fellowship and encouragement.

You’ve even used technology to connect us Father.  Thanks to the staggering growth of the Internet, it seems as though no corner of the world is outside our reach these days.  Through this conduit, I’ve been Blessed to connect with many beautiful souls whom I likely would never have encountered otherwise.  Your Children in this “global fellowship” give me fresh perspective and inspiration, and have enriched my journey to no end.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the many friendships and fellowships You’ve Blessed me with.  I am a better man, and a better Child of God for those relationships.

“Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (NIV)

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Then and Now, Lessons Learned

Dear Lord; Good evening Father!

For some time now Father, I’ve been feeling like You’ve been preparing me for something; teaching me hard lessons, tempering my faith and yet at the same time guiding me towards a destination somewhere “outside my box”.  You’ve whispered messages of encouragement and direction into my heart, but as I called them in yesterday’s chat all those “puzzle pieces” just haven’t quite fit together yet.  You told me there would be change in my life, You told me to “Expect something wonderful” and over and over again You told me to be steadfast and have Faith.  I won’t sugar coat it Lord… The last year or so has been extremely difficult for me.  But Father, somewhere during this time of trials something strange happened…

I found that I actually became more thankful for Your Blessings in my life, and have grown closer to You in the process.

I got to thinking about this quite a bit today, and I realized that it wasn’t the first time You’ve used hardships to teach me something important.  In fact, the first time was what I consider to be the lowest point in my life and at the same time, the beginning of my understanding of what true Blessings are.

On December 14, 1999, you gave to us a wonderful, beautiful little boy whom we named Jonathan.  As we’d been told for years that we couldn’t have our own biological children, Jonathan was deemed our “miracle baby”; little did we know how true that description was.

At Jonathan’s 10-week checkup, the pediatrician noticed that he looked awfully pale so she ordered some blood tests to be done.  A few hours later in a flurry of anxious phone calls we were sent directly to A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children’s Oncology / Hematology department for an emergency appointment.  The next several weeks to follow were to be honest, a blur.  Test after test was done, and yet answers still seemed just out of everyone’s reach while terms like Leukemia, Anemia and Spherocytosis were tossed about between the physicians.  Finally, on March 19^th (coincidentally my 30^th birthday) we were given the grim diagnosis.  Jonathan had a rare disease called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis, and it had infiltrated multiple systems in his tiny little body.  While the doctors were hesitant to give us any specifics about his prognosis, we were quietly informed that based on how far the disease had spread and the lack of information about it they gave him a 10 to 20% chance at best.

Shannon and I were absolutely devastated.  I was lost Father, and hurt, and angry… oh was I angry.

You had started to bring me to You that day Father, although I didn’t know it at the time.  We spent the majority of our time over the next 14 months living at the hospital, clinging to his life with all we had.  From rounds of chemotherapy and steroids, to surgeries, to recovery protocols we stayed fast and hung our lives on every change in his condition.

I’d love to say that I prayed long, deep, faithful prayers Lord, but we both know that isn’t true.  I was consumed by grief, and anger and fear.  I have no doubt You were trying to talk to me then Father, but I was nothing resembling receptive.

And yet, You never left Jonathan’s side.  I was broken, and lost and still You remained ever-faithful.  Thank You so much for that Father.  🙂

It’s said that hindsight is 20/20, and in this case it’s an apt phrase.  When I look back at that terrifying period of uncertainty in our lives, I realize that I needed to be there.  In the midst of my darkest time, You were waving a lantern; pointing out things that had I not been forced to deal with, I would have never seen.  It was a transformational and pivotal point in my life Lord, and it completely altered the path I’d been on.  The lessons I learned in those years changed me in ways I’m still uncovering today.

Fast forward ten years time…

Life again took a new turn down the road of uncertainty.  Between severe economic nightmares, the unexpected death of my best friend and a seemingly unending set of problems, the last year has been the most stressful period I’ve had since Jonathan’s illness was diagnosed.  This time however, it’s different Father:

I know You’re here with me, ever-faithful, ever-vigilant.  Even in my turmoil, I feel Your Peace.

See Lord, I learn.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for faithfully guiding me down the path You have laid out for me.  Please keep my eyes open, my ears trained and my heart open for those whisperings You pass to me along the way.  Amen.

~Phather Phil