Dec 27, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Dec 27, 2010 | 6 comments
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! Well, we’ve certainly started the week off with a blustery and snowy morning. Here in middle Delaware at least, the snow came down all day yesterday and into the evening, leaving a cleansing white coating on the ground. While it’s a travel impediment, I’ve always loved the way snow seems to purify everything and leaves the Earth feeling new, although I’m sure I’ll be a lot less enthralled clearing the driveway later on today when the wind settles down :-). Either way, I pray that all those forced to venture out into these conditions will feel You by their side, and get to their destinations safely.
I also wanted to thank You for a lovely Christmas weekend Father. From the wonderful Children’s Christmas Eve Service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Friday night, to the time spent with my loving family on Christmas Day it was a joyous time and will inspire happy memories for quite some time to come. We are indeed Blessed, and I thank You from the bottom of my heart.
Searching for inspiration on this wintery Monday morning Lord, I came across a prayer that just hit home with me and therefore I’d like to finish our chat with it. It’s called “The Prayer of Saint Francis” and reads :
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.”
~Phather Phil
Dec 8, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Dec 8, 2010 | 6 comments
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! To start our chat off today, I’d like to say a quick prayer for You to keep a watchful eye on my son Jonathan as he goes on a class field trip to the Native American Museum in Washington DC today. I know he’s under careful supervision, but I worry about him all the same. Please let him feel Your Protective Touch throughout the day, and bring him home to us safely. Thank You!
Well Lord, as I’m sure You know this weekend I’ll be officiating a marriage for the first time. I hold marriage in an amazingly high regard, and while this is a true honor for me I’ll admit to being a little nervous. I’ve done some public speaking in the past, but this is quite a bit different and although I’m excited to be acting as Your Representative to bring together these two people, it’s somewhat daunting all the same. Please help me to be a Good Instrument of Your Love Father, and Bless their union through this Ceremony. Inspire my words, and give me the courage to deliver them with the conviction, emotion and reverence that this Blessed event deserves. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Nov 19, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Nov 19, 2010 | 4 comments
Dear Lord; I love our morning correspondence. It’s become an important part of my day, and I find that it helps me to explore my motivations and feelings, and at the same time to get closer to You. Thank You for that. Last night during a quiet moment, I was thinking about our daily time together and it started me contemplating about what prayer really was and about how others commune with you.
As children, the traditional “pray on your knees, eyes closed, head bowed and hands pressed together” was the de facto standard for us, and I know for many this is still the way they feel like they’re best in contact with You. I know some who choose to sit in a quiet place, close their eyes and meditate to focus on what’s in their heart. For many, I know that certain places can provide a more open conduit to hearing Your Voice (as I’ve mentioned before, the woods of Blackbird Forest have that significance for me). And for a large number of people, attending regular Church Services are still their special time to hear Your Word and gain that Fellowship.
So, here’s my take on prayer Father. First off, I believe that if I leave my Spirit open to Faith then I’m really in constant communication with You. You know my heart, and the more my relationship with You grows, the more I feel that I’m always in Your Presence. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, it reads: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”. By allowing the Spirit to fill my heart, I leave myself open to hearing Your Voice; That’s prayer for me. And in writing these public emails to You Lord, I’ve found yet another conduit to focus my thoughts, hopes and prayers, while hopefully inspiring others to listen in the Stillness for Your Voice, and to better revel in Your Grace. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Nov 17, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Nov 17, 2010 | 0 comments
Dear Lord; This morning Lord, I’d like to talk about Stillness. As I’ve mentioned to You before, there are certain times and places that bring about a mental and spiritual Stillness for me that makes my commune with You so much clearer. I know what they are for me and usually how to achieve them, but I always find it fascinating to see how others find their moments of clarity. I was reading another Blog this morning written by a lady named Gail Brenner and came across her article called “The Art of Discovering the Spaces In-Between”. It was quite well written and although not directed specifically at communing with You, I realized that what she was describing was exactly how my Stillness feels.
Along those same lines, I’ve been working to try and find ways to achieve Stillness outside my normal “happy places” as of late. My life, as well as the lives of many around me, has been amazingly tumultuous over the last year, and sometimes it’s become very difficult to absorb and balance all of the negative things happening around me. Retreating to those moments of Stillness very much helps to recharge my Spiritual Batteries, so I’ve been working to find ways throughout the day to access those lines of communication with You. Call it Prayer, Meditation, Communing with the Universe or whatever You like, the more I can tap into those moments the closer I feel to You, and the more I can focus on Your Plan for me and Honoring Your Grace.
Please help us Heavenly Father, to find that Inner Peace and Stillness in all of us so that we may allow more of Your Love to go forth into the world. The louder I hear You, the more I learn and the better I feel. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
