The Kindness of My Readers

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  Well Lord, my day started out with a lovely surprise gifted to me by a couple of my fellow Christian Bloggers.  As I’ve mentioned to You more than once, the wonderful people I’ve met (virtually) while writing this blog have been an amazing blessing to me, and never fail to inspire and encourage me in my walk with You.  Two of the sites I read each day; Mothers on Mission (co-authored by Kelli and Heidi) and Beautiful in Him (written by Allison) have passed along to me the “Stylish Blogger Award”.  Thank you so much ladies… I’m very flattered by this wonderful complement.  🙂

Along with this award comes a few requirements.  First, I need to list seven things about myself that not everyone knows (although I realize You know me completely Father).  Funny enough, while that seemed like a simple enough request, I found it no easy task.  Here’s what I came up with :

1. I’ve married my wife Shannon three times;  An informal ceremony with just a few family and friends, a formal affair five months later with a larger guest list and a reception, and this previous year on our 15^th Anniversary I surprised her with a Vow Renewal Ceremony at the same church we were married in.

2. For the original wedding ceremony, I was married in jeans and western boots.

3. In 2009 I wrote and published a book for Shannon as an Anniversary gift called “Musings of a Devoted Husband” containing family photos and the daily romantic and devotional quotes I send to her phone and publish to MyCoffeeCupHasFeet.com each day.

4. I own and operate a computer networking and service company in Dover, Delaware called Diamond Computer Incorporated.

5. I have two wonderful children; Jonathan age 11 and Aidan age 8, both of whom I love dearly.

6. I’m a science fiction junkie, and love losing myself in episodes of shows like Dr. Who, Firefly, Babylon 5 and Fringe.

7. I’ve been a player of the online game World of Warcraft for over two years now.  While I don’t get the time to play that I used to, I still enjoy it when I have a few quiet moments.

Wow… That took more than I thought it would.  While it’s probably a good exercise, I always find writing about myself to be a terribly difficult thing to do.

The other responsibility of this award Father, is to bestow it on some other blogs that I enjoy.  There are so many that I’ve gained insight and inspiration from that this could be a long list, but some of my favorites are :

Lisa at A Moment with God

Jenifer at ~Sweet Blessings~

Jean at Healthy Spirituality

Elaine at Peace for the Journey

Heavenly Father, I thank you for connecting me with these wonderful people in our Online Fellowship.  I’m humbled to have met them through this journey, and pray that You continue to bestow Your Blessings on all those who strive to bring Your Message of Love to others.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Chipping Away at Our Shell

Dear Lord; Good morning Father… And a frozen one it is!  The weather here has once again shifted and covered the Delaware landscape with Winter’s bounty.  This morning though, it’s not snow that layers the ground, but a shiny frozen sheet of ice and sleet.  This of course, makes traveling dangerous Lord, so please watch over those who are going out into this weather and keep them safe from harm.

As I was chiseling the ice from my “truck-sicle” this morning, waiting for the heater to add it’s inner glow to the effort it dawned on me that this was an interesting analogy to how You come into our lives (Ok, so this may be an odd tangent, but bear with me…).  We’re like the truck shrouded in ice; spiritually cold and covered in misunderstanding, pain and sin.  Little by little You scrape at our frozen shell, slowly revealing Your Light and Warmth to us until our inner heat kicks in and bridges that gap.

Ok.  I said it was an odd tangent, but I think a valid one all the same.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Diligence and constant Presence in my life.  Please keep “chipping away” at my earthly shell, so that I may see You with more perfect clarity.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Be Strong and Courageous

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  Today Lord, I’d like to spend some time talking about discouragement.  As You well know, I’ve been dealing with this particular feeling quite a bit recently and it can be an extremely overwhelming emotion if not kept in check.  I’ve also received messages from many others struggling against similar demons, so I thought it was worth discussing today.

In my case, the bulk of my challenges with discouragement are centered around running a business in a radically depressed economy.  While we’ve persevered through what I hope is the ugliest part, I was forced to make some very unhappy, but necessary decisions for the survivability of the company.  On top of that, the road that always seemed reasonably obvious for me has been clouded by a wide variety of uncertainties, leading to deep feelings of doubt, fear and discouragement.  I know that when the dust settles that we’ll be the better for our trials, but in the meantime not allowing Satan to use these moments of earthy weakness to attack my spirit can be a difficult task.

Of course, there are many other forms of discouragement as well.  Each day I see and speak with people struggling with these feelings over problems with schoolwork, dieting, quitting substance addiction and a plethora of others.  These situations lead to moments of emotional weakness which can truly leave us vulnerable and wanting, and keep us from hearing Your Voice clearly.

So Father, how do we combat these attacks on our spirits in times of turmoil?  Looking to Your Book for guidance, I find quite a bit to focus and encourage me :

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

“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

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:6-8

We were never promised an easy life on earth, but we’re fragile creatures Lord and it’s easy to forget that sometimes.  You did promise us however that if we follow in You and honor You, that You will never leave our sides.  What an amazing Gift!  You’re there celebrating with us in our moments of joy, and You’re there to comfort us in our times of need… We simply need to quiet the “noise” in our minds, and open our hearts to Your Voice.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Guiding Presence in our lives.  Please help us filter out that emotional “noise” and focus our hearts on Your Will.  Bring comfort and direction to all those struggling with feelings of discouragement and depression, and let them know the true worth they have being one of Your Children.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Grant me the Serenity…

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  First off, I want to send out a quick prayer of support for my wife Shannon.  She’s been dealing with a very difficult professional situation as of late that’s had her mind wrestling with her heart, and it’s taken a toll on her.  She’s an amazing lady Lord, with a giving and caring spirit that seems to know no end, but in some cases those wonderful qualities can make necessary decisions much more difficult.  Please send her Your Strength and Guidance to make the right decisions, and comfort her with the knowledge You’re with her.  Thank You.

Yesterday, I read a posting on one of my favorite Christian Blog Sites (Mothers On Mission) that brought to mind one of my favorite prayers.  It’s referred to as the Serenity Prayer and is attributed to a gentleman named Reinhold Niebuhr :

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

There’s that word Accept again!  You know Father, since You placed that focus in my heart it seems to just pop up all around me.  As You’re well aware, the plea “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…” is something I pray for on a regular basis.  The more my life seems to veer away from my control, the more I realize that much of what I struggle with never was mine to direct in the first place.

I’m getting there Lord… Thank You for bearing with me.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

My Kingdom for a Smile

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  Today Lord, I’d like to talk about an experience I had last night which made quite an impact on me… I went to the Super Wal*Mart.

I only needed a few items; Some food for dinner, and I wanted to pick up a couple Christmas gifts for the kids so I thought it would be a quick and easy trip.  It was around 4:20pm, so I expected to avoid the truly heavy “after-work” traffic and in fact the parking lot was busy, but not as packed as I’ve seen before.  I grabbed a cart, went inside, looked around at the hustle and bustle and almost immediately it hit me… No one was smiling.

Not the customers, not the cashiers, not the stock people, no one in eyesight had a smile on their faces.  I’m not sure why it hit me so quickly, or affected me so significantly but the whole building suddenly seemed very cold and uninviting.  Now, it wasn’t Wal*Mart itself.  It’s certainly not my favorite place to shop, but I absolutely have nothing against it either.  This was just an overall feeling being given off that pervaded the entire premises.  And as I spent the next 45 minutes gathering what I came for, it only became more apparent to me that the people here simply were not happy.  Even attempts to garner some positive responses from others in the store failed.  I made eye contact, smiled and nodded to countless patrons, and yet all but one ignored my actions completely.  In the end, I paid for my items and left the store feeling almost distraught at the overwhelming level of despair I had just witnessed.  It hung with me for some of the evening, until I got some quiet time to contemplate and pray for guidance.  That helped calm my spirit, but the experience still lingers in my mind.

So Father, this morning my heart is crying out to You for help.  You’ve done so much for us, and yet there are so many who just can’t see past their earthly worries enough to bear witness to Your Glorious Works.  Please fill these lost souls with Your Endless Love; Make it grow and spread so that Your Light shines like a beacon for all around to behold.  Help me be an emissary for Your Word, and spread the Love of Christ and the Miracle of His Birth on to all those I possibly can.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil