During my morning web “stumbling” Lord, I came across a statement made on a blog site regarding missionary work that got the gears in my head spinning. The phrase used was : “God is not practical.”. In the context of the article it was contained in the statement wasn’t used in a derogatory fashion, it was simply used to illustrate that You call us to do things that may not be expedient, or what we would deem logical and productive. Either way, it got me to thinking…
Am I allowing You to take me outside my “comfort zone” when You ask, or am I sometimes only serving You when it’s practical to do so?
Ouch… That’s a convicting question. Yes, I’ve absolutely stretched my boundaries and grown in Faith but have I always done all I can? If I’m brutally honest with myself the answer is a resounding no. Have I taken every opportunity to share Your Message with others? No. Have I consistently followed the whispers You place in my heart, and dropped everything to accomplish Your Will? No. Have I faithfully followed Jesus’ example in every aspect of my daily life? No.
Am I learning, growing and striving for transformation so that I may someday change those answers? Yes. 🙂
I am a work in progress Father; A repentant child who looks to You for guidance, inspiration, understanding and mercy. Please hear my prayer.
Heavenly Father, I pray that in Your Word and with Your Guidance I continue to grow in Your Kingdom. Please lead me to bring Your Message to others, and to stray joyously out of the practical in Your Service. Amen.
On my way to a client’s office this morning, I was listening to the local contemporary Christian radio station and they were airing a piece about an outreach program they’d conducted a couple weeks ago. During the clip they played, one of the participants was discussing how wonderful it was that You used that event to reach out to those who were in need.
That got me thinking Father… The idea of “being used” usually has such a negative connotation in the context of our earthly relationships, and yet as Christians we yearn for You to use us.
If we examine Your Word, we find that even Your enemies are used to accomplish Your Works. For example, in the story of Exodus You not only used Moses to bring the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt, but You also used Pharaoh as well :
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”” – Exodus 7:1-5 (NIV)
By manipulating Pharaoh and hardening his heart, You used him to make Your Might known to the Egyptians. Even those that stand against you in doubt and defiance may be used for Your Purpose.
For those who follow You however Father, there is no greater joy than being used for Your Divine Works; to be Your emissary, Your instrument and Your servant.
Use me Lord. Lead me. Let me be Your Hands. Let me shine Your Light for all to see. This is my prayer, today and every day.
Thank You Father, for yet another lovely weekend! Shannon and I were able to get out with some friends for a “date night” Friday evening, and on Saturday a friend of Jonathan’s from Kay’s Kamp came for a visit. He hadn’t seen Matthew since Kamp last summer, so it was a wonderful reunion and the kids had an absolute blast. As for me, with Shannon focused on her schoolwork I got to spend lots of time in the kitchen (the kids really enjoyed making fried wontons), got some housework accomplished and still had “down time” to spend on Sunday watching movies and playing with the kids. All in all, a busy but very satisfying couple of days.
One of the movies I watched on Sunday afternoon was an old favorite of mine (I actually have it on Laserdisc). It’s a 1992 film called “Leap of Fath” which starred Steve Martin as a con-man Christian preacher and faith healer named Jonas Nightengale who travels across the country hosting revivals and performing “miracles” for the crowd. On his way to Topeka, one of the trucks breaks down and strands the troupe in a depressed farming town called Rustwater. Jonas decides to do their show in the small town while waiting for the truck to be repaired, and is quickly met with resistance from the local sheriff (played by Liam Neeson) who seeks to expose him for the charlatan that he is. Jonas’ perspective however, soon changes when a local handicapped boy begins to make him examine his faith in a different light.
This is one of those films I can watch again and again, and yet gain something new from it each time Lord. It highlights some of the depths that in our brokenness we can sink to, and yet also delivers a powerful reminder of Your capacity for love and the spiritual transformation that can only come when we actively seek You. Watching this time, the thing that struck me the most was the look on Jonas’ face when he witnesses an actual miracle of healing during one of his shows. From the chasm of his self-centeredness and disbelief, he’s forced to see past himself and realizes that he’s truly not in control of things.
Mr. Martin does an amazing job portraying the character in this scene. The look of awe on his face at that moment describes quite eloquently the feeling I get when I spend time in Your Presence. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You once again for a rejuvenating weekend. It always refreshes me to find Your Messages to us in so many varied ways and places. You truly are the God of “Miracles and Wonders”. Amen.
Over the last couple weeks Father, it seems that I’ve been performing more and more data recovery services at my office. It’s actually work that I enjoy; taking a damaged hard drive where the contents have been rendered inaccessible and extracting the client’s seemingly lost bits of information contained therein. It’s a puzzle sometimes, and each drive has it’s own nuances that requires specific “massaging” to get to the data.
For the client, it’s a time of trial to be sure. Critical business data, family photos, tax returns or years of childhood videos may hang in the balance. People tend to underestimate the importance and value of the information they entrust to their computers these days, and when it’s not there all of a sudden it can be quite a shock. In the end, It’s a wonderfully satisfying feeling for me to hand them back something precious that they thought was lost to them forever.
Hold on… That’s what You do for us!
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5
We bring our lost and broken selves to Your Feet Lord, and through Your Son Jesus Christ we are “recovered” and made whole again. You return to us the most precious part of ourselves, and delight in doing so.
I never thought of you as a fellow geek Father… I like it. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You for “recovering me” from my sin and brokenness. Please continue to fill my spirit with new and beautiful “data”, and assist me in promoting Your Wondrous Service to others. Amen.
Father, today marks the birth of someone who greatly influenced my early years, as well as the lives of many other children throughout the world. And while he’s no longer with us here, the legacy he left behind continues to inspire, educate and delight those who read his works. I’m of course speaking of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known by his pen name of Dr. Seuss.
While he made a point of not speaking to any one religion or group in his writings, his messages of tolerance, understanding and peace were obvious and recurring themes in the books he wrote. Through whimsical characters, engaging stories and tongue-twisting rhymes he made learning fun while passing along the underlying positive messages to his young audience. Even as an adult, I still get a smile reading his stories.
The one published exception to his self-imposed rule of not writing works with obvious religious connotations came in a full-page, full-color article in the December 23, 1955 issue of Collier’s Magazine, where he wrote “A Prayer for a Child”* :
“From here on earth, From my small place I ask of You Way out in space: Please tell all men In every land What You and I Both understand . . .
Please tell all men That Peace is Good. That’s all That need be understood In every world In Your great sky.
(We understand. Both You and I.)” – Theodor Seuss Geisel
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gifts this man brought to me and to so many other children. While his words may not specifically carry Your name, Your Light shone brightly through his works all the same. Amen.
~Phather Phil
*The poem and image used are Trademark and Copyright of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.
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.
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. 
