To begin with Father, I want to thank You again for yesterday. As You told me it would be when I woke, it was a good day. 🙂
Today Lord, I’d like to focus my prayers on my wonderful wife Shannon if I may. As You know, she’s been on my mind even more than usual the last few days. The past year has been an amazing transition and growth year for her both personally and professionally, but in that same respect her workload has increased and changed from what she’d been used to for so long. From being a stay-at-home mom and part-time assistant at a Christian Preschool she now :
– Has a job as a full-time Preschool Teacher with a full class of four-year-olds at a school she loves, surrounded by people that encourage and appreciate her.
– Has started taking college courses to further her education in Early Childhood Development.
– Plays viola for the Dover Symphony Orchestra and a private quartet that does weddings and parties.
– Teaches violin, viola and other instrumental lessons to a number of children in the area.
And on top of that Father, she always finds time and energy for her loving husband and two little boys. I am indeed Blessed to have her as my wife, my best friend and the mother of our children.
When I first heard the song “Dancing in the Minefields” by Andrew Peterson played on K-Love earlier in the year, I shared it with her and we both immediately felt a connection to the message it contained. It’s been running through my heart a lot the last few days, so I thought I’d close the week by sharing :
Heavenly Father, You’ve bestowed upon me the most amazing gift any man could ask for; a true soul-mate in life. I thank You for such an undeserved Blessing, and pray that You continue to shine Your Light through her eyes and her heart. Amen.
Today Lord, I was having difficulty deciding how to “frame” our conversation. This morning brought along with the dawn a seemingly continuous stream of headaches, problems and complications which made it very difficult for me to focus on Your Voice through the “noise”. I started writing several times, but always ended up clearing it from my screen because it just felt wrong. Instead of forcing the issue, I decided to leave myself open to You as best I could, and work through the day’s labors until we could connect up properly.
Well Father… I’m here now.
It’s terribly disconcerting to me when I get to the point where I can’t focus enough to have our morning discussion. I’m dependent on You Lord, and when earthly influences overwhelm me to the point of not being able to concentrate on You, it’s upsetting to say the least. I felt lost, and embattled. For my human frailties Lord, I apologize and thank You for being ever faithful to me during my moments of weakness.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
Thank You for Your Comfort and Strength Father, and Your Unwavering Dedication to Your Children. We are truly Blessed.
Now Lord, if I may, I’d like to shift the subject.
As I mentioned yesterday, over the weekend I got a chance to head out with Jonathan and Aidan to Blackbird State Forest for a photowalk in the woods. It wasn’t overly cold per-se, but the wind was in upwards of 40mph, providing a stark reminder that while the temperature was up a bit we were still in the grips of winter. I hadn’t been there during this time of year before, and it was a truly different place with the foliage stripped from the trees and bushes. The veil of green we were accustomed to seeing was cast aside, and had been replaced by a vast sea of towering gray trunks reaching into the sky.
Life seemed to have packed up and left for warmer climates.
And yet, as we walked through the silent, barren trails we were greeted with some signs of rebirth. Through the carpet of fallen leaves and pine needles poked streaks of color; tufts of early grasses and fungi protected by and feeding on the remains of the previous year’s abundance. Like our spirits journeying to Your Light Lord, the forest was quietly feeding and nourishing the life it held hidden beneath the surface.
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, that walk opened my heart to the transitions You’re making in my life. I pray that You continue to feed my hunger for Your Presence, and nourish my imperfect and yearning spirit so that my human failings are no further impediment to Your Plan for me. Amen.
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 15th 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 :
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.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! On the heels of our discussion yesterday Lord, I’d like to follow up by talking with You about one of the most personal and effective ways You’ve brought Your Teachings and Guidance to me; through my children. I know we’ve covered things they’ve said and done more than once, but there were a couple glimmers of Your Light in them the last few days that I’d like to share. I still find it fascinating that even though You’ve put them in Shannon’s and my care to raise, I learn at least as much about You from them as they do from me.
To begin with, Friday night Jonathan was reading our discussions from the prior few days and informed me I had missed something. In the post “Better Than a Hallelujah”, I neglected to include his favorite song in the list. It’s from the Newsboys, and entitled “He Reigns” :
I have to agree with him, it’s a wonderful song. The lyrics that really get my attention are :
“And all the powers of darkness
Tremble at what they’ve just heard
‘Cause all the powers of darkness
Can’t drown out a single word”
Amen! If we fill the world with our praises of Your Glory, no dark force stands a chance. Nice choice Jonathan. 🙂
He and I also had a reasonably deep conversation about You that evening Lord, during which he made a statement out of the blue that just made my heart jump. He looked up at me and said : “Dad… I crave God.” Wow… I’ve never heard him use the word “crave” before, but from the lips of my 11 year old it was an amazingly powerful statement. Once again Father, you’ve used him to make me see Your Light. Thank You so much for this.
Not to leave Aidan out of the “influence loop” Lord, he gave me a good smile last night as well while he was reading his Action Bible and telling me all about it. He recanted the story described in Judges 6-8 in which Gideon’s army was reduced from 32,000 to a force of 300 men, and then by Your Power he prevailed against the Midianites much larger force. Aidan was completely captivated by this, and when we started discussing it he informed me that You were better than all the superheroes put together. Seeing him absorbing Your Word just brings joy to my heart Father. 🙂
I love my children to no end Lord, and seeing Your Light in them affects me more than almost anything else. Thank You so much for bringing them to my life, and staying by their sides each day. I pray that I can honor Your Gifts to us as they deserve, and that they never lose that craving for Your Love.
“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.” – Psalm 127:3
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father. As always, I’d like to start today by thanking You for the Blessings You bestowed on me this past weekend. While we had some disappointments in regards to plans that had been made, I did get to spend quite a bit of relaxed time with my family and some friends. All in all, it was a quiet but happy couple of days and I thank You for that.
This morning Lord, I’d like to talk about honesty if I may. It’s been a topic on my mind the last couple of days, as our disruption in plans this past weekend appears to have been the result of some deceit from someone Shannon and I had trusted. We haven’t been able to confirm our suspicions yet, but it’s extremely likely that we’re correct in this case. Either way, the situation got me thinking about the importance of truth in our lives in general, and how as Your Children we need to focus on it in our lives.
To begin with, I have to beg Your Forgiveness Lord. When I started going over the whole subject in my head, I put myself and my actions in a “litmus test” against Your Law and I found myself lacking. While I like to think of myself as an honest individual, if I truly subject myself to Your Absolutes I lie nearly every day in some fashion. Whether it’s a “little white lie” to avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or telling my secretary that I’m out if someone I don’t want to hear from calls, they’re lies no matter how you slice it. And when I expand that examination outward, it appears that we’re a dishonest society in general Lord.
Wow… What an intense realization for a Monday morning.
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” – Exodus 20:16
Ah yes, the good old 9th Commandment. Although we all know this one, we also all violate it at some point as well. There are many other edicts about misrepresenting the truth in Your Book as well Lord, including :
“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.” – Leviticus 19:11
“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.” – Proverbs 12:22
“Those who walk righteously
and speak what is right,
who reject gain from extortion
and keep their hands from accepting bribes,
who stop their ears against plots of murder
and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—
they are the ones who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain fortress.
Their bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail them.” – Isaiah 33:15-16
Forgive us Lord, for in this respect we have lost our way.
Heavenly Father, please forgive us for our misdeeds. Purge our fragile hearts of dishonesty, and help us focus on Your Guidance and Light as we go about each day, so that we may serve Your Will with honesty and Integrity. Amen.
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. 
