Thankful Thursday: More Multitudes

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Following last week’s example Lord, I’m going to add to the list of Your Gifts that I’ve been especially grateful for this past week.  It’s funny, but since last week’s posting I’ve been finding myself making mental notes as I go through the day; “Wow… This needs to make the list this week!”.  I love having the mindset of “filing” all those wonderful Blessings You bestow on me so I can write them down later on.  🙂

Anyways Father, here’s my list this week:

16. Children who remember to say grace at dinnertime… Even when I forget.

17. A caring, God-loving veterinarian who understands what our “furry family members” mean to us.

18. Hunny responding well to the medication after only two days.

19. Good friends who go out of their way to help our family.

20. Live worship messages streaming from Crosspoint.tv on Sunday nights.

21. A staff who “rolls with the punches” in uncertain times.

22. Finding a Bluetooth headset for my phone that fits comfortably and works properly, (finally!)

23. Spring rainstorms that lull me to sleep at night.

24. A wife who likes mowing the lawn.

25. The smell of warm cinnamon bread baking in the oven.

26. Exploring the beauty and wonders of nature with the boys.

27. My hacked Nook Color Android Tablet.

28. Breakfast for Dinner.

29. The online Bible at YouVersion.com which I can access from my PC, my phone and my Android tablet.

30. Chunks of fresh strawberries in my fruit slushie.

Heavenly Father, as always this list could go on, and on, and on… Your Blessings surround us all each day, and I just love connecting with You further by putting them in writing.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Surrounded by Your Abundance

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

You know Father, it’s funny; some days I have to think, and pray, and ponder at length about what to focus on with our conversation, and then there are days like today where I have so many directions I’d like to go that I don’t know where to start!

Therefore Father, to stay somewhat with tradition I decided to start out the week by giving thanks to You for the weekend.

Shannon had back-to-back music performances this weekend, so for the most part Saturday and Sunday it was just the boys and I.  The dogs had me up early Saturday morning, so after running them out I settled in on the couch with my coffee and was able to enjoy much of the Book of Deuteronomy without interruption.  Fresh, dark coffee and the Word… What a wonderful way to wake up!  🙂

After the rest of the family was up, we all got dressed and were able to have lunch with Shannon before she had to head out to play viola at a wedding that afternoon.  Other than a few little household chores, the boys and I spent the rest of Saturday baking fresh cinnamon-sugar swirl bread, relaxing, watching Doctor Who episodes and simply appreciating our time together.  All in all, it was a nice, quiet day with my kids and I enjoyed it a great deal.

Sunday came, and Shannon was once again out the door first thing in the morning to another performance.  This is the last Symphony Concert she’ll have for quite a while as they break during the summer, so other than the work she does with the quartet she belongs to her weekend schedule should slow down a bit now.  Anyways, although the weather report looked quite threatening and the ominous sky appeared to support the forecast, we decided to risk getting rained on and headed out to Woodland Beach for a walk on the shore.

There’s always a wide variety of items to search through on Woodland Beach, but as we’d had a nasty thunderstorm come through the night before the sands were freshly filled with new treasures from the Delaware Bay.  Bits of colorful sea glass, shells and rocks of all size, shape and color covered our path.  Jonathan even brought a metal detector he’d received as a gift from his Grandfather a couple Christmases ago, and he and Aidan had a wonderful time chasing the “blips” and “bleeps” it made.  While we won’t be able to retire on the “riches” they unearthed (a corroded cell-phone battery, and a couple rusted chunks of metal from the old pier), they had an absolutely fantastic time which in my book is priceless nonetheless.

While Aidan started out looking for bits of sea glass, Jonathan quickly got his attention when his metal detector started indicating it found something beneath the sand.

The boys had a great time digging in the sand chasing down the source of the signals the detector picked up.

After we’d combed the nearby stretch of beach quite thoroughly, the boys and I hopped back in the truck and headed off to take a look at a new stretch of shoreline we’d heard about from a friend of mine.  We arrived at Port Mahon about a half-hour later; a virtually forgotten area that was obviously much more heavily used in years gone by.  The road was barely there, and I was quite thankful for my SUV’s four-wheel-drive keeping us from being stuck in the sand and gravel.  Rusting buffers and weathered, mussel-covered wooden piles lined the shore, now serving as lookouts for the wonderful variety of birds that swarmed the area.  It was a photographer’s paradise, and although I could have spent hours there capturing the essence of this waylaid port, our stomachs reminded us that we were overdue for sustenance, and we were forced to head home.  Thankfully however, this new discovery of nature is only around 25 minutes from our home, so we’re already planning a return trip soon.

One of the best parts of our visit to Port Mahon was the abundant wildlife, most obviously the shore birds that were all around.  I took a number of shots of this little fellow, but this was my favorite.

These two looking out over the water brought the movie “Finding Nemo” to mind for some reason… Mine?  Mine?  😉

Once back at the house, the boys cleaned up while I cooked up a “Breakfast for Dinner” feast for us.  While we enjoyed that repast, we watched the live streaming message put on by Cross Point Church at crosspoint.tv.  It was an excellent service, and a perfect way to close out the day’s activities.

Heavenly Father, thank You for yet another wonderful weekend with my family and friends.  I feel truly Blessed to not only have this “bonding” time with my children, but to live nearby to so many wondrous examples of Your Abundance in nature.  I love seeing the light in my boys’ eyes as they explore and examine the world You’ve given us, and being able to share my appreciation of Your Gifts with them.  I pray that they grow knowing that wonder, and remember these times with Your Love in their hearts.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

And With All Your Strength

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Today Lord, while reading in the Book of Deuteronomy I came across a passage that immediately reached out and touched my spirit.  I read it several times over, and each time I did so, the messages resonated more and more in my heart.  The verses I’m referring to detail Moses speaking to the Israelites about the Commandments You had delivered to them, and the importance of making them an integral part of our lives, and that of our children:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NIV)

Wow Father… What powerful and passionate words these are!

I can picture Moses in my head, pleading with those people to not only follow Your Laws, but to absorb them, to teach them and to make them the foundation of every single part of their lives.

…with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

I want that Father… I want to be consumed by Your Presence; to go throughout my day knowing that everything I do, I do for Your Glory.  And although I certainly fall way short of that directive, it remains a goal I strive for.

The rest of the passage made just as much of an impact on me as well.  As Christian parents, we need to not only teach Your Word and the Love of Christ to our children, but we also need to make You a fundamental part of their lives each day.  By “bringing” You to their discovery of the world around them and their everyday activities, we can help to instill Your Love in their hearts.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for placing this message in my heart today.  I pray that with Your Strength and Guidance I’m able to faithfully fulfill Your Plan for me, and that I can also bring that wonder and adoration of You to my children as well.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Musings on Mother’s Day

Dear Lord; Happy Mother’s Day Father!

This evening Lord, I wanted to pay tribute if I may, to two wonderful mothers in my life; my mother who passed to Your Kingdom in 1995, and my lovely wife Shannon.

I was very Blessed Father, to have an excellent mother-figure in my life growing up.  She was an intelligent, funny, caring woman and worked diligently to instill a sense of honor, understanding and perspective in my brother and I.  Although she battled multiple forms of cancer for over 15 years, her focus was always on caring for and nurturing us.  She was an amazing lady, and although I miss her a great deal I know I’ll see her again someday.  🙂

And Father, You Blessed me yet again with the wonderful lady You sent to be my wife.  She has truly been the epitome of the “ideal mother” to our boys, and I couldn’t be more thankful for her.  Today, we had a lovely Mother’s Day afternoon together.  It started with a late lunch at the local Celtic Pub, then we rode out to Woodland Beach for a walk along the shore to gather sea glass for Shannon’s craft projects.  I of course, carted along my camera and here are some of my favorites from the day:

Aidan spent the bulk of his time wading through the shallow water, finding rocks for his “collection”, and playing in the sand.

Jonathan started out with the idea of shooting photos as well, but the lure of playing in the sand and wading in the cool water quickly had me carrying his camera instead.

It was truly a lovely day out; around 75 degrees and sunny with a light breeze to keep the bugs away.

Shannon spent much of her time scouring the beach for bits of “sea glass” for her crafting projects.

We got the boys involved in the glass search as well, and they had a great time searching out these bits of treasure.

All in all Father, it was a lovely afternoon.  As always, I thank You for the Blessings You bestow on us each day, and for the remarkable examples of motherhood You’ve placed in my life.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Musings on the Weekend

Dear Lord; Good evening Father!

I know it’s not usual for me to write on Sundays Lord, but so much has happened over the last few days that I wanted to share with You while the events were still fresh in my mind.  It’s been an awesome weekend, and I’m very thankful for all You’ve Blessed me with.

It all began Friday night with the launching of our “Dinner and Drinks on the Deck” evening get-togethers.  This is something we started last year, and ended up having around 15 of them over the course of the spring and summer.  They’re informal cookouts attended by family and friends on Friday evenings where everyone brings something to share, and we provide the grilled food and snacks.  The adults get to relax, sit around the fire pit and wind down from the work week while the kids all get to burn off some steam together.  It’s a wonderful way to kick off the weekend, and this past Friday went extremely well.  In fact, we’ve already had quite a few inquiries about next weekend.  🙂

Saturday morning, Shannon went and taught violin lessons in town and with the help of a good friend I did some heavy-duty scrubbing of our master bathroom.  It had been far too long since I’d had the opportunity to clean and disinfect it thoroughly, and it was satisfying to see it all sparkling clean and smelling fresh.  My words to You from Thankful Thursday came immediately back to mind!

Saturday evening I dropped the kids off at one of their friends’ house for a sleepover visit, while Shannon and I got to enjoy a “date night” out.  We met up with some good friends for a fun dinner, then headed out to a local party for some dancing and socializing.  While we love our children dearly, the opportunity to get out as a couple now and again helps us to “recharge our batteries” and focus on the intimate bond we’re Blessed to have between us.  Saturday night was a great time, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Early Sunday, Shannon headed off to play viola at a wedding with the other ladies in her quartet while I got an unheard-of morning to sleep in a bit, and have some “quiet time” relaxing and communing with You.  The boys went to church with the family they had stayed with, and had a wonderful time at Sunday School and participating in the worship service.  I picked them up shortly afterwards, and we headed out to have lunch and spend the day hiking and shooting photos nearby.  It was a bit overcast today, but the temperature was perfect and we managed to get time to walk both out at Blackbird State Forest and then about a half-hour away on the sands of Woodland Beach.  I love spending these moments with them, and each new excursion we take together brings us closer to each other, and to You.

Here are some of the photos I shot today that made me smile Father:

The boys paused for this shot while we were walking down one of the many nature trails in Blackbird Forest.

Always the adventurer, Aidan forges ahead of us, setting the pace.

Jonathan’s photography skills have improved markedly over the last year.  I’ve really enjoyed teaching him about lighting and composition, and he’s really having fun seeing what he can do with the camera.

This little fellow was being harassed by a group of other ducks and was just frazzled beyond words.  I loved the expression and attitude he was exuding and was Blessed to catch this shot.

All in all Father, it was the best weekend we’ve had in a long time and I thank You from the bottom of my heart.  You Bless my family and I in so many ways Lord, and I am very deeply grateful for Your Presence and Guidance in our lives.

Heavenly Father, once again I thank You for a wonderful, relaxing weekend with family and friends.  Please guide my decisions and actions in the coming week to best serve Your Will, and to share Your Light with those around me.  Amen.

~Phather Phil