Dear Lord; First off, let me say Thank You for watching over Jonathan yesterday during his trip. He had a wonderful time, and seems to have learned quite a bit from the experience. Seeing that light in his eyes brings me more happiness than almost anything else in this world.
Secondly, I want to thank You for all of the inspiration You provided me with yesterday while finalizing the wedding script. I have to say, I’m very happy with the results and the Bride seems to be as well. Now I just pray that I can deliver Your Words with the reverence You deserve, and bring Your Loving Presence to those in attendance.
Also in my thoughts today Lord, is my Wonderful Wife Shannon. As You know, she teaches a preschool class and is absolutely amazing at working with those children. Like any group of kids, she has some that are far more challenging than others and over the last couple of weeks she’s been struggling with one in particular. Father, she takes her care of these children so personally that when she has difficulties reaching even one it hurts her heart very deeply. Please comfort her spirit Lord, and fill her with the understanding that every act of love she performs for these little ones is never in vain. Take her in Your Embrace, and let her feel Your Presence so that she can continue to bring her love to these children. Amen.
And today Lord, I’m actually going to add a P.S. to our conversation. The other night on TV, they showed “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. I was thrilled to see a happy piece of my childhood still being aired, and my kids absolutely loved it. More importantly Father, it’s one of the few Christmas specials that talks about the real meaning of Christmas and not the more generalized “Holiday” messages. One of my Facebook friends posted this link this morning, so I thought I’d close by sharing it.
Your Loving Message comes to me in so many ways Lord. 🙂
Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d actually like to rant a little bit if you don’t mind. The focus of my rambling is the overabundance of “Political Correctness” that seems to be even more overblown this time of year. I’m generally a very flexible person Lord, especially when working with peoples’ beliefs and religious (or lack thereof) affiliations, however why do some people find it necessary to force those restrictions and connotations on the rest of the world? Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve started seeing the typical “Take the Christ out of Christmas so as not to offend anyone” actions brought about by certain governmental bodies and other secular groups, and it just irks me to no end. It’s actually funny, but I have friends that are Jewish, Wiccan and Buddhist and even they’re bothered by this attitude our culture seems to have as of late.
So Lord, this year to try and help balance all the “P.C.” that’s going on, I’m working even harder to focus on the true reason for this Blessed Season; The Celebration of Your Son’s Holy Birth! Please Lord, shine Your Divine Light on our hearts and minds, and help us all Honor the Greatest Gift the world was ever given. Fill our Spirits with Your Presence, and let the world feel the Peace that was ushered in that Holy Night. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Well Father, December is upon us and at least here in Delaware I think you left the water running up there. 🙂 And although it’s a dreary, wet day outside my heart is opening to rejoice at the Season of Celebration for the Holy Birth of Your Son. I started this morning by shifting my iPod playlist over to Holiday music to get myself “in the spirit”. There’s nothing like the joyous sounds of Judy Collins, Bing Crosby, Harry Connick Jr. and Amy Grant singing Your praise to get my spirits in the right place. As I noted in yesterday’s email, music has a way of getting into my heart like not too many other things can, so I make sure to have appropriate uplifting songs playing for much of my day to keep me in the right frame of mind. Thank You for inspiring so many talented people and using their gifts as a conduit to our Souls.
Today’s prayers Lord, are for all those struggling to find their inspirations during this Blessed Season. It’s very easy to get mired down in the day-to-day troubles we all face, and to completely miss the Miracle that this time of year celebrates. Please open peoples’ hearts and minds to receive the true depth and meaning of this Blessed Event, and to focus on Your Loving Gifts to us instead of dwelling on earthly issues. Amen. ~Phather Phil
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
Dear Lord; My thoughts to you this morning come from a conversation I had with a good friend of mine regarding the pain she was feeling from the loss of a pet. Thinking more deeply about the situation, it dawned on me that a great many people are very deeply attached to their pets (myself included… Take a look at my Flickr link in the sidebar for pictures of my dogs :-)). They provide us love and companionship, and ask for amazingly little in return. There have been many discussions over the years in a variety of Religious and Philosophical forums as to whether or not animals have souls and if so, when they pass do they go to Heaven, however I’ve never questioned that. They touch our hearts and spirits in ways few other things can. If in Your Great Love Lord, You have created Heaven as a Paradise where exists True Happiness, I firmly believe that any of Your creatures that so intensely touch our Spirits will once again meet us in that Garden. Therefore Heavenly Father, today my prayers go out to our wonderful animals, and to Your children that love and care for them. 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.
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. 
