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.
Dear Lord; Merry Christmas Eve Father! This morning, following the “tradition” I started on Thanksgiving this year, I’m going to let two of my biggest Blessings (my sons Jonathan and Aidan) compose the email to you. I battled with what questions to give them to work from this morning, but couldn’t decide between two; “What does Christmas mean to you?” and “What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?”. Therefore, I thought we’d do both! 🙂
Jonathan (Age 11)
What does Christmas mean to you? :
“Christmas means to me that it’s time for Joy, Peace and Happiness. It’s also the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.”
What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?:
“God has blessed me with many things; my family, my friends, shelter and food. I have fun, and things to do. God has helped me stay healthy after I was really sick. Thank you God!”
Aidan (Age 8)
What does Christmas mean to you?:
“Christmas means celebrating Jesus’ Birthday. You get to be with your family. You get time off school. You get to spend time with your friends. You get decorate the house.”
What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?:
“I want to thank God for money, health, food, shelter, my family, my brother, something to do, our pets, and for my life.”
Father, on this Eve of Celebration of Your Son’s Divine Birth I want to thank You myself as well. You gave Your Only Son to us to inspire us, teach us, set a Holy Path for us to follow, and then to die for our Eternal Salvation. I can’t imagine a more amazing Gift, and I’m truly humbled by Your Love for us. Please reach out Father, to those struggling to find the Peace Christ brought to us all and let them feel Your Loving Arms around them.
May we all take time during the next couple of days to stop, let our earthly stresses go, and focus on the Wondrous Gift Our Lord has given to us. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Dear Lord; Last night, my family settled in to watch our favorite Christmas Movie…White Christmas. What a wonderful film that is! No matter how many times I watch it, I still end up with a huge smile on my face and find myself singing the songs for days afterwards. In the movie, my favorite song by far is “Count Your Blessings” sung by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.
Listening to that wonderful music last night, it dawned on me that there’s a great deal of wisdom in those lyrics. As I discussed in yesterday’s correspondence Father, there seems to be a lot of Your Children who are feeling very overburdened and lost at the moment. If along with laying those fears and doubts at the Foot of the Cross, we spend our time rejoicing and giving thanks for the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us, we’d all be closer in our walk with You. Thank You Lord, for all the Blessings both obvious and unseen that surround us all.
“So if you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.”
Dear Lord; Over the last week or so Father, I’ve run into quite a few people who seem frazzled, and describe their overall state as feeling overwhelmed. It’s not usually any specific thing, just a combination of everyday tasks and worries such as housework, work projects, kids’ activities and a plethora of others, and then on top of that the onset of the Holidays just puts that last straw on the camel’s back. I can certainly understand it, and have been guilty of letting life get the better of me more than once. To a point, I think we all live our lives on overload which makes it very easy to feel overburdened as soon as anything else is added to the pile.
Heavenly Father, please give us clear vision to see past the tasks at hand and recognize Your Gifts and True Purpose for us all. Fill our hearts and minds with Your Presence, and help us focus on the Divine Meaning of this Season so that we can go forward in Love, and honor Your Blessings. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! To start off with, I want to Thank You for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my family and friends. It never ceases to amaze me that when I focus on the blessings in my life, how truly rich I feel. Thank You for that.
This morning however, I’ve been having a difficult time getting motivated Lord. Maybe it’s just the “coming down” effect following a four-day weekend, but I started the day feeling a little rough. After a little searching for inspiration though, I found Psalm 18:32-36 :
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
I love this one… I know that no matter what Lord, You are my strength, my heart, and my salvation and you never leave my side, and this Psalm describes that perfectly for me. While I know this week is going to be filled with personal difficulties, I can approach it knowing You’re there for me. May everyone that’s dealing with fear, uncertainty or personal turmoil feel Your Loving Presence, and know that all Your Children are Blessed with Your Grace. 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. 
