Another Thank You, and I’m Sorry

Dear Lord; Well Father, the wedding on Saturday went very well.  Thank You so much for being there and Blessing the joyful proceedings.  It was an amazing honor for me to be a conduit for Your Love, and I absolutely felt Your Presence throughout.  Please continue to Bless the happy couple’s marriage, and fill their lives with Your Love for the rest of their days.

This morning Lord, I did something I very seldom do… I lost my temper.  It was over a verbal personal attack that was made against me behind my back by someone I’ve known for a long time, and it absolutely incensed me.  Father, with Your help I do what I consider a very good job at maintaining my composure and “turning the other cheek”, but I’m ashamed to say that this morning I failed in that capacity.  Searching for my center in Your Book today, I found :

Proverbs 16:32 – Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

So true Lord.  Please Father, help me purge those feelings from my spirit and focus my energies on serving Your Will.  Fill my heart with Your Love and Kindness, and please help me be an effective agent of Your Disposition to those in need.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Feeling Your Presence

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.  🙂

~Phather Phil

The Reason for the Season

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

Life on Overload

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

Inspiration for a Monday Morning

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