Dear Lord; As you know Lord, today is an extremely special day for my Wife and I. 11 Years ago today, You Blessed us with our first son Jonathan. I remember his first year quite vividly Father. It was a complicated, and terrifying, and wondrous time. As I’ve mentioned before Lord, I consider that period to be the turning point to finding my path to You, and to some extent that’s made my bond to Jonathan even stronger. I see Your Light in him on a regular basis, and I can’t thank You enough for Blessing us by keeping him in our lives.
He’s a very special child in many ways Father, and while I know I’m biased I can honestly say that he’s been one of the most obvious examples to me that You have a Plan for all of us. He’s touched so many lives, and has an amazing inner light that seems to shine on those around him. For example, due to his medical history and some remaining “hardware” in his body, he’s been unable to go to camp with his friends during the summers. By Your Guidance, we were connected with an amazing organization called Kay’s Kamp which was setting up the first Oncology Camp in Delaware for kids a couple years back. We signed him up, and it’s been the most incredible experience for him. What was most remarkable for me though Father, was the comments I kept getting from the staff at the camp. Many of the other children are still on active treatment, or in serious condition with their futures very much in doubt. Over and over again, I was told how much Jonathan worked to raise them up, and make them feel like they were normal, and special. This year, it became even more obvious to me when one of the Kay’s Kamp kids from the first year was in the hospital, and we found out that there was nothing else they could do for her. We visited her in the hospital, and Jonathan went to her bedside and talked with her for a little bit. We didn’t hear what was said, but she and he both had smiles on their faces afterwards and when I asked him why he said “It’s ok… She’s going to be with God and won’t hurt any more.” As I said Lord, I see Your Light in him regularly and learn so much about You through him.
Heavenly Father, thank You so very much for bringing me this little miracle, and for using him to help me see Your Wonder and Your Love more completely. I lift my prayers to You for this incredible Blessing, and ask for Your Continued Guidance in nurturing him as he grows. Amen. ~Phather Phil
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; Good morning Father! To start our chat off today, I’d like to say a quick prayer for You to keep a watchful eye on my son Jonathan as he goes on a class field trip to the Native American Museum in Washington DC today. I know he’s under careful supervision, but I worry about him all the same. Please let him feel Your Protective Touch throughout the day, and bring him home to us safely. Thank You!
Well Lord, as I’m sure You know this weekend I’ll be officiating a marriage for the first time. I hold marriage in an amazingly high regard, and while this is a true honor for me I’ll admit to being a little nervous. I’ve done some public speaking in the past, but this is quite a bit different and although I’m excited to be acting as Your Representative to bring together these two people, it’s somewhat daunting all the same. Please help me to be a Good Instrument of Your Love Father, and Bless their union through this Ceremony. Inspire my words, and give me the courage to deliver them with the conviction, emotion and reverence that this Blessed event deserves. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Whew… What a crazy morning it’s been Father. In addition to the normal first-thing rushing around to get everyone ready for work and school, today we had to contend with a grumpy almost-11-year-old who apparently was still disgruntled from an argument over homework with his mother the night before. His mood of course, did nothing to expedite all of us getting out of the house on time, and we found ourselves running to get out the door. In the car on the way to school, I got the chance to try and talk with him about his behavior and when that was met with resistance, I hit him with the bomb; “Jonathan, if Jesus was standing next to you right now, how do you think he’d feel about your behavior?” That got his attention. He looked down at his lap and mumbled something about how he knew Jesus wouldn’t approve, and his demeanor seemed to lighten a bit. I challenged him to think about that question more over the course of the day, and told him we’d talk more when I got home.
After dropping the kids off at school, I started playing things back in my head and thinking about the question I asked him in a larger context. It dawned on me that this was really an inquiry that we should all ask ourselves on a more regular basis. Yes, I do try to make decisions based on what my beliefs say are correct and I do try to listen for Your Guidance over the course of my day, but I certainly know I’m imperfect and don’t always make the right calls for every situation. Therefore Father, over this Season of Celebration I’m going to try to spend more time putting my actions and judgment to the same litmus test I asked of my son this morning. My hope is that by putting myself under the proverbial “Holy Microscope” more often I can gain further understanding of Your Will, and be a better husband, father, businessman, and Child of God. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Sometimes Father, music can reach into our soul and touch our hearts in ways that words simply can’t. Most people I know have one or more songs that just hit a raw nerve and evoke amazing emotional responses. In my case, it has to do with one that I first heard shortly after Jonathan was born and we were living at A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children dealing with his Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. As You know, I spent each evening driving back and forth to the hospital to spend as much time with him and Shannon as I could while still keeping the bill collectors off our backs. The radio was my friend on those long lonely rides, and one night while coming home a new song came on that I hadn’t heard before. It was a dedication on the Delilah show for a man whose son was fighting cancer. It didn’t hit me at first, but as I listened to the haunting music and lyrics my heart caved, tears started pouring from my eyes and I had to pull the truck over. The song was by a Christian Artist named Mark Schultz and it was called He’s My Son.
There were a lot of life-changing moments during those years Father, and that was one of them. I of course ended up buying the CD with that song on it, and have listened to it many times since (as well as the rest of the music on it… He’s quite good). Thank You for bringing me that emotional release that night, and for speaking to me in the darkness. 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.
Dear Lord; As you know Lord, today is an extremely special day for my Wife and I. 11 Years ago today, You Blessed us with our first son Jonathan. I remember his first year quite vividly Father. It was a complicated, and terrifying, and wondrous time. As I’ve mentioned before Lord, I consider that period to be the turning point to finding my path to You, and to some extent that’s made my bond to Jonathan even stronger. I see Your Light in him on a regular basis, and I can’t thank You enough for Blessing us by keeping him in our lives.
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. 
