From the Voices of Children

Dear Lord;  Good morning, and Happy Thanksgiving Father!  Over the last few days, I’ve been focusing our correspondence on some of the Blessings that I’m thankful for, so today I thought I’d share our time together and get my children involved in our chat.  Quite often I’ve heard Your Voice or seen Your Light in them, so it made sense to me to find out what they were truly thankful for.  This morning I asked them, “What would you like to thank God for?”, and here are their replies…

Aidan, Age 8 : “I would like to thank God for giving me a family, a home, for my pets, that my family’s really smart, that our new kitty wasn’t too sick when we got her, that I have nice friends, that I’m healthy, that my whole family is ‘mostly healthy’, that Me and Jonathan get along sometimes and that I have a good time at school.”

Jonathan, Age 10 : “I want to thank God for a healthy family, a caring family, great friends, a house around me, food in my tummy, for all the things You’ve done for me, having pets, having things to do, for having good education, having a brother, being able to go off and do things, for having clothes, making it so I can have video games, making me able to play with my family, forgiving me when I’ve done wrong and giving me courage for getting through tough situations.”

As I’ve mentioned before Lord, these two little boys are up towards the top of my Blessings list.  My heart is shaped daily by their presence, and I lift my prayers of thanks to You for having them in my life.

May all of Your Children feel Your Loving Touch on this day, and know Your Grace that we may honor Your Presence and go forward in Love.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Prayers for Motivation…

Dear Lord; First off, I want to thank you for a very nice weekend.  I was Blessed to spend the bulk of my time the last two days with my Family and good Friends, and other than a serious lack of sleep, enjoyed it thoroughly.  This morning however, I’m having a serious problem finding my inner motivation.  It’s not that there’s anything specifically wrong, I’m just not focusing well on how I can make the most from this day and serve Your Path for me to the fullest.  Therefore Father, my prayers today are for inspiration.  Please fill my head and my heart with Your Presence, and guide me to conduct myself in such a way as to honor Your Blessings in all I do.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Through Your Heart…

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d like to talk to You about selfishness.  Shannon and I have been spending some focus lately working with our children to help them think and make decisions for purposes other than benefiting themselves in some fashion.  They’re actually quite empathetic kids, and we’re very proud of their emotional growth so far but we’re always trying to make sure they’re making the best choices they can for the right reasons.  Anyways, it got me thinking about the choices I make and the reasons behind them.  I certainly try to be a good person, and to do things altruistically for others however if I’m brutally honest with myself, in many cases I’ve altered or adjusted things I’ve done to gain some benefit myself.  Therefore Lord, this morning I’m asking for Your Guidance and Presence to help me do the right things, for the right reasons.  Fill my heart with Your Kindness, and let me see past myself to truly make a difference.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Prayers for a Journey…

Dear Lord; This morning I’d like to lift my prayers to you for some people I’m very fond of.  Today they’re beginning an exciting and well-earned family vacation.  Please protect them throughout their journeys, and fill their hearts and minds with Your Presence so they may enjoy this trip to the fullest and come back satiated and refreshed.  In addition, I pray for Your Comfort and Guidance to be given to their two dogs as they spend this time without the ones they love.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Prayers for a Good Friend…

Dear Lord; My thoughts and prayers this morning are concentrated on a very good friend who’s scheduled to have surgery today.  Please make Yourself known to her, and let her feel Your Divine Presence so that she can be at peace during the procedure.  Heal her body and spirit, and keep her in Your Loving Gaze.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil