Dear Lord; Well Father, I want to start today by thanking You for Your Healing Light; Shannon and I are both feeling much better today. And more importantly Lord, I got Your point from our illness. Through all the stresses, difficulties and worries in our lives we are absolutely Loved and Blessed. What an amazing feeling! We had such an exceptional outpouring of love and concern that both of us could feel Your Presence in abundance, and we’re very grateful.
Today however, I’ll admit to be feeling a little overwhelmed with my earthly realities. Between the demands at work and Christmas being only four short days away, Shannon and I are struggling to not allow our time and money constraints to overshadow the amazing Blessing this Season of Celebration brings to us all. As You know, one of the things I use to keep my spirit focused on what’s truly important Lord, is music. Today, You kept bringing one specific Artist to my mind; Kathy Mattea. Her “Good News” Christmas Album has long been one of my favorites, and today this song just spoke to me :
Thank You Father, for all the Miracles You bring us each day. Help us all lay our worries and burdens at Your Feet and go forward in Love to Celebrate the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! First off, I want to tell You how wonderful it was to have such an amazing outpouring of affection and prayers for Jonathan’s birthday yesterday. Between the phone calls, Facebook postings, Blog Comments and emails it was VERY apparent to Shannon and I how loved he is, and how Blessed we are to know so many good people.
Today Lord, I’d like to revisit a topic we’ve discussed before; The sense of despair I’ve been seeing in far too many people lately. The reasons for these feelings run the gambit from financial problems, to employment issues, to stressing over Holiday “requirements”, but it seems that even more than usual, many are letting these burdens overwhelm them. I’ll be honest Father, our year has certainly been difficult in many ways as well, however it really hasn’t felt as desperate for me as I would have expected. Thinking on this, and listening for Your Guidance I realized why… I’ve got Jesus in my heart! What a remarkable Gift You’ve given me! No, that doesn’t pay the mortgage or keep gas in the car, but it does put all those things in proper perspective. Matthew 11:28-30 reads :
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Thank You so much Lord! You make all my burdens feel so light when I lay them at Your feet!
Therefore Father, my prayer today is a simple one. Please let those who feel lost, overwhelmed and full of despair feel Your Loving Presence in their hearts and rejoice! May the Peace of Christ pass over all those in need, and bring them to Your Light. Amen. ~Phather Phil
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; Well Father, tomorrow’s the big day and I’m actually quite excited. Tonight I go to rehearse with the wedding party, and go over the Ceremony I’ve prepared. While the nerves are still there, I know that You’re with me, and I’m extremely Honored to be representing You by joining these two people in Holy Matrimony.
Today though Lord, I’d like to talk with You about something I’m extremely thankful for. Over the last several months as I’ve been making this blog a daily part of my life, I’ve spent quite a bit of time searching for inspiration and seeking Your wisdom in a number of ways. Some of it’s come from just looking at the events that unfold around me with different eyes, and some has come through deliberate searching through the Bible, and a variety of Internet sites created by like-minded individuals. These people Lord, are a true Blessing to me. I haven’t actually met any of them, and yet their posts and comments have provided me with amazing inspiration, encouragement and wisdom. On top of that Lord, they’ve made me feel a part of their journey of faith, and I feel very Blessed to have them a part of mine as well. Please continue to hold these amazing people in Your Embrace Father, and fill their hearts with Your infinite Love so that they may continue to Glorify You, and bring Your Light to many others. Amen. ~Phather Phil
P.S. While some the sites I frequent are in my Blogroll, it’s by no means all-inclusive. Therefore, please hear my special prayers for Jenifer, Lisa, Bryan, Elaine, Allison, Jean, Kelli and Christopher. These are Blessed Souls indeed, and make my journey to You much more full. Amen.
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
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. 
