Well Father, to start off our week together I want to thank You wholeheartedly for the wonderful Christmas weekend You Blessed my family and I with. Saturday evening we attended a beautiful candlelight service at Ewell’s-St. Paul UMC, followed the next day by a lovely Christmas morning with the kids and a trip to my (earthly) father’s house for a family dinner. And most importantly Lord, I was Blessed to have three whole days spent wrapped in the love of my wife and children. It was an absolutely joy-filled time of respite and celebration Lord, and for that I am truly grateful.
Today Father, I’m very Blessed to have the opportunity to share a guest “Email to God” from a dear lady and fellow Christian Blogger; Jean Wise from HealthySpirituality.org. Jean’s posts never fail to inspire and encourage her readers (including me), and I’m excited to have her sharing her prayers here today.
Happy New Year, Lord!
I love the end of December – watching the transition from one year to the next. It is a time of new beginnings and renewed energy. You invite me to sit with You, reflecting on the past 12 months and praying about the coming year.
Lord as we “harvest” my journal, sort through my emotional ups and downs, and dig deep into my past experiences, help me to remember You were with me then, You are with me now, and will stay by my side into the unknown future.
I pause and lift up 2011 and my entire life journey once again into Your hands. With a highlighter and my favorite pen in hand, what shall we look for?
· Cherished moments.
· Unexpected joys and obstacles
· Reoccurring thoughts or stubborn nudges that You won’t let me forget
· Bible verses that guided me or still sing to me even if I don’t know why
· Times I felt Your presence and times I walk in lonely darkness
· Lessons I learned and lessons that will take a life time to fully comprehend
· Answered prayers and dreams that still bubbled with life and passion
Lord, be my companion, teacher, and guide as 2012 unfolds. Let this coming year be filled with warm relationships and the strength and wisdom to help those You place before me. Help me to love You more, love others as You do, and to love myself as only You can.
And Lord I ask for a bit a whimsical joy in 2012. Give me childlike wonder to see your creation with new eyes. I ask that You lavishly send love, peace, kindness, and patience to fill my heart and remove the pettiness, greed, and jealously that I hide in its corners.
The gift of 2012 is not for me, but an opportunity to serve You, love You, and give You glory. Father, the One who “makes all things new,” help me keep my eyes only on You the coming twelve months.
Thank You for being the God of our yesterdays, of our todays, and all of our tomorrows.
Well Father, as You’re no doubt aware I didn’t manage to get my Thankful Thursday post out yesterday afternoon. Instead however, of going into the Christmas weekend without listing out some of Your many Blessings in my life, I decided to make this “Thankful Friday”. 🙂
As we focus our hearts on celebrating the miracle of Christ’s birth Father, it seems only fitting to mark the beginning of this weekend by giving thanks; thanks for the daily Blessings You grace our lives with, and thanks for that Greatest of Gifts that Blessed our world so many years ago.
On that note Lord, this past week I’ve been especially grateful for:
451. The inspiring and entertaining selection of Christmas Music that’s been playing on 88.7 The Bridge this season.
464. A fun night of fellowship with our Tuesday night Small Group.
465. The most important Christmas Gift even given; the birth of our Savior.
Heavenly Father,
We thank You Lord, for the multitude of Blessings You grace us with each day; both those that shine high in the Heavens, guiding us to a manger, and those that whisper Your love for us gently on the evening breeze.
Well Father, once again You’ve Blessed my family and I with a lovely weekend. Jonathan’s sleepover birthday party Friday night was a marked success, and the boys all seemed to have a wonderful time. Once all the “overnighters” had been picked up by their well-rested parents (smiles), we packed up and headed out to spend the rest of the day at the home of some truly wonderful extended family (eg. Good friends) celebrating the birthday of their foster son. It was a lovely visit, filled with laughter and love, and we were very Blessed to be a part of it. Sunday morning began with an inspiring church service including a powerful message from Pastor Kris, with the remaining part of the day divided between cooking, catching up on homework and housework, and just enjoying the company of one another. All in all Lord, it was an absolutely wonderful weekend, and I thank You for faithfully providing these times of joy and respite to us.
When I thought and prayed about what passage in Scripture to select for this Meditations Monday post Father, one immediately sprang to my heart:
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” – Luke 2:1-7 (ESV)
As I read this passage in Luke Father, I was struck by the simplicity in which this miraculous event was described;
No fanfare…
No ceremonies…
No royal proclamations…
No pretense of any kind.
Such a transformational moment in our world Father, ushered in by the most humble of circumstances.
As I look around this Christmas Season Lord, it’s blatantly apparent our world today exists in stark contrast to that Silent Night so long ago. We fill these weeks each year with lights, and parties, and shopping, and decorating, and yet, in that defining moment some two thousand years ago…
Our world was forever changed, from the simplest of beginnings.
No lighting displays, no flying reindeer, no sugarplum faries…
Just a miracle, in a lowly manger, sent to save the world.
First off Father, I want to take a moment to thank You for a truly marvelous weekend. For once, we didn’t have much in the way of plans laid out in advance, so we used that wonderfully uncommitted time to spend enjoying each other’s company, sharing a meal and some laughter with friends, and reveling in the Blessings You’ve given us. It was a joy-filled, productive weekend Lord, and I thank You very much for that time of respite.
Last Friday Father, as I was driving to our veterinarian’s office to pick up some medication, Jason Gray’s song “Remind Me Who I Am” began to play on the radio. Now, I’ve heard this song more than a few times Lord, but for some reason this time the lyrics came alive for me and I found myself drawn into the song’s poignant message…
After a week comprised of what seemed to be a never-ending series of struggles and trials Lord, this simple reminder wrapped in verse made a wonderful connection for me. It brought to the surface an inescapable truth that my mind had laid to the sideline for much of the week…
We’re Your Beloved Children. Broken, hurting, rebellious or doubtful… You love us all the same.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1 (ESV)
Through our rebirth in Christ, we exist as genuine Children of God; adopted completely into this divine family through the mercy of Your Fatherly love and grace. We walk in faith, knowing that the lure of this world need hold no control over us, as Your love has set us truly free. We live to be…
Your Beloved.
When the world seeks to draw me from You Lord, please, remind me who I am.
Well Father, the long Thanksgiving weekend has come to a close and once again we find ourselves in the grip of another workweek. And while I’m sorry to see that celebration of gratitude pass, my heart is already embracing the beginning of the Season of Advent. It’s a wondrously exciting time of year Lord, filled with a spark of anticipation as we celebrate the miraculous birth of our Savior, and at the same time eagerly long for His return.
This past Sunday, my family and I were Blessed to have the opportunity to light the first candle on the Advent Wreath at Ewell’s St. Paul UMC. Along with the lighting ceremony, Shannon and the boys recited some devotional statements, and I read to the congregation from the Gospel of Luke:
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” – Luke 1:26-38 (ESV)
Such a powerful, pivotal moment this passage describes. Approached by an Angel, and told that her virginal womb was to bear the Son of God, Mary handles this overwhelming news in a truly amazing way; with humility and obedience.
Here she was; betrothed to be married, maintaining her virginity prior to that marriage, and in the midst of her carefully laid plans an Angelic visit turned her world completely upside-down:
She didn’t know how Joseph would take the news…
She didn’t know how society would treat her…
She didn’t have a clue why You had chosen her for this…
And yet, even beneath that mountain of uncertainty, she placed all of her fears and doubts aside and affirmed her commitment to You Father:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
Such a commanding statement of faith Lord… And the beginning of a transformational journey.
Heavenly Father,
As we begin this Season of Advent Lord, please open our hearts to embrace the spirit of wonder and anticipation this holy time imbues. Guide us Father, to not only revel in the glory of this Season, but to take a cue from Mary’s example, and always place Your path above our own.
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. 
