One Brick at a Time

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Today Father, I want to start off by saying “thank You”…

For Your faithfulness,

Your grace,

And Your persistence in pursuing me when I stray from You.

As You’re aware Lord, my life has been a bit more complicated than usual and increasingly stressful as of late.  And while I’ve tried as diligently as I can to keep myself open to Your voice throughout these trials, I’ll admit I’ve failed to do so more often than not.  I’ve allowed my pain and fears to cloud my connection to You Lord, and it’s left me feeling much more “disconnected” than I’ve become accustomed to…

Until last Friday, when You broke the silence:

“Hold on to your Joy, Phil.” You said…

“My Joy??” I thought, “ I’m hurting Father… Really??”

“Hold on to your Joy.”

And then I realized…

You’re my Joy Lord… And I’ve let the world get between us.

I’ve built a wall Father, using my burdens as bricks and anxiety as the mortar that binds them together.

And yet Lord, even with this self-constructed barrier in place…

You came for me.

“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” – Ezekiel 34:11-12 (ESV)

The wall is there Father, of my own making…

And still You seek me out.

The wall is there,

But with Your help Father, we’ll tear it down,

Together…

One brick at a time.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

A Very Special Gift

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Today Lord, I simply want to say thank You.

As You know Father, the last couple weeks have been particularly stressful for me, and I’m afraid in several situations I allowed myself to weaken and give audience to Satan’s voices of dissent within my heart…

You’re not worthy of God’s attention…

You’re weak…        

You’re alone…

I can still get to you…

And yet, through all these attacks on my spirit Lord, You were right there.  You’ve quietly reminded me of my true identity, sent me fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to bolster my reserve, and through Your Word have helped keep my eyes focused on Your Kingdom.

And then this morning, You gave me a very special gift…

As I’ve mentioned before Father, I quite enjoy the path I take to work each morning.  I consciously avoid the highway, and instead travel a series of smaller back roads that run through much more rural settings.

My route also holds one further benefit.

For a short portion of the drive, my truck heads due East; affording me a wonderful front-row seat as the sun lifts above the horizon behind the farmlands ahead.  Most mornings it’s a lovely scene, but today it was particularly breathtaking.  The air was vividly clear, save for a thin line of clouds that dotted the horizon.  Lying behind that smoky veil, the morning sun’s radiance streamed upwards, seeming to burn rays of light into the heavens.  It was truly a marvelous sight, and as I smiled in recognition of Your handiwork, You let me know why…

“It’s for you…” You said.

For me??  I momentarily struggled with my disbelief, but it was just too powerful; the wall came crashing down and I clearly understood Your message:

You love me Father, and You’d move heaven and earth that I should know it.

What an amazing gift Lord… I am truly humbled, and forever changed.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

“My One Word” 2012

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

About this time last year Lord, I joined with many of my Christian Blogging brothers and sisters and began to think and pray about choosing a single word to guide my steps throughout the year.  In the end, although I was unsure as to why at the time, You very clearly placed the word “Accept” on my heart.

As I look back over the past year Father, Your reasons for Blessing me with that word become very apparent.  2011 was a year filled with struggles, and joy, with pain, and enlightenment.  And yet, when I attempt to “compile” the year’s experiences and summarize what truths I’ve been given in that time, Your word for me keeps showing up…

I Accept that I can’t fix everything, or solve every problem…

I Accept that I’m dependent Father; needy of Your presence in all parts of my life.

I Accept that only by consistently seeking humility before You, can I find true strength.

I Accept that I’m Your Beloved Child.

And so many others Father…  “Accept” makes perfect sense to me now.

So now we come to 2012.

As You know Father, I started praying about this year’s word a couple weeks ago.  You’ve been relatively quiet on the subject so far, but this morning on my ride to work You broke that silence…

Well Lord, once again, it’s not what I would have chosen, nor what I expected.  Nonetheless, I trust You Father, with all my heart, and Accept this word as the precious gift it is.  I have no idea what part my word will play in the coming year, but I Promise to keep my mind, and my heart, open to Your voice.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: A Shift in Vision

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Today Father, we come to the final Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org for this calendar year.  When I began this recurring post 31 weeks ago (whew!), I honestly never expected the profound impact it would have on me, or that it would draw me so much closer to You in the process.

As I sit down each week to write out my list Lord, my mind drifts back over the past seven days; revisiting those moments that left their marks on my heart.  What I’ve found in doing so Father, is that even in those situations where things don’t seem to go my way, when I look closely enough, Your Blessings pour out nonetheless.  That little shift in vision Lord, has been a major Blessing all by itself.  I still have struggles and times that tax my strength, but when I look through my “Thankful Thursday Goggles”, I’m much more able to place those moments in their proper light.  It’s been an eye-opening experience so far Lord, and I can’t wait to see what Blessings You’ll reveal to me in the coming year.

Therefore Father, to close out the year on a joyful note, this past week I’ve been especially grateful for:

466. Time spent alone with Shannon last Friday afternoon and evening.

467. Google Music which allows me to listen to my music on all my devices, anywhere, at any time.

468. The pain relief provided by our heating pad last night.

469. Hickory Farms New York Cheddar Spread (Used to be called Chutter).

470. That when my stubbornness blinds me to common sense, my wonderful wife Shannon “nudges” me back on track.

471. The Living Water that satisfies my spiritual thirst.

472. Having three days off over Christmas spent with those I love.

473. A beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service at Ewell’s-St. Paul UMC.

474. Andes Mint Cookies.

475. Sharing the celebration of Jesus’ birth with friends.

476. An inspiring guest post on Tuesday by Jean Wise from Healthy Spirituality.

477. That the stabbing pains I had in my lower back yesterday have settled down today.

478. Seeing the expressions of wonder and joy on my children’s faces Christmas morning.

479. The opportunity to support other local ministries.

480. The trust of a good friend.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for gracing us with such a multitude of Blessings this past year.  As we start anew in 2012, please clear our eyes to reveal Your gifts in all circumstances; both those that lift our hearts in song, and those in which Your Blessings may be masked within our trials.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: The Simplest of Beginnings

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

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.

Amen.

~Phather Phil