The Most Important Relationship

Dear Lord; Once again Father, I want to start our Monday chat by thanking You for a lovely weekend with good friends and family.  While I probably should have spent more time sleeping and recharging for the week ahead, the time spent with those I care about greatly outweighed the need for rest.  Either way, it was a wonderful weekend and I thank You for that.

This morning Lord, I’d like to talk with You about the paradoxical effect this Season seems to bring on to some people.  With all of the emphasis on the close relationships in our lives this time of year, those people experiencing a personal loss may dwell on that emptiness and end up having adverse feelings about the Holiday in general.  Be it death, divorce, illness or physical separation causing those feelings, I’ve seen quite a few folks who are just having a difficult time embracing the love this Time of Celebration exudes.  The true shame in this really is that these people are missing the most important relationship that they have… The one with You!  Joshua 1:9 reads :

“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

While we all suffer from losses on this Earth at some point, if we put our focus on Your constant Presence in our lives, we are never truly alone.  What an amazing Gift that is!  Like all of Your Children at some point, I’ve been guilty of focusing my heart on mortal pains now and again.  The closer I get to You though Lord, the less time I spend with my heart in turmoil and the more thankful I become.  Please reach out Your Light to all those in pain Father, so that they may feel the Peace and Love of this Blessed time of year.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

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 of Thanks for My Wife

Dear Lord; I’d like to start this morning Father, by thanking You for giving my son Aidan a wonderful birthday weekend.  Your Presence and Guidance were very apparent throughout, and he had a fantastic time with family and friends.

As you’re aware Lord, this week we’re celebrating Thanksgiving so it seemed a logical thought to spend some time each day discussing something I’m thankful for.  Therefore, I’m going to start with one of the biggest Blessings in my life; my wonderful Wife Shannon.

Shannon is an integral piece of me Lord.  I revel in our time together, yearn for her when we’re apart and truly can’t imagine not having her in my life.  She’s my best friend, my lover and an amazing mother to my children.  She’s my conscience, and my balance.  She’s the brightest star in my sky, and my safe haven when the world seems too insane to continue.  She is my Angel, and I love her with every fiber of my being.  I am truly Thankful for You bringing us together, and for the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us throughout our time as Man and Wife.  Please continue to shine Your Light on her, Bless her and Keep her in Your Gaze so she may walk in Your Grace all her life.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Questioning Our Worth…

Dear Lord; Now and again, we all have times where we suffer from some level of self-doubt.  In my case, challenges and burdens from the last couple of weeks caught up with me over the weekend and shook my self-confidence quite a bit.  While there’s no way to just “get over it” when it comes to confidence issues, I have found that retuning my focus can help substantially.  By shifting my attentions to helping someone else with their problems, or doing things from which I feel some personal accomplishment I can usually shift my thinking to be more attuned towards success.  Heavenly Father, please help those who are living with self-doubt and fear feel Your Light.  Let them, if only for a moment see themselves from Your Gaze, and know they are worthy of success.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil