Thankful Thursday: It’s the Little Things

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Father, I’ll be honest; it’s been a rough time writing this post today.  I usually look forward to composing the “Thankful Thursday” edition, but the last couple of days have been filled with nearly-paralyzing stress and anxiety, and I’ve been having a very difficult time focusing on the many Blessings You’ve bestowed on me.  I know in my heart that You’re here with me, and have never stopped hearing my pleas but the voices of fear and doubt have been quite loud and insistent.  Either way Lord, I thank You for being ever-faithful and ask that You forgive me this weakness.  Our trials temper us, and I continue to cling to Your Strength secure in the knowledge that You will guide me down the proper path as always.

Therefore Father, for today’s “Thankful Thursday” post instead of focusing on some of the more “major” Gifts in my life, I’d like to run down a few simple, little things I’ve been thankful for this week instead:

This Blog. Not only does writing these daily chats with You help me solidify my thoughts and prayers, but I’ve been Blessed to meet some truly wonderful people through doing it as well.

Warmer Weather. I truly enjoy grilling Father, and for the last couple of weeks the weather has allowed me to do quite a bit of it.  Milder temperatures have also allowed the boys to get outside for some much-needed recreation and for us to start our pilgrimages to Blackbird State Forest.

Simple Acts of Kindness. During this current period of fear and uncertainty, I’ve been uplifted by the kind actions of a number of people around me.  Little signs of caring can speak volumes to a troubled spirit and have helped me immensely.

Hugs from my Kids. While I work diligently not to let my concerns and burdens be visible around the boys, they’re amazingly empathetic children and have spent a great deal of effort to show me extra signs of their affection this past couple weeks.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You bring to my life each day.  Please forgive my human frailties, and help me to cast my burdens at Your feet so I may find that Peace in Your Embrace.  In Your Holy Name Lord, Amen.

~Phather Phil

A Truly Wondrous Union: Lessons Learned

Dear Lord; Good evening Father.

Following the conversation we had last night Lord, I’ve been thinking about the lessons I’ve learned over the period Shannon and I have been married.  We’ve had a staggering range of high and low points throughout our time as man and wife, and it dawned on me that on both sides of the spectrum we’ve learned valuable lessons about ourselves, and our bond with each other.  Therefore Father, if You’ll indulge me I’d like to share some of those teachings we’ve acquired over the years:

Everything you do while married is a “Team Sport”, whether there’s obvious direct involvement by your spouse or not. Marriage is a partnership, so no matter what you do while a member of that union the other person is in some way involved or affected; Always take them into account when making decisions, period.

Keeping secrets from your spouse is a bad idea, and will eventually lead to trust issues. This is a big one, and actually goes back to my first point.  Hiding things in your marriage not only erodes the foundation of trust that’s necessary to get through difficult times, but builds resentment over time as things come to the surface.

Never miss the opportunity to show your partner how much you care. Little things go a long way, whether it’s a text message in the middle of the day to let them know you’re thinking of them, or showing up at their office with flowers for no special reason; it’s the “out of the box” displays of affection that linger in their memory.

Intimacy is important. While this may seem obvious, it gets very easy in the course of the hectic lives we all seem to lead to put “quiet time” with our spouse on the backburner.  One of the best ways to stay connected with each other emotionally is to make time on a very regular basis to spend reveling in each other’s presence.

It’s all about balance. In every relationship there are periods where the burdens fall much heavier on one partner than the other.  Instead of dwelling on the added load we’re put under and being resentful, we need to place our strength behind the union as a whole and support our spouse with all we have.

Count your Blessings together regularly. There are days where the stress, anxieties and fears in our lives just seem to be completely overwhelming.  Focusing on the amazing Blessings You’ve bestowed on us all, and most especially on the wondrous gift of our Ordained Union as man and wife helps to put all those other trials in proper perspective.

Pray for each other, and glorify God by being the best husband/wife you can be. Marriage is something You designed and blessed us with Father, and by making that partnership one of our highest priorities we in effect praise Your Gifts while emboldening our union at the same time.

And I’m still learning Lord, blissfully day by day.  🙂

Thank You so much for leading and guiding us along this journey Father.  You’ve provided strength when we were fatigued, comfort when we faced despair and throughout it all You’ve kept us in Your Loving Embrace… together.  Now that’s a truly wondrous union.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Divine Marriage Counselor

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father!

Last night Lord, I finally got a chance to sit down and watch the first in a series of video podcasts put out by Cross Point Church focusing on marriage.  The series is entitled “5 Things”, and focuses on five areas which if not recognized and tended to carefully, could cause serious and possibly dangerous consequences to a marriage.  The episode I watched last night was entitled “Leftovers”, and was taught by Pastor Pete Wilson.

Now, I’m not going to get into details about the content of the podcast as I think it’s very worthwhile for others reading this post to watch it for themselves, instead of simply gaining my take on it.  Pastor Pete’s message is well thought out and delivered, and I’m looking forward to viewing the rest of the series.  For those who are interested, the video podcasts from Cross Point Church are available here.

As You know Father, my marriage to Shannon is something that I spend quite a bit of time talking with You about.  You’ve Blessed me beyond words with our life together, and I am truly thankful for having her as my wife.  Watching the Cross Point video last night, I started thinking back over the trials we’ve experienced in our nearly 16 years together, and how You’ve used those times of struggle to highlight Your Gifts to us, and bring us closer in Your Love.  Like any other couple we absolutely have our moments of discord Father, but funny enough love wins out every time.  Thank You so much for being our marriage counselor over the years.  🙂

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

Having an instruction manual really is handy Lord.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for being a Guiding and Strengthening Presence in our marriage.  I pray that You continue to Bless our union, and that we’re able to share Your message of Hope and Love with those around us.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Creation Anxiously Awaits

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

First off Father, I want to thank You for another enjoyable weekend.  I was Blessed to spend quite a bit of quality time with my wife and children, Shannon and I got out for a “date night” on Saturday, I managed to catch up on some laundry, dishes and housework, and the boys and I even went on an outing to walk the trails at Blackbird State Forest on Sunday afternoon.  All in all, it was a restful and satisfying couple of days and I thank You so much for that respite.

As I’ve mentioned to you before Lord, Blackbird Forest is one of those places where I feel most connected to Your Presence.  It was a lovely day here on Sunday, and our time spent trekking through the majesty of Your Creation was wonderful as always.  I’m extremely pleased that Jonathan and Aidan have developed such a love of nature, and that they eagerly look forward to our exploration time together.  We’re already planning some longer day trips together as the weather improves, so we can hike some of the more lengthy trails.  Either way, I look forward to spending lots of communal time with You on those paths in the upcoming seasons.  🙂

Today Father, while doing some reading I ran across a passage in Romans that loudly spoke to me and I’d like to share it:

“ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.  For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.” – Romans 8:18-19 (NIV)

Wow Lord, what a powerful statement the Apostle Paul makes here!  Not only is he reminding us that the trials and tribulations we go through in this lifetime are insignificant when compared to the glory we will receive in Your Kingdom, but also that creation itself is anxiously awaiting what’s coming as well!  From walking through the forest yesterday and feeling Your Presence in such magnitude, these verses just reached out to me today when I came across them.

Heavenly Father, thank You once again for a lovely weekend and for continuing to bless us with Your Presence.  I pray that we all may see past the daily burdens we encounter, secure in the knowledge that these trials are temporary and that Your Glory to come far outweighs any suffering we endure here on Earth.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Following God’s GPS

Dear Lord; Good evening Father.

Well Lord, it’s certainly been a whirlwind day for me.  In the last week or so, we’ve had an amazing outpouring of new clients coming on board with my company, as well as a significant increase of projects that need to be bid out.  It’s a wonderful and hopeful sign of things to come, and I’m very thankful that You’ve Blessed me with these opportunities.

Getting in the door to new customers can be a difficult endeavor, and with several of these recent additions it was through a complicated series of relationships that I was given the opportunity; a friends of friends who know someone type of thing.  This evening, one of the people who was integral to my getting those introductions texted me, and indicated he was fascinated with the way that chain of relationships had played out.  My response was simple, but I’ve been thinking about it ever since:

God’s ways aren’t always a straight path… That’s for sure.

(Now Father, the gentleman I sent that message to is a devout follower of Yours, and has been an amazing Blessing to me over the years.  I have no doubt in my mind you brought us together for a reason, and I pray that You continue to keep him in Your Gaze.)

Anyways, the more I thought about the reply I gave the more it led me to contemplate other events in my past that came about through seemingly bizarre “coincidences”.  Knowing You as I’ve come to Lord, I realize now that those coincidences were in fact orchestrated twists and turns on my journey personally programmed into Your Divine GPS.

You always know how to get me where You want me to go… I just need to follow the directions You give.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Blessings You’ve bestowed on me this week.  Please make Your Presence felt by all those faced with uncertainties, fears and doubts; not knowing where to turn.  By following Your Holy “roadmap”, we always get to our intended destination.  Amen.

~Phather Phil