Well Father, it’s certainly been a hectic day around here albeit a positive and somewhat enlightening one. Some “puzzle pieces” in my life are starting to fit together into something recognizable. Thank You for that glimmer of a picture… I can’t wait to see the completed image.
Today Lord, I started the morning with a happy grin on my face. While driving the kids to school, the song “Children of God” performed by the group Third Day came on the radio:
My head was elsewhere initially, but I snapped to when I realized I was being serenaded by my two boys in the back seat singing the children’s part. What a joyous smile it brought hearing them praising You in song first thing in the morning! Better than coffee Father. 🙂
On another note Father, I started a new book yesterday that I’ve very much been looking forward to reading. It’s written by Pete Wilson, Senior Pastor for Cross Point Church and the book is titled “Plan B: What Do You Do When God Doesn’t Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?”. I only had time to get through the first couple chapters last night, but I’m enjoying it so far. Pastor Wilson brings a wonderful “genuine” feel to his writing, and I’m excited to see where this tome takes me in the chapters ahead.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the smiles of the day, for fitting puzzle pieces, for connecting me with others who inspire me along my journey, and for remaining ever-vigilant and ever-faithful in Your Love for us all. Amen.
As is my usual practice Father, I’d like to start our chat this morning by thanking You for the weekend. While I spent the bulk of it at home caring for a sick child and trying to catch up on housework, any time I get to spend with my family is a Blessing and I do appreciate it. Please continue to provide Aidan with Your Healing so that he may feel even better today, and help all of us shake off the “drowsies” that always follow the shift into daylight savings time.
As You know Father, I’ve had a troubled heart as of late. I faithfully try to lay my burdens in Your Capable Hands, but as the broken and limited being I am, I’m certainly not always successful. Seeking inspiration this morning, You placed this in my path :
“Cast your burden on the Lord—and He will sustain you.” Psalm 55:22
Cast your troubles where you have cast your sins; you have cast your sins onto Jesus—cast your troubles there also! As soon as the trouble comes, quick, the first thing, tell it to your Father in heaven! Remember, that the longer you take telling your trouble to God—the more your peace will be impaired. The longer the frost lasts—the more likely the ponds will be frozen.
Oh! It is a happy way of smoothing sorrow, when we can cast our burden upon the Lord. Oh, you agitated Christians, do not dishonor your religion by always wearing a ‘frown of concern’. Come, cast your burden upon the Lord. I see you staggering beneath a weight, which He would not feel. What seems to you a crushing burden—would be nothing but a bit of dust to Him. See! The Almighty bends His shoulders, and He says, “Here—put your troubles here!”
“Cast all your cares upon Him—because He cares about you!” 1 Peter 5:7
– Charles Spurgeon
What a wonderful and energetic sermon to pray on Father! Reading this, I realized that in many cases I tend to let problems and stresses build up inside me before talking with You about them. By the time they truly beset my spirit, I’ve let them grow into a much deeper hold on me than if I had just worked them through with You when they first presented.
Such a simple lesson that I’ve ministered to others more than once, and yet somehow I’ve allowed myself to fall into this trap.
Heavenly Father, thank You for placing this message in front of me today… I absolutely needed it. As I’ve said many times, I’m a work in progress and awed by Your Faithfulness in leading me along Your Path. Amen.
As You’re undoubtedly aware Father, it’s a dreary, rainy day here in Delaware. It’s just one of those mornings where I wake up, look outside, and seriously contemplate finding some excuse to crawl back under the covers. Alas, today that wasn’t an option so out into the weather I went.
Driving into the office following teacher conferences at the boys’ school (which went very well… thank You!), I started contemplating the lingering clouds and falling rain a little bit more. Like all of Your Gifts to us, the rain has a purpose; it supports and nourishes life, and cleanses the landscape it traverses. While we may not always feel joyous when the weather shifts, it is one of Your Blessings to us all the same.
And then comes the rainbow…
“And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”” – Genesis 9:12-16 (NIV)
I LOVE this Lord: a rainbow is the reminder of Your covenant with us. What an amazing signature You have Father! Noah must have had such a smile on his face seeing that first rainbow. 🙂
Today Father, You also placed on my heart the idea to start “Thankful Thursday” here on phatherphil.org. The concept I had was that on each Thursday’s message to You, I’d close by listing some of the things I’ve been especially thankful for this week. Just for curiosity’s sake, I did a quick Google search on the phrase and found that it was already something that was being done and coordinated on another site. The site is a blog called “Grace Alone…”, and I’m pleased to link to her site today.
This week has been a hectic roller-coaster-ride Lord, but it’s funny that during those crazy days I find myself even more thankful for Your Blessings. As this is the first “Thankful Thursday” entry for me, I’ll start with the most obvious and significant miracle in my life:
I’m extremely thankful for the unending support of my wonderful wife Shannon. As You know Father, things have been difficult business-wise over the last several months. Through every up-and-down, she’s always been there for me with words of comfort and encouragement. Her love is an amazing gift Lord, and I feel truly Blessed having her as my wife.
There are so many other Blessings You grant me each day Lord, but we’ll start there. 🙂
Heavenly Father, I thank You for the cleansing rain and the vibrant reminder of Your Covenant that will soon follow. I pray we can all see through the apparent gloom and witness Your Shining Majesty in each of our lives today. Amen.
Thank You Father, for yet another lovely weekend! Shannon and I were able to get out with some friends for a “date night” Friday evening, and on Saturday a friend of Jonathan’s from Kay’s Kamp came for a visit. He hadn’t seen Matthew since Kamp last summer, so it was a wonderful reunion and the kids had an absolute blast. As for me, with Shannon focused on her schoolwork I got to spend lots of time in the kitchen (the kids really enjoyed making fried wontons), got some housework accomplished and still had “down time” to spend on Sunday watching movies and playing with the kids. All in all, a busy but very satisfying couple of days.
One of the movies I watched on Sunday afternoon was an old favorite of mine (I actually have it on Laserdisc). It’s a 1992 film called “Leap of Fath” which starred Steve Martin as a con-man Christian preacher and faith healer named Jonas Nightengale who travels across the country hosting revivals and performing “miracles” for the crowd. On his way to Topeka, one of the trucks breaks down and strands the troupe in a depressed farming town called Rustwater. Jonas decides to do their show in the small town while waiting for the truck to be repaired, and is quickly met with resistance from the local sheriff (played by Liam Neeson) who seeks to expose him for the charlatan that he is. Jonas’ perspective however, soon changes when a local handicapped boy begins to make him examine his faith in a different light.
This is one of those films I can watch again and again, and yet gain something new from it each time Lord. It highlights some of the depths that in our brokenness we can sink to, and yet also delivers a powerful reminder of Your capacity for love and the spiritual transformation that can only come when we actively seek You. Watching this time, the thing that struck me the most was the look on Jonas’ face when he witnesses an actual miracle of healing during one of his shows. From the chasm of his self-centeredness and disbelief, he’s forced to see past himself and realizes that he’s truly not in control of things.
Mr. Martin does an amazing job portraying the character in this scene. The look of awe on his face at that moment describes quite eloquently the feeling I get when I spend time in Your Presence. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You once again for a rejuvenating weekend. It always refreshes me to find Your Messages to us in so many varied ways and places. You truly are the God of “Miracles and Wonders”. Amen.
Over the last couple weeks Father, it seems that I’ve been performing more and more data recovery services at my office. It’s actually work that I enjoy; taking a damaged hard drive where the contents have been rendered inaccessible and extracting the client’s seemingly lost bits of information contained therein. It’s a puzzle sometimes, and each drive has it’s own nuances that requires specific “massaging” to get to the data.
For the client, it’s a time of trial to be sure. Critical business data, family photos, tax returns or years of childhood videos may hang in the balance. People tend to underestimate the importance and value of the information they entrust to their computers these days, and when it’s not there all of a sudden it can be quite a shock. In the end, It’s a wonderfully satisfying feeling for me to hand them back something precious that they thought was lost to them forever.
Hold on… That’s what You do for us!
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5
We bring our lost and broken selves to Your Feet Lord, and through Your Son Jesus Christ we are “recovered” and made whole again. You return to us the most precious part of ourselves, and delight in doing so.
I never thought of you as a fellow geek Father… I like it. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You for “recovering me” from my sin and brokenness. Please continue to fill my spirit with new and beautiful “data”, and assist me in promoting Your Wondrous Service to others. Amen.
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. 
