Thankful Thursday: “Special Edition”

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

And today Father, we come to the original Thankful Thursday… Thanksgiving!  On this day each year, here in the United States we take time to put aside the normal activities and concerns of daily life and focus our attentions on Your abundant Blessings.

As we’ve discussed many times Lord, when I begin counting my Blessings my wife Shannon and my two boys Jonathan and Aidan immediately spring to mind.  They’re truly one of Your greatest gifts in my life Father, and I can’t begin to thank You enough for my life with them.

As precious as they are to me Father, it seems fitting that on this day where our focus rests in gratitude, that I share our conversation with them as well.  Therefore, for this Thankful Thursday “Special Edition”, I present You with some things that my cherished family members are grateful for:

Jonathan (Age 11)

– Having the choice to follow the Lord.

– Having friends and family over for Thanksgiving.

– Having parents that are still together.

– Having the opportunity to get an education.

– That all my sins are forgiven.

Aidan (Age 9)

– For my family.

– For our home.

– For good food to eat.

– That I have people that love me.

– For the fun I have building Legos.

Shannon (Older than 11 :-))

– The love of a grace-filled man.

– Empathetic children who give their birthday money to help fill a church food pantry.

– Recipes from the past that shine like new.

– Music to share in ALL aspects of my life.

– Craft links on Pinterest 😉

Heavenly Father,

As we focus on Your many gifts in our lives Lord, Your love for us is so apparent.  Open our eyes and our hearts Father, that we better recognize Your Blessings each day, and realize that Thanksgiving isn’t only once a year, but every day that we dwell in Your tender mercies.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Brightest Star in the Sky

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

You know Father, with the multitude of Blessings You surround me with each day, I find it both fascinating and wonderful that when I allow my thoughts to drift and ponder those many gifts, my wife Shannon’s face is always the brightest star in the sky.  Of course Lord, I’m by no means discounting the other miracles You’ve placed into my life, but the longer that she and I are together and the more we go through, the more I realize that Your intentions for marriage are truly foundational.

And although I would never presume to comprehend Your scope on the subject Father, over the time that I’ve been married to Shannon I do believe I’ve come to understand some of the fundamental reasons why You’ve brought us together…

You desire that we should have intimate companionship.

Although obviously sex is a piece of this Lord, it’s not entirely to what I’m referring.  We’re Blessed with many relationships throughout our lives, but when we honor the divine nature of marriage by nourishing, encouraging and sharing completely with one another, it provides an amazingly deep, intimate connection that only You could have designed.

Marriage confronts us with the fact that we’re generally self-centered beings by nature, and helps us learn to place others first.

Our flesh wants.  It’s that simple.  From the first minute we become aware of ourselves, we’re driven by our earthly shells to seek gratification in the basic and flawed attempt to find happiness.  In many ways, it’s the ultimate paradox; to find the peace and contentment that a relationship with Jesus offers, we must first learn to see past our selfish natures and give of ourselves with a joyous heart.  In the same respect, for our marriages to live and thrive we need to learn to place our spouse, and our union, ahead of ourselves.

By joining us together as man and wife, You draw us closer to You through that union.

When we’re brought together through the union of marriage, we’re in fact taking on a third member of the family… You, Lord.  Through Your ordainment of a couple’s commitment to one another, You connect through that Blessing in an amazingly powerful way.  While it’s obviously important for each of us to seek and nourish a personal relationship with You Father, it’s no less important to cultivate and maintain a deep connection with You as a married couple.  By keeping You as an integral part of our marriages, we bring ourselves closer to one another in the process.

“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:12 (ESV)

Heavenly Father,

Through the gift of marriage Lord, You draw us together in example of Your love for us.  Please help strengthen our commitment to one another, and to glorifying You through our nourishing of this holy union.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Cutting Through the Fog

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Good morning Father!  To begin the week’s conversations Lord, I want to first thank You for the many Blessings You graced me with this past weekend.  Although I spent much of the past few days resting in an attempt to fend off the nasty respiratory illness I picked up last week, Your influence was obvious nonetheless.  During that unusual bout of “down time”, I was able to spend a good bit of quiet time with Jonathan and Aidan, made some progress on the redesign of Ewell’s St. Paul’s web site, and even managed to get out with Shannon for a little bit as well.  And while I’m still not completely recovered from this invasive little bug Father, I want to thank You for Your comforting, soothing and healing presence while my body holds the line against these invaders.  You are truly ever-faithful Lord, and I thank You for remaining by my side no matter the circumstances.

Driving in to work this morning, I was confronted with something I seldom run into in this area; pea-soup thick fog.  Now, we certainly get our share of morning “mist” around here, but this was some of the heaviest fog I believe I’ve ever seen in central Delaware.  Visibility was minimal, with only a 30 foot-or-so view in front of the truck before the milky haze completely enveloped the road ahead.  Nervously gripping the wheel, I slowed from my usual morning pace, peering cautiously into the haze as I drove.  I was anxious, and the trip to work seemed to go on for ages.

Then I realized… This reminds me of my life before I knew You Father.

I was anxious, cautious, and fearful…

Quite often I felt cut off, and alone…

The roadblocks and detours in my life often left me feeling insecure and vulnerable…

Every “bump in the road” became amplified, at the thought of the chasm that may lie beneath.

I lived one day at a time, never knowing what lay ahead of me…

And then Lord, You lifted my fog from me.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”” – John 8:12 (ESV)

Your Light cut through all that haze Father, and changed my journey in so many ways.

My fears are now opportunities for hope…

I know that no matter where I am or what I’m doing, I’m never alone…

While I still have quite a few struggles and trials in my life, I know that You desire what’s best for me, and that You’ll guide me down the best path…

“bumps in the road” are exactly that, and are given no more importance that they’re due…

Following Your light Lord, I know exactly where I’m headed. 🙂

Heavenly Father,

As we begin our week together Lord, I lift to You my thanks and praise for all You bring to our lives each day.  Please continue to light the path through the fog that shrouds our earthly journeys, diligently searching us out as the mists of this world threaten to engulf us.  Guide us down that path Lord, and lead us home.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Sharing My Bubble

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Well Father, we’ve once again come to the end of another work-week and the gateway to the coming weekend.  Earlier this afternoon, In preparation for a fun, relaxed evening at home with Shannon and the boys, I ventured over to the Super Wal*Mart to grab some quick supplies for homemade calzones.  I generally try to avoid the big “supercenters” as much as humanly possible, but as it’s very close to my office and I only needed a couple of items, I decided to throw caution to the wind and go nonetheless.

It was rather busy (as it usually is on Friday afternoons) but I was able to find what I needed reasonably quickly, and soon found myself standing in line at the express checkout, waiting to pay for my groceries.

And then suddenly, I felt a disturbance in the force.

I glanced over my shoulder, and noticed that the man in line behind me was amazingly close by … I mean, no more than a foot or so away.  I took a step forward to the checkout, attempting to widen the gap, but he followed my movements, maintaining his proximity to me.  I placed my items on the checkout bed, and he again followed suit by placing his right behind mine.  Thankfully, I had a very small purchase, so I quickly paid the cashier and as soon as my change had been returned, I instigated a hasty stride for the exit.

Sitting in my truck shortly thereafter, I took a deep breath and began to settle a bit.  The gentleman hadn’t actually touched me at any point, but I felt as though my “space” had been infiltrated all the same; he’d breached my “bubble”, and all the alarms in my head sounded the trespass.

“You used to react that way to Me too…” I felt You tell me.

Wow Father… I did, didn’t I…

For many years, whenever You tried to get closer to me I ran for the proverbial exit.  I see this in hindsight of course, as at the time I wasn’t even 100% convinced of Your existence, much less Your desire to be a part of my life.  But as I sift through the events of my troubled young-adulthood, I realize that You tried to get my attention… A lot.  Each time the attempt was made however, I retreated into myself further and closed my bubble around me like a force field.

I’m so thankful that’s changed Father.  Welcome to my Personal Space.  🙂

When I began my journey back to You Lord, I found that the more I welcomed You into my life, the more of Your presence I desired.  I need You as close to me as possible Father; close enough that it becomes indistinguishable where I end, and where You begin.

That continues to be my prayer Father… Draw me closer, share my bubble.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Freed From My Bonds

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

And yet again Father, we come to the Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org.  To be completely honest Lord, this has been a painful and stressful week for me on a number of fronts.  Ten years back, this kind of week would have seen me sleepless, highly agitated, and very likely drinking too much in an attempt to numb the angst.  Thankfully Father, You’ve freed me from those bonds;

The misconception that I have to rely on my own strength to solve my problems…

The chains of trying to use alcohol, food or other distractions to “fill the hole” that I was feeling…

The overwhelming sense that I was truly all alone in my trials…

So although this week has brought along with it a number of challenges Lord, my spirit is much more at ease knowing Your presence is with me.  I’ve felt that soothing embrace around me as I’ve struggled this week Father, and for that I am truly thankful.

Picking up where I left off on last week’s list of Blessings, this week I’m especially grateful for:

346. The fellowship of our church family.

347. The indescribable “God High” that I have following our Small Group gatherings.

348. Fresh, still-warm egg salad sandwiches.

349. Getting a significant jump-start on our Christmas crafting projects last weekend.

350. A wonderful, unexpected discussion of faith I had with a client last week.

351. Time spent teaching my boys about woodworking last weekend.

352. Finding a deli nearby my office that makes amazing subs and sandwiches.

353. Finding a good, free Twitter client that works on my PC, my Mac, my tablet and my phone.

354. The complex intertwining of souls that You grace my life with.

355. YouVersion offering a 48-hour period this weekend where I can download NIV and NLV translations for offline viewing.

356. The wide variety of inexpensive or free eBooks available online.

357. Your reminders to me each day that I’m always in Your loving embrace.

358. Neighbors that gave up their last three sheets of printer paper so our kids could finish a school project.

359. Eternal Prosperity.

360. Having a marriage where no matter how crazy or stressed things get, we’re able to cut through it all and support each other.

Even when the clouds loom above us Father, Your many Blessings cut through that haze every time.  🙂

Heavenly Father,

We thank you Lord, for the multitude of Blessings You bring to our lives each day; both those that announce Your presence with abandon, and those that quietly Bess us from the shadows.  You are indeed a loving, giving Father, and I rest securely knowing that whatever path You lead me down, that Your grace will ensure my steps land on sure footing.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil