Meditations Monday: Intertwining Souls

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Father, once again we come to another Meditations Monday here at PhatherPhil.org.  This past weekend saw days filled with Your abundant Blessings, and quiet evenings curled up under warm blankets watching movies with the kids.  We managed to get our Christmas crafting projects off to a healthy jump-start, enjoyed an inspiring church service Sunday morning, and then while Aidan and Shannon attended a birthday party for one of his classmates, Jonathan and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went out to Port Mahon and Woodland Beach for a photowalk.  I truly love these times of connection with my family and the “extended family” that You’ve placed in my life Father, and I thank You for Blessing me by granting a weekend filled with their company.

In recent weeks Father, my thoughts have often drifted to the connections You’ve placed in my life; my loving family, the wonderful variety of friends I’ve made, and most recently the warm and inviting church family You led me to at Ewell’s St. Paul UMC.  I know without question that You’ve placed each and every one of them into my life for a reason Lord, and by doing so have Blessed me with one of the components essential to growing in Your presence…

Fellowship.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” – Hebrews 10:23-25 (ESV)

Your path for our lives includes a complex (to us anyways) intertwining of souls.  You bring us together for many reasons; to encourage us, to teach us, to comfort us, and to share our spiritual gifts with one another.  The Holy Spirit draws us together, creating those vital allegiances that nourish our soul as we journey along the path to Your Kingdom.

Heavenly Father,

As we begin the week, I lift thanks and praise to You for all the wonderful relationships You’ve brought into my life.  Through these Blessed connections I’ve seen countless signs of Your gracious love, and they continue to inspire me to reach out and share that love with others.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: All Eyes Are On You

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Last week Lord, I had my annual eye exam as required by Delaware law to renew the prescription for my contact lenses.  I’ve never been a huge fan of anyone poking around in my eyes, but since I switched to contacts a few years back I’ve become accustomed to the necessary ritual each autumn.  This year’s visit however, yielded a bit of a surprise for me.  When the examination had been completed, the doctor quietly informed me that she was going to have to write me a different prescription…

My eyesight has actually gotten stronger.

The doctor explained to me that it wasn’t uncommon for people’s eyesight to vary over the years, but I still feel there’s a parallel here that I shouldn’t ignore nonetheless.  My eyesight began to degrade when I was seven years old, requiring me to wear glasses from second grade on.  Since that time, I can’t remember even one eye exam where my vision has shown even a minute change for the better.  I find it intriguing that while my earthly eyes have become stronger, at the same time I’m seeing Your presence all around me with ever increasing clarity as well.

As Toby Mac stated in the song “Lose My Soul”;

All eyes are on You Lord… All eyes are on You.

Thanks for the smile Father.  🙂

Picking up where I left off on last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been especially grateful for:

331. The opportunity I received to minister to a friend in need this week.

332. A wonderful, inspiring evening’s discussion at this week’s Small Group Gathering : “Treasures of the Transformed Life”

333. A tasty Sunday after-church brunch trying a new recipe : Cinnamon Roll Pancakes.

334. Having a weekend with a good bit of “down-time”.

335. My thoughtful Administrative Assistant bringing me two big bags of Twizzlers for Boss’ Day.

336. The comfort of Your presence when life’s situations begin to overwhelm me.

337. A wonderful photowalk with Jonathan and Aidan in Blackbird State Forest last Sunday.

338. The convictions of the Holy Spirit helping me to focus and grow as You desire me to.

339. A powerful evening of music and worship at the John Waller concert last Thursday night.

340. A successful first attempt at making homemade calzones this week.

341. Seeing the Holy Spirit growing in my wife Shannon more and more each day.

342. An eye exam showing that my vision has actually improved slightly.

343. The opportunity to be a part of Someone Else’s Story.

344. Connecting with a wide range of inspiring people and organizations through Twitter.

345. The inspirations You place on my heart each day.

Heavenly Father,

We give thanks Dear Lord, for all the many Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those which boldly announce Your glory, and those that grace our lives in silence.  Please open our eyes that we might recognize and praise You for the many gifts you bring to us, and open our hearts that we may share those overwhelming Blessings with those around us.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Drawing the Water

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Last night Lord, we held the second of six meetings for the Small Group Study “Treasures of the Transformed Life” at the house.  Like first gathering, it was well attended and everyone brought fresh perspective and insight to the discussion.  We even had a couple younger participants this time, and they jumped right in with both feet.  It was a productive and inspiring evening, and I felt truly Blessed to be a part of it.

This week’s focus was called “Drawing the Water”.  Continuing with the metaphor used in last week’s discussion : “Priming the Pump”, once we’ve prepared ourselves to receive Christ into our hearts by fully committing to Him, we can then begin to draw from that inexhaustible supply of Living Water that You make available to us.  The primary way we accomplish this is through the practice of prayer.

The study material discussed a number of types of prayers, methodologies for focusing our prayers and the different ways that You respond to those conversations when we do so.  Our group latched onto this topic wholeheartedly, and we had a wonderful exchange discussing the different ways we pray, things we’ve prayed for, and the myriad of ways in which You’ve answered those prayers in our lives.  It was a lively, refreshing dialogue, and I believe that everyone who attended came away with some new perspective on making our conversations with You a deeper part of our lives.

As I’m sure You can tell Father, I’m very much enjoying leading this group of people through the study.  It’s a warm, inviting, friendly gathering each week, and I think all of us have learned a great deal so far; both from the study itself, and from the wonderful input each member brings to the discussion.  I’m thankful for being a part of this endeavor, and look forward to continuing it next week.

Heavenly Father,

I come to You today Lord, with arms open wide and a heart committed to Your presence in my life.  Through Your gift of prayer, You grant us a personal audience and an open invitation to deepen our relationship by seeking You.  For that heavenly connection, and all of the other ways You come into our lives, I give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Armoring Up

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Father, it’s certainly been a see-saw of a week for me so far.  I knew before it began that this five day period was to be filled with new challenges, anxiety-ridden trials and stressful situations, and it’s absolutely lived up to my expectations.  Fears of the unknown held positions all around me, while whispered messages of doubt taunted me from deep within.

Thankfully, I clothed myself appropriately for these battles I’ve faced…

I armored up.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” – Ephesians 6:13-20 (ESV)

The challenges have come, and were conquered.  Anxieties flooded my waking mind, and were dispersed.  Fear gripped my heart, and was silently sent away.

Wrapped in Your divine protection, those things that prey in the dark corners of my mind and hide in the deep recesses of my heart don’t stand a chance.

Thank You Father.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

316. A big batch of homemade chimichangas shared with good friends.

317. A fantastic first gathering for our Small Group Study: Treasures of the Transformed Life.

318. Being married to a lady who can always make me laugh.

319. Those moments where Your presence overwhelms me.

320. Having the complete Armor of God at my disposal each day (Ephesians 6:13-20).

321. “Still” time spent in Your Word each morning before the household awakens.

322. Sharing a big homemade breakfast with friends after church on Sunday.

323. Long weekends spent in the company of our “extended family”.

324. The encouragement I’ve received recently from friends.

325. A fun and successful dinner party we hosted last Saturday night.

326. The strength You provided me to work through my anxieties this week.

327. New non-stick cookware from Kitchen Aid to replace our 15-year old aluminum set.

328. The information and resources to expand PhatherPhil.org that Google offers for free through Analytics and FeedBurner.

329. A bushel of fresh-picked apples from a local orchard.

330. Tickets for the family to attend a John Waller concert in Dover tonight.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for all those Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that shine as brightly as the sun, and those that glow softly as a candle in the night.  For all of Your many gifts of grace in our lives Father, we give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Ups-And-Downs

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, this past week has certainly been filled with ups-and-downs here.  One thing’s for sure though, life is never dull in the Malmstrom household!  Thankfully however, through all of the “tossing about” our lives have experienced as of late, Your Blessings have continued to be the lighthouse in our daily storms.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Father, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

301. A wonderful day spent with friends at the Chesapeake Celtic Festival last Saturday.

302. A good “New Patient” visit for Shannon at our new Primary Care Physician.

303. Spiritual lessons on a cold morning.

304. Finding tasty new recipes on the Internet.

305. New ways to express myself on Pinterest.

306. Our cat Serenity recovering well after having a wound stitched up on her face last Friday.

307. The enjoyment I’ve been getting playing a new video game that was released this week.

308. That what I can handle in life isn’t wholly dependent on my strength alone.

309. A WordPress plugin that allows readers to share my posts on Pinterest.

310. An inexpensive repair for our large color laser printer in the office.

311. Friends that come and help move furniture.

312. Shannon and I being on the “same page” on how we handle the children.

313. Seeing a smile on my beautiful wife’s face.

314. A special deal on one of my prescriptions that allowed me to get it at half price.

315. The salvation we’ve received through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension.

(I’m especially thankful for #315 Father… 🙂 )

Heavenly Father,

We lift thanks and praise Lord, for all of the Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that make Your presence in our lives obvious, and those that quietly support us without due fanfare.  You are indeed a caring Shepherd, a skillful Potter and a loving Father.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil