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.
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.
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.
Well Father, I couldn’t have asked for a lovelier weekend. Coming off of a tiring and complicated week, Shannon, the boys and I were all well-worn by the time Friday evening rolled around. With that being the case, we made the decision to spend a good bit of our “down time” as the description implies… down. Friday evening we curled up on the couch together and watch movies until bedtime. Saturday morning we lounged around the house in the morning, and then headed outside to do our “Fall clean up” of the planting beds along the house. The rest of the day was split between miscellaneous housework, and more movie-time with the kids. Sunday morning began with an uplifting service at church, then back to the house for a tasty, fun breakfast of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes (Thanks for pointing me to the recipe Alida :-)). Jonathan, Aidan and I then gave Mommy some quiet time and headed out to Blackbird State Forest for a long walk in the beauty and abundance of Your Creation. The rest of the day was spent finishing up some odds-and-ends around the house, and then yet another quiet evening on the couch with the boys. This was the first weekend in quite some time where we didn’t have a packed schedule of activities, and it was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL. Thank You so much for that much-needed respite Lord!
This week’s Meditations Monday Scripture is actually inspired by something John Waller talked about at the worship concert we attended last Thursday. One of the songs he played discussed his desire to be used to bring Your light into other people’s lives. The song is appropriately titled “Somebody Else’s Story”:
Out of all the wonderful music he shared with us that night Lord, this is the one that really hit home with me. As a Christian, I can think of no greater joy than bringing Your message to the hearts of those around me; to show them the true wonder of Your love for us, and to share the gifts You’ve Blessed me with in Your service.
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” – Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
I take that Commission very seriously Father, and when I get the opportunity to be a part of someone else’s “Story”, It’s a Blessing beyond words for me. Mr. Waller’s song captures that desire beautifully, and I thank You for placing it in his heart to share with us.
Heavenly Father,
As we begin the week Lord, please help guide our choices and actions to best reflect Your desire for our lives. Inspire us to reach out and share Your message of love and redemption with those we encounter each day, and to faithfully serve Your will.
Once again Father, we come to the Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org. In addition to adding to my continuing list of Blessings, I’m also pleased to have “passed on” this tradition to Lindsay over at The Evatt’s Beautiful Mess. She writes a wonderfully fun, devotional blog and it’s always a Blessing to read it. Today’s her first Thankful Thursday post, and hopefully it’s just the beginning of many to come!
And now Lord, on to my list! This week, I’ve been especially thankful for:
241. The patience shown by friends.
242. The sun streaming through the clouds as a gentle rain falls… Absolutely beautiful.
243. The beauty of a rainbow following a rain shower.
244. Jonathan starting Youth Group (called the Jesus Freaks…:-) ) at church this week.
245. The opportunity to introduce some good friends to our church this past weekend.
246. Being invited to become members to Ewell’s St. Paul UMC, and signing the Covenant last Sunday.
247. A final report from the Pediatric Dermatologist that Jonathan’s moles aren’t LCH related.
248. Sharing a game of Scrabble on Facebook with friends.
255. The overwhelming sense of Your presence I feel after taking Holy Communion.
Such wonderful gifts You grace us with each day Father…
Heavenly Father, I thank and praise You for the multitude of Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that light up the Heavens in glory, and those which grace us in relative silence. We are truly Blessed!
Thank You Father!! Thank You, thank You, thank You!!
What a wonderful Blessing You’ve given us Lord… Such a beautiful way to start the weekend!
For those who follow our conversations and don’t know the source of my joy Father, please indulge me while I explain.
A couple months ago, we had Jonathan in for his yearly check-up with his pediatrician. It was a routine visit, but due to his complicated medical situation (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis), doctor’s appointments always place some concern in our hearts. For the most part, everything went quite well; nothing obviously scary to report. Then the doctor examined some new “growths” that had popped up on him over the last year; up went the red flags, and down went our spirits. She labeled them as “suspicious”, and indicated that we should have them looked at by Jonathan’s oncologist as soon as possible. We tried of course to stay optimistic, but the seed of worry had been sown all the same.
The oncology visit didn’t yield much in the way of answers either, but added another round of “concerns” and a referral to a pediatric dermatologist for a specialized examination and if necessary, treatment and surgical intervention. The oncologist did however, indicate that the possible skin involvement was all that appeared out of the ordinary at the moment, and that all his other tests and scans looked perfectly normal. That news certainly eased our fears a bit, but based on past experience with this disease, our guard was still up nonetheless.
Today, Jonathan went to see the dermatologist.
They’re moles Father… All perfectly normal, and nothing to be concerned about. But You already knew that, didn’t You? 🙂
Please forgive my doubts Lord… I know he’s in Your hands no matter what, and I’m so thankful for that. But each time we have the specter of this disease rear it’s gnarled claws, it takes our hearts back to that terrifying time of uncertainty and fear, when the possible loss of our son was very real. And while I realize Lord, that this life is temporary and simply a step towards Your Eternal Kingdom, Shannon and I are selfish in that we love this little boy dearly, and very much want him to remain with us for as long as You’ll permit.
Apparently, that’s Your desire for the moment as well… And I thank You from the bottom of my heart for that Blessing!
In Jesus’ Name we pray,
Amen.
~Phather Phil
P.S. September is Histiocytosis Awareness Month. To learn more about this life threatening disease, and what you can do to help in the search for a cure, please visit : http://www.histio.org.
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. 
