Thankful Thursday: A Shift in Vision

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Today Father, we come to the final Thankful Thursday edition of PhatherPhil.org for this calendar year.  When I began this recurring post 31 weeks ago (whew!), I honestly never expected the profound impact it would have on me, or that it would draw me so much closer to You in the process.

As I sit down each week to write out my list Lord, my mind drifts back over the past seven days; revisiting those moments that left their marks on my heart.  What I’ve found in doing so Father, is that even in those situations where things don’t seem to go my way, when I look closely enough, Your Blessings pour out nonetheless.  That little shift in vision Lord, has been a major Blessing all by itself.  I still have struggles and times that tax my strength, but when I look through my “Thankful Thursday Goggles”, I’m much more able to place those moments in their proper light.  It’s been an eye-opening experience so far Lord, and I can’t wait to see what Blessings You’ll reveal to me in the coming year.

Therefore Father, to close out the year on a joyful note, this past week I’ve been especially grateful for:

466. Time spent alone with Shannon last Friday afternoon and evening.

467. Google Music which allows me to listen to my music on all my devices, anywhere, at any time.

468. The pain relief provided by our heating pad last night.

469. Hickory Farms New York Cheddar Spread (Used to be called Chutter).

470. That when my stubbornness blinds me to common sense, my wonderful wife Shannon “nudges” me back on track.

471. The Living Water that satisfies my spiritual thirst.

472. Having three days off over Christmas spent with those I love.

473. A beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service at Ewell’s-St. Paul UMC.

474. Andes Mint Cookies.

475. Sharing the celebration of Jesus’ birth with friends.

476. An inspiring guest post on Tuesday by Jean Wise from Healthy Spirituality.

477. That the stabbing pains I had in my lower back yesterday have settled down today.

478. Seeing the expressions of wonder and joy on my children’s faces Christmas morning.

479. The opportunity to support other local ministries.

480. The trust of a good friend.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for gracing us with such a multitude of Blessings this past year.  As we start anew in 2012, please clear our eyes to reveal Your gifts in all circumstances; both those that lift our hearts in song, and those in which Your Blessings may be masked within our trials.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Gift of Reflection

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Well Father, to start off our week together I want to thank You wholeheartedly for the wonderful Christmas weekend You Blessed my family and I with.  Saturday evening we attended a beautiful candlelight service at Ewell’s-St. Paul UMC, followed the next day by a lovely Christmas morning with the kids and a trip to my (earthly) father’s house for a family dinner.  And most importantly Lord, I was Blessed to have three whole days spent wrapped in the love of my wife and children.  It was an absolutely joy-filled time of respite and celebration Lord, and for that I am truly grateful.

Today Father, I’m very Blessed to have the opportunity to share a guest “Email to God” from a dear lady and fellow Christian Blogger; Jean Wise from HealthySpirituality.org.  Jean’s posts never fail to inspire and encourage her readers (including me), and I’m excited to have her sharing her prayers here today.

Happy New Year, Lord!

I love the end of December – watching the transition from one year to the next. It is a time of new beginnings and renewed energy. You invite me to sit with You, reflecting on the past 12 months and praying about the coming year.

Lord as we “harvest” my journal, sort through my emotional ups and downs, and dig deep into my past experiences, help me to remember You were with me then, You are with me now, and will stay by my side into the unknown future.

I pause and lift up 2011 and my entire life journey once again into Your hands. With a highlighter and my favorite pen in hand, what shall we look for?

• ·      Cherished moments.
• ·      Unexpected joys and obstacles
• ·      Reoccurring thoughts or stubborn nudges that You won’t let me forget
• ·      Bible verses that guided me or still sing to me even if I don’t know why
• ·      Times I felt Your presence and times I walk in lonely darkness
• ·      Lessons I learned and lessons that will take a life time to fully comprehend
• ·      Answered prayers and dreams that still bubbled with life and passion

Lord, be my companion, teacher, and guide as 2012 unfolds. Let this coming year be filled with warm relationships and the strength and wisdom to help those You place before me. Help me to love You more, love others as You do, and to love myself as only You can.

And Lord I ask for a bit a whimsical joy in 2012. Give me childlike wonder to see your creation with new eyes. I ask that You lavishly send love, peace, kindness, and patience to fill my heart and remove the pettiness, greed, and jealously that I hide in its corners.

The gift of 2012 is not for me, but an opportunity to serve You, love You, and give You glory. Father, the One who “makes all things new,” help me keep my eyes only on You the coming twelve months.

Thank You for being the God of our yesterdays, of our todays, and all of our tomorrows.

Amen

~Jean Wise

 http://www.healthyspirituality.org

Thankful Thursday: Grumble, Grumble, Grumble…

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Grumble, grumble, grumble…

This Father, was the response (the nicer version of it anyways) that greeted me upon trying to wake my “just turned twelve” son Jonathan this morning.  Now, he’s always been a little sluggish getting moving in the morning, but last night he ended up staying awake far later than usual to try and finish some homework, and this morning when I tried to get him up for school…

Arguments…

Attitude…

And Grumbling.

After much cajoling, some veiled threats of consequences, and yes, some “raised voices” (smiles), he finally got up and begrudgingly got ready for school.

Later in the day as I mulled over the morning’s epic struggle, it dawned on me that I’d been guilty of similar offenses this week as well…

I’ve grumbled to You Lord, more than once.

Money is exceptionally tight this year… grumble, grumble, grumble

I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in what seems like forever… grumble, grumble, grumble

The dogs just won’t stop barking… grumble, grumble, grumble

I never seem to have time to do the things I want to do… grumble, grumble, grumble

And yet Father, in the midst of all my grumbling, You’ve stayed by my side; encouraging me, comforting me, and faithfully guiding me through each and every storm.

And You’ve never grumbled about it.

Thank you Lord, for setting that example.  🙂

Now Father, as opposed to grumbling (smiles again), I’d like to present You with this week’s Thankful Thursday list!  Even though this past week has certainly provided more than a few challenges for me Lord, I’ve still found myself surrounded by signs of Your gracious love.  And while I’m thankful for all of the wonderful gifts You’ve Blessed my life with Father, this week I’m especially grateful for:

436. A fun, silly dinner at Friendly’s to celebrate Jonathan’s birthday.

437. Those guiding whispers to my heart when I’m about to say something I shouldn’t.

438. That our Tuesday night Small Group has connected in such a powerful way that we all feel comfortable coming to one another in times of need.

439. Twelve years of having Jonathan in our lives.

440. That the new Ewell’s – St. Paul UMC website is nearly completed.  🙂

441. Chocolate and peanut butter oreo balls.

442. The divine gift of marriage, and Blessing me with the call to join two people in Your love.

443. A significant savings on gasoline through a local grocery store discount program.

444. That when my limited understanding obscures my needs, Your Spirit knows all the same.

445. Christmas cookies.

446. That in my weakness, Your grace strengthens and emboldens me.

447. That one way or another Lord, You always deliver on Your promises.

448. An exceptional friend that knew I needed a break, and stepped in without asking to help.

449. Guiding messages from my Heavenly Father that help steer me through difficulties.

450. The “Road Signs” in Your Word that help to guide my life.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for the multitude of Blessings You surround us with each day; both those that light up the sky with Your brilliance, and those gifts that grace our lives quietly from the shadows…

Even when we grumble.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Mary’s “Plan B”

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

As You know Father, for the past several weeks our Tuesday night study group has been working through a DVD Book Study based on Pastor Pete Wilson’s book : “Plan B: What do you do when God doesn’t show up the way you thought He would”.  I’d read the book earlier this year and very much enjoyed it, so when the time came to choose a new study, I was quite pleased that everyone agreed to pursue “Plan B”.  As of this week, we’ve completed three sessions of the study and so far it’s been an inspiring and encouraging examination of how even in the midst of seemingly hopeless situations, You perform some of Your most powerful work in us.

As I was thinking today on some of the things we’ve been discussing in the group these past few weeks, it dawned on me that Christmas itself is the celebration of Mary and Joseph’s “Plan B”.  Before being visited by the Angel Gabriel, Mary’s life was proceeding along a fairly normal path.  She’d become betrothed to a man named Joseph, and was very likely planning for her role as his wife, and the future mother of their children.

And in a moment, her world turned upside down…

And our world was forever changed.

Her “Plan B” was Your “Plan A”.

This hammers home a very important point Father; in the midst of those situations where our lives seem to be flying desperately off course, You’re not shaken or confused.  What we view as turmoil, You see as opportunity…

May we all seize those opportunities Father; embracing the understanding that our “Plan B” moments, were Your “Plan A”s all along.  🙂

And now Lord, on to this week’s Thankful Thursday list!  This past week has been simply overflowing with Your Blessings Father, but I’d like to give special thanks for:

421. Having friends that pray for me.

422. Getting to spend much of the day Saturday cooking for family and friends.

423. A quick healing for the eye I scratched.

424. Some helpful advice from a friend that helped get the Jaguar running again.

425. New glasses for Jonathan.

426. That the Rimadyl is making an obvious improvement in Brandy’s pain level.

427. Having friends that can tell when I’m having a rough time, and pushing through my “wall”.

428. A quiet walk in Blackbird State Forest with Jonathan last Sunday.

429. That even though I fall short in so many ways, You know my heart and guide me ahead.

430. Candy Cane Hershey’s Kisses.

431. Real kisses from my loving wife.

432. The Kids Construction Workshops at Home Depot.

433. Seeing my children reach out with giving hearts.

434. Knowing that I’m Your Beloved Child.

435. Having a full collection of inspiring Christmas Music to play on my iPod during the day.

And so much more Lord.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for the many Blessings you bestow on us each day; both those that announce Your presence like sirens in the night, and those that grace our lives in Stillness.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Stepping Out of the Boat

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Today Father, I’m Blessed to share an “Email to God” with You written by Kandi, from “Get Out of the Boat”.  Her posts always exude such an intimate connection with You Lord, so I was absolutely elated when she agreed to bring her prayers here today.

Good morning Father,

Well, at least it’s morning when I am writing this, very early morning, it is 1:00 a.m. right now, that seems to be the magic hour for You and I, I write so many of my blog posts this time of morning, when the world is still and silent.  I am thankful for these times when it is just quiet, when it is just us spending time together. It is this time of morning when I do not have to strain through the voices of the day to hear Yours.  So I sit here, fingers on the keyboard wondering what words are going to find their way onto the page.

A few years ago, I remember seeing the words “survival of the fittest” splashed across someone’s social network page.  I remember thinking how strong and confident the writer of those words probably thought they sounded, and all I could think to myself was how hopeless that was.  That was back in my infancy days when I first came to You, the days when getting on my knees before You seemed to exhaust my physical limits, when the tears flowed so freely it felt like I were shedding the three plus decades of my life that I spent without You, those four little words that in this world represent a sense of strength in ourselves, yet is void of any hope.  Yes, there is the hope of something better, there is the hope that the dreams and passions of our deceptive human hearts will come to fruition, and for some they will, but there is no hope in You, in death it will all become meaningless and left behind. Those whose hope rests squarely in arms of You Father, the One who gives meaning to our lives, begin to see a bigger picture, that there is a greater purpose beyond what we can see.  We know that You will never leave us or forsake us, You know the plans You have for us and that they are good, that You have gone before us, You have made a way, You have already made the our path straight, even when it looks so very crooked laid out at our feet, we know the only truest and purest form of hope is in You Father. We cling to You and Your promises,  because we know that only You can take the ash and mold it into something beautiful, we know only You can make something new again, when we hope in You, our lives and the meaning of them begin to look different, when we frame them in the hope of You.  There are places You want to take us that not even the strongest hands can touch because the greatest of human strength is like a pebble at the bottom of the ocean compared to Yours.  

Father, You have blessed us with so many great scriptures of hope in Your word, but it is this one from Isaiah 40:31 that You keep placing in my path, I think this is one of my favorite scriptures that describes what our hope in You looks like.

“but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint” – Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Father, when I accepted Jesus as my personal Savior four and half years ago, I would have never imagined being in this place I am today, I never thought it possible, Father, I love You so much, I can’t imagine doing life without You, I can’t live without hope in You.

Amen… Thank you Kandi!

🙂