Thankful Thursday: On Our Toes

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Father, You’re certainly providing us with an eventful week here in Delaware.  Between the earthquake that we experienced on Tuesday and the impending arrival of hurricane Irene this weekend, we’re very much “on our toes” around here.  And while we’ll of course be preparing as best we can for the potential effects of the storm, my fears are allayed by the knowledge that we’re in Your capable hands.

It’s been a slightly stressful week for me Lord, however as always Your Blessings in my life shine through that haze.  To continue my Thankful Thursday list, this week I’m especially grateful for:

211. The sounds of crickets serenading me as I sit on our deck at night.

212. Jonathan and Aidan having a great first day back at school.

213. Shannon having a wonderful first day of work.

214. A smooth server installation for a new client today.

215. No damage or injuries from the earthquake that happened this week.

216. The soothing effect Praise Music has on Jonathan when he’s stressed.

217. Feeling more “in-tune” with Your Presence each day.

218. A significant surge in business this past week.

219. Having a dedicated Service Manager (and close friend) who keeps my business going.

220. Melatonin supplements to help with getting my sleep cycle back on track.

221. Fabric Softener.

222. The inner peace I draw from Your Presence.

223. Port wine cheese spread on Ritz crackers.

224. The fact that my kids still like to snuggle up with me.  🙂

225. Neighbors that keep a watchful eye on our home, and let us know when they see something that may be wrong.

And I’m just getting started Father.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I pray that the peace of Your presence is felt by all those gripped by fear as this hurricane heads towards us.  Please keep those in harm’s way in Your watchful gaze, and bring us all safely through the storm.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Truly Special People

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

This morning Father, the Malmstrom home was a flurry of activity.  Jonathan and Aidan eagerly prepared for their first day of the new school year, and Shannon got herself ready for the first day in her new full-time position as a Para-Educator at the school as well.  As we’ve discussed many times Lord, I’m very proud of my wife, and love seeing her so excited to take this step.

And with the vision of her smile drifting through my mind, my prayers this morning have been focused on Shannon and all the other educators that strive daily to prepare our children for the future.  Teachers are truly special people Father, and I thank You for instilling that love and sense of commitment in their hearts.

With that thought on my heart Lord, I’d like to close today with a prayer I found this morning.  It appears to originate from the United Church of Christ’s website, although I wasn’t able to track down a specific author.  It’s entitled “A Prayer for Teachers”:

God of Love, Thank you for every teacher who notices a child’s special gift. Thank you for teachers who are listeners and gentle guides. Thank you for teachers who expect much and love enough to demand more. Thank you for the special teacher each one of us remembers.

God of Mercy, Sustain teachers who give everything they have and feel abandoned when society expects too much. Strengthen teachers who assume the blame for so many problems beyond their control. Help exhausted teachers rest.

God of Strength, Encourage teachers to care and inspire them to nourish. Motivate teachers to keep on learning for the fun of it and to make learning fun for children.

We wonder at teachers who know how to quiet a class of five-year-olds or help fourth grade girls be empathetic. We admire teachers who enjoy middle school writers, or teach physics or math or civics. We cannot even imagine how to help every single student achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. Bless the people who are expected to accomplish these miracles and who know how to comfort children when miracles don’t happen.

God of Justice, help our nation find a way to steward our vast wealth to support teachers in their special calling, wherever they teach and whatever the race or religion or gender or wealth of the children.

We pray these things in the name of our Great Teacher, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Back to School

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

To begin our week’s conversations Lord, I first want to give You thanks for the Blessings You granted me this past weekend.  Although a busy couple days to be sure, I was Blessed to spend them in the company of family and friends.  I regularly find myself overwhelmed by the gifts You bring to my life, and thank You for Your continued Presence.  I am indeed Blessed.

Well Father, this Wednesday marks the return to classes for Jonathan and Aidan.  And while they’re a little disappointed that the freedoms of summer are waning, they’re both very excited to dive into a new school year’s “education adventure”.  With that thought in mind, I decided to focus this week’s Meditations Monday Scripture selections on what Your Word has to say about the advancement of knowledge:

…That the path of learning is important to both our head, and our heart:

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out. – Proverbs 18:15 (NIV)

…That putting our children on the proper path will help guide their future:

Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)

…That wisdom, understanding and knowledge work together to make our lives fuller:

By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;

through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures. – Proverbs 24:3-4 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, as our children begin another year’s schooling, please keep Your watchful gaze upon them.  Please help them not only to absorb what they’re taught, but to apply that knowledge towards fulfilling Your desires for their lives.  Open their minds and their hearts, and fill them with that thirst for wisdom that only You can instill.  Lead them Teacher, that they may grow both in this earthly realm, and in Your Kingdom as well.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: The Right Perspective

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

You know Father, as I’ve mentioned before I really LOVE Thankful Thursday posts.  While I try to give thanks each day for the abundance of Blessings You grace me with, having a weekly post that leads me to recollect all the little things that bring a smile to my heart puts me in exactly the right perspective:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

I ran across a blog posting today at stevenfurtick.com that said it beautifully:

“With God, ‘thank you’ should always come before ‘please.’ The first thing that needs to come out of my mouth in prayer and worship needs to be praise for who God is and what He has done. Not just instructions for what I want or even need Him to do.”

So true.

Therefore Father, with that perspective firmly embedded in my heart, this week I’ve been thankful for:

196. A silly, giggly, tasty dinner with Shannon and the kids at a new Mexican Restaurant.

197. Getting some “one-on-one” time with Aidan while Jonathan was away at Kay’s Kamp.

198. For a sweet Bloggy Friend who reminded me to look at flowering weeds as flowers, and not weeds (Thank you Jean!).

199. Cool, clear mornings which let me leave my windows down in the truck on the way to work.

200. A fun night out with my lovely Wife last Friday night.

201. Getting the opportunity to attend “Media Day” at Kay’s Kamp, and seeing the Blessed work they do for the children.

202. Inspiring testimonies from courageous people.

203. Getting well over 50,000 miles on my truck tires before having to replace them.

204. Free lifetime map and software updates available for my GPS.

205. Finding new school uniform clothing for the boys at Goodwill dirt cheap.

206. Jonathan having another wonderful week away at Kay’s Kamp.

207. Having inexpensive generic versions available for the medications we take.

208. Tootsie Fruit Rolls.

209. My portable digital voice recorder that allows me to note things I’m thankful for at the time they come to me.

210. Waking up next to the lady I love each and every day.

Heavenly Father, once again I thank You for all the Blessings You grace our lives with each day; both those that shine brilliantly with Your Light, and those that Bless us quietly, without fanfare.  I pray that You will continue to open my eyes wider to Your gifts, that I may appreciate them to the full.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Our Darkest Hour

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Father, it certainly was a busy weekend, but all-in-all a wonderful couple days’ time spent enjoying time with family and good friends.  With Jonathan still at Kamp and Aidan spending the night with friends, Shannon and I got to go out Friday evening for a fun “date night” (I so love “dating” my wife Lord…).  Saturday morning we picked up Aidan, and spent the remainder of the morning attending the closing ceremonies at Kay’s Kamp.  We got some quiet time to rest Saturday afternoon, and then headed out to have dinner with a group of our friends.  It rained much of the evening, but we had an absolutely wonderful time nonetheless.  Sunday morning we braved the downpour to attend morning services at Ewell’s St. Paul United Methodist Church, and enjoyed jubilant music, a wonderful Message from Pastor Kris and the fellowship of our church family.  We managed to catch up on a little housework while relaxing the remainder of the day, and concluded the weekend with a tasty dinner out together at a new Mexican restaurant in Smyrna.  As I said before Lord, it was a hectic few days, but one that was truly filled with Your Blessings… Thank You!

Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 2.  This morning while driving into the office, I heard an extremely inspiring story on 88.7 The Bridge which truly touched my heart.  They played an interview with a young lady who is currently facing her own mortality due to an uncontrolled cancer that has now spread to her brain.  Instead of dwelling in her suffering, she’s instead focusing on Your Blessings in her life, and lifted praises to You as she was baptized yesterday.  It was a humbling message of Faith Father, and it led me to the verse choice I’m praying on this morning:

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

So often when we get into situations that cause us pain, or discomfort, or even just inconvenience we develop “spiritual short-sightedness”, and mire ourselves down in our burdens rather than allowing those trials to strengthen our Faith, and to draw us closer to You.  I pray that we can all learn from her courageous example Father, and seek You even in our darkest hour.

Heavenly Father, I lift my voice in praise for the Blessings You bring to our lives each day.  I pray that Your comforting embrace continues to be felt by Kim and her family during this difficult season, and that they can draw strength from the knowledge that You’re always with them.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil