With hurricane Irene looming to our South Father, folks around here are very much consumed with preparing themselves for a difficult and potentially dangerous weekend. We’ve made basic preparations ourselves; ensuring adequate supplies of food, water, propane and medications, as well as taking in any loose items from the deck and yard. Tensions are running high for many people on the East Coast right now Lord, but Your Presence brings comfort to the chaos. I pray that Your peace is felt by all those living in the shadow of fear, and that they can rest easier knowing that even in the midst of seemingly uncontrollable forces, Your sovereignty never falters.
To help combat the “dark clouds” on the horizon Father, I thought I’d end the week on a lighter note. I came across a video today that just gave me a chuckle, so I decided to share it…
I was never a fan of the original song (I truly disliked it actually), but this version works for me! 🙂
Thank You Father, for all the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us this week. Please calm the swirling winds, and shelter those in harm’s way in Your protective embrace that they may know Your might.
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.
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)
“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.
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.
First off Father, I want to raise Kim Miller up in prayer to You once again. Her powerful testimony in the video I linked to in yesterday’s post has very much been in my thoughts, and continues to inspire further introspection of my own Faith. Lord, please grant Kim Your peace, Your comfort and if it be Your Will, Your healing that she may continue to know Your abundant presence in her life.
Today Father, I’d like to discuss manners and courtesy, or more specifically the lack of them I’ve been seeing as of late.
During a quick trip at lunchtime over to the nearby WalMart, I was confronted a number of times with blatant examples of selfishness, disrespect and a general disinterest in the feelings of others. Simple little things like:
In a busy parking lot, taking up two full spaces to avoid being parked next to…
People not looking behind them when going through a door to see if someone is following close by before letting it swing closed…
Shoppers standing in the middle of a narrow aisle chatting while people and carts sit behind them waiting for them to move…
Parents allowing their young children to run around unsupervised and then getting upset when other people question them…
Leaving shopping carts rolling all over the parking lot when there are plenty of cart return stations nearby…
It’s very frustrating to witness such widespread disregard Father. And while I certainly ran into several smiling, courteous folks today as well, they were somehow less obvious than those whose focus was very much on themselves. Now, I’ve absolutely been guilty of allowing my mood to sidetrack my manners now and again Lord… I believe we all have. This begs the question; how would You have us act towards others so as to best reflect Your Love?
With forgiveness and compassion:
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
With thought and empathy:
“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31 (NIV)
In the spirit of peace and unity:
“Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” – Romans 14:19 (NIV)
With humility:
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Luke 14:11 (NIV)
And with Love:
“For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”” – Galatians 5:14 (NIV)
It’s so handy having Your Instruction Manual Father. 🙂
Heavenly Father, please help guide our words and actions to best exemplify the behavior that You desire of us. Make Your light visible through our lives, so that others may witness the peace and compassion of Your presence in us.
As I wrote to You yesterday Father, Wednesday morning I was Blessed with the opportunity to visit Kay’s Kamp at St. Andrew’s School, and got to witness first-hand the wonderful work the Kamp Staff does for the children that attend. As Jonathan has been a Kamper since they opened their doors in 2009, it was an emotional and eye-opening visit for me, and I left feeling very thankful for the Blessings You deliver through their hands.
As part of my visit, I spent time with the “Newsletter Group”. Each day at Kamp, a newsletter is created by the staff and children which describes what’s going on, reports on Kamp gossip and lists some answers to interview questions posed by the Kamp “reporters”. With the assistance of the staff, I was able to add a question to the list for the day…
What about Kamp are you thankful for?
Here are their answers Father. 🙂
– All the activities we do because can’t do this stuff at home.
– The Pillow Fairy coming every year.
– That kids get to enjoy themselves here!
– Thankful for just being here.
– Pranking the boys.
– Sports and Games.
– Coffee.
– Zoo Keepers.
– Just being part of it.
– The food.
– Bathrooms.
– Dessert.
– Jennie and all floaters.
– Bugspray.
– Learning new things.
– For coming here every summer.
– The Kampers.
– Derek.
– The kitchen staff.
– The counselors.
– Markie.
– Mr. Bling.
– Kristin.
– All the stuff they do for us so we can have fun.
While I don’t actually know what all of these mean, or who some of these folks are Father, it’s obvious that the staff and the Kampers are very thankful for this week of fun. 🙂
Heavenly Father, for all of the Blessings you bestow on us each day; both those that are obvious and those that grace us without fanfare, we give thanks. I pray that Your Light continues to brighten our hearts, and that we are effective in shining that divine radiance to those around us.
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. 
