Turn Weakness Into Strength

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

First off Father, I want to thank You for a wonderful three-day weekend.  As we discussed in my post on Friday, this Memorial Day weekend was especially emotional and special for us as we celebrated the fact that it’s been 10 years this month since Jonathan’s last chemotherapy treatment.  To mark this milestone, we held a fairly large BBQ at the house (50+ people) on Sunday afternoon, attended by many of those whom have been involved with, or touched by Jonathan’s journey.  It was a joyous event, and Your Presence was felt in abundance.

Yet while we celebrated the life You’ve continued to Grace us with Father, my thoughts and prayers were very much splintered.  Last week I was made aware of several other families fighting that dark battle that we had come through those 10 years back.  While my heart was full with the amazing Blessing of Jonathan’s remission, at the same time it ached, confronted by the news that others were now living with that fear and uncertainty.  Therefore Lord, it seemed appropriate to start this week’s conversations with a prayer of healing for those going through this turmoil.  I wasn’t able to locate a definitive source for this prayer, but it says beautifully what I’ve been praying for:

Dear Lord of Mercy and Father of Comfort,

You are the One I turn to for help in moments of weakness and times of need. I ask You to be with Your servant in this illness. Psalm 107:20 says that You send out Your Word and heal. So then, please send Your healing Word to Your servant. In the name of Jesus, drive out all infirmity and sickness from his body.

Dear Lord, I ask You to turn this weakness into strength, suffering into compassion, sorrow into joy, and pain into comfort for others. May Your servant trust in Your goodness and hope in Your faithfulness, even in the middle of this suffering. Let him be filled with patience and joy in Your presence as he waits for Your healing touch.

Please restore Your servant to full health, dear Father. Remove all fear and doubt from his heart by the power of Your Holy Spirit, and may You, Lord, be glorified through his life.

As You heal and renew Your servant, Lord, may he bless and praise You.

All of this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Mercies in Disguise

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

Ten years Lord… Ten years.

Thank You… Thank You… Thank You… Thank You!

This weekend Father, as You’re aware, we’re celebrating 10 years that our oldest son Jonathan has been off of chemotherapy, and other than for a few atypical skin irregularities that were removed as a safety measure, in remission.

While we live each day knowing that there’s still no cure for his disease (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis), and that it could rear it’s ugly head at any time, we also know that we rest in Your Healing Hands and that even in our darkest moments of despair, You were always with us.  I realize that our earthly lives are temporary and precious gifts Father, and I thank You from the bottom my heart for continuing to Bless us with Jonathan’s presence here among us.

Driving in to work this morning, I was listening to a song called “Blessings” sung by Laura Story.  Although I’d heard it before, for some reason the lyrics struck a chord in my heart today and very much fit in with the thoughts I’ve been having about that first 14 months of Jonathan’s life.  The chorus states:

‘Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

It’s that last line that gets me Lord… What if…

I know one thing for sure Father, the trials we endured during that terrifying time have irrevocably changed us.  In my case, You took that tragedy and used it as a starting point for my path back to You.  In the pit of my anguish, You saved me, and exposed me to lessons I desperately needed to learn.  Much of my life since that time has been shaped by those painful, joyous teachings, and for that I thank You.

Heavenly Father, we rejoice in the Blessing of health You’ve granted our son Jonathan these past ten years.  I pray that You continue to keep him in Your Loving Arms, and that Your Healing and Comfort is felt by others who are going through such trials.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

P.S.  For those reading this who may not be familiar with Jonathan’s story, I’ve written articles about it on several occasions, including : “Then and Now, Lessons Learned” and “I’m Sorry, and Thank You”.

In Your Loving Arms

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

Today Father, my heart grieves for the mother of one of Your Children who lost his battle with cancer yesterday, and has left us to join You in Your Kingdom.  His earthly trials are over Lord, and he triumphs in Your Presence, and for that my heart rejoices.  His mother, family and friends however have a piece missing from their lives that will mourn his passing nonetheless.  I pray for Your Healing and Comfort to all those missing Dorian’s light today Father, and ask that You keep them in Your Loving Arms so they may know the joy he’s experiencing with You now.

Searching for words of comfort Lord, I came across a poetic prayer written by Edgar A. Guest that touched my heart so deeply that I wanted to share it here:

A Child of Mine by Edgar A. Guest

“I’ll lend you for a little while
A child of mine,” God said,
“For you to have the while he lives,
And mourn for when he’s dead.

It may be six or seven years
Or twenty-two or three;
But will you ’till I call him back
Take care of him for me?

He’ll bring his charms to gladden you
And, should his stay be brief,
You’ll have his lovely memories
As a solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay,
Since all from earth return;
But there are lessons taught below
I want this child to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over
In search for teachers true;
And from the throngs that crowd life’s land,
I have chosen you.

Now, will you give him all your love
Nor think the labor vain?
Nor hate me when I come to take
This lent child back again?”

I fancied that I heard them say:
“Dear Lord, Thy will be done.
For all the joys Thy child will bring
The risk of grief we’ll run.

We’ll shower him with tenderness,
We’ll love him while we may.
And for the happiness we’ve known
Forever grateful stay.

But should Thy angel call for him
Much sooner than we’ve planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand.”

Amen.

~Phather Phil

P.S. For those who haven’t been following Dorian’s struggle, his mother has a page at CaringBridge.org which can be found here.

Divine Background Music

Dear Lord; Happy Sunday Father!

Last week Lord, the boys and I were sitting down together watching an old episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Riker and a couple other crewmembers had beamed over to a derelict ship and were exploring, when I looked over and noticed that Aidan was covering his eyes.  When I asked him why, he told me “There’s a scary part coming… The music changed.”.  Sure enough, the background music had changed to an ominous tone, and seconds later the first alien body was found.  That got me to thinking…

What if we had our own “background music” in our lives…

Wow… Wouldn’t that be cool!  We could tell when we were headed for dangerous or scary situations, or good news was coming.  We’d have warnings of upsetting events, or that what we were doing was destined for a joyous outcome.  Through that musical guidance our lives could be focused and directed so we knew what we should do with a better sense of clarity…

And then I realized Father, that we already have that… We have Your Voice.

The “music” of Your Spirit is always there with us; It soothes us, warns us of self-destructive behaviors, comforts us and leads us where our true path lies.

“Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”” – Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Such wonderful melodic guidance it is Father, we just need to learn to listen for it in our daily lives.

Thank You so much for being such a Wondrous Conductor, guiding us from one scene to the next in perfect harmony with Your Purpose.  I pray that we may all hear Your lyrical prompting each day, and that our Divine Background Music leads us straight to Your Feet.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: More Multitudes

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Following last week’s example Lord, I’m going to add to the list of Your Gifts that I’ve been especially grateful for this past week.  It’s funny, but since last week’s posting I’ve been finding myself making mental notes as I go through the day; “Wow… This needs to make the list this week!”.  I love having the mindset of “filing” all those wonderful Blessings You bestow on me so I can write them down later on.  🙂

Anyways Father, here’s my list this week:

16. Children who remember to say grace at dinnertime… Even when I forget.

17. A caring, God-loving veterinarian who understands what our “furry family members” mean to us.

18. Hunny responding well to the medication after only two days.

19. Good friends who go out of their way to help our family.

20. Live worship messages streaming from Crosspoint.tv on Sunday nights.

21. A staff who “rolls with the punches” in uncertain times.

22. Finding a Bluetooth headset for my phone that fits comfortably and works properly, (finally!)

23. Spring rainstorms that lull me to sleep at night.

24. A wife who likes mowing the lawn.

25. The smell of warm cinnamon bread baking in the oven.

26. Exploring the beauty and wonders of nature with the boys.

27. My hacked Nook Color Android Tablet.

28. Breakfast for Dinner.

29. The online Bible at YouVersion.com which I can access from my PC, my phone and my Android tablet.

30. Chunks of fresh strawberries in my fruit slushie.

Heavenly Father, as always this list could go on, and on, and on… Your Blessings surround us all each day, and I just love connecting with You further by putting them in writing.

Amen.

~Phather Phil