Thankful Thursday: “Special Edition”

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

And today Father, we come to the original Thankful Thursday… Thanksgiving!  On this day each year, here in the United States we take time to put aside the normal activities and concerns of daily life and focus our attentions on Your abundant Blessings.

As we’ve discussed many times Lord, when I begin counting my Blessings my wife Shannon and my two boys Jonathan and Aidan immediately spring to mind.  They’re truly one of Your greatest gifts in my life Father, and I can’t begin to thank You enough for my life with them.

As precious as they are to me Father, it seems fitting that on this day where our focus rests in gratitude, that I share our conversation with them as well.  Therefore, for this Thankful Thursday “Special Edition”, I present You with some things that my cherished family members are grateful for:

Jonathan (Age 11)

– Having the choice to follow the Lord.

– Having friends and family over for Thanksgiving.

– Having parents that are still together.

– Having the opportunity to get an education.

– That all my sins are forgiven.

Aidan (Age 9)

– For my family.

– For our home.

– For good food to eat.

– That I have people that love me.

– For the fun I have building Legos.

Shannon (Older than 11 :-))

– The love of a grace-filled man.

– Empathetic children who give their birthday money to help fill a church food pantry.

– Recipes from the past that shine like new.

– Music to share in ALL aspects of my life.

– Craft links on Pinterest 😉

Heavenly Father,

As we focus on Your many gifts in our lives Lord, Your love for us is so apparent.  Open our eyes and our hearts Father, that we better recognize Your Blessings each day, and realize that Thanksgiving isn’t only once a year, but every day that we dwell in Your tender mercies.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Choosing the Good Portion

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Tomorrow Lord, as You’re well aware, here in the United States we’ll be gathering together with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving.  And while I absolutely love having that time to focus on togetherness and gratitude Father, for many this Holiday takes on an entirely different focus…

Details.

Instead of dwelling in Your many Blessings and focusing on spending time with those we love Lord, for some the Holidays become a flurry of “to-do lists”, household chores and shopping trips.  And while some preparations are certainly necessary to host our festive gatherings, it’s very easy to allow the myriad of details to overwhelm us, and to take our eyes off the One who made it possible.

And while getting ready for work this morning Father, You decided I needed a reminder.

Standing in the shower, my mind wandered; so many things to do before tomorrow… I started a mental list, carefully going over all the details of the day ahead, and trying to work out exactly how we’d complete everything in the time we had remaining…

“Like Martha and Mary…” You whispered.

Ouch!

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”” – Luke 10:38-42 (ESV)

Okay, okay… Point taken Father.  🙂

It’s not about the house being spotless…

It’s not about mountains of carefully prepared food…

It’s not about a meticulously laid-out table…

It’s not about being the perfect host or hostess…

It’s not about the details…

It’s about You Lord… All about You.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for the multitude of Blessings You grace our lives with each day.  As we prepare for the upcoming Holidays Father, please help focus our hearts to see past the tasks at hand, and prepare a spot at Jesus’ feet where we might rest, and listen…

In Jesus’ name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

True Courage

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

Men: Life can feel terribly overwhelming at times.  Between work responsibilities, caring for our families, household bills, and a seemingly never-ending list of tasks to accomplish, even the most stalwart of us can feel burdened and fearful.  When those moments occur, instead of allowing the darkness to poison our spirits it’s essential we lean on the strength of our Heavenly Father to bolster our resolve, and see us through our trials.  True courage isn’t facing adversity on our own, it’s boldly realizing that we’re never on our own.

Completely Transparent

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high; I cannot attain it.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,”
even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day,
for darkness is as light with you.” – Psalm 139:1-12 (ESV)

Abraham Lincoln’s famous statement “You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time.” Is missing one important sentence: “And no matter what you do or say, you can’t EVER fool God.”.  To our Heavenly Father, we’re completely transparent; whatever outward appearance we portray, whatever words we speak, whatever actions we take, our true intentions, heart and mind are known to Him.  Does what you say and do in front of others reflect your true heart?

Meditations Monday: Spiritual Maintenance

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Father, once again You’ve Blessed my family and I by gracing us with another wonderful weekend together, surrounded by ample signs of Your love for us.  Aidan’s birthday party Friday night brought a flurry of activity to the house, and the sleepover portion of the festivities kept that youthful liveliness going late into the evening.  (If we could harness the energy of nine-year-old boys Father, I truly believe the world’s energy issues would be at an end.  ;-))  Shannon spent Saturday afternoon playing her viola in the Dover Symphony’s Children’s Concert, while the boys and I got some errands and household duties accomplished.  Sunday started as usual with morning services at Ewell’s St. Paul, with the remainder of the day consumed by housework, preparations for Thanksgiving and quiet time spent enjoying each other’s company.  All in all Lord, it was a Blessed time spent with those I love, and I thank You for that period of respite from the workweek.

As part of preparing our home for the upcoming Thanksgiving gathering, and to lay the groundwork for next weekend’s Christmas decorating marathon, Jonathan and I spent a good bit of Sunday afternoon cleaning and rearranging the garage, and bringing in the furniture from our back deck.  In the midst of doing so, I realized that it had been more than six months since I’d started the 1986 Jaguar I’d restored some years back, and well over a year since it had left the confines of our garage.  The battery was completely dead, so I connected up the charger, and let it run until the indicator light clued me in that it was done.  I settled into the driver’s seat, turned the key in the ignition, and…

It bluntly refused to start.

At first, I was a little taken aback.  Since I’d finished restoring it, this car has always fired right up with no hesitation whatsoever.  Then I realized… it’s had the same gasoline in its tanks for well over 16 months; engines don’t like stale gas.  When the brakes went out a year and a half ago I parked it, and waited for the time and money to repair it.  Unfortunately, our finances have been stretched since that time, and I unintentionally allowed it to fall into neglect.  I failed to perform the proper maintenance a stored vehicle requires, and as a result it will now require some repairs before it runs again.

Thinking about the situation as I drove in to the office today, I realized there was a lesson to be learned here…

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 (ESV)

Like my immobile auto, our faith needs to have regular service performed on it as well.  In this passage from First Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul describes some directives which could be looked at as “Spiritual Maintenance” of a sort.  Our journey of faith is a lifelong, winding road, requiring a spirit that’s fueled regularly (time in the Word), diligently maintained (thanks and prayer) and kept out of damaging conditions (abstaining from evil).  When we neglect our spirit’s proper upkeep, that road becomes uncertain, and our pace towards You is diminished.

Our spirits don’t run well on “stale gas” either.  🙂

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for the great care and faithfulness You show to us each day.  Instill in our hearts the commitment and passion to keep our spirits “maintained” and agile, that we may journey along the path You’ve set for us unimpeded.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil