Thankful Thursday: Simple Answers

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

As I’ve mentioned before Lord, I’ve become quite fond of the Thankful Thursday post each week.  It serves as a wonderful look back and inspection of the prior week’s events, and helps me to truly focus on and appreciate Your Wondrous Gifts more thoroughly.  Spotlighting those simple joys in life that often go by unnoticed has proved to be inspiring, and humbling at the same time.  And each week, after carefully compiling my list I come to the same undeniable conclusion…

I am truly Blessed.  🙂

And therefore Father, without further ado, here’s this week’s Thankful Thursday list:

76. The local Contemporary Christian Radio Station (88.7 The Bridge – http://www.887thebridge.com).

77. Sweet Vidalia Onions.

78. Spiritual Nudges.

79. My Bloggy Friends.

80. Coupons.

81. The smell of coffee brewing in the morning.

82. A quiet Saturday with good friends.

83. Movie night snuggled up with the kids.

84. Hunny responding well to the Lasix.

85. Getting several decent nights sleep in a row.

86. Grilled hot dogs with cheese sauce.

87. Simple answers.

88. Quiet afternoon drives.

89. Online banking.

90. The cool, fresh breeze following a summer thunderstorm.

Heavenly Father, You Bless us all with so many things each day that this list could go on and on.  For all those Divine Gifts that we recognize, and for those that grace us quietly in silence, I give You thanks and praise.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Spiritual Nudges

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Over the last few years Lord, I’ve been “hearing” more and more from You in my daily life and I have to tell You, it’s been a transformational change for me.  While I know through Scripture and Faith that You’ve always been with me and always will be, as my Walk has progressed and I’ve learned to “listen” more carefully, I find Your Voice in almost every part of my day.

You speak to me through…

The wave of comfort and peace I get when I reach out to You in prayer.

The quick inner “watch it!” scolding I get after doing something that isn’t in line with Christ’s teachings (eg. Letting loose a nasty comment when someone cuts me off in traffic).

The warm feeling that crosses my heart when I see my children do things that Glorify You.

The quiet urgings I receive each day to step “outside my box”.

The song that plays on the local Christian radio station which delivers a message I need to hear, exactly when I need to hear it.

Feeling Your Presence whisper through the trees when I take long walks in the forest.

The “Spiritual Nudges” you give me to reach out and share Your Love.

And many others…

Heavenly Father, You speak to me in so many wonderful ways and I delight in continuing to discover new ones.  As our steps grow closer, I pray that I’m able to hear Your Voice above all other sounds and make decisions that Glorify the Blessings You bestow on me.

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” – John 10:27 (NIV)

Amen.

~Phather Phil

For the Word of God is Alive and Active

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

First off Father, I want to thank You once again for Your “nudge” yesterday to put aside my earthly worries, and simply rest in Your Presence fed by a good dose of Your Word.  I’ve dubbed that time my “Stillness Sabbatical”, and I informed my staff today that it would be something I’ll be doing much more often in the future.

Today Lord, You got my attention very early this morning when while doing some research you placed this passage in my path:

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12-13 (NIV)

These words didn’t speak to me Father… They yelled!  What powerful Truths this contains!

I’ve spent much of my day with these verses running through my head…

For the word of God is alive and active…

Your Word is a vibrant, living force, not simply words on a page.  It reaches out and transforms those who open their hearts to Your Voice, and feeds our thirsty Spirits.

Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Although we may try to hide things from others, Your Word separates truth and falsehood in a way nothing else can.  It uplifts that which is righteous, and convicts those pieces of ourselves that are found lacking.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

You know us better than we know ourselves Father.  Our thoughts, our desires, our intentions and our sins are all open to Your Gaze.  You know us from within.

On the heels of yesterday’s message Father, this passage really reached out and grabbed me.  Thank You so much for bringing these words into my heart today, and for continuing to guide me faithfully along the Journey You’ve laid out.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Go Rest in the Word

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

It’s funny Father, but I never thought of Your Word as blood pressure medication before today.

Following a significant power outage/surge event in Dover late yesterday afternoon, we were greeted at the office this morning by a flurry of “help me” calls from a number of our local customers.  Now, in and of itself, it wasn’t an overwhelming volume of crises but I noticed as the morning wore on that I was becoming increasingly irritable and was feeling my heart pounding in my chest… not a good sign.  I tried some slow breathing exercises, and to focus on one task at a time but couldn’t seem to calm down and get a grip on the day.  As my chest tightened further and my head began to throb, You placed a distinct and firm command on my heart:

Go rest in the Word.

I’ll be honest Lord, my first thought was not immediate obedience.  After all, it was the middle of a workday and I had things that I needed to get accomplished.  Sensing Your insistence however, I told my admin that I’d be “off the grid” for a while, closed the door to my office and fired up YouVersion on my Nook Color…

“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

In that stillness, in Your Presence, I found my calm Father.  The pounding in my head abated, my chest relaxed and I felt Your Peace come to me.

Contemplating the events of the morning, I realized that this very much falls into line with the message about “Spiritual Decompression” You gave me last week.  Finding refuge and inspiration in Scripture is one way I can become closer to You, and in doing so gain the balance that my spirit needs to navigate the Journey You’ve laid out for me.

I see the path Lord, and I thank You for being so faithful in guiding me along it’s twists and turns.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

On Track

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

Well Father, it certainly was an eventful weekend once again in the Malmstrom home.  It seemed we were all running constantly, but in the end it was a wonderful time spent with those I love, and I have much to be thankful for.

Friday night, we began the evening by attending Jonathan’s music presentation at school.  He’s been learning to play the clarinet this year, and he did a fantastic job playing for the parents (no goose noises… yay!).  He may look like my little “clone” Father, but thank You so much for slipping his mother’s music DNA in there somewhere.  🙂  Following the short concert, we took the boys over to their Godparents’ house for an overnight visit and Shannon and I headed out to an 80’s party being thrown by some good friends of ours.  We had a grand time hanging out around a huge campfire, listening to 1980’s “hair band” music, having some food and a few drinks and laughing into the morning hours.  It was a lovely way to end a hectic week Lord, and I thank You for that stress relief.

After sleeping in a bit the next morning, we went and picked up the kids (who had a great night as well), and headed out to Port Mahon for some photo opportunities, and to scour the shoreline for bits of sea glass.  We were able to time it this trip so that we got there as the tide was beginning to go out, leaving fresh bounty upon the sands.  As you remake us each day Father, so do the tides remake the landscape revealing new wonders for us to find… Such a treasure hunt!

On the way back home, we stopped to handle the grocery shopping for the week, and then the boys and I crashed on the CuddleBags for the new Doctor Who episodes.  All in all, it was a wonderful day with the family Lord, and I thank You for that time together.

Sunday morning, Jonathan and I got up early and headed out to attend the Contemporary Worship Service at Ewell’s St. Paul’s UMC in nearby Clayton.  Through a friend of mine who’s heavily involved in the church there, I’d met with Pastor Kris for lunch a little over a week ago, and was invited to visit one of the services to see if Ewell’s might be a good fit for us.  The service was wonderful, the congregation was warm and friendly, and the message was delivered beautifully.

We’re planning to attend next Sunday as well.  🙂

As you know Father, we’ve been on the hunt for a spiritual home for some time now, and I think we may have found it there.  Thank You so much for leading us to this place, and to these people.

This service also marked something that brought tears to my eyes Lord… Jonathan’s first taking of Holy Communion.  It was a powerful moment, and as I knelt at the altar following the Sacrament I felt Your Presence wash over me, knowing somehow, that You were pleased.

Following the service, we headed home and after a hearty breakfast the boys and I headed out for a hike down some new trails in Blackbird State Forest.  We’d looked at some satellite maps and realized that the forest was cut through by a local railway line, so we decided our goal that day was to find those tracks.  After a mile or so, the forest opened out onto the railway we sought, and I was able to get this shot of my fellow adventurers:

I love this shot Lord, cheesy smiles and all.

The rest of the day was spent in catching up on housework that had piled up since the BBQ the previous weekend; laundry, dishes, cleaning, etc.  It was a wonderfully satisfying and productive Sunday Father, and one I won’t soon forget.

Did I remember to say thank You?  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You continue to bestow on us all.  In Your grace we are redeemed and made whole, and I praise You for that most wondrous of gifts we can never hope to repay.  Please guide us to decisions and actions that best glorify Your Will, and help us grow in Your Kingdom each day.  Amen.

~Phather Phil