Thank You Father!! Thank You, thank You, thank You!!
What a wonderful Blessing You’ve given us Lord… Such a beautiful way to start the weekend!
For those who follow our conversations and don’t know the source of my joy Father, please indulge me while I explain.
A couple months ago, we had Jonathan in for his yearly check-up with his pediatrician. It was a routine visit, but due to his complicated medical situation (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis), doctor’s appointments always place some concern in our hearts. For the most part, everything went quite well; nothing obviously scary to report. Then the doctor examined some new “growths” that had popped up on him over the last year; up went the red flags, and down went our spirits. She labeled them as “suspicious”, and indicated that we should have them looked at by Jonathan’s oncologist as soon as possible. We tried of course to stay optimistic, but the seed of worry had been sown all the same.
The oncology visit didn’t yield much in the way of answers either, but added another round of “concerns” and a referral to a pediatric dermatologist for a specialized examination and if necessary, treatment and surgical intervention. The oncologist did however, indicate that the possible skin involvement was all that appeared out of the ordinary at the moment, and that all his other tests and scans looked perfectly normal. That news certainly eased our fears a bit, but based on past experience with this disease, our guard was still up nonetheless.
Today, Jonathan went to see the dermatologist.
They’re moles Father… All perfectly normal, and nothing to be concerned about. But You already knew that, didn’t You? 🙂
Please forgive my doubts Lord… I know he’s in Your hands no matter what, and I’m so thankful for that. But each time we have the specter of this disease rear it’s gnarled claws, it takes our hearts back to that terrifying time of uncertainty and fear, when the possible loss of our son was very real. And while I realize Lord, that this life is temporary and simply a step towards Your Eternal Kingdom, Shannon and I are selfish in that we love this little boy dearly, and very much want him to remain with us for as long as You’ll permit.
Apparently, that’s Your desire for the moment as well… And I thank You from the bottom of my heart for that Blessing!
In Jesus’ Name we pray,
Amen.
~Phather Phil
P.S. September is Histiocytosis Awareness Month. To learn more about this life threatening disease, and what you can do to help in the search for a cure, please visit : http://www.histio.org.
Once again Lord, we come to the day of the week on which I add to the ever-growing list of Blessings You’ve bestowed on me. Between Hurricane Irene, the kids starting school, Shannon starting her new job, and a significant spike in business at my office, it’s certainly been a roller-coaster of a week. Funny enough, through all of the ups-and-downs we’ve gone through this past seven days, Your Blessings have shined brilliantly through it all.
Therefore Father, continuing where I left off last week, today I’d like to give special thanks to You for:
226. Shannon getting “back on track” with her thyroid medication.
235. Finding a new Family Doctor after our existing one closed his practice.
236. Connecting up with all my “Bloggy” friends on Facebook.
237. Five days of absolutely beautiful weather following the hurricane.
238. Merlin’s seizures continuing to be suppressed by the Phenobarbital he was prescribed.
239. The loan of a carpet cleaner by a good friend when ours broke unexpectedly.
240. Being married to a lady who goes out of her way to remind me that she loves me every day.
…Such a multitude of Blessings You grant me Lord. 🙂
Heavenly Father, once again I lift thanks and praise to You for the many Blessings You grace us with each day; both those that light up the sky with Your presence, and those that Bless our lives without fanfare. You are indeed a doting Father, a watchful Shepherd and a skillful Potter, and we marvel in the fact that with all that You have in Your care, You still give us individual, personal attention…
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, 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.
First off Lord, I want to begin the week by thanking You for all the Blessings You granted us this past weekend. The medication the veterinarian put Merlin on seems to have abated the seizures, and although the effects are still taking their toll, he’s made a marked improvement. Saturday night Shannon got to go out with her mother and uncle to see a musical production of “Kiss Me Kate” held at Longwood Gardens, and the boys and I got some time to “hang out” and do some fun cooking with friends. And Sunday after church we delivered Jonathan to Kay’s Kamp for his week away, and then spent the rest of the day relaxing together at home. All in all Father, it was a wonderful weekend’s respite and I thank You for that time!
Today’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 4:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. – Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
You got me this morning on this one Lord. Driving into work I was running a little behind and the car in front of me was crawling along a bit under the speed limit…
“I wish these people would learn how to drive!” I exclaimed.
“Phil… You know better.” You whispered back.
Busted.
You’ve actually been correcting me along these lines quite a bit lately Father, and it’s been humbling as to how often I find myself saying or thinking unkind or unflattering things about other people. I allow personal frustrations such as being a little late for work to set the tone in my head, and like a weed in a flower bed the negative feelings spread to the rest of my thoughts. Little moments like this morning’s outburst, although no one was there to hear it (except You of course…), still serve to poison our spirit and can further affect other parts of our lives.
Thankfully, Your gentle reminders to keep my mood in check have helped me to make a positive change in that respect. There is however, certainly still room for improvement, as this morning’s experience displayed. 🙂
Heavenly Father, as we begin this new week please help us to shine Your Light to those around us, not mire them in the grey clouds of our own inner conflicts. Our words are powerful influencers Lord, and I pray that You guide our usage of them to best encourage and support Your Children.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. – James 1:19-20 (NIV)
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. 
