Thankful Thursday: Armoring Up

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Father, it’s certainly been a see-saw of a week for me so far.  I knew before it began that this five day period was to be filled with new challenges, anxiety-ridden trials and stressful situations, and it’s absolutely lived up to my expectations.  Fears of the unknown held positions all around me, while whispered messages of doubt taunted me from deep within.

Thankfully, I clothed myself appropriately for these battles I’ve faced…

I armored up.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” – Ephesians 6:13-20 (ESV)

The challenges have come, and were conquered.  Anxieties flooded my waking mind, and were dispersed.  Fear gripped my heart, and was silently sent away.

Wrapped in Your divine protection, those things that prey in the dark corners of my mind and hide in the deep recesses of my heart don’t stand a chance.

Thank You Father.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

316. A big batch of homemade chimichangas shared with good friends.

317. A fantastic first gathering for our Small Group Study: Treasures of the Transformed Life.

318. Being married to a lady who can always make me laugh.

319. Those moments where Your presence overwhelms me.

320. Having the complete Armor of God at my disposal each day (Ephesians 6:13-20).

321. “Still” time spent in Your Word each morning before the household awakens.

322. Sharing a big homemade breakfast with friends after church on Sunday.

323. Long weekends spent in the company of our “extended family”.

324. The encouragement I’ve received recently from friends.

325. A fun and successful dinner party we hosted last Saturday night.

326. The strength You provided me to work through my anxieties this week.

327. New non-stick cookware from Kitchen Aid to replace our 15-year old aluminum set.

328. The information and resources to expand PhatherPhil.org that Google offers for free through Analytics and FeedBurner.

329. A bushel of fresh-picked apples from a local orchard.

330. Tickets for the family to attend a John Waller concert in Dover tonight.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for all those Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that shine as brightly as the sun, and those that glow softly as a candle in the night.  For all of Your many gifts of grace in our lives Father, we give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Waters Begin to Flow

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

To begin with Lord, I want to thank You for this morning’s time together.  As I explained in yesterday’s post, I’ve been feeling convicted as of late that I wasn’t spending adequate “still” time in Your presence.  Following Jesus’ example in Mark 1:35, I got up a good bit earlier than usual this morning, and spent that time quietly absorbed in Your Word.  It was a wonderfully refreshing way to launch the day, and will be my “new normal” going forward.

Last night Father, we were Blessed to host the first of six gatherings to go through a Small Group Study called “Treasures of the Transformed Life: Satisfying Your Soul’s Thirst for More”.  It was a wonderful group of people, and while our children played happily together we spent the evening in fellowship and exploration of Your desire to bring us closer to You.

The message title for this week was “Priming the Pump”.  In a nutshell, the author of the study teaches that in order to satisfy our thirst for Your presence in our lives, we need to first “prime the pump” before Your Living Waters will begin to flow.  We do that by making a genuine and real commitment to seeking You; deliberately putting Your desires for us first, and allowing You to guide our lives along Your path.  As part of that commitment, he emphasized the need to determine our role in the Body of Christ, and to step out in faith, working together with others to accomplish Your work on earth.

“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.” – Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)

The information presented was quite thought provoking, and it led our group to branch out and discuss a variety of tangential topics about seeking Your presence, and more thoroughly involving You in our daily lives.  It was a truly enlightening and Blessed evening Father, and I thank You for bringing us together to share in that fellowship.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for being so powerfully present in Your Children’s lives.  We thirst for You Father, and pray that You will continue to fill us, that we may more fully quench our need for Your presence each day.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Overwhelming Presence

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

To begin our week’s conversations Father, I want to start by thanking You for yet another wonderful weekend spent in the company of my family and some dear friends.  We were Blessed to have a couple of our “extended family” (our kids call them Uncle Robert and Aunt Katie, although there’s no blood relationship) visiting with us for the weekend, and we enjoyed their our time with them immensely.  We also managed to host a “Mexican Feast” themed dinner party Saturday evening, and cooked up a Fellowship brunch after church on Sunday as well.  We feel very thankful for the people You bring into our lives Lord, and it seems only fitting that we should celebrate those relationships whenever we’re able to.  So for the friends, the family, the food and the fellowship Father (wow, that’s a lot of F’s… 🙂 ), thank You!

This weekend held one other significant event for me as well Father.

Last week was rough.  It seemed as if each new day brought with it another list of problems to solve, and headaches to endure.  By the time Friday evening rolled around I was tired; emotionally, physically and yes… spiritually.  Saturday morning I vowed to put all those nagging, earthly worries and concerns behind me and enjoy the festivities we’d planned, but through all my attempts to refocus on You, those unsettling whispers still haunted me.

Saturday was a beautiful day weather-wise, with temperatures in the low 70s and a very comfortable fall breeze in the air.  I got my lists for the day prepared, and headed out to pick up groceries and supplies for the evening’s event.  As I pulled up to the traffic light in front of my destination, I felt the warmth of the sunlight radiate on my face through the open sunroof…

And suddenly, tears began to stream down my face.

In that perfect moment Father, I felt Your overwhelming presence all about me.  It was an amazingly peaceful, joyous feeling; quite difficult to describe actually.  But as I was able to pull the truck into the shop parking lot, I remember feeling wonderfully relieved.  It was if all the weight in my heart was in that moment, lifted away from me.  The sensation itself was short-lived unfortunately, but the after-effects remain vivid.  My problems certainly haven’t gone away, but I was afforded a powerful reminder that I’m not dealing with them by myself; You’re here with me, and You care.

Therefore Father, with that experience still fresh in my heart I chose today’s Meditations Monday Scripture to align with Your wonderful message to me:

“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)

One of my favorite inspirational verses Lord, and a very powerful promise as well.

Heavenly Father,

As we go into this week’s activities Lord, please fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit that we may draw strength from Your presence within us.  Lead us to make decisions that best justify Your will for our lives, and guide our actions that we may share Your bountiful glory with all those around us.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Death Has No Sting

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Last night Father, as I was preparing to shut down and head to bed for the night, a message appeared on my Facebook wall that made me pause, and then to pray.

On August 15, I wrote to you regarding an inspiring story of faith I’d heard on 88.7 The Bridge on my way to work that morning.  It described the Baptism of Kim Miller; a young lady dealing with terminal cancer, who instead of dwelling on the terrifying and painful nature of her situation, chose to give thanks and praise for Your Blessings in her life.  The church she attends made a video of her powerful testimony, which was then shared on the radio that morning.

Following that conversation Father, I emailed Kim on Facebook to let her know that her story had touched me, and that I was praying for her.  We ended up “friending”, and I’ve been following her journey since.

Last night, the message came across my screen that Kim had gone home… Into Your waiting arms Lord.  And while my spirit aches knowing the hole this undoubtedly leaves in her family’s hearts, I’m rejoicing in the knowledge that she’s arrived in the one place where her pain and troubles are surely at an end.

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”” – 1 Corinthians 15:54-57 (NIV)

Kim’s powerful and courageous testimony of faith touched so many lives Father, including mine.  Yet while we nurse the sorrow of her passing, Kim has achieved that victory the Apostle Paul spoke of, continuing on alive and well in her eternal home.

Death has no sting for those who dwell in Christ.  You’ll be missed here Kim, but we’ll see you again soon enough.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Father, for the victory over death You delivered us through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  We pray that You keep the family of Kim Miller wrapped in Your holy presence, and comforted in the knowledge that she rests in Your loving embrace.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Like a Puzzle Piece

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

Over the last year or so Father, I’ve come across a seemingly increasing number of people who are going through some form of hardship or another.  Be it a job lost, financial upset, serious illness, or relationship crisis, personal stress very much appears to be on the rise.  Recently, I was speaking with a young lady going through such a trial, and she popped out a statement that I’ve heard many, many times…

“Well, I know God won’t give me more than I can handle.”

Now Lord, to be fair, for many years I used this misquote of 1st Corinthians 10:13 myself.  It was a phrase many of us heard growing up, and it wasn’t until my “edge” was reached that I understood the misinterpretation in full.  The actual Scripture reads:

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

As the Apostle Paul wrote here, our earthly temptations (or trials) are not unique to us as individuals; others have endured similar turmoil.  And while we may feel sometimes that our burdens are beyond our ability to adapt, that’s when Your strength comes to bear.

Are we given more than we can handle?  Absolutely!  Thankfully, God’s grace fills that gap like a puzzle piece.

Through our trials, our struggles and our pain, You temper and stretch our spirits Father.  However, when we find that point where our earthly tolerance wavers, Your strength eagerly awaits our call.  As Paul so aptly noted, when we face temptation or trial You always provide a way out so that we can endure… Right into Your arms!

…Where there is no pain… no suffering… only the divine love and protection of a Father for his child.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for Your ever-faithful presence in our lives.  In those times when our lives seem to spiral beyond our capability to contain them, please bring us those gentle, calming assurances that Your love transcends our pain, and that in Your embrace we are truly safe.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil