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…
Well Father, life is beginning to return to normal here in Delaware following the excitement surrounding Hurricane Irene this past weekend. And while this particular storm wasn’t nearly as powerful as many that strike other parts of the country, for an underprepared East Coast which seldom sees weather of that nature, it was a challenge nonetheless. Needless to say Lord, it made for an eventful weekend and one we won’t forget anytime soon. For those dealing with damage, pain or loss from this climactic onslaught, I pray that You keep them intently in Your gaze and bring them the comfort and healing only Your presence is able to.
This week’s Meditations Monday Scripture comes from the second chapter of 2nd Timothy:
“Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:23-26 (NIV)
Well Father, the Apostle Paul certainly wasn’t subtle about Your will on this particular subject, and yet this is one of those “problem areas” that I know we’re all guilty of upon occasion. Paul’s point that the nit-picking, “little” things we choose to let get under our skin, more often than not lead only to ungodly conflict. And when we allow ourselves to be a part of such unimportant disagreements, we stray from Your desire as to how we should act towards others; with kindness, patience and respect. I know that over the years I’ve certainly lost my composure with people more than a few times Father, and in doing so I failed to take advantage of those opportunities to show Your influence in my life.
It’s something I’ll be praying about this week Lord…
Heavenly Father,
As we begin this new week, please help focus our hearts and minds to best serve Your will for us. Calm our tumultuous natures, and guide us to provide that “gentle instruction” to those around us that are in need of Your light.
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.
To begin our week’s conversations Lord, I first want to give You thanks for the Blessings You granted me this past weekend. Although a busy couple days to be sure, I was Blessed to spend them in the company of family and friends. I regularly find myself overwhelmed by the gifts You bring to my life, and thank You for Your continued Presence. I am indeed Blessed.
Well Father, this Wednesday marks the return to classes for Jonathan and Aidan. And while they’re a little disappointed that the freedoms of summer are waning, they’re both very excited to dive into a new school year’s “education adventure”. With that thought in mind, I decided to focus this week’s Meditations Monday Scripture selections on what Your Word has to say about the advancement of knowledge:
…That the path of learning is important to both our head, and our heart:
The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
for the ears of the wise seek it out. – Proverbs 18:15 (NIV)
…That putting our children on the proper path will help guide their future:
Start children off on the way they should go,
and even when they are old they will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6 (NIV)
…That wisdom, understanding and knowledge work together to make our lives fuller:
By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures. – Proverbs 24:3-4 (NIV)
Heavenly Father, as our children begin another year’s schooling, please keep Your watchful gaze upon them. Please help them not only to absorb what they’re taught, but to apply that knowledge towards fulfilling Your desires for their lives. Open their minds and their hearts, and fill them with that thirst for wisdom that only You can instill. Lead them Teacher, that they may grow both in this earthly realm, and in Your Kingdom as well.
Wow Lord… What a hectic day it’s been! As I’m sure You’re aware, we had some violent thunderstorms roll through here last night which always causes a “surge” (pun intended) in business the next day. In this instance, one of my clients took a spike which routed through their network wiring, killing off five machines and several pieces of infrastructure hardware… Not a pretty picture. As I was surveying and extracting the damaged equipment for repair this morning, it got me thinking that sin works very much like that surge…
Once we allow sin to enter our lives, it runs rampant, corrupting and damaging everything else it can.
Now, in this client’s case there was very little they could have done to prevent this particular hit from doing damage; we’re very much the same way with regards to sin. While as Christians, we try to avoid sin wherever we can, we’re certainly not always successful. It’s a constant battle in our souls Father; the pull of our corrupted, sinful natures versus the righteousness of Your Spirit within us. Thankfully, with Jesus Christ as our “Spiritual Surge Suppressor”, we have the protection we need to arrest sin’s progress in us so we can best operate as You intend.
Heavenly Father, as we go into the weekend we thank You for all the Blessings You’ve surrounded us with this week. I pray that for all of life’s “surges” that present themselves, we remember to place our trust in the One that can see us through the storms safely.
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. 
