I fear Lord, that we miss the point far too often…
Jesus taught us to reach out to all those in need… Yet, we find ways to justify being selective with our service to others.
You make it very clear through Scripture that Your primary desire for our lives is to love… But more often than not we cling to judgment in its stead.
As the body of Christ, the church’s mission is to act as the hands and feet of Jesus and aid one another on our walk to You … However far too regularly that directive is tainted by individual ambitions and agendas.
We sit in condemnation of the sins of those around us, feeling superior for our elevated moral perspective… All the while completely missing the plank sticking out of our own eye.
We dwell on legalism and focus on how many Bible verses we can recite on command… Instead of praying for Your truths contained therein to guide our hearts…
And yet, even with all that corruption peppering our mortal lives Father…
You love us,
And comfort us.
You shower us in your mercy,
And fill our world with signs of that gracious love.
Thank You Father.
From Christ’s perfect example, the presence of the Holy Spirit within us and the blessings you pile upon us each and every day, I pray we draw ever closer to Your true intent…
And get the point.
As I continue to list some of Your many blessings in my life Father, this week I’d like to give thanks for:
676. Your nourishing and cleansing rain which is helping our new garden grow.
677. A wonderful “ministry moment” while chatting with a friend the other night.
678. Your perfect timing, even when I don’t recognize it.
679. A safe and uneventful flight for Shannon yesterday on her way to visit her family.
680. A fun evening of fellowship and good food with some dear friends.
681. A good checkup for Jonathan at the eye doctor this week, and finding an optician who takes his insurance for glasses.
682. The opportunity to visit Aidan’s class for “Culture Day” and see him be a living statue of the Greek deity Poseidon.
683. Your gentle hand holding my heart and guiding my words when upsetting situations arise.
684. Eggs cooked in bacon grease. 🙂
685. Finding a wonderful deal on some photography equipment I needed.
686. Your protection and comfort for Shannon and her family as they were hit with a tropical storm this week while she was visiting.
687. That both my boys are finished another school year as of tomorrow.
688. Simple solutions.
689. Pastor Kris receiving her well-earned official Ordination by the United Methodist Church this week.
690. That even when we “miss the point”, Your gracious love for us remains.
I find myself asking sometimes Lord… Why do You love me?
I read Your Word and pray for insight… But I know I often miss Your intent.
I strive to love and serve those around me… But my selfish flesh still dictates my actions far too much.
I teach people about Your message of forgiveness and mercy… And yet my heart doesn’t always let go of pain and hurt against those who’ve wronged me.
I know and believe Your promise to always meet my needs… But I often allow fear and worry to overwhelm me.
Your Word reminds us over and over that You love us wholly and eternally… And yet, I ask why.
As broken and flawed as I am and as often as I fail, how could the Creator of all possibly love me…
“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” – 1 John 4:7-10 (NLT)
You love me Lord, Because You are Love, and You made me in Your image;
Formed with care,
Swaddled by grace,
Nurtured by Your mercy,
Redeemed by the blood of Christ,
And guided by Your presence within me.
Thank You Father… I pray that Your amazing love for me is reflected more and more each day in how I love others, and in how I live my life.
As I continue my Thankful Thursday list and note some of Your overwhelming Blessings in my life Lord, this week I want to recognize and thank You for:
662. The encouragement of my ministry efforts by someone I respect.
663. The reminder that even though I’m undeserving of Your love for me, You give it to me unconditionally.
664. The devotional encouragements I receive each day in the “Joyce Meyer : Promises for Your Everyday Life” reading plan I’m following on YouVersion.com.
665. Server virtualization software.
666. My wife Shannon getting the opportunity to go visit her mother in Florida next week.
667. Jonathan being old enough to take over the lawn mowing and trimming, and doing a wonderful job at it.
668. The peace I feel sitting out on our deck at night and enjoying the softly lit gardens.
669. Being able to enjoy a bottle of clean, refreshing Humankind Spring Water while at the same time helping to provide clean water for those who don’t have it.
I think Lord, that what I struggle with the most on my walk with You is our conflicting schedules…
I want things to happen on “Phil time”, however quite often Your timing is a good bit different than mine.
And yet, as I was pondering it this morning on my drive into the office, I realized something I hadn’t before…
We create our schedules around what’s most important to us; base them on our priorities…
If our “schedules” are out of sync… Then maybe I’m not fully recognizing Your priorities for my life.
Ouch.
Therefore Father, as I continue counting my Blessings on this Thankful Thursday afternoon, I’m also going to try and focus on the timing of those divine gifts; actively seeking not only Your whispered presence in the chaos, but also examining the context in which You’ve delivered it. You truly do fill my life with love Lord, and this week I’m especially grateful for:
646. A relaxing Friday evening on the deck with friends.
647. Feeling Your peace come over me when I need it most.
648. The healing power in my puppy’s wet kisses after a long day.
649. Refreshing spring breezes.
650. The opportunity I’ve had to teach Sunday School class this past season at Ewell’s St. Paul UMC.
651. An inspiring discussion about Your love with a dear lady this afternoon.
652. Finding a new photo-sharing site where I can connect with other photographers.
653. The fellowship and discussions at our Tuesday night Faith Development Group, “Where Two or Three are Gathered”.
654. An “all good” checkup for Jonathan with the neurosurgeon at A.I. Dupont Children’s Hospital.
655. The wisdom I find when I not only seek Your presence, but also strive to recognize the context of those gifts.
656. The opportunity to spend lots of time with people I love over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.
657. Sunday evenings spent watching “Duck Dynasty” reruns with my family. J
658. A wonderful array of resources online to help me learn new techniques and become a better photographer.
659. Seeing my children give from the heart unexpectedly.
660. Your gentle reminder to stay my tongue when my emotions begin to overtake me.
For the last month or so Father, I’ve been having “rumblings” in my heart telling me that I’m not seeing You as completely as I should; that although in my joy-filled moments I sing to You in praise and in my times of trial I cry out to You for help, during those “in-between” periods I fail to recognize Your loving hand in my life more often than not…
My eyes see the world, but stare blindly past the “burning bushes” all around me.
And as I contemplated this the other night Lord, and prayed for Your guidance to help me see through clearer eyes, You laid it on my heart…
“Thankful Thursday…”
Ouch… It has been a while…
But I get it Father.
While I certainly try to remember to thank You when I recognize a Blessing in my life, the exercise of spending dedicated time thinking about the past week’s events and writing out some of the less “obvious” signs of Your presence is a powerful tool in my walk of faith.
It places my heart in a state of gratitude, and directs my mind to seek Your light in my daily life.
Therefore Father, I present You with this week’s contribution to my continuing “Thankful Thursday” list of Blessings. And while no list could ever adequately express the vast array of miracles you place in my path each day, today I am especially grateful for:
631. Your protection, comfort and strength given to Shannon as she underwent a surgical procedure last week.
632. Finding wonderful DIY patio furniture plans on Pinterest.
633. Seeing Your influence in the “Letters to God” written by the kids in my Sunday School Class.
634. Your comforting embrace when my world feels shaken, and I allow uncertainty to grip my heart.
635. The time spent with Shannon and Lisa redesigning and rebuilding our backyard space.
636. The persistence You have in getting Your messages through to my heart.
637. The opportunity to join two wonderful young people in the union of marriage last weekend.
638. A beautiful Mother’s Day spent with Shannon, Lisa and the boys.
639. The assistance of a close friend in getting lighting installed in our outdoor bar.
640. The opportunity to minister to a dear friend who’s going through a difficult time.
641. A fun-filled evening with good food and wonderful friends to open our newly-redone backyard deck and patio spaces.
642. The new contact lenses I’m wearing that allow me to keep them in for a whole month before changing them.
643. Evenings curled up on the couch watching TV with the people I love.
644. Having excellent auto insurance coverage which helps pay bills following Shannon’s accident.
645. All those “burning bushes” in my life which I fail to recognize.
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. 
