A Geek’s Look at Salvation

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!

Over the last couple weeks Father, it seems that I’ve been performing more and more data recovery services at my office.  It’s actually work that I enjoy; taking a damaged hard drive where the contents have been rendered inaccessible and extracting the client’s seemingly lost bits of information contained therein.  It’s a puzzle sometimes, and each drive has it’s own nuances that requires specific “massaging” to get to the data.

For the client, it’s a time of trial to be sure.  Critical business data, family photos, tax returns or years of childhood videos may hang in the balance.  People tend to underestimate the importance and value of the information they entrust to their computers these days, and when it’s not there all of a sudden it can be quite a shock.  In the end, It’s a wonderfully satisfying feeling for me to hand them back something precious that they thought was lost to them forever.

Hold on… That’s what You do for us!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” – Ephesians 2:4-5

We bring our lost and broken selves to Your Feet Lord, and through Your Son Jesus Christ we are “recovered” and made whole again.  You return to us the most precious part of ourselves, and delight in doing so.

I never thought of you as a fellow geek Father… I like it.  🙂

Heavenly Father, thank You for “recovering me” from my sin and brokenness.  Please continue to fill my spirit with new and beautiful “data”, and assist me in promoting Your Wondrous Service to others.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Listening Through the Anger

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

First off Lord, I want to thank You for a lovely weekend surrounded by family and friends.  I was even able to get out with the kids for a photowalk in the forest, and enjoyed it very much.  All in all, it was a pleasant couple of days and I am truly thankful for You Blessing me with that respite.

Today Father, I’d like to discuss something I’ve seen more and more evidence of lately; People seem to be increasingly frustrated, angry and confrontational.  Now, I realize this is a gross generalization however it feels like the overall “threshold” of people’s tolerance and temperament is much lower than it has been in recent past.  Little everyday issues that could easily be talked through or handled with minimal effort are launching people into flashes of ire that are way out of proportion to the immediate cause.  We’re deluged with examples of it in the news, I’ve seen it when dealing with clients and vendors at my office, and even when observing the actions of other shoppers while out grocery shopping.  It’s getting tense down here Lord.

“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.” – Psalm 37:8 (NIV)

I’ll admit that with all the increased stress I’ve been under professionally lately Father, I’ve been guilty of having a “shorter fuse” upon occasion, but You’re always very quick to remind me that’s not Your Way and I get back on track.  This being the case, it leads me to a significant concern…

Are there that many people that aren’t listening to You?

I’m quite afraid I already know the answer to that question, but I guess I hadn’t realized the scope of the issue.  I do know that I’ve come to depend on Your Voice and Presence in my life Father, almost like I need air to breathe.  You encourage me, sustain me and guide me throughout my day and I am forever thankful for Your Blessings.  Do I sometimes get upset anyways?  Absolutely!  I’m imperfect and flawed and I realize that.  Thankfully, when my humanly failings rear their ugly heads I have You to forgive me, bolster me and guide me back to Your Path.

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, today I pray for all those who are lost and without the clarity to hear Your Comforting Voice.  Please calm their restless spirits, and clear away the self-imposed barriers in place which prevent them from Your Wondrous Counsel.  And Lord, please assist me in acting as an emissary of Your Word and in bringing Your Message to those in need.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Life is Noisy

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

This morning Father, I had what I think is an important realization; my life is noisy.

Each morning, I’m awakened by an alarm clock which at the same time starts an hour-long process of dogs barking to go out, my smartphone reporting to me all the things that I missed while I slept (or tried to anyways), and the daily rush to get our family moving forward with the day.  Then I don the mobile headset for the ride to school and the office, on goes the radio and all the while I’m serenaded by the beeps and blips from the boys’ Nintendo DS’s from the back of the SUV.  Once at work, the constant sounds of phones, computers, streaming radio, and a plethora of other office chatter persist throughout the day.  The ride home is spent back on the headset along with the radio helping me to drown out the commute noise.  Evenings at home are filled with more barking dogs (yes, we have little yappy dogs… lol), television, phones and other such sounds of modern life.

As I said… Noisy.

I’m beginning to think that the struggle I’ve had with insomnia over the years may be partially related to the amount of constant noise in my day.  In the wee hours of the night, I can truly find the Stillness and quiet to properly direct my thoughts and listen to Your Voice.

Hmmm… Stillness… It’s been a while since I’ve truly had some.

“He says, “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)

Well Lord, this weekend I’m going to try and focus on that.  It’s supposed to be nicer weather the next couple of days here, so I’m planning to try and take advantage of it and visit one of the few places I can almost always get the Stillness I need to hear You; Blackbird State Forest.  It’s been months since I’ve been able to go and just walk in Your Splendor, so I’m going to do exactly that.

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” – Isaiah 55:12 (NIV)

Amen.

See You soon.  🙂

~Phather Phil

Husbands, love your wives

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!  Once again Lord, You Blessed me with a lovely couple days respite filled with family, good food and good friends.  Thank You so very much for that time!

Well Father, today we celebrate Valentine’s Day.  While the true origin of this holiday seems to be clouded by historical variations in the chain of events which formed it, today we observe it as a day to focus on and express the love and affection we feel for those we’re closest to.  In addition to the amazing love You’ve shown me directly Lord, You’ve also Blessed me beyond words by surrounding me with a significant number of loving, caring people…

And at the center of this group, is my wonderful wife Shannon.

I see Your Light in her in so many ways Father.  She’s my partner in every respect; A true soul bonded to my own with whom I can share my innermost self without fear of judgment or rejection.  She’s a phenomenal mother to our two sons, and has proved her mettle and devotion to our marriage and our family time and time again.  She’s been the anchor when I’ve been adrift, and the harbor when I’ve needed rest and comfort.  She gives of herself freely to help others in need, and brings her loving spirit to all that she does.  She’s the first person I think of to share my joys, and as You know, the focus of many of my prayers.  I am a much better man Lord, with her by my side.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” – Ephesians 5:25

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Blessing our Union as Man and Wife and for seeing us through the trials we encounter along our journey together.  Please continue to let her feel the warmth of Your Loving Embrace, and watch over her throughout her days.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Kindness of My Readers

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  Well Lord, my day started out with a lovely surprise gifted to me by a couple of my fellow Christian Bloggers.  As I’ve mentioned to You more than once, the wonderful people I’ve met (virtually) while writing this blog have been an amazing blessing to me, and never fail to inspire and encourage me in my walk with You.  Two of the sites I read each day; Mothers on Mission (co-authored by Kelli and Heidi) and Beautiful in Him (written by Allison) have passed along to me the “Stylish Blogger Award”.  Thank you so much ladies… I’m very flattered by this wonderful complement.  🙂

Along with this award comes a few requirements.  First, I need to list seven things about myself that not everyone knows (although I realize You know me completely Father).  Funny enough, while that seemed like a simple enough request, I found it no easy task.  Here’s what I came up with :

1. I’ve married my wife Shannon three times;  An informal ceremony with just a few family and friends, a formal affair five months later with a larger guest list and a reception, and this previous year on our 15^th Anniversary I surprised her with a Vow Renewal Ceremony at the same church we were married in.

2. For the original wedding ceremony, I was married in jeans and western boots.

3. In 2009 I wrote and published a book for Shannon as an Anniversary gift called “Musings of a Devoted Husband” containing family photos and the daily romantic and devotional quotes I send to her phone and publish to MyCoffeeCupHasFeet.com each day.

4. I own and operate a computer networking and service company in Dover, Delaware called Diamond Computer Incorporated.

5. I have two wonderful children; Jonathan age 11 and Aidan age 8, both of whom I love dearly.

6. I’m a science fiction junkie, and love losing myself in episodes of shows like Dr. Who, Firefly, Babylon 5 and Fringe.

7. I’ve been a player of the online game World of Warcraft for over two years now.  While I don’t get the time to play that I used to, I still enjoy it when I have a few quiet moments.

Wow… That took more than I thought it would.  While it’s probably a good exercise, I always find writing about myself to be a terribly difficult thing to do.

The other responsibility of this award Father, is to bestow it on some other blogs that I enjoy.  There are so many that I’ve gained insight and inspiration from that this could be a long list, but some of my favorites are :

Lisa at A Moment with God

Jenifer at ~Sweet Blessings~

Jean at Healthy Spirituality

Elaine at Peace for the Journey

Heavenly Father, I thank you for connecting me with these wonderful people in our Online Fellowship.  I’m humbled to have met them through this journey, and pray that You continue to bestow Your Blessings on all those who strive to bring Your Message of Love to others.  Amen.

~Phather Phil