Dear Lord; Good morning Father! Well, we’ve certainly started the week off with a blustery and snowy morning. Here in middle Delaware at least, the snow came down all day yesterday and into the evening, leaving a cleansing white coating on the ground. While it’s a travel impediment, I’ve always loved the way snow seems to purify everything and leaves the Earth feeling new, although I’m sure I’ll be a lot less enthralled clearing the driveway later on today when the wind settles down :-). Either way, I pray that all those forced to venture out into these conditions will feel You by their side, and get to their destinations safely.
I also wanted to thank You for a lovely Christmas weekend Father. From the wonderful Children’s Christmas Eve Service at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Friday night, to the time spent with my loving family on Christmas Day it was a joyous time and will inspire happy memories for quite some time to come. We are indeed Blessed, and I thank You from the bottom of my heart.
Searching for inspiration on this wintery Monday morning Lord, I came across a prayer that just hit home with me and therefore I’d like to finish our chat with it. It’s called “The Prayer of Saint Francis” and reads :
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.Where there is hatred, let me sow love.Where there is injury, pardon.Where there is doubt, faith.Where there is despair, hope.Where there is darkness, light.Where there is sadness, joy.O Divine Master,grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;to be understood, as to understand;to be loved, as to love.For it is in giving that we receive.It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.Amen.”
Dear Lord; Merry Christmas Eve Father! This morning, following the “tradition” I started on Thanksgiving this year, I’m going to let two of my biggest Blessings (my sons Jonathan and Aidan) compose the email to you. I battled with what questions to give them to work from this morning, but couldn’t decide between two; “What does Christmas mean to you?” and “What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?”. Therefore, I thought we’d do both!
Jonathan (Age 11)
What does Christmas mean to you? :
“Christmas means to me that it’s time for Joy, Peace and Happiness. It’s also the time to celebrate the birth of Jesus.”
What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?:
“God has blessed me with many things; my family, my friends, shelter and food. I have fun, and things to do. God has helped me stay healthy after I was really sick. Thank you God!”
Aidan (Age 8)
What does Christmas mean to you?:
“Christmas means celebrating Jesus’ Birthday. You get to be with your family. You get time off school. You get to spend time with your friends. You get decorate the house.”
What Blessings do you want to thank God for at Christmas time?:
“I want to thank God for money, health, food, shelter, my family, my brother, something to do, our pets, and for my life.”
Father, on this Eve of Celebration of Your Son’s Divine Birth I want to thank You myself as well. You gave Your Only Son to us to inspire us, teach us, set a Holy Path for us to follow, and then to die for our Eternal Salvation. I can’t imagine a more amazing Gift, and I’m truly humbled by Your Love for us. Please reach out Father, to those struggling to find the Peace Christ brought to us all and let them feel Your Loving Arms around them.
May we all take time during the next couple of days to stop, let our earthly stresses go, and focus on the Wondrous Gift Our Lord has given to us. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel!
Dear Lord; Last night, my family settled in to watch our favorite Christmas Movie…White Christmas. What a wonderful film that is! No matter how many times I watch it, I still end up with a huge smile on my face and find myself singing the songs for days afterwards. In the movie, my favorite song by far is “Count Your Blessings” sung by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney.
Listening to that wonderful music last night, it dawned on me that there’s a great deal of wisdom in those lyrics. As I discussed in yesterday’s correspondence Father, there seems to be a lot of Your Children who are feeling very overburdened and lost at the moment. If along with laying those fears and doubts at the Foot of the Cross, we spend our time rejoicing and giving thanks for the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us, we’d all be closer in our walk with You. Thank You Lord, for all the Blessings both obvious and unseen that surround us all.
“So if you’re worried and you can’t sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.”
Dear Lord; Once again Father, I want to start our Monday chat by thanking You for a lovely weekend with good friends and family. While I probably should have spent more time sleeping and recharging for the week ahead, the time spent with those I care about greatly outweighed the need for rest. Either way, it was a wonderful weekend and I thank You for that.
This morning Lord, I’d like to talk with You about the paradoxical effect this Season seems to bring on to some people. With all of the emphasis on the close relationships in our lives this time of year, those people experiencing a personal loss may dwell on that emptiness and end up having adverse feelings about the Holiday in general. Be it death, divorce, illness or physical separation causing those feelings, I’ve seen quite a few folks who are just having a difficult time embracing the love this Time of Celebration exudes. The true shame in this really is that these people are missing the most important relationship that they have… The one with You! Joshua 1:9 reads :
“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
While we all suffer from losses on this Earth at some point, if we put our focus on Your constant Presence in our lives, we are never truly alone. What an amazing Gift that is! Like all of Your Children at some point, I’ve been guilty of focusing my heart on mortal pains now and again. The closer I get to You though Lord, the less time I spend with my heart in turmoil and the more thankful I become. Please reach out Your Light to all those in pain Father, so that they may feel the Peace and Love of this Blessed time of year. Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! To start off with, I want to Thank You for a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with my family and friends. It never ceases to amaze me that when I focus on the blessings in my life, how truly rich I feel. Thank You for that.
This morning however, I’ve been having a difficult time getting motivated Lord. Maybe it’s just the “coming down” effect following a four-day weekend, but I started the day feeling a little rough. After a little searching for inspiration though, I found Psalm 18:32-36 :
It is God who arms me with strength
and keeps my way secure.
He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.
He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
You make your saving help my shield,
and your right hand sustains me;
your help has made me great.
You provide a broad path for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
I love this one… I know that no matter what Lord, You are my strength, my heart, and my salvation and you never leave my side, and this Psalm describes that perfectly for me. While I know this week is going to be filled with personal difficulties, I can approach it knowing You’re there for me. May everyone that’s dealing with fear, uncertainty or personal turmoil feel Your Loving Presence, and know that all Your Children are Blessed with Your Grace. Amen. ~Phather Phil
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. 
