Thankful Thursday: Multitudes on Mondays

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

This evening Lord, I’ve decided to try something a little bit different for our Thankful Thursday conversation.  Instead of focusing on one specific thing You’ve Blessed me with, I’m going to take a page from the idea behind “Multitudes on Mondays” as described in the book “One Thousand Gifts” written by Ann Voskamp, and make a list of some things I’ve been thankful for this week.  I haven’t actually read the book, but a number of my fellow blogger friends have taken up this Monday tradition, and reading their posts it just seemed to fit very nicely with the concept of Thankful Thursday.

And there’s so much to list Father, so let me get started…

1. Smiles and hugs from my boys when I come home from work.

2. Dark, fresh, hot coffee in the morning.

3. Photowalks with the kids.

4. Living within 25 minutes of both a state forest and a quiet beach.

5. Feeling the spring breeze wafting over me as I watch the sun set beyond the trees.

6. Sitting at the firepit on our back deck and enjoying time with friends.

7. Holding my wife Shannon as she falls asleep.

8. Dark beer.

9. Cooking for my family and friends.

10. Reading the inspiring and encouraging posts from my fellow Christian Bloggers.

11. Curling up with the kids and watching TV together.

12. Having a job that continues to bring me new challenges and growth.

13. Pulsatile Nasal Irrigation (the only true defense I’ve found against allergies)

14. My son Jonathan continuing to be in remission.

15. Contact lenses.

Heavenly Father, thank You for these and all the other Blessings You bestow on us each day.  You are indeed a wondrous Lord, and I lift my heart to You in joyous praise.

Amen.

~Phather Phil

And With All Your Strength

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Today Lord, while reading in the Book of Deuteronomy I came across a passage that immediately reached out and touched my spirit.  I read it several times over, and each time I did so, the messages resonated more and more in my heart.  The verses I’m referring to detail Moses speaking to the Israelites about the Commandments You had delivered to them, and the importance of making them an integral part of our lives, and that of our children:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (NIV)

Wow Father… What powerful and passionate words these are!

I can picture Moses in my head, pleading with those people to not only follow Your Laws, but to absorb them, to teach them and to make them the foundation of every single part of their lives.

…with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

I want that Father… I want to be consumed by Your Presence; to go throughout my day knowing that everything I do, I do for Your Glory.  And although I certainly fall way short of that directive, it remains a goal I strive for.

The rest of the passage made just as much of an impact on me as well.  As Christian parents, we need to not only teach Your Word and the Love of Christ to our children, but we also need to make You a fundamental part of their lives each day.  By “bringing” You to their discovery of the world around them and their everyday activities, we can help to instill Your Love in their hearts.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for placing this message in my heart today.  I pray that with Your Strength and Guidance I’m able to faithfully fulfill Your Plan for me, and that I can also bring that wonder and adoration of You to my children as well.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Angels in Waiting

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

This evening Lord, my heart is heavy.

As we’ve discussed a number of times before, a huge Blessing in Jonathan’s life over the last couple years has been his involvement with Kay’s Kamp.  It’s a wonderful organization, and it’s meant so much to Jonathan to have that connection with children who share and understand his medical situation.  The bonds he’s formed with that group have been amazing, and we’re very thankful to be part of their “family”.

Over the rest of the year when Kamp isn’t in session, the Kay’s Kamp staff is wonderful about keeping everyone in contact with each other, and in passing along any important events that may occur so that everyone can come together when needed.  Today, I heard from them… and it wasn’t happy news.

One of the Kampers’ medical condition has deteriorated, and he and his mother are in need of Your Comfort Father.

Whenever we come up against news like this, it hits us extremely hard Lord.  We’ve worn those shoes, and I believe it’s one of the most difficult things that anyone can deal with in this lifetime.  When I received the email, past realities flooded back to me and my heart caved knowing what they must be feeling.  Although we’ve been truly Blessed that Jonathan’s disease has stayed in remission so far, the fact it still lives in him becomes much more real when we see others in that situation suffering.  I realize we don’t have the “Big Picture” Father, and that You’re still in control even in cases like this, but those answers can seem very distant when our spirit cries for those in pain.

Heavenly Father, please bring Your Divine Healing to this little one and his mother.  Let them know Your Love and Comfort, and the Eternal Hope that Christ brought to us all.  Your Light is strong in these families Lord, and I pray that they see it and feel Your Peace in this time of turmoil and darkness.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

P.S. For further information on this remarkable little boy and his struggle, they have a web page at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dorianh .  Please pray for them.

Happy 200th Father!

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

Today Father, I received a wonderful surprise when I logged into the statistics page for PhatherPhil.org.  Yesterday’s Easter Day Post “Christ is Risen!” was my 200^th article, with a total of 1,200 comments to date and as of this moment, 12,105 site visits since I began writing it last year.  It’s been a wonderful journey Lord, and I feel truly Blessed to have had this level of interest in and response to our daily conversations.  Through this ministry I’ve grown steadily in my Walk with You, found fellowship with  some absolutely wonderful people, and hopefully passed on Your Messages in ways that have proved valuable to others.  Either way, I want to thank You for our daily “chats”, and very much look forward to the next 200.  🙂

Easter weekend was wonderful as well Father.  From the small gathering of people we had over for the kickoff of our Spring and Summer “Dinner and Drinks on the Deck” Friday evenings, to celebrating the Glory of Christ’s Resurrection with friends and family Saturday and Sunday, it was a Blessed time and Your Presence was felt in abundance.

As the weather abated, I also was able to spend some time enjoying one of my hobbies; photography.  And while these shots are certainly not representative of my best work from an artistic perspective, they made me smile so I thought I’d share them all the same:

Jonathan was in rare form at “Uncle” Steve and “Aunt” Kay’s house on Saturday.  While not blood-related, we consider them family in the truest sense of the word, and the boys love them to no end.  In this shot he was out in the yard, playing with their dog and having a wonderful time doing so.

While the children ran around and blew off a little excess sugar energy, Shannon got the opportunity to relax a bit and work on a crocheting project.

While I don’t remember the conversation he was having when I shot this, I loved the light and shadows and the expression on Aidan’s face.

All in all Lord, it was a peaceful, inspired and Blessed Easter Weekend and I thank You for those Gifts.  The Glory of what this wondrous event signifies was on my heart throughout, and as You know I spent a great deal of time in contemplation of your Love for us all.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for our daily conversations; they truly Bless me well beyond written words on a page.  I pray that our relationship continues to deepen, and that through what we’ve begun I’m able to continue to use this site to serve Your Will, and reach out to those in need.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Christ is Risen!

Dear Lord; Good morning Father, and Happy Easter!

My heart is light today Father; filled with the power of what this day of celebration represents!

Following a dreary, rainy Good Friday (which seemed somewhat appropriate weather to me), the weather broke late yesterday; almost as if the light were yearning for the coming dawn.  Today I awoke to a beautiful sunlit morning, as if the world itself is rejoicing on this Day of Resurrection!

Brought up in a Lutheran Church, I’ve been hearing the following phrase whispered through my heart quite a bit the last few days:

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Such a simple, yet in my opinion powerful statement of Faith this is Lord.  We can never hope in this life to comprehend the magnitude of the Gifts Christ brought to us, but my heart stretches and my spirit grows each time I contemplate these wondrous events.

This morning Father, I read the story of Jesus’ Resurrection from the Gospel of Matthew to Jonathan and Aidan.  Over the last week, I’ve been talking with them about the significance and importance of what this celebration represents, and although they’re still young in their walk with You, I see Your Light in their eyes more and more each day.  Please continue to bring Your Love and Guidance to their hearts, that they may grow in Your Kingdom and more fully appreciate the Blessings You bring to us all.

“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.  Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”” – Matthew 28:1-7 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, we rejoice at the wonder of Christ’s Resurrection on this sunny Easter Morning, and for the Salvation and Hope that act of Love signifies.  I pray that our hearts will all be filled with Your Glory, and for Your Will to guide us along the path Jesus laid for us.

Christ is Risen!

Amen.

~Phather Phil