Thank You Father, for yet another lovely weekend! Shannon and I were able to get out with some friends for a “date night” Friday evening, and on Saturday a friend of Jonathan’s from Kay’s Kamp came for a visit. He hadn’t seen Matthew since Kamp last summer, so it was a wonderful reunion and the kids had an absolute blast. As for me, with Shannon focused on her schoolwork I got to spend lots of time in the kitchen (the kids really enjoyed making fried wontons), got some housework accomplished and still had “down time” to spend on Sunday watching movies and playing with the kids. All in all, a busy but very satisfying couple of days.
One of the movies I watched on Sunday afternoon was an old favorite of mine (I actually have it on Laserdisc). It’s a 1992 film called “Leap of Fath” which starred Steve Martin as a con-man Christian preacher and faith healer named Jonas Nightengale who travels across the country hosting revivals and performing “miracles” for the crowd. On his way to Topeka, one of the trucks breaks down and strands the troupe in a depressed farming town called Rustwater. Jonas decides to do their show in the small town while waiting for the truck to be repaired, and is quickly met with resistance from the local sheriff (played by Liam Neeson) who seeks to expose him for the charlatan that he is. Jonas’ perspective however, soon changes when a local handicapped boy begins to make him examine his faith in a different light.
This is one of those films I can watch again and again, and yet gain something new from it each time Lord. It highlights some of the depths that in our brokenness we can sink to, and yet also delivers a powerful reminder of Your capacity for love and the spiritual transformation that can only come when we actively seek You. Watching this time, the thing that struck me the most was the look on Jonas’ face when he witnesses an actual miracle of healing during one of his shows. From the chasm of his self-centeredness and disbelief, he’s forced to see past himself and realizes that he’s truly not in control of things.
Mr. Martin does an amazing job portraying the character in this scene. The look of awe on his face at that moment describes quite eloquently the feeling I get when I spend time in Your Presence. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You once again for a rejuvenating weekend. It always refreshes me to find Your Messages to us in so many varied ways and places. You truly are the God of “Miracles and Wonders”. Amen.
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.
To begin with Father, I want to thank You again for yesterday. As You told me it would be when I woke, it was a good day. 🙂
Today Lord, I’d like to focus my prayers on my wonderful wife Shannon if I may. As You know, she’s been on my mind even more than usual the last few days. The past year has been an amazing transition and growth year for her both personally and professionally, but in that same respect her workload has increased and changed from what she’d been used to for so long. From being a stay-at-home mom and part-time assistant at a Christian Preschool she now :
– Has a job as a full-time Preschool Teacher with a full class of four-year-olds at a school she loves, surrounded by people that encourage and appreciate her.
– Has started taking college courses to further her education in Early Childhood Development.
– Plays viola for the Dover Symphony Orchestra and a private quartet that does weddings and parties.
– Teaches violin, viola and other instrumental lessons to a number of children in the area.
And on top of that Father, she always finds time and energy for her loving husband and two little boys. I am indeed Blessed to have her as my wife, my best friend and the mother of our children.
When I first heard the song “Dancing in the Minefields” by Andrew Peterson played on K-Love earlier in the year, I shared it with her and we both immediately felt a connection to the message it contained. It’s been running through my heart a lot the last few days, so I thought I’d close the week by sharing :
Heavenly Father, You’ve bestowed upon me the most amazing gift any man could ask for; a true soul-mate in life. I thank You for such an undeserved Blessing, and pray that You continue to shine Your Light through her eyes and her heart. Amen.
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.
Today Lord, I spent much of my morning “cleaning house” at my shop. We actually moved into these new offices over a year ago, but it was a rushed move and in the haste to meet contractual deadlines we ended up doing a poor job of sorting and packing equipment, tools, paperwork and such. The result of which was that anything that we didn’t need right that moment was tossed into boxes somewhat randomly, and then stuck on shelves in the new space. Well, today the lack of being able to find a part that I knew I had got the better of me, and I started tearing through boxes; sorting, tossing things out and beginning to put some order to the chaos. It was truly amazing what we had shoved aside, and in the end I even found the item I was looking for. There’s still a lot more to go through, but every journey has to start somewhere.
Hmmm… Where have I heard that before?
At some point during my morning of discovery, I realized that maybe I needed to go through a similar process in my spiritual life. There are lots of “boxes of stuff” I’ve built up inside of me over the years that I’ve hurriedly shoved aside while running from one situation to the next. I’ve opened some of them and put them in their places, but there are many others that still lie on my emotional shelves gathering dust. I think we all hold on to some “baggage” like that as we go through life; containers filled with past guilt, remorse, longing and sadness that we file away with the intention to deal with them at a later date.
Well Lord, I’m tired of tripping over them.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
I’ve given myself completely to You Father, so these storehouses of pent-up burdens need to go… We need the room for the two of us to build a new “living space” together.
Heavenly Father, I place the dusty baggage of my soul in Your Loving Hands. I’ve learned what I can from it, and now need to focus on Your New Life in me. I pray that the new, cleaner house we build together will be deemed ready to reside in Your Kingdom. Amen.
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.
One of the movies I watched on Sunday afternoon was an old favorite of mine (I actually have it on Laserdisc). It’s a 1992 film called “Leap of Fath” which starred Steve Martin as a con-man Christian preacher and faith healer named Jonas Nightengale who travels across the country hosting revivals and performing “miracles” for the crowd. On his way to Topeka, one of the trucks breaks down and strands the troupe in a depressed farming town called Rustwater. Jonas decides to do their show in the small town while waiting for the truck to be repaired, and is quickly met with resistance from the local sheriff (played by Liam Neeson) who seeks to expose him for the charlatan that he is. Jonas’ perspective however, soon changes when a local handicapped boy begins to make him examine his faith in a different light.
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. 
