My Kingdom for a Smile

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  Today Lord, I’d like to talk about an experience I had last night which made quite an impact on me… I went to the Super Wal*Mart.

I only needed a few items; Some food for dinner, and I wanted to pick up a couple Christmas gifts for the kids so I thought it would be a quick and easy trip.  It was around 4:20pm, so I expected to avoid the truly heavy “after-work” traffic and in fact the parking lot was busy, but not as packed as I’ve seen before.  I grabbed a cart, went inside, looked around at the hustle and bustle and almost immediately it hit me… No one was smiling.

Not the customers, not the cashiers, not the stock people, no one in eyesight had a smile on their faces.  I’m not sure why it hit me so quickly, or affected me so significantly but the whole building suddenly seemed very cold and uninviting.  Now, it wasn’t Wal*Mart itself.  It’s certainly not my favorite place to shop, but I absolutely have nothing against it either.  This was just an overall feeling being given off that pervaded the entire premises.  And as I spent the next 45 minutes gathering what I came for, it only became more apparent to me that the people here simply were not happy.  Even attempts to garner some positive responses from others in the store failed.  I made eye contact, smiled and nodded to countless patrons, and yet all but one ignored my actions completely.  In the end, I paid for my items and left the store feeling almost distraught at the overwhelming level of despair I had just witnessed.  It hung with me for some of the evening, until I got some quiet time to contemplate and pray for guidance.  That helped calm my spirit, but the experience still lingers in my mind.

So Father, this morning my heart is crying out to You for help.  You’ve done so much for us, and yet there are so many who just can’t see past their earthly worries enough to bear witness to Your Glorious Works.  Please fill these lost souls with Your Endless Love; Make it grow and spread so that Your Light shines like a beacon for all around to behold.  Help me be an emissary for Your Word, and spread the Love of Christ and the Miracle of His Birth on to all those I possibly can.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Lay Your Burdens Down

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  First off, I want to tell You how wonderful it was to have such an amazing outpouring of affection and prayers for Jonathan’s birthday yesterday.  Between the phone calls, Facebook postings, Blog Comments and emails it was VERY apparent to Shannon and I how loved he is, and how Blessed we are to know so many good people.

Today Lord, I’d like to revisit a topic we’ve discussed before; The sense of despair I’ve been seeing in far too many people lately.  The reasons for these feelings run the gambit from financial problems, to employment issues, to stressing over Holiday “requirements”, but it seems that even more than usual, many are letting these burdens overwhelm them.  I’ll be honest Father, our year has certainly been difficult in many ways as well, however it really hasn’t felt as desperate for me as I would have expected.  Thinking on this, and listening for Your Guidance I realized why… I’ve got Jesus in my heart!  What a remarkable Gift You’ve given me!  No, that doesn’t pay the mortgage or keep gas in the car, but it does put all those things in proper perspective.  Matthew  11:28-30 reads :

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Thank You so much Lord!  You make all my burdens feel so light when I lay them at Your feet!

Therefore Father, my prayer today is a simple one.  Please let those who feel lost, overwhelmed and full of despair feel Your Loving Presence in their hearts and rejoice!  May the Peace of Christ pass over all those in need, and bring them to Your Light.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

The Reason for the Season

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d actually like to rant a little bit if you don’t mind.  The focus of my rambling is the overabundance of “Political Correctness” that seems to be even more overblown this time of year.  I’m generally a very flexible person Lord, especially when working with peoples’ beliefs and religious (or lack thereof) affiliations, however why do some people find it necessary to force those restrictions and connotations on the rest of the world?  Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve started seeing the typical “Take the Christ out of Christmas so as not to offend anyone” actions brought about by certain governmental bodies and other secular groups, and it just irks me to no end.  It’s actually funny, but I have friends that are Jewish, Wiccan and Buddhist and even they’re bothered by this attitude our culture seems to have as of late.

So Lord, this year to try and help balance all the “P.C.” that’s going on, I’m working even harder to focus on the true reason for this Blessed Season; The Celebration of Your Son’s Holy Birth!  Please Lord, shine Your Divine Light on our hearts and minds, and help us all Honor the Greatest Gift the world was ever given.  Fill our Spirits with Your Presence, and let the world feel the Peace that was ushered in that Holy Night.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil