Meditations Monday: Transformational Benevolence

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

Well Lord, yet another weekend has come and gone at the Malmstrom home.  As seems to be our norm as of late, it was a somewhat hectic weekend but also one filled with fun, laughter, and the company of good friends.  Your Presence was felt in abundance, and I thank You for Blessing us with these times of recreation and fellowship.

This week’s Meditations Monday verse is taken from Chapter 4 of Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians:

“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)

Wow… no pressure there Father.  😉

This a powerful, relevant verse Lord, and one all Your Children should take to heart more thoroughly.  As the fragile, broken beings we are, we often allow our sinful natures to overshadow Your Desires for us.  Feelings of inner conflict and malicious intent eat away at our souls, and obscure us from Your Voice.  In this passage, Paul reminds us that You Blessed us with the perfect example of Divine Forgiveness.  You set the bar, and guide us in our Walk to emulate that behavior in our dealings with one another.

And as we discussed on Friday’s post Father, You know our hearts, not just the persona we put on for others.  “Surface forgiveness” isn’t what Your edict to us defines, but instead we’re to strive for true, transformational benevolence.  It’s a steep climb to be sure, but one that leads us ever closer to Christ’s Footsteps and to Your Kingdom.

Heavenly Father, I thank You once again for Your consistent guiding Presence in my life.  Please help me to cast off the chains of sinful emotions, and reach out to others in the nature of true forgiveness and compassion.  Help me to make decisions that best glorify Your Will, and to bring Your Light to those around me.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Tempering Our Faith

Dear Lord; Happy Tuesday Father!

In recent weeks, I’ve been contacted by a number of friends and readers who’ve been going through some struggles in their Walk, and who were seeking perspective and encouragement.  And while I’m always happy to bring Your Message of Hope to the table Father, it did get me to thinking about ways that we can strengthen and temper our Faith in times of trial…

Stillness Sabbaticals

As we discussed a couple weeks ago Father, I’ve found that one of my most effective methods for communing with You is to block off some time, find a very quiet spot, and simply focus on Your Presence.  We live in an exceptionally “noisy” world, and with a seemingly constant deluge of activity and information surrounding us, Your Voice can sometimes be more difficult to distinguish in the chaos.  Whether it’s to spend time with Scripture or simply to pray in silence for guidance, that respite from the auditory onslaught can become a powerful, spiritual time.  “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Songs of Praise

Music has a way of reaching into us and touching places that few other things in our lives can.  One of the best tools I’ve found for helping to keep my focus on You is listening to the positive and encouraging messages contained in Contemporary Christian Music.  Be it listening in the car on my way to work, playing it in the background while making dinner, or streaming it from my iPod while mowing the lawn, today’s talented Christian artists bring the Joy of Christ to my heart every time I listen.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him.” (Psalm 40:3)

Scriptural Mortar

Without question Father, the Bible is the most important book ever written.  Through Your Divine Inspiration to those penmen, You’ve Blessed us with the ultimate “Instruction Manual” for our journey while here on Earth.  It contains a treasure trove of wisdom, encouragement and rules to live our lives by so as to grow in Your Kingdom.  One of the most powerful and compelling ways to nourish our Faith and bring our Walk closer to Christ, is to spend time absorbing Your Word and praying on It’s messages.  “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

Fellowship

One of our best sources of encouragement, enlightenment and inspiration can be found in the interactions we have with our fellow Christians.  Whether it’s spending time together in worship and study at Church, or conversing with other Believers across the globe via the Internet, the support and assistance of Your Followers are wonderful resources to help steady us in our spiritual journey.  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your continued and faithful Presence in our lives each day.  Please help focus our hearts to best receive You, and to support others in their Walk as well.  Fill us with Your Holy Spirit, and strengthen our resolve to live for Your Kingdom instead of focusing on the chaos around us.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Simple Answers

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

As I’ve mentioned before Lord, I’ve become quite fond of the Thankful Thursday post each week.  It serves as a wonderful look back and inspection of the prior week’s events, and helps me to truly focus on and appreciate Your Wondrous Gifts more thoroughly.  Spotlighting those simple joys in life that often go by unnoticed has proved to be inspiring, and humbling at the same time.  And each week, after carefully compiling my list I come to the same undeniable conclusion…

I am truly Blessed.  🙂

And therefore Father, without further ado, here’s this week’s Thankful Thursday list:

76. The local Contemporary Christian Radio Station (88.7 The Bridge – http://www.887thebridge.com).

77. Sweet Vidalia Onions.

78. Spiritual Nudges.

79. My Bloggy Friends.

80. Coupons.

81. The smell of coffee brewing in the morning.

82. A quiet Saturday with good friends.

83. Movie night snuggled up with the kids.

84. Hunny responding well to the Lasix.

85. Getting several decent nights sleep in a row.

86. Grilled hot dogs with cheese sauce.

87. Simple answers.

88. Quiet afternoon drives.

89. Online banking.

90. The cool, fresh breeze following a summer thunderstorm.

Heavenly Father, You Bless us all with so many things each day that this list could go on and on.  For all those Divine Gifts that we recognize, and for those that grace us quietly in silence, I give You thanks and praise.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Scriptural Mortar

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

To start our week’s conversations Lord, I want to thank You for yet another wonderful weekend.  From the “Dinner and Drinks on the Deck” get-together we hosted Friday night, to a relaxing day with good friends on Saturday, and concluded by an inspiring church service and day with my family on Sunday, it was a lovely couple days respite.  Thank You so much for those Blessings!

Today Father, I’m beginning a new weekly post which I’m calling “Meditations Monday”.  The concept for this recurring theme is to pick a passage in Scripture each week, and then to focus my thoughts and prayers on that particular piece of Biblical wisdom and inspiration.  I love the idea of anchoring the week’s conversation in “Scriptural Mortar”, and I’m excited to see where this initiative will take us.

As yesterday was the celebration of Pentecost Father, it seems only fitting that for our first Meditations Monday the verses of focus be taken from the second chapter of Acts, which describe the Descending of Your Holy Spirit on the Apostles of Christ:

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.  When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.” – Acts 2:1-6 (NIV)

This was a staggering Gift Lord, and one that continues to define our spiritual existence as Christians today.  In that moment of transformation, You Blessed us with access to the most invasive and encompassing relationship with You that our mortal shells can have.

Heavenly Father, we give thanks and praise for this most remarkable and Holy Gift.  I pray that we all take this time to search deep inside our hearts and dwell in that Divine Connection to You.  Please guide my motivations and actions to best serve Your Will, and make my witness of Your Works effective in sharing that Grace with others.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: On the Fly

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

And once again Lord, we come to the “Thankful Thursday” post at PhatherPhil.org.  You know, I find it fascinating that all throughout the week I have no problem finding things to be thankful for, but when I sit down each Thursday to write my list… writers block!  I remember them eventually, but I don’t want to risk missing any that come to me “on the fly”.  Therefore, I’m going to start making a concerted effort to actually write them down as I experience them, instead of simply trusting my cluttered memory stores.  🙂

Anyways Father, here’s my list for the week:

61. Stillness Sabbaticals.

62. Jonathan taking his first Communion.

63. Children that are “fired up” for God!

64. “Dinner and Drinks on the Deck” Friday evenings.

65. Divine “nudges” when I need them.

66. Clean carpets.

67. A ROM for my Android phone that doesn’t crash twice a day.

68. Encouragement from unexpected places.

69. Verses of Scripture that “come alive” in my heart.

70. Thick-sliced country bacon.

71. A fresh cup of coffee in 20 seconds from my Keurig.

72. My Flickr.com account.

73. My iPod on shuffle mode in the “Gospel & Religious” genre.

74. The daily “Free App of the Day” on the Amazon Android AppStore.

75. A marriage Blessed by understanding, respect, love and trust.

(And Father, #75 is and has been one of Your BIGGEST Blessings in my life by far.  🙂 )

Heavenly Father, Your Blessings in our lives each day are truly never-ending.  You lift us up, comfort and encourage us, and teach us those lessons You know we need to grow in Your Kingdom.  Please guide and strengthen us to make good choices, and to always seek Your Will above all else.  Amen.

~Phather Phil