In His Skillful Hands

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father.

Thank You Lord, for starting my day off so pleasantly this morning.  I always like waking to the sound of Your Voice in my head, especially when the message is “Today is a Good Day”.  Well, it’s just after lunchtime here now and so far it truly has been as you prepared me; A good day.  🙂

In the beginning of the year Father, You gave me a word to focus my energies and prayers on.  It wasn’t a word I would have chosen sans Your intervention, but You were quite insistent at the time as I remember so I adopted it as my own.  The word was Accept.

Today Lord, I thought I’d discuss a couple of the ways “our” word choice has impacted me thus far, and presented itself in my life.

The beginning of “The Serenity Prayer” comes immediately to mind Father :

“God, grant me the serenity to Accept the things I cannot change…” – Reinhold Niebuhr

As You know, this has always been a rough one for me Lord.  Many of my most significant upsets have come from situations which I have little or no control over.  With Your help, I’ve been working on this flaw in my character and I can honestly say that we’ve made some progress.  I still have more than a few stresses in my life right now, but I’ve learned to better Accept those things which I can’t fix and focus my efforts on the ones I can make positive change in.

Along those same lines Father, I’m learning to Accept assistance more readily from others as well.  I’ve always prided myself (I know… another nasty word, but we’re making progress on that flaw too.) on being reasonably independent, but through my journey to You I’ve realized that You put us all here together for a reason.  When I can help someone, I should but I also need to be open to Accepting help from others as well.  It’s still a struggle sometimes for me to show that vulnerability, but I’m happy to say that barrier is lower than it used to be.

Needless to say, I now understand why You chose this word for me.  I obviously have some significant room for growth and Acceptance appears to be the key to much of that.

Heavenly Father, thank You for continuing to Guide me in Your Grace.  I am but clay in Your Skillful Hands, eager to be molded into a form which can best serve Your Will.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Parenting Help from The Father

Dear Lord; Good afternoon Father.

I’ve decided that 11 is a complicated age Lord…  Let me tell You a little about my morning.

Today started out like most weekday mornings do; with everyone scrambling to compose themselves and prepare for the work and school day ahead.  Still shaking off the effects of a restless night, I stepped out of the shower and immediately picked up on yelling coming from the opposite side of the house.  Quickly wrapping a towel around myself I headed for the source of the turmoil.

Jonathan and Aidan were firmly entrenched in a verbal battle with each other.  Apparently, Aidan had taken a seat at the table that Jonathan had set up for himself, pushing his things aside in the process.  This in turn lit Jonathan’s fuse, and the battle royale had begun.

Both were intractable, and it had progressed from a basic disagreement to an angered exchange complete with name calling (luckily, nothing too terrible) and yelling.  (Looking back to it now, Dr. Seuss’ story “The Zax” comes to mind.)

Still sporting my towel, I quickly intervened on the situation trying to get a handle on who did what and to calm things down.  Unfortunately, Jonathan was riled up way past the point of reason and redirected his attitude towards my authority.  Needless to say, it went downhill from there.  Shannon and I take disrespect very seriously, and Jonathan had gone WAY too far to allow it to go unchecked.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” – Exodus 20:12

We then entered the correction phase of the conversation; No computer games for the next couple of days… At which time, Jonathan went off the deep end.

I’ve never seen anger like this from him Father, and it really caught Shannon and I off guard.  He threw what can only be described as a massive “hissy fit”, told us he was leaving home forever, and without a coat, hat or gloves stormed out the front door onto the snow covered lawn.

I watched quietly out the window for a couple minutes, then went outside and got in the truck to go fetch him.  He’d made it down to the end of the street, and when I pulled up on him he stood shivering in the snow and firmly refused to get in the car.  More concerned for his health than the attitude at this point, I promptly picked him up, put him in the truck and closed the door.  Unfortunately, that still wasn’t the end of it and the ride to school was filled with further venomous outbursts and disrespect.  As it hadn’t completely abated when we turned into the school parking lot, I decided to err on the side of caution and keep him with me for the day.

As we pulled out of the school after dropping Aidan off, I quietly focused on Your Guidance Father.  I was at a loss… He’d never shown me this kind of behavior before.

“Hold him close to you.” I heard drift through my head.

With that directive in my heart and an image of You holding him in Your Arms in my mind, I spent the rest of the trip to my office working to release some of the tension that the morning had brought.  We arrived at my workplace, where I set him down on the couch in my office to contemplate the events of the morning.

“Jonathan” I said, “You tell me you talk to God quite a bit… Now would be a good time to listen to Him.”

He gave me a half-quizzical look, but sat quietly on the couch for quite a long time all the same.  When he finally turned and spoke to me, his voice was much softer and more reserved.  We discussed what had happened, and he remorsefully explained how he’d allowed his anger to run away with him and about the difficulty he’d had “getting the genie back in the bottle” once he’d lost control.  There are days Father, that I think he’s far too deep for a child of 11… Today was one of those days.

When I spoke with him later on, I asked him if he’d heard from You while he laid on my couch.

“Yes… And he didn’t sound happy.” Jonathan replied.  “We talked about how I was going to make it better, and not let it happen again.”

Thank You for the assist with him Father, and for focusing me as well.  Sometimes we all need some parenting help from the “Head of the Household”.  🙂

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Listening Through the Anger

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!

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.

~Phather Phil

Life is Noisy

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!

This morning Father, I had what I think is an important realization; my life is noisy.

Each morning, I’m awakened by an alarm clock which at the same time starts an hour-long process of dogs barking to go out, my smartphone reporting to me all the things that I missed while I slept (or tried to anyways), and the daily rush to get our family moving forward with the day.  Then I don the mobile headset for the ride to school and the office, on goes the radio and all the while I’m serenaded by the beeps and blips from the boys’ Nintendo DS’s from the back of the SUV.  Once at work, the constant sounds of phones, computers, streaming radio, and a plethora of other office chatter persist throughout the day.  The ride home is spent back on the headset along with the radio helping me to drown out the commute noise.  Evenings at home are filled with more barking dogs (yes, we have little yappy dogs… lol), television, phones and other such sounds of modern life.

As I said… Noisy.

I’m beginning to think that the struggle I’ve had with insomnia over the years may be partially related to the amount of constant noise in my day.  In the wee hours of the night, I can truly find the Stillness and quiet to properly direct my thoughts and listen to Your Voice.

Hmmm… Stillness… It’s been a while since I’ve truly had some.

“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”” – Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Well Lord, this weekend I’m going to try and focus on that.  It’s supposed to be nicer weather the next couple of days here, so I’m planning to try and take advantage of it and visit one of the few places I can almost always get the Stillness I need to hear You; Blackbird State Forest.  It’s been months since I’ve been able to go and just walk in Your Splendor, so I’m going to do exactly that.

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” – Isaiah 55:12 (NIV)

Amen.

See You soon.  🙂

~Phather Phil

Husbands, love your wives

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!  Once again Lord, You Blessed me with a lovely couple days respite filled with family, good food and good friends.  Thank You so very much for that time!

Well Father, today we celebrate Valentine’s Day.  While the true origin of this holiday seems to be clouded by historical variations in the chain of events which formed it, today we observe it as a day to focus on and express the love and affection we feel for those we’re closest to.  In addition to the amazing love You’ve shown me directly Lord, You’ve also Blessed me beyond words by surrounding me with a significant number of loving, caring people…

And at the center of this group, is my wonderful wife Shannon.

I see Your Light in her in so many ways Father.  She’s my partner in every respect; A true soul bonded to my own with whom I can share my innermost self without fear of judgment or rejection.  She’s a phenomenal mother to our two sons, and has proved her mettle and devotion to our marriage and our family time and time again.  She’s been the anchor when I’ve been adrift, and the harbor when I’ve needed rest and comfort.  She gives of herself freely to help others in need, and brings her loving spirit to all that she does.  She’s the first person I think of to share my joys, and as You know, the focus of many of my prayers.  I am a much better man Lord, with her by my side.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” – Ephesians 5:25

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Blessing our Union as Man and Wife and for seeing us through the trials we encounter along our journey together.  Please continue to let her feel the warmth of Your Loving Embrace, and watch over her throughout her days.  Amen.

~Phather Phil