Dec 23, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Dec 23, 2010 | 6 comments
Dear Lord; First off Father, I want to follow up on our conversation yesterday. Last evening, I went to the local mall to pick up a couple of odds-and-ends. I was pleasantly surprised to see a significantly better perspective from the shoppers and vendors. I got smiles, Lord… Lots of them. And when I wished people there a Merry and Blessed Christmas, I got happy faces and well-wishes in return. Thank You for allowing me to witness those signs of Your Joy. It helped my spirits immensely.
Today Lord, my heart is already yearning towards the next couple of days. Work still holds many stresses for me, money is still extremely short and Shannon and I are still recovering from the bug that hit us last weekend, but the Light of the Blessed Event to come is overwhelming all of that. I’m very much looking forward to spending quite a bit of “quality time” with You over the next couple of days, and helping spread the Love and Hope the Birth of Your Son brought to us all. Please help me be an effective emissary of Your Word, and to bring Christ’s Message to as many others as possible.
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Amen. ~Phather Phil
Dec 22, 2010
Posted by PhatherPhil on Dec 22, 2010 | 10 comments
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
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. 
