It’s Beginning to Look a Lot…

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

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 Divine Litmus Test

Dear Lord; Whew… What a crazy morning it’s been Father.  In addition to the normal first-thing rushing around to get everyone ready for work and school, today we had to contend with a grumpy almost-11-year-old who apparently was still disgruntled from an argument over homework with his mother the night before.  His mood of course, did nothing to expedite all of us getting out of the house on time, and we found ourselves running to get out the door.  In the car on the way to school, I got the chance to try and talk with him about his behavior and when that was met with resistance, I hit him with the bomb; “Jonathan, if Jesus was standing next to you right now, how do you think he’d feel about your behavior?”  That got his attention.  He looked down at his lap and mumbled something about how he knew Jesus wouldn’t approve, and his demeanor seemed to lighten a bit.  I challenged him to think about that question more over the course of the day, and told him we’d talk more when I got home.

After dropping the kids off at school, I started playing things back in my head and thinking about the question I asked him in a larger context.  It dawned on me that this was really an inquiry that we should all ask ourselves on a more regular basis.  Yes, I do try to make decisions based on what my beliefs say are correct and I do try to listen for Your Guidance over the course of my day, but I certainly know I’m imperfect and don’t always make the right calls for every situation.  Therefore Father, over this Season of Celebration I’m going to try to spend more time putting my actions and judgment to the same litmus test I asked of my son this morning.  My hope is that by putting myself under the proverbial “Holy Microscope” more often I can gain further understanding of Your Will, and be a better husband, father, businessman, and Child of God.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Rejoice, the Season is Upon Us!

Dear Lord; Well Father, December is upon us and at least here in Delaware I think you left the water running up there.  🙂  And although it’s a dreary, wet day outside my heart is opening to rejoice at the Season of Celebration for the Holy Birth of Your Son.  I started this morning by shifting my iPod playlist over to Holiday music to get myself “in the spirit”.  There’s nothing like the joyous sounds of Judy Collins, Bing Crosby, Harry Connick Jr. and Amy Grant singing Your praise to get my spirits in the right place.  As I noted in yesterday’s email, music has a way of getting into my heart like not too many other things can, so I make sure to have appropriate uplifting songs playing for much of my day to keep me in the right frame of mind.  Thank You for inspiring so many talented people and using their gifts as a conduit to our Souls.

Today’s prayers Lord, are for all those struggling to find their inspirations during this Blessed Season.  It’s very easy to get mired down in the day-to-day troubles we all face, and to completely miss the Miracle that this time of year celebrates.  Please open peoples’ hearts and minds to receive the true depth and meaning of this Blessed Event, and to focus on Your Loving Gifts to us instead of dwelling on earthly issues.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil