Blanket the Earth…

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  Well Lord, based on the weather forecast it looks like we’re going to get hit with a good bit of snow over the next day or so.  We’ve got sleet and rain now, to soon be followed by piles of the white stuff apparently.

I have mixed emotions about this kind of weather Lord.  On one hand it’s a beautiful, cleansing white blanket laid over everything.  It brings to mind thoughts of purity, and visually a fresh snowfall is one of my favorite sights to behold.

On the other side of the coin, snowstorms make traveling more dangerous, can cause people to sustain injuries and make it difficult for the business community to function.  It’s not uncommon for power to be interrupted from weather-based damage, and those who are shut-in can easily become isolated from necessary services.  For many, snowy weather brings on nothing but feelings of fear and frustration.

Recently, another blogger posted on her site after a snowfall that it reminded her of You.  She said : “We come to Him dirty with all our messes and past mistakes and He washes us white as snow.“ I love this analogy, and plan to focus on that thought when it starts falling.  Thank you for the perspective Lisa.  🙂

Heavenly Father, thank You for the Care and Spiritual Cleansing You bring to us each day.  Please comfort those who are fearing the oncoming conditions, and let them feel the warmth of Your Protection.  Help us all focus on the newness, and the beauty of this earthly blanket and not on the negatives that can cloud our vision.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Be Strong and Courageous

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  Today Lord, I’d like to spend some time talking about discouragement.  As You well know, I’ve been dealing with this particular feeling quite a bit recently and it can be an extremely overwhelming emotion if not kept in check.  I’ve also received messages from many others struggling against similar demons, so I thought it was worth discussing today.

In my case, the bulk of my challenges with discouragement are centered around running a business in a radically depressed economy.  While we’ve persevered through what I hope is the ugliest part, I was forced to make some very unhappy, but necessary decisions for the survivability of the company.  On top of that, the road that always seemed reasonably obvious for me has been clouded by a wide variety of uncertainties, leading to deep feelings of doubt, fear and discouragement.  I know that when the dust settles that we’ll be the better for our trials, but in the meantime not allowing Satan to use these moments of earthy weakness to attack my spirit can be a difficult task.

Of course, there are many other forms of discouragement as well.  Each day I see and speak with people struggling with these feelings over problems with schoolwork, dieting, quitting substance addiction and a plethora of others.  These situations lead to moments of emotional weakness which can truly leave us vulnerable and wanting, and keep us from hearing Your Voice clearly.

So Father, how do we combat these attacks on our spirits in times of turmoil?  Looking to Your Book for guidance, I find quite a bit to focus and encourage me :

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.  Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:6-8

We were never promised an easy life on earth, but we’re fragile creatures Lord and it’s easy to forget that sometimes.  You did promise us however that if we follow in You and honor You, that You will never leave our sides.  What an amazing Gift!  You’re there celebrating with us in our moments of joy, and You’re there to comfort us in our times of need… We simply need to quiet the “noise” in our minds, and open our hearts to Your Voice.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Guiding Presence in our lives.  Please help us filter out that emotional “noise” and focus our hearts on Your Will.  Bring comfort and direction to all those struggling with feelings of discouragement and depression, and let them know the true worth they have being one of Your Children.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

A Fresh Start

Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father!  To start off with Lord, I want to thank You for yet another lovely weekend.  It was a hectic couple of days, but we were able to be productive and yet still have some fun in the process.  I went into Friday night still on a “God High” from the release You’d given me that morning, and it carried my spirit through much of the weekend.  My heart felt cleansed, and it very much let me recharge my batteries for the challenges that lie ahead.

Along with the concept of a “fresh start”, I spent quite some time this weekend working on reinventing the phatherphil.org web site as well.  It’s been quite a process in planning and implementing, but with Your Guidance (and a lot of help from Google) I’m quite happy with what we came up with.  It’s obviously still a work in progress, but It feels like a good start.  🙂

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Presence and Guidance in my Life and for the Love You’ve shown myself and my family.  We are indeed Blessed and renewed each day by Your Grace.  Please let all those who yearn for meaning, for purpose and for understanding find Your Truth and be emboldened and encouraged.  Lead us through this week in Courage and in Strength so that we can see past our earthly worries and focus on Honoring Your Glory.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

A Wondrous Gift

Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father!  Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!  What a powerful release Lord!  I truly feel like the floodgates on my heart have opened, and it’s an amazing sensation.  I can’t thank You enough for this, and I lift my Praises to You for this wonderful gift.

As there are others that read these conversations Father, let me explain.

The last couple of months have been filled with significant trials for me, my business and my family and although I’ve tried to maintain a positive outlook and listen for Your Voice, I’ve been very much eaten up with fear, worry and self-doubt.  These deep-seated demons have affected me severely enough that my health has suffered, and I’ve not been able to focus as closely as I should on ministering to those who count on me.  I didn’t lose Faith Lord, but I certainly felt beaten… until this morning.

I had just dropped off my boys to school, and was headed towards my office thinking about what new nightmares the day had in store for me, when You intervened.  In the middle of a thought, out of nowhere, I started crying uncontrollably.  The only way I can explain it is that my heart felt like a plug had just been pulled and all the pain, fears and worries burst from my chest.  It was a truly staggering feeling, and I’m still tearing up thinking about it.  You are indeed a Wondrous God!

I Accept Your Love, and Your Help, and Your Gift!

I lay my Burdens at Your Feet Lord!

Heavenly Father, I can’t thank You enough for this release and for staying close to me through my trials.  I know I am Blessed, and Loved and I feel Your Peace.  May all those in similar turmoil receive Your Presence as I was Graced to this morning.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Tomorrow will worry about itself.

Dear Lord; Good morning Father.  I want to start today by thanking You for being such a good listener.  I feel like I’ve been talking Your Ears off the last day or so, and while my heart is still troubled by earthly worries, laying them out to You does worlds of good for my sense of Hope.  I keep hearing You telling me to let go and find rest in Your Love, and I’m trying to Lord… but these fears have a true grip on me at the moment.

Searching for focus in You today, I found some comfort in verses from the Book of Matthew :

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:25-27 (NIV)

Verse 27 really grabbed me Father.  “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Wow… I guess I need to take a step back and Accept that.  (Ok… There’s that word again.  I get it.) Then a little further on in the chapter, Verse 34 says :

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Such a simple truth, and yet I somehow haven’t been able to see it through my inner clouding.  I have my focus now Father.

Thank You for leading me to Matthew today Lord, and for staying by my side through these trials.  Only in Your Loving Hands can my heavy heart be whole.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Grant me the Serenity…

Dear Lord; Good morning Father!  First off, I want to send out a quick prayer of support for my wife Shannon.  She’s been dealing with a very difficult professional situation as of late that’s had her mind wrestling with her heart, and it’s taken a toll on her.  She’s an amazing lady Lord, with a giving and caring spirit that seems to know no end, but in some cases those wonderful qualities can make necessary decisions much more difficult.  Please send her Your Strength and Guidance to make the right decisions, and comfort her with the knowledge You’re with her.  Thank You.

Yesterday, I read a posting on one of my favorite Christian Blog Sites (Mothers On Mission) that brought to mind one of my favorite prayers.  It’s referred to as the Serenity Prayer and is attributed to a gentleman named Reinhold Niebuhr :

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

There’s that word Accept again!  You know Father, since You placed that focus in my heart it seems to just pop up all around me.  As You’re well aware, the plea “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…” is something I pray for on a regular basis.  The more my life seems to veer away from my control, the more I realize that much of what I struggle with never was mine to direct in the first place.

I’m getting there Lord… Thank You for bearing with me.  Amen.

~Phather Phil