The Reason for the Season

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d actually like to rant a little bit if you don’t mind.  The focus of my rambling is the overabundance of “Political Correctness” that seems to be even more overblown this time of year.  I’m generally a very flexible person Lord, especially when working with peoples’ beliefs and religious (or lack thereof) affiliations, however why do some people find it necessary to force those restrictions and connotations on the rest of the world?  Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve started seeing the typical “Take the Christ out of Christmas so as not to offend anyone” actions brought about by certain governmental bodies and other secular groups, and it just irks me to no end.  It’s actually funny, but I have friends that are Jewish, Wiccan and Buddhist and even they’re bothered by this attitude our culture seems to have as of late.

So Lord, this year to try and help balance all the “P.C.” that’s going on, I’m working even harder to focus on the true reason for this Blessed Season; The Celebration of Your Son’s Holy Birth!  Please Lord, shine Your Divine Light on our hearts and minds, and help us all Honor the Greatest Gift the world was ever given.  Fill our Spirits with Your Presence, and let the world feel the Peace that was ushered in that Holy Night.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

The Most Important Relationship

Dear Lord; Once again Father, I want to start our Monday chat by thanking You for a lovely weekend with good friends and family.  While I probably should have spent more time sleeping and recharging for the week ahead, the time spent with those I care about greatly outweighed the need for rest.  Either way, it was a wonderful weekend and I thank You for that.

This morning Lord, I’d like to talk with You about the paradoxical effect this Season seems to bring on to some people.  With all of the emphasis on the close relationships in our lives this time of year, those people experiencing a personal loss may dwell on that emptiness and end up having adverse feelings about the Holiday in general.  Be it death, divorce, illness or physical separation causing those feelings, I’ve seen quite a few folks who are just having a difficult time embracing the love this Time of Celebration exudes.  The true shame in this really is that these people are missing the most important relationship that they have… The one with You!  Joshua 1:9 reads :

“Have not I commanded you? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be you dismayed: for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

While we all suffer from losses on this Earth at some point, if we put our focus on Your constant Presence in our lives, we are never truly alone.  What an amazing Gift that is!  Like all of Your Children at some point, I’ve been guilty of focusing my heart on mortal pains now and again.  The closer I get to You though Lord, the less time I spend with my heart in turmoil and the more thankful I become.  Please reach out Your Light to all those in pain Father, so that they may feel the Peace and Love of this Blessed time of year.  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

Life on Overload

Dear Lord; Over the last week or so Father, I’ve run into quite a few people who seem frazzled, and describe their overall state as feeling overwhelmed.  It’s not usually any specific thing, just a combination of everyday tasks and worries such as housework, work projects, kids’ activities and a plethora of others, and then on top of that the onset of the Holidays just puts that last straw on the camel’s back.  I can certainly understand it, and have been guilty of letting life get the better of me more than once.  To a point, I think we all live our lives on overload which makes it very easy to feel overburdened as soon as anything else is added to the pile.

Heavenly Father, please give us clear vision to see past the tasks at hand and recognize Your Gifts and True Purpose for us all.  Fill our hearts and minds with Your Presence, and help us focus on the Divine Meaning of this Season so that we can go forward in Love, and honor Your Blessings.  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

Remembering a Moment

Dear Lord; Sometimes Father, music can reach into our soul and touch our hearts in ways that words simply can’t.  Most people I know have one or more songs that just hit a raw nerve and evoke amazing emotional responses.  In my case, it has to do with one that I first heard shortly after Jonathan was born and we were living at A.I. Dupont Hospital for Children dealing with his Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis.  As You know, I spent each evening driving back and forth to the hospital to spend as much time with him and Shannon as I could while still keeping the bill collectors off our backs.  The radio was my friend on those long lonely rides, and one night while coming home a new song came on that I hadn’t heard before.  It was a dedication on the Delilah show for a man whose son was fighting cancer.  It didn’t hit me at first, but as I listened to the haunting music and lyrics my heart caved, tears started pouring from my eyes and I had to pull the truck over.  The song was by a Christian Artist named Mark Schultz and it was called He’s My Son.

There were a lot of life-changing moments during those years Father, and that was one of them.  I of course ended up buying the CD with that song on it, and have listened to it many times since (as well as the rest of the music on it… He’s quite good).  Thank You for bringing me that emotional release that night, and for speaking to me in the darkness.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil