Through Your Heart…

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d like to talk to You about selfishness.  Shannon and I have been spending some focus lately working with our children to help them think and make decisions for purposes other than benefiting themselves in some fashion.  They’re actually quite empathetic kids, and we’re very proud of their emotional growth so far but we’re always trying to make sure they’re making the best choices they can for the right reasons.  Anyways, it got me thinking about the choices I make and the reasons behind them.  I certainly try to be a good person, and to do things altruistically for others however if I’m brutally honest with myself, in many cases I’ve altered or adjusted things I’ve done to gain some benefit myself.  Therefore Lord, this morning I’m asking for Your Guidance and Presence to help me do the right things, for the right reasons.  Fill my heart with Your Kindness, and let me see past myself to truly make a difference.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

A Moment to Thank You…

Dear Lord; Wow… This week is certainly off to a bumpy start.  Between several insane situations at work, and some friends going through horrendous personal turmoil, I’m feeling drained and it’s only Tuesday.  However, instead of focusing on the craziness, I’m spending a few minutes to take a step back and thank You for Blessing me so very much.  You’ve Graced me with a wonderful Wife, remarkable children and good friends that I love and value deeply.  I have a profession that while it can drive me crazy sometimes, I can honestly say I’m very happy going to work each day.  We live in a lovely home, are able to put nourishing food in our stomachs and have enjoyed overall good health as of late.  And on top of it all Father, I feel my relationship with You has never been stronger.  I am indeed Blessed.  Thank You.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Controling the Demons Within…

Dear Lord; Well Father, this was to say the least not the weekend I had planned.  No major crises, but through a series of unintended twists I ended up dealing with some frustration and other unwanted emotions.  Now, whenever I start feeling this way, I try to take a step back and analyze why I’m having these outpourings and whether or not they’re rational and in the proper levels for the situation.  In this case, they really weren’t.  I had myself quite worked up for a series of reasonably insignificant issues, and that very much concerned me.  A little quiet contemplation, and some deep breathing and I was able to regain my balance, but it did make it apparent to me how easy it can be sometimes to let things go out of proportion.  Therefore, for myself and for all those who struggle with our inner demons from time to time, please help guide us to see past those emotions.  Let us feel Your Heavenly Hand on our shoulders, and help us make good, loving and rational decisions.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

I Shall Not Fear…

Dear Lord; This morning Father, I’d like to talk with You about fear.  For a number of personal reasons and from conversations with others, I’ve spent a great deal of time contemplating and analyzing (or overanalyzing as my Wife might say) fear and it’s effects on people lately.

What I’ve come up with is this; We all struggle to maintain an inner balance between our Hearts and Minds, or to put it another way our Desires and our Wisdom.  At any given point in time, the balance can shift based on a wide variety of factors, and those factors can obviously be influenced through a huge range of external situations as well.  If we allow our Desires to run the show, we’re extending outside our “comfort zone” and experiencing new things, however there may be some higher level of risk involved.  If on the other hand we allow our Wisdom to dominate our decisions, we stay on the safe side of things, but are certainly unlikely to enjoy our lives to their fullest potential.  I know in my own life, most of my happiest moments have come from my Heart venturing into uncharted waters, and yet my Mind has certainly kept me out of more than one situation that could have been disastrous.  It’s absolutely a balance, and a very complicated issue we all face every day.

In this complex equation Father, I see You as the “scales” between the two sides.  You help guide us through our lives, and help us maintain the balance that’s so vital.  I truly believe You want Your children to enjoy what life You have blessed us with, and yet have graced us with that Wisdom to keep us as much from harm as possible.  I give Thanks for Your Presence in that role, and ask that You continue to help us all balance our lives for the greatest possible fulfillment of our time on this Earth.  Amen.

~Phather Phil

Sunshine Through the Rain

Dear Lord; Well Father, I hate to say it but I think you may have left the faucet on over Delaware this morning. 🙂  Funny enough though, as dreary and wet as it is outside today and as daunting the pile of work and projects on my list is, I have an odd feeling of contentment today.  I know in my heart that one way or another, what’s important will get done and what doesn’t get accomplished will be there another day.  I feel You on my shoulder, and know that it’s all well.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil

Blessings to All Your Creatures

Dear Lord; My thoughts to you this morning come from a conversation I had with a good friend of mine regarding the pain she was feeling from the loss of a pet.  Thinking more deeply about the situation, it dawned on me that a great many people are very deeply attached to their pets (myself included… Take a look at my Flickr link in the sidebar for pictures of my dogs :-)).  They provide us love and companionship, and ask for amazingly little in return.  There have been many discussions over the years in a variety of Religious and Philosophical forums as to whether or not animals have souls and if so, when they pass do they go to Heaven, however I’ve never questioned that.  They touch our hearts and spirits in ways few other things can.  If in Your Great Love Lord, You have created Heaven as a Paradise where exists True Happiness, I firmly believe that any of Your creatures that so intensely touch our Spirits will once again meet us in that Garden.  Therefore Heavenly Father, today my prayers go out to our wonderful animals, and to Your children that love and care for them.  Amen.  ~Phather Phil