To start the day off Father, I want to thank You for the “nudge” You gave me yesterday regarding the email I wrote to You. As You know, I had actually started on a completely different topic but part-way through writing it, You intervened and led me to what You wanted me to post. It’s a message that’s been on my heart ever since, and I thank You for that whisper.
Today, I’d like to share something that You placed in front of me this morning. It’s a letter to You written by an unknown author, but it very much spoke to me following yesterday’s conversation.
Dear God:
I want to thank You for what You have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because I am alive. I am thanking You because I made it through the day’s difficulties. I am thanking You because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking You because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better.
I’m thanking You because Father, You haven’t given up on me.
This morning Lord, I had another one of those inspired geek moments that You grant me from time to time. I was working on a laptop PC that was in for service, with the primary customer complaint being that it was running very slowly. External malware and virus scans had come back clean, so I booted into the operating system to evaluate the situation.
It was clogged to the hilt with “stuff” starting up automatically every time it booted.
Now, this is something we see pretty regularly. Between the bundled software that comes loaded on new machines, “add-on” downloads that come along for the ride with installs over the Internet, and all the little “extras” that get installed automatically with new components like printers and scanners, unless you know what’s safe to remove or deselect, it builds up quickly. The result over time is a computer that takes a long time to boot up, and acts slow and sluggish when performing tasks.
As I started to strip away the layers of unnecessary bloat from the machine, my mind drifted back to yesterday, and the “fog” my mind had been in for most of the day…
I was slow…
I was sluggish…
I had problems focusing on tasks…
Your Voice wasn’t as clear as it usually is.
Hmmm… A parallel maybe?
Like the laptop in my care, my mind yesterday was filled with unnecessary “clutter”. Ponderings and concerns about everything from money, to groceries, to laundry preoccupied my thoughts, making focusing on more important matters (like talking with You) much more difficult.
Therefore Father, going into this weekend my prayer is a simple one:
Heavenly Father, please grant us Clarity;
Clarity of focus to see past our earthly concerns…
Clarity of mind to listen in the Stillness for Your Voice…
Clarity of purpose to make choices that best Glorify You…
Clarity of Spirit to draw us closer to Your Presence.
To conclude this week’s postings Lord, I’d like to say a couple of prayers if I may.
First off Father, it’s hot here today… in fact, dangerously so. With a temperature of around 100 degrees and high humidity, the heat index shows us at around 117 degrees outside. For those of us who are Blessed with good health it’s oppressive enough, but for those who are more vulnerable to the effects of these conditions (young children, the elderly, asthmatics, etc.) this weather can pose serious health risks. Please wrap all those affected by these climatic conditions in Your Protective Embrace. Let them feel the cooling breeze of Your Holy Spirit, and give them the resources needed to combat the effects of this weather.
Secondly Lord, several of my “Bloggy” friends are attending the “She Speaks” Conference this weekend. I pray that Your Presence is felt in abundance at this gathering, and that their hearts and minds are opened wide to gain what this experience has to offer. Please protect and watch over their families while they’re away, and bring them home safely when it’s completed.
And finally Father, I’d like to thank You for leading me to find the Glo Bible website today. I’m always on the lookout for new sources of information to assist me in my Walk with you, and the Glo Bible is an amazing tool. After downloading the free version and working with it for part of the morning, I ended up purchasing the Premium content as well. I’m looking forward to spending time exploring it this weekend, and placing it in Jonathan’s hands as well. With all the rich multimedia and interactive tools Glo contains, I think it could open a whole new line of thought and prayer for him as he delves deeper into Your Word.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for yet another Blessing-filled week. I pray that Your Divine Peace and Comfort is felt by all those in need, and for Your continued Guidance in making choices and decisions that best glorify Your Will for us. Amen.
Ok Lord, yes I do know it’s actually Friday but as the day got away from me yesterday and I didn’t have the opportunity to post my Thankful Thursday article, I decided to do so this morning instead.
It’s been a wonderful, Blessed week away with my family Father. Our visits to the mountains are something that we all look forward to eagerly each year, and it’s been a joyous, relaxing time once again. Today is our last full day here, and although we’ll be headed home tomorrow the memories of this past week will stay with us for a long time to come.
So, without further ado Lord, this week I’d like to give special thanks for…
136. 78 degree days, and 52 degree nights with low humidity.
137. A sky so clear that at night with a full moon, the clouds light up like it was dusk.
138. Playing an evening game of Bocce with Jonathan.
139. A caring, thoughtful friend who cleaned our house for us while we’re away.
140. Getting the opportunity to attend church services with old friends.
141. Quiet time fishing.
142. Being surrounded by the abundant beauty of Your Creation.
143. An office staff who keeps the world at bay for me while I’m away.
144. Another wonderful visit to Claws ‘N’ Paws Zoo.
145. Seeing the joy on Jonathan’s face as he won the archery competition.
146. Children who continue to have a sense of whimsy and wonder.
147. Sitting on the back porch of the cabin late at night with good friends, good bourbon and a light breeze.
148. Having no signal on my mobile phone for most of the week.
149. The management and staff at Chestnut Grove Resort who always make our visit feel like coming home.
150. Reservations to come back here next year.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for a restful, rejuvenating and happy week away. In these beautiful and peaceful surroundings I can truly feel Your Presence in abundance, and will be taking home with me a deeper sense of Your Wondrous Gifts to us. Amen.
Well Father, we come again to the end of yet another work-week and I’ll admit to being excited this time. Tomorrow morning, my family and I leave for a week’s vacation at Chestnut Grove Resort in the Pocono Mountains. The kids love it there Lord, and I’ve found that it’s someplace that I can truly relax and spend quiet, meditative time in Your Presence. As Internet connectivity is quite limited, I don’t expect to be able to post our conversations every day, but hope to be able to at least a couple times over the course of the week. Funny enough, it makes perfect sense that in places where my connections to the world are more limited, my connection to You opens up wider.
In preparation for our time away, I spent some time yesterday picking out new books to read, and music to travel by. For reading material (other than my trusty YouVersion.com Bible App on my Android tablet), I have “Heaven is Real” written by Don Piper, and “Just Too Busy: Taking your Family on a Radical Sabbatical” by Joanne Kraft (Thanks so much Elaine!). As for music, while my iPod is already quite loaded with inspiring songs, I just had to add the albums “Blessings” by Laura Story, and “On Fire” from Peter Furler to the mix. Peter’s song “Reach” has been running through my head a lot the last couple weeks, so I’m excited to have the rest of his solo premier album to enjoy as well…
While we’re up there, we’ve also been invited by friends of ours to attend services at Pocono Community Church. From what they tell us, it’s a wonderful House of Worship and we’re very much looking forward to hearing the Pastor’s message on Sunday morning.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for all the Blessings You’ve bestowed on us this week, and for Your abundant Presence in our lives each day. I look forward with anticipation to spending communal time with You this coming week, and pray that You’ll keep us in Your Loving Embrace as we venture away from home. Amen.
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.
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. 
