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Sunrise With The Son

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

“Sometimes I arrive just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.” – Ansel Adams

As You know Father, over the past several months I’ve been spending a good bit of my leisure time working on improving my photography skills.  As part of that effort, the last couple Saturdays I’ve awoken in the pre-dawn hours and headed out to a local shoreline on the Delaware Bay in an attempt to capture the inherent beauty that those moments of sunrise bring.

And while the initial intent of those outings was simply to further my artistic pursuits Father, it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t there alone in that serene stillness…

“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” – Psalms 46:10 (NLT)

Surrounded by the beauty and peace of Your creation Lord, I shared those precious moments with You and was blessed to capture some of that wonder through my lens…

 

The Morning After

Mahon in the Morning

Pre-Dawn in Leipsic

Silhouettes at Sunrise

Sunrise at Port Mahon

 

Thank You Father.

Thank You for allowing me to share in those wonderful moments with You, and for the breathtaking beauty of the world You’ve given us.

For it’s in Your precious name I pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

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Thankful Thursday: My Tallest Mountain

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

I was fried Lord…

Tired,

Stressed,

And consumed with worry.

As I followed the familiar route into my office earlier this week, my chest tightened while my mind raced; methodically detailing each project and deadline that loomed ahead of me, and allowing those shadowy voices of foreboding to gain audience in my heart.

“It’s not the mountains that you face that are the obstacles Phil, it’s your doubts.” You interrupted…

The world paused for a second; my thoughts held hostage by Your statement…

And then I realized You were right… I’ve been my own tallest mountain.

You know my needs Lord, far better than I do…

And yet, I often view the trials and challenges in my life as if I’m the only one who understands,

As if I’m facing them on my own;

Allowing those whispers of self-doubt to draw me into myself,

And obscuring me from knowing Your loving hand in every facet of my life.

Help me climb that lonely mountain Father;

To scale its craggy face and stand high upon the summit,

Boldly facing all life’s moments in Your steadfast company.

Such is my prayer Lord… In Your precious name,

Amen.

As I continue to list some of Your many Blessings in my life Father, my heart swells with the recognition of finding Your loving hand in more and more places every day.  And while I know that my existence is awash in Your grace Lord, this week I want to give special thanks for:

691. Both my boys having the opportunity to attend Camp Pecometh this summer.

692. An inexpensive repair to our air conditioner.

693. Shannon having a safe flight home from Florida.

694. An inexpensive update to Lightroom 5 that was released last week.

695. A wonderful Father’s Day spent with people I love.

696. Wonderful photo opportunities while walking in Blackbird State Forest last week.

697. Watching the sunrise over Port Mahon this past Saturday morning.

698. Your protecting and healing presence while a friend of ours recovers from surgery that was performed last week.

699. The Histiocytosis groups on Facebook that allow us to share information, encouragement and prayers for other families dealing with LCH.

700. The encouraging comments I’ve been receiving regarding my photography work on 500px.com.

701. Your protecting and comforting hand as I drove through some very severe weather last Thursday.

702. Your patience with me.

703. The opportunity I had to watch and photograph an osprey flying in to feed it’s young at Port Mahon.

704. New glasses for Jonathan.

705. The wonderful message and discussion about living in a state of gratefulness at our “Where Two or Three Are Gathered” Tuesday night small group.

… And for so very much more.

I Thank You Lord.

~Phather Phil

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Not Captives of Fear

Dear Lord; Happy Thursday Father!

They consume me sometimes Father;

Worry…

Fear…

Anxiety…

Painful reminders of the persistent earthly chains that fight to wrest me from Your side.

And yet Lord, against these restraints You reach for me…

Drawing me to You, and anchoring my heart to Your Heavenly foundation.

For in our very design, You fashioned us to resist that pull;

To live our lives as children of faith, not captives of fear.

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT)

I cast my cares at Your feet Lord;

Torn from my breast and washed in Your blood that my heart may pursue You unencumbered…

Embraced by Your love Lord, and emboldened through that union.

For it’s in Your Holy name that I pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

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Division in the Body

“As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” – Romans 14:1-4 (ESV)

One of the most damaging impediments to Christian fellowship and growing in God’s service is the judgment and condemnation of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Allowing our opinions and perspectives on issues of lesser consequence divide us from one another weakens our effectiveness as the Body of Christ, and only seeks to enhance our own glory, not that of our Heavenly Father.

Spiritually Bankrupt

“And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”” – Matthew 5:2-3 (ESV)

In His opening statement in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus laid this bombshell on the awaiting crowd; “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”  Now, He wasn’t using the term “poor” in a material sense, but instead was referring to the fact that we’re all spiritually bankrupt, and rely completely on the Grace of our Heavenly Father to complete and fulfill our lives.  By humbling ourselves in that realization, we will indeed be Blessed.

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