Drawing the Water

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

Last night Lord, we held the second of six meetings for the Small Group Study “Treasures of the Transformed Life” at the house.  Like first gathering, it was well attended and everyone brought fresh perspective and insight to the discussion.  We even had a couple younger participants this time, and they jumped right in with both feet.  It was a productive and inspiring evening, and I felt truly Blessed to be a part of it.

This week’s focus was called “Drawing the Water”.  Continuing with the metaphor used in last week’s discussion : “Priming the Pump”, once we’ve prepared ourselves to receive Christ into our hearts by fully committing to Him, we can then begin to draw from that inexhaustible supply of Living Water that You make available to us.  The primary way we accomplish this is through the practice of prayer.

The study material discussed a number of types of prayers, methodologies for focusing our prayers and the different ways that You respond to those conversations when we do so.  Our group latched onto this topic wholeheartedly, and we had a wonderful exchange discussing the different ways we pray, things we’ve prayed for, and the myriad of ways in which You’ve answered those prayers in our lives.  It was a lively, refreshing dialogue, and I believe that everyone who attended came away with some new perspective on making our conversations with You a deeper part of our lives.

As I’m sure You can tell Father, I’m very much enjoying leading this group of people through the study.  It’s a warm, inviting, friendly gathering each week, and I think all of us have learned a great deal so far; both from the study itself, and from the wonderful input each member brings to the discussion.  I’m thankful for being a part of this endeavor, and look forward to continuing it next week.

Heavenly Father,

I come to You today Lord, with arms open wide and a heart committed to Your presence in my life.  Through Your gift of prayer, You grant us a personal audience and an open invitation to deepen our relationship by seeking You.  For that heavenly connection, and all of the other ways You come into our lives, I give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Armoring Up

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Father, it’s certainly been a see-saw of a week for me so far.  I knew before it began that this five day period was to be filled with new challenges, anxiety-ridden trials and stressful situations, and it’s absolutely lived up to my expectations.  Fears of the unknown held positions all around me, while whispered messages of doubt taunted me from deep within.

Thankfully, I clothed myself appropriately for these battles I’ve faced…

I armored up.

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.” – Ephesians 6:13-20 (ESV)

The challenges have come, and were conquered.  Anxieties flooded my waking mind, and were dispersed.  Fear gripped my heart, and was silently sent away.

Wrapped in Your divine protection, those things that prey in the dark corners of my mind and hide in the deep recesses of my heart don’t stand a chance.

Thank You Father.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Lord, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

316. A big batch of homemade chimichangas shared with good friends.

317. A fantastic first gathering for our Small Group Study: Treasures of the Transformed Life.

318. Being married to a lady who can always make me laugh.

319. Those moments where Your presence overwhelms me.

320. Having the complete Armor of God at my disposal each day (Ephesians 6:13-20).

321. “Still” time spent in Your Word each morning before the household awakens.

322. Sharing a big homemade breakfast with friends after church on Sunday.

323. Long weekends spent in the company of our “extended family”.

324. The encouragement I’ve received recently from friends.

325. A fun and successful dinner party we hosted last Saturday night.

326. The strength You provided me to work through my anxieties this week.

327. New non-stick cookware from Kitchen Aid to replace our 15-year old aluminum set.

328. The information and resources to expand PhatherPhil.org that Google offers for free through Analytics and FeedBurner.

329. A bushel of fresh-picked apples from a local orchard.

330. Tickets for the family to attend a John Waller concert in Dover tonight.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for all those Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that shine as brightly as the sun, and those that glow softly as a candle in the night.  For all of Your many gifts of grace in our lives Father, we give thanks.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

The Waters Begin to Flow

Dear Lord; Happy Wednesday Father!

To begin with Lord, I want to thank You for this morning’s time together.  As I explained in yesterday’s post, I’ve been feeling convicted as of late that I wasn’t spending adequate “still” time in Your presence.  Following Jesus’ example in Mark 1:35, I got up a good bit earlier than usual this morning, and spent that time quietly absorbed in Your Word.  It was a wonderfully refreshing way to launch the day, and will be my “new normal” going forward.

Last night Father, we were Blessed to host the first of six gatherings to go through a Small Group Study called “Treasures of the Transformed Life: Satisfying Your Soul’s Thirst for More”.  It was a wonderful group of people, and while our children played happily together we spent the evening in fellowship and exploration of Your desire to bring us closer to You.

The message title for this week was “Priming the Pump”.  In a nutshell, the author of the study teaches that in order to satisfy our thirst for Your presence in our lives, we need to first “prime the pump” before Your Living Waters will begin to flow.  We do that by making a genuine and real commitment to seeking You; deliberately putting Your desires for us first, and allowing You to guide our lives along Your path.  As part of that commitment, he emphasized the need to determine our role in the Body of Christ, and to step out in faith, working together with others to accomplish Your work on earth.

“Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.” – Psalm 37:5-6 (ESV)

The information presented was quite thought provoking, and it led our group to branch out and discuss a variety of tangential topics about seeking Your presence, and more thoroughly involving You in our daily lives.  It was a truly enlightening and Blessed evening Father, and I thank You for bringing us together to share in that fellowship.

Heavenly Father,

We thank You Lord, for being so powerfully present in Your Children’s lives.  We thirst for You Father, and pray that You will continue to fill us, that we may more fully quench our need for Your presence each day.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Meditations Monday: Overwhelming Presence

Dear Lord; Happy Meditations Monday Father!

To begin our week’s conversations Father, I want to start by thanking You for yet another wonderful weekend spent in the company of my family and some dear friends.  We were Blessed to have a couple of our “extended family” (our kids call them Uncle Robert and Aunt Katie, although there’s no blood relationship) visiting with us for the weekend, and we enjoyed their our time with them immensely.  We also managed to host a “Mexican Feast” themed dinner party Saturday evening, and cooked up a Fellowship brunch after church on Sunday as well.  We feel very thankful for the people You bring into our lives Lord, and it seems only fitting that we should celebrate those relationships whenever we’re able to.  So for the friends, the family, the food and the fellowship Father (wow, that’s a lot of F’s… 🙂 ), thank You!

This weekend held one other significant event for me as well Father.

Last week was rough.  It seemed as if each new day brought with it another list of problems to solve, and headaches to endure.  By the time Friday evening rolled around I was tired; emotionally, physically and yes… spiritually.  Saturday morning I vowed to put all those nagging, earthly worries and concerns behind me and enjoy the festivities we’d planned, but through all my attempts to refocus on You, those unsettling whispers still haunted me.

Saturday was a beautiful day weather-wise, with temperatures in the low 70s and a very comfortable fall breeze in the air.  I got my lists for the day prepared, and headed out to pick up groceries and supplies for the evening’s event.  As I pulled up to the traffic light in front of my destination, I felt the warmth of the sunlight radiate on my face through the open sunroof…

And suddenly, tears began to stream down my face.

In that perfect moment Father, I felt Your overwhelming presence all about me.  It was an amazingly peaceful, joyous feeling; quite difficult to describe actually.  But as I was able to pull the truck into the shop parking lot, I remember feeling wonderfully relieved.  It was if all the weight in my heart was in that moment, lifted away from me.  The sensation itself was short-lived unfortunately, but the after-effects remain vivid.  My problems certainly haven’t gone away, but I was afforded a powerful reminder that I’m not dealing with them by myself; You’re here with me, and You care.

Therefore Father, with that experience still fresh in my heart I chose today’s Meditations Monday Scripture to align with Your wonderful message to me:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

One of my favorite inspirational verses Lord, and a very powerful promise as well.

Heavenly Father,

As we go into this week’s activities Lord, please fill our hearts with Your Holy Spirit that we may draw strength from Your presence within us.  Lead us to make decisions that best justify Your will for our lives, and guide our actions that we may share Your bountiful glory with all those around us.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil

Thankful Thursday: Ups-And-Downs

Dear Lord; Happy Thankful Thursday Father!

Well Lord, this past week has certainly been filled with ups-and-downs here.  One thing’s for sure though, life is never dull in the Malmstrom household!  Thankfully however, through all of the “tossing about” our lives have experienced as of late, Your Blessings have continued to be the lighthouse in our daily storms.

Continuing from last week’s Thankful Thursday list Father, this week I’ve been particularly grateful for:

301. A wonderful day spent with friends at the Chesapeake Celtic Festival last Saturday.

302. A good “New Patient” visit for Shannon at our new Primary Care Physician.

303. Spiritual lessons on a cold morning.

304. Finding tasty new recipes on the Internet.

305. New ways to express myself on Pinterest.

306. Our cat Serenity recovering well after having a wound stitched up on her face last Friday.

307. The enjoyment I’ve been getting playing a new video game that was released this week.

308. That what I can handle in life isn’t wholly dependent on my strength alone.

309. A WordPress plugin that allows readers to share my posts on Pinterest.

310. An inexpensive repair for our large color laser printer in the office.

311. Friends that come and help move furniture.

312. Shannon and I being on the “same page” on how we handle the children.

313. Seeing a smile on my beautiful wife’s face.

314. A special deal on one of my prescriptions that allowed me to get it at half price.

315. The salvation we’ve received through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension.

(I’m especially thankful for #315 Father… 🙂 )

Heavenly Father,

We lift thanks and praise Lord, for all of the Blessings You bestow on us each day; both those that make Your presence in our lives obvious, and those that quietly support us without due fanfare.  You are indeed a caring Shepherd, a skillful Potter and a loving Father.

In Jesus’ Name we pray,

Amen.

~Phather Phil