April 11, 2013

MISPROTECTED:

Enough,enough. I said, ENOUGH! For some reason several of my passwords have been reset, meaning I have been unable to get into this site to do new musings.

It is finally summer. Spring/winter lasted way to long. Everything is tore up. Lawnmower will not work.Smoke comes out of belt when I use it. It is not  much use under those conditions. Hired summer lawn man.Cost lots of money but MAYBE i am just to old to mow an acre of lawn without doing injury to myself.

How does one know one is to old to do something?

Had a detached retina and got it fixed. It took several weeks until I got new glasses and I see pretty well, but not perfect. Ran into a branch that made blood while trying to drive the lawnmower.

52nd High School reunion is this weekend. 200 mile drive. Hope I make it.


JOURNALING

A few words from the journal.

It was snowing the other night during a full moon. A once in a lifetime event. (3/25/13)

Visited Louisana to visit my Aunt Jenny and then to Jackson, MS. to visit my niece Kristen.

What stirs your soul? Reflect where God is in your life.

The real fasting of the preacher is not from good but from eloquence.

NEW IDEA ON FASTING....why not fast from good but fast  from tv,social media, and no newspaper for a day. That is a real fast.

When was God active in your life?

Prayer Focus on:

Our needs
our longings
our pleas for forgiveness
our aspirations
our thanksgiving
our commendation of others
our dreams
our desire for closeness to God
(Douglas Steere)

There is a gift of prayer
Source of graces
Purifies the heart and affections
strengthens our virtue
we speak to God
We listen to God
A place to search for direction
What is best way I can serve God?

SELAH WITH PRAYERS FOR GOD'S  PATIENCE

January 7, 2013-Missing Blogger

MISSING IN ACTION

I have been gone to long from these pages. Sorta like a nightmare. Been really sick for weeks with flu and then stomach flu. Really weak. Then Christmas, and mixed in, 3 family deaths. A really sticky season for us. Hopefully now I can get back to some type of routine on this blog. On facebook daily I am doing a one minute video using the book Reader's Guide to the Bible by George Gutherie.Our pastor will be preaching through the entire Bible this year and this will be our format. If I am not on your facebook list you can become my friend by looking up Brodanphillips. Hopefully I will see you soon.

TO THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW WHO I AM

About Dan Kenneth Phillips

"Brother Dan" was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to a railroad worker and a school teacher. His family moved to Tennessee in the early 1950's and he has remained in Tennessee most of his life. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a degree in Electrical Engineering, working on the space program in Huntsville, Alabama, until they placed a man on the moon.

In 1969 he moved to Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Janet and attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and graduated with a Master of Divinity Degree.

He has pastored churches in 3 states, worked developing the Baptist Telecommunication Network, been an editor and consultant (all with Lifeway), and for the past ten years has been a chaplain at a large hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

As a writer, his publications have been printed in over two dozen periodicals, literary journals, newspapers, and his sermon, God's Greatest Gift, was published in a book by Broadman Press as one of the ten best sermons in 1978. He has been writing spiritual journals for over four decades, putting particular emphasis on writing down God's precious moments in his life. His book, Spiritual Journaling, God's Whispers in Daily Living, is a summation of ways to seek God's work in our lives. It can be bought on Amazon or downloaded on Kindle.

His background also includes responsibilities of counseling patients with terminal illnesses and their families. He has taught courses to nursing homes and churches on death and dying, issues of grief, and has frequently led bereavement memorial services at institutions where dealing with death is a frequent occurrence.

He is a frequent retreat leader on issues of Spiritual Development, Thomas Merton, and Spiritual Journaling. His web page, How to Develop a Spiritual Journal, is frequently used in universities and churches as an example of the importance of keeping track of God's movement in one's life. He also has a blog at danphillips.blogspot.com.

As a hobby he has been an amateur radio operator for over a half of a century. His call letters are N4NU and he has talked to radio operators in over 100 countries.

Dan lives in Franklin, TN and attends Clearview Baptist Church.

Thomas Merton Retreat Nov.17-18, 2012

THOMAS MERTON RETREAT - FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT

THOMAS MERTON RETREAT- I will be leading a Thomas Merton Retreat on November 17-18, 2012 at Mount Saint Joseph Retreat Center in Maple Mount, Ky (near Owensboro). It is a great time to reflect, to learn, and a time of getting closer to God.

For details go to:
 
http://ursulinesmsj.org/_uploads/2012-Thomas-Merton-Retreat-Flyer2-2.pdf

Eating

"Having a meal at a monastery is completely unlike dining in the real world." There is silence. No tv. No talking. One goes through the line; utensils, soup, rice, a salad, pudding, tea, or coffee, or milk. I listen in silence. "

"Silence is spoken here," says the sign. The window becomes the screen of life. Birds sing an eat. A car passes in the distance. In winter one can see further.

Have you ever sat silently through a meal? What did you hear?

South Pole

Where I use to hang out as a teenager.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE DROID

A Sudden Danger

At times I find myself out of sorts, feeling guilty over words said, or just a general dis-ease with life in general.

An Uncertain Time

With the election for 2012 on the horizon, an unusual attitude seems to be increasing in every conversation. There is a hidden anger in our country that one reacts toward that is descending for us all. Uncertainty-yes. Fear-yes. Questions upon question that at times make sense, at other times they seem out of place. We are all uptight! Outrageously angry, or our voices rise unexpectedly without warning.

We are all overwhelmed with rhetoric meant to hurt, inappropriate words that sting, pictures that assume we are not smart enough to figure things out for ourselves, so someone pushes their agenda without thought of what it really means in our face daring us to speak up.

What is my agenda?

The truth is I want to be inquisitive, yet positive in answer (a near impossibility it seems in our time). I want to respect opinions without feeling threatened. I want to control what I hear, yet hear with a discerning spirit other sides without lies or falsified statements meant to capture me in a falsified discussion. On facebook I am de-friending those who constantly irritate me or send out way to many tweets (13 in 4 hours is to many), on twitter to discern a spirit of closeness to Christ without belittling me if I disagree.

In summary, the biggest problem is myself! How do I control myself and not become that which I detest? How do I love the unloveable? How can I respect and not grow angry at hurtful words said? (Less tv is an easy answer). Turning off messengers who cause me to feel bad is another.

So, I will look for the simple, a dog looking out the window, a baseball game with the sound turned down, read only that which uplifts, and above all, "keep my mouth shut." O LORD HELP ME! May your will be beside me and the tempter falling further and further behind.

Beginning

Each day
A new beginning
Waiting for the sunrise as a bridegroom waits for his bride
We listen first
Awakening sounds, a thirst of music attunes us
Then we stretch and yawn
Wash our face
Eat slowly as we peer past the window
To see the birds dancing in flight to the feeder.

There is a PSALM today of desire and remembrance
Of great days of worship and hope. And I too remember
The water trickling through the garden
Praying for the needs of the day
Rejoicing in answered prayer.

It is time: to begin!