Fixed on Him

When I grow tired and weary
Feeling alone in this place
I’m comforted to know
I can call upon your grace

Once the need grips me
To reach for my base
I feel your presence surround me
As you show your tender face

In the kind gestures of strangers
Through the warm acts of friends
Your love pours out to save me
Your strength does not bend

My North Star in the night
That guides me through the bog
Like a trusting lighthouse
Shining through the fog

Holding me through the dark times
You protect me while I’m there
Your mercy freed my shackels
His sacrifice showed you care

I offer you faith and service
When you cover me with your love
My heart is full and eyes are wide
Fixed on my Lord above

Chad Phillippi

Kingdom Come

I see you in the trees
In the flowers
And the bees
I trust your power

I feel you in the showers
That come with Spring
I know of your love
And the warmth it can bring

When dusk takes the night
And in the misty morning
I’m surrounded by your grace
So humble in your glory

Guided by His presence
I walk safely now with wisdom
Filled with joy and gladness
Longing only for His kindom

Chad Phillippi

Shamless in the Light

You are our Lord God
Just and eternal savior
Christ’s selfish sacrifice
Was our undeserving favor

The spirit of light
For all to see
Breaks through the night
To spread its grace and glory

You created a world
To offer us love
Watching over your children
Our father from above

Let us sing on high
And praise His name
Jesus made us clean
And took our shame

Chad Phillippi

God, I’m Home

Psalm 23:6, Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

An alluring smell of wildflowers mists my nostrils as I enter the open room. Light shines in from the many floor to ceiling windows that surround me. Even through passing seasons, it’s always warm and sun filled inside. Soft rays bring a sense of welcoming that attaches itself to the very heart of me. The contagious glow is mirrored on my face. This is God’s house and I am His guest.

Recalling the words of my mother in my adolescent ears, I say please and thank you when appropriate. My parents taught me to be on my best behavior in someone’s home; being respectful is paramount. In the house of the Lord, I pray over meals to give Him thanks for the nourishment He provides for me. I serve myself last at dinner and am first in line to do the dishes. I help my grandmother out of her loyal chair when needed. Reading to my niece and nephews brings joy they can’t yet express with much more than a giggle or drooling smile. Parents are cared for, just as they took care of me. Friends are spoken of highly, with a grateful heart and honest tongue. I mind my P’s and Q’s, remembering to dot my I’s and cross my T’s, in His presence.

The world Jesus sacrificed himself to save is the house of the Lord; we are in our Father’s home. Let me remember to wipe my feet before entering. May I give thanks to God first, be His humble servant, offer service to my elders, teach the children, honor my family, and respect my friends with a loving heart and honest tongue. God is good and God is love. Love is abundant, in our Father’s house!

Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Revelation 3:20

The Bottom Line

God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, and even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. Ephesians 2:4-5

I’m a bottom line kinda guy.  Jesus Christ is the Messiah.  Bottom line.

God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

The Secret

Colossians 1:27, This is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing His glory.

Remembering back to the days when I attended Mill Park Baptist Church, I have to smile. It was a very simple time in my life. Joining my brother in the youth group, at 13, was a long awaited joy for me. Feeling a strong connection to the group, I took it very seriously. We had fun getting involved in the community with vacation bible school, 4H camp in the summer, scavenger hunts, and even canvasing neighborhoods for Christ. A lot of us went to the same school so it was easy to stay connected with eachother. I was at church every Wednesday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday night for six years solid. The flu rarely kept me away.

My biggest take-away came from the words of Jim Fitzpatric. The 5′7″, balding, crooked toothed, basketball fanatic of a youth pastor helped shape me into the man I am today. Jim once said that we can’t go around telling people that they need to be saved or to be a Christian. You have to let them make that decision themselves. All we can do is show Christ’s love through our actions. When we let the light of the Lord pour out of us, they will want what we have.

In middle school, I remember several of kids asking me why I was always so happy. Before I really knew I was supposed to try and impress my peers, I would tell them it was because of Jesus. They didn’t really want what I had, because it wasn’t the cool response. My answer changed in high school as self consciousness set in. Knowing now that the only person I need to impress is God, it’s pretty easy to let the light of the Lord shine through me as I tell people why I’m smiling.

If you’re reading this Jim, thank you!

Rock of Hope

Revelation 2:17, Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying… I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

How exciting to think that when we reach the gates of heaven, Jesus will hand us a white stone in which He has chosen a new name for us. Only God and the person who receives the stone will know and understand the name. It fills me with hope and gratitude to know that Christ has picked out a new name in which He will personally place in my hand. All things of this world will be forgotten when He calls upon me by my new name, I come forth with my new body, and sing praises to the Lord of lords!

“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

Power of Prayer

Philippians 4:6-7, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I’m grateful that God hears my voice when I call to Him; I am definitely a prayer. Beginning with prayers in the morning, I close with an “amen” well after my head hits the pillow. It’s good He is a patient God. Otherwise, I would probably be on His nerves by now. Instead of praying for better than what I have, such as a new car, I tend to pray by giving thanks for the things He has given me already. Switching off my alarm clock, I give thanks for the roof over my head. Stuck in morning or evening traffic, I give thanks for the wheels that move me along. Watching the clock at work slowly tick by, I give thanks for the work He provides me with.

Isaiah 58:9, When you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” He will quickly reply.

He heard my cries the other night when I couldn’t sleep due to an evil tooth attempting to kill me from inside my helpless mouth. Close to tears, and closer to a drink to numb the pain, I dropped to my knees. “God ease my pain,” became my mantra until I was fast asleep. The next morning I had one simple request… broken down into three parts: keep my pain manageable, allow me to find coverage for my shift at work, and help me to secure a dentist that could see me on short notice. I never heard the door bell ring or a knock at the door, but He personally delivered all three. It was such a smooth chain of events that I made it back to work before my shift was over. My pain was manageable, my time away was covered, and I found a dentist five blocks from where I work. All glory to God!

Neighborly Love

Romans 13:8, Pay all your debts, except the debt of love for others. You can never finish paying that! If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God’s laws.

An eight-year old boy sits wide-eyed in the front seat of an ‘88 Oldsmobile. Oil drips from the engine pan to the concrete. Gasoline stains leave their mark along the right side of vehicle. The smell of grease is overpowering in the broken down car. He kicks at the rusted floorboard with his small white sneakers. Reddish flakes cover the tips of his shoes. Tiny pupils stare through the gap of the open hood as he watches his father troubleshoot the engine malfunction. The child examines the stocky man working his mechanical magic in the parking lot of 7-11. His brown eyes meet the green of his father’s through the three-inch space between the open hood and sun-bleached frame. Large, stained hands sink beyond the path of sight before his dad begins to scream and whirl his body around as if a sea monster came up for lunch. Dishwater-blond hair stands up straight on the boy’s head while his eyes nearly pop out, threatening the windshield. A high pitched scream is heard inside the convenient store, but no one looks. The boy’s dad quickly pulls his hand from the engine bay laughing until he snorts repeatedly. He looks around, ready to bow to an audience. No one, but the petrified boy gave pause to his slap-stick comedy routine.

Walking to the open passenger window, still hooting and hollering, the roll model leans to speak to his son. “That was hillarious! Did you see that?! Ha, ha, ha, ha….”

He knew darn well the now pail boy saw that. He mutters out a, “Um, yeah, I saw that. You really scared me, daddy!”

“Oh, that was good stuff! ” Controlling his breathing now, trying to regain control from his shenanigans, he says “You okay, boy?”

“I’m fine dad. I wasn’t really scared, that bad. I mean, I knew you were just playing around.” He tries to convince the strong man before him that he is tough too.

“Yeah, okay boy. I think I got this bucket fixed. We’ll make it to the river before one. You need to use the bathroom before we go?”

The boy checks to see if he already went in his seat. He declines and begins calming his nerves while his father packs up the scattered tools. His dad loads the trunk and climbs into the driver seat. Squeaky springs under the torn cloth bucket-seats protest his weight. “Ready?” He asks. Slamming the heavy door closed, he pops the silver key into the ignition.

His jade-like eyes are alerted to a man in a wheel-chair entering the store. Sadness overcomes the smirking mouth. Empathy emanates from the man’s heart and fills the cab of the Oldsmobile. A caring hand reaches for his child’s.

“Son, lets pray for that man.” The boy’s father suggests.

“Why?” He asks with confusion. After filling up used water bottles from the tap and making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for their river trip, they now sit in a 7-11 parking lot. “Our car broke down and we don’t have any money. Shouldn’t we pray for us, daddy?”

“We have food, water, and we can walk. What do we need money for, anyway? We should pray for that man in the wheel chair because that’s what Jesus would do. Do you understand?”

“Jesus would pray for that man, even if He were broke down? Why wouldn’t He pray for His car to be fixed?” The boy inquires.

“Jesus would pray for that man because He doesn’t truly need the car, son. It’s a worldly possession. He still has his health. He would pray for that man to be grateful for the blessings he has. He would pray that in his weakest moments, he would know that he could call upon the Lord for strength, courage, and wisdom. Jesus is God, remember? God is good. All things that are good, are from God, son. You have to remember to love your neighbor as you would want to be loved. That’s the message of the gospels.” Conviction rose in his voice as the words left his mouth. It was as if a pulpit stood between him and a congregation of Word thirsty Christians. “Lets pray for him, boy.”

They bowed their heads and prayed aloud. The sun beat down with the love of Christ on their weathered transportation. “Amen,” they said in unison. Opening their eyes to look at each other, the boy’s father shot him a wink. His right hand released the boy’s and reached for the ignition key. It turned with little force. The engine stirred like a person awakening a coma. Coughing and kicking, a white cloud of smoke popped out the exhaust pipe. When the motor turned over, the heavy footed driver pressed the gas petal down, then fanned it slightly. The engine responded, roaring like a sick lion.

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love, Psalm 103:8

My Father’s Hands

I’ve never seen karma
Although I’ve witnessed His hand,
In a place I return to
When I can’t stand on my own.

But He has shown me
That I never truly have
Had strength without Him.
Through grace I can find balance,

I have no conscience,
Only God’s will;
The design for me,
I’m guided to fulfill,

By the voice of the Divine
Who whispers in my ear.
His spirit speaks to mine,
When the fear of letting go is gone.

Through Jesus, His son,
I triumphantly won
More than 40 days
And 40 nights
Of internal temptation.

For when I lose my grasp
And sight of the task
He is always there
To catch me.

With fatherly love
In a soft palm of mercy.
Blessed, I feel His glory
While I worship on bowed knees.

With my arms raised
Giving Christ all praise.
He lifts my chin
So I can stand and follow Jesus.

Chad Phillippi