Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

A Critical Spirit

Matthew 7:1-3 reads, ” Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and  with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  The Message translation makes clear a critical spirit is the result of judging other people. “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults – unless, of course, you want the same treatment.  That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”   

The Message goes on to translate verses 2-5 as follows.  “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own.  Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you.’ when your face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part.  Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.” “A holier-than-thou” attitude is convicting to me as I encounter the decadence of our day. 

I must confess that I am convicted of having a “critical spirit.”  In today’s cultural environment, which is intensely polluted with anger, , and vindictive attitudes, I have to be vigilant to not pick up a “critical spirit.”  Rather I desire to be loving, forgiving and putting the best construction on another person’s belief, behavior, and especially attitude.     

Years ago I was influenced by the healing ministry of John and  Paula Sandford.  I learned that a critical or judging spirit, will set in motion the principle of sowing and reaping.  They taught, “The fundamental laws of God are written into the universe and affect our lives as surely as gravity.”  When we transgress these laws, we set in motion forces that will be reaped by a simple, impersonal law. “In our sinful responses to wounding, we begin early to develop patterns of behavior that cause us to reap in adulthood the very things we hate.” 

We will sow and reap in kind.  We judge and do more of the same.  “The pain we reap often seems out of proportion to the harm we have done.  But Matthew 7 is clear.   “A critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.”  We are reminded in Gal 6:7, “Don’t be mislead.  Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it.  You will always reap what you sow.”  “This means we cannot ever lose our reward, but neither can we escape our fleshly deeds.  Those who think they have gotten away with something fleshly will nevertheless reap harm.  In fact, the longer a sin goes unrepented, the greater the reaping will be. ‘They sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind’ ” (Hosea 8:7)

Here are three principles I have to continue to practice, so as not to develop a “critical spirit.”  First, I need to practice a lifestyle of unilateral  forgiveness.  There will be sharp disagreements  with others, I will have a different lifestyle and I will not agree with the behavior and attitudes of others.  But I owe them the love and acceptance of the Lord.  “What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal 5:6). 

Secondly, I don’t want to be someone who  complains and argues about our negative culture.  “In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you” (Phil 2:14).

Thirdly, in the midst of so much bad news, I want to be an instrument of “Good News.” “The Kingdom of God is near! Turn from your sins and believe this Good News” (Mark 1:15). Focusing on the kingdom is “Good News.”

October 7, 2024

Dear Ones,
Blessings on your new week. We are home again and enjoyed the weekend so much as we stayed with a friend in Iowa and had hours of catching up and fellowship together. Yesterday we also went to our former church in D.M for the service and then on to Ames to see our granddaughter play soccer. A fun weekend and many blessings.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As the days are getting closer to the election, we see the division of our country and the need for unity. We may not agree with others, but we are to love them beyond our differences. I want to share Whitney Hopler’s fifth Prayer for Healing and Reconciliation of our nation.

“Dear God, our nation is in desperate need of healing and reconciliation. The wounds of division run deep among Americans. Only your love can bring true healing. We pray for a spirit of reconciliation to sweep across our land mending broken relationships and restoring unity. In II Chronicles 7:14, you say: ‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’

God, we humble ourselves before you, seeking your face and asking for forgiveness for the ways we have contributed to the division and turmoil in our nation Please heal our land, God. Bring reconciliation between neighbors, within families, and across communities. Psalm 147:3 declares about you: ‘He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.’

We ask that you heal the broken hearts within our nation. Bring comfort to those who are suffering and mend the relationships that have been torn apart by political disagreements and social unrest. Teach us to love one another, even when we disagree. Help us to see beyond our differences and to recognize the inherent dignity and worth of every person. May your love be the power that heals our wounds and brings us together as one people, united in our desire to create a better future. Please help us to move forward with hope and resilience, trusting in your ability to bring about healing and restoration in our lives and in our nation Thank you, our living Father Amen.”

Challenge for today: Pray this prayer morning and evening.
Blessings on  your week and prayers and love, Judy

October 5, 2024

Dear Ones,
I am sending this out early for Saturday since we are leaving early in the morning for Indianola, Iowa to see a dear friend and stay overnight. Then on Sunday we will be going to Ames, IO to watch our granddaughter, Lily, play soccer along with her parents. We have wanted to get to see her play this fall and this was the closest game for us since she goes to Kansas State. We have enjoyed time with Mark here and celebrated his birthday at Poncho Lefties! Appreciate prayers for travels.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
  Friendship is a beautiful gift from God and one we treasure. When two people have a special bond of trust, love, honesty, and loyalty, it also inspires greater friendship between us and God. True friendship in fact, comes from God and the flowing of His life through us. He is love and friendship is participating in that flow of His love.
Today it seems like there is a lack of friendship, especially in our youth, for so many are lonely and only relate through their phones. But true friendship is a commitment and takes time to sustain. We are all different from one another and yet we can share who we really are with one another. It takes commitment for it is not always easy to be there for our friend, and let’s face it, we all have to fight our own selfishness. In friendship we learn more how to give, to share, to let the other person be true to who God made them to be.                                True friends enjoy each other and have a deep trust level. If others say negative things about them, we know in our hearts, that it is not who they really are. Even if they have a lapse in judgment, they will ask forgiveness and want to make things right. They are comfortable to be around as they are full of grace.
 Since I have lived in many places in my lifetime, friendships are especially important. The Lord has always been faithful to give me special friends in each church we have been in, as I prayed for those who could be a soul friend. It wasn’t always who I thought they would be when we first arrived at a church, but in time He would reveal to me, and sometimes to the other person first.  It was especially important that we could pray together, share concerns, and speak what we thought the Lord was saying.
 God shares His life with us and He wants us to also share our lives with others. St Augustine said that “Friendship is the beauty of each soul,” I encourage you to take time out for friendship and pay the cost for it to blossom into all that God would have for you.

Challenge for today:  Pray for a soul mate and be open to whom God would send.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

October 4, 2024

Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend! We have our son Mark here and going to take him out today to celebrate his birthday which is Sunday. We had hoped to be in N.C for his birthday but had to postpone; we are going to head to Iowa tomorrow morning to visit a dear friend and to see our granddaughter play soccer on Sunday.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we have busy days but often feel like we are not accomplishing much? Maybe you are like me, and before I get out of bed, I let the things I want to get done during the day run through my mind. But then I have to add, “Lord, what are your plans for my day? May I be willing to do what is on your agenda, not mine!” Sometimes I do accomplish what I set out to do, but not always, as the Lord puts in other things that I had not even thought of. But if I choose to go my own way, it seems like everything gets fouled up.
On Wednesday both Al and I felt uncomfortable about our plan to go to N.C. as many of the roads are closed and gas is not always plentiful as a result of Hurricane Helene. We prayed about it and I e-mailed our daughter-in-law to tell her we were canceling our trip there even though we wanted to come. What was so neat is that she called about a minute later as she had just gotten off the phone with Mark and they also had the same impression that we should not go at this time. We are all disappointed, but I was also excited to know that we all heard the Lord and He made it clear.
It is good when we can hold our schedules loosely in our hands and be open to God’s plans. Sometimes I am absolutely amazed at all He fits everything into my day with perfect timing. We are on this earth such a short time, in light of eternity, and He lets us choose each day if we want to do our will or His. When we live His way, we have purpose and life has meaning. But going our own way we seem to pay the price, not necessarily immediately but ultimately. We can’t just go by our feelings, or we may never do the necessary things in our day, for they may not appeal to us. When we wake up, we don’t need to ask ourselves if we feel like making the bed or making breakfast for the family, we can just do it and then go on to other things.

But even when we will to go God’s way, we need His help to do it. Left on our own we may not follow through or we may quit before we accomplish what He has instructed us to do. As we choose to do His will, He gives us grace and desire to follow it. In Proverbs 16:9, it says, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” Let us go God’s way and embrace His plans and find joy in His will.

Challenge for today: Choose to do God’s will and be quick to let go of your agenda for His.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

October 3, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you have an opportunity to serve today! This morning Al will be going off to men’s group and I have an appointment when he gets back and later Bible Study. Mark spent the night at the cabin with Kurt who arrived yesterday. Kurt stopped by with his new Ford Raptor 37 and took us for a ride! Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
One night the Lord opened my eyes in a bigger way to the importance for our own spiritual health to serve others. I recently shared that a friend and I were to do one purposeful and prayerful love action a day for 2 weeks to express our love for the Lord. I read from Romans 15:2-3 where Paul says, “Each of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ’How can I help?’ Jesus didn’t avoid people’s troubles but waded right in and helped out.” We have Jesus’ example for us to follow and we learn from Him to set aside self-pleasing and to build up others, strengthen them for their good.

Each day for me it was something different I felt the Lord would have me do, but I would like to share one instance in particular. I was asked by Jane to serve coffee for our Octoberfest Party, and many had signed up for it. I had told Al ahead of time that we needed to sit by another couple as I probably wouldn’t have much time to be with him since I was serving. (At the Birthday parties my helpers and I don’t usually get to sit down so Al eats with others.) When I got there that night to put the coffee on, help was needed to get the food ready and then to serve it to each one at the tables and about 5 of us helped. It didn’t take long and since Jane had told me to wait to serve coffee until dessert, I was able to enjoy supper with Al and another couple. After the live entertainment and fun, Al and I and many others stayed to help clean up and what I noticed was the joy, especially of Jane who planned the whole dinner and entertainment and got people to help. She is not able to be on her feet long and uses a cane and yet she bought all the decorations and ingredients for the food and assigned people to bake and do things. In the end, many people were used to serve, decorate, bake, help in various ways and we all had a most enjoyable time.

Serving is God’s way of helping our own hearts, as we all tend to selfishness. We need to set aside what we think will make us happy and choose to do what the Lord directs us to do that will leave us feeling fulfilled. It may be as simple as sending someone a card, making a meal for a sick friend, or bringing a word of encouragement to someone who is down.

Challenge for today: Set aside thoughts of self-pleasing and dare to ask the Lord how you can serve someone else today.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

October 2, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you will have a wonderful day! Kurt will be stopping by on his way to the lake today. I am going to do food prep and go to my exercise class and Crafts and later Mark is coming here from the Lake and will spend a couple more days with us.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As we seek to follow the Lord, there are practices that can help us become more like Him and I would like to share some spiritual disciplines that John Mark Comer mentions in his book, Practicing the Way. These disciplines are “acts of loving obedience by which we offer our brokenness and bondage to God for healing and liberation.” (quote by Dr. Robert Mulholland).     1. Sabbath Rest. After working 6 days, doesn’t rest sound heavenly? If Jesus rested after creating the world, surely, He means to us to keep the Sabbath rest. Most of us are over-busy and need a day set aside to stop and rest and open our hearts to worship and delight in Him.
2. Solitude is also an important discipline and opens the way for us to commune with the Lord. Both Al and I are contemplative and spend time in quiet solitude each day. We all need those times to commune with the Lord.
3.Prayer is so important as we talk to God about everything that touches our life and also spend time listening and just enjoy being in His presence.
4. Fasting seems more difficult for as we yield our bodies to the Lord, we are breaking the power of our flesh and opening up to the power of the Spirit, as He increases our capacity to hear Him.
5. Scripture is an important way to be renewed in our minds and to think and feel like the Lord does. We can study and read slowly and prayerfully, out loud or alone, or listen to sermons etc.
6.Community is important for we learn so much in relationships to others who know Him. One church in Mora, MN has a fellowship over a meal each Sunday after the service for all to come.
 7. Generosity is our response to the outflow of God’s love and self-giving to us. As we give to others, we become participants in that divine outflow and experience great joy.
  8. Service to others gives us the opportunity to follow Jesus’ example in giving. It seems our own hearts get mended and freed of entitlement as we help and practice servanthood.
9. Witness is an important spiritual discipline for when Jesus left to go to heaven, his last words to us was to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them His commands. (Matt. 28:19-20) Our privilege is to tell others, and we will find our own hearts warmed and enlarged as we do.
Challenge for today: Choose one of the spiritual disciplines to put into practice today.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

October 1, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you make space in your day for the Lord. We had a fun party last night and the entertainment was a couple excellent accordion players, and a sing along to many familiar songs. This morning is women’s Bible study and this afternoon we are invited to friends for fellowship and prayer.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
In our spiritual walk, it is good to be spontaneous but also to have some spiritual disciplines to help us move in the right direction. It is kind of a balance of freedom/disciplines so we don’t veer off to one side or the other and can go at a good pace, not slowing down so much we atrophy or speeding up that we burn out. We can enjoy spontaneity but also need structure. When Al first approached me some years ago to teach with him about spiritual disciplines, I wasn’t sure I liked that word and would have rather called them something else. But I had to come to understand that disciplines are only a means to an end to become like Jesus.

I like what Dallas Willard says about them. “The disciplines are activities of mind and body purposefully undertaken, to bring our personality and total being into effective cooperation with the divine order. They enable us more and more to live in a power that is, strictly speaking, beyond us, deriving from the spiritual realm itself, as we ‘yield ourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead, and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God’”.

Our part is to slow down and make space for the Lord to do His work of transformation in our hearts. We can’t transform ourselves for even if we do all the spiritual disciplines, we may become self-righteous and controlling and forget we are to live by grace. The disciplines are simply an aid to help us in growing to be like Jesus. He empowers us by His Spirit and disciplines help us to access that power.

Tomorrow I will name some of the disciplines, many that Jesus modeled in his own life like prayer, fasting Sabbath, solitude, rest, scripture etc. But like John Mark Comer writes that “anything can become a spiritual discipline if we offer it to God as a channel of Grace… God works and we work. God has a part and we have a part.”

Challenge for today: Open yourself to practice a spiritual discipline that is new to you and allow the Holy Spirit to work in a deep way!
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Good Timber

In an article entitled “Men only want one thing” in Comment magazine, men are referred to as being like “timber.”  “Will they be shaped into good, sturdy beams and joists that will shelter, support, and protect?  Or will they shape themselves in their own wild ways, producing knotty. weak, and crooked lengths that don’t do anyone any good?”  May we be “good timber.” The author, Nathan Beacom, suggests “there’s something about America today that doesn’t jibe with the male psyche.”  The author believes monasticism offers keen psychological insights into the psychic and moral wounds of men.  

Beacom offers a spectrum of manhood.  One the one end is “the tough man.”  “For many men this tough guy leaves festering wounds of inadequacy and insecurity that can lead to all kinds of pathological behaviors.”  On the other end of the spectrum is “the sophisticated ally.”  “The ally tends to talk down his own sex in an effort to set him apart from the negative strands of masculinity.” Then there is the “full man,” having the moral ideal of a man expressed in gentleness and goodness.  “Failing this, strength, size, speed, aggression, and active sexual desire remain – but untutored and undisciplined.”

The author favors a “gentle man,” who is an integrated man, “both iron and disciplined on the one hand and gentle and patient on the other…….[which ] finds a harmonic resonance with the Christian monastic tradition.”  The Rule of Saint Benedict, “contains sharp and enduring psychological insights into the process of taking the raw material of masculinity and shaping it into good manhood.”  The Rule identifies “three key developmental strands that are lacking in our culture today: fatherhood, brotherhood, and discipline.”

First is fatherhood.  “Manhood is passed in only one real way: from man to man.”  The rule sees the self-willed man who sets his own law based on his desires.  “This is the shepherdless man, the hedonistic man, the destructive man.”  “Cultivating good young men requires that we support structures that prioritize male-to-male mentorship.”

Secondly, along with the fatherhood of the monastery is its “brotherhood.”  “By intentionally living among brothers with a common vision, men set a higher standard toward which they could encourage each other and against which they could measure themselves.”

Finally, there is the life of abstinence, of asceticism, of discipline. The monks know “asceticism (spiritual discipline)…..is not a simple refusal of good things.  Rather, it is a way of disciplining the soul and a chief weapon in the battle against the self.” 

Beacom goes on to offer a simple formula for the duties of manhood: “protect, provide, and establish.” “We need,” the author suggests, “the moral equivalent of monasticism.”  What does this mean?  “We need to be intentional about cultivating male spaces for brotherhood and mentorship in the path of virtuous living.” 

The author closes with these words.  “Our men must be gentle, and they must also be men.  The idea of a gentle man embodies a fullness of vision that embraces all that is positive in men, including their unique ways of displaying gentleness, tenderness, and charity. We cannot have one without the other……..the tradition of the monastery embody some of what is best in the combination of manhood and gentleness for all men.” 

The early monastic movement was an attempt to flee from the world in order to save it.  The monks made a significant contribution in preserving western  culture.  Could the monastic model be modified so as to rescue men from our present dying culture, in order to help men to be “good timber” in our day?  Could it be that men banding together, might find a model among the monks?    

September 30, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend! There were Viking shirts on in church yesterday and our pastor had a Packer tie and cap. It was an exciting game and a close win for the Vikings. Mark came for S.S. and church and for dinner before going back to the lake. Today I plan to go to Aldi’s and my exercise class and later serve at an Octoberfest party here.
Devotions by Judy’s heart
As we get closer in the election time the tension is rising in our country. It’s important that we seek God’s help and that we pray for one another and let His power flow through our lives as our voice is heard. I would like to share the Fourth prayer of Whitney Hopler with you as she writes it on Prayer for Justice and Fairness:

“Dear God, we pray for justice and fairness in all aspects of the election process. Let every vote be counted accurately and every voice be heard. Protect the integrity of our democratic system and make sure that the election is conducted with honesty and transparency.

Micah 6:8 urges us to: ‘act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’ Help us to live out these principles in the election season. May we strive for justice not only in our elections but in all of our society. We pray for those in positions of power and responsibility to act with fairness and impartiality May they be guided by your righteousness

As Proverbs 14:34 points out: ‘Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.’ Let any attempts to undermine the democratic process be thwarted, so your justice will prevail through a fair process. God, please give us the strength to stand up against evil, to advocate for what is just and fair, and to work toward a society that reflects your kingdom values Thank you, our righteous God. Amen.”
Challenge for today: Pray this prayer morning and evening.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

September 27, 2024

Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. We had a fun birthday party here yesterday! Mark’s plane in N.C. was delayed 3 times yesterday so he didn’t make it here last night but will be coming this morning and later going to the Lake.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are all called to bear fruit once we come to know the Lord, for we are fellow workers in His kingdom to reach others to become part of the family of God. Often it means revealing ourselves to others as in opening the door of our hearts and becoming vulnerable. We need God’s help to love others and to smash the idols we have in our lives. Self seems to always want to rear its head and say, “What about me, me, me!” But the Lord wants to help us and free us of selfish pursuits and help us grow in love and faith.
What the Lord asks for is not easy and in ourselves it is impossible; but He wants us to lay down our lives for Him and for others, and to love even our enemies. He wants us to do His will above our will out of love and obedience to Him. Our prayer daily is, “Thy will be done!” Not my will!  That means we have to become good listeners to hear His voice deep in our hearts. I think many people expect that if they pray that and obey, they will be miserable because they aren’t getting their own way. But the truth is just the opposite, for when we do His will from our hearts, we will experience deep joy. The song comes to mind by John Sammis in 1887
“If we walk with the Lord in the light of His word, what a glory He shed on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
The verses that follow speak of how He will bear our burdens and share our sorrows and take away our doubts and fears; but and it is a big but, he says we have to lay everything on the altar! When we do this, we will experience joy and sweet fellowship in His presence.
Let us be willing to lay the idol of self on the altar and obey His will and then wait and see what joy will overflow our hearts.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to smash any idol in your life that you may be free to do His will and bear fruit for His kingdom.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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