Month: June 2023 (Page 2 of 3)

June 20, 2023

June 20, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a good day and keep cool! We are heading out to Duluth for the day to celebrate our Anniversary and Father’s Day combined.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It’s the little things that count! Isn’t it true that often it is the casual comment that someone gives us that can make the difference in our lives and to give us hope. Maybe we are going through a dark time of testing and a word spoken to us at the time or a deed of kindness is used to help us see light at the end of the tunnel. One of our friends here at Northern Lakes is a kind welcoming person who is always ready to help others. But recently she went through a difficult time with several health concerns and just feeling terrible. Every day she had a severe headache etc. and she went to the Doctor who tried to find the cause of her symptoms. The Doctor sent her to several specialists and it took some time but after taking her off insulin, adjusting medications etc. she looks and feels fine now. At her last appointment she told her doctor how much she appreciated her for giving back her life and how wonderful she felt now. The Doctor never gave up but persisted in helping her and our friend was so grateful. The Dr. went out of the room and when she came back, she told our friend, “You will never know how much your comment meant to me. You made my day!” Of course, we don’t know what was going on in the life of her doctor, but that day she needed to hear that she was making a difference. Not long after when I went to my audiologist, who spent about 50 minutes going over my case. I am aware that doctors usually spend only 15 minutes or so between patients, so I also shared with her how grateful I was for her thoroughness and caring. Sometimes we don’t know if our words make a difference, but we are to speak as we are led. The Holy Spirit wants to fill us and use us to show God’s love and kindness to others. Jesus gave us a command to love others as we do ourselves (Mark12:31), so we not only receive His love, but we also pour it out to others. He desires us to live intentionally and be open to ways of blessing others by our words and actions. It could be only a smile to a distressed person or sharing what we have with someone in need. But when we feel prompted by the Holy Spirit, let us obey.

Challenge for today: Be alert to how God wants to use you today and follow through.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 19, 2023

June 19, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend and if you are a father, that you had a blessed Father’s Day. Our sons all called yesterday and tomorrow Al and I are going to Duluth for the day to celebrate both Father’s Day and our Anniversary.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

For Father’s Day I wrote a devotional to fathers as we all had a father; one that may have been very good or could be one that failed. I read an article on Crosswalk.com by Lynette Kittle who wrote to fathers who know they missed the mark. Sadly, we are getting to be a fatherless culture as there are an estimated 24.7 million children under 18 that have no father in the home. It seems like the role of father is being devalued and men are not stepping up to the plate. They may feel that they don’t make a difference in the life of their child or maybe mom has chosen to be a single parent and shut out dad. Some fathers abused their kids, ignored them or abandoned them altogether. Many did not show affection or give affirmation and are ashamed. Even if they have regrets, they may not know how to restore the relationship. One day the children will need to forgive them. Kittle gives a prayer for them to pray to help them forgive their dads. Part of the prayer is: “Dear Father, Help me, Father, to forgive my father for his failures and shortcomings and how he hurt and disappointed me. I also ask you to help him to receive forgiveness for his falling short in my life. Soften his heart, Lord, to turn towards You and receive forgiveness. Let us both walk in the forgiveness You give to us. Help me forgive him for his failures in my life and help my father to find forgiveness for how he failed me. Pour out your love over us, O Lord, to bring healing and reconciliation into our relationship. Help me to recover from the wounds of the past and to be willing to open my heart to forgive my dad for the past. Strengthen both of us to move forward to restore our broken relationship. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” If you are reading this and your father failed you, it is important that you forgive. May you also know that you have a Heavenly Father that is for you, will never abandon you and loves you most of all. David said in Psalm 68:5 that “God is a father to the fatherless and a defender of widows.”

Challenge for today: Forgive your father for any failures and then thank the Lord that He is your perfect Father and cares for you.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

June 17, 2023

June 17, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have an enjoyable weekend. I have cookie dough already mixed and ready to bake Al his favorite cookies. We have a funeral later this morning and tomorrow will celebrate Father’s Day.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s reading this. Your role in life is so vital and more important than you can possibly realize. Of course, you are not perfect, for only our Heavenly Father is, but through you, we get a glimpse of what He is like. You are the first model of godly fatherly love that teaches us as children the many important things in life like loving unconditionally, forgiveness, patience, kindness, fairness, integrity etc. As children we notice what place God has in your life and the family, and that God should come first and foremost. We are hopeful that we will learn that getting things is not as important as what we give from our hearts and that money does not buy happiness. It is our desire to know in our hearts that we are loved even if we are not the prettiest, even if we do not stand out as the best football player, or the smartest whiz at math, but rather that we are doing our best. We especially need to know you are in our corner if we fail or someone hurts us. You will stand with us and help us get up again and grow in strength. But we want to tell you how often we know you put aside what you want to do for the sake of our family. You show how going to our game is more important than your golf, or going to see us in the class play gets priority over going fishing. Even when you correct us, it is not that you don’t love us but that you are helping form our character to become the person God wants us to be. We may complain about chores but later in life we will thank you that we learned what is necessary to live on our own. By your example, we see that serving God is the outflow of a life centered in the Lord. We note that you take time to be with Him, and when we see you praying at your desk, it makes us feel safe and protected and loved. When we are tempted to go astray, we know you will pray and help us find our way back. So dad, on this Father’s Day we applaud you, we honor you as our first teacher in life who taught us what it means to be loved and cherished and known by the Lord. We thank you for protecting us and guiding us and teaching us the most important things in life.

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for the father he gave you and all that you learned from him to prepare you for life.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 16, 2023

June 16, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend to you! Hope you have a time to relax and regroup. Tomorrow we are going to the funeral of a friend who battled leukemia and is now with the Lord.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Time marches on and we can’t hold it back. It passes so quickly that we have to cherish it by the moments in each day. I wonder how I got old so quickly, and I wish I had savored more moments along the way. Like a river we can’t hold back the flow while all the time the water of the river carves out a coarse specific for each of us.

What if God let us choose where the water would flow, I wonder how different our lives would be. At one time in my life, I was wishing the water flowed in a different direction and yet later I praised the Lord that it was exactly as it should be. My heart was full of thanksgiving.

But as the clock ticks we must ponder what is really important so that we embrace it and don’t come to the end of lives with regrets that we have no time to correct. As the days go by and Al and I become yet older, we are more playful, laugh more together, and take more time to share how much we treasure our days together. If one of us leaves this world before the other, we have a storehouse of shared memories and realize that we knew our mate more intimately than any other person on this earth; only the Lord is before each other for He is Number One.

When we think of the clock ticking away, we are prompted to race through life quickly, but we should do the opposite…simply slow down, put our phones down and take notice of what is happening around us, and what is going on within us. We need to drink in the beauty around us, cherish those we love, and listen to the music that touches our soul deeply. Rather than live a scattered life because of fear of missing out, we gravitate towards what is most important and build true relationships with others, and we put the Lord first.

Let us celebrate every day God gives us, as we open our hearts to His love and embrace those around us. As it says in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Challenge for today: Slow down today and cherish some quiet moments with Lord.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

June 15, 2023

June 15, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a joy filled day! Al is at men’s group and I just put a dinner in the crock pot as I am trying a new recipe. We have Bible Study this afternoon and then I have Women’s Bible study at church tonight.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Prayer is powerful and able to move mountains! It makes a difference in our lives and for those whom we pray. It can change the very outcome and bring victory but the enemy would whisper that our prayers have no effect. Don’t believe him for we have a direct line to the Lord.

Scripture is full of prayers and Jesus told us to pray and to never to give up or lose heart. (Luke 18:1) We can pray for encouragement when we are struggling and ask that He would lift our spirit. We can pray when we need guidance and are unsure of which way to go. When we feel guilty over sin in our life and need forgiveness and to be set free, we can bow in prayer. Maybe we are sick and need healing, we can come in faith for His healing touch. Or we have concern for loved ones that don’t yet know Him; we can ask that he send people into their lives to point the way. Other times we might be so overcome with gratitude for all that He has done for us, that we lift our hands in prayer and thanksgiving. We could go on and on, but prayers can cover everything.

I wonder why we often try to solve our problems on our own before turning to the Lord. It should be our first response so we can know if we are to be even a part of the answer.

Jesus lived a perfect life and yet He took time alone with His Father and asked for strength etc. Surely, we who are so imperfect, need to pray and seek the Lord all throughout our days.

Perhaps you remember reading in 2002 about the 50 Christian truckers who got together to pray that the sniper would be caught that was causing terror in Washington, D.C. One of the truckers, Ron Lantz, was soon to retire and believed God would answer their prayers. I read how he told others that God was going to use him to catch the sniper. One day while driving he felt led to pull into a rest stop in Maryland, which was only a couple miles from where the truckers had prayed. He could hardly believe it as the Chevie car that was being described on the radio was right before him. He read the license plate that matched and dialed 911 immediately. While he waited, he drove his truck across the exit ramp so there would be no escape route. The police arrived and apprehended the murders without incident. We can be assured the 50 truckers who prayed knew that their prayers were powerful.

Challenge for today: Pray throughout your day and watch for God’s power to be unleashed.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 14, 2023

June 14, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a peace filled day! I just finished making cookies and sweet potato rounds and soon going to Aldi’s before my exercise class. Tonight is Bible Study and we are in a good series called, Now We Live.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When we went to the lake recently, Al picked up 12 different looking rocks to use for his meditation for the residents at Assisted Living today. Our daughter collects rocks, polishes them, and hopes to make jewelry and other things from them. Rocks seem to portray a message of strength, solidness and firmness, and of something that won’t change. When I see a large rock, I am reminded of Hannah’s praise song to the Lord as she was thankful for the God’s sovereign control, and especially for her son Samuel. She says in I Sam 2:2: “There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” Rocks are mentioned in scripture in many ways. Al will use the example of the rocks as those being taken from the middle of the Jordan River to be a sign of what God had done. Joshua had 12 men, (one from each tribe) carry a rock to their camp site after they crossed the river on dry ground as a reminder of God’s saving power. Then when their children asked what those stones meant, they would share the story of God saving them and the Egyptians being drowned in the sea. Al is going to also tell the residents that they also should be ready to answer the questions of their children and grandchildren and point them to the Rock of Ages. Rocks can speak a message of protection, a place to hide, a refuge. On Palm Sunday the Pharisees wanted Jesus to hush the crowd’s praises of Him and He told them that if He were to silence them, that even the rocks would cry out. Today we can find rocks with scriptures engraved on them in the bookstores. When looking at rocks, they can remind us to focus on the One who is our Rock, our fortress, our safe place.

Challenge for today: Pick up a rock today and put it in a place where you will be reminded of God’s saving power.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 13, 2023

June 13, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a great day! It looks to be a beautiful sunny day. We are soon heading to the Dr. to have our ears checked and later having friends over for coffee and fellowship.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How solid is our foundation of faith? Is it built on the rock of Truth or is it built on sinking sand? The Lord wants to build us into a house that will bring glory to Him and that others would seek to know the Builder. We need to have a foundation that is firm, so we won’t be swallowed up by the floods of our culture or sliding down the slopes of forbidden pleasures. King David wrote how the Lord was his rock and said in Psalm 62:6 (ESV), “He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.”

You maybe know the hymn that Edward Mote wrote in 1834. He grew up mostly on the streets in London as his parents ran a pub. He was not aware there was a god until he was 18 and heard the Word of God preached. It totally changed his life and he accepted the Lord and was baptized. He became a cabinet maker and while walking to work one day, he wrote the words to the song, On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand. His life was completely given to the Lord and he became a pastor of a small church at the age of 55 and preached for 21 years, never missing a Sunday. A few of the words of his song are:

“My hope is built on nothing less/ than Jesus’ blood and righteousness./ I dare not trust the sweetest frame/ but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. Refrain: On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;/ all other ground is sinking sand/ all other ground is sinking sand.”

He goes on to write that his anchor will hold in the storms of life, for Jesus is his hope and stay. He can rest in God’s unchanging love and one day he will stand before the Lord clothed in his righteousness. Nothing can move us when our lives are anchored in the Lord. We are safe and secure when the storms of life hit, for we have solid rock under our feet.

Challenge for today: Check that you are firmly footed on the solid rock.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Tim Keller

June 12, 2023 / Alan Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Tim Keller, a beloved pastor, preacher and teacher died recently at the age of 72. After being diagnosed in 2020 with pancreatic cancer, he told the New York Times, “If the resurrection of Jesus Christ really happened, then ultimately, God is going to put everything right. Suffering is going to go away. Evil is going to go away. Death is going to go away. Aging is going to go away. Pancreatic cancer is going to go away. Now if the resurrection of Jesus Christ did not happen, then I guess all bets are off. But if it actually happened, then there’s all the hope in the world.”

Back in 2021, Keller said, “It is endlessly comforting to have a God who is both infinitely more wise and more loving than I am. He has plenty of good reasons for everything He does and allows that I cannot know, and therein is my hope and strength.” His final words were these: “There is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.”

There is no doubt in my mind that Keller was very influential among evangelical pastors and leaders. Dale M. Coulter (a Pentecostal theologian) had this to say about Keller (who had a reformed background). “Keller was winsome in his approach, but uncompromising on doctrine. He focused on grace because he believed that most people understand how broken they are. Keller’s approach of emphasizing grace and love in the context of offering the gospel to skeptics became the hallmark of his life.”

“Tim Keller,” wrote Pastor Ray Ortlund, “was the publicly prominent voice for Christ in my generation, who I trusted the most. When he spoke or wrote I never had to brace myself for embarrassment. He rang true again and again, because he was true to Christ.”

Ortlund named three aspects of Keller’s ministry that I relate to as a follower of Jesus. First, “Gospel Fullness” as “a principled sensitivity to the biblical gospel as the integrating center of everything that is truly Christian.” For me, it’s always about Jesus. Keller maintained, “The gospel changes everything… The gospel is not just the ABC’s but the A to Z of the Christian life. It is inaccurate to think the gospel is what saves non-Christians, and then Christians mature by trying hard to live according to biblical principles.” No, it’s all about the love, grace and mercy found in Jesus. Period!

Secondly, “Authentic Revival.” Keller was consistent. “Since the gospel is about more than converting individuals but about renewing the world with outpouring of refreshment from above (Acts 3:20), authentic revival deserves to be an essential concern.” Like Keller, I was deeply influenced back in the early 70’s by Richard Lovelace’s book, “Dynamics of Spiritual Life.” I read it many times. I was blessed to see a respected church leader like Keller implementing revival into his renewal for the church

Thirdly, “Missional Wisdom.” “What we can do is take wiser advantage of our beliefs, with gentle awareness of the riches offered there for calling ‘post-everything’ people to Christ.” Ortlund ponders, “Why muffle our theology in an effort to win a hearing, when our theology itself offers compelling insights into the burning issues of the day – if we will be humble and wise about it?”

Men, in plain language, here is a charge from Tim Keller as we desire to influence our culture: 1) It’s all about Jesus. Keep your eyes always on him. 2) Pray for (and be open to) an outpouring of God’s spirit. 3) Don’t give up on the historic faith. Through wisdom and humility, it can speak effectively to the issues of our day.

June 12, 2023

June 12, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend. We enjoyed the beautiful wedding of Taylor and Ethan even though it turned out to be quite cool. We also had a picnic after church yesterday with lots of relatives and more time to catch up. Even the bride and groom came for a short time!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We walk the trail most days with our friends, and we refer to our time together as church of the Paul Bunyan trail. What seems to be come to attention most often is that simple scripture that He must increase and I must decrease. It’s another way of saying that our old self must continually die with Christ daily and the new person resurrected as God created us to be. Those words are easy to write but not always easy to practice.

Life is not all about us, but about the Lord and His kingdom. When we give up and no longer hang onto our own lives, we gain a full life of joy. But if we hold onto our lives and refuse to decrease then our life is wasted, and we miss God’s call. John Michael Talbot writes, after a decade in a monastic community, that he felt like a ragdoll with all its stuffing knocked out; the stuffing was his ego and letting go of his own agendas, ideas, projects and people. But he ended up saying that when we allow our old selves to be trampled, then the new self in Christ can come forth. Simply put it means embracing the cross…not our will, not our way but His way.

The more we die to self the less we care what others think of us but rather if we are doing what God is asking of us. He does not force surrender, for it is our choice. I must confess, sadly there are times I resist by my objections, at first at least, and even though I may end up doing it, I miss much of the blessing the Lord had intended for me. As Jesus said in John 15:14, “You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” Maybe we all have trouble with the whatever when we have to embrace the cross and it is not what we want but what He wants. But if we desire to be His close friend, we need to be careful to listen and then quick to obey. Let us keep saying yes to the Lord for then we will experience life at the fullest as we become a new creation!

Challenge for today: Embrace the cross daily and say yes, yes, yes to the Lord.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

June 10, 2023

June 10, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! Today we are going to the wedding of our nieces’ daughter, Taylor, who many of you have prayed for, especially when she was on her 9- month mission trip. We thank the Lord for the wonderful godly man that God has brought into her life, and we will be going to Hackensack today for the wedding. We plan to stay at our daughter’s and go to hear Leif preach tomorrow before the family picnic.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Al and I often remark, “We are getting old!” Tomorrow we will celebrate our 58^th anniversary of married life together and we thank the Lord for each day. Where we live at Northern Lakes, many have lost their mates and look forward to joining their spouses in heaven one day. But in the meantime, we must make each day on earth count. Like David said in Psalm 39:4-5, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few hand breadths and my life is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!”

Life is short and fleeting and David goes on to say his hope is in the Lord. When we know Him, then death is just the beginning, and we have an eternity with Him and all believers. Each day we live should be for His glory and to show others the way. Our lives are to be living examples of those who love Him, which will be expressed in the way we live. Mercy and grace will flow from us to others, and a humble attitude of knowing how much we need God’s forgiveness. Compassion and kindness should be expressed in our relationships and patience for others, as well as for ourselves. No matter what is going on in our world, we have hope for it rests in Him and not in circumstances or the government. We have confidence and expectation that rests in God’s promises and character.

Let us not be shaken by what happens around us but cling to the Lord. David says in Psalm 62:2, “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Let us live in His peace and share His love until our last beath when we join the angelic chorus in glory and life begins.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for an opportunity to share Him with another today.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Month: June 2023 (Page 2 of 3)

June 20, 2023

June 19, 2023

June 17, 2023

June 16, 2023

June 15, 2023

June 14, 2023

June 13, 2023

Tim Keller

June 12, 2023

June 10, 2023

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