Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend. I cleaned the apartment and did some more wrapping of gifts this morning. It’s our son’s big 50th birthday today and we wish we could be in Kansas to celebrate with him. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do our lives reflect the Lord and express God’s love to our family and those around us? Or do our children see a dichotomy in our life that gets so excited over a football game but views spiritual things as boring? What we store in our hearts comes out in our lives even though it may be unspoken. Growing up, my folks didn’t give us kids the impression that going to church was something they had to do but that they got to do….and it wasn’t just Sunday morning but Sunday evening and Wed. evening also. It was like the rhythm of their lives. I saw my mom often reading the Word and at times on her knees praying. For all of us our lives are like mini sermons that people observe and witness. What comes across to others is our attitude and the way we live. Jesus’ life reflected His Father in every way and He spent time alone with Him but then returned to the world. He often went away to pray and then went back to healing, preaching, and training His disciples. He was love and He lived love. In order for us to express His love and joy, we need to spend time with Him and surround ourselves with reminders of Him throughout our day. That will be different for each of us. When I took out our Christmas decorations, I found a cross-stitched Christmas sampler with the Hendrickson name on that a friend had made for us. Now when we are in our dining area and see that picture, I think of her. I also took out a beautiful Christmas medallion that a friend gave us last year and I think of her and pray for her ministry. Even more, we need various things around us that call us back to remember the Lord during our day. We have a cross in nearly every room that helps us focus on Him. We also have a large picture above our table of the Prodigal son that reminds us of our daily need of the Lord. Maybe for you it is a plaque with a scripture verse put in a prominent place; but whatever it is let it bring your attention back to the Lord in your busy day.  As David said in Psalm 62:5 (ESV), “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” May the outflow of our time alone with the Lord spill out with His love for others.
Challenge for today: Put reminders of the Lord around your house that will bring your focus back to Him.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy