Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend! We enjoyed our time in Mora yesterday as Al preached and we got to see old friends and go out with several couples for lunch. We came home very spiritually blessed. This morning I went to Exercise class and this afternoon we are having  Trim the Tree and cider and cookies!
I have a prayer request for my cousin’s son, Jeff, who they just found out he has cancer of the brain, lungs, pancreas, and liver. He is single but has a girlfriend and needs a miracle! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Our home is with the Lord and that is the very best place to be. It is a place of safety and rest and blessing. How quickly we can stray and get caught up in so much busyness that we miss our intimacy time with the Lord.
Today I was reading from Psalm 84 that was written by a Levite who served in the temple as a singer. I became aware of how much joy he found in being in God’s house (temple) and praising the Lord. From the message translation, he says that I have “always dreamed of a room in your house, where I could sing for joy to God-alive! …And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel…One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches.”
The writer is wanting to get away from a bustling life and meet the Lord in a place of prayer. He desires to quiet his mind and just spend time with Him. What better way to experience peace and freedom from stress, when we go apart to bask in His presence?
The Psalmist mentions going through the valley of Bacca which symbolized hard times of barrenness and struggle; yet for one who finds a home in the Lord, it can become a peaceful place of cool springs. Just as with him, we can actually grow in the tough places we must walk through, if we spend time in God’s presence and draw our strength from Him. When we try to go it alone, we fail and often get discouraged. But when we take time with Him in prayer and worship and reading the word, we feel at home with Him who holds us tightly in His love.
The Psalmist goes on to say in closing that the Lord does not hold back any blessings from those who live uprightly. When we put Him first in our lives, He blesses us more than we can imagine and we are in our true home.  
Challenge for today: Instead of spending time with your phone today, spend time with the Lord. 
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy