Dear Ones,
Hope you will enjoy a peace filled day! We are in Knoxville, TN and soon going to leave for Statesville, N.C. to see Mark’s family and their new house. We want to get there in time to unpack and go to John Mark’s soccer game which is an hour away. Excited! Yesterday we went to Gethsemini Monastery in Kentucky, situated among the rolling hills, and shopped in their bookstore. We got to Knoxville for an early supper at Cracker Barrel before a nice swim and walk. Lots of traffic and always thankful when we get to our motel! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
What is our number one priority in life?  Is it our desire to know God in a deeper way? Augustine said we are defined by what we desire; if it is not God, we get bogged down by lesser things.  Our desires influence all the choices we make each day, how we spend our time, our money, our influence etc. But why do we spin our wheels and get distracted by other things? St. Benedict use to ask candidates for the monastic life, “What are you seeking?” What might we also ask ourselves, what is our deepest desire?  We are in this world for such a short time and when we know the Lord, each day can be a day that draws us closer to the One who we will spend eternity with.
If knowing God is our deepest desire, we will prioritize our time to be able to spend time with Him in reading the Word, listening to Him in silence, worshiping Him, helping others, and enjoying fellowship with others in the family of God. King David says in Psalm 63:1 (ESV), “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is not water.” This is a time to know Him in deeper ways as it seems to be getting darker in our culture with stormy times upon us. I read today how fisherman notice that fish feed more aggressively before a storm. Also, that sharks seem to have a sixth sense and when a hurricane is coming, they tend to swim deeper. Isn’t that what we need to do? To spiritually go deeper and feed on His promises for the stormy days ahead. King Solomon said in Prov. 10:24-25, “What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted. When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever.”
Let us go deeper with the Lord as we face whatever comes upon us in the future; for we can only stand in the strength and power that He gives us.
Challenge for today: Spend some time considering your priorities and write down what you are seeking most of all.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy