Dear Ones,
Hope you face this day with anticipation. We spent the night in Albert Lea, and had a relaxing evening with a swim and walk and today we hope to get home….with a stop at Barnes and Noble on our way. Emoji We have enjoyed our time away and it’s always good to get home again too.
Good news Marlene had a false positive so does not have covid. Our grandson, Joe, has covid along with 1/3 of his class of  Marines. He is not real sick but feels like the flu. If he isn’t well in 10 days he will have to go home and start again in January. Please pray! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well do we listen? The Lord is always speaking but are we listening? He doesn’t speak in a foreign language that we can’t understand but in a voice of grace and mercy. We need to stop and quietly listen, so our hearts can discern what He is saying to us. He told us that He is our Shepherd and that as His sheep we can hear His voice. In John 10:4 (Amplified) it says, “He walks on before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” Sometimes His voice seems barely above a whisper so we have to really dial down and listen. 
I am reading a book by Richard Foster called Sanctuary of the Soul; he shares how we are a dwelling place for God as it says in Eph.2 22 (ESV), “In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” He shares about Teresa of Avila who prayed, “O my Lord, since it seems You have determined to save me…. Don’t you think it would be good …if the inn where you have to dwell continually would not get so dirty?” I identify with her and know my heart needs constant cleansing. It’s not unlike our homes that after we clean, we soon find that there is more dust and dirt to clean up.  
But even in our own transformation process we are totally dependent on the Lord as only He clean up our messes and change our heart. We cannot! When we seek to be quiet and really listen to what He has to say, we need to let go of distractions and release them and surrender to the Lord; that includes all of our worries and cares. What follows is usually a time of confession of all those things that come to light. We let go of our ways and accept whatever the Lord wants for us. Then as we read scripture it is to experience the Lord, not to learn facts but to be attentive to what He has so say. Our spirit is alert and listening and we seek to discern what He is saying to us, which will always be consistent with the Word. Do we always get it right? Probably not but may we have a teachable spirit so we get better at hearing and responding.
Challenge for today: Spend some quiet moments not talking but just listening to the Lord. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy