Category: Sister Judy (Page 102 of 277)

Dear Ones,  

Hope you awakened with a heart full of joy! This week your question is, when did you last have a good hearty laugh? Hope it wasn’t so long ago that you can’t remember. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  I love being around people with a sense of humor and it seems to lighten our burdens when we have a good hearty laugh. In fact, we find in scripture that laughter is good for our souls. It says in Prov. 17:22 (NRSV), “A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.” Joy and laughter are like pain-reliving medicine and can bring healing to our bodies. Joyce Meyers writes, “Laughter is like internal jogging—it exercises our inner soul, bringing health to it. We need to laugh more!”

  Hopefully we can find humor all around us during our day, even to the point of laughing at ourselves. Laughter seems to rejuvenate us but depression drains us of our strength. One day when I went downstairs for our coffee and choc raspberries, we spent the time joking and laughing. One man challenged a resident that if she reached 100 someday that he would dress up like the Pope and bless her! I told him he could borrow Al’s robes and stoles and do it in proper dress. Kidding went on and when I got back up to our apartment. I felt lighter in my spirit. Al and I also seem to have more joy and laughter in our marriage. When we laugh, stress is relieved by reducing cortisol hormone levels; it also gives us a sense of well-being by increasing serotonin and dopamine hormone levels. When we have times of laughter with others, we feel a bonding taking place. There are times we have been in groups where we had holy laughter and we went home so refreshed and renewed.

   It’s like the Lord stretches us and causes our hearts to have a greater capacity for Him. I went online and read that laughter is from God, useful in praise, symbolic of victory, and part of the joy of a Christian’s life even in difficult times.

When our hearts are full of gratitude and joy, it just overflows and laughter spills out.

   Challenge for today: Read Psalm 126 which is a song for going to worship. Verse 2 says, “Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with joyful songs.”

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Devotions from Judy’s heart

   All of us are needy and desire to be loved and fully known. God also wants to be known by us in relationship to Him and to one another. In I Cor. 13:12 the apostle Paul says, “Now I know in part; then I shall be fully known.” As we come closer to the Lord and expose each part of ourselves to Him, we often feel shame. We may make the choice to move away from the Lord, and from others, in and effort of trying to hide. But that is the opposite of what will remove our shame.  Al has felt that in preaching over the years, that people are quite aware of their sinfulness and don’t need that pounded into them, but to let them know there is a God who forgives and loves them, along with those in the Body of Christ.

   I just finished reading a book by Curt Thompson M.D. on shame and how to reframe it in light of the Lord. For most all of us, our natural tendency is to hide our weaknesses, mistakes and shame from ourselves, our family, church, and friends. We are afraid to reveal our real selves as it leaves us feeling inadequate and not enough. We want to hide! But Thompson says we need voices that say we are loved and cared for and to share our vulnerabilities. Healing comes as we come out of hiding and share our wounds and shame. It is so true that to be loved-and to fully loved- requires that we are fully known.”

  Our son and daughter-in-law go to a small group weekly with people from their church. It is a safe place and opportunity is given to share their life stories and to reveal themselves. As they receive healing prayers, they also hear words that express care and love from others. Shame is exposed but is now is seen through the eyes of a loving Heavenly Father who forgives. They are given hope and courage to flourish again.   

   Let us not hold on to shame but share with others and let ourselves be known, that our story may be retold in light of grace.

Challenge for today: Identify areas of your shame and share with a trusted friend.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

 

Dear Ones,  

Hope you are enjoying this day. I went downstairs for donuts and coffee this morning and then shopped for the Good Samaritan boxes. Soon we will have Bible Study and then going to do errands. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  The truth is we all need the Lord but we also need one another. I love that the Lord gives us others to help us on our journey through life. He speaks encouragement to us through His Word but sometimes He uses a friend and even a stranger to give us just the exact word that can lift us up when we feel down, or give us hope when we feel afraid of the future etc.

   We recently went to a wedding where the Lord brought together a young man who had prayed for a Christian wife and a woman who had prayed for a godly man to marry. God has joined them together in a strong bond but the fucus is not just on them, but pleasing God first. What an encouragement they are to one another. 

   Just like this couple who are tightly knit,  I also believe that the Lord wants to closely unite His body together so we also are mutually strengthened and encouraged. More than ever before, as we see things in our culture get worse when God is left out, there is strength when Christians bind together in oneness. Rom. 15:1-2 (Message), says, “Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each of us needs to look at the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, ‘How can I help?’” When we are knit together in oneness we can speak truth to one another, bear each other’s burdens, remind one another of God’s promises.

  We all falter at times, even as the prophet Elijah who was so discouraged and scared after a run-in with Jezebel, who wanted him killed. But just like him, fear and disappointment can trip any of us up; but when others shine their light on us, or lend a hand there is strength and power and oneness.

   Let us not neglect to gather with those who God sends our way/

Challenge for today: Take a moment to encourage someone God puts in your path today.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

Dear Ones, Alzheimers

Hope you are having a great day! We are glad to be safely home again and I am sending a more detailed account of our trip back. This morning I did food prep, washed clothes, went to my exercise class; this afternoon is a coffee party and time to view all the Alzheimer’s quilts that we made these past weeks. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart 

  There are times we just have a vivid sense of the Lord’s presence with us and we find ourselves leaning into His strength. We may feel needy and call out to Him for help and there is great power in the very name of Jesus. Like the song goes that many of us learned at an early age, “In the name of Jesus/ In the name of Jesus/ We have the victory/ In the name of Jesus/ in the name of Jesus / demons will have to flee/ Who can tell what God can do/ Who can tell of His love for you/ In the name of Jesus, Jesus/ We have the victory.”

  Such was the time when we went to our son’s home in North Carolina. We prayed before we took off on our trip and then committed each day to the Lord’s leading. We never knew what was in store for us but our desire was to follow His leading. After a wonderful time with Mark’s family, we took off at 2:30 a.m. for home and traveled 953 miles to a hotel in Iowa. But we encountered what was probably an accident on the freeway as traffic was at a standstill and we got off on side roads, as some others did. It began to rain and was dark and very hard to see on narrow roads. As Al drove, I often said the name of Jesus and we asked for His help. I recalled the verse in Jer. 33:3 (Message), “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.” Tell us Lord where to go, we are lost and tired and hungry and the road is so narrow and dark and hard to see.  I also saw a car that had just been hit by another. After quite some time, all of a sudden, Al took a turn and we saw lights ahead and got back on the road exactly where it led to our hotel. We couldn’t believe it. The gal at the hotel desk said we have 5 minutes to get our food before the buffet was over and told us to just unpack later. As we sat at our table, eating, our hearts were so grateful and Al and I kept saying to each other, “It was the Lord! It was the Lord!” Our hearts were so thankful and aware of His presence and power.

   There are times we all experience that are dark and difficult and we wonder how we are going to get through. We feel helpless and alone but we must remember He is there in the midst and will get us through. Let us call to Him and who can tell what He will do!!!

  Challenge for today: When going through a tough circumstance, make your first response to call on the name of Jesus and watch for what He will do!!

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend. We had a wonderful day yesterday as Al had the morning with Mark and I had time with Andrea to really catch up. The whole afternoon was spent playing games outdoors with John Mark and A.j. Then we had a scrumptious steak dinner and rich evening of fellowship and prayer with their pastor’s family. Tomorrow we will go to their church and out to a Mexican restaurant they love. By the time you get my next e-mail we will be heading back to MN and would appreciate prayers for a safe and well journey. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  I pray daily for the Body of Christ to be bound together in unity and love, for the days ahead are going to get more difficult for all of us. We need one another and the Lord will strengthen us as we gather in unity of Spirit and stand against all that the enemy is pouring out against us. Does that mean we all agree on everything interpreted in scripture? Or that we politically agree? No, but we are not to major on the differences but stand together in oneness of Who we serve. I woke today with a song going through my mind of how it is in the cross we can hide and it is His grace that is sufficient so we can stand together at the foot of the cross.

  In war, we need others around us to protect our back, and we don’t care what color they are, what political party they are, or what their view is on the rapture. We are in a spiritual battle that is getting more intense and need to fight together but with spiritual weapons. That means we won’t have to argue about who is right on issues but humbly lay down our pride. Like it says in II Tim 2:24-25a (NRSV), “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, and correcting opponents with gentleness.” We can count on God to defend the truth of the matter and we can let it go. That may mean we are quick to ask forgiveness when we insist our way is the only way and fail to listen to others.

   The enemy loves to bring disharmony and cause us to look at fellow Christians as the enemy rather than him. Let us not use our swords on one another but only use the sword of the spirit to quench the enemy’s fiery darts.

   This should be a time when the fruit if the Spirit will be evidenced more. When we are put near others in the Body of Christ, we love them no matter what. We express joy even in our struggles and live together in peace. Also, we show kindness, goodness. Patience, gentleness and self-control.  May the Holy Spirit empower us to be faithful to the Lord and to love Him as He binds us together as His followers in a culture that doesn’t embrace truth.

  Challenge for today: Be willing to be closely knit with others in the Body of Christ and respond in humility and love.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend! Our weekend is already a joyous one as we arrived at Mark and Andrea’s in N.C. early yesterday afternoon. So thankful for the safe journey here! It’s great to be together, we played games and lots of laughter, and went to see John Mark’s basketball game last night. Today Al is going out with Mark for father/son time, boys have home schooling, and tonight their pastor’s family is coming over  

Devotions from Judy’s heart

  How big is our God? Do we believe He can do anything? Like the song goes by Pastor James Cleveland, that I learned as a youth: “God can do anything, anything, anything/ God can do anything but fail…He’s the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end/ He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul/ God can do anything, anything, anything/ God can do anything but fail…He can save, He can cleanse/ he can keep, and He will/ God can do anything but fail.”

    God can do the impossible but do we believe that? We read of all the great miracles and signs that Jesus did when He walked on earth, like healing the blind, raising the dead; but do we believe that He still does miraculous things today? Absolutely!!

   Rather than wasting the day in worry about things that concern us, we can pray and ask God for His will in everything. As it says in Jer. 33:3 (Amplified), “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).”

   Our concern might be like Keneesha who applied for a job she really wanted but that she was not as qualified as others: she prayed before sending in her application, “Not my will but Thine be done!” God surprised her and gave her the job and she didn’t doubt that it was His doing. God can do anything!

   Or we might have concern for a loved one that has been given bad news from the Dr. and a set number of days to live. But then God does a miracle and when returning to the Doctor, no trace of cancer can be found. That happens today and we praise Him for God can do anything!

   What is it today that we need to trust God with? Maybe a child that has gone astray or a lingering illness etc. But whatever it is we can give it to the Lord and in faith, believe that He will answer according to His perfect will. Nothing, absolutely nothing is too hard for Him. 

Challenge for today: Give to the Lord something that weighs on your heart and wait in faith for His answer.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy