Category: Sister Judy (Page 14 of 267)

May 5, 2025

May 5, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a great weekend! Yesterday we enjoyed the beautiful 80-degree weather as we walked the trail. This morning I am skipping my exercise class as we will be going to a funeral at church.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We might confess it is easier for us to be busy going places and doing things than to spend quiet time alone with the Lord. But it is hard to know our real self if we are bopping here and there, not settling in a space where we can just listen to what the Lord is saying as well as what our body, soul and mind are trying to get across to us. If our body is sending us a message, it may come in the form of sickness, weakness, or pain, so we need to listen and adjust our lives. We may have to cut some things out of our constantly busy lives and take time for rest. Perhaps our mind is so busy with negative or judgmental thoughts that we haven’t room for what is good and true and kind. Or our soul is suffering, feeling like we are empty and not enough, or misunderstood and alone. We need to address those feelings as we turn to the Lord and get to our quiet place which can become like an infirmary where He can care for us and help us heal.

We can’t grow and mature if we are constantly distracted and on the move, missing the clues from our own bodies, souls and spirits. We need to dial down, get alone or with the Lord and at times with someone who really listens, prays and helps us hear Him. It’s good to ask ourselves if we want to mature in the Lord, to know ourselves and grow, above all the voices of the world. Maybe we keep busy to distract us from encountering our shadow side and the truth about ourselves.

Of course, just because we may be faced with temptations and conflicts doesn’t mean we are going backwards, but they may be the very things that helps us fight and come away stronger. I read about the parable of the palm tree: an evil person was angry with a young palm tree and wanted to damage it. He put a large rock in its crown but in later years when he passed by, the tree was larger and more beautiful than the other palms around it. The rock was a challenge, forcing it to send down its roots more deeply. Our struggles can also cause us to go more deeply into the Lord. None of us are sinless and without flaws, so let us deal with those things in our lives that put distance between us and the Lord, growing more beautiful and dependent on Him. Like Peter wrote in II Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ”

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord even for your struggles. May they drive you closer to Him and help you know that only He can transform you and bring you to maturity.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

May 3, 2025

May 3, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the weekend! Yesterday Al and I worked at getting all our rugs and carpets shampooed and it was much needed! Today I plan to make meatloaf and do some baking and writing.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Truly humble people are quite rare for they are content to be who they are and don’t regard others as competitors. They also don’t envy, but accept their gifts and also their limitations, desiring to be more like Jesus. There is an honesty about them as they recognize their failures, but don’t let it become their focus. Bernard of Clairvaux said that “humility is grounded on truth: with oneself, in one’s relation with others, and with regard to God.” Pride, on the other hand, is falsehood and leads us to pursue empty things. We want from others what they can’t give us.

We are all sinful and need to recognize our humanness. If we only want to focus on self-improvement, it is often simply wounded pride. By nature, we are all selfish and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) When we are humble, we recognize our true condition, accept our liabilities and know our need for God. Somehow, we may feel at times we are not like others but the truth is we all need God’s help which only the humble will accept.

As we have freely received, we are to freely give to others. Each of us have been given gifts and we are to humbly use them to help others. We are to be bold and act and put our gifts to use. Our calling is to live for God and to serve others. Humility is something each of us learn from Jesus who said in Matt. 11:29, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart.” He sees our actions, knows our thoughts and sees our struggles with our self-will. He knows if we are content with what we have and if we quickly confess when we blow it. Let us be humble followers that listen to the Lord and act in love!

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you be forgetful of self to humbly love and serve Him and others.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

May 1, 2025

May 1, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have an expectant day! Today is Donut Day here and Bible study and hope to get in baking and a nice walk in this beautiful weather.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We all have expectations of ourselves, others and of God. Expectations are important: they may be limiting or enhancing for what God has planned for our lives. Scripture gives us reasons to have great expectations from the Lord, and we need to take to heart what He says we can anticipate. Our own limited expectations influence how we look at the events in our lives and we can miss what God has for us.

When we were at our son’s church in North Carolina on Easter Sunday the pastor gave a thought-provoking sermon on “Expecting the Unexpected” from Matt 27- 28. He used the example of the Pharisees who expected that Jesus was an impostor and that his body would be stolen, so they wanted guards at the tomb. They did not anticipate a resurrection to take place, even though they may have seen his healing miracles like Lazarus being raised from the dead. Pilate believed his guards could stop a resurrection! Even the disciples failed to remember that Jesus would actually be raised from the dead. But perhaps one of the most astounding pieces of evidence for His resurrection is the change in his disciples after Jesus arose. They were no longer men who doubted and often failed to understand what Jesus said, but became powerful preachers, healers, miracle workers who were willing to endure persecution. We would say they were radically changed!

If we are Christ followers then we can expect that Jesus means what He says. He wants for us to be in a living relationship with Him, knowing that we are His beloved children who can be used for His kingdom work. When we go to church He desires that we come with the expectancy to hear and pay attention to what He has to say. When we have our devotions, He wants us to know He is speaking personally into our lives. He spoke long ago but also speaks to us now, today. Do we really have that expectation? May we say with John as written in I John 4:16, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him.”

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to have expectant faith and to believe His words to your heart.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

April 30, 2025

April 30, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a day of freedom. I plan to go to exercise class, Creative Crafts, have a couple come to look at our apartment for possible living here some day and Bible Study later.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Would we say that we live our lives freely in God? He never coerces us but invites us to a life in Him and sets us free. Why do we resist? Paul writes to the Galatians and tells it like it is and says in Gal. 2:15. “We know we are not set right with God by rule keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ.” Paul himself had tried to keep all the rules to please God but discovered self-improvement was not the way and he could never be good enough.

The Lord wants to set us free from trying to be perfect, trying to earn what He already paid the price for. When we know that in our heart, we don’t have to live on edge to impress others and especially God—We can simply go about our lives letting the Lord direct us and responding to His Holy Spirit. He wants us to trust in Him and let Him live His life through us, not struggle by our own efforts.

Paul says in Gal. 511, “Doing things for God is opposite of entering into what God does for you.” We are to live our lives in relation to Him by faith, not futilely trying to earn our way. Jesus set us free to live a free life (Gal. 5:1). Let us not be burdened down trying to earn what is ours as a gift. What matters most is faith expressed in love (Gal. 5:6) That doesn’t mean we are free to do whatever we want but we are free to live creatively and serve others in love, that is how freedom grows. If we do acts of service to earn our way, we will tire out quickly. Let us live from a heart of gratitude for what the Lord has already done for us.

Challenge for today: Quit being a “law man” (or woman) of rule keeping so you can be a “God’s man” or (woman) of God pleasing.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

April 29, 2025

April 29, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a purpose-filled day! We have had rain but not too much wind. I never got to Aldi’s yesterday as it was raining so hard when I was to go. I put away our winter things so hope I don’t regret it!

Today I plan to bake and go to Aldi’s and this afternoon we are going to friends for a time of fellowship.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How are we known as followers of Christ? Do we manifest His presence to others by sharing the Good News and showing compassion and His love to others we meet?

As I read about the Christians in the second century that were only a small minority in the Roman world, I am amazed at the difference they made. They really got what Jesus had told His followers: to love one another just as He loved them. (John 13:34) The Roman culture with its pagan values was vastly different, so Christians stood out as they cared for the sick, supported widows and orphans, welcomed the poor and people of all ranks, etc. They were in the world but not of the world and lived a servant’s life with acts of love that attracted others. They gave people a sense of belonging, whether slave or free, Jew or Gentile and there was no one-up-manship. Christians were known for their love, patience, and kindness to strangers, for they welcomed all. They were a community of love, and even cities like Antioch where around eighteen different ethnic groups lived, it became home. All were warmly received and the Christian church became family as many became followers of Christ.

What really spoke to my heart as I read Professor Gerald Sittser’s book “Water from a Deep Well” is how the church handled the plagues in A.D 165 and A.D. 250 when nearly a fourth of the population died. What a difference the response was from the Christians in contrast to the pagans! During that time, the bishops brought hope and comfort to the people as they preached on God’s sovereignty and Jesus’ suffering for all. Those who were Christians showed courage by giving care to the sick and burying the dead after washing and wrapping their bodies. They risked their own lives and some lost their lives as a result. But they knew they had a heavenly home. How different for those who were pagans, for they left their loved ones when they were sick, and I read they even threw their bodies into the roads before they were dead.

Reading Sittser’s book helps me realize how purposeful we need to live our lives as we share the Good News, not just by words but by our actions. Our Bible study class here at Northern Lakes is just beginning to study the book of Acts, and it is our hope that we can make a difference; that each person might feel a sense of being welcomed and of belonging to a community of love.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you share His love with someone who may feel neglected and unloved. Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

April 28, 2025

April 28, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Severe weather is predicted for us this afternoon with a possible tornado so we are praying for calm weather. I am going to Aldi’s and my exercise class this morning and will stay home this afternoon!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Isn’t it comforting to know that Jesus prays for us? Before Jesus was crucified and left this earth, He prayed for his disciples and also for us that we would be one as He is with His Father. We read his prayer in John 17:20-21, “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me…that they may all be one.” The Message translation says that they can be of one heart and mind and that includes us today. Jesus wants to be intimate with us, but He also wants us to enter into deep relationship with one another. We are not rivals or competing with one another, but we are one Body with countless other believers who have gone before us, are with us now, or will be together with us in the future.

I like to read books I find in Al’s study and one lately that challenged me was learning from those who have gone before us: the saints who are now in glory. We can gain from their experiences, be inspired by their faith and sacrifices, and learn how to walk out our life with the Lord in a deeper way. Much of what we see in today’s church is shallow and watered down, as we seem to need worship to be glitzy, programs may be only self-help and somehow, we are missing what it means to worship and experience the Lord. We have much to learn from those in the past who sought the Lord, were devoted to serving Him, and sacrificed, letting us know there is more awaiting us to experience. Sometimes old ways will help us to live in new ways for the Lord. We can also learn from their mistakes and failures and see our own blind spots if we are open and teachable.

May we not get confused by contemporary spirituality that lacks substance and integrity. Spirituality is rather fashionable word in today’s world but often lacks discipline or even believing in any faith tradition. It can cater to our own interests and tastes. How different it is from those who were martyred for their witness, monastics, and missionaries who left all to go to foreign lands, etc. May we open our hearts to the Lord and learn from those in our past as well as those in our present.

Challenge for today: Take time to be open to new ways the Lord may speak to you.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

April 26, 2025

April 26, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a great weekend! We had a fun Birthday party here yesterday. Today I plan to clean and do food prep and walk the trail. Still trying to lose the weight I gained in N.C.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Jesus spoke on the sermon on the Mount that we be not anxious about anything (Matt. 6:25-34), and yet today there are so many plagued with anxiety and depression. Even if we aren’t suffering ourselves, we have loved ones who are. I am reading a book by J.P. Moreland who is a professor of at Talbot school of theology and has himself suffered two nervous breakdowns. He is very vulnerable in his writing to give help on how to find peace and wholeness through counseling, meditation, prayer and medication. Since he has suffered, he is not giving superficial answers but shares how to not only survive but to thrive and give hope to others.

Mooreland himself has a genetic predisposition to anxiety from his mother’s side of the family. That in itself doesn’t determine one’s behavior but makes anxiety more common than some without the predisposition. Anxiety and depression are different but often occur together. He uses a Christian approach and also other helpful truths that are in line with scripture. It is important to train our minds because it affects our feelings. We learn that if we entertain fearful or negative thoughts it may affect our emotional faculty by creating anxiety. But there is hope, for our brains can be trained to think good thoughts and as it says in Prov. 2:7, “For as he thinks within himself, so is he.” As we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (II Cor. 10:5), we will find that our brain can get retrained and those negative thoughts will be replaced by good ones. It takes about 2-6 months for the brain to do that.

The Lord wants to transform our minds and replace those negative, anxious thoughts. Mooreland’s four-step solution is: 1. Relabel our thoughts that have no connection to reality. 2. Reframe them and call them what they are in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. 3. Refocus your attention on something that distracts you and helps you move on, like going for a walk, listening to music, checking e-mails, etc. 4. Revaluing by reflection on how you did on steps 1-3. Think of what you did that seemed to work, etc.

If you want to know more, I suggest you get the book “Finding Quiet,” and also meditate on specific scriptures to help you think on what is right, pure, true, lovely, etc. (Phil. 4:8)

Challenge for today: If anxious thoughts come to mind, replace them with new thinking habits and positive self-talk.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

April 25, 2025

April 25, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and time to regroup and get refreshed. We will be setting up for the Birthday Party this morning and going to Costco for the cake. Only 4 birthdays this month but the community room will be filled.

Dear Ones,

Anger is one emotion that all of us, including Christians, may have a hard time to admit feeling. We think we are more spiritual if we block out anger and don’t admit to it, but there is such a thing as appropriate anger. It’s good and healthy to allow ourself to feel anger and take responsibility for it, for then anger can actually become useful. As we learn to share anger in an appropriate way and deal with it, we show that we are honest and genuine and seeking to live a healthy life.

We all need to admit to our anger rather than cover it up. We can ask ourselves what we are so angry about and with whom, then express that anger appropriately in the right manner. We needn’t be ashamed of being angry, for Jesus was angry at times with his own group of followers as well as the scribes, the Pharisees and others. Appropriate anger is healthy and we always need to guard against either overreacting or underreacting. When we overreact everyone around us realizes we are angry but when we underreact, we suppress our anger and are not honest with ourselves or others. People who cover up their anger often have physical ailments like headaches, depression, ulcers, colitis, chest pains, etc. Repressed anger will come out somehow when it is not addressed. We may have outbursts or overreactions and explode. But anger can also be expressed in silence and coldness towards the other, and this is not healthy or being honest in our relationships. It may also show up spiritually, with us feeling weighted down by the meaninglessness of life and we end up feeling distant from God.

It’s important we understand that its all right to be angry, then get over it and let go. We don’t want to stay angry or it will take its toll on our body and on our relationships with others. Perhaps we are afraid to tell someone we are angry, fearing they will get angry with us. Anger doesn’t mean violence either, for that is anger out of control. But anger says that you care to be real with me and it’s an act of concern. Sometimes we get angry at God, but He is able to take it. When we are honest, genuine and express appropriate anger, it helps us live a genuine, vibrant life and we learn to trust and love one another and the Lord.

Challenge for today: The next time you are angry, speak up in the appropriate way, not to change the person but to live in openness with them. Psalm 4:4 Be angry and do not sin.”

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

April 24, 2025

April 24, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a blessed day! Thank you so much for your prayers as we are grateful to be safely home after making it through pouring rain and lots of traffic and now tucked into our apartment again. We enjoyed our time so much with Mark’s family and got spoiled with wonderful meals and fun times together. I was able to get unpacked, wash clothes, go to Aldi’s and put way the Easter decorations. This morning I have an appointment and later Bible Study.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How good is your hearing? Do things have to be repeated or do you catch what is being said and respond quickly. Some of us have to have devices to help us hear well, but spiritual hearing is even more important than physical hearing. Jesus spoke of that when he was strolling in the Temple and the Jews were questioning Him if he was the Messiah. He said actions speak louder than words and since they didn’t believe in Him they couldn’t recognize His voice. When we belong to Him, Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep recognize my voice. I know them and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life.”

One of the marks of knowing our Shepherd is that we hear His voice as He calls our name, instructs us, tells us which way to go etc. But hearing is only the first part, for we are also to follow with action. Young children often pretend they don’t hear what their parent is saying because they don’t want to do what is asked of them. The parent’s voice may then get louder until finally action takes place, for It is no longer questionable that the children have actually heard.

Of course, the Lord knows our hearts and if we are being stubborn, double-minded, or disobedient, He knows. The sad thing is that when we don’t obey, we miss what He has for us. There may be something He asks of us and as we do it we often experience a big surprise later. When our kids were young, we worked in the morning which on certain days meant cleaning their rooms, doing dishes, cutting the grass etc. and most afternoons I took them to the pool as their reward. The rule was no work, no play!

We all need to listen carefully to the Lord and follow in obedience. There is only one way to be happy and that is to TRUST and OBEY!

Challenge for today: Make up your mind ahead of time, “What You say we will do. Where you send we will go. Never fear, only trust and obey!”

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Jud

April 23, 2025

April 22, 2025 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

May you make a difference for the Lord each day. This is our last hotel night and we are at the Drury in Iowa City enjoying a little time to retreat. Tomorrow night we hope to be home in our own bed with thankful hearts for your prayers. I am sending this out early tonight as we will leave right after breakfast in the morning.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Does our life honor the Lord or does it give a different message than what we speak with our lips? I think we have all been disillusioned when someone we highly respect behaves in a manner that is not even Christian. Perhaps we have heard a great speaker and read his book, and then discover he treats those under him badly and even having a love affair. It’s so important to live what we believe if we are to make a difference in this world to influence others for the Lord.

None of us is perfect, for sure, and we have so many examples in scripture of people that have royally blown it, but when they repented and changed their ways they were forgiven and restored. That doesn’t mean we should go out and live a life of sin because we know the Lord will forgive us, but rather that we should live like Jesus and repent when we go astray. The apostle Paul said in II Thess 1:11, “If your life honors the name of Jesus, He will honor you.” He encourages the followers of Jesus to live worthy of His calling so that He is glorified in them.

Our conversation should also be different when we know the Creator of the Universe. If He put the world in place, can’t He take care of things? As Christians we see the horrendous violence that is taking place all over the world as seen on the news, but we must not be without hope. Do we talk as if the Lord is absent or are we prompted to pray and even share what the Lord is doing. In the midst of all the chaos there is also revival happening, especially amongst young people. We just celebrated Easter and were reminded of the power that raised Jesus from the dead is also in us. In Romans 6 Paul shares how we were baptized into His death and now walk in newness of life like Jesus who was raised from the dead.

Let us live as those who have been freed from the power of the enemy and become more like Jesus each day.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to show you ways that your life is not honoring Him and pray for His power to change you.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Category: Sister Judy (Page 14 of 267)

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