Category: Sister Judy (Page 142 of 270)

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying this day. Al had men’s group and two new men came this morning. I studied and made bars and soon going to my exercise class. Kurt is stopping by on his way to the Silver Chateau at noon and then I have a creative craft class downstairs. Tomorrow we have Bible Study and Bingo so you can tell our place is opening up.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Things are changing rapidly in our country, and so many live with worry and fear of the future. We read of how the suicide rate is increasing many times over and more homes are filled with conflict and unrest. People are robbed of sleep after watching the news and often reach for sleep aids because of worry. But when we know the Lord, it can be a time of greater dependency on Him and a time of growth. Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow, He has it! He holds all our tomorrows safely in His hands. Recently I got a newsletter from Pacem in Terris. a hermitage retreat center in MN. We have been there ourselves and it has many individual cabins in the woods for people to go apart to be with the Lord. Since Covid hit so many have wanted to come that they have had to turn people away and are now constructing 3 more hermitages. Retreatants purpose to get away from the noise and pressures of the world and come to spend time alone with the Lord; they desire to seek to hear what God is saying to them in the quietness of beautiful surroundings. Pacem in Terris is like a cathedral in the woods and there are many trails to walk as they pray. I’m sure many of us wish for such a time, but even if we can’t have a weekend in nature, alone in a cabin, we can ask the Lord to create space for us to just go apart and be alone with Him. We may find the pressures lifted, our worries disappearing and our faith in Him strengthened. As David says in Psalm 62:6-8 (The Message), “He’s solid rock under my feet, breathing room for the soul. An impregnable castle; I’m set for life. My help and glory are in God, granite-strength and safe-harbor-God—So trust Him absolutely, people; lay your lives on the line for Him. God is a safe place to be.” God can speak to us anywhere and He desires that we set our focus on Him and not on the changes in our world. He promises to take our cares and worries and let us relax in His peace and rest.

Challenge for today: Find some time to be alone with the Lord and give Him all your concerns. 

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying the day…a beautiful sunny day but cooler. This morning I studied and  made a G.F choc/zucch cake and pork chops with Spanish rice.  Thursday Al will be starting Bible Study here at our apt. complex, as we have not had one since Covid. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do we truly believe God is on our side and wants the very best for us? He is our closest friend and the One who is always there for us, but at times we may have doubts when negative things happen to us. Often what results is complaining and grumbling. Last Sunday we had a guest speaker, Pastor Wade Mobley, who is President of our Free Lutheran Bible Seminary and College. His sermon title was “Grumbling against God” and his words continue to speak to me. We hear kids grumble but he showed us how we adults are also guilty of grumbling against God when we complain against others. The children of Israel had just experienced the miracle of the waters of the Red Sea being parted so they could walk on dry land and the wiping out of the Egyptian army. But soon afterwards when they were thirsty, they grumbled against Moses which was ultimately against God. They were really questioning if God was among them or not. Providing water was not a problem for God and He simply had Moses strike a rock and water flowed out. It was the grumbling that was the problem. They were really blaming God and wondering, is He really good?  When one of our kids was quite young, he often complained when I had him do chores. So, one day I told him I would give him another chore to do each time he grumbled. This went on and on until he was even scrubbing the kitchen floor before he realized mom meant what she said about complaining! Our lives are in God’s hands and we have no reason to complain for He knows everything that touches our lives. He can provide or change the circumstances according to His will. Our grumbling is serious and can keep us from God’s purposes for our lives. We may get bitter as we dwell on the situation rather than having our eyes on Him. Paul said in Phil 2:14-15 (ESV). “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Let us not get robbed of God’s blessings and grace to us by grumbling, but have hearts of thanks, knowing He is always good!

Challenge for today: When tempted to grumble, stop and remember His goodness and grace.

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!This morning I baked cookies and went to my dermatologist and also to my exercise class. We hope it doesn’t rain so we can get our walk in. Yesterday we saw two couples we knew on the trail and had fellowship together. God’s timing is perfect!

Devotionals from Judy’s heart

What do we see when we look in the mirror each morning? Do we see a person of incredible worth or do we simply see a nobody? How we view ourselves is very important and will influence the decisions we make in our day and our whole life. Some see themselves as beautiful and others perceive themselves as ugly; some feel they are funny and others sense they are boring; or maybe some consider themselves very intelligent while others see themselves as stupid. I was reading on Words of Life what Bobby Petrocelli had to say about how we see ourselves. He is a teacher, counselor, coach and motivational speaker and experienced many losses. He woke up one morning hurt and dazed as he found his wife dead from a crash through their bedroom wall by a drunk driver in a pickup truck. He faced so many challenges, as we also do, but he shares how we must live life with faith and love and hope. He wants us to know there is only one of us in the whole universe in all time, and we leave an imprint on the earth. There will never be anyone else quite like us and there are no nobodies, all are precious. We probably all grew up singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so”; or “Jesus loves all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, all our precious in His sight!” Each of us matters, each of us is precious and awesome. We need to go to the Word and read how God sees each of us, no matter if we fail. When you think of those closest to Jesus when He was here on earth, they all failed at times but He still loved and used them to change the world. As we watched the Celebration of Gen’s life on Saturday, we could readily see what a difference she made in the world around her. So many touched by her faith and love and zest for life. Jesus chooses each of us and we are precious to Him. He says in Jer. 31:3 (God’s Word), “I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness.” Each of us is loved and God has told us He is for us and is always with us. Maybe we need to sing the chorus again, “Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes Jesus loves me! Yes Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.”

Challenge for today: Look in the mirror again and thank Jesus for how He made you just so.

Dear Ones,

Happy May Day! We found a May basket on our doorknob today but no name of who to thank. It is a sunny day and hope to get a nice walk in. This morning I did food prep, wrote letters and cleaned the apartment. This afternoon at 1:07 p.m. central time there is a celebration of Gen’s life at https://rmchurch.org I know many of you have prayed for her and may want to watch. She will be missed but we comforted to know she is now with the Lord! 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

When we are a follower of Christ, we are to love our enemies, those who have caused us pain. That is not easy to do but we are told to overcome evil with good. We must hate the evil but love the evildoer. That means we can condemn the evil but we give up the need to retaliate. When evil is met with more evil, it seems to grow and multiply. Just look at what is happening in our country. Hate won’t wipe out hate and the only thing is love. Every time we return evil to our enemies, it only gets worse and we are controlled by it. Jesus told us in the sermon on the mount that we are to bless those who persecute us. We are to bless then and do good to them. Now is that easy? Absolutely not in our own strength. That doesn’t mean we can’t stand up for what is right but our enemy may be very surprised when we respond in love. Author Stephen Seamands tells the story that took place in 1915 when over a million Armenians were killed by the Turks in a religious and ethnic conflict. One young girl saw her parents killed and her sisters given to some of the men while she was claimed by the officer in charge. She was treated harshly and sexually abused but managed finally to escape after several months. She became a nurse and worked in ICU and several years later her patient was this very officer who had enslaved her. He was in a coma and she gave him continual nursing care. When he regained consciousness, a doctor told him that the only reason he was alive was because of the constant care of his nurse. He then recognized her and asked why she didn’t kill him when she had a chance and she said, “Because I am a follower of the One who said, ‘Love your enemies.’” Jesus word is to all of us as he said in Luke 6: 27-28 (ESV), “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you., bless those who curse you. Pray for those who abuse you.” Wondrous things happen when we let God change our hearts and give us love for our enemies. We can start today by being a channel of His love,

Challenge for today: Do something kind for your “enemy,” and pray for him or her.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Dear Ones,

Hope you are having a sunny day. Our house is full of aroma as I roasted a chicken and now making soup. I went to Aldi’s this morning and loaded up as I left a mostly empty frig when we went on our trip. I am catching up on everything today and also got donuts downstairs!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do you ever feel inadequate and wonder if God can use you? God loves to take ordinary people like you and me to display His glory; for others will recognize that it is not our power or our intellect but the Holy Spirit in us. I have been reading in Acts and the change in the disciples once they were filled with the Spirit is amazing. Peter who had denied Jesus became a bold preacher and his first sermon brought in 3,000 souls. Next, he healed a man crippled from birth and when asked by what power and authority he did the healing, he boldly told them in Acts 4:12(NRSV), “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” He didn’t mince any words. The very learned priests and scribes etc. knew that the disciples were just common men with no education but recognized they had been companions of Jesus. Maybe we don’t feel we are adequate or know enough scripture but the Holy Spirit wants to teach us and use us and empower us. Jesus spent three years with ordinary men who were fishermen and a tax collector etc. and He walked with them and taught them. The enemy loves when we bow out and sit on the sidelines, but what if we say yes to the Lord and place our dependency in Him? We may be surprised at what He can do through us even though we not have titles or experience but are simply open to be used for His glory. We don’t have to be a pastor or a theologian for God can use even the words of a small child to break down the defenses of a sceptic. Or other times God may not use words at all but uses our actions to say it all.  I found this especially true when we are on mission trips to Mexico as our Spanish was minimal and yet we were able to communicate with smiles and motions and broken Spanish. God used the little bit that we knew and got the message across. The important thing is that we are willing and available; and even when we fail, God wants us to get up again and will even use our failures to testify to His grace. We are all unworthy in ourselves but if we humbly know that in our hearts, then we are ready to be used by Him. Let us remember that He uses ordinary people in extraordinary ways!

Challenge for today: Step out in faith when you feel God asking you to do something that seems beyond your capabilities.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying your day. We arrived safely at Kurt’s in Kansas City last evening and so nice to catch up with them. This morning Al and I went to Panera’s and a bookstore after grandkids went to school. We are so glad we can see  Lily play soccer tonight and then we will head home to MN tomorrow morning, after a wonderful trip. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

The Lord has so much to teach us if we are willing and open. Sometimes we probably have all felt disappointment as things don’t turn out as we would like, but God often moves in mysterious ways. On our trip I have been reading letters that Francis Fenelon wrote to people who had some urgent needs and wanted his wisdom. Francis was a French bishop who lived in 1651-1715 and was a tutor for the King Louis XIV’s grandson as well as serving a Christian community. It was a time of extravagance, struggle for power, and sexual perversion in the culture of that day, not unlike our own culture. Winn Collier, a columnist, considers Fenelon’s letters a spiritual guide to him to help him navigate through such times today, and others are also helped as they walk through deep waters. God is so gracious to give us spiritual guides when we need them and we can learn much if we are quiet and open to listen. It doesn’t have to be a person with degrees but one who walks with the Lord and is receptive to the Holy Spirit. Years ago, I remember reading some of Fenelon’s letters when I was in nurses training and they spoke to me then, but I am finding they again speak to me now even though I am much much older! Fenelon seems to speak truth in a direct but loving way and points us to the way of humility; he encourages us to let go of our demands on God and what we think He should do and accept when He moves in ways we may not understand. That takes abandoning ourselves to God, even when it may not make sense to us. It is much like a parent who often limits our activity but for our own good. We may not understand at the time. God works much of the time in secret but He gifts us with guides that help us learn to listen carefully and challenges us to a deeper journey. The Lord can use many ways to guide us and sometimes it can be a mentor we can actually talk to, or a message by e-mail; it could be an author who seems to speak right to our situation in life. Isaiah said in Isaiah 30:21 (ESV), “And your ears shall hear a word behind you saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it.’” Our part is to be open, humble, receptive, and willing to die to ourselves and then He will fill us with His love and beauty and grace. What an exchange! Let us trust God, even though we don’t know the details of how He plans to work in our lives.

Challenge for today: Surrender to the Lord and listen as He speaks to you and guides you. 

Dear Ones,

Hope you had a good weekend. We had a wonderful time at Mark’s and Andrea’s in N.C .and enjoyed time with the family. We played lots of games, including nerf gun wars with our grandsons, steak dinner, sundaes before bed etc. We are in Tennessee now and soon heading out to Kurt’s in Kansas today. We want to be there to see our granddaughter play soccer tomorrow. Appreciate prayers as we were in heavy traffic yesterday especially. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We have probably all belonged to organizations and clubs during our growing up years. Maybe we were on a Debate team, or joined Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, or went to Christian Fellowship club. When others wanted us to join, they told us all the advantages of becoming a member and made it sound like we were privileged to get in. But as I was reading scripture, I thought of how opposite it is when we join the family of God. We are not promised that we will be important but rather we may have the status of a slave. We are not told we can look forward to great privileges and be applauded by others but that we will actually have to suffer and even be hated by them. In fact, we may be persecuted for joining and put out of places, sometimes even losing our lives. Now that isn’t exactly the kind of news you would put on a club poster to entice others to join. In John 15 Jesus said that if the world hated Him, they would also hate us; if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute us etc. So why join? Well inside of us is a deep desire for something more than a life of ease; it is a desire to be loved and to be understood and forgiven and to be set free; and only the President of this unusual club can ever offer that. He makes many promises and we can trust Him as not one of them will fail. He has assured us that He will always, always be there for us and never leave us. He has promised us the best future ever, for He is preparing for us a mansion in glory with Him; but in the meantime, it could be that we may live in only a cottage. He will also provide a helper for us as rough times come, and He says in John 14:16-17 (Amplified),” I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Stand-by), that He may remain with you forever—the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive (welcome, take to its heart), because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him. But you will know and recognize Him, for He lives with you (constantly) and will be in you.” Now that is good news and we are to share that news with others and invite them to make the most important decision ever.  Let us not hold back for all are welcome!

Challenge for today: Be alert for those who are searching and invite them to become a member of the family of God.

Dear Ones,

Hope you are enjoying  your weekend. Rain is forecasted for here all day but we have plenty of fun things to do with family. This morning was full of games, and a nerf war, and the guys are at  Mark’s work now watching a new movie. Tomorrow after church we will head towards Kurt’s in Kansas City, so appreciate continued prayers for our travels. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How great is our desire to hear from God? He speaks in so many ways every day. We think of the disciples and others gathered together after Jesus was resurrected and ascended back to heaven; they closed themselves up in the upper room and waited for the promised Holy Spirit. They weren’t sure when that would happen but no matter how long it took, they were waiting indefinitely. We might ask ourselves if we would have been patient and waited 10 days or would we have gotten impatient and gone back to our regular busy routines. I’m sure the disciples were thankful they waited as the Lord spoke in a spectacular way with tongues of fire and in many languages; but there are other times that God speaks in a very quiet way and it is worth waiting in silence. I am reading a book by Ruth Barton called Invitation to Solitude and Silence. The practice of doing nothing in silence for an extended period of time is difficult for most of us but it is a time we stop making demands on God and seek to just be in His presence and listen. Ruth herself was told by her spiritual director that she was like a jar of river water all shaken up and needing time for the swirling sediment in her soul to settle. Perhaps that is true of most of us for we are all faced with so many distractions that cause our attention to go away from the Lord, and we get bothered by many things. We need to be quiet and go apart and spend time in silence with Him. Ruth discovered the discipline of silence at a time in her life when she was very busy but felt confused and lonely and knew there must be more. Spending 10 minutes alone in quiet with the Lord was very challenging to her but she answered the invitation to spend that time with Him. It’s not a time to talk and tell God all our needs but rather a time to be quiet and notice what surfaces from deep down; it’s a time to let go and to and to know God in a deeper way. We just show up and let God do the rest, whatever is on His agenda. It helps to have a special place to be alone, to set a time when it would work best, and to choose a prayer that expresses our desire for Him…something simple like, Lord have mercy, or Your peace, etc. Then just be and put all your concerns into God’s hands. No matter if God speaks in dramatic ways or in a gentle whisper, let us patiently wait and listen. David said in Psalm 62:1-2 (ESV), “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

Challenge for today: Spend 10 minutes in silence with the Lord in a quiet place, listening to His voice.