Category: Sister Judy (Page 70 of 270)

August 25, 2023

August 25, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend to you! Hope you have time to enjoy some time to relax and get renewed. Today it is party day here as we celebrate all the August birthdays. Al always asks a question to the ones whose birthday it is, so we get to know each other better. Today we will also have to answer since we will both be celebrating our birthdays.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We were made to fellowship with others in spirit as well as in person. But often we receive hurts, that hinder friendships and times of fellowship together. Sometimes it is not intentional, but wounding takes place, and we need be honest with one another so we can forgive and heal. If we pretend nothing happened, we will experience space between us for we no longer look at them the same. But when it is brought out in the open and the one who wounded asks forgiveness of the pain they caused, it is like a miracle since healing can follow.

Author Lewis Smedes who wrote Forgive and Forget, said we can’t forgive people for things we have forgotten about, but we have need to forgive what someone did because the pain is alive. That doesn’t include trivial things that we simply overlook but rather the pain we dare not remember as we stuff it under the rug of our unconsciousness. But it will pop up again unless we deal with it. Once we have forgiven, then we can experience the freedom of forgetting. Lewis says, “The test of forgiving lies with healing the lingering pain of the past, not forgetting that the past ever happened.”.

He goes on to say that forgiving is not excusing the person because of their upbringing, their genetics, the culture etc. for it is how we played the hand we were delt. Forgiving is not just smoothing over conflict and never dealing with it but helping people forgive one another. He also writes that accepting others is not the same as forgiving them either. We all need to accept people because of the good they are to us but we also have to forgive them for the unacceptable things they have done to us. We don’t have to tolerate everything someone does to us, even though we forgive them.

It is most difficult to forgive people we cannot see or touch like someone who has died as the reunion of coming together again will have to be fully completed in heaven. It is also hard to forgive people who don’t seem to care if we forgive them or not. Perhaps it is hardest for us to forgive ourselves or God. But whenever there is need of forgiveness, we each need to see what we’ve done through the eyes of the other, that we enter into their suffering, that we confess our sin and that we desire not to hurt them again. Let us not stop short by just excusing or smoothing over or putting things under the rug but forgiving as the Lord forgave us.

Challenge for today: Memorize and put into practice Eph. 4:32, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

August 24, 2023

August 24, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a peace-filled day! Al is going to men’s group and today it is Donut Day here. We have Bible study this afternoon and in between. I hope to do some baking. The question for you this week is, what scripture has God used to comfort you and give you hope in a situation that was difficult? How did it change how you viewed things? I memorized Psalm 91 years ago and it was like a lifeline to me while going through a challenging time.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do we face life with open hands and give up trying to control? When we face life with open hands and let go the urge to take charge, it will lift a great weight off of us! No more trying to control situations so they happen the way we think they should. Instead, we learn to be where we are right now and take in what is there, which is the center of where God is at. I have been reading what Gem and Alan Fadling have to say about control, for in giving it up we learn to be present and focus on Him and one thing at a time.

It’s okay when we don’t know what will happen or what is best for us and others, for it may lead us to connect with the Lord in new ways. It all rests in Him. Every person has the right to choose how they will live their life and it is not up to us to tell them how to do it. It is their life! Letting go is a process and one of the best gifts to take hold of for ourselves and viewing others. We will find we have less anxiety and fears when we are able to give up the controls and abandon ourselves to the Lord. I had a recent experience of this as I had my first MRI yesterday. I didn’t know if I was claustrophobic, so I was encouraged to get a pill to help me if needed. I had no idea what it would be like enclosed like a mummy in a tube, but I began to picture it beforehand as being held tightly in the Lord’s arms. I clearly did not have control of the situation but was just trusting Him. I told the Lord it would be nice to be warm enough and that my focus would stay on Him during the MRI. He answered as two warm blankets were placed on me and I had peace throughout it as I rehearsed scriptures and prayed. There was such an awareness of His presence with me, and it was like we were doing this thing together and of course He was in charge. My how it lightened my heart, and I didn’t even need the pill. I left feeling uplifted by the Lord, even though I don’t know the results yet. It’s easy to understand that I was not in control over the MRI but maybe harder for us to believe that we are never in control. When we really get that and surrender to Him, transformation can take place in our lives. He does it in us. God will never force His way but offers us a life of open trust in His love and power to do all things. Our security is in Him and we will come to rest..

Challenge for today: The next time you feel you can do something all yourself, stop and ask the Lord to take charge as you do it together. (I said Psalm 121 many times in the tube!)

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 23, 2023

August 23, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you wake to a beautiful day! I am writing very early as I am going to have an MRI at 6:15 this morning. It is to help rule out why I am having hearing loss, so I am eager to get the results. Prayers appreciated! Later I have exercise class and Bible Study in the evening.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

We are never ever alone so why do we fear? If we know the Lord is always, always with us then why do we feel fearful and anxious at times? Certain temperaments lean more towards fear and other ones seem to lean more towards anger. My personality is the fear one which I have lived with all my life. I especially feared speaking in public and would rather serve in the kitchen than to be upfront giving a talk, particularly to a big group. Your fears may be different than mine but very real. You know the feeling! Our culture is so fear orientated, and most advertisements try to manipulate us by tapping into our fears to make a sale.

Today I am getting my first MRI and fear would be my natural tendency. I wonder if I will get claustrophobic and what if my nose itches, or I move, or if I get really cold? But I was reading Gen and Alan Fadling’s book (What Does Your Soul Love) and was amazed how open about their fears they both are. They advocate not pushing fears away, but to face them and feel them and speak aloud of them, so they can dissipate. I am going to try it and will let you know what happens.

The bottom line for all of us is that we need to find rest for our souls, rest from our fears, in the person of Jesus. I am going to picture myself wrapped warmly and snugly in His embrace as I am put in the tube. He will be present and with me. I am refreshing my mind with scriptures that I memorized while going through hard experiences in the past, so that I might let them fill my mind while in the “tube”. I think of Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Also, I may picture the “tube” like a shelter as I rehearse Psalm 91, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Also, Psalm 27, “The Lord is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”

Of course, we need courage for there may be some fear left in us as we battle the enemy of anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt etc. Fadlings wrote, “Courage is acting in the face of anxiety and fear.” They go on to say that where there is trust in a loving and powerful God, that the roots of fear wither. I’m all for that! We can lean into the fearful things as we see them in light of God’s power and remember that He is with us.

Challenge for today: Memorize a verse that will help you face your fears.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 22, 2023

August 22, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a hope filled day. Early this morning Al and I both have our routine eye appointments. Later Ann is coming, and we may do some shopping together as she is needing new glasses. I also have birthday Kohl bucks to spend!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Hopefully we all want to not just settle but to go on to grow and be more transformed into the likeness of Christ. It is easier to profess those words when things are going well, but what about when we are in pain or going through difficult situations? Many times, God uses suffering to shape us and it becomes the soil of our growth, but it may not be the way we would choose. We ar not to respond by giving up but rather by accepting and letting Him change us. As we let go and let Him have His way, we will have a deeper sense of His presence and love.

With Pain, comes a message from the Lord which is specific for us. He might be saying, I love you just the way you are and even though you can’t do much right now, you are still valuable. Or maybe our pain is saying that we need perseverance; or are there some things that need to change in order to regain health and to put our body into balance. We need to listen to what our body is telling us and be willing to do the changing.

Gem and Alan Fadling, share in the book, What Does Your Soul Love”, of how suffering and transformation are connected. They use the example of James when he tells a church who is going through great hardship to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2-3) He goes on to say that these trying times can help us mature and make us complete. They tend to show us what we really believe about God. If you are like me, we first want to do all we can to alleviate our pain and numb our suffering rather than asking God what He is trying to show us in it. Right now, I am struggling with hearing as I have profound hearing loss in one ear and the other has serious loss as well. I am doing what I can to find out why, but I also need to ask the Lord for perseverance and to know what He is trying to produce in me through this. For all of us, whatever we are going through, we know the Lord is with us and we are not alone and “all shall be well.” Let us be open to the new ways the Lord teaches us in all of our sufferings.

Challenge for today: Allow your pain and suffering to help you gain wisdom and be transformed into His likeness.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 21, 2023

August 21, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you had an enjoyable and restful weekend. It was nice to have it cooler before it heats up again. This morning I am going to do food prep and go to Aldi’s and my exercise class.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How good are we at loving and obeying the Lord? Is it our desire to follow and let the Lord lead us or do we dart ahead and when we get ourselves in a mess, we ask for a way out? Big difference! If we submit ourselves to the Lord and walk in sync with Him, we experience a lightness in our spirit for we are not going against the grain and pulling away from Him but being yoked with Him. When we don’t obey, we are lacking in love for it says in John 14:23 (NLT) “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word: that is to say, he will observe my commandments, and in observing them, he will obey me.” In other words that without love we won’t obey, but with love obedience follows. We can examine our own lives as to how obedient we are, to get an indication of how much we love the Lord.

We should have sorrow for our sin but after confessing and asking forgiveness we don’t need to be preoccupied but begin thanking the Lord for His forgiveness and mercy. As we rehearse His grace to us and praise him, He lifts our spirit and brings us deep joy. Then with hearts full of gratitude, we make room for more of Him. I don’t know if you are like me, but I sometimes focus on something I wish I hadn’t said or done in the past; but rather than ruminating on it, I need to just begin thanking Him that He has forgiven me. The devil loves to play that guilt game with us and try to get our focus on ourselves and sinful things from our past that are already forgiven.

As we grow in His love, we will begin to love our neighbor as ourselves, which also increases our capacity to love God; but if we don’t love our neighbor, we do not love ourselves nor do we love God. How many of us want our hearts to expand with love? I have told Al that the best thing I would wish to be said of me on my tombstone would be, “She loved God and others well!” I have a way to go in loving my enemies and praying blessings on those who are hurtful and wishing them well.

May we delight in God’s love to such a degree that we forgive all and receive and love others as ourselves.

Challenge for today: Reach out to someone else in a special way today and share His love.

Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

August 1s9, 2023

August 19, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy Weekend to you! We are going on our walk in a few minutes as it is just going to keep heating up today and I have to stay out of the sun. I cleaned already and am busy fixing salmon and halibut given to us. What a treat!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

In the days ahead it is going to be imperative that the Body of Christ be closely knit together if we are going to be able to stand against the onslaught of the enemy. We can see more each day of the animosity towards the church of God and how we are losing freedoms that we have held in the past. We can’t stand alone but we can stand strong together to make a difference. Paul says in Eph. 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling.”

But that doesn’t mean we all come from the same mold and similar denominations but rather that we embrace the truth of the gospel, believing Jesus died for us, rose from the dead and will come back for us one day. We don’t have to capitalize on the differences that some churches emphasize, and others may not, but rather to see our common ground in Christ. We are only one part of the stream that flows from the cross and many others who join along the way, of those that embrace Christ. Each has something to contribute and broadens the stream and enriches our lives and helps us become more balanced. I came from an evangelical background, but I have enjoyed dipping into the other streams and especially embrace the contemplative in my present life. I love to be alone in our bedroom where my desk is, and spend time in quiet and seeking to hear the Lord, reading contemplative books and the lives of those who are led by the Holy Spirit etc.

But for all of us we are to be open and receptive to all other streams and unit with others. In the future we may need the ministry of those who show compassion and give care, or we may be called to missions to share the gospel to a diverse group, or we may sense the need of power of the Holy Spirit to help us stand against accusations against us. We are to be open, stretched, always learning and open to the new things the Lord has for us.

Let us not try to go it alone but to join with others and be strengthened together to stand in the difficult days ahead.

Challenge for today: Ask and learn from other Christians that aren’t just like you!

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

August 18, 2023

August 18, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! Today Al and I are going to celebrate our birthdays which is midway between both of them in August. We are going to good restaurant in Crosby and to the Christian bookstore, where I suspect Al will spend his birthday money!

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Sometimes we read words that seem to just describe what we have been thinking and perhaps mulling over. Gina Smith, author and writer, wrote on “How to Find Joy in the Daily Grind.” Perhaps her description is of many of us who do the same routine things day after day, often without even thinking, and one day we question what is it all about anyway. Often it hits on those special birthdays like turning 40, or 60 or when we have little ones and do repetitive things each day; we wonder what we have accomplished and if it is important in the grand scheme of things.

We may ask ourselves if we have wasted our lives and need improvement or are we just where God would have us be in His timetable? God wants us to share our days with Him, even in what we might call the daily grind, the endless tasks and meetings at the office, the many interruptions with young children. Gina challenges us to partner with the Lord in all of these things and do what He has orchestrated for us. With Him by our side we find purpose in it, even in the smallest things for the Lord sees the end from the beginning. I think of Billy Graham’s mom and wonder if she realized when he was a just a wee boy, that she was helping form the life of one who would be a man of God and bring millions to the Lord. We have no idea what long range things will happen when we are partnered with the Lord.

Our work itself should be a witness to others when we do it heartily as unto the Lord. Paul said in Col. 3:23 (God’s Word), “Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly as though you were working for your real master and not merely for humans.” If we barely squeak by in doing our work, it is not much of a testimony of who we serve. When we connect with the Lord, praying throughout our day, we can experience His help and have purpose in our doing. We need to remember the big picture, and as we serve others like our family, that we might bring glory to Him. May all we do point back to the Lord for He is in everything throughout our day.

Challenge for today: Offer your day to the Lord and bring glory to Him in the big and the smallest tasks.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

August 17, 2023

August 17, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you have a day full of blessings! Today is Donut day here and I have a Donut waiting for Al when he comes home from Men’s group. This morning we also have a parade of antique cars that will be on the service road behind our apartment, along with shopping and brats. This afternoon is Bible Study and then tonight I have Women’s Bible Study so the day is full of good things.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

It’s one thing to have a great knowledge of the scriptures but it is quite another thing to live it out in our actions. The Pharisees could recite long passages of the Word and were steeped in the law but their actions and attitudes were often not in sync. What about us? Can that often be said of us as well that we have a good talk, but not always a good walk!

Today I was reading of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colossae and he tells them he has not stopped praying for them and says in Col. 1:9-10, “We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through every kind of spiritual wisdom and insight. We ask this so that you will live the kind of lives that prove you belong to the Lord. Then you will want to please Him in every way as you grow in producing every kind of good work by this knowledge about God.” When others look at our lives, what do they see? Do we live lives that express our love for the Lord and concern for others.

Luke writes about the early Christians that met together after Jesus resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. They had a single purpose and were joyful and humble and ate at each other’s homes, shared what they had, gave to the poor, and went to the temple each day. (Acts 2) Their lives were a living testimony to others that they knew Jesus. Would others say that about us? Can they tell just by observing our lives and seeing our fruit that we are Christ’s followers?

When our number one desire each day is to please the Lord and to bear fruit, our lives can attract others to want to know the Lord. So many are looking for peace and for joy and not finding it in the world. May we be a living witness of the love of the Lord and share Him with others by our words and how we live our lives.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord for opportunities to share His love in ways that help others desire to know Him.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 16, 2023

August 16, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope you enjoy this day and let the sunshine of His grace fill you! I just made Starch free choc chip cookies and soon going to my exercise class. Tonight, is Bible study at church.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

How many of us doubt God’s goodness at times in our lives when things may not be going so well. We may think, where are you God? We say we believe but then we begin to doubt and wonder if He really has our best interests at heart? It takes faith and trust that what is happening now, will one day bring us to a good place.

It’s important to be honest with ourselves and tell God how we really feel, for it is no secret with Him. We might end up saying, “God, right now I wonder if you really care for me and why this is happening to me!” Or we might also confess to a trusted spiritual friend that we are struggling in our faith or that we are dealing with a pride issue or whatever is going on in our hearts. As we are vulnerable and honest, the Holy Spirit is at work and we will recognize our need for grace. When I think about it, as Christians we are just people helping point others to His grace and to receive His mercy. We should not be shocked for if we are honest, those very things we see in others are also stuck in our own hearts.

Every day it is good to ask the Holy Spirit to show us our hearts, especially those parts that need to come into the light. If we are to be honest and not hiding from ourselves or others, we can admit our sin areas of pride, anger, unforgiving attitudes etc. Of course, our own pride doesn’t want us to focus on our own sinfulness, but rather the sins of others. Inward pride may be harder to deal with for if we do something outward for all to see, we can more easily admit our failure. But secret hidden sins seem to grow in the shadows and how much better if we confess them to the Lord or another close Christian. Maybe there is envy as we want what others have and think God is holding out on us; or maybe there is jealousy, malice, anger, greed or resentment. We may struggle more with anger and for someone else it may be jealousy but whatever it is, we need to spend time before the Lord and ask for help to face those things that hinder our closeness to Him. Like it says in I John 1:9 (Message), “On the other hand, if we admit our sins—make a clean breast of them—He won’t let us down; He’ll be true to Himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing.”

Challenge for today: Don’t excuse your sin but humbly and honestly admit your sin and ask for His forgiveness and then thank Him that He is a good God!

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 16, 2023

August 15, 2023 / Judy Hendrickson / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Hope your day is full of peace and your heart open to all that the Lord has for you. We plan to have friends over for coffee and fellowship. Today I am sharing a story from Facebook that I laughed so hard when I read, but there is also good truth in it.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

I read the following short story on Facebook, and it spoke to me of all the things we may not understand when we go through challenging times and question the Lord.

“A pastor asked an older farmer, decked out in bib overalls, to say grace for the morning breakfast.

‘Lord, I hate buttermilk’, the farmer began. The visiting pastor opened one eye to glance at the farmer and wonder where this was going.

The farmer loudly proclaimed, ‘Lord, I hate lard.’ Now the pastor was growing concerned.

Without missing a beat, the farmer continued, ‘And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour’. The pastor once again opened an eye to glance around the room and saw that he wasn’t the only one to feel uncomfortable.

Then the farmer added, ‘But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm fresh biscuits. So Lord, when things come up that we don’t like, when life gets hard, when we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing. It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen.’

Within that prayer there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today.

Stay strong, my friends, because our LORD is mixing several things that we don’t really care for, but something even better is going to come when HE is done with it. AMEN!”

We all go through tough times, and we may wonder where the Lord is in it all. But like this story unfolds, we need to be patient and wait and trust Him even in the midst of it all. Like David said in Psalm 27:14, “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” Let us stay strong even before we know how the Lord is working out our situations and trust Him completely.

Challenge for today: When going through your next difficult time, trust and thank the Lord that He is working it all out in His timing.

Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Category: Sister Judy (Page 70 of 270)

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