On the 25th anniversary of Rich Mullins’ death in 1997, I was reading some articles by people he had influenced. My memory of his music was stirred, music from the 80’s and early 90’s that still touches me today. As Bethel McGrew observed, Mullins would “have defied easy categorization in today’s Christian culture wars.” Mullins was indeed a “ragamuffin” Christian for Brennan Manning’s “Ragamuffin Gospel” for people of faith who are among “the bedraggled, beat-up and burnt-out.”
Mullins “was flawed and broken, every bit the raggamuffin he claimed to be and more. But he told us the truth as he could see it,” noted Russell Moore. Andrew Greer and Randy Cox wrote about the tension Mullins felt with the evangelical establishment of his time. “Rich chafed against the paint-by-numbers parameters of the gospel music industry. From his ragamuffin perspectiven, his choice was clear: he could either appease the mass-market demands of a religiously ‘right’ constituency by softening his creed and diluting his dialogue or he could appeal to people’s heart through honest and human exchange.”
In my early days of spiritual growth, Mullins’ appeal was two-fold for me. First, as Greer and Cox observed, Mullins appealed to the heart. He knew and expressed emotional and spiritual suffering. His songs expressed these sentiments. The second aspect of Mullin’s influence on me was his searching for spirituality within the Catholic tradition (an asymptotic catholic). He was positioned as a kind of “folk theologian in the space between Protestantism and Catholicism.”
There are several songs that I especially remember. The first Awesome God, which was almost anthem during the height the the charismatic movement. Both Judy and I have fond memories of those days. It is a simple refrain: “Our God is an awesome God/He reigns from heaven above/With wisdom, power, and love/Our God is an awesome God.” I can almost hear a large crowd singing this with all their might.
The second is Hold Me Jesus. It is a haunting song of spiritual struggle. I identified with Mullins’ struggle in this. One verse goes: “Surrender don’t come natural to me/I’d rather fight You for something I don’t really want/Than to take what You give that I need/And I’ve beat my head against so many walls/Now I’m falling down I’m falling on my knees.” Wow. I still identify with these words.
The chorus brings back a lot of memories: “So hold me Jesus ’cause I’m shaking like a leaf/You have been king of my glory/Won’t you be my Prince of Peace.” I remember identifying with “the leaf.” It described my heart condition. I was only learning to put my hand on my heart and look up to Jesus and cry for mercy. Thank you, Jesus, for Rich Mullins’ vulnerability.
The third song is If I Stand. I can still identify deeply with the chorus. “So if I stand let me stand on the promise/That you will pull me through/And if I can’t, let me fall on the grace/That first brought me to You/And if I sing let me sing for the joy/That has born in me these songs/And if I weep let it be as a man/Who is longing for his home.”
Wow! How often I still have to “fall on the grace” that brought me to Jesus in the beginning. I am thankful that God has given me the gift of tears, to weep over my own sins. While I continue to journey, now on the homeward stretch, I long for home and for what is yet to come. Thank you, Rich Mullins, for your influence in my life.
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Dear Ones,
Hope you have a great weekend. It is overcast and light rain here. This morning I cleaned the apartment and did a little shopping. Tonight we have “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner!” which means we will show up at a designated home, along with others that are yet unknown, and have meal together. 
Fun!
Fun!Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all face challenges every day but we can choose even ahead of time, not to let negative things rob us of our joy. We don’t tackle problems alone for we can face them head on in the strength of the Lord. That alone changes the equation!
We are designed to be dependent on Him so when we get in tough circumstances, they are meant to draw us even closer to Him. We go not in our own strength but in His strength that never runs out. As Paul said in Phil 4:13 (AMP) “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency).”
We can probably all think of times that we felt weak in light of some tough circumstance we had to go through. Maybe you are in that place right now. But when we give it all to the Lord in utter dependency, we can see His power go to work. He is in control and we are not and we can begin thanking Him for how He will work things out. Also, we must wait for a green light if there is something He wants us to do. But we are not to charge ahead until we sense the path we are to take. Otherwise, we can waste so much energy as we take detours and wrong turns and spoil God’s way of handling it all.
As we spend time in regular communication with Him it helps sharpen our senses to recognize His voice from all the others. We need to be patient and not run a red light as we wait for Him to open the door. Then we can move forward in obedience.
If we are used to doing our own thing and not consulting the Lord, this will be difficult. But we can start in small instances and totally rely on Him and watch Him work in ways we may never have conceived. As we trust Him more and more, we can fully lean on Him in the big concerns of our lives. He is worthy of our trust, always!! We can make it through everything when we trust in His sufficiency!
Challenge for today: When a challenge comes to you, stop and pray and listen and wait for the green light.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the weekend! This morning I made a new chicken recipe and the house is so full of good aroma. Will see if the taste matches it. Bill is doing well and may possibly go to the Transplant House today where he and his wife will be for quite some time. Thank you for prayers for him. A friend Bernadine could also use your prayers, as you will read.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
After a night of sleep I wake up most mornings with the question to the Lord of what He would have me write. I never know how He will lead me and often it is a surprise. I go to the scriptures and also to some devotionals online from Fuller seminary and other writers and often it sparks something in me to write.
Recently I have been concerned for friends going through some serious health issues and as I read Debbie McDaniel’s words, she shared scriptures to start our day. One of the scriptures was Psalm 91 which is one I memorized when going through a tough time years ago. But this day the words meant more as I thought of our friend Bill, who I asked you to pray for, as he received his kidney transplant. I prayed that the Lord would be his refuge and strength and that no evil would befall him; also that God would protect him and as verse 16 says, “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” I praised the Lord for His watchfulness over Bill and how well he was doing with vital signs good, kidney working and walking laps around the nurses’ desk.. Bill’s help came from the Lord!
I also have concern for my friend Bernadine who was just healing up from a fractured wrist and other symptoms from an encounter with a dog. She emailed that she was going to the ER as she had fallen down the stairs and later found out she had 3 fractures ribs and a broken collarbone etc. She lives alone but her former roommate was finally able to get a hold of her by phone and prayed for her. She emailed that Bernadine was a trooper and upbeat and full of faith.” Just like another scripture McDaniel had given from Psalm 46, Bernadine’s help was from the Lord, her very present help in trouble. She was not fearful for she knew the Lord was with her and she was not moved but trusting Him.
A third scripture given was Psalm 121 about our help coming from the Lord. I thought of our friend in a nearby apartment whose sight is failing and her hearing diminishing. She is aware of her need for help from the Lord and as it says in verses 7-8, “The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” Even though her sight and hearing is poor, God is with her and she is in His keeping power.
As we read verses of scripture each day, may they speak to our hearts and applied to our lives as we claim the wonderful promises that are given.
Challenge for today: Read one of the Psalms and meditate on it as you go about your day.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this day. It seems like fall now with temperatures dropping. This morning I went downstairs for donuts and then to Aldi’s and this afternoon we have Bible Study. Bill came through his surgery and now has a new kidney. Continue to pray his body will accept this gift and that there will be no rejection. We had a picture sent of him eating breakfast and he looked great!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all have need to belong but we don’t always sense we have a place to fit in. But when we know the Lord, we are part of the body of Christ, the Lord being the head. Even though we are now all connected we don’t always feel a deep sense of community and often experience disappointment. Community takes work and we may have expectations that seem to be unmet. We can respond by choosing to stay on the fringes and begin looking at other churches; or we can decide to do all we can to become a part of body and also welcome others.
But it takes effort from all of us to build community and since we are all flawed people, much grace must be extended to one another. We are the family of God and if family then we share life together, for we are brothers and sisters. We spend time getting to know one another, worshiping together, communing together, and helping each other as we go through times of trials and grief.
We are to reflect Jesus to the world and to be that light on the hill that reflects His glory. Everyone is important and needed to help reach out to those who are lost but also to those hurting within the Body of believers. We are all to take responsibility and not leave everything up to a few more extroverted members. Instead, we need to all be committed to the Lord first and then to one another.
Small groups have been important in our life as it was a place to share our hearts and struggles too, and to pray for one another. Sometimes small groups met at the church and sometimes in homes but it was a place where we connected with other believers and shared our souls. As we come to know love and have a sense of belonging, we will have love to give to others and help them connect too.
It is wonderful when community is warm and welcoming but it also important to have moral boundaries and Christian values and principles; it’s a place where we speak truth in love. I think of it as a gift that is to be treasured. Paul says in Eph 4:15-16, Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”
Challenge for today: Reach out to someone who is on the fringe and needs to know they have a place in the body of Christ.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Good morning! Today is a full day with exercise class and making more Alzheimer’s quilts, Bible Study etc. But I am sending this out early to ask for prayer for our friend Bill who is having a kidney transplant this afternoon at Mayo. He has Amyloidosis and we give thanks for the person who is donating their kidney to him. Prayers appreciated for Bill and the surgeon and for no rejection etc.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Have you ever awakened in the night and had a concern come to mind that left you wide-eyed for a while? You might then go through a mental list of the possibilities of how the problem might be solved or you could choose to give that concern to the Lord right then and leave the answer up to Him. The second option is definitely better!
Recently, I woke up about 2 a.m., and I found myself thinking of a potential problem and was restless and wide awake. And then the words to a simple song came to mind, “Why worry when you can pray/ trust Jesus, He’ll be your stay/ Don’t be like doubting Thomas/ trust fully in His promise/ why worry, worry, worry, when you can pray.” This simple song spoke to my heart and reminded me of what we had learned the day before in Bible Study. We are now in I Peter who was writing to exiles who were scattered and many who were being persecuted. In class we talked about how we have a living hope and we can rejoice even in the midst of our trials and all that is happening around us. Our trust is in the Lord, even when we have no idea what is going to happen in the future. We have an inheritance that is being kept in heaven for us and our time on earth is just a brief time and only our temporary home. So why worry about these momentary things but instead give them to the Lord.
I proceeded to pray and gave the Lord my concern and the next thing I knew it was time to get up. I had peacefully fallen back to sleep and the Lord had also given me a dream that I will ponder in the days to come, as well.
Let us remember where our hope lies for then we don’t have to worry about what is happening now or in the future, for it is all in His hands. Like it says in Lamentations 3:24-25 (ESV), “’The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him.”
Challenge for today: Then next time a concern comes to mind, tell the Lord you are trusting in Him, who is your Hope!
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake up to a day of thankfulness. This morning I am going downstairs for coffee and choc covered raspberries. This afternoon we are having a couple over for prayer and fellowship, which we look forward to.
This week your question is what have you gained through what you have suffered in your life?
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well do we suffer? I guess I don’t know anyone that says they love to suffer but many share that good came from their suffering and left them more dependent on the Lord. We all will go through struggles in our lives and are told to give our suffering to the Lord; as it says in Rom.8:16-17 (ESV), “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him.”
We are not to run from God when going through those hard times, but to run to Him. We can pour out our hearts to Him for He fully understands. Psychology Professor Todd Hall writes about how we can grow through these experiences. Many come away with a deeper appreciation for life and no longer take things for granted. Some have a change in their priorities as they know in a new way how precious time and relationships are. Others find meaning in and through their suffering and are strengthened spiritually. Some even discover spiritual strength that they didn’t know they had and are amazed. Al and I have often been surprised as we have seen those in our congregations that seem to sail through tough times, and others that fall apart. Todd also brings out that some come through suffering with greater acceptance of their vulnerabilities and limitations. People see how helpless they are and depend more on the Lord.
We may find that when going through suffering, it makes us more compassionate of others who are going through similar hard things and we can express our emotions more openly. I remember shedding tears with a friend who lost her baby and there were no words at the time, we just sat together and cried.
It does help to have others who will walk beside us in our suffering and we feel the strength of their support and are able to tell them what we are experiencing. We don’t feel alone but rather joined together in a deeper way.
Sometimes we change our priorities after going through a hard time. We see what is really important. What we learn through it all can also be passed on to others who go through similar situations..
Let us give our suffering to the Lord that we become more like Him.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to make you stronger as you go through suffering.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We had a group of new members join our church yesterday, including our pastor’s parents and sister’s family. This morning I have been studying and doing food prep and soon going to my exercise class; and tonight is the VIking game!!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes new Christians think that when they receive the Lord that all their problems are over; so, when they encounter difficulties, they get disillusioned and think something is very wrong and are tempted to abandon their new faith. But we were never promised a smooth road and a life without trials; in fact, we were told we would face sufferings of all kinds for His sake.
In our Bible study here at Northern Lakes, we are in the book of I Peter, and he writes to the Christians that were exiled because of their faith. In fact, as Christ followers, we can expect persecutions and trials, and how we go through them is a testing of our faith. Peter tells the exiled Christians that they will have to suffer various trials for a while and he says in “The purpose of these troubles is to test your faith as fire tests how genuine gold is. Your faith is more precious than gold, and by passing the test, it gives praise glory, and honor to God.” ( I Peter 1:7) When miners find rocks with gold, they put them in the fire and impurities float to the top and can be skimmed off and the true gold comes forth. Our testing also proves if our faith is pure but we may discover that we have pride and selfishness and all sorts of impurities. But if we let the Lord refine us our faith and hope will increase and we will rely more on Him. As the genuineness of our faith comes forth, it brings glory to God.
Let us not be surprised when we go through suffering. We may all have hoped for an easier road and at times even compared our road to others but that is not wise. We must trust that the Lord who is in control of our lives, lays out the road before us, and promises to be with us on our journey all the way. Even when there seems to be no way He can reroute us!. As the hymn goes, “God will make a way/ where there seems to be no way/ He works in ways we cannot see/ He will make a way for me/ He will be my guide/ hold me closely to His side/ with love and strength for each new day/ He will make a way.”
Instead of complaining of the hard road we travel, let us be thankful that He is in the process of refining us.
Challenge for today: Trust and thank the Lord for the road He has you on right now!
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy
The “Day of The Lord” is an expression found frequently in the Old Testament prophets. It points to an extraordinary event. It could refer to a present event (like a locust plague) an even in the near future (like the destruction of Jerusalem) or the final period in history when God will defeat the forces of evil. However, in Joel’s day, many of God’s people had come to believe the day of the Lord referred to a day of blessing. It tended to produce complacency.
When Joel saw the day of the Lord as a day of judgment, it caught the people by surprise. He prophesied, “The day of the Lord is near, the day when destruction comes from the Almighty. How terrible that day will be!” (1:15) Then in 2:2-11, the prophet gives a vivid description of all the devastation across the land. He cries out, “The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful; Who can endure it?” (2:11).
I want to ask – “In what way is the day of the Lord relevant for our day? How should we prepare ourselves for a contemporary day of the Lord? Are we as a nation approaching such an event in the near future? In my heart I have a sense of foreboding. Is God trying to get the attention of His church? Are we behaving more like victims rather than bold witness to the sovereignty of God in our national affairs?”
Joel’s counsel for us in our day is to “cry out to the Lord” (1:14). “When we are facing bitter and utter desolation, it is not our immediate reaction to cry out to God. It is easier and more common, to withdraw and to take it out on others…….this has the effect of devouring our faith in God. Joel’s instruction effectively tells the people to jettison any vestige of pride, self-sufficiency, anger or rebelliousness” ( Bible Speaks Today).
Joel exhorts the people, “Put on sackcloth.” (1:13) There is to be external actions that express the inward cry of the heart. The prophet calls for the priest to “Declare a fast [and] call a sacred assembly.” They are to “Summons the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord” (1:14). “There is a suggestion here that in times of national crisis, spiritual leaders should take the imitative in calling on political and other leaders to cry out to God” (BST).
There is a dramatic change in the second part of the prophecy. “Then the Lord was jealous for his land and took pity on his people” (2:18). God makes a promise: “I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten – the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm – my great army that I sent among you” (2:25).
I wonder about the present condition of our nation? Is the Spirit of God stirring the hearts of people in the church to come before him and cry out for God to the merciful to us as a nation? Are enough hearts being broken for the sins of our nation? Are we coming with humble, repentant hearts, asking for forgiveness and boldness to live as loving servants in a dying culture? I wonder.
My challenge to men is to take the lead in coming before the Lord. Dismiss the fear-mongering so prevalent in our nation and cry out to the Lord to have mercy. God is looking for men who will be his witnesses in our day.
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a great weekend. I made 2 Mexican pies this morning and cleaned the apartment etc. We have been enjoying this mild weather for our walks and know that it won’t be long until we will be bundling up.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well do we love? How do we grow in love for God and others? As I have been reading Todd Hall’s book, The Connected Life, I ask myself those questions. If we are truly loving it means we’re pursuing the good of others and want to connect with them; we desire what is best for them and delight in their well-being.
That doesn’t mean we give others everything they want but rather what it is in their best interest to have them flourish. We want to give them what they need and is good for them so they may grow and heal and be understood.
Todd describes the four loves found in Scripture—Philia (friendship love), Agape love (Divine love), Eros (romantic love), and storge (parental or attachment love). What kind of love we show to another has to do with the type of relationship we have with them and the needs that they have. Each relationship and situation require wisdom to know how to love well and reflect God’s love to them.
There may be tension between loving those closest to us plus loving those in the broader world. We can get caught up serving the poor but neglecting our own families. When we know the Lord, our love is expressed for the glory of God and we have the power of the Holy Spirit to love even those not naturally easy to love.
Let us not forget though that we also need to receive love, especially when we are vulnerable and wounded. His love is transforming and we need to open our hearts to receive or we don’t have it to give away. We can also receive by engaging in spiritual practices that may help us open up, grow, and bring about transformation. Hall writes of the importance of reading scripture, practicing mindful awareness, silence etc. so we may draw closer in intimacy with God. As James says In James 4:8 (ESV), Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
Challenge for today: Do a new spiritual practice and open yourself up to receive how God wants to bless you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! We woke up to rain again and everything looks very fresh out my window. I got chocolate raspberries made as I was all out of them to share. Am working in my closet and finding clothes for 3 weddings coming up!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we make room in our hearts each day for the Lord or is He pushed to the side by our prideful attitudes and sinful behavior?
I woke up early this morning thinking of an old song that I haven’t heard sung for a long time by Billy Gaines, reminding me there is never a lack of room at the foot of the cross The song goes: “The cross on which Jesus died/ Is a shelter in which we can hide/ And its grace so free is sufficient for me/ And deep is its fountain as wide as the sea/ There’s room at the cross for you/ There’s room at the cross for you/ Though millions have come, there’s still room for one/ Yes there’s room at the cross for you.”
A repentant heart is spacious and open and really a gift from God. It brings incredible peace; but a heart that is full of pride and denies sin, making excuses and blaming others, is a closed heart that keeps the Lord at a distance. It is not a peaceful way to live and will weigh us down.
How do we keep an open heart? We must hate sin and be willing to humbly come to the cross and confess our sins and be willing to change. As it says in Romans 8:6-7 (Message), “Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God.”
What a difference when we are willing to deal with our sin, for God’s grace is poured out on us and there is more room for Him. But if we hold on to our sinful ways, we won’t experience that spacious free life of peace in the Lord.
It is because the Lord loves us so much that he shows us our sin so that we can repent and have room in our hearts for Him to fill.
Challenge for today: Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas in your life that need to come to the cross, and ask forgiveness with a willingness to change.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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