Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! We left early this morning to head to Olathe, Kansas, to see our son Kurt’s family. We have arrived and thank you for prayers. Going with my granddaughter to a coffee house in a few minutes so more tomorrow.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many of us are addicted to social media? When we wake up in the morning, before we are even out of bed, do we reach for our phones before we can start our day? How much endless time is consumed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, and Pinterest etc? Sometimes I feel almost apologetic that I don’t carry my phone everywhere and neglect to check it very often, but maybe life should not be lived by social media.
I read an article by Kia Stephens who is a home school mom and author, and she wrote 10 Good Things That Social Media Can Never Offer Us. A few things that caught my attention…
First of all, Social Media cannot offer us truth. It may give a mixture of different philosophies and views but no absolutes. Jesus, however is the way, the truth and the life.
Social Media cannot give us worth, although it can give us feedback when we post our most complimentary pictures. But our worth is not based on that, but on being loved by the One who knows us so well, the good and the bad. We will come up empty if we are dependent on what others think of us, and opinions can change in the blink of an eye.
Social media takes away precious time. We are being hood-winked if we believe that the information we get on our phones is more important than actual time spent with someone. When I recently saw a dear friend who I hadn’t seen for a couple years, believe me, it was a whole lot better than e-mailing!
Social Media can’t fill us with hope. When we post something sad, God can give us people to befriend us and offer comfort, but bottom line, our hope is in the Lord. He is the one who lifts us up.
Social Media can’t offer us wisdom. It may give us lots of information and facts but wisdom comes with applying the knowledge we have. That comes from the Lord.
Social Media can’t offer us Christlike character and dignity. We post only the best parts of ourselves that others see but He sees our unseen parts and helps us become like Him.
Social Media can’t offer contentment and I think it really seems to create more envy in hearts as posts are read of what great things others are doing.
The biggest thing is that Social Media can’t offer us God. He is greater than anything we find on Facebook and our life is fulfilled when we spend time with Him and His Word. Let us not waste our day on trivial things but seek the One who is Life.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you spend more time with Him and less time on Social Media.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a peace-filled day. We are busy packing and cleaning and soon Al will lead our Bible study here. We hope to get in a nice walk outside today too. TOmorrow we plan to leave about 4 am to go to our son’s family in Kansas and would appreciate prayers for a safe journey. I will e-mail once we get there.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Help I’ve been robbed! How often that is happening today as people are accosted in broad day light, their purses snatched away, or their car dismantled? Robberies are happening every minute and people are left sad and disillusioned. Now as grievous as these experiences are, there are many things that are far worse that are being stolen right out from under us by the enemy of our souls.
How many times do we listen to the enemy’s voice, though it is often disguised, and we give credence to his message that we are worthless and won’t amount to anything? Or when he knows we are doing something important for God’s kingdom, and he gets us distracted and bombarded with doing many other busy things. He is usually subtle at first and tells us half-truths so we will gradually swallow his lies and get off track. We also see how he allures people with the desire to get rich, and when they amass great wealth, they realize that it leaves them empty.
Let us guard ourselves against the enemy’s tactics. We don’t have to feel helpless and go along with his counterfeits but we can ask the Lord for His help, His truth, and His strength to stand up against anything the enemy sends to rob us.
It’s important that we believe that God has our best in mind, and even when we don’t understand His ways, He is working things out for our ultimate good. We can believe everything He says and we have His Word to turn to each day to receive our spiritual nurturance. When we are unsure of what to do, we can pause and ask for His wisdom and he will grant it. We can trust Him for He will not lie, or lead us down wrong paths. He will speak truth to our hearts and He is worthy of our trust.
Let us not fear or doubt but stand against the enemy in the power of the Lord. God wants to be first in our lives, and as it says in Matt. 6:33 (Amplified), “But seek (aim at an strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” God wants to be our number #one priority and we can count on Him to help us recognize when it is not His voice and to stand against the enemy.
Challenge for today: Put God first and ask Him to make you strong in the power of His might and to recognize and stand against the devil’s schemes.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the day!. Al did a service next door this morning and does that monthly. I have been baking and got two kinds of cookies done and egg dishes. Also, went to my exercise class and this afternoon is crafts and then Bible Study tonight.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Yesterday I asked the question, what false narratives have we told ourselves about the Lord that we need to eliminate? I love hearing your responses and many of you had similar answers as you felt you were not good enough; maybe at your job, or maybe just measuring up against others. Interestingly some had to change the narrative of blaming someone else when discovering that it wasn’t something they did after all. We all can probably identify with those who felt so unworthy before the Lord and have not viewed Him as their Loving Father that loves them even when they fail, but rather someone they had to perform for,=.
I listened to a song called “I Am Your Beloved”, sung by Jonathan and Melissa Hesler and I want to share their words as it was so powerful and shows us the way of truth rather than the false narrative we may have believed. ( I didn’t include all the repetitions)
“I’ve heard the accusations/ and I’ve heard the propaganda/ I’ve heard the lies they whispered to my soul/ that I have been forsaken/ and I’ll always be forgotten/ No matter what I do it’s not enough/ But then I heard a voice as it opened up the heavens/ reminding me of who I’ve always been.”
Chorus: “I am your beloved/ You have bought me with your blood/ And on your hand you’ve written out my name/ I am your beloved/ The one the Father loves/ Mercy has defeated all my shame.”
“There’s no accusation or any condemnation/ when I look into my Father’s eyes/ They don’t see my sins/ They only see redemption/ This is how my heart has been defined/ I can hear your voice that is louder than the thunder/ reminding me of whose I’ve always been.
The One who knows me best / Is the One who loves me most/ There is nothing that I have done/ that could change the Father’s love.
Oh I can hear the feet of the Father running/ It’s like a stampede of grace coming my way/ Mercy I never earned/ grace I never deserved/ coming to bring me home again/ I can hear the Father calling my name.
I can see the face of my Father/ I can hear the voice of my Father/ calling out my name/ I can hear the heart of my Father / Here He comes.”
May each of us open our ears to hear the voice of our Father letting us know we are loved and extending His grace and mercy to us.
Challenge for today: Say the words of this song aloud and let them speak to your heart
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you awaken today with a fresh outlook. After you read the devotion for today, can you think of a false narrative you have told yourself about the Lord and need to eliminate?
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many times do we spread false narratives or tell ourselves false narratives, while not taking the time to investigate if they are true? There are some things we can just eliminate right off the bat when it does not line up with scripture and so we can just dismiss it. There are also questionable things that we need to try to go to the source and see if things line up as truth.
While at coffee one day, one of the residents shared how she was awakened at 3 a.m. by a loud T.V. blaring. On other nights if she heard a loud TV she assumed it was her next door neighbor, and for a few minutes she thought so again. But there was one problem; her neighbor was in the hospital many miles away and no one was in her apartment; That meant that all of this time she made the wrong assumption. If she had chosen to, she could have spread a false narrative about how noisy her neighbor was, but she didn’t. She is still trying to figure out if it is coming from the floor below or just where but she no longer blames her next-door neighbor.
I thought of this in relationship to the Lord and how we blame Him for things that give others a false narrative. Some say He is a cruel judge who is waiting to punish us. But the truth is He is our loving Father that went to great lengths to show His love for us. It says in I John 4:10 (God’s word). “This is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be payment for our sins.” Others may paint a false picture by saying that being a Christian is a joy-spoiler and a dull life of rules. But the true narrative is that Jesus came to give us a full abundant life and free us from the law, and to love Him from our hearts. Some falsely say that God is illusive and distant and yet we are told He is closer than a brother for He lives in us. In fact, we are promised that if we seek Him we will find Him and if we call to Him, He is always ready to answer. Some claim God doesn’t hear our prayers unless we pray in a certain way or simply doesn’t answer when we pray. But Jesus said, we don’t have to be wordy, but just tell Him our needs and He will answer according to His perfect will… and that doesn’t mean all our preferences.
Let us be done with false narratives, even those secret things we tell ourselves; instead, may we be truthtellers and live in freedom and love.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to correct you when you give a false narrative and become a truth seeker.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Have you ever heard of Takotsubo Syndrome? Better known as broken heart syndrome, Takotsubo Syndrome is on the rise in America. This syndrome can mirror a heart attack, causing chest pains and shortness of breath after the heart muscles weaken. “It generally happens after a severe emotional or physical event, such as a breakup, car accident or even a surprise birthday party,” according to Dr. Susan Cheng, who led a study published by the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Studies have shown a clear connection in how the heart and the brain react together when things like anxiety or stress are present. According to the Mayo Clinic, broken heart syndrome is often preceded by an intense physical or emotional event. More Americans are living with broken hearts and the painful feeling now comes with a severe diagnosis. The Covid pandemic, political unrest and increased social isolation due to technology have only increased the health impacts that Americans are experiencing.
Men, do any of you have a broken heart due to shame, failure, disappointment, etc.? The Lord is aware of our broken hearts and can bring healing. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Ps 34:18). “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Ps. 147:3). The NET says, “[He] bandages their wounds.” Only God can bind up the wounds of a broken heart. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus when he wrote, “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners…” (Is. 61:1).
The prophet Hosea lamented the spiritual adultery among the people of God. He continually reminded them of God’s tender, caring love for them. Speaking of Ephraim, God relayed through Hosea: “Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, but he never acknowledged my help, never admitted that I was the one pulling his wagon, that I lifted him, like a baby, to my cheek.” (Hosea 11:3-4 Message). Phillips says, “Yet they never knew that it was I who healed their bruises (v. 3b). Can you picture Jesus, leaning over and kissing you on the cheek, healing your bruises and pulling your wagon loaded with burdens?
Henri Nouwen continually emphasized that the heart is the center of our lives. “But,” he says, “it’s also there that we are most alienated from ourselves. We know little or nothing of our heart. We keep our distance from it, as though we were afraid of it. What is more intimate is also what frightens us most. Where we are most ourselves, we are often strangers to ourselves.” We are, he observes, “strangers in our own house.”
As men we can live as strangers in our own houses, living with broken hearts. We do our best to cover up the ache inside. But like a tooth ache; it just does not go away. We are uncomfortable when we become aware of the intensity of the pain. Years ago, I learned an important principle from the poet Robert Bly. He said, “The way to a man’s heart is through his pain.” We must go through the pain, not around it.”
Our hearts are very fragile. We might not think this is the case. We can put on a good front and pretend. But the truth is that we cannot mend a broken heart. Only the redeeming love of God can reach down and begin to put all the pieces back together. Trust me, it is a lifelong process. Don’t waste another day, trying to self-medicate your pain or patch up the wounds with excuses.
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. This morning I made Bison Butternut cocoa chili and went to my exercise class. We are starting to get things together for our trip so we can pack the car on Thursday. We look forward to seeing Kurt’s family and Marks.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
God wants a close loving relationship with each of us and when we have open hearts to Him, each day is an awesome experience, and anything but boring! He is in everything, and more and more we come to know His greatness and power and love.
Although He is with us every moment, I wonder how aware we are of His presence throughout our day.
In Psalm 92:2 (New Living Translation) it says, “It I good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning and your faithfulness in the evening.” The Message says, “To announce your love each daybreak, sing your faithful presence all through the night.” I like that!
It is the best way to start our day by acknowledging His presence with us and praising Him. Sometimes that has to be on the go, but we are inviting Him anew, to be with us in everything that happens in our day. Then in the evening it is faith building to express our gratitude as we see how His hand has been intricately with us throughout our day. I often do this in my evening shower as I just begin to praise Him for how He has shown his love in so many ways during my day. If I wake at night, I fall back asleep as I am thanking Him.
Perhaps it is like putting our spiritual antennae up to catch His signals, to not miss His workings all around us. Sometimes it can just be a word or suggestion we are given that seems to solve our problem and meet our need.
I got this far in writing a devotion Saturday morning when we got a call from our son who shared good news with us as He saw God’s surprising touch in his body. He has workedout nearly every day of his youth and adult life but for the last 2 months he has had pain and restricted movement in his right elbow after hurting it in the weight room. He got an XRAY and MRI and it showed damage to the joint along with bone spurs floating around in the triceps and elbow. It caused his elbow to lock up and restrict his range of motion. The Dr. said he would not have to do anything now if he could put up with the pain, but likely would need a scope to clean it out in the future. Kurt started drinking cider vinegar and the pain instantly went away and has not come back. We rejoiced with him to hear the good news as we have prayed each day for his healing and that can come in various ways…even through Apple Cider Vinegar!
Let us give the Lord all our concerns, as we can share everything with Him as we walk out our day. Nothing is too small or too big for we have a Great God who loves us!
Challenge for today: Whatever comes today, simply tell the Lord and ask for His help but remember to thank him before you shut your eyes tonight.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a relaxing warm weekend. It is snowing and cold and so nice to be inside. This morning I studied and cleaned, and made a meat loaf dinner; the aroma still fills the apartment!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How do we view ourselves? Do we love ourselves out of who we are in Christ? Accepting who God made us to be is important but that doesn’t mean we become narcissistic and so focused on ourselves that we have little thought for others. It is not easy to be around people who think only of themselves but on the other hand, we also all need to have a healthy view of ourselves. Jesus said in Matt 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (that is, unselfishly seek the best of higher good for others).”This verse is repeated 8 times in scripture so it must be important.
Some feel they are worthy and loved only if they have a title or degree by their name. Sometimes Al gets mail addressed to him as Alan Hendrickson, other times as Pastor Alan Hendrickson, or could be Doctor Alan Hendrickson, but it makes no difference for he is the same person inside.
So how is our relationship with ourselves? Sometimes we may be impatient and harder on ourselves than we are with others, and we need to just accept that we are not perfect. God is still working on us and we need to have patience and admit when we are wrong, and let Him smooth down our rough edges.
The big question to ask ourselves is how does God see us? It’s His perspective that carries the full weight of how we see ourselves and not our twisted unhealthy views. We have so many scriptures telling us we are precious, we are valued, we are the crown of His creation, we are loved. We need to see ourselves as God sees us and receive His love before we can love others.
It helps to spend some time alone with the Lord and let His words of love touch our hearts. He knew us when we were knit together in our mother’s womb and His work was wonderful. We need to let go of any negative thought patterns about ourselves and let His positive affirmations flood our souls. If you have trouble seeing positive things, it might be helpful to ask your spouse or a close friend what things they see in you. Al uses different words to describe me, and although we often jest about them, I keep a list on the counter of the new words he comes up with. I love his latest…”You are a natural, total, authentic woman!” And then we laugh.
Yes, we sin daily but God doesn’t love us less. We only see how much He loves us even in our stink, and we rely on His grace and mercy. Let us receive His love deep into our hearts and then love others in the same way.
Challenge for today: Write down some positive affirming words that God and others see in you.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! Hope you are enjoying it and keeping warm too. The house is full of aroma as I just took S.F. Blueberry cinnamon bread out of the oven. A week from today we leave for Kansas and then on to N.C. where hopefully it is warmer! Ann just called and is on her way to shop and to stop in to see us.
Ann just called and is on her way to shop and to stop in to see us. Devotions from Judy’s heart
How many times have we been fooled? We may have thought we recognized a friend but too late embarrassingly realized it was not him, but only a lookalike. Or maybe we ordered something we saw online and when the object is delivered, it looks greatly inferior to what was advertised and doesn’t really deliver as promised. Or maybe we have fallen for a scam and live to regret it.
I think we all have to admit that we can be duped. I am reading in Genesis now and Eve was the first one to be deceived and failed to recognize that the voice she listened to was that of the evil one. It cost her and Adam to be ushered out of the beautiful garden of Eden, and the consequences that followed affected not only them, but all generations.
How about us? So many are living in fear today. Is it because we are being fooled by the voice of the enemy and listening to him rather than to God? Instead of ruminating on the bad things Satan tells us of what may happen, we can live in hope and expectancy of what God can do. Our focus needs to be on the Lord. Like it says in Isaiah 40:31 (Amplified), “But those who wait for the Lord (who expect, look for and hope in Him) will gain new strength and renew their power.” Our hope is in God and we need to hang on to the promises in His Word and disprove the lies of the enemy when he tries to deceive us and rob us of our peace.
King David got in so many tight spots when the outlook didn’t look good for him. But over and over again he called out to God and in Psalm 34 he says, “God met me more than halfway, He freed me from my anxious fears…If anyone is crying for help? God is listening, ready to rescue you.”
No matter what kind of situations we are in today, we don’t need to live with anxiety, but can call out to the Lord. It is helpful to refute the lies of the enemy with the Word and hang on to those promises that speak truth to our hearts. His eyes are on us, let us put our eyes on Him.
Challenge for today: When you feel anxious and afraid, turn to the Lord and His Word.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Burr it is cold. It was -26 when Al went to Men’s Group this morning! We will definitely be walking inside today. I made a veggie stir fry and other food prep, studied and went downstairs for coffee and donuts this morning. We have Bible Study this afternoon but we may have smaller attendance due to someone here having covid. We pray noone else will get it.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are told to be loving to one another and we need to ask ourselves if we have compassion and seek to be used in sharing God’s love with others. In Eph 4:32 (ESV) Paul says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you”…. But how does that look in our everyday lives?
Perhaps you also saw on Facebook the story of a man in Jasper, Alabama, who was at a lavish coffee bar. As he steps up to order a milkshake, he asks what flavors they have and the cashier told him to just read the list and decide what he wants, showing her impatience. He confessed that he didn’t know how to read and she responded by humiliating the man telling him to go to the back of the line while she waited on educated customers. But the customer behind him quickly stepped up and started reading the long list to him. She knew of someone who couldn’t read and showed empathy to this man. This whole scenario was really staged and John Quiones from the TV show, (What Would You Do?), steps out of hiding and commends her for helping this man. They reset the scene again and another gal quickly stepped up to also help read the menu as she had a grandpa who she loved that couldn’t read and wanted to save this man from humiliation. Another gal who was an educator had tears as she saw how this illiterate man was treated and came to his rescue as well. But there were also those that seemed outraged and even left the coffee bar and showed no empathy for this illiterate man.
How quick are we as followers of Christ to stand up for those who struggle in life or are we like those who join the crowd that snickers and judges without knowing the whole story? Are we willing to be inconvenienced to help others and show them love?God often uses His children to be those living illustrations of His love that others may come to know Him. When Jesus was preparing to leave this world, he told His disciples to love one another just as much as He loved them. (John 13:34-35) That is radical love! May we not hold back but love, love, love!
Challenge for today: Show love to someone today who needs uplifting.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a great day and keeping warm. I made Chocolate Peanutty Bars, studied, and went to my exercise class this morning. We have crafts today and Bible study tonight.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Often in scripture we are told to love others and walk in the way of love. We can’t do that in our own strength but we need God’s love to flow through us to others, especially prickly ones, that we find hard to love. We have to first experience God’s love in the depths of our being, in order to have love flow out of us.
Today I read from Ephesians 3:17 (Amplified), “May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in our hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love.” What spoke to me was the importance that God’s love be the ground into which we sink our roots into and then to let it expand in our hearts.
Sometime ago I had a neglected ivy plant that looked dry and sickly and nearly dead when we came home from a trip. I almost threw it out, but I decided to put it in a new container that was a bit larger, with rich soil, water it and wait to see what would happen. I rested it on my tea cart by the window that let in the sunshine and it wasn’t long before it perked up and was thriving. In fact, it grew so quickly I soon had to trim it as it was branching out all over. I even saved some slips for our daughter to have her own ivy plant.
Perhaps there are times we are spiritually neglectful and not taking time to nourish our souls. We begin to have doubts and wonder if the Lord really loves us. We want to be like a well-watered plant or like the firm foundation of a house that Paul describes, but our faith wavers and we feel dry. We need the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in our faith! At such times it is good to get back into the Word, to find fellowship, to pray, to worship and to and spend time with the Lord. Sometimes we need a little “fertilizer” too and when added it will help promote growth.
May we let our roots go deep into the Lord and experience His love in ways we have never known before.Challenge for today: When you begin to feel dry, ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen your faith and then receive all that He pours out on you
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy
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