Author: Judy Glasser

Life is a journey. Sometimes I'm coasting downhill and, other times, its a tough road uphill. My journey has been straight uphill since May 19, 2016 when my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer was killed in the line of duty. When my life and dreams blew apart, I only had one option - to hold on tightly to my Rock, my Father God. I have a new understanding of just how short life is and how important it is to take loving each other seriously. God is love and all love comes from him. I have seen love do supernatural things since my son was killed. I have published a book, "Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love." about my tough and painful journey since my son was killed. You can order it from Amazon or you can get an autographed copy by contacting me on messenger. I am sharing some of my experiences as a survivor of a line of duty death in MYFAMILYBLEEDSBLUE.COM. Please feel free to share these blogs with anyone you know who might find them helpful. My other blog - JOURNEYTOWARDSTHETRUTH.COM - has been a work of love for many years as I read through the Chronological Daily Bible each year and share what I hear from God when he stops me. I am inviting you to come along on one or both of my journeys. Please share as often as you'd like. Thanks so much for reading!

Not Everybody

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

It may seem like everybody’s morals and ethics are disintegrating today.  It may seem like nobody has any respect for anyone anymore.

If you feel that way, you are probably watching too much “news” on TV and on-line.

What you are hearing about and seeing is not ‘everybody’.

There is a solid core of people in our country that still have morals.

And respect for others.

And integrity.

In Jeremiah 35, God tells us about the Rebakites who were obeying all of the commands of their ancestors while, all around them, the general culture of the Israelites was rapidly decaying into idol worship and disobedience.August 7 2016 not everybody

The Rebakites were standing their ground and refusing to jump on the popular band wagon of rebellion and selfishness.

The unfaithful.

The faithful.

Which group are you in?

Please give us wisdom, Abba Father.

Knowing God

On By Judy GlasserIn AugustLeave a comment

Sometimes we can be pretty proud of ourselves when we reach a goal, get a promotion, or get special recognition.

We worked hard.

We persevered.

And we like to make sure people know about it.  We might  get a little boastful.

In Jeremiah 9, God tells that the one thing we should boast about is our knowledge of God.  July 29 2016 knowing God

I find this interesting because, the more I know about God, the more I realize how much more there is to know about him.  My 3.5 pound brain just can’t handle the reality of an eternal, omniscient, omnipotent Creator of the Universe.

Don’t ask me to explain the Trinity – my definition will fall very short of how it actually works.  Don’t ask me how Jesus could be fully God and fully human while he was here on earth – I will have to say that I don’t know.  Don’t ask me about the end times.  I’m hoping either I’m in heaven by then or that there is such a thing as the Rapture and it happens before any tribulation.

But I can boast about how awesome God is.  How faithful he is to me.  How gracious and loving.

God goes on to say in Jeremiah that he is the Lord who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness here on earth.

“For in these I delight.” (vs 24)

How does God exercise kindness, justice and righteousness here?

Through us…his children.

We are his hands and feet.

Our reason for living is fulfilling God’s purpose for us here on earth.

His will be done.

And he accomplishes his will through us…

  • when we’re tuned in and listening.
  • when we obey.

When we tell other people about God’s love and grace, we are boasting about the right things.  We are helping to push back the darkness when we spread the light of Jesus.

So let’s get serious about our assignment!

It’s why we’re still here.

We love you, Abba Father.

Which Way?

On By Judy GlasserIn August1 Comment

Which way are we going – forward or backward?

Some of us are stuck in the past and we’re going backwards.

Others of us don’t want to change and, as the world changes around us, we are automatically going backwards.

Many of us would like to be going forward but we’re often not sure what that means.  What does going forward look like for me?  For you?  How do we make that happen?

Jeremiah tells us in his 7th chapter that obeying God is moving forward.July 28 2016 which way

When we stop focusing on ourselves and ignore our stubborn inclinations of rebellion to God, we can start moving forward.

Paying attention to God and his truth + applying his truth to our lives + letting God transform us = moving forward.

When we stay in line with God, we can’t go backwards.  God changes us.  He renews our minds.  He continues to redeem more and more of our thoughts and our actions as we walk closely with him.

When we obey God, we are moving forward.

Into his light.

Into his love.

Thank you, Abba Father. 

Where do we go?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Where do we go when we’re in trouble?

Who do we turn to when something bad happens to us?

Most of us will turn to God at these times.  Even if we’ve never prayed before, we will often give it a try when the situation is bad enough.

When we’re in big trouble, we find it’s worth a couple of minutes to float up a prayer or 2, asking God to save us.

God tells us in Jeremiah 2 that the Israelites were doing the same thing.  The people had turned their backs on God – until they got into trouble.  Then they would ask God to save them from their terrible situation.July 25 2016 who do we go to

Why do people do this?

Because underneath all the lies that have been fed into our brains, we recognize our Creator.

We sense his power and activity in our world.

Even when we know nothing else about him, we hear his voice in our heads.  We call it our ‘conscience’.  But our conscience has a name – God.

And, it’s true that his voice gets more and more faint the farther we get from God.

Even so, when we’re in trouble, when we’re in a situation where we have no control, we know who does.

And we naturally turn to him.

If that’s the only time we go to God, we are really missing it!

We are missing the strength he can give us to live our lives with purpose everyday.

We miss the love God can shower on us each day as he walks closely beside us.

We miss the grace God has for us as we make mistakes, learn from them and grow.

We miss the joy God can give us as he fills our lives with his truth and light.

We miss the wisdom God can give us so can make good decisions – choosing the best path for our lives.

If you are missing any of these things in your life, today is a good day to turn your face towards God and grow your daily personal relationship with him.

He will still be there when you’re in trouble.  He will actually be closer and you’ll be able to hear him better.

And you won’t be missing all of the blessings he has for you each day.

Today is a great day to make that decision.

You have nothing to lose.

We love you, Abba Father.

 

We Are Becoming

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

We are all ‘becoming’ something.

We are all on the path to ‘somewhere’.

We are deciding what to become and where to go by our choices each day.

We are going one way or another – we aren’t standing still.  If we’re not doing anything new, not making any changes, then we are becoming ‘more’ of what we have been.

Isaiah compares us to clay in his 64th chapter.Potter-at-Work1

When we put our lives in God’s hands, he becomes our potter – molding us into the people he created us to be.

When we let God change us and transform us, we become the work of his hands.

If we let him, he continues to refine us throughout our lives – creating a unique masterpiece.

Our life.

Created by God.

Will we be molded  and shaped by the master’s hands?

Our choice.

We choose you, Abba Father.

What are we doing?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

It’s hard to avoid all of the craziness going on in our world today.

Hatred, greed and immorality are plagues sweeping across our country.

As a culture, we are busy doing the total opposite of what God tells us to do in Isaiah 58.July 19 aa 2016 what are we doing

God tells us our days should be filled with:

– feeding the hungry.

– providing shelter for those who don’t have any.

– clothing the naked.

– taking care of our families.

– righteously fighting injustice and oppression.

When we do these things, God promises that our light will shine and we will be healed.  He promises to bless us and hear us when we call.July 19 2016 this one b

God tells us to stop finger-pointing and malicious talk.  When we ‘spend ourselves’ on the needs of the hungry and oppressed, our light will shine out of the darkness around us.  When we line up our lives with God’s purposes, he satisfies our needs and gives us strength.

” You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (vs 11 ).

I want to be one of God’s well-watered gardens.

Do you?

Please guide our actions so we are in line with you, Abba Father.

Rain Has a Purpose

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Rain comes down from the heavens and waters the earth.July 18 2016 the rain has a purpose

The rain makes the earth bud and flourish – feeding the hungry and providing seed for continued growth.

The rain storm itself can be a dangerous place to get stuck.

It’s dark.

It’s cold.

The waters rise as the storm continues.

But eventually the storm ends, the waters recede and the storm has fulfilled it’s purpose –

just like the storms in our lives will fulfill their purpose when we let God guide us through the dark, cold rain.

God tells us in Isaiah 55 that his ways are not like our ways.July 18 2016 b rain has a purpose

His thoughts are not like our thoughts.

He will accomplish his will and achieve his purposes.

He is God.

And we are not.

When we understand this and live it out, we find the joy and peace that only God can give.

Thank you, Abba Father.

 

We Are Healed

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

700 years before Jesus was born here in earth, Isaiah described Jesus’ life, death and purpose for coming.

This is one of my favorite scriptures in God’s word because it so clearly explains the eternal healing and peace we receive through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross.July 17 2016 We are Healed

He took our pain and sorrows upon himself.  God transferred all of our sins onto Jesus – past, present and future.

Jesus was pierced.

He was crushed.

By his wounds we are healed…..

so now our sins no longer separate us from the love and grace of our Father God.

Now we can walk each day in a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

All of us have sinned and rebelled against God.

God laid all of that – for all time – on Jesus.

When we accept the gift of his grace, we are adopted by God as his child for all of eternity.

Thank you, Abba Father.

I am Passing Through

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

I am passing through the waters of grief…

*of disappointment…July 14 a I'm passing through

*of disillusionment…

*of pain….

and God is with me.

I am passing through a river of tears…

*pierced by the shattered pieces of my broken heart.

*trying to figure out how to live with a huge hole in my life…

but they do not sweep over me.  God is with me.

I am walking through the fire of anger… July 14 b I'm passing through

* filled with ‘whys’…..

* trying to understand….

but I am not burned.  God is with me.

I am passing through.

I’m not staying here.

The Lord my God has a purpose for this.

He has a plan.

So I will trust him as I pass through the waters, the river and the fire.

I love you, Abba Father.

 

So Fragile

On By Judy GlasserIn July2 Comments

Our existence here on earth is short.

Our bodies are very fragile.

I just had a front row seat in seeing just how temporary our time on earth is – no matter how strong, how big or young we may think we are.

In his 40th chapter, Isaiah compares us to grass that withers and flowers that fall.

Very temporary.July 12 2016 so fragile

Very fragile.

So where is our hope?

“But the word of our God endures forever” (vs 8)

God is the opposite of us – he is not fragile and he is not temporary.  He is strong, he is enduring and he never changes.

He is our hope.

And he has given each of us a purpose here on earth.

What is my purpose?  Why am I here?  How can I make my fragile life count for something?

God knows the answer to all of these questions.  We are still here on this earth because our assignments are not completed yet.

When our purpose is fulfilled, our light on this planet will go out.  Our fragile existence will end and, when we are believers, our eternal existence in heaven begins.

Have you figured out God’s purpose for your life here?  Are you busy fulfilling your assignment?

Open our eyes, Abba Father.