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!

Clothed in Scarlet

On By Judy GlasserIn JuneLeave a comment

“When it snows, she has no fear for her household, for all of them are clothed in scarlet.”May 25 2013

I have read this verse in Proverbs 31 many times but I never ‘got it’ until now.  I love that about God’s word – no matter how many times I read it all the way through, I’m always motivated to do it again.  Because there’s more.  There’s something new God wants to reveal to me.  It’s his living word and he’s still talking 🙂

And I realize that snowing in biblical  times was probably a huge deal, something they weren’t prepared for.  It would create a lot of issues and problems.  A mother could be very worried about her family and what was happening to them during this time.

I realize that they were clothed in scarlet but they weren’t wearing red clothes.  She knew her family was covered by sacrificial blood which was the blood of animals back in those days and is now the blood of Christ. 

So when all of the problems and issues came, she didn’t need to worry.  Her family was safe in the arms of God,

Love it! 

And, as a parent, I regularly need to remind myself to ‘ live’ this.  I am blessed to know that my husband and grown children all have a personal relationship with Christ.  Even my little 2 1/2 year-old grandson knows that God loves him.

They are in his hands.

They are clothed in scarlet. 

And when the snow – or troubles – come,  I won’t have to worry.

Maybe I’ll ask everyone to wear something red for our next family picture 🙂

Thank you, dear Father.

The Secret….

On By Judy GlasserIn June2 Comments

of being content.

The secret of being satisfied.

“Whoever loves money will never have enough.” Eccl. 5

May 29 2013Studying God’s perspective on money changed my life.  My beliefs and views about finances were so skewed by everything the world had taught me that I needed to go through a financial Bible study several times before it started to sink in.

God owns everything – it’s all his.  He gives it to us to take care of and use and he only asks for a small portion back.

He doesn’t need our money.  He could rain gold out of the sky if he wanted to.  We just need to be able to put him ahead of money in our priorities.  Then we can joyfully give to support his ministries here on earth.

How much we make is not the issue – how much we spend is.

When I really understood that God owned it all, it became easier to tithe.  It wasn’t mine to start with – God gave it to me, I didn’t earn it like I thought I did.  It all comes from God, he deserves it all – he only asks for a little back.  As soon as we started managing our finances according to God’s word, he helped us get totally out of debt and, years later, he is still making sure we have everything we need.  I have lots of stories of situations where God provided just what we needed right when we needed it.

And that’s a key – I know that, right now, I have what God wants me to have.  If I’m ever going to learn to be content, I need to learn to be content with what I have right now. 

I love this saying – Happiness is wanting what you already have.

God has so richly blessed me with all of things I have already.  And he has given me so many more things that money just can’t buy.

Thank you, dear Father.

Do Not Go Near

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Self-discipline.  Most of us cringe a little when we hear those two words.  There always seems to be a place or 2…. or 3 or 4 in my life where I could use more self-discipline.

God tells us in Proverbs 5 to keep to a path that is far from adultery.  He tells us to not go near her house.

I have found that this is a strategy that will work in all of areas of our lives.  We will never explode our lives with something like adultery if we never think about it.  If we don’t think about it, we’ll never get to the point where we will actually do it.

We will be kinder to a ‘difficult’ person in our life if we don’t think bad thoughts about them.   Years ago I realized at work that I needed to get rid of my ‘jerk file’ because, once someone got into my jerk file, I automatically treated them like a jerk – whether they were acting like a jerk now or not.   When I got rid of my jerk file, it was easier to give people a second and third chance.  All of us are jerks once in a while :).

We’ll spend less money if we stop thinking about things we want to buy.  It’s interesting how thinking about something we want long enough can turn it into a ‘need’. 

It all begins in our minds.  Our thoughts become our attitudes and our attitudes become our actions.  If we stop the thinking, we stop the behaviors.

By controlling our thoughts, we are staying as far away from the temptations as we can possibly get – and it works.  Just like God tells us in Proverbs 5.

Dear Father, please help us discipline our minds.

Taking the Crooked Path

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

‘Whoever walks in integrity walks securely but whoever takes the crooked paths will be found out.’ – Proverbs 10:9

The crooked paths.may 18 2013[1]

They are often the easy paths.  The paths everyone else is taking.  They can look like a lot of fun.  There are often short-term benefits when we wander down them.

But we want to walk securely, right?  In order to do that, we have to choose integrity.

And that’s not as easy as it sounds – especially with the Evil One scheming against us.

One of the lessons I had to learn about being completely honest is what I used to call ‘bonus’ time at stores and restaurants. A  ‘Bonus’ was when I literally got something for nothing – the clerk made a mistake and didn’t charge me for something.  I used to rationalize this – we all know there are other times that we are overcharged, right?  So when I received a ‘bonus’, it was just evening things out a little.  Or – these items are overpriced anyway – I’m probably paying closer to what they are worth.  Any of these sound familiar?

Then I realized that Satan used this situation to tempt me away from being honest.  I didn’t have integrity when I knowingly accepted these ‘bonuses’ without saying anything.  

I know that Satan liked messing with me in this area because these ‘bonus’ opportunities happened a lot to me.  A checker at Target tried to charge me for only one part of a two-part lamp.  Staples didn’t charge me for 2 small bulletin boards when I was picking up supplies for the office.   A clerk at J.C. Penney’s got different piles of clothes mixed up and didn’t ring up about $70 worth of clothes – until I brought it to her attention.  Yup –  I decided I was finished with letting Satan tempt me in this area so I started always bringing it to the clerk’s attention so they could charge me correctly.

So Satan has raised his game up a level.  Now I get bonus items but I don’t realize it until I’m out in the car or when I’m unpacking the shopping bags at home.  It’s very tempting for me to just let the ‘bonus’ ride at this point because going back and telling people I wasn’t charged for something is a huge hassle and the response I get is not usually positive.  I get the ‘you are seriously crazy’ look from most of the customer service people when I bring up an item and tell them I wasn’t charged for it.  It’s not about money anymore – it’s about the hassle.

So – to be honest, I don’t always bring the item back.  I’m telling you this because I’m making a committment to bring it all back from here on out…..every bonus, every time.  My actual strategy is to take more notice of the check-out process to make sure everything is charged so I can avoid the ‘crazy lady’ routine later. 

Satan is NOT winning this one!

I’ll be needing some serious help with this one, dear Father.

Jesus loves the little children….

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

All the little children of the world.church 2

I was reminded of this song recently when I had the chance to worship at Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia.   I felt very privileged to pray and sing and listen to God’s Word along with 2,000 Australians. And my understanding of God’s omnipresence felt like it expanded by several miles.

It was just like a pot of popping corn.  I started with a small layer of corn(understanding) on the bottom of the pot but, as the corn popped it started to fill up the pot.  Higher.  Bigger.  Pop, pop!  That’s what my mind felt like as I experienced the reality of God being the God of all of these Australians on the other side of the hemisphere.  I always knew this and believed it – I just had never felt it before.

church1Awesome!

His love reaches out to all of us.  His mercy covers all of our sins.  Redemption through his Son is the only way for all of us to make our way back to him.  He created each one of us and has a purpose for our lives.

We are all on this journey towards the truth together – all of the little children of the world.

Proverbs 2 – Our Prayer

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Dear Father,

We thank you for the understanding you give us as we read your word – your direction feeds our souls.

We open our ears to hear your wisdom, we seek understanding.

We call out to you – please give us insight!

We cry aloud for more understanding!

We seek out wisdom – it is more precious to us than silver.

We search for wisdom – it is a hidden treasure of understanding and knowledge of you, dear God.

All wisdom comes from you, Father.

You give success to us as we seek you.  You shield us as we walk closely with you.  You guard us when with act with integrity and you protect our way when we are faithful.

We desire to now what is right for us – the good path which you have planned out for each one of us.

We ask for wisdom to fill our hearts.  May our souls be complete with knowledge of you.

Please teach us to use discretion as protection and to use our understanding to guard our hearts.

Thank you, dear Father.

How much more…….

On By Judy GlasserIn May1 Comment

Solomon didn’t ask God for wealth or a long life.  He didn’t ask God to kill his enemies.

Solomon asked for wisdom.  And God was very pleased by his request so he gave him a wise and discerning heart.

AND he made Solomon the richest man on earth.

So I wonder if God is pleased with my requests?  Or are my requests self-centered?  Are they based more on worry than trust?  Do I sound like I’m sitting on Santa’s lap sometimes with my long list of wishes?

I know God tells us again and again in the Bible to pray to him about everything and anything.  And I have learned to do that – it’s where I find peace.

But is he pleased with the tone and character of my requests like he was with Solomon’s?

Do I want the same things for others that God wants for them?  Am I asking for things that God wants to give them?

How much more is God wanting to give me…….if I would just ask?

How much wider and deeper could the flow of blessings from heaven flow down into my life if I asked for the right things?

How much more love, joy and peace is waiting……stored…..ready for me when I ask for it?

Dear Father, please give me a wise and discerning heart.

 

 

Psalm 4, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

I know you answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.

You give me peace when I am stressed;

You have mercy on me and you always hear my prayers.

Why do we, your people, turn away from having a glorious relationship with you?

May 6 Psalm 4Why do we constantly try to control the world ourselves when we’re obviously so terrible at it?

How long will we love the delusion that we can know the truth apart from you?  How long will we love the delusion that we’ll ever be happy doing what we want while disregarding what you want?  How long will we seek happiness through money and possessions?

We have been set apart for you – you always hear when we call to you.

When we lay down at night and review the day, help us confess our sins

and make a commitment to walk closer to you……tomorrow and every day.

We trust you, dear Father.

Let your light shine on us, dear God!  You bring prosperity!  You bring joy!

Because of you I have peace.

Because of you, I can lie down at night at sleep.

I am safe within your arms.

Thank you, dear Father.

Psalm 136, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

                                                                                                               His love endures forever.

He alone deserves our worship and our praise.

                                                                                                               His love endures forever.

Because of his will, the sun rises every morning.

Because of his will, I will take my next breathe.

                                                                                                               His love endures forever.

He planned a life of faithfulness for me when he gifted me with a family rich with generations of believers.

                                                                                                                 His love endures forever.

He formed a long-lasting union when he blessed me with my husband

He created my son’s tall, strong body and my daughter’s beautiful smile.

                                                                                                                 His love endures forever.

I continue to be showered with his blessings as I look into the big blue eyes of my grandson who loves to dance for God.

                                                                                                                 His love endures forever.

He has been my rock and my salvation for all of my life.

                                                                                                                  He love endures forever.

I give thanks to the God of Heaven.

                                                                                                                  His love endures forever.

Psalm 91, 2013

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

He is my refuge, my God, in whom I trust.

Surely he will save me from believing the lies that swirl around me every day.April 24 Psalm 91

Surely he will save me from the guilt and pain that comes from remembering and reliving old mistakes.

Surely he will save me from the terror of nights filled with worry and wanting to be in control.

Surely he will save me from problems that fly at me like arrows all through the day.

Surely he will save me from the things that take bites out of me in the darkness – jealousy, malice, and anger.

Surely he will save me from the disease of negativity in my brain – failures, regrets and unforgiveness.

People all around me will become victims of these things, but not me.

Because I know God and he loves me.

He is my refuge, my God, in whom I trust.