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!

Sometimes we harvest….

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

and sometimes we water and sometimes we plant.  It really depends on what the Holy Spirit is guiding us to do.  He does all of the work through us- we just have to be faithful.

In John 4, Jesus is telling the disciples to go out and harvest what they didn’t plant.  Others had done the planting and watering because that was what they were supposed to do.  Now the disciples needed to wake up and look around at all of the fields ripe for harvesting.

This reminds me of two stories about harvesting souls from other’s work.  My husband, Dave, has the gift of evangelism and was once on team from our church which would set up appointments to go talk with new visitors to our church.  Sometime during the conversation, they would ask the people they were visiting where they were on their spiritual journey.  More than once, the people would say that they were really interested in knowing more about Jesus and they wanted to take the step to become a believer.  Dave said they didn’t have to say anything — they were there and the field was ripe for harvest.

I also had a situation where a woman who worked for me told me she wanted to have Jesus in her heart.  We were doing her annual review and I happened to mention something about Promise Keepers – my husband may have been out-of-town at one of the events.  She asked more questions about it and ended up telling me she was ready to believe.  Ripe for harvest.

We just have to be faithful in our witness for Christ.  Sometimes we plant, sometimes we water and sometimes we get to harvest.

Thank you, God, for using us in the spiritual journeys of people around us.  Please help us to be faithful witnesses.

A Fresh Wind

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

John tells us the story of a Jewish leader, Nicodemus, who comes to talk to Jesus after dark one evening.

We know why he went after dark, don’t we?  He didn’t want to be seen.  He was one of ‘them’ – the people who were threatened by Jesus, the people who were looking for the right time to kill Jesus.

But maybe not.   Nicodemus says that he knows Jesus has been sent by God and that there is plenty of evidence that God is with him.  When Jesus talks to Nicodemus about being born again, like a good politician Nicodemus immediately starts splitting hairs about how this was impossible.  Really?  He had just said that he had seen God do many wonders through Jesus.

Nicodemus wanted to believe but he had big things in his life that were holding him back.  He had position and traditions and people’s expectations of him that had him closing his mind and closing his heart to the fresh wind of God’s spirit that the Holy Spirit could give birth to in his life.

I never realized before that Jesus was talking to Nicodemus when he said John 3:16.  The whole Gospel in one verse!

And Nicodemus missed it!  He walked away!  I’ve always wondered if Nicodemus may have been part of the thousands of people who believed later after the resurrection when the disciples started their ministries.  How could a smart man like him have an interaction like he had with Jesus and not be changed? 

Dear Father, please help us open up our lives to the work of your Holy Spirit.  We don’t want to miss anything!

What God wants us to know

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

The beginning of  the book of John is awesome, isn’t it?

In the beginning was the Word. (capitalized because he’s referring to Jesus)

The Word was God.

The Word gave life to everything.

His life brought light into the darkness.  (Hallelujah!)

The darkness can never extinguish it. (Amen!)

When we believe in Him, he gives us the right to become children of God.

The Word became human and made his home among us.

He is full of unfailing love and faithfulness.

We know God when we know Jesus.  God revealed himself to us through the life and death of his son Jesus.  Jesus embodied everything God wants us to know about him. 

Thank you,  dear Father!

What’s God Going to Say to Us in May?

On By Judy GlasserIn MayLeave a comment

 How’s it going?  We are all ready about one-third of the way through the Bible – isn’t that amazing!  It looks like a huge task at the beginning of the year but God blesses that committment and helps us along the journey.  If you’ve stopped reading or have gotten behind, skip up to May with us and start again.  It’s all good!

Here’s the reading Plan for May:

1 Judges 13:1-14:20; John 1:29-51; Psalm 102:1-28; Proverbs 14:15-16
2 Judges 15:1-16:31; John 2:1-25; Psalm 103:1-22; Proverbs 14:17-19
3 Judges 17:1-18:31; John 3:1-21; Psalm 104:1-24; Proverbs 14:20-21
4 Judges 19:1-20:48; John 3:22-4:3; Psalm 104:24-35; Proverbs 14:22-24
5 Judges 21:1 – Ruth 1:22; John 4:4-42; Psalm 105:1-15 Proverbs 14:25
6 Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27
7 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21; John 5:1-23; Psalm 105:37-45; Proverbs 14:28-29
8 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverbs 14:30-31
9 1 Samuel 5:1-7:17; John 6:1-21; Psalm 106:13-31; Proverbs 14:32-33
10 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35
11 1 Samuel 10:1-11:15; John 6:43-71; Psalm 107:1-43; Proverbs 15:1-3
12 1 Samuel 12:1-13:23; John 7:1-30; Psalm 108:1-13; Proverbs 15:4
13 1 Samuel 14:1-52; John 7:31-53; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7
14 1 Samuel 15:1-16:23; John 8:1-20; Psalm 110:1-7; Proverbs 15:8-10
15 1 Samuel 17:1-18:4; John 8:21-30; Psalm 111:1-10; Proverbs 15:11
16 1 Samuel 18:5-19:24; John 8:31-59; Psalm 112:1-10; Proverbs 15:12-14
17 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalm 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
18 1 Samuel 22:1-23:29; John 10:1-21; Psalm 115:1-18; Proverbs 15:18-19
19 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44; John 10:22-42; Psalm 116:1-19; Proverbs 15:20-21
20 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-54; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23
21 1 Samuel 29:1-31:13; John 11:55-12:19; Psalm 118:1-18; Proverbs 15:24-26
22 2 Samuel 1:1-2:11; John 12:20-50; Psalm 118:19-29; Proverbs 15:27-28
23 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39; John 13:1-30; Psalm 119:1-16; Proverbs 15:29-30
24 2 Samuel 4:1-6:23; John 13:31-14:14; Psalm 119:17-32; Proverbs 15:31-32
25 2 Samuel 7:1-8:18; John 14:15-31; Psalm 119:33-48; Proverbs 15:33
26 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3
27 2 Samuel 12:1-31; John 16:1-33; Psalm 119:65-80; Proverbs 16:4-5
28 2 Samuel 13:1-39; John 17:1-26; Psalm 119:81-96; Proverbs 16:6-7
29 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9
30 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11
31 2 Samuel 17:1-29; John 19:23-42; Psalm 119:129-152; Proverbs 16:12-13

 

Spiritual Heartburn

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Have you felt it?  The men who walked with our Risen Lord Jesus on the road to Emmaus talk about the burning in their heart as Jesus explained the scriptures to them.

It’s the truth being seared on our hearts like a brand.  When we hear the truth, the Holy Spirit witnesses to our spirit that this is from God and it is burned into our minds, changing us forever.  Sometimes it feel like the hot poker of a blacksmith – poking and burning a simple but profound reality into our hearts.  Sometimes it’s a widespread burning in our gut that demands a response to God as he opens our awareness to new thoughts and new understandings.

When it happens, we are just like the men on the road to Emmaus – we walk with Jesus and his spirit explains the scriptures to us in a way that sears through the lies we believed in the past.

It’s so interesting that the men used the word ‘burn’ because it’s usually not a pleasant and fun experience.  When the Holy Spirit strips away the film of false comfort we have created in our lives, our new understanding can be extremely challenging.  But good.  And its the Truth.

It’s a good burn.

In an instant…..

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

our relationship with God totally changed. Luke tells us that it was about noon when darkness fell across the whole land.

Jesus was hanging on the cross and, as he breathed his last breathes, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple tore open from top to bottom.  There was no longer a boundary between us and God!  Jesus has paid the price for our sin and now we are all invited into the Holy of Holies. We can have a personal relationship with God – no curtain stands in our way.

Then why do we sometimes try to put the curtains back up? Why do we sometimes put up a curtain of guilt when God wants us to truly accept his grace and get rid of the guilt? Why do we sometimes put up a curtain of control – trying so hard to control our own universe ( and failing)- when God wants us to live a life of freedom, dependent on Him because he only wants the best for us?
Dear Father, thank you for opening up a way for us to become your children. Help us to keep our lives and hearts open so we can enjoy the maximum benefits from our relationship with you.

Don’t Give In

On By Judy GlasserIn April4 Comments

I never noticed this before.  They are at the Mount of Olives the night before Jesus was crucified and Jesus tells Peter, James and John to ‘pray that you will not give in to temptation’.

Later, when Jesus finds them sleeping, he once again tells them to ‘pray so that you will not give in to temptation’.

Temptation to do what?  To go back to sleep?  To be afraid of what was to come?  We know how easily we can become fearful and the danger approaching the disciples was very real and deadly.  Would they be tempted to deny they knew Jesus because of the risk that represented?  We all know Peter fell into that trap, too. 

Not give in to what?  What do you think?

What was up with the Parents?

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

How could this happen? The Israelites didn’t teach their children about God so a whole generation grew up not acknowledging God and not remembering what he had done for them.
What were the parents thinking? That someone else would hand down a legacy of faithfulness to their children? Maybe they thought it was the priests’ job and the priests thought the parents were doing it?
They didn’t pass along the stories of God’s provision for them in the wilderness? They didn’t tell the awesome stories about God dividing the Red Sea for them and drowning the Egyptians so they couldn’t follow them and kill them?
These are great stories – what were these parents doing?
Were they distracted by their daily responsibilities? Did they just wander away from their faith? Were they lured away from the truth by the attractiveness of some of the other gods people were worshipping? Did they find such little value in the rich spiritual heritage that had been handed down to them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that it just wasn’t important to them?
And now that I’m a grandmother, I have to ask where the grandparents were? These people were living to 100 years old – what were they doing with their Godly influence? The grandparents knew better even if the parents were missing the mark.

I just don’t understand it.

Dear Father, we thank you for Godly parents and grandparents who teach their children about you.

This is Your Opportunity

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

In Luke 21, Jesus is talking with his disciples about the persecution they will be facing as his followers. He tells them they will be dragged into prisons and put on trial. “But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.” These trials and persecutions were going to give them an audience with a lot of people and Jesus told them that this would be their opportunity to share the Good News. He promises them that he would give them the right words to say.
History tells us that the disciples had a lot of opportunities to witness to the truth of Jesus Christ:
Matthew was nailed to the ground with spikes and beheaded.
Jude was beaten to death with sticks and clubs.
Simon was tortured and crucified.
Philip was scourged and crucified.
John, son of Zebedee, was tortured and exiled.
James, brother of John, was beheaded.
James was pushed from the top of a building; then his broken body was beaten to death.
Bartholomew was beaten and skinned alive before being beheaded.
Thomas was speared with a javelin.
And Peter was crucified – upside down.

The fact that we know all about the Good News today is proof that they took advantage of these opportunities. They did not keep silent even when it meant torture and death. They were ordinary men but it was clear that they had been with Jesus, and that he had changed their lives forever.  They couldn’t stop talking about him.

Thank you, dear Father, for choosing men who were fearless enough to be your witnesses so that we can know the Truth today.

Choose Today!

On By Judy GlasserIn AprilLeave a comment

Joshua has fearlessly led the Israelites into Promised Land and God has kept all of his promises about giving them the land.  Joshua is now preparing them to continue after his death and he’s telling them they need to choose.

Their ancestors had had many gods at different times and the previous tenants of the Promised Land also had many gods and idols – it was all around them.  Their culture did not embrace one God – the whole idea was unusual.

In true ‘great leader’ fashion, Joshua role-models the right choice by telling everyone that he has made this choice for himself and his family and he is choosing to serve the Lord.

The question for us today is the same – have we chosen what or who we are going to serve?  Have we made that decision for our families?  And are we leading the way, living in the way that we would want our children to imitate?

As for me and my family…..what?