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!

It’s Supernatural

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Have you experienced the supernatural movement of God in your life?

If you have put your faith in Jesus, you have.  You may not have recognized it.  Have you ever watched while something just ‘works out’?  That’s God.  You may have called it a coincidence but it’s really a ‘God-incidence’. 

We read in Deuteronomy 8: 2- ” Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.  He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you not your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.  Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during those forty years.” 

What?  The clothes of several million Israelites didn’t wear out in 40 years?

And their feet did not swell during the 40 years they wandered around in the hot, dusty desert walking everywhere they went in their sandals.   

No way! Only God could do something like this!

The Israelites were slaves before going into the desert so I’m sure they didn’t have a lot of clothes to start with.  They regularly had to pack up everything they owned and move it across the desert so I’m sure they didn’t own much at all.  And our very practical God realized that their clothes not wearing out would help simplify their journey.  Keeping their feet healthy also kept them moving.

So God took care of it – just like he takes care of you and me.  God is always right beside us taking care of the details.  Here are a few examples of how he has taken care of me in very practical ways –

  • A couple of weeks ago we were travelling and, out of nowhere, the idea that I may have made an error in my rental car reservation popped into my head.  It was not coincidence – God gave me a nudge.  I checked my reservation and saw that I had made a mistake that I could correct over the phone but it could have been a big mess when we tried to turn the car back in.  I give God all the credit for helping us avoid that hassle.
  • Almost every day God brings people into my life to encourage me and urge me on – one step at a time.  You know who you are.
  • It has been very obvious that God has his hand on the David Glasser Foundation we started to continue the legacy of my son who was a police officer killed in the line of duty.  God brings just the right people at just the right time.  He provides resources and donations that help us bless others.
  • Four years ago, God told my husband and I to move to Denver after living in Phoenix for over 40 years.  (Interesting, based on the section of the Bible that we are reading right now, that we lived in the desert for 40 years, isn’t it?) Now I can look back and see God had blessings lined up for us here, we just needed to obey.

Supernatural.

It’s really amazing to watch my all-powerful Father move and work out the details on my behalf.

Thank you, Abba.

Choose to Obey

On By Judy GlasserIn MarchLeave a comment

God asks you and I, “Do you want to be blessed?” 

I’ll answer for both of us, “YES!” So he goes on to tell us how to be blessed in Leviticus 26.

As I read this passage in his Word, this is what I hear from God –

If you are careful to obey my commands, I will shower my blessings upon you.

You will be fruitful and prosperous.

I will keep you safe.

I will bless you with peace.  You will sleep well – not fearful of anything.

I will remove all threat to your safety from your life.  Your enemies will fail.

Don’t worry about being outnumbered by the evil ones – I am on your side.  I will look upon you as my favorite child – providing for you and always being faithful.

My blessings will overflow in your life – one on top of another.

I will walk with you and live with you.  I will be your God and you will be my child.

I am the Lord your God who sent my only son to die for you so you might believe and live with me forever. I gave you freedom so you can choose to stand faultless before me.  You can choose to walk closely beside me everyday.  You can choose to love me and listen to me.

You can choose to obey.

Thank you, Abba Father.

This is How

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Do what is right and good.

I am reading the entire Chronological Bible for the 14th consecutive year and I know there is a group of you who are reading it with me. It’s February so we’re still in the beginning of the Bible and today God highlighted a phrase to me that we have already read several times, ” Do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight, so that it may be well with you.” Deut. 6:18.

I definitely want things to ‘go well’ with me and I’m sure you are on that same page. God is telling me – and you – that he wants to guide us. He wants to light up our path. He wants to walk beside us when the trials of life on this planet try to overwhelm us.

The part you and I have in this is to do what is right and good in the Lord’s sight.

That’s my goal. I’m not perfect- no one knows that better than my Father God. It’s very clear to me that God doesn’t expect perfection, he desires that I admit my mistakes and sins to him with a humble heart and turn away from them.

I have found that it is much easier to do what is ‘right and good in the Lord’s eyes’ when I am reading God’s Word each day with my eyes and heart open to what he is saying to me. I am also finding a huge benefit from reading the entire Bible – not just a verse here and a chapter there. Reading God’s Word in Chronological order has helped it make sense to me. I tried one of those reading plans where you read parts of the Old Testament, New Testament and then a Psalm or Proverbs. It didn’t keep my attention. I lost my motivation. What I was reading didn’t tie together into a bigger picture.

The Daily Chronological Bible has kept my attention for 14 years. Because it is a Daily Bible, it has dates on the top of the pages which help give me the structure I need to keep going. I sometimes get ahead and other times I get behind but I keep moving forward. This Bible is not good for studying verse by verse because chapters are condensed and combined. But it is a great reading Bible.

Because I am consistently reading his Word, God is constantly talking to me, guiding me and teaching me his truth.

There’s no question in my mind that this is ‘right and good in the Lord’s sight.’

Thank you for your awesome Word to us, Abba Father.

Priorities

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Did I love God first?

Or did he love me first?

God’s Word is very clear that he loved me first.  Before I was a tiny newly-fertilized egg inside of my mother, God knew me and loved me. 

As I read the words Moses said to the Israelites in one of his last addresses to them before his death, I am reminded of how this verse changed my life.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and will all your soul and with all your strength.” Deut. 6:5.

God challenged me over 30 years ago to put him first in my life.  I was what I would call a ‘cultural Christian’ at the time.  I went to church, served at church, gave to the church and said I loved Jesus.  But there were things in my life – like my family, my career and what I wanted –  that had a higher priority than God.  When I hit 30 and I finally reached all my goals of what I thought I should have and own at that age, I was surprised to find that I felt empty.  Over worked and over stressed.  And very empty.

Then God opened my eyes to this verse and challenged me with it.  I knew something had to change so I did some heavy-duty thinking.

What would it feel like if I loved God with all my heart?  What did I need to change so I could love God with all my soul?  What would my life be like if I loved God with all my strength?  How could I ignore the distractions of this world and the strong desire to do what I want to do so I could love God first?

The emptiness was eating me up so I took the challenge.  One step at a time, God showed me how to change my priorities and put him first.  I gradually put him first in every area of my life and I learned the huge lesson that the commands God gives us are for our own good.  As I moved closer to God, I watched him help me be a better wife, a better mother, a better employee, a better friend, a better neighbor, a better sister, a better daughter…you get the idea.  Everything was better because he was in the middle of it.

Is there an empty place in your soul that God is longing to fill?  Are you just checking the boxes in your Christian life or do you have a daily, intimate relationship with God?  Have you made the decision to put God first in your life?

God desires to be first in our lives because he wants to give us strength, peace and purpose for our journey.  It all gets better when God is in the middle of it.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Bigger…

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

and stronger.

As the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, Moses tells them that God is going to “drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you.” Deut. 3:37.

The Israelites were going to be fighting against enemies with huge armies of men who had built tall walls around their cities.  And God was going to give them victory.  He was headed into battle with them – there was nothing to fear.

God is saying this same thing to me today –

and to you.

You and I have some big battles coming our way.  If we aren’t in the middle of one now, we probably don’t have long to wait.  That’s just how it is on this broken planet.

God promises those of us that believe in him that he will go with us and guide us through.  In some situations we will see a clear victory when we on the other side of this struggle and other times it’s what we learn and how we grow through the battle that makes us a winner.

But, with God, we always win because we are on the winning side.  God, our Father, has already won the war for us.  Jesus defeated sin and death for us.

As a believer, I know how this story ends for me.   When all of my trials and struggles are over here on earth, I’m going to my perfect ‘forever home’ in heaven.

Happily Ever After.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Then I Looked Up

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

Then I Looked Up: Losing a Child, Finding His Legacy of Love

That’s the title of my book! I’m celebrating the one year anniversary of publishing it on Amazon! This year has been a challenging year for me – full of discussions with grieving people about their tragedies and pain. It has also been an extremely rewarding year as those who read it shared with me how my story helped them in their journey to find hope. 

Now the Kindle version and the Audible version are also available on Amazon. I did the audible version so here’s your chance to hear me read my book to you.

It’s the story of my journey since my son, David Glasser, who was a Phoenix Police Officer, was killed in the line of duty on May 18, 2016. Losing a child is the most excruciating pain I have ever experienced. My life is different now. There is a hole that can never be filled.

I am not an expert on grief, but I am an expert on my personal journey of grief. It have been long. It has been tough, and it has forced me to look at my life through new eyes and make important decisions along the way. These decisions have helped me move forward.

During my son’s funeral, I discovered that David said, “love you’ to everyone he cared about instead of good-bye – even the tough cops he worked with. Since his death, many of us have adopted this habit and discovered the magic of David’s legacy of love.

I give God and David’s legacy of love the credit for the joy that has slowly returned to me. God has been my rock. As I lean on him, I have watched God reconnect the shattered pieces of my life, giving her purpose and meaning.

If you have lost a child or someone close to you, one of the most important messages that will fill your heart while reading this book is that you are not alone. It is my prayer that you will see yourself in my story and it will give you the hope that you have been searching for.

_______________________________________

Please share this news with other people you know who could benefit from reading it.  Thanks!

It’s Too Difficult

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

I can’t – it’s too hard.

I can’t – it’s too much.

I can’t – I don’t know how.

I can find a lot of reasons why I think I can’t do something that’s going to be difficult.  But I have learned if God wants it done there is no “I can’t”.  “I can’t” just doesn’t apply when the Creator of the Universe wants to do something through me.

Have you learned that yet?

The Israelites obviously hadn’t figured that out yet when the spies came back from the Promised Land and said, “We can’t attack those people, they are stronger than we are.” Numbers 13:31.  They didn’t get it.  God had said he was going to give them the land, he was going to give them victory.  “We can’t” was true but God could.  And he promised that he would.

Joshua and Caleb got it.  Caleb said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”  Numbers 13:30

Yeah, Caleb!  He was so right!  Yes, they could certainly do it because God had promised and he always keeps his promises.  And we will see later how God richly blesses Caleb for his trust in him.

It’s not about us having enough strength or enough money or enough time.  God enables us to do the things he wants us to do.  Do you believe that?

So I have to ask myself – are there any “I can’ts” in my life that I need to change to “I can’s” because God wants to do it through me?

What about you?  Any “I can’ts” where you need to trust God and step out in faith because “God can”?

Thank you for being our God of the Impossible, Abba Father.

Never Too Short

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

There are times when I am tired and discouraged and other days when I am sad and feel a little lost.   I also have hours of impatience and frustration.  So I pray.  And then, sometimes, I start wondering –

When is God going to do something about these things that are discouraging me?  When is he going to take care of this struggle?

How can God possibly work this out for my good?  I just don’t see how that’s possible.   Maybe it’s not going to happen.

Then God responds to me like he did to Moses thousands of years ago, ” Is the LORD’S arm too short?” Numbers 11:23.

I just have to smile.  This really sets me back in my place.  Because – of course, God’s arm is not too short.  He is the Creator of the Universe, the Great I AM.  He spoke the world into existence.  He sees and knows everything.  Nothing is too hard for him.

When God said this to Moses, Moses was doubting that God could provide meat for all of the Israelites for a month.  The people had started grumbling about eating manna everyday and God responded by saying, “Tomorrow you will eat meat.”

As the leader of these complainers, Moses thought he had to ‘help God’ by figuring out how to get this done.  But he just didn’t see a way to make this happen.   It was impossible!

Yes, it was impossible for human hands.  But there are no limits for God.  His arm is never too short – it reaches across universes that we don’t even know about yet.

So we should not be surprised that the Israelites ate meat – they ate meat until they were sick of it.

God’s arm is not too short but sometimes our faith can be too small.  My faith can be too limited.

Do I really believe that God’s arm is never too short?

Do I really trust him?

Please grow my faith, Abba Father.

Being Filled

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

It’s done.

All the weaving, measuring and hammering was done.  Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and put up the curtain to the entrance.

Done.

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34

Awesome!

There are times during the praise part of worshipping God with my spiritual family when I visualize a cloud billowing into the room.  As I watch in my mind, the glory of the LORD fills the space around me.  God’s word tells us that he ‘inhabits’ the praise of his people and I know that to be true.

God is always beside me but there are two places in my life where he feels most near to me –

  • the first place is right now with my Bible open in my lap and my ears and heart open to what he wants to say to me.
  • the second is when I’m joining with God’s people in praising him.  This is especially true for me when a praise song includes pivotal truths that have been game-changers in my life.  One of my favorite current praise songs talks about God fighting my battles. I have personally witnessed God fighting for me and pushing back the darkness when Satan has tried to discourage me. Gratitude fills my soul as I sing these words. I feel a cloud of God’s grace and love filling the room and my heart.  God is good, he loves me and always wants the best for me even when I can’t see it.  These are all facts that have gotten me through the last 7 1/2 painful years since my son was killed.

Do you know what it feels like to have the glory of the Lord fill your heart?  If you want to get closer to God, read his Word daily, listen and obey and spend time sincerely praising him with your spiritual family.  Open your heart and mind to him and he will fill you with his love and grace.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Willing Hearts

On By Judy GlasserIn FebruaryLeave a comment

What can I do?  What can I give?  How much is enough?

Can you imagine what it looked like when the whole community of Israel went into their tents and came out with so many offerings that they had more than enough materials needed for the Tabernacle?  We read in Exodus 35: 21 that God moved their spirits and stirred their hearts.

And then God goes on to tell us that all of the people volunteered their skills. Some of the women were skilled in sewing while others were skilled in spinning. God gifted many of the craftsmen with the special skills that they needed in order to build the sanctuary.   “See, the LORD has chosen Bazalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.”  Exodus 35: 30-33.

I wish I could have seen that sanctuary – I bet it was spectacular!

This is still happening.  God is moving spirits and stirring hearts.  When I look around me, I see people everywhere that God is gifting with special skills to accomplish what he wants done today.

When our spirits are moved and we bring our offerings to God with a willing heart, he enables us to do his will – sometimes in truly spectacular ways and sometimes in special, small ways. But always in ways that bring joy to us and glory to him.

Please stir up our hearts, Abba Father, and move our spirits.