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 Seeing What’s Really There

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

I’ve had it.  Have you?

Tunnel vision.

I think it happens to all of us at times – especially when our emotions are running high.  Sometimes I see only what I want to see.  I notice only what I’m expecting, not what is actually happening.  When my perception clouds the facts, I can go down a path of thinking that is not right, it is not helpful, and it is not true.

If I don’t realize what I’m doing when I’m in a tunnel, I can go to a dangerous place which creates havoc in my life.

So I can relate with Hagar as I read her story in Genesis.  Abraham banished her and their son, Ismael, out into the desert with food and a container of water.  Because she was focused on this one container of water, she felt that all hope was gone when it was empty.

She prepared to die.

She forgot all about reaching out to the Creator of all Things – who created water.  His angel had spoken to her and guided her before but Hagar was in the tunnel – not seeing for any way out except for death.

God heard Ishmael’s cries.  “Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well full of water.”  Genesis 21:19.

What?  Was the well there all along and she just wasn’t seeing it?  Was she so lost in despair and discouragement that she didn’t even look around?  Or did God create the well for her?

We don’t know – either way, God provided for her.

And he provides for me constantly.  I need to remember that because, like Hagar, there are situations where I get tunnel vision, especially when emotions are involved.  Especially when something looks big and bad. When I’m lost in my incorrect thinking, I need to remember to reach out to the One who has all the answers.

Please open my eyes, Abba Father.

Count Me In

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Tonight, let’s all go outside and look up at the stars.

Most of the stars we will see are the same stars Abram (God changes his name to Abraham later) saw when God took him outside and told him to ‘count the stars’.

Then God said to Abram, “So shall your offspring be.” Genesis 15:5.

As we read the Old Testament, it appears like these stars represent the Israelites who became the Jewish nation.  In Galatians, Paul clarifies for us the identity of Abraham’s children.  “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham.” Galatians 3:7.

I am a child of Abraham!

I was represented by one of those stars in the sky on that night thousands of years ago when Abram looked up…..

and believed.

Are you one of Abraham’s stars?

Thank you, Abba Father, for your faithfulness to Abraham and your faithfulness to me.

He Always Keeps His Promises

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

You and I regularly witness this proof that God is still keeping the promise he made over 4000 years ago.

God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures of every kind.  Never again with the waters become a flood to destroy all life.  Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”  Genesis 9: 12 – 16.

We love looking up into the sky to see these gorgeous colors. I enjoy seeing all the pictures of rainbows posted on social media. Somebody told me recently they bought their house because, when they have a rainbow in their area, it often ends in their backyard. Their literal pot of gold.

I live in Colorado and it’s not unusual to see double rainbows here. I’ve seen so many, I had to look up information on how that happens. Google says it doesn’t happen very often but that’s not true in Colorado. God appears to be making it extra clear to those of us who live here that he keeps his promises.

When we look up into the sky to see all of the beauty and light in rainbows, we should automatically thank our Father God for his faithfulness. He loves us and he keeps his promises. He regularly gives us these giant, wonderful reminders so we never forget.

Thank you, Abba Father.

How Would I Respond?

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

What would I do if God asked me to build a gigantic boat in my back yard while my neighbors ridiculed me for my foolishness?

Would I willingly bring my entire family onto this boat filled with wild animals and poisonous reptiles?

Would I complain if I was Noah and the rain fell continuously for 40 days with the boat rocking wildly as it was lifted on the water high over the mountains?

How would I feel as the world as I knew it was wiped out below me?  Fearful?  Worried?

It took the waters 150 days to recede.  Five months.  Would I be calm as the boat now rocked down and down and down….to whatever was left below me?  Would I be anxious?  Scared?

After spending over a year on this boat, would I feel ready to face what was coming as the it once again settled on land?  Would I be happy to get off the boat?  Concerned about what I was going to find when the door opened?

I wonder how Noah felt when all of this actually happened to him?

As I read this historical account in chapters 6, 7 and 8 of Genesis in the Bible, all God ultimately tells me is ‘God said, Noah did.’  It’s clear that Noah trusted God through every step of this monumental struggle.   And when he finally got off the boat, the first thing he did was build an altar and make a sacrifice to honor God.

Noah’s faithfulness inspires me.

His perseverance amazes me.

His level of trust in God challenges me.

It’s awesome to know that the God who guided Noah, loved Noah and provided for Noah is the same God who guides me, loves me and provides for me.

I’m sure that this is one of the main reasons God wants us to read and study and apply the Old Testament to our lives. He is the God who took care of Noah and his family through this almost total destruction of the known world. He is our same God today. Our relationship with God has changed because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, but God’s love and care for us has not changed.

And it never will.

When Things Don’t Go Your Way

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

Do you work really hard to be in control? Be honest with yourself – do you get frustrated or angry when this world throws you a curve ball and things don’t go your way?

This used to describe me. I am a planner and a strategical thinker so my natural tendency is to try to organize the world around me according to my desired outcome.

I wanted control.

I was gradually learning what a waste of time it was to try to control everything around me when I had a defining moment. I learned the hard, painful truth about how much I am NOT in control. My son, David Glasser, was a Phoenix Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty on May 18, 2016. Reality slapped me in the face. The only thing I’m in control of is my response to what happens to me.

You might not be ready to hear this, but you are not in control, either.  Trying to control other people or circumstances will use up your time and energy on something that just is not possible. And it won’t work.

Does it surprise you that this issue of wanting to be in control goes way back to the Garden of Eden?

Satan tempted Eve to eat the apple by saying, “God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”.  Genesis 3:5.

She ate it. She wanted to be in control ‘like God’.

Yep, like Eve, we still want to be ‘like God”.

Let’s just call it what it is. Sin. We are sinning against God when we try to take away some of the total control He has on our world.

We are not like God. We are not in control. And our lives will be much better, much more peaceful, much less anxious and much less stressful when we admit it and realize our total dependence on God.

It’s hard to do this. I still struggle and I’ve had several huge lessons in this area. Whenever I start to feel anxious, I have to remind myself. I’m not in control – God is.

It’s a good thing He is in control. He is all-powerful. He is always good, always right. And He loves me with a perfect love. He loves you with a perfect love.

It’s a good thing I’m not in control because I am none of those things.

I just need to be reminded sometimes.

In the Beginning

On By Judy GlasserIn JanuaryLeave a comment

So I begin again.  Genesis 1:1.

This will be my 14th consecutive year of reading through the entire Bible.  I’m anticipating many great mornings of hearing God’s voice as he speaks to me through his Word.

It’s also fun knowing that there is a group of over a dozen of you who are reading the Bible every year with me.  After each of us did it the first year, we realized that we couldn’t imagine not doing it every year.  It’s a spiritual discipline that feeds our souls all year long. If you haven’t read the entire Bible before, this would be a great year to start. I read the Daily Bible arranged chronologically by F LaGard Smith.

One of my favorite things about reading the entire Bible is I get a good understanding of God’s overall message on important topics.  Like God’s love – reading the Old Testament and then the New Testament gives me a knowledge of God’s love that I’m not going to get reading a verse here or a chapter there.

I am also hooked on reading the Chronological Bible for several other reasons – here are a few:

  • The Old Testament prophets are placed in the story with the king they talked to and in the correct time in history.
  • One of my favorite reasons – the psalms David wrote are placed in his story when he wrote them.  So I read the psalms David wrote while he was hiding from Saul in the cave when David is actually hiding in the cave.
  • The several different and extremely detailed accounts concerning the tabernacle and the temple are combined into one reading on each.  As a result, what I read makes much more sense to me.   All of the laws are combined into one reading instead of repeated in various places.  I used to skip over all of these sections because they were too repetitive and uninteresting.  Now I actually enjoy reading them because I’m only reading them once.
  • The New Testament gospels are combined so it doesn’t feel like I’m reading the same story 4 times.  It’s interesting to see the differences in perspectives.

The Chronological Bible is not good for in-depth Bible study but it’s great for reading and getting the big picture.

Once again, I start reading this first day of 2024…..

knowing God will open my eyes to more truth this year and he will focus my eyes on truth I already know but need to be reminded of.

In the Beginning.

Where’s the Fire?!

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

As the final Revelation of God’s Word begins, the Spirit is writing to the 7 churches through John.  The message that reverberates through my mind are his words to the church of Laodicea –

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”  Rev. 3: 15 – 16.

The Spirit sounds pretty disgusted with this church.  They were rich and they were acting like they had everything they needed.  But the Spirit calls them pitiful, poor, blind and naked.

And then he offers them the truth – “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me.”  Rev 3: 19-20.

 The Spirit tells the church of Laodicea to repent and reminds them that Jesus is always ready to forgive them and redeem them.

Lukewarm is not a good place to be.  Jesus came to earth to save us and transform us into beacons of light in a lost and broken world.  ‘Okay’ is not what we are called to be.  ‘Comfortable’ is not our goal. The Holy Spirit wants to set a fire burning within each of us as we seek to know and love our Abba Father.   As our love for God grows, he transforms our hearts so we can truly start to love other people like he does.

There is a fire burning in my heart.  It burns hotter the closer I get to God.  This fire keeps me passionate about following Jesus on this journey towards the truth.

What’s the temperature of your heart for God?  Is there anything or anyone you care about more than God? 

Are you lukewarm?  Or sold out?  

Turn up the heat, dear Father!

He Always Says Yes

On By Judy GlasserIn Uncategorized2 Comments

Did you know that there are some prayers that God always says ‘Yes” to?

John tells us in 1 John 5:14-17, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that is we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.”

When we ask for what he wants to give us, his answer is always ‘yes’. This is so great!

Maybe you’re wondering if this is a trick question – how do we know what God wants to give us? 

His Word has many promises of things he wants to give us. In the first chapter of James, God promises to give us wisdom whenever we ask for it. Not just a little wisdom, either. God specifically states that he will give us a generous amount of wisdom. Get this – he also added, “But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:6&7.

Claim it! Believe it! Don’t ask God for wisdom and then walk away saying you don’t know what to do. If you’re not sure, spend more time with God. Get closer to him so you can hear him more clearly. He is trying to give us wisdom but we need to listen and we need to believe and we need to look for confirmations. (Confirmations are what some people call coincidences). I’ve had many days when I asked God to guide me and then told him, “I am going to keep my eyes open for your direction all day today. I’m not going to be distracted. Today is all about watching for your answer as I go about my daily life.” And he answers. He moves. He creates ‘coincidences’ that tell me which way to go. Or there are times when these ‘coincidences’ let me know that its not the right time – yet.

God always says yes when we ask for more of the gift of the Spirit. ”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.” Galatians 5:22 & 23. I will say a word of warning here – I found that my Perfect Father often put me in situations where I needed to practice being patient when I was praying for patience. Lines got longer. Traffic got slower. The food delivery in restaurants took forever. It makes sense. That’s how we grow these attributes in our lives – by practicing them. Don’t be surprised.

I think the best thing to pray for is that God does his will in my life. This prayer gets a big ‘yes’.  I’m not God, I don’t know what’s best for me. He does. I pray this for other people as well for the same reason – I’m not God, I don’t know what is best for them.

Don’t get me wrong, God tells us we can pray to him about anything and everything. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Ephesians 6: 18. We can follow King David’s example of talking to God when we’re mad, when we’re scared, when we’re happy, when we’re lost. Anytime. Everything.

The answer to those prayers just isn’t always ‘yes’.

There are more prayers that God always says ‘Yes’ to other than the three I pointed out in this blog. 

Why don’t you read the entire Bible with me next year and find out what they are?

He Lavishes His Love On Us

On By Judy GlasserIn DecemberLeave a comment

Do you feel it?

I do.

I see it in the gorgeous sunrise as God once again declares his faithfulness to me with the start of a new day.  I feel it in my 3 1/2 year-old grandson’s hug.  I see it in the smiles of my friends.  I feel it in the ‘love you’ from my husband of over 42 years.

It’s the great love God has lavished upon me.

God tells me that I am a precious child and he proves that by showing his love for me in a multitude of ways, every day.

“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.”  1 John 3:1a

It’s very encouraging to realize that the closer I get to God, the more of his love I feel pouring out over me.  As I’ve been consistently memorizing God’s scripture these last 8 years, I also feel his wisdom pouring out from his Word.  More knowledge.  More understanding.

I am his child!  How much more love and wisdom and knowledge and understanding does he have available for me?

There is no limit!

As 2024 quickly approaches, I am looking forward to seeing what God has planned for this next year.  New challenges.  More love.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Making a Plan

On By Judy GlasserIn December2 Comments

It is coming very quickly – 2024.

New Year’s resolutions have gotten a bad rep because so many of us break them within a day or two of making them.  I’m a goal-oriented person so I like them as long as I limit them to things I REALLY want to do.  I try to stay away from making resolutions that sound good but I’m not really committed to making them happen.

Here’s one that I’m totally committed to making happen in 2024 –

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” 2 Peter 3:18.

These are the words Peter uses to close out his second letter.  There are several other things I would like to accomplish in 2024 but I’m not as committed to them as I am to this.  And I have a plan.  Please feel free to join me in any or all of these –

*I’m going to read the entire Bible again – for the 14th year in a row.  I have found that reading the entire revelation of God feeds my soul much more than skipping around in various chapters or verses.  I love the chronological Bible because the natural progression through history makes more sense to me and helps me understand what God is saying to me.  It’s not a Study Bible because things that are mentioned more than once in the regular Bible are condensed into one spot. The changes in the Chronological Bible make it much easier to read the entire book but I always keep a Study Bible handy if I want to know specifics. I also use a Daily Chronological Bible which has dates on the top of the pages. I get ahead and I get behind but the dates give me enough structure to be able to finish Revelations at the end of December, ready for “In the Beginning” on January 1st.

*I’m going to continue to memorize scripture.  My long-term goal is to memorize the entire book of James.  Yep, all of it.  Yep, it will take years, especially since I don’t have a good memory. It’s a God-sized task and I know he’s up for it.  So far, God has helped me memorize the entire first and second chapters of James and I’ve begun to work on the 3rd chapter.  He constantly blesses me by speaking to me through these words that he has etched on my heart and mind.

*I have couple of people in my life that I am spiritually mentoring. I’m praying that God will open my eyes to anyone else he is bringing into my life who I can walk beside on this journey of growing our faith.

*My husband and I are on the leadership team for a new Community Fellowship that has been started in our 55+ neighborhood. I see God’s spirit moving through our community – there has been a sudden spike in the number of people joining our neighborhood Bible studies. God is doing something good here and its going to be fun to be a part of what he has planned in 2024.

I’m committed to this plan. I know that I need to consistently put myself in God’s presence and he will grow my faith in 2024.

What are your spiritual goals for 2024?

Do you have a plan?

Please help us be intentional in growing our faith, Abba Father.