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!

Lay It Down

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Spread it out.

Leave it there –

at the feet of the Creator of the Universe.

That’s what I visualize myself doing when I pray.  I take my praises, my concerns, my dreams and my questions….

and I raise them up before my loving Father in Heaven.

I lay them at his feet.

And I really try to leave my concerns and my worries there.  I try not to pick them back up.

Because he is in control…

and he wants the best for me.

I trust him.

I love reading King Hezekiah’s story in 2 Kings.   He received a letter telling him that the huge enemy army of Assyria had been destroying cities all around them and now the army was coming his way.

To crush him.

To kill all of his people.

Disaster.

And Hezekiah didn’t have enough fighting men or resources to stop them on his own.  So he went to God and he spread the letter out before him.  “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands.  They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood or stone, fashioned by human hands.  Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, Lord, are God.”  2 Kings 19: 17-19.

God heard Hezekiah and answered with ‘yes’.  He saved the city – the King of Assyria left in disgrace.

How hard that must have been for Hezekiah!  Facing annihilation, he gave it all to God and left it there – even as the huge army advanced towards him.

He knew that God was his only answer so he stayed focus, he remained faithful.

How good am I at staying focused?  Remaining faithful?

I’m pretty good at spreading my concerns out before God and I’m gradually getting better at leaving them there.  Not worrying.  Not anxious.  Not letting a million concerns roll around in my head in the middle of the night.

Two weeks ago today my husband had emergency open-heart bypass surgery after having a life-threatening event happen to his heart.  I just kept reminding myself that God is in control, that he loves me and my husband with a perfect love and that he wants the best for us.  I trusted God and I was not afraid.  The peace God gave me during this situation was the ‘peace that passes all understanding’.  It didn’t come from me – it came from God.

By the way – my husband is doing well, walking and active, getting started on his rehabilitation program.  Thank you, Father.

How good are you at giving your worries to God and leaving them, trusting that he’s taking care of them?  Or do you take them back?

Please help us grow our trust in you, Abba Father.

Don’t Be Afraid

On By Judy GlasserIn July2 Comments

Don’t be discouraged.

Don’t be afraid.

“There is a greater power with us than with him.” 2 Chronicles 32:7.

King Hezekiah said these words to his army thousands of years ago and today God is saying them again to you and to me through his Word.

God is telling us today to ‘be strong and courageous’  because he is the greater power.

Do you need to hear this?  With all the crud and issues swirling around in our culture, I know I need to be reminded.

You and I are being threatened in all areas of our lives – health, finances, spiritually, relationships.  My husband had emergency open-heart bypass surgery last week. He experienced a ‘lethal’ event with his heart and stayed in the hospital until he could have the surgery done.

Many people I talked to about it said how ‘scary’ this must have been. I wasn’t scared. I know God is in control. I know that God has determined each of our last days here on earth and, if last Wednesday had been my husband’s last day, the doctors couldn’t have done anything to help him.

I have put my faith in Jesus so I know that God is with me.

He is for me.

He is fighting my battles.

He is working all things out for my good.  He has a purpose for everything.

He has greater power,

greater love,

and greater forgiveness

than I can ever understand.

There is no reason to be afraid or discouraged.

Thank you, Abba Father.  I needed to be reminded of this again today.

This is the Way

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Have you ever wandered away from God?

It’s easy to do – there are so many distractions.  It’s difficult to keep God at the top of our priorities when long lists of other things clamor for our attention.

So we wander.

I have wandered.

I used to wander away from God pretty regularly.  I wouldn’t even it realize it until something bad happened and I would look up to God – surprised at how far I had drifted away from him.

I stopped wandering when my spiritual habits became the foundation of my life.  Reading and studying God’s word daily has moved from a ‘if I have time’ thing to something that is not optional.  Talking with God and listening to him as he helps me stay in line with him is not optional in my life.  Worshipping and serving God with my spiritual family is also not optional.  Tithing my time and treasures is not optional.   Others things have to be taken out of my schedule if my time with God is not happening.

When my life became grounded on my spiritual habits, the wandering stopped.  I am experiencing the blessings Isaiah told the people of Judah they would receive when they turned back to God –

God is gracious to me and always answers my call.  He has walked closely beside me in all of the tough times I have gone through here in this broken world.  He blesses me during these times – guiding me and teaching me. 

Whatever is happening, I hear his voice in my head saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Isaiah 30:21.

The key was making God my first priority.  That’s when everything changed.  That’s when I became rooted in his grace and mercy.  I became constantly aware of his perfect love for me.  I also became totally confident that he will be my loving and faithful Father all the way to the end of my days.

Are you looking for direction? Peace? Purpose? Joy?

This is the way,

Walk in it.


Who?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Who are we imitating?

Who are we following?

‘Following’ has a different definition today because of social media.  But it still refers to our choice of people that we are letting have an influence on our lives.

These are the people we are giving permission to enter our minds and thoughts because we’re reading and listening to what they are sharing.  We are ‘following’ their lives.

Who are these people in your life? Are they the right people to help you grow where you want to grow?

Who are these people in my life? Are they leading me to places I should go? Are they helping me grow my integrity?  Are they helping me become more wise?  More caring?

The Israelites were not careful about who they followed. “They rejected his (God’s) decrees and the covenant he had made with their ancestors and the statues he had warned them to keep. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. ” 2 Kings 17: 15 – 16.

Wow – worthless.

They picked the wrong things to follow. They imitated the wrong things and ended up on a very bad path.

That is not a path I want to be on.

Please give me wisdom in deciding who to follow, Abba Father

My Highway

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

I can visualize it.

Isaiah tells us that when God comes, “he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”  Isaiah 35:4.

“And a highway will be there.” vs 8.

This highway is called the Way of Holiness.  I can see it stretching all the way up to heaven.  Only those of us who walk in the Way of our Savior will use it.

Those who don’t believe will not be able to travel on it.  The wicked and the foolish will not go on it.

There will be no danger when we – the redeemed – walk home on this highway.  As we return to the LORD, we will be singing praises.  There will be no sorrow or sighing – only everlasting joy.

Thank you, Abba Father.

What’s the Goal?

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Where do I want to be next year?  What do I want to have achieved?

Where do I want to grow in my life?

One of the most important things I’ve learned in my years on this planet is that I need to feed what I want to grow.  I can’t just wish it.  I can’t sit frustrated because nothing is changing if I’m not doing something to change it.

I need to take action.  There must be forward movement – one step at a time – towards my goal.

I need to feed what I want to grow.

And I am encouraged as I read King Hezekiah’s story in 2 Chronicles of his vast and successful religious reformation of his nation.  One step at a time, working with the priests, he took his people who were far from God and led them back into obedience.  This is a great role model for us if our goal is to grow closer to God and grow in faithfulness.

Hezekiah’s first step was to cleanse the temple.  They purified everything in the temple and consecrated it.  What would this look like for you and I?  We need to stop habits that are not good for our minds and souls.  Stop reading articles, magazines, books that don’t feed what we want to grow.  Change our favorite channels on TV, our favorite music channels and our most visited websites.  Cleanse our minds and souls by using discernment in what we’re feeding them.

Then Hezekiah had the people gather together to use the temple as it was meant to be used – sacrificing to God and worshiping him.  For us, this means committing to meet with God’s people regularly – studying God’s word and growing together.  It also means making sure we are in line with God’s directions on tithing and giving of our time.  The Israelites gave so much back to God that they had plenty to share with their neighbors who needed help.

Next, Hezekiah invited Israel and Judah to come to the temple together to celebrate the Passover.  He invited his neighbors – just like God wants us to ask our neighbors to come with us to church or our small group or watch the worship on line together.

Then Hezekiah told his people, “Do not be like your parents and your fellow Israelites, who were unfaithful to the LORD…” 2 Chronicles 30: 7.

Do you and I have any people in our lives that aren’t good influences?  Do we need to pick different friends?  Different role models?

They attacked their idols – destroying them and getting rid of the distraction.  What are our idols?  What things in our lives make us too busy to spend time with God personally and with other believers?

We need to feed what we want to grow.

We read that God blessed Hezekiah and his people as they grew more and more obedient.  God gave them unity of mind as they all looked to him for wisdom and guidance.

I know I want God’s blessings in my life.  I want unity of mind, wisdom and guidance.  One of my main motivations for reading the entire Bible every year for these last 11 years is making sure I’m on a steady path of knowing and loving God more.

I know that I need to feed my relationship with God in order for those things to grow.  And God will be faithful in helping me – he always is.

Thank you, Abba Father.

Isaiah 9, 2022

On By Judy GlasserIn JulyLeave a comment

Dear Father,

We ask that the people who walk in darkness today would see your great light.  Shine your light of love and grace on all those who are now living in the land of deep darkness.

Enlarge your kingdom on earth, Father.  We rejoice before you for you have broken the yoke of our slavery to sin.  You have lifted the heavy burden of guilt and shame from our shoulders through the death and resurrection of your son.  You have removed the oppression brought into our lives by our disobedience and rebellion.

For a Child was born to us, you gave us your son, Jesus.

We call him Wonderful,

Counselor,

Mighty God,

Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Those of us who have accepted your ‘saving grace’ have placed Jesus on the throne of our lives where he rules with justice and peace for all eternity.

Thank you for making all of this happen.

What If?

On By Judy GlasserIn JuneLeave a comment

What if our sin and rebellion showed on the outside?

I’m reading in 2 Chronicles that King Uzziah became unfaithful to God and there was a visual consequence.  “King Uzziah had leprosy until the day he died.  He lived in a separate house – leprous and banned from the temple of the Lord.” verse 21.  Everyone could see result of the king’s sin.

On second thought, I think many of our sins also show on the outside.  We don’t have leprosy but some of us have broken relationships that are easy to see.  Did these relationships break because of our lack of forgiveness and patience?

Others of us have very difficult financial situations on our lives that are no secret to those around us and are direct consequences of putting ‘things’ in front of God on our list of priorities.

Many of us struggle with very visible anger and frustration because of our selfishness and lack of self-control.

Those of us who ignore God and fail to live our life by faith, can be filled with fear because we trust other things like money, careers and relationships to give us security.  This stress is visible in our lives because we know – deep inside – that none of these things are secure.

Yep – all of this shows on the outside.

But it begins on the inside  – with our heart.  That’s why God starts his transformation on the inside.

God has brought his love and light and truth and grace into my heart – transforming me one step at a time.  And I’ve noticed that- gradually – the change happening on the inside starts to show on the outside.

God wants to do the same transformation for you –

will you let him?

Thank you for your transforming love and grace, Abba Father.

More Than Enough

On By Judy GlasserIn JuneLeave a comment

Dear Father,

You are more than enough for us.

Our desire is to be faithful to you today and every day.  We want to be anchored to you so that we don’t drift away.

Please help us understand your wisdom and directions.  Reveal the truth to us.  Make the lies and traps that surround us clear to us so we can avoid their snares.

Your’s is the only voice we want to follow – please make us deaf to all others.

Your prophet Hosea reminds us that it is wrong to make other things more important in our lives that you, Father. “My people consult a wooden idol, a diviner’s rod speaks to them.  The spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.” Hosea 4:12. 

We don’t consult wooden idols or diviner’s rods anymore but we regularly give large amounts of our time and energy to things in our world which have no eternal value – making money, buying things, building our careers, looking for a good time. 

Why do we so easily let these things take a higher priority in our lives than you do, dear God? 

We’re disappointed when our children follow our lead and get drawn into the mess of our culture.  They are simply following our example.  They see all of the ‘gods’ in our lives so they develop their own.

You are the only true God.

You deserve our devotion and our love.

Please continue to draw us closer, Abba Father.

The Truth

On By Judy GlasserIn June3 Comments

I need to know the truth. You need to know the truth.

And we won’t know the truth by listening to our culture – it is full of lies and half-truths and rationalizations.

Where’s the only place we can find real truth?

God’s Word. The Bible.

I have a huge thirst to know the real truth. I don’t need to hear what he thinks or she thinks or they think or even what you think.

What God thinks – that’s what is important to me.

This thirst has taken me on an 11 year journey of reading through the Bible every year. Somewhere in the middle – like year 4 or 5 – I started saying things like “that’s not in the Bible’ when people quoted things that just aren’t there. One of these things you and I hear often is not true – “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle”. Not in there. That’s one of the most misquoted scriptures we hear.

I know if what someone is saying is in the Bible about 90% of the time. If anyone says something new, I always look it up. Sometimes I learn something new and other times I realize that what they were telling everyone was not true.

What’s also important is that I know what’s missing when listening to a preacher or teacher teach from the Bible. One of the reasons I read the entire Bible is to get a big picture of God, an overall understanding. So I can tell when someone is leaving something out because its too controversial or maybe they don’t agree with it.

I don’t care if its controversial or you don’t like it. It’s in the Bible. That’s the truth. God calls us to adjust our lives to his truth – not the other way around

Unfortunately, I’m hearing about more and more pastors who are adjusting God’s truth to make people happy. They leave out the tough parts because, well, maybe people won’t like it and they will leave the church.

I’ve talked to several good Christian people I know who have left their church because the pastor started veering away from the truth. A denomination that I was a part of for many years is currently deciding whether they are going to take the Bible literally or change what they preach to fit what people ‘think’ is right. What??

The prophet Amos predicated times like these. “The days are coming,” declares the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine through the land – not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it.” Amos 8: 11&12.

We don’t have to stagger around searching for the Word of the Lord. His Word is in the Bible if we make sure we have a credible Bible. People have actually changed words in the Bible to fit what they think as well.

Any doubt that there is a famine?

Our Bible can be and should be in our hands and entering our minds every day as we read and apply God’s truth to our lives. You can’t count on anyone else to make sure you know the truth.

God has given my husband and I an awesome new church in Denver with a pastor who preaches the Word unapologetically. When he gets on a controversial subject and boldly proclaims what God says about it, my church family erupts in clapping and ‘Amens’ because we know we would not be hearing this truth in some other churches.

We are in a famine but we have what we need to feed ourselves – God’s Word.

Thank you for your truth in your Word, Abba Father.