Bloom Where you are Planted

When we get to know our Savior, we learn His attributes, and we know we can count on Him and this gives us Hope in Hopeless circumstances. God will cause us to blossom like a rose in the dessert.

Gloria Gaither wrote in "Because He Lives" the story behind the song, that in the early years of their ministry, they had a pavement driveway put in up to their offices. This was exciting and a big deal, and as they watched with anticipation as the graders came and prepared the driveway and layers of sand and gravel were brought in. Finally, on top of everything, a layer of asphalt was poured. How exciting! The next spring Gloria looked out of the window and saw a tiny blade of grass coming through a small crack in the asphalt. How could it be that tiny blade of grass pushed through all of those layers?

Laura Story wrote a song, "Blessings" about her journey through her husband's brain tumor surgery and recovery. People identify with what she has learned because we all have our "story" of the hard things that weigh us down and threaten to crush our faith. But because there is a deep-rooted faith, our weak little blade of grass or flower stem pushes through the dry earth and the cracks in the asphalt of life and a somehow a flower blossoms.

Isaiah 35:1,2 Wilderness and desert will sing joyously, the badlands will celebrate and flower-
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom, a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon-a gift. Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon-gifts.
GOD's resplendent glory, fully on display GOD awesome, GOD majestic.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote in his Morning and Evening Devotional:

..."Knowest thou not that day follows night, that flood comes after ebb, that spring and summer succeed winter? Hope thou then! Hope thou ever! For God fails thee not. Dost thou not know that thy God loves thee in the midst of all this? Mountains, when in darkness hidden, are as real as in day, and God's love is as true to thee now as it was in thy brightest moments. No father chastens always: thy Lord hates the rod as much as thou dost; he only cares to use it for that reason which should make thee willing to receive it, namely, that it works thy lasting good. Thou shalt yet climb Jacob's ladder with the angels, and behold him who sits at the top of it-thy covenant God. Thou shalt yet, amidst the splendours of eternity, forget the trials of time, or only remember them to bless the God who led thee through them, and wrought thy lasting good by them. Come, sing in the midst of tribulation. Rejoice even while passing through the furnace. Make the wilderness to blossom like the rose! Cause the desert to ring with thine exulting joys, for these light afflictions will soon be over, and then "forever with the Lord," thy bliss shall never wane" Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings Evening, July 21

"Faint not nor fear, his arms are near, He changeth not, and thou art dear;
Only believe and thou shalt see, That Christ is all in all to thee."

Joyce Hayes
Artist-in-residence at America's Keswick

I'm tired, but HE's not...

It is a high honor to be a part of the ministry of America's Keswick. I confess to you that there are days when it is tiring. I don't mean the actual tasks so much; we're not pounding stones here. What I mean is the battle. Lately, I've found myself battle weary. I'm tired. I'm tired of addiction and the fall-out it brings to the one addicted and the ones who love them. I have had a taste of what they experience first-hand. It doesn't taste very good. On the other side of that, I've also tasted and seen that the Lord is good.

I've even found myself overwhelmed at times by the never-ending streams of prayer requests that just keep coming. Well, of course they keep coming. They'll be coming until He comes back. Some of them are mine! "Lord, don't you see all this, I can't keep up. Who do I pray for, what do I pray?"

"Oh, Dina, Dina, you are troubled and worried about many things but one this is needed, sit at My feet."

And that is where He reminds me of the truth, many truths. The truth is, it's not my battle, it's His. He's already defeated the enemy and He is NOT overwhelmed by anything. In fact, He has overcome everything!

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NKJV)

Dear sister, may the peace of our Lord fill your heart...

Dina Seaton
Marketing Assistant, Staff Writer

What to Wear

In a few weeks I will be attending a wedding. While waiting to meet my sisters for lunch I went into a nearby store. I found a really nice dress on sale. I scanned the tag and found it to be on sale lower than the price tag had reflected. I went to try the dress on only to find that the zipper was damaged. Since then I have been looking for another dress but my mind keeps going back to the "perfect" dress with the broken zipper.

Colossians 3:12-17 reminds me about the things I am to put on every day, not just for special occasions. We are told to "put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another as Christ has forgiven you, above all these things put on love, let the peace of God rule in your hearts, be thankful, let the word of God dwell in you richly, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving thanks to God the Father."

Am I more disappointed in not having the perfect dress when my outer self does not reflect that I have put on what glorifies Jesus Christ? Like the dress that looked so right but had the broken zipper, I can be careful to look just right but end up in need of some repairs from the inside out.

PSALM 91:2 I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."

Kathy Withers

Kathy's on staff at America's KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 26 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has previously served as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God's Word.

Modesty is not just for girls

As I was working my way through last week's series of Victory Calls on Modesty, this thought kept skipping through my mind: Modesty is not just a female issue. When we think of modesty we typically think of female attire but there are modesty issues for men as well, different perhaps but no less an issue.

Sure there are the obvious - overly tight pants, spandex bikini swim suits, pants that sit so low they are barely worth the effort, etc., but I think there are other issues that can be perfectly innocent.

Even men dressing modestly would be surprised to find out that the way they sit matters. I have sat across from men in knee length loose fitting shorts that were modest standing up but when they sat down and crossed their ankle on their knee, I had to look almost anywhere but at them. Baggy shorts for both women and men - do just that, they bag. So in a seated position, they can fall away from their leg revealing three quarters of the thigh.

We, and certainly I personally, at America's Keswick, DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO BECOME OBSESSED OR FANATICAL about modesty. That would be legalistic. I just think as followers of Jesus Christ we need to be aware of those around us, men and women alike, and that we need to love and serve them to the best of our ability by not being a stumbling block.

Romans 14:13 Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

1 John 2:10 Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

Matthew 22:39 ... You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

We are looking forward to a great summer - hope yours is blessed.

Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America's Keswick. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years. She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all. She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

Modest Check Part 1

I found this Modesty Heart Check brochure very insightful and helpful. I pass it along in two parts for your consideration and edification:

Modesty Heart Check

By Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, Janelle Bradshaw

"...Women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness-with good works." 1 Timothy 2:9-10

Start with a heart check...

"How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the center of attention? The answer starts in the intent of the heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood? Is it to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshipping God? or is it to call attention to herself and flaunt her beauty? Or worse, to attempt to lure men sexually? A woman who focuses on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed, because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance." John MacArthur [Emphasis added]

* What statement do my clothes make about my heart?

* In choosing what clothes to wear today, whose attention do I desire and whose approval do I crave? Am I seeking to please God or impress others?

* Is what I wear consistent with biblical values of modesty, self-control and respectable apparel, or does my dress reveal an inordinate identification and fascination with sinful cultural values?

* Who am I trying to identify with through my dress? Is the Word of God my standard or is it the latest fashion?

* Have I asked other godly individuals to evaluate my wardrobe?

* Does my clothing reveal an allegiance to the gospel or is there any contradiction between my profession of faith and my practice of godliness?

This is part one of a two part series from the Modesty Check (c) Sovereign Grace Ministries

Republished in Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by Carolyn Mahaney, and Nicole Whitacre (Crossway Books)~~ used with permission.

If you are interested the Modest Heart Check brochure can be found in PDF form, as a free download, at: http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1170-06-59.

Blessings,
Diane

Get Dressed Intentionally

Steph once made the statement that "people get dressed intentionally".

I believe that people get dressed intentionally though maybe not consciously. Many girls/women dress intending to turn a head, to draw the eye of a particular man, or men in general. A woman can feel a sense of excitement from getting a positive reaction from a member of the opposite sex. My theory is that this sense of excitement is the female form of lust. Lust is defined as personal inclination or intense desire (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).

For men, lust is an issue of the heart but is typically enticed through the eyes. For women, I would say the same is true with a significant variation. For women, lust is an issue of the heart but is typically enticed through the eyes LOOKING AT HER. For men, lust is receptive in that it is fanned into flame through what he takes in from outside of himself, what he sees or looks at and then mulls over in his mind.

For women, lust is transmissive in the sense that it is fanned into flame through what she sends out from inside herself, how she dresses, sits, or moves her body which results in a reaction from a man. The power to entice and the intense longing for attention can cause women to dress in a sensual way.

The styles today can create a problem simply because of clingy and lightweight fabrics. I think a lot of women do not wear slips and inadvertently reveal more than perhaps they intend. Once in church I saw a woman wearing a cute modest dress but she wasn't wearing a slip and that dress clung in all the wrong places, and I doubt she was even aware of it.

Romans 6:13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

I only see two options: either we will present ourselves to God as an instrument of righteousness and dress to glorify Him, or we will present ourselves as an instrument of unrighteousness and dress to glorify self. Not choosing to dress intentionally to glorify God will, by default, result in dressing to glorify self. Which do you choose today?

Diane

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS AMAZING BLESSING FOR THE 2012 FAMILY FREEDOM WALK. THUS FAR HE HAS BROUGHT IN $58,776!!!!


On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, Blogger posted what should be Friday's Victory Call. What can I say? The Internet is a tempermental beast. Here is what should have posted Monday and Tuesday:

This week our Victory Calls will focus on "Modesty" - "How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ?

An Attitude of the Heart

This is the week, for the past 5 years, that I have shared a series on modesty and purity. Memorial Day typically kicks off the summer with warmer temperatures and sticky humidity and people wear lighter and less clothing, although this year it was not uncommon to see it all winter with such mild temperatures. Modesty is not only a summer issue: it is God's desire for us all 365 days of the year. However, I doubt anyone would argue that it becomes a more evident issue with the warmer weather. The beaches and pools are packed to overflowing, and the amusement parks and ice cream stands have long lines. People are out and about.

It is sad to see young women (and some not-so-young) wearing attire that would have been considered pornographic just 30 or 40 years ago. If it is catching my attention, you can be sure it is turning almost every male's head. Sure there are men out there intentionally looking, ogling anything female, but I would venture to guess that they are not the majority. I think the majority are men with wives and families and daughters who are accosted with sensually and scantly dressed girls and women everywhere they go. I wish I could say they could just flee to the church but, sadly, it is not safe even in the churches.

Women of God, it is time to stand up and battle the enemy as he is gaining ground in the hearts and lives of the men of our churches, our husbands, our sons, our brothers, our pastors. We need a new attitude of compassion and support rather than condemnation and irritation.

Please hear my heart. I am not blaming scantly dressed women for any man's sinful attitudes or actions! Each man is 100% responsible for where he allows his eyes and heart to linger. I would also say each woman is 100% responsible for her own attire and her attitude. It is a cop-out to chalk it up to being "his problem". More than that, it is short-sighted, superficial and flat-out sinful.

Which one of us would sit in the foxhole painting our nails when our fellow soldier was waging war against our enemy who appeared to be gaining the upper hand? NOT A ONE! I believe every one of us would jump to the aid of another in our company doing battle alongside them rather than against them. Let's carry this word picture into the modesty, lust and purity battle. Can you see how God calls us alongside rather than against our brothers in Christ?

How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ? How does your attire reflect love for your brothers in Christ? How does the way you dress reflect your heart?

Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor...

Luke 10:27 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

And today's.....

Yesterday I shared about the attitude of our hearts regarding the battle the enemy has mounted in the area of lust and sexual immorality. I believe he is gaining ground. Consider these pornography statistics

The United States ranks 4th in the world in revenue made on pornography ($2.84 billion) (1,2)

Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created (1)

Each day there are 68,000,000 pornographic search engine requests (1,2)

Each day there are 2.5 billion pornographic emails (2)

35% of all internet downloads are pornographic (2)

40 million Americans are regular visitors to pornography sites (2)

The average age of internet pornography exposure 11 years old (2)

70% of men 18-24 visit porn sites in a typical month (2)

1 in 3 Pornography viewers are female (33%) (2)

Here are two Hunt statistics: We are 100% responsible for where our eyes go and hearts linger. We are 100% responsible for our choice to be women of modesty, purity and dignity.

Women, will you step up and join the battle against evil by dressing intentionally to the Glory of God?

Diane

1 http://familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html#anchor4 (accessed 5.16.12)
2 http://unitedfamiliesinternational.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/14-shocking-pornography-statistics/ (accessed 5.16.12)

Some Cold Hard Facts

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS AMAZING BLESSING FOR THE 2012 FAMILY FREEDOM WALK. THUS FAR HE HAS BROUGHT IN $58,776!!!!


Yesterday Blogger posted what should be Friday's Victory Call.  What can I say?  The Internet is a tempermental beast.  Here is what should have posted yesterday, as well as today's:
This week our Victory Calls will focus on "Modesty" - "How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ?

An Attitude of the Heart

This is the week, for the past 5 years, that I have shared a series on modesty and purity. Memorial Day typically kicks off the summer with warmer temperatures and sticky humidity and people wear lighter and less clothing, although this year it was not uncommon to see it all winter with such mild temperatures. Modesty is not only a summer issue: it is God's desire for us all 365 days of the year. However, I doubt anyone would argue that it becomes a more evident issue with the warmer weather. The beaches and pools are packed to overflowing, and the amusement parks and ice cream stands have long lines. People are out and about.

It is sad to see young women (and some not-so-young) wearing attire that would have been considered pornographic just 30 or 40 years ago. If it is catching my attention, you can be sure it is turning almost every male's head. Sure there are men out there intentionally looking, ogling anything female, but I would venture to guess that they are not the majority. I think the majority are men with wives and families and daughters who are accosted with sensually and scantly dressed girls and women everywhere they go. I wish I could say they could just flee to the church but, sadly, it is not safe even in the churches.

Women of God, it is time to stand up and battle the enemy as he is gaining ground in the hearts and lives of the men of our churches, our husbands, our sons, our brothers, our pastors. We need a new attitude of compassion and support rather than condemnation and irritation.

Please hear my heart. I am not blaming scantly dressed women for any man's sinful attitudes or actions! Each man is 100% responsible for where he allows his eyes and heart to linger. I would also say each woman is 100% responsible for her own attire and her attitude. It is a cop-out to chalk it up to being "his problem". More than that, it is short-sighted, superficial and flat-out sinful.

Which one of us would sit in the foxhole painting our nails when our fellow soldier was waging war against our enemy who appeared to be gaining the upper hand? NOT A ONE! I believe every one of us would jump to the aid of another in our company doing battle alongside them rather than against them. Let's carry this word picture into the modesty, lust and purity battle. Can you see how God calls us alongside rather than against our brothers in Christ?

How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ? How does your attire reflect love for your brothers in Christ? How does the way you dress reflect your heart?

Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor...

Luke 10:27 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

And today's.....
Yesterday I shared about the attitude of our hearts regarding the battle the enemy has mounted in the area of lust and sexual immorality. I believe he is gaining ground. Consider these pornography statistics

The United States ranks 4th in the world in revenue made on pornography ($2.84 billion) (1,2)

Every 39 minutes a new pornographic video is being created (1)

Each day there are 68,000,000 pornographic search engine requests (1,2)

Each day there are 2.5 billion pornographic emails (2)

35% of all internet downloads are pornographic (2)

40 million Americans are regular visitors to pornography sites (2)

The average age of internet pornography exposure 11 years old (2)

70% of men 18-24 visit porn sites in a typical month (2)

1 in 3 Pornography viewers are female (33%) (2)

Here are two Hunt statistics: We are 100% responsible for where our eyes go and hearts linger. We are 100% responsible for our choice to be women of modesty, purity and dignity.

Women, will you step up and join the battle against evil by dressing intentionally to the Glory of God?

Diane

1 http://familysafemedia.com/pornography_statistics.html#anchor4 (accessed 5.16.12)
2 http://unitedfamiliesinternational.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/14-shocking-pornography-statistics/ (accessed 5.16.12)

An Attitude of the Heart

PRAISING GOD FOR HIS AMAZING BLESSING FOR THE 2012 FAMILY FREEDOM WALK. THUS FAR HE HAS BROUGHT IN $58,776!!!!


This week our Victory Calls will focus on "Modesty" - "How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ?

An Attitude of the Heart

This is the week, for the past 5 years, that I have shared a series on modesty and purity. Memorial Day typically kicks off the summer with warmer temperatures and sticky humidity and people wear lighter and less clothing, although this year it was not uncommon to see it all winter with such mild temperatures. Modesty is not only a summer issue: it is God's desire for us all 365 days of the year. However, I doubt anyone would argue that it becomes a more evident issue with the warmer weather. The beaches and pools are packed to overflowing, and the amusement parks and ice cream stands have long lines. People are out and about.

It is sad to see young women (and some not-so-young) wearing attire that would have been considered pornographic just 30 or 40 years ago. If it is catching my attention, you can be sure it is turning almost every male's head. Sure there are men out there intentionally looking, ogling anything female, but I would venture to guess that they are not the majority. I think the majority are men with wives and families and daughters who are accosted with sensually and scantly dressed girls and women everywhere they go. I wish I could say they could just flee to the church but, sadly, it is not safe even in the churches.

Women of God, it is time to stand up and battle the enemy as he is gaining ground in the hearts and lives of the men of our churches, our husbands, our sons, our brothers, our pastors. We need a new attitude of compassion and support rather than condemnation and irritation.

Please hear my heart. I am not blaming scantly dressed women for any man's sinful attitudes or actions! Each man is 100% responsible for where he allows his eyes and heart to linger. I would also say each woman is 100% responsible for her own attire and her attitude. It is a cop-out to chalk it up to being "his problem". More than that, it is short-sighted, superficial and flat-out sinful.

Which one of us would sit in the foxhole painting our nails when our fellow soldier was waging war against our enemy who appeared to be gaining the upper hand? NOT A ONE! I believe every one of us would jump to the aid of another in our company doing battle alongside them rather than against them. Let's carry this word picture into the modesty, lust and purity battle. Can you see how God calls us alongside rather than against our brothers in Christ?

How do your wardrobe choices reflect love for Jesus Christ? How does your attire reflect love for your brothers in Christ? How does the way you dress reflect your heart?

Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor...

Luke 10:27 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Blessings,
Diane

Trials

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." James 1:2-4

I was interested in finding out the accurate meaning of a trial; according to the American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition, the definition is: "A test of patience or endurance." The definition takes me right back to the Bible in the book of James, to produce patience and to endure. Trials come unexpectedly. The situations are uncertain, my perception is vague and I feel isolated; the outcome is unknown and at that very moment I wish it never happened. I know God is with me during the most difficult times, watching to know will my faith in Him increase or will I turn away from Him. The gift of faith comes from the Lord, the perfect example, "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"  Hebrews 12:2.

I must abide in the Lord, learning from His examples, seeking of His joy for His strength that I may endure to show the evidence of Christ and the truth of His Word. The trials will allow me to be acquainted with waiting on the Lord producing patience, resulting in endurance with God's joy.

Honestly, my way of thinking has been to pass up on trials. My feelings will dictate it's better to be comfortable and at ease with things that concern me. I find complacency sneaks in as a result of being comfortable. I don't want to be satisfied with these feelings, for they are deceptive. My feelings will stifle my spiritual maturity and cause no growth in my faith to trust God.

Paul speaks of the way he lived; "serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews" Acts 20:19.

God gave His children His son as a great example: "To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God" Acts 1:3.

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing; so that also at the revelation of His glory, you may rejoice with exultation" 1 Peter 4 12-13.

Dear Lord, You are greatly to be praised for all things. I thank You for Your admonition towards Your children, Your courage, and the strength that Yyou graciously give us to undertake the trials. You have provided for all of my needs. Praise You Lord, I am learning more of You every day.

Lord, I love You!

Glory to God,
Sandra Valdes
Staff Member - WOC Graduate

He Will Always Welcome You Home

"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him." Like 15:20

The parable of the prodigal is one of my favorite passages of scripture for many reasons. Today I want to share how this parable applies to each of us by using this simple comparison made by Warren Wiersbe.

"It is interesting to consider the father's description of his son's experience: he was dead, and was now alive; he was lost, and now was found. This is the spiritual experience of every lost sinner who comes to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ (John 5:24; Eph. 2:1-10). Note the parallels between the prodigal's coming to the father and our coming to the Father through Christ (John 14:6):

The Prodigal Jesus Christ

He was lost (v.24) "I am the way"

He was ignorant (v.17) "I am the truth"

He was dead (v.24) "I am the life"

There is only one way to come to the Father, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ. "Have you come home?"

The truth is we ALL are prodigals and still tend to wander from the God we love. Today you may find yourself far from home or just contemplating taking a step across a boundary line. Won't you turn around and run to your Father who welcomes you with open arms?

Blessings,

Kathy Withers

Kathy's on staff at America's KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 26 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has previously served as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God's Word.

What Does Your Love Look Like?

So sorry - somehow yesterday's Victory Call did not get posted.  It is available on the website - www.americakeswick.org - please check it out; it's a great thought from Joyce Hayes.  On another note, the Family Freedom Walk was last Saturday.  We had a great day - and the Lord brought in over $56,000!  And ladies, we beat the Freedom Fighters - $115 - $0!!!!!  Thanks for your support!

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices when the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses fait; is always hopeful. Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 1

While attending a marriage retreat weekend recently, the group was asked the following question: "Is it possible to love your spouse too much?"

One-by-one husbands and wives answered. The responses included a yes, a no, a concern for boundaries. One said they didn't want to enable bad behavior and another stated love is not "fuzzy wuzzy".

What do you think? Is it possible to love a spouse too much? Is it possible to love anyone too much?

A few months ago I was challenged to take the description of love from First Corinthians 13 and do a detailed word search. In other words, I was to take what God's Word says love "is" and define each word.

Let me just tell you, up until that point, I thought I did a pretty good job of loving the people in my life. Allow me to share some of the definitions I found. This is not an exhaustive list, just some that stuck out to me.

Love is...

PATIENT-without discontent

KIND-disposed to do good to others and to make them happy by granting their requests

NOT JEALOUS-not suspicious

NOT PROUD-not possessing a high conceit of one's own excellence; overbearing

NOT RUDE-not rough; fierce; harsh or raw

NOT IRRITABLE-not susceptible to anger or passion easily

KEEPING NO RECORD OF WRONGS-not calling to mind, reciting or repeating when I have been treated unjustly or injured

NOT DEMANDING MY OWN WAY-to not claim or seek with possession MY method, mode or manner of doing something

Love...

NEVER GIVES UP/NEVER LOSES FAITH-Never! (Is to not at any time in no degree)...

So love: not at any time; in no degree; not ever yields to stopping. Love not at anytime; not ever; in no degree stops believing.

ALWAYS HOPEFUL-to perpetually throughout all time continually; constantly have the belief that good may be obtained 2

I will tell you that as I did this it became painfully obvious to me that, although I could and have been loving, I was not by definition, moment-by-moment, day-by-day actively living out what God says love "is".

Love has to look like what love is defined as in scripture. It is not possible to love my spouse too much. In fact, there are times when it's a challenge to love-period and even more it's a challenge to actively, purposely, and intentionally love.

But after doing the above challenge a deep desire has been ignited in me to be lovely. I desire to be a lovely wife who will gracefully tarry in loveliness. I desire to awake each day and purposely, with intent, love my husband, my children, my family and friends unto the Lord.

Pray with me:

Lord my redeemer, I know I have failed over and over again and yet you love me. Help me and my sisters reading this Victory Call to love intentionally moment-by-moment.

Help us to never allow this world to define love for us, but to always be mindful of what You say love "IS" and help us to choose to live it out.

We desire to be lovely unto you. Would you change us from the inside out? In your name, Jesus, Amen.

Kim Spicer
WOC Graduate

1 New Living Translation and New American Standard
2 American Dictionary of the American Language Noah Webster 1828 ed.

Getting the Garden Ready

This early spring has gotten us in the gardening mood early and we have prepared the soil by turning it, and fertilizing for the flowers we hope to plant this month. A healthy root system is important for growth to happen. You can't have a flower without the roots. In order for us to have a healthy root system, we have to get to know Jesus.

Last week while walking our dogs around the Keswick lake we noticed a tree down near the Colony of Mercy horseshoe pit. One of the men from the Colony said it just fell around noon. It wasn't raining, and there was no wind to speak of. It was a tall pine tree with a very small root bulb. It amazes me that it could grow so tall and yet have very little root. The wet sand from rain in previous days just gave way and down the tree went. Every trouble we face can threaten our stability when we are not deeply rooted in Christ.

I recently read a book by Christina Shofield called, "My Life and Lesser Catastrophes." It is the story of her walk with Christ during a time of great trial. On her 13th anniversary, she and her husband got a babysitter for their little girl and went on a motorcycle ride down a country road. They hit some loose gravel and were thrown from the motorcycle. Her husband suffered injuries that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Here is what she wrote in her book: "In the weeks leading up to the accident, I had had trouble sleeping. I woke up almost every night at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. unable to trail back off to sleep. So I'd drag myself out of bed, tuck my Bible under my arm like a football and find a quiet corner where I would talk with God. I'm glad we had that squint-eyed time together, He and I, because things soon would be turned upside down between us." God was building her root system as she spent time with him and got to know him.

Colossians 2: 6, 7 - Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Joyce Hayes
Artist-in-residence at America's Keswick

I Hear YOU...

It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?"
And the Lord said to him, "Go up."
David said, "Where shall I go up?"
And He said, "To Hebron." 2 Samuel 2:1 (NKJV)

When I read this portion of scripture, it jumped off the page at me. It's so simple really, isn't it? David had a question, he needed direction, so he asked the Lord; AND the Lord answered him. I've know the Lord for twelve years and the thing that amazes me still to this day is that He speaks to me, to us. Wrap your mind around that for a minute. God speaks to us. He may use scripture, another person, nature, anything He wants really, but I'm talking about His voice: When He speaks to our hearts. That still, small voice. It is unmistakable. Although I admit there have been days when I've doubted it was His voice that I heard. Maybe you've had those days?

"Lord was that You? I thought it was. Maybe it was just me trying to convince myself that it was You."

Then I'm reminded of another portion of scripture, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 (NKJV)

Doubt - that's one of the enemy's favorite weapons. The shield of faith is one of my favorite weapons,

"...above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

When those arrows of doubt fly, and they will, hold up your shield of faith, and listen for the Father's voice.
He'll never go against His word and He'll never come without peace.

David inquired of the Lord...and the Lord said to him...

Dina Seaton
Marketing Assistant, Staff Writer

She Gave Her Heart

LAST CHANCE!  May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.



ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?



1 Samuel 1:10-11  "Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. And she made this vow. 'O LORD of Heaven's Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the LORD, his hair will never be cut."

Hannah was a woman who prayed for years for a child. She was ridiculed and shamed for being childless. Hannah wanted a child so desperately. Each year Elkanah and his 2 wives and children would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord. This year Hannah was overcome with sadness and cried out to the Lord for a son. And if God would answer her prayer she would give him back to the Lord. She would dedicate him for his whole life in the Lord's service.

Hannah wanted a child so much that she was willing to give him back to the Lord! What a sacrifice...just to be able to have a baby she is willing to give him back to the Lord!

This may be hard for us to understand...but women sacrifice to have children all the time.

There was a young woman in my church in 1998. Her name was Bonnie. She was married and had 18- month-old beautiful twin girls. When she was 18 she was diagnosed with a very severe heart condition. She was told she could never have children because the strain would be too much for her heart. But she took the risk because she wanted children so much. In May of 1998 her heart had become so weak she could no longer care for her girls. She was put into the hospital to wait for a heart transplant...the only hope in saving her life.

I received this note from Bonnie in early May. Bonnie wrote:

"Before I went into the hospital I bought a book called God's Little Devotional Book. It's the first devotional book I've ever bought. Before each story there is a Bible quote and a brief observation. This is one of my favorites. 'Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus Christ Jesus concerning you.' 1 Thess. 5:16,18"

Bonnie was rejoicing....she was giving thanks...even in her dire situation...she needed a heart and needed it desparately to live, yet she found much to rejoice in.

Bonnie not only received one heart... but two within 2 weeks' time. But her body rejected both and on June 1, 1998 Bonnie went home to be with the Lord. She knew the risks of having her babies, that it may cost her life. She also knew the risk of the surgery.

Bonnie made sure she wrote letters to her girls so that when they grew up they would know she considered her sacrifice worth it just to have her beautiful girls...if just for a brief time.

Bonnie literally gave her heart for her children. You see, I don't think Bonnie's heart could be replaced. As a mom she sacrificed it all for her children.

As we celebrate our moms this Mother's Day may we all remember the sacrifices that they have made on our behalf and thank our God for all of them.

MaryAnn Kiernan

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 38 years, have 2 married sons and are the proud grandparents of three grandsons and two granddaughters and one grandchild on the way! She serves at America's Keswick as a Biblical Counselor and also as Intake Coordinator for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.

Getting the Garden Ready

This early spring has gotten us in the gardening mood early and we have prepared the soil by turning it, and fertilizing for the flowers we hope to plant this month. A healthy root system is important for growth to happen. You can't have a flower without the roots. In order for us to have a healthy root system, we have to get to know Jesus.

Last week while walking our dogs around the Keswick lake we noticed a tree down near the Colony of Mercy horseshoe pit. One of the men from the Colony said it just fell around noon. It wasn't raining, and there was no wind to speak of. It was a tall pine tree with a very small root bulb. It amazes me that it could grow so tall and yet have very little root. The wet sand from rain in previous days just gave way and down the tree went. Every trouble we face can threaten our stability when we are not deeply rooted in Christ.

I recently read a book by Christina Shofield called, "My Life and Lesser Catastrophes." It is the story of her walk with Christ during a time of great trial. On her 13th anniversary, she and her husband got a babysitter for their little girl and went on a motorcycle ride down a country road. They hit some loose gravel and were thrown from the motorcycle. Her husband suffered injuries that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Here is what she wrote in her book: "In the weeks leading up to the accident, I had had trouble sleeping. I woke up almost every night at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. unable to trail back off to sleep. So I'd drag myself out of bed, tuck my Bible under my arm like a football and find a quiet corner where I would talk with God. I'm glad we had that squint-eyed time together, He and I, because things soon would be turned upside down between us." God was building her root system as she spent time with Him and got to know Him.

Colossians 2: 6, 7 - Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.

Joyce Hayes
Artist-in-residence

AN EXAMPLE

EXPRESSING CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES IN YOUR DAY TO DAY LIFE

"And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ's." (1 Corinthians 11:1, TLB).

When Matt, our son, was nine years old, he started wearing contact lenses. In the first two years he wore them, he lost five lenses. Paying for those lenses didn't help our budget any, and I started to become a nagging mother. It got to the point where Matt was afraid to tell me when he lost a lens because he knew I would be upset.

About that time I heard a speaker say we should trust God with everything in our lives: our children, our homes, our possessions and our money. I had been willing to trust God for all of my family, my home, my money, and most of my possessions, but that day I decided to trust God with the lenses as well. Just a few days later one of the neighbor boys came to the door and said Matt had lost his lens on the grass in Billy's yard. Can you imagine trying to find a brown contact lens the size of the tip of your little finger on brown grass?

I told Matt I thought we should pray before we tried to look for the lens. He said, "Right here?"

"Yes."

Giving Thanks

All of the little neighbor boys watched in awe as Matt and I prayed God would help us find his lens. Minutes later we found it. Matt was quite willing then to pray and thank God for letting us find the lens.

Within the next month we went through that same situation three more times. We found the lens twice. The third time, as before, we asked God to help us, then we looked - and looked. We didn't find it. As we came into the house, I silently prayed that God would help me to control my temper and say the right thing to Matt.

The verse, "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18, KJV), came to my mind. I shared this verse with Matt and asked him if he could thank God for this situation. Matt thought a minute and then said he could. He prayed, "Dear God, It sure would have been nice if you would've let us find that lens, but it's OK. Thanks a lot anyway, God. Amen."

Matt and I both learned we could give thanks even in difficult situations. I learned that with God's help I could be a profound common sense thinker as I taught Matt how to live the Christian life on a day-to-day basis.

It is possible to teach those around us by example so that we can say with Paul, "And you should follow my example, just as I follow Christ's." I believe it is.

MWH

This devotional is an excerpt from Marilyn Heavilin's new book, Profound Common Sense. The book is available now by contacting Marilyn and will be available for purchase at America's Keswick this summer.

Marilyn is a wife and mother, author, and international conference and retreat speaker. She and her husband Glen serve as Counselors-in-Residence at America's KESWICK during the summer months.

May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.


ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?

Wait

"I wonder if I'm talking to anyone today who is feeling frustrated. Is there some issue in your life that just doesn't get solved? Have you prayed as much as you can about it and yet it doesn't budge? If that's the case then it's no accident that"1 you are reading this Victory Call today. Today we will set a spell and ponder waiting. Not waiting for resolution of a problem, but waiting, simply waiting on God. How, you may ask, will we ponder waiting? Well, today we'll do it in the form of a poem which communicates more line by line than I'm capable of.

This poem was recently given to me as comfort for my soul from a sister who herself is suffering and wondering and in the midst of it all learning to "wait".

Wait
"Desperate and helpless and longing, I cried.
Patiently, lovingly my Lord replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate;
And the Master so gently said, 'Child, you must wait.'

"'Wait? You said wait?' my indignant reply.
'Lord, I need answers. I need to know why.
Is Your hand shortened or have You not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming Your Word.

"'My future and all to which I can relate
Hangs in the balance, and You tell me wait.
I'm needing a yes, a go-ahead sign,
Or even a no to which I can resign.

"'And Lord, You promised that if we believe
We need but to ask and we shall receive.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry,
I'm weary of asking, I need a reply.'

"Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate
As my Master replied once again, 'You must wait.'
So I slumped in my chair defeated and taught,
and grumbled to God, 'so I'm waiting for what?'

"He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine,
And He tenderly said, 'I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun;
I could raise the dead, cause the mountains to run.

"'All you seek I could give, and pleased you would be.
You would have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depths of My love for each saint;
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"'You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence were all you could see.

"'You'd never experience that fullness of love
As the peace of My Spirit descends like a dove.
You'd know that I give and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart,

"'The glow of My comfort late in the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight,
The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked of an infinite God
Who makes what you have last.

"'And you'd never know, should your pain quickly free,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dreams for that loved one overnight may come true,
But oh the loss if I lost what I'm doing in you.

"'So be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to get to know Me.
And though oft may My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious of all is still, Wait.'"2

Dear sister, are you waiting? Then know this there is a God in heaven and He cares for you!

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth...Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." ~ (Isaiah 40:21-22a, 28-31)

Stephanie Paul

Stephanie Paul, wife and mother of two grown children. An "instrument of change" in the Redeemer's Hand, in the lives of wounded and hurting women. Currently serving as a part of the Addiction Recovery Team at America's Keswick as Woman of Character Program Administrator.

1 Lisa Barry http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Gateway-to-Joy/Waiting-Quietly.html


2 Poem wait by Russell Kelfer http://www.backtothebible.org/index.php/Gateway-to-Joy/Waiting-Quietly.html

May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.



ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?

We are a Covenant People

Recently I have been through a rather involved health related challenge. When you are in that place it can surely test your faith. Yet with it comes an opportunity to be strengthened in your relationship with God, who is truly worthy to be trusted.

I began to think about the COVENANT relationship I am blessed to have with our God. I am so very grateful. I can't even imagine going through the many challenges of life without my God.

Those of us who have made Jesus our personal Lord and Savior have been grafted into the Abrahamic Covenant. Jesus will NEVER break covenant with us. What a blessing to know that God Himself is committed to us as His people. We can walk in the blessings of Abraham. (Deut. 28:1-4) The covenant itself is unconditional and everlasting. (Gen. 15, 17).

I am challenged to walk more fully in this Covenant relationship and to enjoy the fullness of the blessings of living in covenant with God. I believe that this means I need to live more with my identify in Christ. I may be a sinner, but God loved me so much He sent His Son to die for me and chose me for Himself. He is committed to me. I am in covenant with the God of the Universe!! That reality must change the way I meet life's challenges. I can walk into a place of trusting Him more and more each day no matter what is going on in the natural!!

I want to be a woman of the covenant. I believe it is God's desire that I walk in covenant with Him and experience all of His blessings. Psalm 67:6-8 says:

Then the earth shall yield her increase;
God, our own God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us,
And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. (NKJ)

I believe God wants out lives to overflow with His blessings so much so that unbelievers will want to find out what we have!! It doesn't mean we won't have challenges dear one, but the God of the universe will carry us through it. He will work all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28) Amazing!!

During my recovery people kept saying, "you are so amazingly strong. How do you do it??" I had to tell them, I am not strong. There is no way I can put up with the pain; it is no walk in the park. But my God calls me to rise up. I do because of His grace, His encouragement, His faithfulness. I get up and can't help but praise His holy name because I got up. He is so there for me. He is totally there for you. Why?? Because He is faithful to this Covenant relationship we have with Him in Christ. Don't try to figure it out, just embrace it.

For those of you who want to learn more about living in Covenant I invite you to consider reading at least chapter 9 of a great book written by Dr. Robert Heidler, The Messianic Church Arising. Some of what you have read above has been taken from that book.

Patricia L. Wenzel
WOC graduate

May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.



ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.


TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC


Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!


Come join in the fun. Please?

Just Ask

May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.



ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?




In all different types of relationships we seek to understand the other person. Good communication is necessary. Whether it is co-workers, children, spouses, bosses, pastors, friends - if something is said that is not clear to us - what do we do?

We can pretend we know what they mean - what good does that do? That surely leads to misunderstanding.

We can ignore them, which is loving ourselves more that we are loving the other person.

We can assume we know what they mean and get angry lashing out, which is evidence of pride and impatience in our lives.

Hopefully, if we are genuine in our desire to understand and build relationship with the other person, when we fail to understand what is said, we ask questions. If done with humility and real interest it communicates to the other person - "you matter to me, what you think is important, I want to understand you."

All that is true but all that is to lead us to this point.

How is your communication with God?

When you don't understand what you are reading in His letters (the Bible) what do you do? Do your eyes glaze over and your mind check out? Do you rush along to get through it, gleaning nothing out of it? Or do you ask questions as you move along? You'd be surprised how God answers.

What does your approach to Scripture communicate to God about your interest in what He has to say? Is it, "I want to know You"? Or, "I want to get done"?

Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the ministry team at America's Keswick. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. Diane has been married to her husband John over 27 years. She has 2 adult children and 3 grandchildren and 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 10 in all. She delights reading and teaching, but mostly laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

Keep Praying -Part 2

May is HERE and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.


ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.


TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC


Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?



"Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken." 1 Samuel 1: 16

Yesterday I encouraged you not to W-H-I-N-E and complain. Today I want to encourage you to go right ahead! What I mean is that while you want to be careful of others hearing you W-H-I-N-E, it is okay to let God know your heart..like what? He doesn't know your heart? We might as well be honest and speak it!

I wish I could remember the context in which I learned this. I know it was in the workplace but I can't remember who said it. What I was told was "to always whine up". The thought was that you don't grumble and complain with your coworkers; that can cause low morale but you whine up to your boss, the one who can do something about your complaint. The point is that there was an order in place for all complaints and grievances. So it is with your heavenly Father. He is in control and He is able to bring about the appropriate responses and actions to your complaint. He knows. He wants to hear from you. Do not fear that it will come out wrong...there is much grace for your hurting heart today.

Blessings,
Kathy

Kathy's on staff at America's KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 26 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church and has previously served as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God's Word.

Prayer Part 1

"And it happened that, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk." 1 Samuel 1:12-13

I love Hannah and her story of prayer. In 1 Samuel 1:13 did you catch that Hannah continued praying before the Lord? Little did she know that Eli was observing her and watching her lips move as she spoke privately to her God. Certainly Eli got the wrong idea. Assuming she was drunk on wine Eli scolded Hannah. Let me stop here and comment. I appreciate Hannah's example of praying hard and long. I am praying hard and long for a few things that I would like to see scratched off on my prayer list. I can't wait for that day! I am encouraged that an 11-year prayer request may be- just may be - getting scratched off soon! I still don't know how the answer will come but it is coming. I think of the four years I prayed for my husband to come to Christ. While Dave's salvation was still a prayer request I remember hearing a woman share that she was praying for over 47 years for her father-i- law's salvation! I thought "Please Lord, I could never pray that long"! You and I have often heard that prayers get answered in three ways- yes, no and wait. I like quick answers in the affirmative; I don't like the other two answers. But when the "no" and "wait" answers come they are teaching me valuable lessons. Do I trust God enough that if an answer is "no" that I am not owed an explanation? Do I trust that my good answer isn't God's best answer? If the answer is "wait" do I wait patiently, continue to pray and seek God? Do others see us filled with W-H-I-N-E when our lips move? Nothing but complaining that God didn't answer the way we wanted Him to. Or are we truly pouring out our hearts before the Lord and just being misunderstood?

What requests are on your prayer list today? Do others think you are crazy for still praying and holding out hope that an answer will come? May I encourage you to continue in your prayers even if others think you are nuts! It just may be your example in faithful, long, praying that others need to see. May I encourage you to know your God and to trust that His answers are on the way? Maybe it isn't about the answer as much as it is the work God wants to do in your heart today.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b

Blessings,
Kathy

Kathy's on staff at America's KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 26 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church and has previously served as a Teaching Director for Community Bible Study. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God's Word.

May is here and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.


ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?

........and Doing

Part 2

I am currently working through the Bible Study "James-Mercy Triumphs" by Beth Moore. (I highly recommend it!) James has a lot to say about our faith showing itself to be genuine through what we do. So while yesterday we talked about the importance of listening to the Lord, I thought it would be good to follow up today with the importance of doing what He says.

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does" (James 1:22-25).

I want to share with you a few of Beth's thoughts that really spoke to my heart:

"We can underline our Bibles till our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives. The self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed. The tricky part is that hearing all by itself really does lend a certain satisfaction.......The Word of God, however, is meant to do more than penetrate. It's meant to activate......Simply put, the Word was meant to work. And, through it, we were meant to bear fruit......It's not until the hearing turns into doing that believing leads to blessing. Our "doing" may not always show up in physical activity. The initial act of obedience might be waiting upon the Lord or setting our minds zealously upon His faithfulness."1

Sisters, let's strive to be listeners AND doers, leading to freedom and blessing in our Lord.

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate

1 Moore, Beth, James Mercy Triumphs (Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press, 2011), 78-79.
 
May is HERE! and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.


ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?

Listening.......

I was praying and asking the Lord as to what He would have me write about this month, and I wasn't hearing a real clear answer. My goal (as I'm sure is the goal of all the Victory Call writers) is to write about what the Lord would have me share, not something that is just from my head. After more than a few days of this, I came across Exodus 33:11 in the Bible Study that I am currently involved in. It says, "The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." In the margin of my Bible, I had written, "not Moses talked to God." It was clear to me that that was what the Lord wanted me to write about. I felt in my heart the Spirit saying to me, "You've been asking me, but have you been listening for my answer?"

Now don't get me wrong, I believe we are to "pray continually" (I Thess. 5:17), and we are invited to "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). My question is this: Do I listen to Him? Do I listen for the promptings of His Holy Spirit? Do I listen as He speaks through His Word?

As I am sure it is with you, my quiet time with the Lord is absolutely essential if I want to have peace in my life, joy, and victory over sin. But, as we all know, sometimes life is really busy. I have to be careful that my quiet time does not become just another thing to "cross off my list" of to-dos for the day. I am reading His Word, but am I truly listening to it? If someone were to ask me in the afternoon what I had read in His Word in the morning, would I be able to answer them? If I were to be honest (and I will be), I would have to say, sometimes, no. I believe that there is a difference between reading the Bible, and listening to His Word, not necessarily with our ears as it is being read aloud, but with our hearts. I believe that when we truly listen and meditate on His Word, it will stay with us throughout the day.

Lord, please help us, by your Spirit, to listen to what you are saying to us, through your Word and through your Holy Spirit. And, when we hear you, help us to then do what you say.

More on the "doing" tomorrow.

Stacey Poplawski
WOC Graduate


May is HERE! and we will be hosting our 4th Annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 12th. YOU can help in two ways.



ONE. WALK - call guest services (732.350.1187) to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk.

TWO. Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Go to Family Freedom Walk Support . Be sure to designate your gift to FFW: VC

Our goal is to raise more funds by the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter's team. Last year Victory Call subscribers raised $5,350.00 and Freedom Fighter’s subscribers raised $100.00. Victory Call WON, by ALOT! In reality, the Addiction Recovery ministries won because together we raised $43,136.00!!

Come join in the fun. Please?