Psalm 7:17 – I will praise the LORD according to His righteousness, And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High (NKJV).

The Word of God in the book of James promises us that in this life we will have many trials. With that in mind I want to take the time to share with you an effective tool I have learned to use while walking through those trials.

Not too long ago I was scheduled to go see my grandson. The drive is normally 5 hours. The snow was falling but my husband and I thought if I got on the road right away I would be ok. So off I went. It likely was a mistake but nevertheless I was on the road. The snow was coming so hard in NJ and NY, the roads could not be plowed. I passed cars in ditches or stuck in snow. But I pressed on. In CT the rain was so hard it was blinding. In MA the rain wasn’t quite so bad but the wind was pushing hard against the car. Trees and power lines were down. I thought about turning back at various points along the way but something inside of me kept pressing on toward the goal. The weather was so bad that I didn’t dare put the radio on, or talk on the cellphone. What I did do was hold the steering wheel tight and praise the Lord continually. It became an incredibly profound time of praise. I reached my destination by His grace with praise.

When my husband was living at the Colony at Keswick, I wasn’t sure if our marriage could be saved. Some nights fear would grip me and I would lay on the couch and fill my house with praise music. I refused to move until the fear would leave me alone and my heart was filled with praise. We reached our destination by His grace with praise.

Praise the Lord and He will lift you up.

I found in the Scripture others who seem to have found the blessing of praise. Moses was a man who faced many trials as he led the Israelites through the wilderness. He praised the Lord, “The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him. The LORD is a man of war; The LORD is His name”
Ex.15:2-3 NKJV. He completed the task the Lord gave him by His grace with praise.

Deborah and Barak tell us of their battle in the book of Judges along with their song of praise, “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel” Judges 5:3 NKJV. Deborah and Barak won a victory by His grace and with praise.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He was a mighty warrior and he surely sinned against God. Yet he confessed his sin, he gave thanks for his deliverance from death and from being rescued from his enemies with praise. “And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness And of Your praise all the day long” Ps. 35:28 NKJV. David completed His assignment by His grace and with praise.

Let me close with this final word of wisdom…..let praise be continually flowing from your mouth as the Lord’s servant David encourages us: “I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed” Ps. 34:1-5 NKJV.

It is in the world you will have many trials. Let your mouth be filled with praise. It will be your source of peace, strength, deliverance, and direction. Reach your destination, get the victory, complete your assignment by His grace and with Praise to His Holy Name.

Patricia Wenzel

DIGGING DEEPER
15O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

Remember the old expression you used to hear as a child, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me”? Our moms would tell us that to try to ease the pain of siblings or peers who would tease us or make fun of us. But we know the truth is, physical wounds heal much faster than the wounds on our hearts.

If we had to choose someone hitting us over calling us a hurtful name, we’d probably choose being hit. It would hurt for a few moments, maybe even a day or two, but would eventually fade. The names people call us stay in our minds forever. And they come back to taunt us – when we fail at something, when we’re tired but can’t sleep, when we’re feeling discouraged. You know the ones – loser, ugly, failure…

Sometimes it can be so hard to block out those voices that tell us we’ve failed again, we’ll never amount to anything. God’s Word tells us that we are justified before Him, so who can condemn us (Romans 8:33-34, Isaiah 50:9). Satan, who is called the “accuser” (Rev. 12:10) and “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44) is the one who calls us names and tries to make us believe them . We have a choice about who we will listen to. The words of a song by Casting Crowns encourage me:

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy[girl], you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth (1)

It is a choice! We CHOOSE who to listen to and who to believe. Who will you listen to? The one who is a liar and the father of lies, or the One who IS Truth (John 14:6). I choose Truth.

RS

1 Written by Mark Hall and Steven Curtis Chapman (c) 2003 Club Zoo Music/SWECS Music Admin by Club Zoo Music/BMI/Sparrow Song/Peach Hill Songs admin by EMI Christian Music Publishing/BMI

DIGGING DEEPER
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

This is the forth and final week of our meditation in Psalm 51. I trust you have been blessed as we have been blessed.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

COMMENTARY:
“The terms in this section, such as sing aloud (v.14), declare (v. 15), and sacrifice (vv.16-17), all point to activities of public worship. The person who has used this psalm to confess his sins and to receive God’s assurance of pardon is the one who can genuinely worship the gracious God of the covenant.” [ESV Study Bible notes pg. 1000]

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

Ponder This:
There is a joy just knowing that I can go to God and ask whatever I will, according to His will and He will give it to me. In these verses David asks for a clean heart and the renewing of a steadfast spirit. He asks not to be cast away for the sins he’s committed against God and others. He asks that the joy of his salvation be restored to him and most boldly he asked for the Lord God to uphold Him by His generous Spirit.

Apply This Truth to Your Thinking:
Isn’t it super cool to know that the generous spirit of God wants to tarry with us even as we sin?! This truth is mind-boggling to say the least! Let’s purpose today to remember that we serve a holy God; let’s be mindful to see Him present and at work in our lives teaching us His ways, so that we might teach others who don’t know Him.

Let’s be most mindful to teach or image His ways and not our ways masking as His. Selah…

Stephanie

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

Recently, Diane and I were traveling for business and we began to discuss some of the books we have enjoyed reading. Diane asked if I had ever read any Karen Kingsbury novels. I had not. I explained that I really didn’t enjoy novels and found them to be a waste of time. At the same time I had been experiencing a reading dry spell. One evening I was scanning my bookshelf hoping to be inspired to read something. Then I saw it…a novel…and a Karen Kingsbury novel at that! I took it from the shelf and decided to try it. Since then I not only read the first series but I am now on book two of the second series. I am shocked that I am enjoying novels when previously they made me gag.

I got thinking about other books that I tend to ignore. As I continue to read through the Bible this year I have already come across some books that are hard and even tedious to read. I even found some books where the pages were stuck together because I don’t spend too much time in them. Then there are the books we can easily ignore. They are too hard to understand… Ezekiel anyone? We know that the whole counsel of the Word of God is good for us but we tend to stick to our favorites.

Perhaps today you are in a section of the Bible that is difficult and challenging. On more then one occasion I have been tempted to skip over certain sections. But let’s keep reading! I trust that you will find a nugget of gold when you least expect it. Who knows, you may just find out that the books you have ignored for so long may turn out to be the ones that end up blessing you the most!

Kathy Withers

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 51:12,13
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

…the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10 b

I remember one speaker we had at church asked …”Do you still have a tear in the corner of your eye for the things of the Lord”? Have we become so complacent that we no longer have a tear of joy in the corner of our eye when we see Christ at work? The Bible talks about how Heaven rejoices when one person comes to the Lord. (Luke 15:7) Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22) The joy of the Lord is…”Strength”. (Nehemiah 8:10)

Growing up you probably heard the acrostic, “J.O.Y.”, Jesus first, others second and yourself last. If we are truthful with each other, it is all about US most of the time. What we want, what we need, what we desire, our rights and the “why me” concept that we have bought into. We tend to put ourselves first, others second and Jesus last, and we wonder why we do not have joy in our lives anymore.

If we have established our hearts (James 5:8), and focus on putting Christ first, we then will have a heart to serve others and the joy will be in our hearts once again. (Mark 10:45)

We are in a unique position today to show joy to others. Life around us is falling apart. The economy is failing, jobs are being lost, children are involved in things we never thought we would see, and there are wars, earthquakes, floods and disasters all around us. And yet we can have the JOY of the Lord in our hearts even though we have experienced some tragedy or disappointment ourselves.

I am sure that you know of someone in your life who you would consider as an example, someone who has real joy. Someone that you like to be around even when the chips are down, because they seem to have a certain something or a certain joy that you want. They might be the same someone that when you have good news to share, you just can’t wait to tell them because you know they will be truly excited along with you. We need to be that same example to all who are around us.

The JOY that comes from Him is OUR strength. When we are weak, He is strong. Has the joy left your heart, have your tears dried up? Remind yourself that joy comes from the Lord and He is your strength today. Open your eyes wide and look for the work He is completing in front of you. Get those tears of joy flowing once again. Get the joy deep in your heart.

Lynn A Wilson

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 51:
7Purge me with hyssop,and shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones
that you have broken rejoice.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

Hosea 14:2 Take words with you and return to the LORD. Say to him: “Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips.”

There are some silly statistics out there that I have heard at least a dozen times about words. I’m sure you have heard this one as well…that during the course of a day, a woman speaks thousands of words more than a man. I tried to find some validation for this but couldn’t find one. It really doesn’t matter how many words either you or I use per day. What does matter is…how are we using the words we speak on a daily basis either to one another or to God?

Our words can share love or hate. They can be used to build up or tear down one another. Words can be used to lie or speak the truth. Our words can instruct or teach one another. When we’ve hurt someone with our words, more words are necessary to ask forgiveness. At other times someone else’s words have hurt or cut us deeply and we can offer the gift of forgiving words to them.

Words are necessary; words are needed in every aspect of our lives. When we go to the Lord in prayer, we offer words of praise and thanksgiving, we ask our Father to hear the cries of our afflictions. And when we sin, the Lord wants us to humbly go to Him…and to “take words” with us. The Lord already knows our sin but wants to hear the words of repentance from our lips. It’s not easy to go to another and admit our wrong and ask forgiveness…it is a humbling experience…and it is what we are called to do in scripture.

Hosea 14:2 (Amplified Bible) Take with you words and return to the Lord. Say to Him, Take away all our iniquity; accept what is good and receive us graciously; so will we render [our thanks] as bullocks [to be sacrificed] and pay the confession of our lips.

In the Amplified Bible “the fruit of our lips” is rendered “bullocks” which is a young bull. The King James Version says “calves of our lips.” This seems rather strange but I believe that what the Lord is requiring of us is a “sacrifice.” In the Old Testament there could be no forgiveness of sin unless there was a sacrifice. When we “take words” of confession and repentance to the Lord we are actually sacrificing the “fruit” of our lips.

It is clear the Lord puts an emphasis on our words and how we use them in interacting with God and other people. He doesn’t want idle words or words full of excuses. He wants words that come from deep within our hearts.
The Lord is waiting for the fruit of our lips…for our “sacrifice.”

What are we waiting for?

MaryAnn

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 36 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of 3 grandsons. 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.

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

For the last 2 weeks we have been meditating and memorizing portions of Psalm 51. This will be our third week of four.

I don’t know about you but it’s real easy for me to fall into a mindset that my sin doesn’t matter THAT much because it’s forgiven, all forgiven at the cross. I know that “good” Christians don’t admit such offensive thinking but alas it is true. I lose sight of the heinousness of my sin. I become way too comfortable with it. I don’t mean to, it’s not intentional but by not intentionally focusing on the cost of my sin, Christ’s brutal death on the cross, I lose sight of how despicable my sin is to God.

Sometimes it takes something outside of ourselves, such as a friend or a Sunday morning message, to point out our sin to us before we give our sin due consideration for what it is, repulsive.

Nathan, the prophet, was that friend to David. He confronted David regarding his sin with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah before David finally repented and penned Psalm 51 as an outpouring of his broken heart and spirit, pleading with God for restoration.

Psalm 51:10-13:
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.

Recently, I was reminded once again of a wonderful book of Puritan prayers, The Valley of Vision. I would like to share just a portion of the prayer called “Continual Repentance”:
“Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.”

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Ponder This:
One thing we see from these few verse is that David did not want “cheap forgiveness,” he came with a broken heart. Last week the encouragement for us was to go to God, confess and repent.

In seeking His forgiveness do we do so casually, or do we bow the knee before Him with our hearts, wrenched with the knowledge that we have allowed sin to dwell in our members?

Apply This Truth to Your Thinking:
“Sin makes us dirty (v.2,7), Sin is rebellion against God’s holy law. If you want to know how much sin hurts God, go to Calvary and see His Son dying for the sins of the world. God is love and our selfish sin breaks his heart.”1

Stephanie

1 With the Word-A Devotional Commentary by Warren W. Wiersbe

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!

You will also defile the covering of your images of silver, And the ornament of your molded images of gold. You will throw them away as an unclean thing; You will say to them, “Get away!” Isaiah 30:22 (NKJV)

When I came to know Who Jesus really was – the Living God! – I did some house cleaning. I had some religious items that in the past I looked to as more than symbols. I knew they weren’t actually God, but I believed they had “some” power, some connection to God. For example, I had a wall statue of Mary the mother of Jesus holding the baby Jesus, around her neck I had hung a strand of pink rosary beads and a white strand given to me after my communion ceremony. I also had a cross with an image of Christ on it that I received as a wedding gift. (I even had it blessed by a religious official). As if that might give it that little extra something.

No one told me to dispose of anything, I just knew in my heart and soul that these items had been objects of worship at one time or another in my life. But no more. I had the real deal! Why should I worship, or call on an object made with hands when I had the real living God? I shouldn’t and I wouldn’t. In the trash they went. Some might say that it’s a terrible thing to throw out items such as that. But it’s not true. What I was really throwing out was a part of the old self who was as dead as they were. They never really held any power, nor were they God. Their services, which were none up to that point, would no longer be called on. No one ever answered anyway. Sad to think I spent many days looking to something worthless for answers. Then one day, I looked to the God I cannot see except with eyes of faith and HE answered!

Dina Seaton

DIGGING DEEPER
Psalm 51:
9) Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.

UPCOMING EVENT
May is fast approaching and we will be hosting our 2nd annual Family Freedom Walk on Saturday, May 8th. You can help in two ways. 1. walk – call guest services to obtain a walk package, solicit sponsors and come to the walk. 2. (this is a fun one) Sponsor Victory Call for the walk. We are having a friendly competition between the 2 groups of devotional readers (Freedom Fighters and Victory Call). Our goal is to raise more funds for the Victory Call team than the men raise for the Freedom Fighter’s team. If you would like to join the fun, simply go to this link on our website https://01.secure.elexio.com/donations.aspx?id=366346&websiteurl=http://www.americaskeswick.org&siteid=2184 fill out the information and indicate in the “DESIGNATION” area : Family Freedom Walk: Victory Call or if you prefer make your check out to America’s KESWICK and put in the memo line: FFW/Victory Call and mail to : America’s KESWICK 601 Route 530 Whiting, NJ 08759. ALL DONATIONS MUST ARRIVE NO LATER THAN WEDNESDAY, MAY 5TH in order to be counted for our TEAM. Come on ladies, we can do it!!!