Moms
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. ~ Psalm 139:13 ~NLT Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. ~Pslams 127:3 ~ESV

I have one son and one daughter. From the moment my daughter was born I was in love with her. Aside from marrying my husband-friend, she was the first most amazingly true thing that happened to me. And she was so beautiful! I could talk for hours about all the ways she has impacted my life, but I’ll spare you.

The second amazingly true thing to occur was the birth of my son. Twice blessed! And to think, according to the ultrasounds I’d had, he was supposed to be a girl! How God must laugh at us sometimes. Needless to say, he wore more pink baby sleepers than a lot of people would be comfortable with. But thank God I had enough sense to know that he couldn’t be defined by the color of his pajamas.

We are an interesting group aren’t we? Mom, Mommy, Ma, Mama…whatever the title that you are known by, we have a glorious mantle placed on us and it is an awesome privilege to care for and nurture the soul of another human being.

How are you doing Mom?

Here are the lyrics of a famous poem beautifully written by Helen Steiner Rice.

A Mother’s Love

“A Mother’s love is something
that no on can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God’s tender guiding hand.”1

Stephanie Paul, child of the Most High God, is a wife and mother of two grown children. She currently serves as part of the Addiction Recovery Ministry at America’s Keswick as Women’s Ministry Assistant. Her passion is to be an instrument of change in the lives of wounded, hurting people.

What’s in a name?

One of the things that impresses me about my boss, Bill Welte, is his knack for remembering names. It is not something I have a knack for. I try, really I do. I meet a lot of people through the ministry and through the speaking opportunities I have. I want to remember names because I know how important it is and it is somewhat embarrassing when people call me by name, but I have no idea who they are. It would be a minor point except it happens to me a lot! As a function of my position at America’s KESWICK, I have been on stage on multiple occasions, so people have gotten to know me without me having the benefit of me getting to know them.

I was walking into the cleaners one day in Whiting, when I overheard two women sitting on a bench whispering to each other, “There’s Diane Hunt, that lady from Keswick.” I had no idea who they were.

Over the years, I have learned to say, as I smile and shake hands, “remind me of your name again.” Little do they know, I will probably say that each time I see them. I was struck recently, as I pondered why I struggle so with this, that unless I have some type of relationship with the person, I don’t retain their name. It is not because I don’t want to; it’s just that I don’t have anything tangible to attach that name to. A name is personal. The combination of the name and the person identifies them uniquely. If I know two Susans I don’t get them confused because they have the same name, because the name is attached to people with whom I have relationships.

All that to say, God knows us by name. He knows each of us uniquely and doesn’t confuse us, ever. That is how personally and intimately He knows each one of us. He knows us. He has relationship with us. He knows our name.

Isaiah 43:1 “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK, Biblical Counselor, Conference and retreat speaker, Victory Call writer/editor, wife, mother, grandmother, and nut and not necessarily in that order.

I recently read Isaiah 43:18 which says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” That verse seems very straightforward and easy to understand. However; it has to be balanced with the verse that says, “Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God….It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the desert until you arrived at this place…..Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” Deuteronomy 11:2, 5, 18-19

We are to remember what God has done for us, even His discipline toward us when we sin. So what are we to forget?

I know the hardest thing for me to forget is when I have failed God and just plain done something really stupid. Psalm 38:18 states, “I am troubled by my sin.” Once we have confessed our sin to God, we are forgiven and Jeremiah 31:34 states, “I will remember their sins no more.” So when we have trouble forgetting the past, scripture teaches it is not God who is causing us to be troubled by our sin. We are the ones who have not let ourselves off the hook because of our sin.

Recently I was feeling the weight of my own sin. I knew I had confessed it and God had forgiven me, but I was still carrying the burdens and shame. This is what I did. I wrote down all of the things from my past I needed to get rid of. Then I talked to me in the presence of God. I told God I knew He had forgiven me and then I said, “Marilyn, what you did was really dumb, but I forgive you and release you. You’re off the hook!” Then I took the list and burned it. I truly can’t even remember everything that was on the list. Now that’s “forgetting the former things!”

Today rejoice that when you stand before the Father, all He will see is Jesus standing in front of you saying, “This is My forgiven child!” Do you need to make a list and get rid of it? If so, do it now so that Satan can hold nothing over your head. You can be free.

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.

Liberated Through Submission Part Two

Functional subordination. This is a term my pastor has used in regards to how the church, marriage and our lives in general are ordered. Submission is not some horrible way to live. Rather we live according to the order God has laid out. In God’s order the husband has been given headship over the wife (Eph. 5:23). The wife is under the headship of the husband not because God thinks less of women but because He is a God of order. But who is head over the man? Jesus Christ. The Word also tells us that we are to submit one to another in the fear of God (Eph. 5:21) Submission is an issue for men, women, married, single, child to parent. No one is exempt because ultimately, everyone must submit to God!

Being submissive is hard because we want to have a say. (Gen 3:16) I have told God my plans, my opinions and my desired results under the disguise of prayer. His will is not my desire. I am really telling God I want my independence and my own way.

When you and I truly submit we are liberated because we know we are in the care of our Heavenly Father. By submitting we are leaving the end result up to God. Do I really trust Him with knowing and providing for my best? (Matt 7:11) Wanting control + lacking submission = no trust in God.

You may be thinking that if you submit your circumstance to the Lord it would turn out poorly. It just may look that way if you are not really submitting in the first place. It may appear that submitting didn’t “work” if you are only looking at someone else. Submission is not about gaining a desired ending. Submission is about trusting God as we die to ourselves. For me knowing God was at work freed me to be more excited about what God was doing than what I wanted.

I know that we are very good at justifying our sins of rebellion. After all, control sounds so much better than witchcraft. I can imagine you are thinking that I just don’t know who you have to submit to. You are right. I don’t know your husband, your boss, your parents, or your pastor. But I know Jesus Christ. He loves you. He wants to take the burden of being in charge away from you. He wants to liberate you to live in peace and freedom as you live in obedience to His order.

Kathy is on staff full-time at the Keswick Book and Gift Shop. She is married to her husband, Dave and has two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church. Her passion is the Word of God and encouraging women to dig deeper into the truths of the Bible.

Liberated Through Submission Part One

P.B. Wilson, author of Liberated Through Submission, was on the radio. As she spoke she read 1 Samuel 15:23-“For rebellion is the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” I sat in my car and wept as she explained a lack of submission was the same as rebellion and witchcraft. When we don’t submit we are really unwilling to give up control. And, what is witchcraft? It is casting a spell to gain control over another person so they do exactly what you want!

After the fall in the Garden of Eden, Eve was told by God that from that point on her desire would be for her husband (Genesis 3:16). John MacArthur comments: “Sin has turned the harmonious system of God-ordained roles into distasteful struggles of self-will. The woman’s desire will be to lord it over her husband, but the husband will rule by divine design” (Note: JMA Study Bible NKJV).

I recently had to learn this lesson yet again! We had the opportunity to purchase a dining room set from my Aunt. When I asked Dave what he thought he told me it was an expense we didn’t need right now and that the answer was “no”. I know in my heart that part of his leadership role is for him to be able to say “no” to me. Now, I really, really wanted that set! Couldn’t he lead next week? So for the next 36 hours or so I struggled to let it go. I came up with a plan that would only manipulate and undermine his authority. I couldn’t do it. I prayed that I would just submit. The next morning a pastor on the radio gave a definition of submission. He said “It means to duck so God can hit him.” Well, I don’t know that I agree with that but it convicted me because I did not want God to “hit” him. Dave wasn’t wrong. I needed to duck alright; but there was no reason for God to “hit” him. I got a picture of Jesus patting Dave on the back saying “Way to go! That is what I need you to do.” I felt at peace about letting go of my wants and submitting because God is working in my husband.

Having to have control puts us in chains. Submission liberates us as we trust the One who truly is in control!

Kathy is on staff full-time at the Keswick Book and Gift Shop. She is married to her husband, Dave and has two adult children. Kathy is active in her local church. Her passion is the Word of God and encouraging women to dig deeper into the truths of the Bible.

The To-Do List

I love my lists and I have many of them! If you are anything like me, you may have a few of these lists too: housework list, yard work list, work list, grocery list, books to read list, and the very popular…things I would love to do list (to name just a few)! I love to see it all there in black and white so I might be able to plan my day, week or month. There are even some cute little “To Do” pads of paper when I really want to get fancy. The best part of a list is when an item on it actually gets checked off. I feel as though I’ve accomplished something. There is something very strange though about those lists…every time I check one off…two more take its place!

There are times I start my day with my agenda, my head filled to overflowing with what “needs” to be accomplished…or at least what I THINK needs to be accomplished. I’ve found…through experience…that never goes well. Instead of lifting my day to the Lord and giving it all to Him, I have a lapse of memory and think I know better than God what I just HAVE to get done. How sad is that? Why do I have to continually learn the same lesson over and over again?

Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, the Lord determines his steps.”

As a child of the king, my day and my life belong to Him….yes,even my “To Do” lists. When I take it all to Him, give it to Him and ask Him to guide me and show me just what is on HIS “To Do” list for my day…I accomplish the really important stuff and have peace about the rest. The Lord always provides exactly what I need…His grace is always sufficient for what’s on His list.

Mary Ann Kiernan and John have been married for 35 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of two 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.

Tearing Down or Building Up

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight,O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. ~~Psalm 19:14

If we were to secretly be recorded for the words that proceed from our mouths and if there were a way to humanly record the meditations of our hearts (“the seat of our inmost emotions and feelings”), what would those recordings reveal about our hearts? Would those renderings display a perspective worthy of a daughter of God? It’s likely true of most of us that the answer is sometimes yes and sometimes no.

My encouragement for each and every one of us is to pause and pray. Ask God to search your heart and show you where you stand. And if, after you have paused and prayed you see a pattern (however small) of tearing down rather than building up, repent, then go and sin no more. Praise God for His love and care of your soul, and thank Him that, in all things, change is possible.

Then, purpose today to build up, encourage, edify, inspire, embolden, impart strength to, to be for rather than against, the people that God has put in to our every day lives. And when necessary exhort, appeal to those same loved ones, spurring them onward and upward. This is one of the ways God has provided to help us grow. May we accept and embrace it for all it’s worth.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” ~~Hebrews 3:13

Stephanie Paul

Be careful little eyes what you see….Be careful little ears what you hear.

Here is a warning I just read and want to share with you.

“Strange as it may seem, the danger today is greater for the fervent Christian than for the lukewarm and the self-satisfied. The seeker after God’s best things is eager to hear anyone who offers a way by which he can obtain them. He longs for some new experience, some elevated view of truth, some operation of the Spirit that will raise him above the dead level of religious mediocrity he sees all around him, and for this reason he is ready to give a sympathetic ear to the new and the wonderful in religion, particularly if it is presented by someone with an attractive personality and a reputation for superior godliness.” (Tozer, “How To Try The Spirits”, from chapter 28 of “Man, The Dwelling Place of God”)

If you are one of those people, fervent for more of Jesus and His Word, I am thrilled… BUT, be careful! You and I need to sift through what we watch and who we watch and read. In our passion to know Him better it could be easy for us to grasp onto false teachings. False teachings aren’t usually obvious but very subtle. I used to think I could read a book and “not throw the baby out with the bath water” but I have become very careful about my choices. I have decided to read THE BOOK and spend as much time in it as I do my other reading. Often when I read my Bible I have little time left for much else. Time in the Word is the only way you will pick up on any falsehoods in other materials. You and I want to gain godly wisdom but we need to be wise in how and from whom we will attain that wisdom.

I am excited that the Keswick bookstore now has a section called “Keswick Classics.” These are titles our staff recommends. We want our guests and customers to seek after God’s own heart. Need help? Stop in and I will be happy to get you into some great reading!

“(The Bereans)….searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11

Kathy is on staff full-time at the Keswick Book and Gift Shop. She is married to her husband, Dave and has two adult children. Her passion is the Word of God and encouraging women to dig deeper into the truths of the Bible.

Christ Himself

I have been toying with this Victory Call in my mind for a week or so. I hesitate to write it because I don’t want you to misunderstand my point. I trust that you will hear my heart and allow God to speak to yours.

I am a Biblical Counselor and have been doing counseling of some sort for 17 years. I started counseling shortly after my first counseling course which was the first of many that eventually led to my Master’s degree in Biblical Counseling. Though I have “the credentials” I don’t think that matters in what I want to share with you today. You see, I firmly believe we all counsel. Whether you have ever stepped foot in a seminary or not, you counsel. I have never considered counseling as only that which occurs in an office with a professional. Counseling involves teaching, training, encouraging, admonishing, challenging, guiding, sharing, discipling, coming-along-side of another individual. From that view, we all qualify as “counselors.” It is that perspective from which I write this VC.

Whether you are chatting with a friend over a cup of steaming hot tea, or discipling a new or not-so-new believer, or parenting, you are pointing people towards something. What is that something? My experience has been that we are prone to point people to read their Bible, pray, serve, fast, confess their sins, etc. THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS, even vital things. However, it is Christ Himself that saves; it is Christ Himself that rescues; it is Christ Himself that heals. He may choose to use any one of the above avenues to accomplish His plan, but in what do we trust? Are we trusting the Person of Jesus Christ or are we trusting in those things we do, helpful things, but activities rooted in ourselves, our abilities, and our faithfulness? Dear sister, hear my heart. THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS. But our counsel to ourselves and others should point to the person of Jesus Christ. All of those activities are good as tools that point to Christ. Successful counsel results in embracing the One True God rather than doing things in an effort to improve our situation. It is about a Person, not the process.

Philippians 2:13: “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”

These thoughts really convicted me because I know I have been guilty of pointing people to activities, things to do while failing to point them to the only true source of our hope for change, the Person of Jesus Christ.

Romans 15:13: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (NIV)

Diane Hunt is the Director of Addiction Recovery Ministries at America’s KESWICK, Biblical Counselor, Conference and retreat speaker, Victory Call writer/editor, wife, mother, grandmother, and nut and not necessarily in that order.

Hearing….Listening….Obeying (Part 2)

Recently, while preparing to go to an early morning breakfast and long day of meetings, after laying out my clothes I headed from the bedroom to the kitchen for my tea and time with the Lord. At the door, I was stopped in my tracks hearing, “Get dressed first today.”

“But Lord, I’m going to have my time with you.” Going back I made sure my shoes were out and everything ready to get dressed quickly later and started to the kitchen again, but turned back to do a couple other things. After repeating this for the third time, not willing to obey, I kept questioning “why”?

Finally getting to the kitchen, I started my tea and said to Stan, “I didn’t know what to do first, get dressed or come out to read.” I had thought on my way, “if he tells me to get dressed first, then I will.” No response. While my tea was brewing, I was still discussing this with the Lord asking, “Why”? Very clearly I heard the answer in my head and heart, “You always wanted your children to obey you without questioning. And you always wanted your kids in school to obey whatever you told them to do. If for no other reason than that, you obey Me.”

So I covered my cup of tea, thinking it would be cold when I got back, and said to Stan, “I need to go and get dressed first.” He replied, “That’s what I would have told you, but you usually do the opposite of what I think, so I didn’t say anything.” “But I wanted you to say this time.”

So obediently, trustingly, I went and got dressed first, and coming back 20-25 minutes later, I was amazed that my tea was still hot!! I went to my time with the Lord knowing all was well. That was God’s grace and love poured out to my heart, as He taught me more about not only hearing, but listening and obeying!! (And not questioning the Whys of His ways.)

“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” Isaiah 55:8, 9 NKJV

“A man’s (or woman’s) heart plans his (her) way, But the LORD directs his (her) steps.” Proverbs 16:9

DeEtta Marsh is presently serving as Women’s Ministry Assistant P/T, and with her husband, Stan, as Coordinators for Families For Christ ministry to Colony of Mercy residents and wives, and Colony Graduate Couples. Serving the Lord on Staff at America’s KESWICK since summer, 1995. Wife, mother, teacher, grandmother of 8.