But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4:10-13

Our home has been on the market for five months. During the waiting, high hopes, low offers, no offers, no showings, lots of showings and more waiting, it has been hard to remain content. I know where I want to go and I am ready to move! I have had days where I didn’t want to be in our home of 20 years anymore. My husband, however, is content all the time. He has told me the worst that will happen is that I will have a home and a nice one at that! I try to tune into that wisdom . . . be content with what you have and with what God is providing today. On this day I feel discontentment creeping up into my heart. This morning I picked up a favorite devotional only to turn to a devotion entitled …you guessed it… Contentment. Alicia Britt Cole reminded me of two very good points.

1. Cravings will get in our way of being content.* Ouch! Cravings and dissatisfaction. Isn’t that the intent of commercials? You don’t want the old anymore …here’s the new… My heart’s craving for the sale of our home and a move have caused me to be dissatisfied with what I already have.

2. The Source of true contentment is a Person, not provision. Ouch…AGAIN! What is my source? In what am I looking to find contentment? To be bluntly honest …my heart and its cravings can be deceitful and if I don’t search my heart or my motives …how easy it is to be found at odds with the peace and contentment that only Jesus can give.

Is your heart filled with cravings today? Have you learned to be content? Do you know Him as the source of your contentment? You and I need to continue to seek to be content in Christ not our circumstances.

Blessings,
Kathy

Kathy’s on staff at America’s Keswick in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday school and Bible studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

*Sitting in God’s Sunshine…Resting in His Love by Alicia Britt Cole

Today I want to encourage you to keep planting seeds. So often we continue to work the field before us and we see little fruit for our labor. Perhaps your field is within your home, planting seeds into your children, and you are tired of diapers, helping with homework, making lunches or other tasks related to bringing up godly children. Your field may be your marriage. Dave and I will be married 29 years in a few months. I wish I could tell you it gets easier but there are challenges in every stage of life. Marriage is hard and it takes work. However, we continue to plant seeds into each other’s lives when we think to be intentional … many times we get comfortable and forget to tend to the field. Your field could be your work place. Day in and day out your routine may seem mundane but I would guess you’re planting seeds right where you are.

At our Anniversary Celebration I was so pleased to meet a woman who has planted seeds. More seeds than I will ever know. What I do know is that she planted seeds into me. Lillian was my Sunday School teacher. I wish I could remember exactly what grade I reaped the benefits of having her teach me about Jesus. But I remember her. I remember her gentleness. I remember that I admired her. Even at a young age I could recognize a woman who reflected Jesus. She was warm and loving. She planted seeds week after week.

Like Lillian you may have the opportunity one day to know that your scattering of seeds has produced fruit. Most often we never know the impact of what we do in Jesus’ name. Be encouraged today to take a hand full of seeds and scatter it far and wide within the field the Lord has placed you. It will bear fruit!

Blessings,
Kathy

Kathy’s on staff at America’s Keswick in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday school and Bible studies for women. 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 an “Open Heart” look like? For me, an open heart is one who cares and shares with others: Shares our victories and our struggles; a heart that is sincere and receptive to the Lord. When God says, “do this, or that” we should be receptive; not say, “not now, Lord,” I am too busy. I wonder how many times I actually told God, “I’m too busy,” or said “OK, but I’ll do it later”! So, when an Open Heart is sincere and receptive and obeys God, there is peace.

Ephesians 6 verse 5) Slaves obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, 6) not by the way of eye-service, as people pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will God from the heart. 7) Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men.

So, what about “Open Home”? Is your home a place where people can just knock on your door and you welcome them with an “Open Heart”? Or, do you panic because your home is in disarray. Oh no, the dishes are in the sink and the socks are on the floor, etc., – You get the point. Is it about “what will they think of me”? Or, will you welcome them with a sincere heart and enjoy their visit? There are times that it will be inconvenient, and the visit will be short, but nonetheless we need to be hospitable to whoever knocks at our door.

We live in a day where we are just too busy to be available. Throughout the years we’ve had many guests in our home, and I am grateful for everyone God has sent to our home. Just recently we’ve had some missionary friends staying with us, and we were so blessed to have their company, and especially to hear their stories: their victories and their struggles. We had prayer and laughter with our friends and I wouldn’t change that for anything.

Pray for the people God will send your way. Pray for an opportunity to glorify our Father who teaches us how to be hospitable. You will be a blessing and you will receive a blessing.

Blessings,
Pat Spies
A Servant of God and a Friend of America’s Keswick

Ladies, today let those of us who are married pray the WORD for our husbands. With all my heart I believe it is our joy to pray for our husbands and then watch what God does. I did not write the original document I have taken this from but I cannot give credit to whomever it was who wrote the original. The paper I have does not have the name of the precious saint who took the time to gather these prayers. However, somehow I am certain whoever did this work would be honored that we are using it.

(NOTE: For those who are not married please use this time to pray the WORD for your earthly father, uncle, grandfather or other influential man in your life and then watch what God may choose to do.)

1) That he might become a holy man, a man of prayer; mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of the Lord. 1 Thess. 5:23, Col. 4:12, Eph. 1:18-19; 3:16-19, 6:18
2) That he might grow in all 11 descriptions of a man who will not be shaken as listed in Psalm 15.
3) That he might be a man of contentment as seen in Proverbs 15:16, Phil. 4:11, 1 Tim. 6:6-8, Heb. 13:5.
4) That he might learn to take every thought captive, to not be conformed to the world’s thinking but to have the mind of Christ. Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 10:5
5) That he might daily seek God with all his heart, walking in the Spirit moment by moment, growing in his dependence upon Him. Psalm 119:1-2, Proverbs 3:5-6
6) That he would be a man of courage. Deut. 31:6, 2 Chron. 19:11
7) That the Lord would give him wisdom to lead his family physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Eph. 1:17-19
8) That he might stand firm against the schemes of the devil and resist Satan in all circumstances. Eph. 6:10-18, James 4:7

*These last two would be for wives to pray for their husbands…….
9) *That he might make me holy, cleansing me by the washing of the water by the Word. Eph. 5:26
10) *That he would be captivated by my love. Proverbs 5:18-19

Blessings,
Patricia Wenzel
WOC Graduate

Moms in Touch is a wonderful organization whose purpose is to intercede for our children and their schools. They have a card titled, “Mom will you pray for me?” It provides scriptures to pray for our children and their school. Today I am going to record for you these prayers. Let us use our devotional time to pray for our children. If you do not have children please use this time to pray for children God will put on your heart and the schools in your community.

1. To Know Christ (John 14:6)
Loving Father, I pray that ______will know that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
2. To be safe from Harm (Psalm 91:11)
Almighty God, I ask that You command Your angels charge concerning _____to guard __________in all his/her ways.
3. To Love God’s Word (Psalm 119:11)
Heavenly Father, I pray that ______ will hide Your Word in his/her heart that _______might not sin against you.
4. To Have a Pure Heart (2 Timothy 2:22)
Holy God, I pray that _____would flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
5. To choose Godly Friends (1 Corinthians 15:33)
Merciful Father, I pray that _______ will not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
6. To Walk in Faithfulness and Devotion (Isaiah 38:3)
Gracious God, I pray that _____will walk before You faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, and do what is good in Your eyes.
7. That the schools in our community would be schools guided by Biblical Values (Colossians 2:8)
Almighty God, may no one take our school captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Blessings,
Patricia Wenzel
WOC (Women of Character) Graduate

NOTE: These prayers are copied from “Mom Will You Pray for Me?” made available through Moms in Touch International.

To find a Moms in Touch International group in your area visit: MomsinTouch.org or call 800-949-MOMS

Recently while listening to my car radio, one phrase caught my ear: “are you a grace-bearer?” That started my wheels spinning. Am I? Do I bear grace to others that I meet? Do I bear grace to those that rub me the wrong way? Do I extend grace as graciously as it has been extended to me?

What else have we been given by God that we can and should bear to others?

Hope-bearer – “…always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” 1 Peter 3:15

Light-bearer – “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

Forgiveness-bearer — “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Witness-bearer — “…And you are my witnesses!…” Isaiah 44:8 “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak” 2 Corinthians 4:13

Burden-bearer — “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Truth-bearer – “Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right, for my mouth will utter truth…” Proverbs 8:6-7

Mercy-bearer — “But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:16

Now, stop a minute and consider. Do you see the impact you – one person – can have in your own circle of influence? As you bear the image of Christ to those around you – giving hope, shining light, forgiving, being a witness, bearing burdens, sharing truth, having mercy – God can use you – one person to change your corner of the world. Our world is in desperate need of Image-bearers. Will you consciously chose to be one?

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick. In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years. She has 2 adult children, 4 grandchildren, 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.

I wrestle with life. I am sure you do, too. Eventually, and it’s not always sooner than later, I surrender the wrestling match and remember God is sovereign in all areas of my life. Knowing and trusting that God is in control when my world spins out of control is a great comfort and brings stability to my heart when nothing else does. While having a conversation about God’s sovereignty I was struck when my friend said, “It is not God’s sovereignty that we struggle with. We know and believe He is in control. The real challenge is to know and trust that God is good in the midst of it all.” I realized that my wrestling was not about who was in control or trusting that God was really in control. My wrestling goes a step further. My real heart issue is trusting and knowing that God is good . . . all the time. Think about it. God is in control but some hard things have come my way. Heartbreaking things. Things I don’t understand. Things I’d rather not be faced with. But is God good? It is easy to when the preacher gets up and says “God is good all the time,” and then respond “All the time God is good.” Do you and I really know that? Do you and I really believe that? I believe but Lord, help my unbelief!!

Blessings,
Kathy

Kathy’s on staff at America’s Keswick in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 28 years. They have two adult children. Kathy is active in her local Church and has taught Sunday school and Bible studies for women. Her passion is to encourage women to deepen their walk with Jesus Christ by finding and living out the truths of God’s Word.

Eph. 6:10 “Be strong in the Lord and the power of His might.”

So, what is it that draws us to heroes? Why all the hype about superheroes? I don’t know about you but it seems like Hollywood is putting out several superhero movies a year. If you are like me you grew up on Batman and Robin, Superman, Spiderman; maybe your heroes were the Bionic Woman or Six Million Dollar Man.

Today we are so desperately looking for a hero to rescue us or save us from our troubles, pain, or to make the bad guys go away. I’m guessing none of us are going to get special powers or end up bionic like Lindsay Wagner, but all of us can become heroes of the faith. Whether you believe it or not, we can all become heroes. God makes us heroes; we can be used by God to rescue and help someone out of their hurt and pain as we reach out with compassion and care.

Be a hero to someone today – share a smile, lend a hand, give a word of encouragement, meet a need, anyone can be a hero. God uses the least likely – God used fisherman, tax collectors, prostitutes, the abandoned and insane to make a difference and reach a world for Him. Choose to follow Him, and He will equip you.

Today, find some way to reach out and make the world different and point people to Christ. If you are in the area, join us all this year at our Ladies Who Lunch events where we will look at how we can become heroes and study some of the heroes God used for His glory.

Lynne Jahns

Lynne is a Christian counselor and holds the honor of being the first Director of Barbara’s Place at America’s Keswick, a residential addiction recovery ministry for women. Lynne is married to Bill Jahns, who also serves on staff at America’s Keswick as the Director of Housekeeping. When not working and studying, Lynne loves to be outdoors and to travel. Family is very important to both Lynne and Bill and a lot of free time is spent with relatives and close family friends. Lynne holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Behavioral Sciences from Cedarville University in Ohio, a Master of Arts degree from The College of New Jersey in Community Counseling, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Louisiana Baptist University.

This year both of my children moved south with their families. They soon learned that in the southern heat they needed to drink more water than they were used to. I couldn’t help but chuckle when my 6 and 7 year old granddaughters talked about needing to stay hydrated. One day, while I was visiting, my son-in-law was cutting the lawn on a very hot day. My granddaughter said, “Daddy got dehydrated”. When he came into the house she asked him, “Daddy, did you rehydrate yet?” I mean really, what 7-year-old says stuff like that?

As I have thought about hydration relative to our spiritual life, I realized that we can be dehydrated Christians. If we do not drink deeply of the Word on a regular basis we can easily become dehydrated.

If we are reading all kinds of other spiritual books, but not reading the Word, I believe we can be in danger of thinking we are well hydrated spiritually when in fact we are not.

The thing with dehydration is it can sneak up on us. By the time we realize we are dehydrated it will take more than just a cup of water to “rehydrate”. Similarly, by the time we realize we are spiritually dehydrated, it will take more than a day or two of Bible reading to be well watered again.

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Psalm 81:10

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38

Don’t become a dehydrated Christian. Drink deeply of the Water of the Word on a regular basis. Stay hydrated.

Blessings, Diane

Diane Hunt is part of the Development and Addiction Recovery teams at America’s Keswick. In addition to being a Biblical Counselor, she is a Women’s speaker for retreats, conferences and events. She is a regular writer for Victory Call and one of the authors of Crossing the Jordan Bible Study. She has been married to her husband John over 28 years. She has 2 adult children, 4 grandchildren, 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.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Psalm 19:1

Sometimes we get caught up in just doing life that we miss . . . God’s glory all around us. I’m just as guilty as the next guy. I’m always in a rush. I have to get to work, to the doctor’s appointment, the church council meeting…the “whatever”. Sometimes we just get so caught up with all the stuff on our to-do lists! Mine is always filled to the brim. And I know that there is just no way I can accomplish all that is on it. There are those “other” distractions as well: health issues, family problems…need I go on?

I get so bound up with all of these distractions that I miss the glory of God that is displayed everywhere for my eyes to take pleasure in.

Pressure and stress are part of our everyday lives in the 21st Century. In Ecclesiastes, Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun” and I truly believe it when you get down to the basics. Technologies change but stress and pressure remain the same. Yet the Lord has been faithful in displaying His glory for our pleasure since time began.

This morning I got in my car to come to work like each workday morning. The season is beginning change so now it’s dark when I get in my car. I had much on my mind for the day ahead and I needed to stop at the WAWA for gas. I pulled up to the pump, put the window down, turned off the ignition and turned my head to say, “good morning, fill it please” but instead what came out of my mouth, “WOW!!!” I saw one of the most beautiful sunrises I have ever seen! The sky was both pink and blue with striations of small, white and grey clouds. It was breathtaking! After my initial “WOW” I pointed it out to the gas station attendant and said, “What a display of the glory of God!” I didn’t want to take my eyes off it.

What an extra special blessing for the morning! What a wonderful reminder of how great is our God! And I might have missed it if I hadn’t stopped in to get gas and turned my head.

I couldn’t help but think, if I would have continued straight to work I would have missed it. It was there and all had to do is turn my gaze. Just that simple act and my eyes could feast on His beauty and glory! That is a choice I make all day long. On what will my gaze be focused? The “stuff” on my list? Or the worries of the day?

God’s glory is all around me, all the time. I don’t have an excuse, not a good one, for missing it.

Today I’m thanking my Abba Father, who loves me so much, that He chooses to display His glory for me to behold!

MaryAnn Kiernan

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 41 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of 6 grandchildren. She serves at America’s Keswick as the Intake Coordinator and Biblical Counselor for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.