Just days ago four blocks of Seaside Park were devastated by fire. This disaster came just weeks short of the first anniversary of Super Storm Sandy.  These two disasters are close to home but they are two disasters among many.    Colorado is currently fighting devastating flooding.  As I look at what is going on worldwide the following disasters took place in just the last three days: Typhoon Man-yi hit Japan, Tropical Storm Manuel and Hurricane Ingrid killed 20 in Mexico, Landslide killed 4 in Pakistan, Hail Storm in Chennai, Tornado hits Maine.  Many of us are wondering what is going on. I believe as believers in biblical truths you and I know what is going on. However, we may not know how to respond. In timely fashion, Dr. David Jeremiah has spoken on this very topic. From my notes I share with you his wisdom on how we should respond.

1. Repent- examine our own lives to see if we are ready for the unexpected.
2. Reflect on God’s goodness – be grateful for our own salvation.
3. Respond to the hurting – as believers we should be helping in any way we can.
4. Remember God’s promises – take a moment to read Revelation 21:3-4
5. Rely on God’s presence and power- He is in control and He is with us always.*

          While it is easy to live in fear of what might happen next, I pray we will take heed to respond properly.

*Turning Point broadcast on September 15, 2013

Blessings,
Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 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.

“No means of measure can define His limitless love…
 No far-seeing telescope can bring into visibility the coastline of His shoreless supply…
 No barrier can hinder Him from pouring out His blessings…
 He forgives and forgets.
 He creates and He cleanses.
 He restores and He rebuilds.
 He heals and He helps.
 He reconciles and He redeems.
 He comforts and He carries. He lifts and He loves.

 He is the God of the second chance,
   the fat chance,
    the slim chance
     the no chance….
 Just give me Jesus! He makes change possible!”
 Anne Graham Lotz, Just Give Me Jesus, pg 35

          These words comforted me the morning I read them. May they comfort you today knowing  Jesus changes that which seems impossible to you!
          “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matt. 19:26
Blessings,
Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 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.

I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  (Psalm 40:1)

          Body language is an interesting study.  We tell someone by how we stand or what we do with our hands whether we are interested in them.  “Body language is an important part of communication which can constitute 50% or more of what we are communicating.”1 
          I find it interesting to watch a political debate and then the media coverage following the debate.  Every body movement is analyzed to see if the candidates are telling the truth and can be trusted. Their body language can tell us if they are nervous or confident. 
          I was visiting a counselor and during my session he looked at his watch.  All I could think was, “I’m pouring my heart out, sharing my deepest feelings, and you are not interested, and you are getting paid to be interested!” 
          My husband and I were making conversation with another couple and I was telling a story.  Before I finished my story, the people lost interest and it was obvious by their body language.  I looked at my husband and finished the story so that it ended without anyone noticing how ridiculous I felt.  I didn’t want to just quit mid-sentence.  My husband had heard the story and knew how awkward I felt.  It was all we could do to keep from cracking up laughing. 
          Body language gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings towards others. “We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle ourselves away from those we don’t, it’s that simple.”2  In Psalm 40:1, the psalmist says that God uses body language, too.  When I call on Him, He not only listens to me, He leans in to hear what I have to say.  He finds me interesting, and He never stops listening!

Joyce Hayes

Artist-in-residence at America’s Keswick
Writer for “Real Victory for Real Life” 
365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
To order a copy of “REAL VICTORY For REAL LIFE” 365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick, forwarded by Dr. Joseph Stowell visit  www.americaskeswick.org  and click on store. 

 
1 http://changingminds.org/techniques/body/body_language.htm
2 http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Phipps3.html

 Proverbs 11 11:14
 Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
 but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 20:18
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.
 

          Every day I am making decisions, some seemingly insignificant such as ….What will I have for breakfast? or What will I wear? Where will I get gas? (you get the picture) And then there are decisions that are much more significant? Relationship choices…job choices….big purchases….(you get the picture).
          The less significant decisions come easy…usually. But the bigger ones, the ones that will effect others or have a lot of emotion attached, are not always so easy and require godly counsel at times. I know for me when there is more at stake and my emotions are involved it is hard for me to see clearly. I see things from my perspective.  My lens is custom designed by my life experience. I may not be able to see the whole picture. I need godly counsel  to help make the best decision.
          That’s why I am grateful to have godly friends with their own lens, custom designed by their life experience. Together we are able to have a panoramic view on a particular situation which makes it much easier to make a decision.
It’s not that their lens is better or mine is bad, it is just different by design. The design of our Creator. And in our differences we are able to assist and strengthen one another.
          Father, Thank You for all the godly counsel you provide thru the masterpieces you have created. May you be honored and glorified by the picture we paint as we love one another in action and truth (1 John 3:18).

Ecc 4:9,10 ESV
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

Kim M. Spicer
WOC Graduate

          Today I have decided to quote Kathy Howard from her study Before The Throne:
          “God says He will purify His children by refining them like silver. I didn’t know anything about silver refining, so I did a little research on smelting, the process that extracts metal from its ore. I found that the steps for this original refining process are relevant to our study today. (Malachi 3:2-4, page 108)
          The process begins with a quantity of silver ore, which is basically rock with a little silver in it. The ore is first crushed to a powder, then it is washed to dissolve many unwelcome contaminants. This cycle is repeated until the water is clear.
Next, the ore is placed in a furnace with lead or charcoal. The furnace is heated to an extremely high temperature (between 1450C-2000C) to melt everything- additional contaminants, the lead, and the silver within the ore. The lead acting as a scavenger, adheres to the silver. Then the metals, which are heavier than the contaminants, sink to the bottom of the furnace. The contaminants, or slag, can then be drained off the top.
          After most of the slag is removed, the metals in the bottom of the furnace are tapped and poured into a mold. This mixture of lead and silver must be heated again to separate the metals. This time the furnace is heated to a temperature that is sufficient to melt the lead, but not the silver (about 900C). Even though this is an extremely simplified version of the smelting process, it helped me to appreciate how much time and work goes into the refining of even one ounce of silver.
          God refines His people like silver, and His refining process in the life of a believer is not easy: beginning with just an ordinary lump of hard rock, crush, and wash and wash again, fire and heat, melt and separate, drain and mold, heat again, and shape. The result is a pure product that the Master Smelter can use in any way He chooses. Are you willing? Then ask God to turn up the heat!”
          Next time you sing about being refined and ask God to bring His refining fire, be sure you know just what it is you are asking Him to do.

Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 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.

          “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints- and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you- see that you excel in this act of grace also.” 2 Corinthians 8:1-7
          Look at the words of generosity or abundance in these verses:
Vs. 1  ABUNDANCE of joy
Vs. 2  OVERFLOWED in a WEALTH of GENEROUSITY
Vs. 3  BEYOND their means
Vs. 4  BEGGING us EARNESTLY
Vs. 7  EXCEL in everything
Vs. 8 EXCEL in this act of grace
          The principle of generosity, in not having a stingy heart that only wants to, or perhaps is willing to, do just enough to get by.
          Paul’s words inspired by God, chosen to communicate the heart of the Macedonian church, express not just a willingness to give but an eagerness to give, so much so, that they begged earnestly for the FAVOR to give, to take part in the relief of the saints.
          Generosity goes beyond just finances – at the root it is an attitude of the heart that is evidenced in every area of life.
Do I have a generous heart?  Am I eager to give?  Do I look for ways to give and do beyond my means?

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 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.

          Yet again I have had to focus on my physical health.  As is often the case, I had done well for a period of time, watching my weight and exercising, then came stress and with it some old habits. I finally got disgusted with how I felt and I began to discipline my eating and exercise habits. My motto has become: “An hour of exercise is better then four months of getting it back off.”  The cooler seasons have come and I find myself facing temptations. The fresh fruits and veggies I like are harder to find and salads don’t taste as good in the cold weather. It is the same for my spiritual wellness, too. I can do so well but then lose focus and soon I am feeling rotten because my devotions and disciplines have fallen by the wayside.
          When I saw a study on Colossians, “A Women’s Guide to Spiritual Wellness” by Rhonda H. Kelley, I was reminded again of how important it is that I take care of all aspects of my health. At the utmost is that my walk with Jesus be healthy and vital.  Rhonda Kelley begins her study with this thought, “Physicians today are focusing medical interventions more on prevention than on treatment. Most prefer physical wellness for the body over treatment of illness.”
          How are you doing spiritually? Would an ounce of prevention be better than the cure? Would an hour with Jesus be better then trying to catch up or start over?
          I look forward to sharing some things I glean from this study on Colossians. The first thing I learned is found in Colossians 1:1, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…”  Sam Storms comments “..all things in all of our lives at every moment in the twenty first century must be attributed to the ‘will of God.’ Have you paused to ponder the fact that who you are is ‘by the will of God,’ as well as what you do, where you live, how much you own, whatever you accomplish? Needless to say this excludes your sinful deeds and rebellious attitude and failure to obey the Scriptures.”    

          The first step to healthy eating is usually purging all the junk from the cabinets and fridge. The first day of exercise always causes a good deal of pain. Deciding to be spiritually well is similar. It takes purging the junk and beginning anew which sometimes can be painful.  The first step to prevention and treatment for our spiritual wellness is to be sure we are walking “by the will of God” in all areas of our lives.

Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 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.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 27:13)

          We are living in troubled times. The economy is bad, unemployment is high, and people are hurting severely. Just this week I became aware of several attempted and completed suicides. Obviously people see no way out and little hope for change.
          As Christians we do have the answer.  Do you believe that?   Not long ago I arrived at my speaking destination only to discover that my books had not arrived…a speaker without a book table is like someone sitting in a boat without a paddle in the middle of a lake.  I sputtered, fumed, called my publisher and ranted and raved until I was exhausted.  When I had let off enough steam, it dawned on me that I had done everything except PRAY!  I often laughingly say, When all else fails, pray!  So I prayed, “Dear Lord, I’m in a mess. I am hundreds of miles away from home.  I am supposed to speak about my story tonight, but I have no books to sell…my book table will be empty.  Please tell me what to do.”  I heard the Lord speak very clearly in my mind, “You are my child. Now act like it!”
          Now that message wasn’t hard to understand, was it? My instruction was I am a child of the King, and I needed to act like it; so I did, and I made it through the evening.  People even signed up to order the books which were arriving the next day, and the staff of the sponsoring group arranged to deliver the books to those who had ordered them.
          Today look around to see the goodness of the Lord.  Write down what you see.  Has He been faithful to you?  Has He provided your needs?  Take good notes.  He is always faithful. Remember the ways He has answered your prayers.  He doesn’t always answer according to our schedule, but He is always on time and never late.
          DON’T LOSE HEART!  BELIEVE!  LOOK AROUND YOU AND PAY ATTENTION. YOU CAN SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN EVERY SITUATION.

Marilyn Willett Heavilin

Writer for “Real Victory for Real Life” 
365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick
VOLUME 2
 To order a copy of “REAL VICTORY For REAL LIFE” 365 Devotional Thoughts in the Spirit of America’s Keswick, forwarded by Dr. Joseph Stowell visit  www.americaskeswick.org  and click on store. 

Psalm 5:1-3 “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”
          Prayer has become such an important part of my life. I have my prayer time in the morning…alone…just God and me. I feel that I can’t face the challenges of the day if I haven’t given it all up to Him. Then, I’m privileged to pray at the Colony, Monday through Friday, with the chaplains. I have come to love this time of raising our voices to our Lord with our praises of thanksgiving and our petitions for the coming day. Then there is that on-going dialog with God all day long…
          I love this simple little prayer in Psalm 5. It’s a good example for us to follow. The psalmist in these passages is no stranger to prayer with God. He is pouring his heart out to him, petitioning for God to hear his troubles. The word “consider” implies thinking about something very carefully with the idea of taking some kind of an action and to treat the issue in an attentive or kindly way.1 Isn’t this our cry as well when we lift our prayers? Don’t we want an attentive and kindly ear?
          The psalmist doesn’t wait till noon or evening or when the situation is out of control. This isn’t a “fox hole” prayer but one that is raised up in the morning, laying it all out to the Lord. This psalmist knows he is in deep trouble and that his only peace, solace or rescue will come from the only One who can give it…the Lord.
          My favorite line is the last “I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” He’s just giving it to God, laying all his troubles at the feet of the Lord. It’s far too much for him to carry! Then he says…and this is the best part…I “wait in expectation!” How many of us can truly pray these words to the Lord, that I’m giving it all to you and how ever long it takes I KNOW you will answer my prayer!!!
          I would love to be at this place with every prayer I pray and I have to say I’m not there yet…but I hope I can be.
          Maybe we could all practice this little prayer in our prayer times. I imagine we would all experience a peace we have never experienced and answers to prayer we could never have dreamed of.         

          Psalm 5:1-3 “Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.”

Mary Ann KiernanMaryAnn 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. 1 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consider retrieved 8/13/09

          It’s hard these days to consider being generous. Everyone’s wallets are tight and times are hard.  I am challenged myself as I ponder Malachi 3:8-12. God declares that His people have been robbing Him yet they do not know how they have done it. God tells them they have robbed Him of their tithes and offerings. They had withheld what was rightfully God’s. I will not go in depth about tithing but I will challenge you in this: Are you still giving? There is a promise here that we must remember in these difficult days. We are not told to stop giving but that God will bless our giving! He is our Provider. He has a way of taking very little and doing miracles with it. Are we living like we believe this to be true?  Think loaves and fish (John 6), the widow’s mite (John 21) and the widow’s oil jar (1 Kings 17) to name a few. Would we rather have that cup of coffee a day, get our nails done, or go out to dinner so we don’t have to cook or would we choose to be generous and see God provide for us? Maybe your “tenth” has changed over these last months. That’s okay.  Just don’t stop giving! Don’t believe that God could not do much with your little. Dare to be generous!

Kathy Withers

Kathy’s on staff at America’s KESWICK in the Development Department. Kathy has been married to her husband Dave for 27 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.