Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

Getting a Little “Shut Eye”

“You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:3

In my years of working with men coming out of a life dominated by sinful behavior, I find that one of the biggest obstacles is getting sleep. Those nights of tossing and turning trying to fall asleep when your mind is running full speed. It seems as though all your problems and concerns are filling your thoughts and occupying your mind.

I suppose there are different reasons for our times of unsettledness that causes us to miss out on that much desired “shut eye”, but whatever the case the resolve is going to the Lord through His word.

Usually I will direct a person to spend some time in Psalm 139 at night, to meditate on the understanding that God is right there with us and can use our time while lying down to get our attention. I remember some of my most intimate conversations with my Mom and Dad took place at the end of the day. Sitting on our couch after a bath and in my pajamas was the best time for them to “get through” to me. It’s those teachable moments at night when we can settle down and unwind our minds to prepare for much needed sleep.

If I’m sitting with a guy that has a lot of guilt and shame, I usually direct them to Psalm 51 to learn from David how to deal with a heart that needs to confess and seek forgiveness. But I always encourage Psalm 139 at night.  This should not take away from your morning devotion that is needed to start the day, but, an end of the day Word that I use to help me to relax, time spent in God’s word asking Him, “​Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my anxieties, and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.

Just like when I was and would take my evening bath to wash off the filth of the day, let us hear the words of Jesus as spoken in Matthew 11 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rob Russomano serves full-time at America’s Keswick and is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. You can write him at rrussomano@americaskeswickorg

Daily Bible Reading: Revelation 12-18

Think About This: Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world – stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death – and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love? Then you can keep Christmas. Henry Van Dyke

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

Delighting in My Identity

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Good morning, brothers. We have a new week of Freedom Fighter blogs – three for the last three days of 2014 and two to welcome in the new year.

This morning I wanted to remind us that as we bring the old year to a close and the welcome in the new, that because of Jesus, we have a new identity.

For some of you, your version of ending the new year was to do so with lots of drinking and drugging. On New Year’s Eve we will gather with our guests and the Colony men to welcome in the new year and many of the men will share with us that this is the first New Year’s in many years that they will be alcohol and drug free. They will actually be sober.

Sadly, there will be Christians this New Year’s that believe that their “freedom in Christ” will allow them to drink freely, and for some, the focal point of welcoming in the new year will be on all their alcohol. Some will drink above the legal limit, and their “freedom” will put other’s at risk. Somehow the roles have reversed – but that’s a topic for next year.

Dr. Paul David Tripp in his new daily devotional, New Morning Mercies – A Daily Gospel Devotional, says that we don’t really celebrate our new identity enough:

By grace, we are the temple of the Most High God. By grace, he lives in us. By grace, his power is at our disposal. By grace, he fights on our behalf even if we don’t have the sense to do so. By grace , he works within us to complete the labor of grace that he has begun. By grace, he animates us to desire and do what is right. By grace, he exposes us and convicts us. We are able to choose and do what is right only because he lives in us and gives us the power to do so by his grace. He hasn’t just forgiven us, he’s taken up residence in us, and in that there is real hope.

Tripp, Paul David (2014-10-31). New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional (Kindle Locations 8490-8494). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

I trust that today you will take some time to thank the Lord for your new identity. Praise Him for the amazing way He has made you a new creation in Christ. Have a great day! – Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Daily Bible Reading: Revelation 6-11

Think About This: Why give way to dear when, in Christ, it is impossible for you to ever be alone because you are now the temple in which God dwells?

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

The Reason for the Season

O give thanks unto Jehovah; For he is good; For his loving kindness endured forever. Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary, (Psalm 107:1-2)

As part of my new occupation as a colony chaplain I am required to attend Wednesday night T-N-T. For those who don’t know, it is an intimate time of fellowship, reading scripture, and praising God. This week was filled with personal conviction, deliverances, and brokenness. Sidebar: This time is near and dear to my heart for many reasons, especially because I was in the colony during this Christmas season.

In addition, there were some declarations of gratitude because of God’s hand in their situation, others shared some Word from their alone or devotion time. However, one of the men broke down in tears because of the broken relationship with his father, and in the midst of the testimony, his father came from the back of the chapel running and embraced him with a passionate hug.

This was the most practical example of the prodigal son I have ever saw. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” I spoke to the resident, and he was overjoyed of the rekindled relationship. The father thanked God, and individuals at Keswick for in his words, “help to get his son back.”

Are we thankful for the meaning of the cross or for the sake of the season, the baby in the manger? Do we appreciate eternal life that was granted to us at Calvary?

“Hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly”(Romans: 5, 6) – Chaplain Juan Mendez is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is serving at the Colony of Mercy as a Chaplain. You can write to him at jmendez@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: 1 John 1-5

Think About This: In a classic Ziggy comic panel the perpetually challenged character is shown putting up Christmas lights while imparting this advice: “At this special time of the year it’s important that we all take time to REJOICE!!  Especially since many of us haven’t even ‘joiced’ yet!” Houston Chronicle, 12/25/96
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

Ring The Bells
by Harry Bollbach

Ring the bells, ring the bells, let the whole world know,
Christ was born in Bethlehem many years ago.
Born to die that man might live, came to earth new life to give,
Born of Mary, born so low, many years ago.
God the Father gave His Son, gave His own beloved One,
To the wicked sinful earth, to bring mankind His love, new birth.

Chorus
Ring the bells, ring the bells,
Let the whole world know
Christ the Savior lives today
As He did so long ago!

Ring the bells, ring the bells, what a glorious morn!
Men and angels worship Him, singing, Christ is born!
Born to die on Calvary, born to set His people free,
God Himself in human form, tell it!  Christ is born.
He has left His royal throne, He has come to claim His own,
Christ the Lord has come to earth, go spread the news of Jesus’ birth.

Chorus
Ring the bells, ring the bells,
Let the whole world know
Christ the Savior lives today
As He did so long ago!

On behalf of the Board, Administration and staff of America’s Keswick, Merry Christmas and May God bless you.

Daily Bible Reading: John 19-21

Think About This: “I am speechless, I’m astonished and amazed. I am silenced by your wondrous grace, you have saved me. You have raised me from the grave…I’m astounded as I consider how you have shown us a love that leaves us speechless. So what kind of love could this be, that would trade heaven’s throne for a cross? And to think you will still celebrate over finding just one who was lost. And to know you rejoice over us, the God of this whole universe, it’s a story that too great for words…and I am speechless, I’m astonished and amazed. I am silenced by your wondrous grace. Oh how great the love, the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called the sons and daughters of God.” – Steven Curtis Chapman

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

 ‘Twas the Night before Jesus Came

‘Twas the night before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Not even a mouse.
All the children of Bethlehem
Were snug in their beds
Not even a little dream
Stirred in their heads.

No thoughts of Santa, reindeer or sled,
Only the hope that they soon would be fed.
No light in a window or illumined street
All in the village were fast asleep.

Five hundred years with no prophet’s word
That night before Christmas no carols were heard.
Those who were awake were just east of town
To them angels spoke, when the Christ child came down.

On the night before Christmas, no one thought of Him then.
Who would imagine God living among men?
The palace, I am sure, had great lights from within,
As the night before Christmas they devoted to sin.

Miles away were men of wealth and learning.
The star that they saw started a yearning
To see the babe who was Israel’s newborn king.
The night before Christmas their gifts they would bring.

Two years they traveled (at night) roads of danger
To visit the Master of life, Himself a stranger.
They stopped by the palace to ask for some aid,
No homage to that king was by them paid.

But they knelt before the Lad with his mother and “dad”
And gave them all of the gifts that they had.
For the night before that Christmas had disturbed the king,
Terror marked tomorrow as soldier’s horses’ hoofs ring.

Oh, it was the night before Christmas but how could they know
That was the day with no candles aglow?
But the Light of the World chose that very day
To begin His life to take all our sins away.

Now, 2000 years later, as this night before Christmas comes
And we hear the “Little Drummer Boy” drums,
The tree is all trimmed and the presents in place,
Before we go to sleep with a smile on our face.

As we look around the room, is anything left undone?
Where on this night have we found room for God’s Son?
May this night before Christmas mean more than before,
Since to Him we have opened our own heart’s door.

For He will come in to make us His own,
He promised that He would not leave us alone.
He was born a sinless babe and grew into a sinless man.
Living like us was always a part of God’s plan!

December 17, 2008 Dr. George H. VanSandt

Daily Bible Reading: John 16-18

Think About This: Salvation is not a reward for the righteous, but a gift for the guilty. —Steven Lawson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

To Be Deeply Crucified PART TWO

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20 (NKJV)

The last time I was with you I was sharing my struggle with head and my heart and compared it as if there was a fist fight going between them. I think I have it boiled down to where the struggle lies in the reason we think Jesus came in to this world. I have been spending my morning devotional time with Aiden Wilson Tozer and he really has me re-thinking what it means to be crucified with Christ. Even though I have no problem with saying there is a deep love for Jesus within me I am wondering if I have been truly and deeply crucified with Him. So with that said let’s examine the two contradictory schools of thought on why Jesus came to earth. (per A.W. Tozer)

Jesus came to help us!

That’s right, Jesus did come to help us but some of us think that means to make us successful. If we simply believe in Jesus He will turn around things in our lives that aren’t going well and make them new. It also means that we should focus only on those good parts in Scripture and claim them for ourselves, after all God wants to makes us a good people. We don’t really want to hear about the messiness of The Cross of Christ because that was a brutal way to die; even if it was for us, and since it was done once and for ALL we really don’t to revisit it, right? “This feel better Christianity has fostered an entire new industry of religious self-help.”—Tozer

Jesus came to put an end to self!

This sounds like a death sentence, don’t it? After all the apostle Paul sets the bar when he wrote “Not I, but Christ” (Gal 2:20) If we are looking to Jesus to make everything new, to become that new person then from now on we have to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ. This could mean that the old you doesn’t get educated, polished or cultivated if it does nothing more than gratify the flesh. But so often we forget that we were made to bring glory to God and that will only happen when we realize that comes with the sacrifice of our “self”. “The “I” must be eliminated in its entirety for Christ to hold His rightful position in our lives.”—Tozer

Jesus came to help us put an end to self!!

This is more like it, isn’t it? Jesus came to make everything new, so any finding of self-value you had before He came are now false. All that wisdom you thought you had before He came is called into question. And here’s the kicker…all that “do-gooder” stuff that had been going on—consider all rubbish!! There is nothing redeemable from the old self-life. Sometimes I wonder why I am living in the same house that I got before He came into my life. But in essence it isn’t the house that has to go but what I keep in the rooms that have to go…and that’s when the fist fight breaks out. “No matter how much the old self is cleaned up, it still contains an irredeemable core of corruption.”—Tozer

I guess the ongoing battle within me will slowly dwindle down to a dull roar the deeper I get rooted into the Vine of Christ. Nevertheless I live but the “I” doesn’t have to be the “I” that sits on the throne. When I yield self over and exchange that for Christ I get the privilege of Christ living in me. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”— (Matthew 16:25) To end this on a Tozer note, “The purpose of God is not to save us from hell; the purpose of God is to save us to make us like Christ and to make us like God. God will never be done with us until the day we see His face, when his name will be on our foreheads; and we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is.” Amen? – Chris Hughes is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger and graduated from the Colony of Mercy

Daily Bible Reading: John 13-15

Think About This: “What a cheap, across-the-counter commercial kind of Christianity that say, “I was in debt, and Jesus came and paid my debt.” Sure, He did, but why emphasize that? “I was on my way to hell and Jesus stopped me and saved me.” Sure, He did, but that is not the thing to emphasize. What we need to emphasize is that God has saved us to make us like His Son.”—Aiden Wilson Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

It’s the most wonderful time of the YEAR!

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:30-33 ESV

I love this time of the year, but to be honest if I am not careful I can get sucked into the glimmering and shimmering lights of the holidays.  Distraction is a big pull this time of the year.  Think about those words the angel spoke to Mary, “don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”  Wow, now think about that… An angel appears and speaks words of comfort to her and words of great challenge to her as she was going to bear a son, not only a son, but the Son of God.  Mary was living her life, minding her own business, getting ready to be wed to Joseph, her promised husband.  The news from the angel could be devastating to her.  How was this to be, she asked the angel since she was a virgin?

Well, the angel had that information for her as well.  As I contemplate the Christmas story this year, I notice to that after Jesus was born, the Scriptures tell us that Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling cloths (I have to admit, I do not know what this is) and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them.  A barn, a outside shelter for animals in a bed of straw.  Is this not sad?  When we read this, we can get all indignant and say, “how could that happen?”  It is kind of coaching a sporting event from your couch (which by the I do a lot of when my team isn’t doing well).  We are just like those in the days of Jesus’ birth often.  We have “no room” in our hearts for him because of the glittering lights and holiday bustle.

This time of the year, is the most wonderful time of the year.  I have made room in my heart for Him this year.  There are many things that can and do distract me from my focus on the LORD, but this year, I want to hear the message like I have never heard the message before.  If I am too busy, I just may miss what the angel will say to me.  Have a great week and have a very, merry Christmas.

I want to close by penning the words to my favorite Christmas hymn, O holy night.

Oh Holy Night

Oh holy night!
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here come the wise men from Orient land
The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
In all our trials born to be our friend

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name

Today’s Freedom Fighter was written by Doug Barger, Director of Men’s Ministries at Bethesda Mission

Daily Bible Reading: John 11-12

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

To Be Deeply Crucified

PART ONE

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”   Galatians 6:14 (KJV)

For all this Biblical savvy I like to think I have there are those times where I fall back and wonder what it really means to understand that I have been crucified with Christ. If I stare at Romans 6:6, “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” long enough, I can come into an agreement that freedom is achieved when my own idea of right living gets exchanged for His idea of right living and I fall into obedience to that but “crucified with Christ” just on that alone…do I really grasp the idea? I blame this moment of heavy contemplation on mornings spent with A.W. Tozer.

I bought a lot of books written by Tozer over the summer, even an audiobook to listen to in my truck and he really has my head in a fist fight with my heart. It’s like in my mechanical mind (that I like to think I have) I can seemingly just connect the dots in Scripture that support the understanding for a Savior but in my “compassionate” heart (which I also like to think I have) I hear, “You ain’t like that. You ain’t like that at all.” And the Tozer statement that moved me into such thinking is, “The primary difficulty in the evangelical Church is that we have been trying to think our way into God. Nothing could be more futile and frustrating.” OUCH….Am I trying to think my way into God? Hmmm, let me ponder upon this one.

Now before any of you deeper theologians begin to shout out the “You must first yield to the Spirit” anthem allow me to share a little more of Tozer. “The anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing wrote, “Of the shortness of this word, and how it may not be come to by curiosity of wit, nor imagination…Remember him of longing of God both tried to think their way through.” In other words, it is not through your thinking or imagination that you will reach God. In all of this, there is an element of the unknown.” Ya see it’s that unknown stuff that gets me by the tail and makes me stop and think, “Am I crucified with Christ on the surface (how does that work?) or am I truly deeply crucified with Him?”

Many-a-folk can say they have a deep love for Jesus Christ and all though I wish not to diminish that would that include being deeply crucified with Him? Tozer states in his book, “The Crucified Life” that there are two contradictory elements when it comes to Christendom. And it ain’t Calvinism vs Arminianism or liberalism vs fundamentalism, it’s the reason why we think Jesus came into the world. Okay so now here’s where the gloves come off in the fist fight between head and heart, because I stand a good chance of trying to think my way into the Savior. And this is where it does get futile and frustrating…so what’s a boy to do?

Well for the moment he has to end this discussion for now but when I pick it back up I will try to examine the reason why Jesus came into the world through the reckoning of A.W. Tozer. But until then I wonder if you, like me, have that same fist fight going on within you? If you are that’s great because it says you are still considering the things of God within you and you are working out the plan of salvation for your life, but if you’re not please consider this.  There are three kinds of man (and woman), the spiritual, the natural and the carnal. The spiritual walks in maturity of his faith; the natural walks in the things of this world and the carnal walks the fence between the two. If you find yourself content to straddle the fence heed these words…

“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV) Chris Hughes is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger and a graduate of the Colony of Mercy. You can write to Chris @ cphuges515@verizon.net

Daily Bible Reading: John 5-6

Think About This: “I refuse to be discouraged about anything, but it gives me a heavy heart to walk among Christians who have wandered for 40 long years in the wilderness, not going back to sin but not going on onto the holy life. Wandering in an aimless circle, sometimes a little warmer, sometimes a little colder, sometimes a little holier, sometimes very unholy, but never going on.”—A.W. Tozer

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

Jesus – Knows; Jesus Cares

Isaiah 9:6 – “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace.”

Well here we are in December 2014 and we as believers in Jesus Christ, once again are celebrating the birth of our Savior while the rest of the world is caught up in the Christmas hustle and bustle.  Oh, wait a minute, are we celebrating his birth or are we caught up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

What are you thinking about on this wonderful snowy day in December (maybe there isn’t snow where you are, and by the time you read this our little snow may be gone).  But nevertheless, what are your thoughts?  Are you thinking about the birth of our Savior?  Why do we need to think about that?  Or, are you thinking about the presents that you haven’t bought yet, or the presents that you are anticipating getting?  Again, there is nothing really wrong with giving and receiving gifts but when that is what is consuming our thoughts and actions something is out of tune.

Our verse above tells us some things about Jesus and I want to explore the first one with us today.  Many people who have addictive backgrounds have tons of feelings during the holiday season that many folks just do not know about nor care about.  Many addicts (current or former) struggle with loneliness, isolation, rejection, fear, anger, resentments, jealousy, etc…  Isaiah under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit reveals to us that a Son is born.  Whose son?  God’s son and he also tells us that he will be called “Wonderful Counselor”.  Have you ever thought hard about that?  He is not just a counselor, no he is a Wonderful Counselor.  So what can we glean from this.  I will admit to this beforehand that the following thoughts are not my own, they are from my Pastor, Jamie Mitchell.

So, what does it mean to be a wonderful counselor?

1. Well, it means that he knows the future and if he knows the future he also is in control of the future.  We can take comfort in the fact that Jesus knows the future and has everything under control. Isaiah 46:9-10; Revelation 13:7-8; Genesis 15:3
2. It also means that he knows us and he even knew us before time began.  He has a plan for us and he even has it all figured out. Psalm 139:13-17; Jeremiah 1:5
3. Jesus also knows who his children are.  He also knows those who are not his.  Romans 8:29-30; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:19
4. He knows the intentions of our hearts (now this can be scary or exciting).  He has X-ray vision into all of our hearts. He knows our thoughts and what we are going to do before we even do it. Deuteronomy 31:21; Ezekiel 11:5; Acts 1:24; 15:8
5. God knows everything we have done in the world. He knows all that we are doing at this very moments (past and future moments as well). Revelation 2:2-3; 2:19; 3:1; 3:8
6. God know all of our needs and he also knows how to meet them.  He knows them before we even make them known to him.  I also like what Pastor Bill Raws always said about God always send the answer before we even know we have a need.  Matthew 6:7-8; Luke 16:15
7. God know what our enemies will do; he knows their schemes, Jeremiah 18:23; and Isaiah 66:16-18 says, a time is coming when they will see his glory.
8. God knows when we are going through a trial.  He knows the way that I take, he has seen my afflictions, and he is familiar with my suffering. Job 23;10; Psalm 31:7; Exodus 3:7; Revelation 2:9
9. God knows all wisdom, he knows how to deal with all the things he knows about us. He knows how to handle all of the above things. John 16:30; Colossians 2:2-3

So, are you trusting in the Jesus who has revealed himself in the baby in the manger.  He came because he knows.. He died because he knows.  He lives because he knows.  Not only does he know, He cares.  He cares about all those things that are listed above because if he did not care, he would not have come.  We celebrate because he is God, God with us.  He has made life abundant for us.  He is abundant life.  He knows, He cares.  Doug Barger is Director of Men’s Ministry at Bethesda Mission. You can write to Doug at dbarger2030@comcast.net

Daily Bible Reading:  John 3-4

Think About This: The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, and worry becomes an impossibility. Oswald Chambers

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Have you downloaded our 2015 Bible Reading Plan? Join us this year as we focus of the theme: Live Courageously

Home Sweet Home

Therefore we do not lose heart… 2^nd Corinthians 4:16a

In the twelve plus years I’ve worked at Keswick I’ve had two supervisors, first Ken Brown, who as time goes by becomes bigger and bigger and I count it a blessing to have known him as a father figure. When I think of the legacy of Ken I will always remember a godly man with a good work ethic. A man who was able to connect the dots of faith and life.

Then there’s Henry who has always been like a big brother, someone who always has time whenever I asked. Similar to Ken, Henry is able to walk a godly walk and still be a good example of showing a practical way to live.

But at the end of the day these two men have impressed on me the ingredients to secure a faith that does not “lose heart”.

Ken, who will be celebrating nine years in Glory on the 16^th of December was a great inspiration as I watched him battle thru leukemia, never giving up but never a shadow of fear. Ken knew there was a better place ahead, a place called Heaven. I can still recall him quoting a verse from 2^nd Corinthians 4 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day”. He would share the comfort he was experiencing as he focused on his Savior.

Henry, has been an inspiration, who, although lives and works at Keswick, I see a man called by God to serve at here but makes no bones about it, New Jersey is not his home. Henry “says” he enjoys going hunting back in Pennsylvania but each time he comes back the high point of his trip is always time spent with “Dad”. I have a picture of the Christian walk that Henry displays of how we are called to be here but only as sojourners and pilgrims, strangers on the Earth. That our real joy come with the great expectation of one day being with the Father.

2^nd Corinthians 4 is always my “go to” chapter when I’m feeling “hard pressed on every side, perplexed but never crushed or in despair”. The scripture is great but when the Holy Spirit points out the parables in life it brings it all together. There is a lot of things money can buy, but when we have the “blessed assurance” that culminates chapter 4 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” it’s much easier to face the days ahead.  Rob Russomano is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and serves full-time at America’s Keswick. You can write to Rob at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org

Daily Bible Reading: John 1-2

Think About This: The giving of gifts is not something man invented. God started the giving spree when he gave a gift beyond words, the unspeakable gift of His Son. Robert Flatt

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6