Tag: core values

Spirit of Unity!

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Man at the sunrise

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6)

When I first read the phrase ‘spirit of unity’ I ask myself is that the same meaning of the unity of the spirit. Anyhow, I guess that can be a study for another day. As believers we are called into one body, the body of Christ Jesus. Striving for unity among ourselves, in all things. Unity: the state of being one, single minded, condition of being one, combination into one, harmony, Like Minded with Christ etc…

Is this possible or a theory?

It is! As we renew our minds to the endurance and encouragement of the scriptures, unity is offered or a by-product through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it will take an effort on our parts to dwell or yield to the spirit of unity. We all come from diverse background, ethnicities, testimonies, theological standpoints: but wen all have a mutual love, a mutual Savior, a common praise; may look different, nevertheless there should be no divisions. Living harmoniously, out of love, for each other in one accordance with Christ Jesus.

Can we be honest and transparent to admit that we are in dark times in our country? The enemy seems to have reached his peak and evil is so ever present. These are the times when we, when I, need to lay aside the theological positions and trust in my brothers and sisters in Christ, for comfort, for joy, for fellowship, for support… the list goes on. What would happen if we simply for time, just focused or desired to contribute to His building up His kingdom in holiness and love?

I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! (Psalms 34:1-3)

Juan Mendez_FF 2016Written by Juan Mendez: Juan is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and full time staff member at America’s Keswick.

 

 

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 66; Proverbs 5

Daily Quote:  “The world is not a playground; it is a school-room. Life is not a holiday, but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love.” ~Henry Drummond

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

17 Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The Lord God[a] is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

To the Chief Musician. With my stringed instruments.

~Habakkuk 3:17-19

Core Value #4 Our Commitment to Addiction Recovery

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addiction

It’s been the heartbeat of what we do at America’s Keswick for 118 soon to be 119 years. It is how our ministry started on September 27, 1897.

I hate addiction. Every day I hate it more and more. Sometimes I feel like we are casting a pebble in the ocean and question are we really making a difference.

Part of my frustration is because the enemy keeps upping the ante. 19 graduates have died since January 2015. Guys who were doing really well. Guys who decided to try a shot of heroin one more time.

Maybe they knew – maybe they were naïve. Heroin today is not like it was even two years ago. It’s dirty. It’s lethal. You don’t have a chance to get addicted. One injection = death!

I am tired of our government officials proclaiming concern over the drug problems in our country then turning around an legalizing the stuff to see more and more people than ever before.

Yesterday I heard a statistic that 17.5 million American’s are addicted to alcohol. And yet we joke about it – call ourselves legalists if we as believers choose not to drink socially.

The former Mayor of Philadelphia, decriminalized marijuana. Really? What that means is that you can have a small amount in your possession if you are caught without legal entanglements. Interesting. A famous drug Czar who served for several Presidents says that the marijuana on the streets today is five times more potent than it was 2 years ago. Connect the dots. Your smarter than most. The little you can have has five times more potency!!!

I am tired of getting calls about men who have committed suicide because they can’t handle their issues any more.

I am tired of seeing how addiction tears apart whole families.

IF I FOCUSED ON THE NEGATIVE – I WOULD RATHER BE FLIPPING BURGERS AT WENDY’S!!!

This value reminds why we exists and who we serve!!! The heart of the Keswick ministry is our addiction ministries. The conference ministry provides us the vehicle to raise the visibility of the addiction recovery ministries and tell the story of how God transforms lives.

So as long as God gives me breath and energy, I am going to keep fighting. I am going to keep us sharing the good news that Jesus Christ is the ONLY LASTING ANSWER to addiction. He wants to rescue, redeem and restore.

Am I discouraged? Sometimes. Am I hopeful! Absolutely. I have seen it work. I have seen it happen over and over in a man’s life and now, in the lives of women through Barbara’s Place.

But we need each other in this battle. Your prayers and financial support help us make a difference. On Saturday, May 7th, we have our Family Freedom Walk and our goal is to raise $50,000 towards the 1.5 million it costs to provide addiction recovery ministry at America’s Keswick.

Will you help me? You can call 800-453-7942 for information or visit our website at www.americaskeswick.org. Thanks for your consideration!

May God bless you.

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick: He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 120; Proverbs 2

Daily Quote: “We can still see a difference in our churches and culture. Unless we decide not to pray. Unless we decide not to care. Unless we succumb to the enemy’s deceptions. God’s Word call to us across time, urging us to believe Him again for revival in our time.” ~From Living the Battle Plan

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them. ~Psalm 34:6-7

 

 

In case you missed them:

Core Value #3 Biblical Christian Living

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I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1-2

I have been sharing with you the Core Value statements for the ministry of America’s Keswick so that you can have a better understanding of WHO we are and WHY we are doing WHAT we do.

Our third core value is our commitment to teaching BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING which is the foundation of the teaching we have been presenting since 1897 from the founding of the Colony of Mercy to the present.

Our roots go back to the Keswick Convention in England and the “Keswick Message” is based on a sequence of messages that was presented at the their conferences.

In the late 20’s the Victorious Christian Testimony became a part of the Keswick ministry and our first conference was held in 1924. The rest is history.

The core message is summed up in this statement that was crafted by the late Pastor Bill Raws: The core message of America’s Keswick (Victorious Christian Life) is for an individual to personally trust Christ as Savior, embrace what it means to live a life of sustained fellowship with God, live a life of obedience and holiness, experience victory over sin, and use their gifts for His glory.

Over the years this has been some big misunderstandings of the “Keswick Message.” For instance, one of the biggest concerns is that the Keswick message teaches “sinless perfection.”

Well that can’t be further from the truth! After all, I am President/CEO and you are reading this – so we already know that we can’t possibly be teaching this as a ministry.

It is true according to Romans 6 that I don’t have to sin! I CHOOSE to sin! But that’s another Freedom Fighter 🙂

The point is this – through Christ, I can live a life of sustained fellowship with God. I can live a life of obedience and holiness. I can experience victory over sin. And I get to use the gifts God has given me for His glory.

As I look around the landscape of Christianity, too many brothers and sisters are living discouraged, defeated and in bondage to the world, the flesh and the devil. We have allowed sin to have dominion over us rather than walk in victory.

We are searching for everything to fill the aching, longing holes that are in our hearts rather than filling that aching and longing with God and God alone.

We don’t have to live this way. We can live in victory. We can be on the winning side even when everything around us is crumbling.

If you’d like to find out more about the message we teach, I would be happy to send you Pastor Bill Raws’s pamphlet, SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE.

May prayer for you today, brother, is that you will walk in victory! I am thankful that you are joining me and the other men writing Freedom Fighter blogs. Thanks for being my friend.

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick: He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 116; Proverbs 25

Daily Quote: 

quote

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

 We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name. ~Psalm 33:20-21

In case you missed them:

 

Core Value #2 Prayer

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Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

Last week began a series on blogs on the Core Values of America’s Keswick.

Core Value #2 is our commitment to PRAYER.

In our original document, PRAYER was our #4 value but last year we moved it to #2.
From the inception of our ministry, PRAYER has been an integral part of everything we do. As William Raws began to grow in his walk with the Lord, he made prayer a vital part of his life and ministry, and I am thankful to say that ever since the ministry of America’s Keswick was founded in 1897, prayer remains a vital part of all we do.

In just about every book of the Bible, you will find references to prayer and its impact on the life of any man or woman who wants to be what God wants them to be.

Show me a man or woman who wants to be used of God, and I will show you a man or woman who makes prayer a commitment in their lives.

When I saw the movie, WAR ROOM, it increased my desire to be a man of prayer – and not just a man who prays, but one who prays boldly and courageously.

Can I share some quick thoughts about courageous prayer with you?

  • Concerned about your marriage? Pray courageously.
  • Concerned about your kids? Pray courageously.
  • Concerned about your job? Pray courageously.
  • Concerned about your health? Pray courageously.
  • Fearful about where our country is heading? Pray courageously.
  • Concerned about your church? Pray courageously.
  • Are you struggling with sin in your life? Pray courageously.
  • Are you facing a big decision? Pray courageously.
  • Are there burdens on your heart that you can’t share with anyone else? Pray courageously.
  • You don’t know how to pray? Pray courageously.
  • You know what you want to say but don’t know how to say it? Pray courageously.
  • Don’t get hung up of a prayer formula and there are good ones. Pray courageously.
  • Don’t get hung up do I kneel, stand, keep my eyes open or closed – Pray courageously.
  • Don’t have a prayer closet – Pray anywhere and at anytime – just pray courageously.

We put together a pamphlet last year to help with courageous praying. Here is the link so you can download it, or if you will write me, I will send you a hard copy. (Pray Courageously pamphlet)

If you want to see God make a difference in your life, in the life of your family, or the world around you – become a man who prays courageously.

W ritten by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick: He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 109; Proverbs 18

Daily Quote: “Prayer is serious business. To be in God’s presence is holy.” ~Living the Battle Plan 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.
You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.  Psalms 32:6-7

 

Core Values – The Word of God

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the bible

I love serving with young millennial leaders. They challenge your thinking and get you to see things from a totally different perspective. So as a result of Graeme Wilson’s challenge, I want to take the next couple of Monday’s to share with you about the Core Values of our ministry.

In 1998, our Board mapped out the ten values that would continue to guide, guard and protect our ministry moving forward. When everything else around us may be changing, these are the 10 non-negotiables that are most valuable to America’s Keswick.

This was/is an important exercise because if you don’t take the time to do this in your personal life, your business, your ministry – things and situations can quickly erode, and your foundation begins to crumble.

Our top three Core Values are the FOUNDATION of who we are as a ministry. The cool thing is that it has been this way for 118 years.

  • Value #1 – Our commitment to the Word of God
  • Value #2 – Our commitment to prayer.
  • Value #3 – Our commitment to the ministry of addiction recovery

So let’s unpack Value #1 – our commitment to the Word of God. It is important to state from the outset that our overriding commitment is to love, honor and obey the Lord. There is a thin line between loving the Bible over the God of the Bible.

We believe that God’s Word is inspired by God and is infallible. One of our speakers refers to the Bible as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. It is our instruction manual and we place a high value on God’s Word.

God’s Word has specific purposes for our life. Paul wrote: “ALL Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16)

God’s Word is a book to be studied. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

God’s Word is a book to be memorized.

God’s Word is what we should be meditating on daily: “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” Joshua 1:8

God’s Word when treasured in our hearts will keep us from sin: “Your Word have I treasured in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

God’s Word keeps us walking on the right path: “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and I light to my path. I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Thy Word.” Psalm 119:105; 101

God’s Word is a weapon for us to use in spiritual warfare: “and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” Ephesians 6:17

God’s Word is alive and powerful: “For the Word of God is living an active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, both of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

I could go on and on – but the point is this – The Bible is the foundation of what we believe and teach at America’s Keswick. It reveals the heart, attributes and characteristics about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is what we teach in our addiction recovery ministries and our conferences/retreats.

It’s a book for you and for me. It can be trusted, and it will help us become more and more like Jesus. Have you spent time today in His Word? If not, stop what you are doing, and take some time to read, study, meditate and memorize His Word. I guarantee it – take it to the bank – it can and will change your life!

Written by Dr. Bill Welte is President/CEO of America’s Keswick: He has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 10 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 102; Proverbs 11

Click Here to Download our 2016 Daily Bible Reading Plan

Daily Quote: “The BIBLE — banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history. Generations of intellectuals have attempted to discredit it, dictators of every age have outlawed it and executed those who read it. Yet soldiers carry it into battle believing it more powerful than their weapons. Fragments of it smuggled into solitary prison cells have transformed ruthless killers into gentle saints” ~Charles Colson

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: 

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;
Therefore my heart greatly rejoices,
And with my song I will praise Him. ~Psalm 28:7

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