Finally

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Graeme Wilson in Victory Call

For those of you that have tracked with us for very long, you know that we have been talking about and praying for a residential women’s program at Keswick for years and years. I am excited to share that on February 16th we finally opened Barbara’s Place, the first women’s residential program in Ocean County. Barbara’s Place is named after the wife of our Chairman of the Board, Howard Bateman. Together they have sacrificially served the Keswick ministry for over 20 years before Barbara started to battle dementia a few years ago.

This vision dates back to the early 1900’s. Pastor Bill Raws wrote of his grandfather, William Raws, Keswick’s founder, “He anticipated having a home for women and a men’s spiritual recovery program both functioning on portions of the property but independent in their programs.” **

Dr. Lynne Jahns, one of our Victory Call writers, is the Director of Barbara’s Place. She has a staff of 3 plus numerous volunteers to help implement the program.

In Lynne’s office is a sign that says, “Change your mind; change your world.” That statement is as true for each of us as it is for the students in Barbara’s Place. I shared with the women recently that it is foundationally what their stay is about. Throughout their time in the program, in various ways, they will be presented with the truth of God’s Word. Over time, by God’s grace, their mind will be changed. They will be challenged by truth and to the degree that they accept and believe the truth, making it their own, they will be changed. In reality, that is true for all of us as well.

“We act upon what we believe not upon what we know.” Vicki Arudda, quoted in Beth Moore’s Praying God’s Word.

Knowing and believing are two different things. We may know truth but unless we believe it, it will not dispel the bondage of error that holds us bound. This is the journey we are all on, challenging the lies and errors in our thinking with the truth of God’s word and in so doing, finding lasting freedom.

Please pray for Lynne, the staff and the 8 women in the program. Thank you for your partnership.

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 for 30 years. She has 2 adult children, 4 grandchildren, 3 adult step-children with 7 grandchildren making 11 in all. She delights in reading and teaching, but mostly in laughing at the funny things her grandchildren say and do.

Monitoring the Movement of God by William Addison Raws