Al's Journal
Hi Family,
I haven't journaled in a long time, but I haven't been this inspired in a long time. I wish you could catch the heart of Keswick through this:
September 26, 2008
This is one of those times when I fear I lack the ability to communicate my thoughts adequately. We have been here at America’s Keswick since the beginning of September working as SOWERS and we are staying in October because it is such and interesting and rewarding place to work.
I could easily write paragraphs and maybe pages describing the beautiful facilities. We don’t usually get to stay where there are lakes, beaches, boats, swimming pools, hot tubs, workout rooms, ping pong, and tennis courts, as well as gardens, hiking trails, horseshoes and bocce ball. We’re not even supposed to get fed let alone eat in the beautiful dining room every day. Yes, this is a wonderful, first class conference center which has been ministering since 1929 and we can take advantage of all the activities and programs. All of this would be plenty of reason to enjoy it here, but the real satisfaction comes from another source.
The heart of America’s Keswick is The Colony of Mercy, the men’s rehab center which began one hundred and eleven years ago. The Colony is for men who have an addiction and want to be free from it. The key word, and possibly one of the major reasons for the success, is "want." They cannot come here if the legal system has mandated them to get help. They must choose to come to the Colony. Testimony after testimony reveals that these are men who have realized that they would not change on their own and that their pain of addiction has taken them farther than they want to go. Their program is many faceted, including work, counseling, group and individual devotional times, as well as daily interaction with each other, staff, and volunteers like us.
We like to attend their Wednesday night service called Tand T, Text and Testimony. My motivation to write my thoughts comes from last Wednesday night’s service when I was overcome, throughout the time, with emotion. Listening to the testimonies of how God was changing their hearts and thus their attitudes and behaviors, watching their faces and seeing their enthusiasm as they sang, talked and listened was powerful. Most of the time I was unable to sing because I was choked up. These are tough men who are used to living lives of profanity, drunkenness, violence and in many cases felony. They were telling about how God was removing the natural responses to swear and to lash out in defense with either words or fists. They talked about how God was healing their relationships, especially their marriages. One man told us that he had been hiding secret sins for a long time and how freeing it was to finally be open and confess them to other men. As I listened I sensed their sincerity and realized these are huge issues that have far reaching consequences affecting many people in their lives beyond themselves. I thought about what their lives might have been like and what they were like now and what, through God’s grace they might become like. In the weeks we have been here, we have seen and listened to many men who have graduated from the Colony and returned to an event and testified to a changed life, and revitalized life.
We have been working and eating with some of these men and they have been sharing their stories with us. They have been frank and honest and their stories are heart wrenching. In most cases their addictions have caused division in their marriages or other relationships. One man squandered 3.5 million dollars from a legal settlement on drink and drugs. He hasn’t worked in twenty-five years and he has nothing. Now he is a changed man and has the hope of a future. I’ve been working with Dan. We have worked side by side now for these weeks, painting rooms. Most of our conversation is about God and new realizations Dan is making about life. He is forty-five years old, owns his own business and has a wife and daughters. Anyone who meets him would be impressed with his winsome personality, yet his life is very messed up. He has served time in jail, lost his driver’s license for ten years, and has financial problems. Dan is totally committed to rehabilitation and talks often of how much God is teaching him through the counseling and reading and memorizing the Bible. We spend a lot of time talking about what he will do when he goes back to his life. I believe he will go back as a new man into a new life.
Being here has caused me to think about addictions. We all have them. They all affect us negatively and usually affect those around us. Some are more harmful than others. Most are unadmitted until they become obvious and hurtful.
It is just so thrilling to be here and realize God can and does change lives. It’s one thing to read about it or hear about it second hand, but to be in the midst of it daily is a great inspiration.
I haven't journaled in a long time, but I haven't been this inspired in a long time. I wish you could catch the heart of Keswick through this:
September 26, 2008
This is one of those times when I fear I lack the ability to communicate my thoughts adequately. We have been here at America’s Keswick since the beginning of September working as SOWERS and we are staying in October because it is such and interesting and rewarding place to work.
I could easily write paragraphs and maybe pages describing the beautiful facilities. We don’t usually get to stay where there are lakes, beaches, boats, swimming pools, hot tubs, workout rooms, ping pong, and tennis courts, as well as gardens, hiking trails, horseshoes and bocce ball. We’re not even supposed to get fed let alone eat in the beautiful dining room every day. Yes, this is a wonderful, first class conference center which has been ministering since 1929 and we can take advantage of all the activities and programs. All of this would be plenty of reason to enjoy it here, but the real satisfaction comes from another source.
The heart of America’s Keswick is The Colony of Mercy, the men’s rehab center which began one hundred and eleven years ago. The Colony is for men who have an addiction and want to be free from it. The key word, and possibly one of the major reasons for the success, is "want." They cannot come here if the legal system has mandated them to get help. They must choose to come to the Colony. Testimony after testimony reveals that these are men who have realized that they would not change on their own and that their pain of addiction has taken them farther than they want to go. Their program is many faceted, including work, counseling, group and individual devotional times, as well as daily interaction with each other, staff, and volunteers like us.
We like to attend their Wednesday night service called Tand T, Text and Testimony. My motivation to write my thoughts comes from last Wednesday night’s service when I was overcome, throughout the time, with emotion. Listening to the testimonies of how God was changing their hearts and thus their attitudes and behaviors, watching their faces and seeing their enthusiasm as they sang, talked and listened was powerful. Most of the time I was unable to sing because I was choked up. These are tough men who are used to living lives of profanity, drunkenness, violence and in many cases felony. They were telling about how God was removing the natural responses to swear and to lash out in defense with either words or fists. They talked about how God was healing their relationships, especially their marriages. One man told us that he had been hiding secret sins for a long time and how freeing it was to finally be open and confess them to other men. As I listened I sensed their sincerity and realized these are huge issues that have far reaching consequences affecting many people in their lives beyond themselves. I thought about what their lives might have been like and what they were like now and what, through God’s grace they might become like. In the weeks we have been here, we have seen and listened to many men who have graduated from the Colony and returned to an event and testified to a changed life, and revitalized life.
We have been working and eating with some of these men and they have been sharing their stories with us. They have been frank and honest and their stories are heart wrenching. In most cases their addictions have caused division in their marriages or other relationships. One man squandered 3.5 million dollars from a legal settlement on drink and drugs. He hasn’t worked in twenty-five years and he has nothing. Now he is a changed man and has the hope of a future. I’ve been working with Dan. We have worked side by side now for these weeks, painting rooms. Most of our conversation is about God and new realizations Dan is making about life. He is forty-five years old, owns his own business and has a wife and daughters. Anyone who meets him would be impressed with his winsome personality, yet his life is very messed up. He has served time in jail, lost his driver’s license for ten years, and has financial problems. Dan is totally committed to rehabilitation and talks often of how much God is teaching him through the counseling and reading and memorizing the Bible. We spend a lot of time talking about what he will do when he goes back to his life. I believe he will go back as a new man into a new life.
Being here has caused me to think about addictions. We all have them. They all affect us negatively and usually affect those around us. Some are more harmful than others. Most are unadmitted until they become obvious and hurtful.
It is just so thrilling to be here and realize God can and does change lives. It’s one thing to read about it or hear about it second hand, but to be in the midst of it daily is a great inspiration.
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