Satisfied?

It is hard to be content. St. Paul said that he had learned to be content despite the circumstances, and let's fact it, Paul had CIRCUMSTANCES!

I find it easy to complain even when my circumstances are pretty good compared to most people. I am spoiled and like it that way.

I have noted before that there has been a ten fold increase in the diagnosis of depression and anxiety since 1900. Maybe the times we live in now are worse than back then. From 1900 to 1950 there was WWI, the flu epidemic killed over 20 million young people, a worldwide economic collapse put some 30% of US citizens out of work.

WWII killed 50 million people and the Korean War, the cold War and international tensions between the USSR and the USA led many in America to build nuclear shelters in their back yards. Stress? You betcha.

Let's face it, world conditions are not sweet and peaceful but life is much better now than in 1900. In fact, we live twice as long now as then. The lack of resilience. People in earlier times expected times to be hard and they expected to bounce back. They "Took a licking and kept on ticking."

Here is the ART of Peaceful living.

A-Adversity is real, daily and to be expected. Adversity is not God's punishment or always my failure. Resilience is important.

R-Renew my mind. Take Pessimistic Thoughts Captive.

T-Trust God. He will care for us.

See my web page tor more materials.

Gary Sweeten

Generous Givers

I hate to post about Obama again but he is news that has implications for our ministry. I am trying to raise support for Sweeten Life Systems without being

overly "professional" and "overly expensive". However, that is difficult because many people respond to the expertly crafted appeals that a pro writes. Just look at the haul Obama made online with very slick professionals running his machine. They did a terrific job of raising money online and I can learn from them how to get my message out.

By Jose Antonio Vargas

Barack Obama raised half a billion dollars online in his 21-month campaign for the White House, dramatically ushering in a new digital era in presidential fundraising.

In an exclusive interview with The Post, members of the vaunted Triple O, Obama's online operation, broke down the numbers: 3 million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations online adding up to more than $500 million. Of those 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 or less. The average online donation was $80, and the average Obama donor gave more than once.

Well, I am trying to raise support online but my haul is much less than that of Obama. So, what can I do? Should I hire a professional to write sob stories about my ministry? Nope, but I will do something that Obama did not do. I shall pray more.

The current financial struggles will demand that we cut our overhead costs dramatically. Senator Obama has mastered the internet so we can certainly look forward to seeing how he uses electronic media to Administer the USA.


Gary Sweeten
http://www.sweetenlife.com/