How to Help Christian Sinners

Wait!

Stop!

Cut that out!

How can I write such an outlandish headline? What does it mean? Either a person is a Christian and holy or a sinner and not a Christian. Those two things are mutually exclusive.

Really?

I came to the Lord at age ten so I have been ruminating on this issue for a very long time. I grew up in an environment where I thought that being a Christian meant that I was supposed to be perfect just like God was perfect. I thought I knew what perfect meant when I read it in the King James Bible so I tried hard to be a perfectionist. I failed; and failed; and failed; and gave up.

Once I gave up I pretended to be a sinner who did not care anything about God, church or the Bible. I was at war with myself and with God's ways. Failure at perfection made me into a failure at life. Then, one night in June of 1958 I was headed to Benton, Illinois to pick up my gambling, smoking, drinking carousing friends and go to a bar in West City. This was a town of ten bars and fifty houses where underage kids could carouse without police intervention. I loved West City because I could put on a "bad boy persona" and no one would know I was from a Christian home.

I had left Ina, population 300 or so, early so I could miss the Preacher Brother Boatright and the Evangelist who was holding a revival in our Church. After work at Dowzer Electric Company in Mt. Vernon I hurried out of town in a 1957 Ford Fairlane. But I did not get far because even a new Ford can't outrun God's Spirit.

The County Line Road is two miles south of Ina and I sped pretty fast toward that demarcation point between Jefferson and Franklin Counties in a big hurry to escape the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit. A little over one mile from Ina I had a strange experience. I can still remember that I was passing the Burma Shave signs that dotted the right side of Highway 37. The dash lights on that Ford Fairlane brightened and a strange cloud filled the car. Then I heard it: "Gary! Choose this day who you will serve."

The voice in my head was not loud but certainly strong. Not shrill but with a sense of finality. I knew it was God speaking. I had only one choice. When a boy is reared in the Holiness Movement he knows that we never say "No" to God. I said, "Yes."

Actually I did more than that. I replied: "You Lord. Only you have the words of Life."

The lights dimmed and a sense of perfect peace filled the car. My life was changed forever. But I was still not 100% perfect and without sins, faults and stumbles. But I still had peace and knew who I was in Christ.

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are born less than perfect with areas of Bondage, Rebellion, Guilt and Shame. Thankfully, God provided His only Son to take care of all four of those core issues.

Bondage: Dead: God Regenerated me and I was Born Again to new life as a Child of God

Rebellion: My way is best: God Converted me and turned my heart toward Him

True Moral Guilt: Deserve Justice: God Justified me and Forgave that Guilt

Shame: Loss of Identity and Inheritance: God Adopted me as an Eldest Son with His Family Identity and eternal Inheritance

After I was Reborn, Converted, Justified and Adopted I stumbled, made errors in judgment and sinned. But I am still in His family.

"Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus." RO 8:39

My kids and grand kids have my name and my inheritance. They will always be mine no matter what they do. They are imperfect and struggle in immature ways. I expect children to be imperfect but to grow in maturity, just as I did.

It is kind of crazy to believe that any person can be without sin, rebellion, guilt and feelings of shame. God provided a way for us to confess our sins and pray for each other so we would be healed. James 5:16

If we never had any rebellion or bondage or guilt why did God tell us how to deal with it?

How do we deal with Christian sinners?

Expect everyone to fail, sin and have guilt

Provide safe places for all persons to come for confession and forgiveness

Tell stories about falling, confession, repentance, and healing

Ask God what He wants to teach us each time we fall

Come to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace in our time of need

Making Every Stressful Thought Peaceful

I am preaching this Sunday at Tri County Assembly of God on Route 4 in Fairfield. The focus will be on kicking off a series of Wednesday evening classes at TCA on Renewing the Mind.

As one of my friends from College Hill Presbyterian Church told me over thirty years ago, "This is what we need to get out of bed every morning."

In my life as a Pastor and Counselor as well as a Parent and partner there has been nothing more important than learning how to renew my mind. At least 95% of the clients I have seen in Therapy over the years could have prevented most of their emotional pain had they learned how to "Capture and Renew Irrational, Toxic Thoughts".

Thousands of people have been through our classes called Rational Christian Thinking or something similar. They are being taught in hundreds of churches and ministries around the earth. The simple truths we teach have liberated the poor, the hungry, the depressed and the addicted from their prisons of pain.

PAIN IS INEVITABLE BUT MISERY IS OPTIONAL!!!

How do you know if you need to make Toxic Thoughts into Peaceful Thoughts? That is easy. If my Self Talk makes me Anxious, Worried, Fearful, Angry, Guilty, Ashamed, Physically Numb, etc I am making myself miserable. Misery of the emotional kind is not healthy, helpful or necessary.

I learned very early in life what making miserable looks like. My Maternal Grand Dad made himself so miserable that he went to bed and stayed there for seven years. I know the process well because I nursed him daily for all seven years and heard him talk himself into misery.

My mother was very much like her father. Her melancholy mind set also tended to make her miserable. That is until she met some young women whose lives had been filled with chaos, abuse and terror but who made the most of things. That caused my mother to change at age 75.

Change is possible! You can choose to feel peaceful even when things are not going well. Pain is inevitable but you can choose not to make you miserable.

Come to the sermon Sunday and then sign up for the seven weeks of fun filled, faith enriched, power thinking classes. You will not regret it.

Ordinary People Work Miracles

Norman E. Borlaug, the plant scientist who did more than anyone else in the 20th century to teach the world to feed itself and whose work was credited with saving hundreds of millions of lives, died Saturday night. He was 95 and lived in Dallas.
He was widely described as the father of the broad agricultural movement called the Green Revolution, though decidedly reluctant to accept the title. “A miserable term,” he said, characteristically shrugging off any air of self-importance.
Yet his work had a far-reaching impact on the lives of millions of people in developing countries. His breeding of high-yielding crop varieties helped to avert mass famines that were widely predicted in the 1960s, altering the course of history.

Largely because of his work, countries that had been food deficient, like Mexico and India, became self-sufficient in producing cereal grains.

“More than any other single person of this age, he has helped provide bread for a hungry world,” the Nobel committee said in presenting him with the Peace Prize. “We have made this choice in the hope that providing bread will also give the world peace.”

The day the award was announced, Dr. Borlaug, vigorous and slender at 56, was working in a wheat field outside Mexico City when his wife, Margaret, drove up to tell him the news. “Someone’s pulling your leg,” he replied, according to one of his biographers, Leon Hesser. Assured that it was true, he kept on working, saying he would celebrate later.

Cinco de Mayo

At my family birthday party.

In Norway

It is great to have been born on May 5. Now everyone in Mexico celebrates my birthday with me. Thanks to all my friends from around the planet who have added to the global warming just by blowing so much hot air in complimenting me this year.

I am very thankful to Gd for His protection, grace and mercy over my lifetime. He placed me in a great family with little resources so I had to learn and earn on my own. On 5/5/1938 I came squalling into a small home located in Ina, Illinois as the second live birth of Thomas Jefferson and Leota Taylor Sweeten.

Dad was very ill and was unable to work and it was at the height of the Great Depression. We did not have much to look forward to at that time so who could blame my parents if they were feeling down rather than excited about my arrival.

My Grandmother Taylor, we all called her "Mom" Taylor, was happy to see me. She loved me and doted on me and reared me with strict Holiness Discipline. She taught me the Bible and how to pray. She also introduced me to world missions and giving to those missionaries. I still do.

At 71 I feel like 21 and am as energized and excited about ministry today as I was at 21. I may not have the stamina to stay up all night and worship God now but I still love to worship Him. And I love to serve the Lord as a teacher and innovator in developing others to serve and love God.

It is a great life. Thank you Lord.

Gary Sweeten

Faith, Hope and Love

There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow. Orison Swett Marden

If our hope for tomorrow is based on politicians, the economy or any human act we will very likely be sorely disappointed. The market goes up and down every day. The newscasters are paid to spread hopelessness and fear.

Politicians have decided that they need to be "fair" and take money from people who worked hard based on the hope and expectation that making money, saving it and planning well would give them enough to live on for the future. We thought hope would come from a 401 K, but now that hope is dashed.

But God sent Jesus into the world to save us eternally and give us hope for a brighter future with Him and His people. I am placing my hope in God.

Psalm 42

1 As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

3 My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”

4 When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him
For the help of His countenance.

6 O my God, my soul is cast down within me;
Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan,
And from the heights of Hermon,
From the Hill Mizar.

7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

8 The LORD will command
His lovingkindness in the daytime,
And in the night His song shall be with me—
A prayer to the God of my life.

9 I will say to God my Rock,
“Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

10 As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”

11 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

God Answers Prayers

Thanks for all the prayers that were lifted to The Great Physician about my clogged arteries. Last week when I had a nuclear stress test the picture came back loud and clear. One of my arteries was clogged up pretty badly. That is not something you want to hear from your Cardiologist.

My Cardiologist, Dr. Dean Kereiakes, is a great person and a terrific Doctor. He saved my life in 1999 after I flew back from Singapore with a severely clogged artery and chest pains on a plane. He keeps a close watch on my condition and, thankfully he is a perfectionist when it comes to keeping me healthy.

When he called and told me I needed another stint I agreed to get in to the Cath Lab as soon as possible so I was there at The Christ Hospital at 6:00 AM last Monday. The entire staff of nurses, technicians and Doctors were warm caring and very professional. They did the angiogram and Dr. K came around to tell me in a stunned tone that the clogged artery was unclogged. He said, "But we got a very clear picture of it on the nuclear exam. I cannot understand it."

Dr. K and the team at Christ is the best there is. I trust them with my life and I trust them with the pictures but that which they saw was now gone. I told Dr. K and the staff that I really appreciated their skill and care. I also said, "I have asked hundreds of friends to pray that the Holy Spirit would clean that artery out so a stint would not be necessary. I think the prayers were answered."

Praise God from who all blessings flow and from whom all good gifts come down from above. Thank you for praying. I rarely ever hear of something as dramatic and complete as this answer to prayer. I know I do not deserve it nor did I earn it. It is all grace and I can not explain why God answered the prayers for me and not for others. God alone understands His plan and His ways.

Never underestimate the power of prayer, even when you do not get the answer we want. There is too much work and too little prayer. too much worry and too little prayer. Too much talk and too little prayer.

Prayer is the work of the church.

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

Friends

I mentioned in my last post about the volunteer team here in Russia. They work so hard and face so many barriers that I am amazed at their courage and perseverance.

One Pastor travels for 75 miles each way to lead the groups in Moscow. He and others get there early to clean up, set up food and drinks and even put light bulbs in so we can see. They take them out after the groups or they will be stolen. They bring toilet paper, towels, bread, meat, tea, coffee, etc. They actually have to make the place work every time.

Pray for space that is theirs.

The Ryder Cup 2008

Everybody Needs to be Encouraged-Even Eyore

It was some of the best golf I ever witnessed. Both the American and the European teams put on a show of skill, pluck and grit that exceeded anything I have ever observed.

I like to play golf and because of that I understand just how difficult it is to place the ball near or in the cup. If the swing is too fast or too slow by a millisecond the ball flight will be off. If the club hits the ball a millimeter off the flight of the ball will be off. If the wind blows out the ball can go too far but if it is coming into the golfer's face it will be too short.

Every lie is different and every bounce is unique. The ball might find itself in a divot, a hole, next to a rock or in deep grass. All these situations make the next swing that much more difficult.

So, despite these issues, 12 men from Europe and 12 men from America put the ball in the right holes in amazing frequency and from distances that seemed way to much to overcome.

At the final post mortem, the announcers and coaches and players told us what they thought made the difference this year. The Europeans had won six of the past seven events so why were the Yanks successful this year? Almost everyone agreed that it was teamwork. Captain Paul Azinger had worked very hard for the past two years to find the key to victory and, despite the absence of history's best player, he did it. The key was getting those individuals to play for the team rather than themselves.

Golf is an individual game. In every other context these players are trying to defeat each other. In this venue they were urging each other on. And, the crowd was rooting strongly for them.

It was duly noted that Paul Azinger's emotional leadership plus his strategy were largely responsible for the camaraderie. However, one of the players he chose was also key to that. It was Boo Weekly who not only played great golf but he was also the main cheer leader for the Yanks. He added just the right chemistry.

Sometimes a leader needs to choose players in the corporate and church worlds for their ability to stir the others up. They may not be as skilled as managers or workers but they are gifted encourager's. They "Glow in the Spirit" as the Bible says. When they are around people feel more positive and optimistic. Depression and negativity are reduced and the team is energized. Who does that for your team? Do what you can to keep them happy in your team.

I am thinking about some of my greatest experiences at various places of employment and I can clearly remember that it was teamwork and chemistry that made the difference. When we had that the team performed well. When it was missing the performance went down. Make sure you find an encourager.

We Love the Little Children

Mamma Shelley with Emma just after they arrived home from the hospital.

Adversity-Healthy Responses

The Ark of the Covenant

Adversity is all around us. The current rise in commodity prices is just one of many problems we face in getting through daily life. I wrote recently that my European friends were chiding us Americans because we were, in their words, "Whining when we are paying about 1/3 as much for petrol as they."

I am receiving comments and calls because of my statements.

I have written and taught on the topic of "Power Thinking versus Stinking Thinking" many times. It is that issue to which I am returning now. When we fill our minds with Stinking Thinking we place ourselves at risk of losing our emotional and spiritual energy. It causes us to be anxious and anxiety brings bad decisions and bad relationships. In times of crises or stress we need all the energy we can muster and we must be able to think clearly about ways to cope and overcome the Adversities that face us.

Several years ago my mother gave me a book about the history of Whittington, a community just south of our village of Ina, Illinois. The book contains several real life stories about the challenges faced by the pioneers who settled our region and forced a living out of the hard, rocky soil. They overcame the Civil War, insects, wild animals and a lack of transportation.

One couple was able to get a small plot of land where they planted crops, built a house and struggled to get by. One day when the missus was washing clothes in an iron kettle full of lye soap and hot water she was confronted by a snarling big cat. She screamed for help from her husband who hoeing in a nearby field and he came running to rescue her.

He had no firearm but used the weapons at hand, the soapy water. He quickly sized up the situation and hurled two hand fulls of boiling lye soap water into the cat's eyes. The big feline screamed and began to claw at his eyes for relief. Before he could see again the farmer took his corn hoe and clubbed the lion to death.

Our nation was settled by men and women who expected great challenges. They set out for the frontier know they had to do their best to overcome hostile forces by wit and wisdom as well as mutual assistance. The forces arrayed against us today pale in comparison to those in previous centuries and I am sure we can face them and overcome them by grit, courage and wisdom as well as mutual assistance to one another.

Self Defeating Beliefs

I. Adversity

II. Pessimism that arises out of a belief that we cannot prevail against the pain.

A. The Problem is huge:

B. The Problem is Pervasive and all encompassing: I am flawed, we are flawed, our nation is flawed

C. The Problem is Permanent and cannot be solved, healed or overcome

D. Perfection should be possible and we should be Perfect

I think whining adds to Pessimism and only Optimism can supply the energy and wisdom we need to meet these problems.

It will take courage, resiliency, energy, optimism and cooperation to take the nation to the next stage of development. Do we have what it takes or will we simply give up because of a lack of nerve?

Art Linkletter-Optimist at 96

Art Linkletter, the entertainer, entrepreneur and self-professed lifelong learner says that he not only works every day, but he's got business deals in the pipeline that won't come to fruition for another five years.

Shouldn't he be in a rocking chair somewhere, or fishing - or at least slowing down a bit? After all, at 96, most would say he's earned his retirement.
Linkletter doesn't see it that way. For him, working fuels his excitement and enjoyment of life, and only adds to the driving need he has to contribute every day, he says.

Interviewed on his 96th birthday from his home in California, Linkletter says that "Honestly, I don't feel any different than I did 10 years ago."

"I feel better than ever," he says. "I feel optimistic."