Global Warming

With my mink fur hat that I bought in Moscow for a few dollars ten years ago and a lambskin coat I feel like Global Warming is with us in a big way. I tell everyone that we saw thousands of fur coats and hats in Moscow. Even the PETA President wears fur in Russia.

I hope you like my new fashion statement for greeting Global Warming. (Got to keep the ears warm!)

I suggest that we all plant a tree and see what happens to the atmosphere in a hundred years or so. Over the past 100 years the earth's temp has increased by about one degree Celsius. In another 100 years that will be 2 degrees and so forth for the next twenty thousand years. But, if we all plant a tree it might reduce the bad stuff and increase the good stuff.

All the News They Want to Print

We all know that the news is anything the reporters and editors say it is. For example, more Americans are killed daily, monthly and annually in Philadelphia and Washington D.C. than in Iraq but only the casualties in Iraq are "newsworthy".

In my last post I mentioned that both coaches for the Super Bowl teams were committed Evangelical Christians who wanted to be remembered for playing the game ..."the Lord's way". They are also African Americans and that is the angle many reporters decided to emphasize, and properly so. But it was not so with Dungy and Smith who chose to intentionally mention being believers.

Here are the actual quotes as copied by Rev. Robert Benn Vincent.

"I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said as he accepted the Vince Lombardi Trophy in a post game ceremony.' <http://tinyurl.com/2gddzz> <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=aI_L4N_jxRnY&refer=home>

Reading Mr. Matuszewski's account, you might draw the conclusion that race is the determining factor in Coach Dungy's existence.

The Associated Press gave a more accurate account of what happened and what Mr. Dungy said: 'When the game ended, Dungy was hoisted onto the shoulders of his team. He switched his blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions" and walked to midfield, where he and Smith exchanged words and a hug. 'Dungy held on for an extra second. 'Their relationship dates to 1996, when Dungy hired Smith to coach linebackers for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They were a page-one story throughout Super Bowl week, discussing daily the laid-back personalities and Christian faith they share, as well as their groundbreaking success. '"I'm proud to be the first African-American coach to win this," Dungy said during the trophy ceremony. "But again, more than anything, Lovie Smith and I are not only African-American but also Christian coaches, showing you can do it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that."' <http://tinyurl.com/2e96kt> <http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/04/D8N3ADSO0.html>

A Christian's testimony will never be received as openly as that of politics and race, but never the less we can always hope and pray that the testimony is given for some will receive it. Jesus reminded us to plant seeds lavishly and let God bring the growth He wants from the good soil He prepares. Thank God for allowing Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith sow some good seeds.

Congratulations to the Colts

We are at Mike and Jane Johnson's home after watching the end of the Super Bowl. I am feeling a bit of pride because the two top coaches are both Evangelical Christians with sterling characters and winning ways in football. Almost every commentator and special mentioned this fact and because each is also African American their testimonies were well accepted by the media.

I do not think this means we will see a lot of people coming to the Lord. Revival doesn't seem to work like that. However, the fact they two very successful men in the athletic world can be a success while maintaining decorum and high character does tend to moderate the angry attacks by the Left Wing media.

Dungy said in the post game interview that although he and Lovie Smith are both proud to represent Black coaches they are more proud to be Christian coaches who win the Lord's way. What a blessing!

A Busy Week Since Returning From Russia

I only returned from The Czech Republic and Russia late Tuesday night but the rest of the week has been quite full. I called Karen from the airport in Atlanta and discovered to my shock that John Sloniker, the father of my daughter in law Shelley, had passed away Monday. Thankfully I had returned in time to be with the family and assist with the memorial service Thursday night.

Along with family matters I had an all day workshop on Saturday for the Greater Cincinnati Association of Baptists. The 75 or so in attendance and I had a ball at Lakota Hills Baptist Church. They were from several different congregations around the Tri-State Area and proved to be some of the most warm hearted, Spirit-filled, eager to learn and fun loving people I have met in years.

The topic was Healthy Churches through Healthy Relationships and yesterday was the first of four Saturdays we will share together on that topic. This was an eager and open group interested in filling in "their bag" and developing new insights from the Myers Briggs Temperament Test as well as Rational Christian Thinking. With people like this in the church I am certain that the future of Baptists in Greater Cincinnati is strong.

I fully intended to take photos of this beautiful group and post them for you but my short term memory failed me and I forgot the camera.

American Has Faith

America is not as bad as it seems. People still have faith and still try to follow God's laws, but perhaps imperfectly. The following data from a Gallup Poll is encouraging. It also reveals one reason we are so committed to ministry in the USA.

Almost two-thirds of Americans -- churchgoing or not -- say the overall health of the nation is heavily dependent on its spiritual health.

About 77 percent say the nation's economy is dependent on its spiritual well-being, while 64 percent say religious expressions are either tolerated or encouraged in their workplaces, according to a Gallup Poll released yesterday.

The findings are part of a greater study plumbing the "spiritual state of the union," said Ted Malloch, director of the Florida-based Spiritual Enterprise Institute. The poll "measures the extent to which Americans believe in God, act out their belief and impact secular America in real terms: in the workplace, in volunteerism, in business dealings," he said.

Believers are many:

82 percent of the respondents believe in God,
13 percent believe in a "universal spirit or higher power."
Three-quarters say they are Christian,
6 percent are labeled non-Christian
18 percent have no religious tradition
58 percent -- say success in life is "pretty much determined" by religious and spiritual forces

43 percent of the respondents were Democrats
41 percent Republicans
13 percent independents
58 percent said they leaned conservative
32 percent said they were liberal

Gallup figures in 1999 found 54 percent who called themselves "religious," and 30 percent "spiritual but not religious." Those numbers are now 49 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

Work and Good Works

78 percent of the respondents would go on working even if they had enough money to quit
85 percent agreed that "being ethical will pay off economically."
75 percent would not bend rules at work
97 percent said friends and family respected their line of work
92 percent believe "God wants us to do something with our lives that will be useful to the world."
83 percent said their work "is helping make the world a better place."
A 1992 Gallup Poll posed the same question, the percentage was 68 percent

Good and Bad

88 percent are "happy with who I am," up four percentage points from 1992
79 percent said there are clear guidelines to good and evil that apply to everyone, about the same as the previous survey.
65 percent -- say they are "spiritually committed." The figure was previously 68 percent

29 percent are satisfied with the direction of the country, according to separate Gallup findings. But "Americans are fighting back," the current survey stated, noting that seven of 10 regularly volunteer and contribute to charity.

The poll of 1,004 adults was conducted during February and March last year with an error margin of three percentage points. Copyright © 2007 News World Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Our Ministry Focus

Once or twice each year I travel overseas to support and train the people there who are carrying out our international ministries. For ten years I went to Asia and trained many leaders in several centers so they could implement the entire Sweeten System in the local setting. I certainly enjoy hearing how things are progressing in every nation but at this point my main focus is Russia and Eastern Europe and I have greatly slowed my work in Singapore and Taiwan.

Over 90% of our time, energy and work happens in the USA. It is in this country that we find the resources, people and gifts necessary to touch people and nations. So, even though you read a lot about other countries because we are committed to support national ministries, the goose that lays all the golden eggs for ministry is America.

Here we are also very active and strategic in our plans. For the most part, we spend our time and energy with mature leaders, pastors, elders and lay men and women. This nation has a huge reservoir of mature Boomers who have been Christians for several decades and who have mastered or at least understood the basics of Christian ministry. They have worked hard to rear a family and pay their debts while volunteering with the churches and community organizations that they also ran. Now they are looking for something more meaningful in life.

We are targeting that group of people and fully expect to facilitate their involvement in life changing and world changing ministries of personal and community significance. I have already begun our focus but in 2007 we will intensify our efforts.

Schedule:

Tomorrow I begin a four month training program with the leaders of the Greater Cincinnati Association of Baptists. The first Saturday of February, March, April and May I will teach the Pastors and Volunteer Leaders of the churches how to relate with greater health and caring. We Will meet from 9:00 AM til 3:00 Pm at the Lakota Hills Baptist Church and it looks as though we will have some 70 people in attendance.

On February 15 I begin a series on Motivation and Change for Christian Leaders with HOPE for Cincinnati. It is held at the Kenwood Baptist Church.

In March I will teach four Wednesday nights at the Vineyard Community Church on Family Systems for Christians called How to be Me in My Family Tree. Those who attend will learn how to bless their future generations and honor the past as well as bring healing to the family tree.

On March 10 we will present a Discipling program at the National Iron Sharpens Iron Conference at College Hill Presbyterian Church.

I am rewriting and writing new books and planning to produce several video and audio presentations.

A lot is happening so keep us in prayer and consider how to support the efforts to minister to leaders. We need your help.

Pastoral Consultations in Moscow

Two of the most interesting and creative men we met in Russia are Pavel and Mihail, Pastors of Evangelical Churches in Moscow. Their ideas and interests are very closely aligned with those of life Way Ministries and of Galina's team. (See http://www.liferoute.ru/)

Anya, Yerina and I met with them in the Coffee Bean Cafe across the street from our hotel and along with some fine Earl Gray Tea, we had a great conversations. Anya, short for Anna, is an excellent translator but even she had some difficulty staying up with the three Russians who all were trying to get their points across to me at the same time.

The Coffee Bean was the Bean of Babel for awhile as Pavel was telling us how the local Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A., was busily saving men and women from not only drunkenness but for eternal life. These men know from personal experience how valuable A.A. can be for so many people, especially in the former USSR.

Yerina is sold on the idea that our Christ Centered brand is superior to regular A.A. and we need to promote it more strongly. No one was totally convinced but it was a great and valuable discussion that needs to be continued for the lives of millions are at stake.

Anya was trying her best to stay up with these interested and conversant experts. However, Russian is much wordier than English so she had to do some major shorthand and I had to show some major intuitive insights if I were to really sense the differences of the two systems. This I know: A.A. in both its forms is necessary to the very survival of Russia and the former Eastern Bloc.

The damage done to the people from evil Soviet leaders cannot easily be overestimated. Hillary Clinton can joke about "Evil Men" but I suspect she has no idea how destructive the ideas and actions of the Communists really are. She may laugh at President Bush's rough language but she must realize that millions upon millions of people still suffer greatly from the official abuse of the Socialists and more millions will suffer for generations to come from the dictators now in office.

It is one thing to play politics and use satire to win an election it is quite another to launch healing ministries designed to bring peace to the children and families eviscerated by truly evil men. War is hell but life under a chronically vicious administration like Stalin, Saddam and Kim Jon IL is worse.

Pray for peace and healing through Jesus for the former prisoners of the CCCP (USSR). Both Pavel and Yerina will agree with that action step.

Now Steve and I are back home, busily reconnecting with our local ministry and planning several great events for the churchese here in Cincinnati. More later...