Church Growth

I am reading two books that lay out the way we can facilitate the missional and evangelistic missions of the churches of Jesus Christ. Church attendance is decreasing across America. It has already hit bottom in Europe. We need some new models of church if the situation is to be changed and churches are to thrive.

Both books tell how we have reached the end of n era. No longer can we expect people to thrive and expand the impact of the church by keeping the old wine skins of church structures. The era of hierarchical, bureaucratic organizational structures has passed into the dust bin of history. A new approach is desperately needed if Christianity is to thrive.

The first book is The Starfish and the Spider. The second book is Social Entrepreneurship. Go right now to Amazon.com and order them if you want to see revival and renewal begin in America.

Both books talk about using small groups of committed persons to change the world. The authors of Starfish brilliantly describe why the Apache's defeated the Spanish armies while the Incas and others were destroyed by the Spanish. The authors of Social Entrepreneurship tell similar stories about how small groups of dedicate men and women defeated poverty, Muslim Fundamentalism and natural disasters.

They are insightful, inspiring, easy to read and have great stories.

Abortion, Sarah Palin and Disability

I just came across an article on the blog Disability Matters by Dr. Mark Moster who teaches at Regent University. Regent is one of the most progressive and creative Christian Universities in the world and Dr. Moster is on the cutting edge of promoting a Pro-Life Ethic.

Dr. Moster wrote the article in July 2009 but I am just now seeing it. Read and reflect upon its message.

Tolerance Ends, Animus Arises Where Disability Begins
Posted: 08 Jul 2009 06:34 AM PDT

Cyberspace has been alive with discussions of a hit piece written by the Huffington Post’s Erik Sean Nelson. Nelson used the now well-worn epithets of being retarded in commenting on Sarah Palin’s resignation as Alaska Governor last week.

The piece was pulled almost immediately, but not before several media watchdog groups had downloaded screen captures. Nelson swiftly offered an apology for what he wrote, but not for the way he thinks about people with disabilities.

I’ve decided to share the piece in it’s entirety because it reveals the palpable animus toward people with disabilities that’s alive and well in the US. Penned as a “humorous” piece (it’s not), had this been written about almost any other group of people (take your pick: minorities, women, on and on) there would have been nothing less than a media firestorm that would have had the potential to wipe the Michael Jackson coverage from our TV screens.

However, Nelson is in good company. It wasn’t too long ago that Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) repeatedly said, on the record, that Sarah Palin was retarded. And don’t let’s forget President Obama cheerfully noted that he bowls like a retard.
Just so that it’s clear: Palin is targeted in this way because Trig has Down Syndrome.

Funny, I don’t recall anything like this ever being said about a person in the Kennedy family who had mental retardation.
Here’s Nelson’s vitriol:

Palin Will Run in '12 on More Retardation Platform
In Sarah Palin's resignation announcement she complained about the treatment of her son Trig who always teaches her life lessons. She said that the "world needs more Trigs, not fewer." That's a presidential campaign promise we can all get behind. She will be the first politician to actually try to increase the population of retarded people. To me, it's kinda like saying the world needs more cancer patients because they teach us such personal lessons.
Her first act as President: To introduce a Pre-K lunch buffet that includes lead paint chips. Sort of a Large HEAD-START Program.

She will then encourage women to hold off on pregnancies until their 40's just to mix up some chromosomes.

She now is in favor of abortion only in case of diploid birth.
Her policies will increase jobs because Wall-Mart is building new stores each day and someone has to be the greeter.

This will lead to smaller government because fewer Americans will have the cognitive ability to hold a government job.

Look, she says she's resigning as governor because people are making attacks on her and Trig. If she ever did become president, all Osama bin Laden would have to do to defeat the United States is Photoshop a picture of Trig and she'd surrender the country that night. As she said, "That's not politics as usual." It isn't. Politicians don't usually quit for so stupid of reasons.

I’m sure you’re all laughing your heads off.

A final thought: A raft of disability advocacy groups have been stunningly silent on this issue. They get their alerts, they read the blogs every day, and are lightning quick to defend against the kind of bigotry that Nelson showed.
They’ve been AWOL here. Why? Do they believe that for Sarah Palin and her son Trig this kind of nastiness is OK?

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We at Sweeten Life Systems are decidedly Pro Life for all life. We are strongly committed to respecting the people with disabilities as well as their families. This is why we are doing research on ways we can support them.

Is our nation becoming more callous toward people with disabilities? Is the government focusing so strongly on "Abortion Rights" that "The Right to Life" is being threatened? Are US politicians getting so cold hearted that they would rather see Down syndrome children aborted than live and bring love to their family and friends?

Leadership Skills in Desperate Need

The Procter and Gamble Corporation has selected a new CEO. His name is Bob McDonald and he is a very interesting guy. P&G brings in something like $80 Billion Dollars annually. Think about that for a moment. That is a lot of money.

P&G employs about 130,000 persons who come from almost every nation on earth and now work all over the world. That is a huge number of people to pay, manage and care for. They have many, many products, each one competing against other great products. It is a constant, daily, weekly and monthly task to stay competitive and on top of their competitors.

How do they do it? Well, P&G is the most prolific marketing company in the world, but that is not nearly enough to stay competitive these days. The key is great people with great skills. What kind of person is needed to head such an enormous company?

Take a look at the article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about their new leader and get a sense of what skills they think the new leader had to have in order to take on such a big task. Then go back to my post on The Fruit of the Spirit and re-read what the Apostle Paul said about Christian leaders. (This story in Fortune also talks about Mr. McDonald.)

What about Church and Para Church Leadership? What do we need to compete with the world, the flesh and the devil?

Research on Love

Faith, Hope and Love but the greatest is love. I CO 13:

What does it mean to be the greatest?

MARLEY'S GHOST

MARLEY was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his hand to.
Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.

Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don't know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, his sole mourner.
Scrooge never painted out old Marley's name, however. There it yet stood, years afterwards, above the warehouse door, -- Scrooge and Marley. The firm was known as Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes people new to the business called Scrooge “Scrooge” and sometimes Marley. He answered to both names. It was all the same to him.

Oh ! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, was Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! External heat and cold had little influence on him. No warmth could warm, no cold could chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to have him. The heaviest rain and snow and hail and sleet could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect, -- they often "came down" handsomely, and Scrooge never did.

Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks, "My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?" No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o'clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blindmen's dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, "No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!"
But what did Scrooge care! It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.

**This description of Scrooge is the best illustration I have ever seen of a hardened, callous sinner whose heart and mind and spirit are so deadened to human life and nurture that he prefers loneliness and rejection to warm fellowship.

Just imagine for a while the cold, hard, penetrating eyes and the lack of compassion that covered his face like a steel mask. No knight in armor ever had a more forbidding visage than Scrooge. No one wanted to be near Scrooge.

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The fellowships who follow Christ that we call churches are called to be the opposite of Scrooge. In Ephesians 5:22 ff we read that the fruit that grows from the seeds planted by the Holy Spirit are-Love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, gentleness, meekness and so forth.

But, his nephew and family lived out their poverty stricken lives with joy, love and good cheer. What a contrast. The wealth of Scrooge did not bring him joy and certainly did not endear him to others. But sick little boy, Tiny Tim, although crippled physically was a giant in the Spirit.

How do we do this? By being filled with the Holy Spirit and stirring up that Spirit to grow as much fruit as possible. Who will you be like this Christmas? Scrooge or Tiny Tim?

First American Awakening 1730-1830

1730-60: Weakening of predestination doctrine; recognition that many sinners may be predestined for salvation; introduction of revival meetings emphasizing spiritual rebirth; rise of ethic of benevolence.

1760-90: Attack on British corruption; American Revolution; equality of opportunity (accepted inequality of income & circumstances of life as natural, held that persons of low rank could raise themselves up—by industry, talent, perseverance, and right behavior—to top of the economic/social order); established egalitarian ethic.

1790-1830: Breakup of revolutionary coalition

Welcoming Old Friends to the EMI Homecoming

 

Lois Dunn Welcomes
 

Lillian Rumford Welcomes

 

Betty Reid Welcomes
 

Welcome to the Marriott

Rid Self of Stinking Thinking

Irrational Thinking that leads us to miserable feelings and unreasonable acts are a fact of life. I grew up in an area that prided itself on living in anxiety, fear and misunderstandings, especially in homes and churches.

About thirty years ago Margaret Josephson Rinck and Alice Petersen attended a seminar put on by Dr. Maxie Maultsby, a Plastic Surgeon who turned to Psychiatry because the people he operated on to make more beautiful were as miserable after the surgery as before. He decided that he needed to help miserable people stop making themselves fell so badly and he took up brain studies.

Meg and Alice returned from that workshop all excited about integrating Dr. Maultsby's insights with the Bible and we wrote manuals on the topic and taught hundreds of people how to be "Rational Christians". It was enormously successful.

I preached this morning at Tri-County Assembly of feeling miserable and start feeling joy. The Bible is the very best book of psychology ever written. Psychology means the study of the soul and who better that the One who created our soul to teach us how to heal it and keep it whole? God knows our heart and our soul and wants to replace lies with His truth that will set us free.

Famous Preacher Is Stressed

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Matthew 13:22

E. Stanley Jones was born in Baltimore, Maryland on January 3, 1884. He studied law at City College in Baltimore and then graduated from Asbury College in 1906. He was on the faculty of Asbury College when he was called to missionary service in India in 1907 under the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

When Dr. Jones first began his work in Indian he was a chronic worrier and collapsed several times from fatigue. His doctor sent him home and he was on bed rest for a year. On his return to Bombay, his anxiety returned.

One night, he wrestled with the Lord and he told the Lord that he had run out of his own resources. The Lord impressed upon Stanley to give his work and his worry to Him.

That night transformed Dr. Jones. He went on to be a successful missionary in India and Japan. He later wrote, "This one thing I know: my life was completely transformed and uplifted that night. When at the depth of my weakness and depression, a voice said to me: 'If you will turn that over to Me and not worry about it, I will take care of it,' and I replied, 'Lord I close the bargain right here.'"

Is worry choking off your walk with the Lord? Today in prayer, give all the worries and concerns of your heart to Christ and He will give you peace.

"The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety." - George Mueller

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

When there is no God? Chaos!

"A couple of Swedish parents have stirred up debate in the country by refusing to reveal whether their two-and-a-half-year-old child is a boy or a girl. . . .

In an interview with newspaper Svenska Dagbladet in March, the parents were quoted saying their decision was rooted in the feminist philosophy that gender is a social construction. 'We want Pop to grow up more freely and avoid being forced into a specific gender mould from the outset,'

Pop's mother said. 'It's cruel to bring a child into the world with a blue or pink stamp on their forehead.' "



June 23, 2009

Are the Swedes alone in denying reality? Evidently the mother has chosen a female role. What would happen if she chose to be a male and got pregnant?(

If it is a female, I would like to see her stand and pee.)

New Grant Coming for Marriage Mentoring

Sweeten Life systems and Hope for Cincinnati will co-sponsor another all day seminar on August 20. Tune in for more information as it develops.

Nathaniel Lett of Beech Acres asked us to consider another training session like the one we did two years ago and we said, "YES SIR!"

If you or one of your friends wants to learn how to Mentor Marriages and help them get healthier, contact me.

gary@sweetenlife.com

Choose Life

There is a surprising Bible passage uttered by the Lord God to the Children of Israel. DT 30:19

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants.

It is surprising because many of us assume that all people will naturally choose life without requiring God to warn them. But, it is not so. It is a truism's that millions of people choose death, curses and evil on a daily basis.

I was trained in public universities by secular humanist professors who were, as a rule, committed to the notion that all people are born good, pure and innocent. So, I naturally began to think that way as well.

The Bible gives us a different picture entirely. It paints us as deceitful broken and prone to selfishness and evil. Who is correct, Carl Rogers or Moses? What have we learned from life and counseling?

For a long time I struggled with the paradox of secular humanistic ideas in a fallen world. Finally, I was informed by my personal experience and biblical study the Moses was right and Carl Rogers was wrong. Over the last forty or so years I have struggled unsuccessfully to be perfect like I was taught and I have worked with thousands of people whose commitment to purity, peace and love was sabotaged by pride, prejudice and power.

The heart is wicked, deceitful and self defeating. That is why we need the daily, moment by moment salvation of Jesus Christ. Moses lays it out this way on the next verse. We can choose life

by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.

Life comes from:

1. Loving God
2. Obeying God's voice on a daily basis.
3. Holding fast to Him because He is our salvation.

Gary Sweeten

Galloping Greed

I read an interesting blog post today about the ways we have gotten ourselves into such a mess economically. Take a look and see what you think.

The blogger mentioned a hallowed name in Christian missions and contemporary theology, Leslie Newbingin. Rev Newbingin was an Anglican Missionary in India for many years. When he returned to England upon retiring he saw that England had almost completely lost her way as a Christian nation.

I spent two weeks in Kenya in 1983 and came back to Oxford for a week before my return to the USA. I think my reaction to England must have been somewhat like Bishop Newbingin's. He and I had both been in nations where Christianity was fresh, exciting and dynamic. Both had come to faith in Jesus Christ through Missionaries from England's Anglican and Methodist groups.

Back in Great Britain, things were not so great. In fact, the churches had essentially lost their faith and had become museums of a prior era. In Kenya congregations gathered on every corner at the beat of a drum. Indian was similar. That missionary faith was growing and expansive in attitude. Millions were coming to faith and the churches of all sorts were growing, often despite severe persecution.

The people in England had grown fat and demanding. An entitlement mentality led citizens to expect the government to take care of them and whining replaced worship. The denominations were bureaucratic and the leaders self serving while preaching about serving the poor.

Bishop Newbingin began to write and preach about regaining a missionary or missional attitude. he saw that unless Christians had a passion to evangelize the homeland England was doomed. The galloping greed of the West was creating havoc and self destruction.

The same can be said about the USA. Unless we regain our passion for reaching unbelievers and sharing the good news with our neighbors and friends the current crisis will cause us all to be spiritually crushed. Jesus said it plainly; "You cannot serve both God and Money."

Let us seek God's direction and power to preach the good news with faith, hope and love. Let us regain that missionary spirit that led the US to send missionaries around the world to take the good news to others. Homeland missionaries are desperately needed in the USA today as the primary antidote to the economic crisis.

Gary Sweeten

Vision for Greater Cincinnati

The wise leaders in Greater Cincinnati have brought together a group of citizens to figure out ways to keep us strong in the future. That is a very tough job. It is a planning nightmare because nobody really knows the future or how to make it happy for a city. You can read the report on the Cincinnati Enquirers web page.

I urge all citizens to interact with the media on these matters. As I see things, the media are getting more and more interested in our views because they are losing eyeballs. Here is my letter to the editor about the report.

Dear Editor:

I tried to read the 360 report carefully and see exactly what was being promoted. I had a few serious concerns.

1. The vision seems extremely "Blue Sky" as if they did little but brainstorm and fill a few flip charts with great ideas. Where are the specifics?

2. I did not see much in the way of supporting small businesses, which are the great engine of employment, innovation and community support.

3. There were some Politically Correct hints at inclusion but the report focused on only two groups that I can recall: a. Young persons and, b. Singles. Not long ago the Enquirer had a great series on the need to keep Seasoned Citizens and their billions of dollars in savings as well as their unmatched depth of experience in the area. Where is the 360 concern for all those resources?

4. Faith based groups were left off completely.

Are we to assume that these were accidentally overlooked or intentionally excluded to focus on non-traditional, non-family, irreligious poor youth?2/16/2009 7:45:39 PM

Gary Sweeten

Leadership Must Slow Down

I recently found a listing of "The Top 100 Blogs on Leadership". When I went to the site I found one blog named, Slow Leadership. I like that title.

Leadership is slow because peopole change slowly. Organizations change even more slowly and we leaders are way to fast in how we expect them to change.

In my books on listening and influence I have often noted that a listener's mind runs ten times faster than another person can talk. That menas we are uring the speaker to talk faster or we will interrupt them to get our ideas into their mouths. As my friend Larry Chrouch says, "I am not an active listener but I am an active interruptor." (Larr is really a great listener.)

Leaders who interrupt and try to hasten change usually end up slowing it down.
It is not possible to push a chain. It is also not possible to push a church. Good leaders attract others and pull them forward. Are you pushing or pulling?

Gary Sweeten

Bread and Circuses

Narcissus

It has long been a tenet of historians that the thing that brought down the Roman Empire would also bring down the American and Western European Empires. It appears that the fall is almost complete.

I often listen to ministers and youth workers tell stories about the almost total lack of boundaries among today's youth. I read a story in the paper today that needs to be read by everyone so we can increase our prayers for Americans, English and Europe. You can find it here on the Daily Mail's web page.

When the sexual license of today is added to the way Government is spending money to entertain us and keep us happy, it appears that it won't be long before football will be supplanted by lions and Christians.

We must prayerfully seek God's guidance on how to reach the western societies with Christ. Calling all Seasoned Believers to rise from our padded pews and rise up with grace, love and power to defeat the enemy. Passivity will never win the battle.

Write me about how you will contribute.

Gary Sweeten

www.sweetenlife.com

Innovation in Life

If I’d asked customers what they wanted,

I’d have developed a faster horse.

Henry Ford

It is very hard to see the future

when your ear is always on the ground.

Gary Sweeten

Joy at Christmas

Take a look at the way this four month baby is laughing. I am amazed at the way she watched her big brother Jack Sweeten and laughed at his shenanigans. The parents and extended family are watching.

Don't Know Much About History!

But we need to learn more and take it to heart.

My favorite newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, has another terrific article today. This one is about the young men and women who have come here from round the world with their families to seek a better, freer and more open life. These kids, when they hear about the Pilgrims and their hardships, relate to them personally and think everyone in the US needs to celebrate Thanksgiving.

I think you will find the article enlightening, encouraging and entertaining.

The Report from Plymouth Colony

Each Thanksgiving The Wall Street Journal prints a report written by Nathaniel Morton, keeper of the records for Governor William Bradford. Take a look at it and think of the courage, hard work and faith of the first settlers.