Spiritual Growth

I posted some thoughts about growth and healing on my other blog.

Go take a look.

An Expert on Relationships

From whom did you think you were going to hear about the causes of divorce? Did you think I would quote Dr. Phil? he certainly impressed Oprah. Maybe he would impress me as well. Nope, Dr. Phil is not very impressive to me. He certainly is not as impressive as the expert I am quoting.

My expert is the person who is remembered for saying things like, "The truth shall set you free" and "You shall know them by their fruit." Any guesses? OK, OK! You guessed it is Jesus.

When He said, "You shall know them by their fruit it was obvious that His focus was on the quality of our relationships. Later, St. Paul heard the Holy Spirit say the same thing and he listed the things he heard and labeled them as the "Fruit of the Spirit." By looking at and these fruit we can see the positive qualities the Spirit develops in the lives of those who know and follow Jesus. The list is found in Galatians 5:22ff and their are nine in all. However, that is not the entire list but it covers about everything we can imagine in developing Great Relationships.

these fruit are the key to child rearing, marital health, business success, neighborly harmony and a great reputation. Their opposite shows up in divorces, disharmony, domestic violence, disrespect among co-workers and neighbors who dislike us. They are the real cause of divorce. If you don't believe me, just try living daily by the rotten fruit of the contemporary spirits!


Sweeten Life Systems

Wall Street Journal and Graduation

Here is an article in the Wall Street Journal describing the attacks of Barry Lynn attacking the ability of a high school to even hold graduation ceremonies in a church building. The rationale, "Some students feel uncomfortable" in a place where there are crosses and symbols of Christianity?"

According to the ACLU, people are so super sensitive that the government must force churches to take crosses and spires off of buildings near the street because people are offended by them when they drive by the building.

These kids are so super sensitive that just looking at a cross makes them ill.

Or, just being on holy ground makes them susceptible to be converted.

Here is my question: "How can the possibly live in or even drive though Saint Louis or Santa Fe?" The hate speech of the ACLU is extremely offensive to me because they are accusing all Christians of hostile acts. Shall we sue them?

Too Much Stress? Chill Out!

A recent research study discovered that many Americans are stressed. Do you why? The survey says it is too much debt. Too many bills to pay. Too much buying and too little saving. Who would have thunk it? I am shocked! Shocked!

Not really. I am surprised that it has taken so long for it to catch up with us. We are not in an era of GREED but of Galloping Greed! How many more toys will it take before we are satiated? Always one more toy? Seems like it.

Look at Greece. They have over spent and over promised their people so much for so long that they are being bailed out by the one nation that saves: Germany. Spain is close behind them and so is Portugal. (The USA is also sending them $$$$$)

But despite the crisis of overwhelming debt the Greek people are not spending less and saving more. Nope, they are rioting. Who is rioting? The government workers and students and retirees, all of whom are getting their living from the government. These rioters killed three bank employees. Burned them to death and kept the fire trucks away from the burning bank. GREED! Galloping Greed.

When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn? See that poster above? It is an ad for a group that wants to destroy the government. It appears they are succeeding.


Do you want to discover a life of less stress? Go to my web page and download my materials.

How to Measure Maturity?

I can remember clearly my first forays into the realm of comparing church successes and by analogy, pastoral leadership success. As a 30 year old volunteer campus minister I was invited to the monthly meetings of the local denominational gatherings with all the local ministers and various denominational officials. I was excited to be with these mature spiritual leaders.

I wanted to learn how to be a "real man of God" and I assumed that I could see them up close and personal here. I must admit that I was sorely disappointed. I discovered that almost all the talk was about numbers, noses and nickels. The number of baptisms, the noses that showed up at the various church meetings and then how many nickels the congregation had contributed to the church.

Whey did they do this? I am sure there are many reasons but the easiest and most direct ways are numbers, noses and nickels. Attendance, giving and commitments are the quickest and most "reliable" ways to communicate how well we are doing in the ministry. Let's face it, measuring spirituality is like catching mercury or measuring the humidity. We only see people at public meetings so we don't really know what people are doing in private.

And, the model of ministry most churches have chosen is preaching and teaching by the ministers. It is not related to the inner spiritual development of believers but the outer, easily counted things like giving and attendance.

Here I am over forty years later and I still do not see many Pastors with different ideas about how to measure maturity of their members. Take a look at the brief article by Dallas Willard to see what you think of his ideas about measuring maturity. I like it a lot and have spent a lot of my ministry trying to foster Christian maturity. But let me say quickly, it is not easy to do.

I mistakenly posted on this blog rather than my other one, Spiritual Healing and Growth. Take a look at it there as well if you wish.

I strongly urge you to read a great book, The Critical Journey, by Janet Hagberg on this topic. It is shown at the top of the page. You can purchase it at amazon.com

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.

A Tale of Riding Dead Horses

In a recent article for Focal Point, a publication of Denver Seminary, Dr. Haddon Robinson gave an illustration regarding organizations and dead horses. One bit of wisdom addressed to organizations is "When the horse you are riding dies, dismount." That sounds like keen insight into the obvious. Unfortunately, many organizations refuse to embrace it. Writer Karen Peterson came up with some alternative strategies that organizations often use to deal with the problem of dead horses.

Change riders (If you can't do the job of riding this horse we'll find someone who can!).
Appoint a committee to study the horse (After all, we mustn't rush to judgment. Perhaps the horse isn't really dead, but sleeping).
Attend a seminar to increase riding ability (When in doubt, blame the rider and question his abilities).
Get a stronger whip (even if this doesn't motivate the horse, it will make the rider feel better!).
Enroll in a seminar to learn how others ride dead horses (Perhaps if you improve your technique no one will notice that you lack substance).
When there is nothing else to do, remember, the time honored wisdom of desperate organizations: "No horse is too dead to beat!"


How do you treat a dead horse organization? What parts of your ministry are dead?

Tiger, Media and the Big Ten Commandments

As you watch TV, read the papers and hear the comments made by pundits, think about which of the Big Ten they support and which they deride.

Here are all of the Commandments. Because some faith traditions choose different parts to emphasize there are actually more than ten commandments. Here are all 12 possibilities.

1. I am the Lord your God-
2. You shall have no other gods before me
3. You shall not make for yourself an idol
4. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God
5. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
6. Honor your father and mother
7. You shall not murder
8. You shall not commit adultery
9. You shall not steal
10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
11. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
12. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor

Read and reflect on these commands. Are some rejected by the public square and others promoted? Number 12 in this list says that God dislikes and rejects coveting. However, wanting what my neighbor has is actually one of the core values of "The American Dream".

And, idolatry is so popular that a TV show is called, "American idol".

Think about it. What would Christmas be without coveting, idolatry and dishonoring the sabbath? I know, I know. It is a lot of food for thought but I am on a diet!

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.

Change is Everywhere

Back in the Sixties and Seventies a couple named Toffler wrote some very provocative books about the rapidity of change and the overwhelming nature of the increasing speed of information. Father Lou Guntzleman, a local Catholic Priest, wrote an interesting article about what they predicted about today's marriages some forty years ago. It is in the Enquirer. I think you will find it insightful and worrying.

My desire to establish a Center of Influence that will bring together men and women who are cutting edge thinkers comes to my mind when I read these articles. We desperately need some thinking that is deeper than the usual fare of Christian leaders if we are to touch contemporary people in ways that make a real difference.

Who would you like to meet and discuss critical issues about religion, values, politics and spirituality? Write down the people and topics you think that will be of interest to thinking Believers.

I need to hear from you.

Hate on Campus

New research shows conclusively that administrators, faculty and students openly discriminate against Evangelical Christians on campuses. Here it is.

Don't think it isn't real. I was on a Doctoral Committee for a Christian who would have been black balled if I had not objected.

Why Are Christians Behind in Innovation?

I just read the Ashoka story again and it is wonderful. Take a look yourself at their web page and see what can happen to bring great changes in a family, community or nation when ordinary people feel called to do something great.

I believe that the Christian community has the greatest power for good that the world has ever seen. Whey are we so far behind when it comes to developing ways to foster innovation and change. Maybe I am wrong, and I hope you will tell me that I am wrong, but commercial and secular non-profits seem to go all out to enroll people in programs and processes to change the world.

Microsoft spent $9,000,000,000.00 in 2008 on Research and Development. They are the biggest and richest group of software producers in the world yet they are spending nine billion dollars on ways to grow.

Asoka works hard to discover men and women who are making a difference and then funds their efforts. This is R&D in Social Innovation. What Christian groups seeks to find cutting edge ministries and creative innovators they can support financially? Most churches won't even honor and support their own people let alone strangers.

I will close by asking my readers to pray about supporting innovators wherever they can be found. I hope God's spirit raises up thousands of cutting edge men and women who will lead the way into the 21st Century.

No Comments on Empathy

Any takers on what Mr. Obams means when he sues the term empathy to describe the characteristic he wants in a judge?

I want a judge who will see my pitiful condition and let me out of jail because she feels pity for me. What do you want? Is Obama as narcissistic as I?

Systems Change

I received this pithy note from Jim Donovan who is heading our "It takes a whole village" research process. He is a genuine expert on called, "Anthropological Action Research" and that is what we are doing. This kind of research focuses on a few persons and does in depth, interpersonal interviews about some subject. For example, in looking at products, they would look at who eats chocolate, why they eat it, when they eat it and so forth.

Our research is choosing twelve families with special needs kids. We will visit them and ask all sorts of questions about their strengths, needs and stresses. Although it is obvious to everyone that a sickly member effects the entire family rarely has anyone looked carefully at how they are affected or what kinds of support they want and need. In fact, the Medical Model essentially ignores the parents and family members to focus exclusively on the child who we call, the "Identified Patient".

By ignoring parents the system refuses to engage the people with the most expertise. Parents live with and think about their child all day and all night. They know what works and what will not work to help the child.

Failure to follow medical advice is one of the greatest barriers to being helped by professionals. Yet, many who practice a form of the medical model ignore the very people who must agree with the treatment; parents.

Sweeten Life Systems respects and values the entire family and will do our best to engage them in the solutions to their problems.

Here is Jim's note to me.

Dear Gary,

I know Buckminister Fuller is one of you favorite persons.

When reading the book ‘Crowdsourcing’ he was quoted. “To build a new system you don’t compete with the old one, you build a new system that makes the old one obsolete.” Maybe this is what we are facing with the special needs families.

Jim

That is it! The entire system must change. Pray for us to show the world how to change an inadequate system.

Gary Sweeten

Bless Obama

Bless our Nation

Today is a great day for the USA. The people have spoken and elected a man who is half African and half European to be the President. It is a great honor for him and a testimony to the ability of Americans to go beyond the racism and fears of the past.

Every President is elected with dreams and expectations that are optimistic and even unrealistic. Mr. Obama inspires many to think that he can do miracles. This means that he needs our prayers even more than most new Presidents. He is a mortal and only God can do miracles.

The media have not helped Mr. Obama. Their chronic adoration and lack of any balanced reporting have raised expectations too high. Now every imperfect decision he makes can bring about despair from the "True Believers". The hatred of Mr. Bush leads them to idolize Mr. Obama and give him almost Messianic powers. Those with Bush Derangement Syndrome tend to use their hatred to divide not harmonize and Obama can quickly become their target.

I am praying for Mr. Obama to have wisdom, protection and spiritual insights that are way beyond his human frailties. The world is fallen, broken and violent and the election of man with African blood and a smooth voice will not cause wars to cease or old hatreds to completely wane. Let's give him a chance to succeed.

May God watch over him and his family and guide the decisions and actions of this young man and his team. I want the best for him and for our nation as well as the rest of the world. All humans carry the imago Dei and deserve our respect and encouragement. God commands that we pray for our leaders and offer them our loyal support whenever possible. I ask every Christian to pray often and intensely for Mr. Obama.

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

Russian Ministry

We are very excited to announce that The Lord has opened a way for us to publish Listening for Heaven's Sake in the Russian language. It helps us reach the goal of training Christians how to have a "Lifetime of great relationships". It is safe to say that relationships were severely damaged by the Seventy years of Socialist rule.

Socialists talk a lot about caring for ordinary people but the walk is far different. The USSR reminds me of the Madoff Investment Company that scammed ordinary people out of some 50 Billion Dollars. They even ripped off religious groups and other charities but always talked as though they loved the poor and would do anything for them.

Our books all focus on how ordinary people can live lives more abundant and free and how they can be a blessing to others. These ideas are rare in Post-Communist Russia and this little book can liberate thousands of people.

Take a look at Listening for Heavens Sake on the Russian site similar to www.amazon.com

Pray the the Holy Spirit will use it to be a doorway to healing and growth. Visit the web site of our ministry in Russia. Much of it is in English.

www.liferoute.ru

Gary Sweeten

www.sweetenlife.com

Getting the Horse to Drink the Water

You can lead the horse to water but you cannot make him drink

You can teach the people lots of things but you cannot make them think

Steps to facilitate drinking and thinking:

1. Build a long term relationship. People don't change immediately. We all go through several stages even when we do change. As the Bible says: "Do not grow weary in doing good."

2. Listen more than you talk. If you were to hear an audio tape of your conversations, would it show you talking or listening more?

3. Be interested in what the other people are talking about. Allow them to tell their story. They are much more interested in their story than your stories.

4. Remove all B.S. from your conversation. B.S. stands for Blame and Shame. Do you like to talk with people who Blame you and Shame you? Neither do I.

5. Pray silently for them. God hears you but they don't need to.

6. Tune in to their mood.

Are they somber? Be low key.

Are the happy. Laugh with them.

7. Take your time. God is in no hurry.

8. Relax. Peacefulness begets trust. Give it to God. We are not in control.

9. Buy the coffee or the meal. Give and it shall be given unto you.

10. Remember, there are two things that rarely ever happen. They are: Everything and nothing. What usually happens is something. One small step is more than enough for things to change.

Gary Sweeten

http://www.sweetenlife.com/

Video Link Restored

Last year when we kicked off the emphasis on Seasoned Believers Steve Helterbridle met with us to brainstorm how to make a short video that would help folks understand the issues we have found so important. He did and we called it, "What if?"

For some months the link was broken so Steve has put it up on GodTV and it is alive and working again. Take a look and let us know what you think.

Want Time With God?

Good Morning Ladies
The Fall Retreat is this Saturday. We have room for about 6 more women to register. THE WEATHER IS TO BE IDEAL. Why not put some things on hold to spend time with God?

Contact:
Judy Haag
Spiritual Encouragers of Cincinnati
5091 South Ridge Drive
Cincinnati OH, 45224513
853-2995
timeofrefreshment@gmail.com

Palin's Theology and Practice

I spoke today with some friends from the Assembly of God. They are pretty proud of Sarah Palin but somewhat embarrassed by the Pastor of her former Assembly of God Church in Wasilla, Alaska. He was way too off the wall with some of his comments for them.

They think Sarah, however, handled herself with wisdom when appearing before that church at a Master's Commission graduation where she spoke with spiritual encouragement but restraint. While noting that many young soldiers from Alaska were being sent to Iraq she suggested that the congregation pray that the plan advanced by the USA was in accord with the plan of God.

It is hard to get lay persons and clergy to show much restraint on such issues as a military conflict. Many of us are tempted to indicate that we already know God's plan and will in war and do not hesitate to let everyone else know what we "know". Governor Palin was different. She showed support for the troops while showing restraint about the plan.

I think she has been a model for us Evangelical Christians. We need to regularly admit that we do not have God's mind on political and military matters. Humility is the best medicine and she showed that spiritual fruit when speaking at her old church.

A few weeks ago I told some friends at a meeting that we ought not take sides as ministers in the political arena because we do not know God's will. A couple of them disagreed. They were pretty sure they did know His plan. Man, I wish He had called to invite me to that meeting.