Insights in 2007?

Many groups publish "The Top Ten Stories of 2007" but I would like to know your top ten, or top five or top two, insights or events or 07.

1. We launched a new name and new board for our ministry. We changed the name and focus from Life Way Inc to Sweeten Life Systems.

2. I heard the Lord call us to launch a new ministry to Seasoned Believers under the umbrella of Sweeten Life Systems.

3. I visited the Czech Republic to support Craig and Sarah Springer as they launched a new church in Prague.

4. A new slogan Soul Seasonings-A life time of great relationships(SM)

5. I got to watch the Lord bring healing and growth to several believers.

Great Bosses Over Age 80

If you think you are over the hill at 50, 60 or even 70 just read this article. It has a list of active, alert, wise and dynamic men and women who are still head and shoulders above their organizations.

If you like what you do, why stop it? I love golf but I would be bored to tears if I did not get to help people through coaching and consulting with them.

I was born to be a helper and an educator. I love what I do and have no plans to stop. If I won the lottery I would still work because the work keeps me going.

I hope you Seasoned Believers find this article interesting. I hope it inspires you to discover your passion and follow that star to joy. Joy is allowing yourself to do what God created you to do.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/CoolestBossesOver80.aspx

The Start of Something Big

Above is a modern revival.

On the left is George Whitfield, perhaps the greatest revivalist and preacher who ever spoke in English .

Christianity Today reports that a huge revival is occurring on many college campuses today. The last great revival of the Sixties and Seventies that broke out in America also began on college campuses and spread quickly to churches and home around the world.

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The article is located at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/december/32.46.html

I hope you will be encouraged by this turn of events and join in the activities of the Holy Spirit at any event you can attend. There is a one day gathering on January 12 in Cincinnati that many thousands are expected to attend. See you there.

Maybe this is the start of something big.

Many of us Seasoned Believers received our big bang start in revival meetings thirty or forty years ago and could use another burst of Holy Spirit energy to keep us fired up.

Go to http://www.thecall.com/Group/Group.aspx?id=1000019217

for more information on this day of fasting and prayer at the US Bank Arena in Cincinnati. The event is free but registration is necessary.

The First Christmas

Now, we shall look at another famous Christmas story

Luke 2:1-20
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.

From the very beginning people rushed to see the baby Jesus. Later, after 30 years, the adult Jesus. Hard nosed, blue collar shepherds who worked the third shift were drawn to see the babe. Later, three astrologers from Persia came to see Him cdarrying with them gifts of gold, frankincense and murr. This is but an inkling of the great crowds that would seek Him out.

Unlike Scrooge, people longed to be near Jesus and threw themselves at His feet, touched the hem of His garment and followed Him around Palestine to watch Him and fellowship with Him. Throughout scripture, we are taught that our outer body communicates an inner reality of the heart. Jesus spoke of the eye as a metaphor for the things we love and place our attention upon.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! Matt 6:21-23 (NIV)

Scrooge's visage was so evil that even the dogs of blind men turned away as if to say, "No eye at all is better than an evil eye." Jesus, however, looked upon people with compassion, mercy and warm love.

Albert Mehrabian found that the tone of our voice and the position of our bodies are more powerful in messages than the words we use. Tone of voice is a factor five times more powerful than our best language with some 38% of the message. Try this experiment. The next time you see a dog, make a very mean comment in a warm, loving tone of voice. You may try something like this. "You ugly old dog I am going to beat you with a stick." There is no doubt that the dog will respond by wagging his tail and will come over for a pat on the head.

Despite the words you use, he senses your kindness. You may also try the opposite tack and say nice things in a harsh tone. Then the dog will scurry away in fear.

Dr. Mehrabian discovered that body language speaks even more powerfully than tone of voice. Body language has 7 times more influence, 55%, than the words. Scrooge's demeanor said, "Stay away from me. I dislike you. Come to me and I will give you the boot!"

Jesus communicated a different message. He said verbally and non verbally, "Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest."

Jesus lived in the fruit of the Spirit so people wanted to be with Him and draw strength, rest and peace from the Spirit. Pray that we might grow in the Spirit and draw people to the Lord by our words and deeds.

This is one reason why a simple "Thank you" or a "Merry Christmas" can bless another person's body and soul. Ask the Lord to produce more spiritual fruit in us in the New Year of 2008.

News From Russia

Life in Russia

Life is very hard for ordinary people in Russia. They often turn to alcohol to deaden their pain but it makes things worse. Galina and her friends do a lot with very little, so they need our prayer and support.

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The web master recently posted several photos from training sessions around the former USSR. One set even comes from the Russian public high schools. Our friends are able to do in Russia what we cannot do here in America.

Go to http://www.liferoute.ru/ and check it out.

Unless you read Russian click the Union Jack, or English flag.

They have also added updates to the online Recovery Bible but it is all in Russian. The Christian 12 Steps are also in Russian.

Support them by your prayer. Write me gsweeten@cinci.rr.com for more information.

The Electronic Church

A friend of mine attended the recent Seasoned Believers' Gathering and became so excited that he started writing a blog. "The Boomer Wave" http://theboomerwave.blogspot.com/

Ron Tate has read or is reading about everything there is about the current Age Wave of people getting "Older and Wiser" as the Pioneers and Boomers hit age 60 and above. If you are interested in what the experts are saying, click on Ron's site and you will find plenty to stimulate your thinking.

Brain Health

I have been involved in Pastoral Care and Clinical counseling for a long time. As you may know, the Mood Disorders of Anxiety and Depression are the most frequent emotional struggles humans face. Billions of dollars are spent on medications each year and billions more spent on lost time from work and home duties.

One of the myths about dealing with mood disorders says, "You must rest more. Stress is getting you down." That is not true. Facing and overcoming a mood disorder requires us to get out of bed and take a walk. It means we need to face our issues and work through them. But, we don't feel like it.

One of the myths about reaching the "age of retirement" is similar. It says, "You have worked hard all your life now slow down, stop entirely and retire. Don't do anything but fish, golf and rest."

If you have been a compulsive worker all your adult life that may sound real good. However, "Life without purpose is not worth living." Life without purpose is boring and dull and depressive.

Yesterday a friend told me about a relative who sued her husband for divorce after 53 years. That is shocking to me. The only thing I could think of was they both retired and stayed home all day in each other's space.

There are two major lakes in Israel. The Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The name of the second lake is a give away about the situation. The Sea of Galilee is lush, green and full of fish. Nothing grows in the Dead Sea. Why? Because water flows into and out of the Sea of Galilee but it only flows into the Dead Sea.

Narcissism is a Dead Sea of salts and selfishness. Jesus was psychologically and emotionally correct when He said, "It is more blessed to give than receive." I don't mean compulsive, driven co-dependence but fun, energetic caring relationships that mutually build up all parties. Not works based on having to do but being based on a deep knowledge of God's grace and love.

The danger is withdrawal into self instead of abiding in Christ and relating in love to others.

Don't Retire-Refire!

Ps. During good weather, a group of us plays golf together each week at Sharon Woods. GOLF is God's Outdoor Loving Fellowship! We play, pray and pay for each other.

gsweeten@cinci.rr.com

I Apologise

Forgive Me Lord

As I looked over the Seasoned Believers' blog I found that it actually conveys a feeling that is the opposite of what I believe. Visitors seem to come away with the feeling that I want people to work harder and longer to earn God's favor or at least my favor. Nothing can be farther from the truth. I am so sorry I led you astray.

The key to freedom as a Seasoned Believer is not DOING but BEING.

Another way of saying this is: Performance does not produce Person hood. Person hood results in joyful Performances with God.

Second, BEING/Person hood is not earned, deserved or produced. It is offered freely by a gracious God as a result of our faith in Him.

Third, our BEING/Person hood is caught or recognized and apprehended or appreciated as a result of learning how to abide in the finished work of Christ.

Fourth, we tend to "hit the wall" through a crisis after serving God for several decades. It is not restricted to Baby Boomers but most Boomers have at some time, "Hit the wall".

Fifth, the crisis often slows us down enough for us to seek God in a spiritually transforming manner. We finally begin to understand the passage, "Count it all joy when you encounter various trials..." James 1:2-3

Sixth, Seasoned Believers are at the wall, through the wall or frustrated with the wall and the lack of resources in the church to help them understand the wall in God's plan. DOING more or Performing better will not help us move through the wall.

Seventh, it is our goal to support people as they seek God's guidance and voice through the wall and afterwards.

See you at the wall...

Seasoned Believers is a ministry of Sweeten Life systems, a 501c3 not-for profit faith based charity. (Formerly Life Way Incorporated) P.O. Box 498455, Cincinnati, Ohio 45249

The Life Way Counseling Centers is a separate Clinical Counseling Group organized as a C Corporation. It supports Sweeten Life Systems but the two organizations have no official corporate connections although Dr. Sweeten is the founder of both.

News from the Real World

Kids

I read the electronic Wall Street Journal opininionjournal@wsj.com almost daily and in it I find good writing and articles about life and business and the business of life. Sometimes the articles amaze me. Take a look at this one on the Juggle Blog.

http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2007/12/19/balancing-career-and-family-and-disillusion/#comment-26191

There was an opinion piece in yesterday’s Journal that looks at the possible sociological consequences if many women are able to freeze their unfertilized eggs. The author argues that given the choice, many will pursue careers until their 50s, then opt to have children.
One passage, about the disillusionment some women face when trying to balance a career and a family, caught my eye:

Many young men and women go through high school, college and professional school often mistakenly assuming no differences in their respective trajectories . . . When I suggested to a 22-year-old female medical student that she consider a career in anesthesiology because the hours were flexible enough to raise a family, she shot back: “I went to Harvard! Now I’m going to Johns Hopkins! I’m going to be a department chairman someday! And you want to put me on the mommy track?”

Seven years later, when this woman applied for a job as an anesthesiologist, the first question she asked me was: “I’m trying to have a baby. Can I go part time?

The author concludes that egg freezing will allow women “the freedom to leisurely follow the male career trajectory . . . no more lurching from Harvard to the mommy track.”

As "Seasoned Citizens" how do you respond to this article? How would you like to start your family at age 50, frozen eggs and all? I am sure a lot of our readers are 50 and older. I am happy to have grand kids now but I only have enough energy and resilience to care for them a day or two before I run out of steam. As Lily, the five year old said, "Papa sleeps a lot."

One of the things we do is try to offer wisdom and support to our kids and grand kids. I was driven to succeed; to be somebody when I was a young dad. Because of my driven lifestyle in the ministry I missed a lot of things with my kids. But, we traveled together and I made sure I coached all of Tim's teams, even soccer.

We lived several hundred miles from our parents. I wish we had been closer. Now I see how important grand parents can be.

Karen and I try to be with our kids and grand kids whenever we can. Last night we had a wonderful time at a Christmas program at Lily's church school. It was great to see her. Jacob sat next to us singing with his sister and going through the liturgy like a pro. Nothing can be better than that.

Last week we drove to Pittsburgh to be with Jack as Tim and Shelley had places to go. In a year or so we will drive up there to see him sing at a Christmas program. We would gladly fly to California if necessary. We love it because we love our kids and grand kids. I am thankful they did not wait until age 50 to start having kids. We could not see them or be with them if they did.

Any comments? Write me at gsweeten@cinci.rr.com

Is The Customer Always Right?

Over the past few years I have focused most of my time and energy on the group I have come to call, Seasoned Believers, folks whose lives have been spent following God as best they know how. This group has had a lot of experience with God, Churches, Para-Church Groups and assorted trials and tribulations. They have lost their idealism without losing their faith.

It is our goal to develop materials, products, experiences and events that will minister deeply to the hearts and souls of these well experienced Christians, whether in the church or out. One way we are attempting to do that is by asking Seasoned Believers what would be helpful to them. However, I find it is difficult to get an answer.

Most choose not to answer our surveys and others just complain about past failures.

When Seasoned Believers hear me describe our ministry, they sometimes get defensive. I taught a class last year about "Hearing God's Call" and interviewed several members before teaching. I asked them, "What would you like me to cover in this class?"

I was not shocked but I was surprised by most of the responses. Many came out like this:

"Why is the Pastor doing this? Have we not done enough already?"

"I am already giving, leading a group and attending every service. Isn't that enough?"

"Gary, why are you pressuring us to do more? I have served the Lord for years and I am tired."

You get the point. But, it was not the point I was trying to make. I had something quite the opposite in mind. Can you guess what my goal was?

What would be helpful to your group of friends?

Hit the comment button or write me at gsweeten@cinci.rr.com

Now is the Time

Two Baby Boomers Trying to Serve

I made many bad decisions in my youth but one of the best decisions I made was to take a class in typing. Typing was not a popular class among boys. Everybody knows that it is a job for secretaries and all secretaries are girls.

I really do not remember why I decided to take typing. Maybe it was because Clinton Noren did and I admired him. Clinton was smart and he seemed to be ahead of the rest of us in making good decisions. Well, anyway, I did take a typing class.

The typing teacher had us type one phrase over and over. Do any of you remember what it was? As best that I recall, it went like this: Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. (Or was it "...aid of their country"?)

Well, "Now is the time for all good believers to come to the aid of their kingdom." God has brought you to Himself and prepared you for this time in life. You are healthy, wealthy and wise, just as old Ben Franklin suggested. So what is holding you back?

I am showing photos of President Bush and Senator Clinton, two Believers who have taken their call so seriously they are serving in the highest offices of the land. If many of my friends have their way, Senator Clinton will be the first female President. I strongly affirm Christian politicians of all persuasions to get involved in public service. Hooray for them.

Maybe you are already performing at the full abilities of your combined talents, wisdom, knowledge and gifts. That must keep you very fulfilled. The only way to be "In the Zone" of perfection is to be actively involved in things that stretch you emotionally, spiritually and in using your talent/gift mix fully.

Number 10 of the top ten changes is, Ready for an Awakening. When millions of Seasoned Believers are empowered and unleashed to be fully alive and fully engaged in service, the Fourth Great Awakening will be upon us. Are you ready? I am.

Shift Number 9

The Christian and church world has shifted radically over the last forty years. This has great implications for us Seasoned Believers. People like me must take care lest these shifts cause a series of angry conflicts between and among various generations and groups.

For example, the research from Willow Creek about how well or badly their churches were performing was cause for some to attack the church, the association of churches and the ways Willow had been approaching outreach, preaching and discipleship. Many others saw it as an opportunity to learn from the research and ask God for guidance about their own approach to evangelism and growth.

One thing is for sure, there are many opportunities for tension, attacks and misunderstandings between various schools of Christian thought. The research by Barna [barnagroup@barna.org] and others is refreshingly frank about our strengths, weaknesses and areas of needed growth. I agree with Barna and Willow that we have been less than successful in training Christians how to face and overcome personal problems and how to thrive in an anti-Christian culture.

If there are over forth million born again Christians in America one would have to wonder why we are not more successful at positively affecting our culture. However, defensive attacks on each other or on the "world" will not improve our influence. We need to analyze our successes and failures and make the changes necessary to improve in the future.

I hope Seasoned Believers with experience in business, industry, scientific research, education and counseling as well as all other fields will come together to improve our churches and para-church organizations. We who have been seasoned by life and training have so many resources that can improve God's agents of ministry that we cannot pass up the opportunities God is providing.

Start thinking about the ways you can use your gifts, experiences and talents to enhance and strengthen future generations.

Number 8 of Ten Major Changes

The last major shift I mentioned was a combination of large numbers of people born and reborn into the world since the Jesus Movement. These facts, along with the radical changes in Christian life and understanding, form a foundation that has never been seen before. Just think, huge numbers of born again Christians, living for a very long time and eager to unleash their knowledge, experience, spiritual gifts and talents into the world. It boggles the mind.

At this time, there are some 125,000,000 persons in America who are over 50 years of age. If only 30% of the group, some 40,000,000 people, was filled with the Holy Spirit and eager to share God's love, truth and power with others, the impact would be phenomenal. I am thrilled to imagine forty million Spirit filled Christians serving Christ and their fellow citizens with joy and fervor.

The next shift is in education, transportation and mobility. It is one that allows us to think creatively about the kinds of services that such people could offer. If the First Reformation was unable to consider all the members as ministers it was because so few of the members could read, write or travel outside the village. However, the fact that churches are still organized as though the people in the pews are ignorant and stuck in a country village is to cripple our creativity and keep God's love from reaching most of the world.

We now live in the era of short term missions when tens of thousands of ordinary men and women have spent time over seas in ministry. As Seasoned Believers her God's call to minister many of them will find their dream fulfilled in an expanded or full time ministry.

How many of you readers have been on a short term ministry:

National:_____ Where?

International: _________ Where?

More People Living Longer

Not only are we seeing an ageing Boomer population that is used to having life adjust to them, this group is living longer and better than any generation in history. At the turn of the 19Th to 20Th Century people lived on average about 60 years. Now that has stretched to almost 80 years.

The baby boom generation is a demographic term for the population born between 1946 and 1964. Data from the 2000 U.S. Census estimates that the group that holds the “boomer” moniker is made up of at least 82,826,479 individuals. The members of this group range from 41 to 59 years old, which means this demographic behemoth, has started leaving the workforce. What will this exit mean to your organization or group or church? To answer this question, you need to look at major age shifts that alter the demographic landscape of the U.S. labor force.

The aging of the baby boom generation makes pre-seniors this decade’s fastest-growing age group, expanding nearly 50 percent in size from 2000 to 2010.

The 45-to-54 year-old group will continue to grow as well, as the larger, later end of the baby boom cohort (born between 1956 and 1965) replaces the emerging pre-seniors. The inflated sizes for the 65-and-older population over the next two decades is enormous and we can expect these two groups continue to age.

Are you ready? Is your organization ready? Will you want to retire? Can your afford to retire? Who will take the place of all the retiring Boomers? Illegal immigrants? There will be a crisis in the workforce.

Who Are the Seasoned Citizens?

A couple of posts ago I listed the names and numbers of the various population groups. For the most part, Seasoned Citizens are in the five oldest groups.

WWI Generation has 430,000 people
WWII-GI Gener has 17,000,000
Pioneer Gen has 34,000,000
Boomer Gen has 73,000,000

Total People in all generational cohorts 125,000,000 people

These folks are not all the same, but many have similar characteristics. They have experienced many things in life and have learned great lessons. It seems to me that we need to learn from them individually and corporately.

Second, it is a group that are quite open to hearing and responding to the good news of Jesus Christ. Why would we not develop innovative ways to witness to them and care for them.

Third, This group has enormous wealth and resources that can be used to help others around the world.

Top Ten Changes

The changes just still keep on happening as a result of the Great Revival of the Sixties and Seventies. The drama continues and we shall never be the same, in the church or out.

The six changes we mention before are at the heart of what God has wrought. However, the list of changes would not be complete without mentioning some of what God was doing in society. From the year after WWII ended 1946 to the beginning of the Sixties, 64, the world saw the greatest population explosion in history.

All those GI's came home after being away from their wives and girl friends for years and the natural thing happened. "Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage". And, along came Michael, Melissa and Margo, children who filled the schools and churches of America and brought changes to every organization they touched.

They are still touching and changing insitutions. These Baby Boomers are living longer and better than any other group that has ever lived. Historically, people worked until they could work no more. Now, people work as long as they want and then quit to work or retire as they want. Retirement will never be the same as a result.

Change is Not Strange

So, here we are in the New Millennium, living among the massive changes that have come about over the past forty years. The current variety of worship styles, musical preferences and the diversity of worshipers is vastly different from what they were not long ago.

The changes among Protestant Churches has been mirrored or even more pronounced among Roman Catholics who spoke Latin in their services until John XXIII's Second Vatican Council of 1962-65.

The Pope prayed that the Holy Spirit would revitalize the Roman Church and in 68 the Charismatic Renewal hit the Church with a of enthusiasm and lay involvement. The result was almost as dramatic as the First Reformation by Luther and Calvin.

We are used to hearing about the many "Mega-Churches" among Evangelicals. The growth of large churches with TV shows, publishing firms, international missions and famous leaders has certainly happened. However, before the Jesus Movement, mega churches were largely in Mainline Denominations. Riverside Church in New York and The National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. are examples of the old order that is being overthrown much to the dismay of those formerly in power.

Even mainline churches have seen enormous changes in music, style, lay involvement, diversity and community activism. This came about through human networks of friends and fellow travelers rather than organizations that stressed intentional ecumenical cooperation.

My boss for many years at College Hill Church was Jerry Kirk, a dynamic preacher and spiritually anointed leader. His favorite song was, "Lift Your Vision High" and it was prophetic.

Lift your vision high We're in a way we've never been before Lift your vision high, higher And you will see the glory of the Lord

That is certainly true today for God is doing a new thing but it is an old process of renewal, revival and reformation.

Changes in the Spiritual Climate and Expectation

It is difficult to remember how things were in our culture a few years ago. It is not difficult to think about when we consider the massive changes that have occurred in religion. Before the Jesus Movement people tended to attend services only with others of a like mind and similar worship styles. They rarely if ever mingled with people with other kinds of preferences.

I was reared in a Baptist Church and was not comfortable with folks from other streams of Christianity. The rituals of a Roman Catholic Church were very strange and I felt anxious when I attended a funeral or a wedding. I did not know any Catholics personally so I had little opportunity to discuss our beliefs or convictions.

That changed when I moved from a small town in Illinois to the large city of Cincinnati. My home town had few if any Roman Catholics but Cincinnati had a majority of Catholics so I met and shared life with them on a regular basis. My boss was Catholic and he attended church every morning on his way to work. I sat in the last pew and prayed spontaneously as he knelt and said his prayers from memory. The differences still kept us from mutual understanding.

Then everything changed. I was swept up in the movement of the Holy Spirit and began attending a small group in the home of a Presbyterian Minister. Over half the people in attendance were Roman Catholics. We shared deeply and openly and some of the barriers fell between us.

A similar thing happened with racial differences. I had a very few African American friends back in Illinois but that changed in Cincinnati where many of my dearest friends came from different racial/ethic backgrounds than I.

In my view, the major reasons why we have developed a healthier and more diverse society came from the Jesus Movement. We worshipped together, studied the Bible with each other and worked together. There was very little discussion about why mutual respect and honor were important. We just knew that the Bible told us so and we did it.

More later on changing musical styles.

Ps Congratulations to Josh and Ruth Willis on the grand Re-Opening of their Holy Spirit Worship Center in Hamilton. Josh is celebrating 25 years of operating The Good Samaritan Inn, a healing place for addicts. Josh came to faith in Christ at a Randy Matthews concert at the Butler County Fair Grounds in 1973. He is another radical that God brought to Himself in the Jesus Movement.

Support!!!

Sweeten Life Systems

P.O. Box 498455

Cincinnati, Ohio 45249

Groups By Name

I recently came across the names the census takers give to the various age groups in society. I 'm not familiar with all so I am posting them for you. If you can't read the small fonts, I'll retype them.

World War I

GI

Pioneer

Baby Boomers

Post Modern

Milennials

Genomic

If we combine the Boomers with Pioneers and GI Generations the numbers of Seasoned Citizens is enormous. Yet, it remains to be seen if our churches have enough wisdom and skills to reach these people and involve them in meaningful activities.
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It will be a tragic mistake if Christian thinkers miss the opportunity to unleash the enormous wealth of resources contained here.

Top Ten Spiritual Changes Since the Sixties

There have been many books written about Boomers and their excesses, but, to my knowledge, little has been said about the spiritual revolution the Holy Spirit wrought in them along side the revolutions in sex, drugs and rock music.

A couple of posts ago I wrote about the massive numbers of people who have come to faith in Christ since the Sixties. Actually, that post covers about three of the most dramatic and far reaching aspects of the Top Ten.

1. The Holy Spirit brought revival to people in every nation. In fact, Christian growth has been much greater in regions that were formerly under represented spiritually.

2. When revival came the Word of God was released and relished by the new believers. Bible and their study have preceded and followed the Spirit-led revivals. These were not revivals that came as a result of national revolutions with promises of better lives here on earth but that arose as a result of Bible translations, mass distribution and preaching/teaching. As revival grew so did the knowledge of the converts.

3. When people read the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit they discovered that God loved them and had decided to give them His gifts. Wherever I travel around the world to teach and train people they all seem to accept the fact that they are gifted. The fact that God has actually called all people to share His glory and gifts is one of the greatest motivators for evangelism in Third World countries where oppression and emotional slavery are normal.

4. The top three paradigm shifts has led directly to the fourth: All of God's people are called and gifted to serve Him. The common distinctions made between rich and poor, male and female, black and white, educated and uneducated are less important than who we are in Christ. I was in Kenya, East Africa in 1983 and heard many stories about the gifts of power and healing as well as teaching and prophesy that were given to illiterate and destitute people.

5. These Spirit-filled Believers began to minister. One illiterate woman whose name I have forgotten, was so powerful and gifted she started an entire movement of millions. God gave her entire sections of the Bible as she preached despite her inability to read.

6. Since Constantine recognized the Christian Church as the official religion of the realm, there has been a theological split between the spiritual and physical world. Religious leaders were designated as "holy men of God with "spiritual callings" while normal lay Christians were considered to be "secular people involved in secular work". This split is generally called, a "Scared/Secular Split" or to be the result of "Greek Dualism".

As a result of the Sixties Revivals, the "wall of separation" has been constantly challenged. Increasingly there are cadres of non clergy man and women with gifts, insights, wisdom and power who are greatly used to evangelize, establish ministries to the poor and build various kinds of ministries. It is thankfully common for engineers, sales personnel, pilots, cooks, fashion designers, entrepreneurs and house wives to be involved in ministry.

Fun for Seasoned Believers

Last year my grand kids received another electronic, video gadget for Christmas. It was called, Wii and it is made by Nintendo. At first I was turned off by the thing. After a few games I quickly learned to love it. Now I strongly recommend that all your grand parents out there get one.

No, not just for the grand kids but also for you. It is a barrel of fun. It has several active games on it but my favorite is bowling. The game allows me to actually simulate a real bowling game and it becomes really competitive after a few minutes of action against my wife or grand kids.

Our five year old grand daughter is the champ at bowling. She does not take the game seriously but has an uncanny ability to throw strikes and beats all the rest of us while twirling, jumping and throwing fom behind her back. It is hilarious. A few times she has even rolled over while throwing the ball and gotten a strike.

I am 69 and Lily is 5 yet we both have a great time. I cannot name very many games where that is possible.

Take a look at this web for more information.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Extra/NintendosWiiASurpriseHitWithSeniors.aspx

Sons and Daughters Will Speak About God

Since the Jesus Movement, leaders dress differently!



The old paradigm was summarized like this in a former post.
1. The primary focus was on "religion" and "religions" that were tightly organized and controlled by a hierarchy, traditions and cultural agreements. The "Mainline Churches/Denominations" were large, dominant and the epitome of what people expected from God. (They were called "mainline" after the railroad of the same name that ran along Philadelphia's richest and most powerful neighborhoods.) Religion was divided between Jews and Christians and the Christians between Protestant and Catholic, ignoring less prominent groups.

Here is the new paradigm that is emerging

Because of an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the entire world in buckets and barrels the prophesy of Joel has taken place big time. People all around the globe are being touched by God and responding in amazing ways to His Spirit.

Sons and daughters have started speaking forth God's word and acting out His works.

The division between clergy and laity has become blurred and many of the largest Christian movements, including churches, are not in the mainline of wealth but in the suburbs abd cities where the common person lives.

They are led by men and women whose careers did not pass through Bible Schools and Seminaries. Some were more acquainted with the requirements of an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) or Psychology than Divinity.

Even more importantly, the "People in the pew" are not staying in the pews. They have increasingly been empowered by both God and their inner convictions to preach, teach, evangelize, heal and serve. We have seen a Perestroika break out between the professional and the lay classes of Christians. The wall is down.

Over 90% of all religious conversions are the result of ministry by Peers instead of Pros. Believers at work and play, God's house and Golf Courses, have become centers of renewal, revival and reformation. Old men are dreaming dreams and telling about them to their friends. Young men are getting visions about a better planet and sharing their passion with family and friends. Money and power have lost their hold and Believers both young and old are taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Thanks for listening to God, Joel.

My How You Have Grown

On a recent post I mentioned ten paradigms that controlled or described the religious situation in America. Some of those paradigms still have a lot of influence but there is a spiritual wave that has overwhelmingly influenced the religious ideas of almost every Christian group in America as well as the rest of the world.

Paradigm Shift #I. The Holy Spirit has been increasingly poured out on all Christians since the great Jesus People Revivals of the Sixties and Seventies. There have been more and great instances of people coming to Jesus Christ as Savior in the last forty years than ever before in history.

Just think about the revivals in Africa and Asia to say nothing about South America, North America and Europe/Russia. Author and missions researcher Patrick Johnstone, known for his 'Operation World' books, has published a new book under the title "The church is larger than you think", dealing with recent missionary developments:

"From the birds-eye view of history, we can see an incredible pattern in God's missionary action over the last 200 years -- in the 18th Century, the focus was on the North Atlantic, in the 19th Century the Pacific, in the 1960s, Africa, in the 1970s it was Latin America, East Asia in the 1980s and Eurasia in the 1990s. The 10/40 Window, particularly Central and Southern Asia and the Middle East are the final great challenges for Christianity, aside from secularized Europe and the Jews."

Johnstone sees evangelicals as the main force behind the growth.

1. Evangelical Christianity has grown slowly but steadily in the West, while the rest of Western Christianity has shrunk significantly;

2. The real growth of Evangelical Christianity in recent years has been in Latin America, Africa and Asia. In 1960, non-Western Evangelicals were around half as numerous as those in the West. In 2000, they were 4 times as many. In 2010, 7 times as numerous.

3. Although Christianity as a whole is growing slightly slower than Islam, Protestant Christianity is expanding faster than Islam at 2.9% per year, almost double the rate of population growth, currently at 1.7%;

4. The Roman Catholic Church is expanding more slowly than the population and means that the percentage of Catholics in the population is decreasing. This is mainly due to the secularization in Europe and the trend to Evangelicalism in Latin America;

5. Protestantism is growing almost twice as fast as the world population, but this is almost entirely due to Evangelicals. Non-Evangelical Protestants are shrinking significantly. Liberal theology is being preached in ever-shrinking churches in increasingly empty church buildings.

6. Evangelical Christianity is expanding more than three times as fast as he world population, and is hence the only religious group in the world with significant growth through conversion, at a rate almost double that of Islam. However, Christians will lose the battle for religious growth unless we produce far more children than we presently do now.

Next time, more on Christian Growth

Sweeten Life Systems Board Meets

This week Jens-Petter Jorgensen came all the way from Norway to be at our International Board meeting. We had a great time and you will hear more about it later.

Rick Kalal drove up from Knoxville and the Cincinnati team members also came to seek the Lord's guidance about the future. Cyndi Wineinger, Steve Griebling, Ron Peake, Jim Donovan and the Sweeten's had a great time of sharing and prayer.

Unfortunately, George W. was tied up with some minor issues in Washington, D.C. and could not make it.

Top Ten Changes Since the Jesus Movement

Stained Glass Religion

Joel 2:28-29 was one of the favorite passages of scripture quoted by preachers and teachers during the Jesus Movement.

Joel 2: 28 "And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

29 Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Why was this such an important passage to the young men and women of the Sixties and Seventies? I suppose the answer to that question is somewhat obvious to anyone who reads it. In fact, I think this verse by an obscure prophet of whom most of us had never heard was the guiding plan for almost everything that has happened since the Jesus Movement.

So, before I post my ideas about the top ten changes let me post thoughts about the top ten paradigms that controlled religious thought before the Holy Spirit's great Revival in the second half of the 2oth Century.

1. The primary focus was on "religion" and "religions" that were tightly organized and controlled by a hierarchy, traditions and cultural agreements. The "Mainline Churches/Denominations" were large, dominant and the epitome of what people expected from God. (They were called "mainline" after the railroad of the same name that ran along Philadelphia's richest and most powerful neighborhoods.) Religion was divided between Jews and Christians and the Christians between Protestant and Catholic, ignoring less prominent groups.

2. Ecumenical Movements focused on dialogues among and between the various Protestant and Catholic denominations, sometimes inviting Jews. They were led by erudite members of the clergy who ruled the National and World Council of Churches.

3. Social action and the "Social Gospel" was preached and taught and mostly meant that the NCC and WCC urged the Federal and State Governments to pass legislation designed to help the poor. Some groups also had food pantries and supported soup kitchens.

4. There was a strict demarcation between clergy and the laity. Clergy were well trained and well spoken graduates of advanced education who were ordained to preach, pray, baptize and do the spiritual work of God. They were paternalistic and kindly to the unenlightened laity. The laity did secular work and supported the clergy by attendance and financial contributions.

5. The laity were not expected to be knowledgeable of the Bible or implement any spiritual practices at home, work or in the world. Religion was a passive spectator sport mostly designed for women and children.

6. Religious services were done by the professionals and watched by the laity. Clergy wore special garb and used special language and had special music that separated the church from the people and the world. The Holy Spirit was rarely mentioned except at baptism. His gifts were restricted to the clergy if mentioned at all.

7. There was little leisure time and few people went on vacations or understood what was happening overseas or over the mountains in America. People worked hard and after stopping were often physically or emotionally able to be active in community, church of family life.

8. There was a strict separation of races, ethnic groups, classes and cultures in most churches. This separation was strongly reinforced by language, dress, musical styles and traditions. Traditions and practices stayed the same from region to region with similar hymn books, readings, the liturgical year and in some cases nation to nation and language to language.

9. The style of communication emphasized one active speaker to many passive listeners.

10. Few people had ever traveled outside their city and state nor did they know people of a different religion, ethnicity or race.

Wow, did these assumptions ever change as a result of the Jesus Movement. If you have lived through them yourself, you can understand why some people have been overwhelmed by all the trauma.

My next posts will cover the TOP TEN CHANGES since the Jesus Revival.

Live Long and Prosper

Dr. Spock, the Klingon not the Pediatrician, became famous for saying it to Captain Kirk on Star Trek. I saw an interview on television one time with Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Spock, and he was asked where the famous line "Live long and prosper" came from. "He replied, "I am Jewish and it comes from the Ten Commandments to "Honor your father and mother that you may live long and prosper."

The promises of God are powerful and true. On this blog we are very concerned about getting the word out about living a long and prosperous life. There are many medical reasons why folks are living longer and I am happy to take advantage of those good gifts from the Lord.

I have a stint in my chest and I take several medicines each day to keep healthy. I try to eat well and exercise and I quit smoking 40 years ago when Julie was born. I also try to stay deeply connected with family and friends because both science and scripture tell me that healthy relationships are central to a long and prosperous life. After learning about tracing my family history and the importance of honoring my fathers and mothers of the former generations I began to thank God for my heritage and blessings.

Bu that is not all. The Bible also tells us how to "Live long and prosper". And, there is a great deal of research now on the many benefits of prayer, worship, church attendance and Christian fellowship. These are testimonies to the blessings of knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and healer. All in all, I am very, very thankful that God has given us so many wonderful ways to insure a long and prosperous life.

Just think, we get to have romance and it is good for us.

We get to enjoy deep prayer and worship and they are good for us.

We get to have fun relationships with our family and friends and it is good for us.

We have prayer to guide us, heal us and bring us into the love of God.

We get to live longer with physical, spiritual, emotional and financial prosperity because God chose us to be His own. Now that is good news.

Enter the Seventies and Sixties

Ugly Seventies' Clothing

The Baby Boom began to hit American institutions in the Fifties and the offspring of the returning GI's changed everything they touched along the way. The Boomers were everywhere with their wild hair and wild ways and wilder clothing.

But, God was not asleep at the wheel, He had a plan to bring revival to those young people and a few decades later bring the Fourth Great Awakening. Revivals sprang up allover the US and a little later Europe. Christian colleges were special targets and Asbury College in Kentucky was one of the first schools to experience an extended revival that lasted for days but its influence lasted for years.

There were various streams of revival. Some were charismatic, some were evangelical and some were in mainline churches. Much of the fervor and ferment occurred among young people so it became known as The Jesus Movement and the members as The Jesus People.

Has there been a lasting difference since the Sixties and Seventies? If so what? Over the next week or so I will share what I believe are the top ten positive results of the Jesus Movement. But first, I will tell you the top ten myths that dominated church life before the JM broke out.

A Seasoned Believer

I first met Donna Thomas ten years ago when she was going through a rough patch in her life in her life. She and her husband Chuck had founded several mission organizations but recently faced blockages and issues, including a very bad medical prognosis, that caused her to question whether she should just retire and let the young people do it all.

It seemed to me that Donna had a lot of wisdom to share with the world and I asked if she had ever thought about writing her experiences to inspire others. Before long she had written a book and later penned more, all of which were well received and popular among folks interested in evangelism and missions.

Today I received a not from her with a great example of how God uses her, a Seasoned Saint, to touch people from around the world. First, she really loves folks from other lands. Second, she is bold. Third, she is creative. Fourth, she does not give up. Fifth, she is available to God. Here is her note.

Dear Gary,

Well I just had an unusual experience. I went to see Mukta (Mary) my Indian friend that went forward for prayer last Sunday. Previously I had given her a Bible in Marathi, her language but I didn’t think she was reading it. So I called and went over to ask her to read the book of John. Have you ever tried to find the book of John in a language you cannot read? The letters aren’t the same. The numbers aren’t the same. I was lost. How could I find John? How could I even find the New Testament?

I turned to the book of Revelations. Yes, that I could find. Now if I simply go backward through the New Testament until we get to John, maybe that would work. There was Jude, 3 John, 2 John, 1 John, 2 Peter…..it was a good thing I had my Bible with me because it is harder to go backward.

We moved on cautiously finding Galatians, II Corinthians, I Corinthians, Romans, then Acts and behold…there is John. Now to find the first chapter. I can’t read one word of this nor the numbers. Everything is totally different.

Ahh, John chapter one. I asked her to read it and write down questions to bring to me. I’ll try to have the answers for her. She was most agreeable.

This is certainly one step at a time, but praise the Lord, these are steps in the right direction. Oh yes, since she is now a Christian, I changed her name from Mukta (the name of a Hindu God) to Mary. I never dreamed in a million years I would be doing this. It seems the Lord has his plans and we are supposed to be obedient. Your prayers for Mary will help and bless her.

Blessings

Donna S. Thomas

3560 Towne Drive

Carmel, IN 46032

317-876-9884

www.cvministries.org

Donna is an anointed speaker so invite her to tell your church or group all about how God can use ordinary people to touch others, even after they hit a wall of adversity. (By the way, her medical prognosis was also turned upside down by the Lord and she seems healthier now than she was ten years ago.)

Very Interesting

Who is Our Congregation?

Way back in the Golden Years of Television Rowan and Martin had some very funny skits. One reoccurring character was a small guy dressed in a WWII German Army outfit. He had a cigarette down in his fingers and a quizzical lost look. He uttered the same phrase in every show. "Verrrrry interesting!"

It is very interesting to see our leaders fail to encourage Seasoned Believers to participate in their church

I must admit that I knew our world in general and the USA specifically were riding an Age Wave Tsunami. I vaguely understood that it would affect ever person on the planet. I had heard that it would make our current economic and political practices untenable. The Tsunami has two aspects that make its impact huge and unavoidable. The height of each aspect of the tsunami makes the wave such a giant that it will probably have disastrous effects unless we do better political and economic planning.

One aspect is the huge number of Baby Boomers in the system and aging fast. The second is the dramatic increase in longevity of Builders and Boomers fueling our population like a tsunami.

(See a fellow Seasoned Believer's blog for the numbers in the Age Wave Tsunami at http://theboomerwave.blogspot.com/)

To my knowledge, no one running for the Presidency this year is mentioning the Age Wave Tsunami. In fact, many are acting like it does not exist. They indicate that the government will be able to pay for current Medicare and Medicaid costs AND also add huge chunks not now covered. It is the height of irrational exuberance indicating an almost psychotic avoidance of reality.

But I have no political clout nor do I want any. However, as a leader in the Evangelical wing of the church for thirty years or so I think I have something to say about the need for Christians to be aware of the opportunities and the dangers of The Age Wave Tsunami.

Let me say it this way: "Most current Christian thinkers on evangelism, church growth, church planting, church music, ministry to the poor and needy and fund raising are out of touch with reality. They act like the candidates for political office. With a few exceptions, chat rooms, Christian blogs and magazine articles almost completely ignore the strengths and weaknesses of The Age Wave Tsunami." (Click on video link, http://wms11.streamhoster.com/s70x7/whatif_final.wmv

Almost everyone is focusing on young people. They fail to see this most promising reservoir of Seasoned Believers' mental, emotional and spiritual resources. They fail to recognize that Christianity will be severely crippled unless denominations and congregations take bold action to recruit, equip and release Seasoned Believers into meaningful ministries.

Join the conversation. Write me after you look at our video and read Ron Tate's informative blog http://theboomerwave.blogspot.com/

Unless you want the current leaders to retire you as a geezer, get involved.

Do You want Joy?

Do you want to have a great Thanksgiving? It is easy. Have an attitude of gratitude and give something to somebody else.

The Bible is a great book. It not only write His Story (HisStory) in plain words it offers a lot of practical wisdom about life. A great deal of wisdom is give to us about how to have an abundant and joyous life.

One well known comment that I borrow in counseling a lot is, "If I try to save my life I will lose it." This comment comes in handy when I talk with depressed, angry or anxious people who are allowing the behavior of others to keep them in misery and they try over and over again to make someone stop acting in ways that cause them pain. In other words, they try hard to save their own mental and emotional comfort but it does not work.

Maybe the most important advice is, "Give and it shall be given unto you..." and "It is more blessed to give than receive." Thees two sayings constitute a double blessing of great proportion and are rather simple. Greedy, grasping folks are usually miserable but giving folks are happy.

If you want to see this in action, click the link below and take a look at the video report of folks who have joy from giving. http://www.freewheelchairmission.org/

Some of their critics are unhappy but they have joy.

This ministry has enormous impact on people. It is something that can inspire us to REFIRE not RETIRE and find our own niche of service. Many Seasoned Believers are entrepreneurs and the world is waiting for creative new ideas about ways to make a difference in the lives of hurting people.

Family Life

The Happy Couple

Karen and Butterscotch
A birthday and anniversary gift





Today is our anniversary. Karen and I married after a whirlwind courtship of six months on the Thanksgiving Holiday in 1961. I was 23 and she had just turned 21 when we went down the aisle of the First Baptist Church in Pinckneyville, Illinois.

I was a school teacher at the Ina Grade School where I had the 5Th and 6Th Grades and taught all the subjects while coaching all the sports and driving the school bus. My salary was, as best I remember, about $3,000.00 but I received another $100.00 per month for driving the bus.

We were in love and wanted to marry so Thanksgiving seemed like a good time because I was off for vacation from Thursday through Sunday. We chose November 21 because it gave us a couple of extra days for a honeymoon.

Time flies when you are very busy and involved in life and that has been true for us. Our two children and three grand kids have provided lots of joy and lots of worry. That is life.

Marriage is not easy, that is for sure. Some marriage and family therapists say it is the most daunting of all mergers. Taking two people who are radically different as humans and asking them to live together in a mutually up building manner is a great but invigorating challenge.

After almost half a century, Karen and I usually mirror each other's thoughts and values. But is was always so. It has taken many misunderstandings and many discussions and puzzling conversations, fights and times of forgiveness. And, most importantly, God has been the glue of our relationship.

Take a look at this article in The Wall Street Journal to see how important marriage is to all people. I am very blessed after 46 Thanksgivings as a husband to have a wife of my youth.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110010888