Relationships

Tomorrow morning I get to speak at Horizon Community Church about the importance of relationships. I am going to focus on Jesus' teaching in MT 18:15-21. I only have about 30 minutes and it is hard to diagnose and treat this topic in such a short amount of time.

MT 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

It is very difficult to go to a person that has wounded us and be reconciled. Going may not be the problem but doing it in a loving way certainly can be. I am usually hurt, emotional and wanting revenge.

But Jesus, that most brilliant of all ministers to the soul, gives wise and healing counsel. Go alone and win your brother back.

The tendency for a lot of us is to go to someone else and tell them all about it. It seems so powerful if we can just go and destroy the person's reputation that attacked me. But Jesus says, "No revenge. Go and win your brother back.

Relationships are important to Jesus. He created us to relate with one another in love. In fact, He said, "Everything in the entire Bible comes down to loving God and your neighbor."

The older we get the more people we know and have in our families. This gives us more people to love and enjoy. It also gives us more time to be reconciled. Isn't that great?

Faith, Hope and Love, but the Greatest is Love

Jesus Washes the Feet of His Disciples
Recently I heard from a rather famous researcher on the powerful affects of agape or biblical love. Dr. Stephen Post heads The Institute for Research on Unlimited Love. Dr. Post had evidently heard of my writing and work in the area of healing love and sent me some of his research.

Over the next few months I intend to report on some of his findings, especially as it relates to Seasoned Citizens and health. They define Agape Love as altruism or Gift Love. It is observed in people who give to others with no demand of anything in return. And, just as scripture promises, when we give in love we also receive.

More on this later. See the web of Dr. Post

http://www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com/

Effective Groups-Stop Global Time Wasting

We humans spend an awful lot of time in groups. Sometimes it is called a committee, sometimes a task force, sometimes a leadership team and sometimes a Bible or book study. All of these are groups and all groups have a tendency to wobble off the tracks and become dysfunctional.

A few years ago some consulting group or another estimated that the time lost in inefficient and ineffective groups costs businesses and industries many billions of dollars. Their suggested answer was, "Train people how to organize and run effective groups."

I have been very fortunate that some of the best mentors and coaches in the world taught me how to effectively lead groups. Not that I always accomplish my goals because I may get lazy or rushed, but I have been well trained.

Ken Shull, an Elder at College Hill Church, was on key my mentor/coach on how to keep groups on track. He was low key, gentle but very effective and I was amazed at how much he could accomplish in half the time that we usually spent wrestling over inane and useless ideas in other groups.

The most important things in life are time and people. Wasting time and people in bad meetings is a terrible waste to churches, businesses and community groups. Especially when people could learn in a few hours how to stop Global Time Wasting!

I wish Al Gore would do a movie about it.

Boredom and Love: Are they Compatible?

In Ron Tate's latest blog, the Boomer Blogger, he writes tellingly about why people leave or drop out of church. He read a book about "Exit Interviews" and quotes why so many people are fed up with their churches.

Is it too much love? Too much respect? Too much support and caring? Too much action and excitement?

Read Ron's stuff. You may be surprised.

What is Important?

Starting the new year I am trying to keep the main thing the main thing. That probably needs to be on a big sign hanging over my desk so I don't forget it.

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It seems as though it is easy to get distracted from the "Main Thing" and go off on various "Rabbit Trails" that waste time, energy and lots of money.

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Ever since I started studying psychology and counseling in Grad School I have been amazed by how consistently the research reveals the same or very similar things about what is important to healing, growth and change. It is not how much education we have nor is it what theories we follow and the advice we give.

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The same is true of evangelism and church growth. Almost everyone who comes to faith in Christ does so though a caring friend. Rarely does an agnostic decide to follow Christ after meeting an angry fundamentalist.
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Nope, most of it comes down to the same stuff I read about in Sunday school. Loving and caring for one another is the core of being helpful to people. Love covers a multitude of problems and sins.

As the old saying goes, "People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care."

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.