Families Care for a Person with a Disability

If you have been watching, listening and paying attention to what is happening in the world of medicine, health care, education, counseling and modern stress you probably already know what I am about to say. The Western World of Europe and the USA are in the midst of an epidemic. It is not an epidemic like the Black Plague that killed off some 1/3 of Europe or the Spanish Flu Epidemic that killed as many as 20 to 30 million mostly young men and women. No, the casualties are still living and the health care, interpersonal and family life costs are astronomical.

The current epidemic has to do with such things as Autism, Asthma, Anxiety, Depression, Learning Disabilities, Sensory Confusion, and so forth. It is estimated that Autism affected one in one thousand people at the turn of the 20 the century and now touches one in 100 children. This is an astronomical increase and so are so many other problems and sensitivities that children face, and none has a good diagnosis or treatment.

What can we who follow "The Great Physician" do to help these people? We could ignore the problems and when the families facing these overwhelming problems stop attending our church move on to other potential members. In the research we recently completed as a result of a grant from The Hatton Foundation found, parents who have a child with special needs experience two things when it comes to spiritual support.

1. Their desire for spiritual support, insights and action go way up! These folks desperately want and need Christians to come to their assistance. They want prayer, teaching on how to pray for their child, someone to listen to them, practical help and so much more.

2. The availability of spiritual support falls dramatically. In fact, several of our parents indicated that they had not received a single Pastoral call since the birth of a child with special needs. Many churches may pretend to be interested in outreach, missions, justice and the other fad buzz words but almost none do anything to help their own members who are in a crisis. Why reach out to people who are not interested and neglect those desperately wanting your fellowship?


If you want to understand what parents and their children want and need, go to the web for Sweeten Life and read about our upcoming Fall Family Gathering. Your life can be enriched by getting involved.

Good News

I am posting some great articles about positive testimonies on my new blog, Spiritual Healing and Growth. Take a look.

We Need Your Help

With your help, Sweeten Life Systems can win $25,000.00 plus other great prizes. We need your help to win. We have kicked off a new aspect of our ministry that falls squarely within our mission of "Building a lifetime of great relationships"(R)

We received a generous grant to do an in depth research study on the concerns, stresses, insights and conflicts of families with Special Needs kids. The research interviews are completed as is our grant so we need more money to carry out the Action Steps.

We have entered a great contest sponsored by Cincinnati Innovates. One of the ways they judge an entry is by "Fan Voting". Will you be our fan? You can go to their web and vote daily for us. So, please log in and vote for our entry tight now as well as tomorrow and Tuesday, and Wednesday, etc.

After you log into Cincinnati Innovates, look for Special Life Skills and read all about our project. Then, vote YES for Sweeten Life-Special Life Skills!

The Tea Party and The Fourth Great Awakening

I have mentioned several times on this blog that Nobel Prize winner Robert Fogel predicted in 1993 that the USA was going to experience an Awakening soon. Is it here now> Was he correct in his predictions and we are seeing The Fourth Great Awakening arise now? Is it seen partially, at least, in the Tea Party?

I think he was right and we are seeing an Awakening in American society. Remember, an Awakening does NOT mean that things in society are good or even getting better. In fact, every Awakening in American history has occurred because we were in a social, financial, moral crisis.

The Revival that preceded Awakening #1. came in the 1750's and ended in a war against the largest, most powerful and until then unbeatable army in the world. Great Britain. The Revolutionary War that we celebrate today was initiated by sons and daughters of those touched by the Revivals in New England.

The Awakening today will, I believe, enroll Seasoned Believers in the army of godly men and women who will touch American society. If you are over 45 contact me.

Read Fogel's book The Fourth Great Awakening if you want to learn more.

See my web if you want to know more about our work.

This is a Great Day For Low Taxes

Almost nobody likes tax day, but people may look back nostalgically on tax day 2010 and those of earlier years because, almost certainly, taxes are going up in the future, and they may go up a lot. With hindsight, tax day 2010 may seem almost dreamy. Why? For starters, almost half of U.S. households aren't paying any income taxes on their 2009 earnings.

PHOTOS

The exact figure is 47 percent!

So that's pressure for higher taxes. But it's peanuts compared to the real threat: an aging America. As almost everyone knows, the huge baby-boom generation is edging—or collapsing—into retirement. Its first members, born in 1946, turn 65 in 2011, when they will qualify for Medicare. Some have already taken Social Security as early as 62 at a reduced rate.

Boomers collecting benefits, combined with uncontrolled health costs, are the underlying engine for rising federal spending and endless budget deficits.

Prevent Alzheimer's

My dad died after struggling with Alzheimer's disease. It was terrible to see and I have some anxiety that the problem is genetic. Is there anything I can do to keep me safe or at least safer? Well, maybe there is.

A new research study indicates that we can partially, at least, prevent Alzheimer's disease through eating a wise diet.

A team of medical researchers from Columbia University Medical Center has identified a "protective diet" that lowers the risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to research released Monday in the Archives of Neurology, a publication of the American Medical Association.

"We identified a dietary pattern that was strongly protective against the development of Alzheimer's disease," the researchers said.There is a link to this story at the Washington Times.

Take care of yourself. God's work with you is not finished.

See my web page www.Sweetenlife.com for more ideas.

Many Seasoned Believers Attend Seminar

Steven Hayner, President of Columbia Seminary spoke at the "21st Century Evangelism Event" held at Lebanon Presbyterian Church last Saturday. Some 180 persons, mostly Seasoned believers, attended with great gusto and excitement. I taught two workshops and the enthusiasm was palpable among the folks who came. They asked good questions and were animated in their responses.

I am posting the slides from my presentations plus additional slides that I think you will enjoy on my web at www.sweetenlife.com. You will also be interested in my new blog at
http://spiritualhealingand growth.blogspot.com

Here is my question: Why do so many churches have no graded adult discipleship classes? All churches have graded classes for children. None of us would think of mixing four year old kids with fourth grade or fourteen year old kids but we do that all the time with adults. Not on age but on the age of their spiritual life.

It would be easy to do and most Christians would welcome it.

Missionaries in Haiti

How many of the 100,000 Christians in Haiti who are there to help the people suffering are ordained Clergy from seminaries? I do not know but almost all the people I know about are ordinary people with an extra ordinary God and an extra ordinary amount of love and compassion.

God is love and those who abide in love abide in Him.

I am thankful that so many brothers and sisters are willing and able to minister in Haiti in my stead and in the name of my Master.

Kurt Warner World Impact

Kurt Warner just announced his retirement from professional football. He did not, however, retire from life. he is 38 years old and has a lot of years to live for the Lord. But, we might ask, other than a famous name and seven kids, what does Kurt Warner have to offer to the Lord's work?

Kurt, to my knowledge, has not been to seminary or Bible school and he is not a great orator or a skilled teacher, the talents we usually look for in Christian Ministers. Many clergy would look at Kurt and ask what one asked me: "How can you call yourself a minister when you never even went to seminary?"

Yes, this man of the cloth tried to insult me by saying I was not prepared to be useful to the Lord's work because I had not attended graduate school in theology. I was not offended much. Just a little bit. I did not reply that I had a Bachelor's degree in Education and a Master's in Higher Education both critically important to Christian Discipleship, the key to church growth and health. Nor did I let him know that I had a Doctorate in Counseling which is critical to Pastoral Care. Nor did I add that I had served Jesus for thirty years in a variety of ways.

I simply responded that I was similar to a guy named John Calvin, the guy who my clergy friend most admired. He was offended and said, "But he was different." I replied, "And so were Peter, James and John, I suppose." Everyone I mentioned plus millions of other men and women had significant Christian influence as what we now call "Laity" and entered their "ministry stage" after years of what is considered "secular" work or did "Christian work" in "secular" areas.

Kurt Warner's career life has been experienced mostly in "secular" fields but that enhances his credibility with the public whose identification is with non-theological people like themselves. Even Kurt's sports' life, as unique as it is, is closer to the common sports player or sports fan than a clergy person.

Perhaps the greatest thing a man like Kurt Warner has to offer to Christ is his genuineness, care and concern. He and his wife Brenda and their seven kids are genuinely nice, compassionate Christian people. It is exciting to see another Seasoned Believer use his talents, gifts and experiences to touch the world in the name of Christ.

Go to my web page www.sweetenlife.com for ways to get involved.

The Most Talented and Gifted People

It is usually stated that the hope of a nation's future is found in its youth. That is true on its face because older people will be outlived by the young ones. However, it is not true if those who are coming up lack the education, skills, wisdom and insight to lead the nation into a better future than we had in the past.

One of the motivating factors of past generations was hope that one's children would be better off than the current adult generation. That may no longer be true for financial growth. The Builder and Baby Boomer Generations have done remarkably well financially. However, in some areas the world we leave our offspring may not be in better shape than we found it.

In the areas of morals, spirituality and family values we seem to have fallen behind other generations and are leaving our kids a mess. But God is still in heaven and He has not decided to send another flood to wipe us out. I believe that instead He will send revival after revival and awakening after awakening to keep the number of sold out Christians in the world increasing.

There are easily some 100 million Seasoned Citizens in America. Just think 100 million people with years of experience and insights. It is the best educated and richest group in history. This is a group that desperately needs something to do. When will church leaders stop trying to build their ministries on a bunch of kids and take advantage of these people who have disposable income, disposable time and disposable love and want to share all of them?

Two of my friends have given up on the organized churches and their myopic leaders. Even the churches, like the Vineyard, that at one time were on the cutting edge of recruiting lay men and women have shut Seasoned Believers out. No wonder they are in so much financial trouble.

I know of several bright, articulate teachers who are not allowed to share their gifts

at the churches they have supported for decades. What a tragedy.

Gift Discovery for Seasoned Citizens

For many years I have coached men and women about finding a career they love. Most of these folks were young and just beginning their careers. Last Sunday I met a young woman who wants to counsel children and families. She asked me about graduate schools and majors. I was happy to give her my experience and advice.

Although I still meet younger people who are wondering how to decide on a career, I am now talking with a lot of men and women in their Fifties who are trying to discern what to do about a second half career or ministry. As a result I have developed a check list process designed to facilitate self understanding of gifts, talents, skills and how they interact with personal experiences.

Over the next few months we will be having some workshops and classes where Seasoned Believers can gather and do some easy self analysis to see what God is saying to them for the next stage of development. Stay tuned for an announcement.

Services to Seniors

I ate this morning at Chick-fi-a. Their chicken sandwich cannot be beat. I love it. And, it is a company run by Christians with solid Christian values and support of Christian ministries.

I noted that every Monday they will host, "Senior Nights" with special prices and events just for people my age. (I wonder if they will "card" me. I have not been carded for a long time.)

I certainly appreciate the desire of Chick-fil-a and other companies to do some special things for the oldsters. We can use it. However!!! These kinds of activities mirror the churches that sponsor "Hand Holding Activities" for their Seniors. Most of us want places to serve others and to use our time, talents and gifts for God. We are educated in the Bible and know for sure that the following passages of scripture are real and true.



"It is better to give than receive."

"Give and it shall be given unto you; pressed down, shaken together and placed into your lap."

The person who buries his/her talents will lose what they have but those who "invest" their talents will receive many more.

I am greedy! I want to use my talents so I get more. This is why I call this blog, "SEASONED BELIEVERS not Senior Believers". We are seasoned and some of us are marinated and ready to serve. Just give us a chance.

We have time, lots of time.

We have money.

We have experience at work and at church.

We have wisdom.

We have desire to minister.



All we need is an opportunity.