Stages of Growth

Do you believe that adults can be a widely varying places in their spiritual, mental and relational development? Or, do you think all adult Christians ought to receive the exact same spiritual food?

Hebrews 5:11 Concerning this we have much to say which is hard to explain, since you have become dull in your hearing. 12 For even though by this time you ought to be teaching others, you need someone to teach you over again the first principles of God's Word. You need milk, not solid food. 13 For everyone who continues to feed on milk is obviously inexperienced and unskilled in the doctrine of righteousness, for he is a mere infant!

•14 But solid food is for full-grown Believers for those whose senses and mental faculties have been trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.

After reading these passages it is relevant to ask:"What did the author of hebrews think about adult development?"

A Friend and Mentor Meets Jesus

'A mighty warrior for Jesus'
BY REBECCA GOODMAN RGOODMAN@ENQUIRER.COM

MOUNT WASHINGTON - In 1994, the Rev. F. Murray Hastings quit the priesthood to form a new church because he felt the Episcopal denomination was no longer true to its calling. At the time, he was rector of the Church of the Advent in Walnut Hills. Most of the congregation followed him and became members of the nondenominational Fellowship of Jesus Christ. Rev. Hastings served as pastor until 2005.

"He was a mighty warrior for Jesus," said his wife, Alixe.

Rev. Hastings died Monday at Mercy Anderson Hospital of undetermined causes. The Mount Washington resident was 78.

"He always stood for truth, justice and equality for all," said his daughter Joyce Pasley, of College Hill. "He spoke out on many occasions in defense of these principles."

He was a local leader in the ecumenical movement, according to Gary Sweeten of Symmes Township. "He's been one of the most influential ministers in Cincinnati in the area of taking the church out of the four walls of the church and into people's lives," he said.

Back in the 1960s, Rev. Hastings invited African-American pastors and their congregations to the Church of the Advent, which was an upper-middle class, mostly white church.

"He was very much a change agent," Sweeten said. "Anything that went on in Cincinnati from the point of the ecumenical movement, Murray was on the forefront. From Billy Graham's work here to every large movement, he was on the steering committee. He was one of the wise people and networkers that brought people together."

Rev. Hastings was rector of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bond Hill from 1955 until 1960, when he went to Church of the Advent.

After leaving the Episcopal ministry, he created a ministry at Fellowship of Jesus Christ that was a blend of evangelical preaching; charismatic prayer that included speaking in tongues; and social outreach for the mentally ill, hungry, homeless and pregnant teenagers. He championed holistic health, healing and pastoral care, Sweeten said.

"He made everyone around him feel important and loved," said his daughter.
His wife said, "He was a man before his time - a leader for racial reconciliation. He was resolutely firm in his faith."

The Boston native was a graduate of Phillips Academy and Trinity College. He was ordained at St. Matthew's Church in 1955 after receiving a master's of divinity from Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass.

He enjoyed sailing, golf and classical music.

Other survivors include daughters, Cinny Roy of Sycamore Township, Kit Campbell of Broadview Heights, Ohio, and Jennifer Williamson of West Chester Township; and 10 grandchildren.

The funeral was 11 a.m. Friday at Norman Chapel at Spring Grove Cemetery.
Memorials: CityCure, 1947 Auburn Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45219 or Eve Center, P.O. Box 36483, Cincinnati, OH 45236.--

>http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080425/NEWS0104/804250411/1060&template=printpicart-->

Day of Prayer Coming

My dear friend Donna Thomas, who is using her "extra innings" of longevity and God's wisdom to write, teach and bless thousands, has a word from the Lord for us.

May is such a wonderful month. It is special that it starts with the National Day of Prayer. Hearing all this “stuff” on TV as to who should be our next president, I feel the urgency for all Christians to call on our Lord to help us get a leader that will be on his knees for guidance and wisdom.

The Proclamation written by Abraham Lincoln for the first National Day of Prayer in 1863 is as timely today as it was 145 years ago:

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth and power, as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”
Lincoln, you see, knew of God’s promise to King Solomon in II Chronicles 7:14-16 that. “ … If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

What a blessing that the Lord gives us his promise if we will humble ourselves and pray. Then he gives us hope, expectancy, and the ability to look forward. I have my plans but my comfort is in knowing that the Lord has his plans for me as his child and they are better than mine.

Thanks Donna.

Healthy vs Unhealthy Lives

Most are living longer but in some regions of the country folks are dying sooner. This is an opportunity for ministry.

Study Highlights Regional Declines in Life Expectancy
Apr 22, 2008

A study published Monday in PLoS Medicine indicates that, although overall average life expectancy in the United States increased by more than seven years for men and six years for women between 1960 and 2000, the life expectancy for many underserved Americans has declined or remained static, the New York Times reports.

To analyze long-term mortality trends, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington reviewed mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics and population data from the U.S. Census Bureau collected between 1959 and 2001. They found that 4 percent of males and 19 percent of females experienced a decline or stagnation in life expectancy beginning in the 1980s, with the most significant downward trends concentrated in Appalachia, the Southeast, Texas, the southern Midwest and along the Mississippi River.

Specifically, the disparity in life expectancy between men in counties with the longest life expectancies and men in counties with the shortest life expectancies grew from nine years in 1983 to 11 years in 1999. The disparity in life expectancy between women in counties with the highest and lowest life expectancies, meanwhile, increased from 6.7 years to 7.5 years across the same period.

Using disease-specific mortality data, researchers determined that the stagnation or drops in life expectancy stemmed largely from an increase in diabetes, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as a lack of improvement in cardiovascular mortality. Noting that those conditions are closely related to smoking, high blood pressure and obesity, all of which can be controlled "through both personal and population strategies," the study's lead author says that "there is good evidence on relatively low-cost and effective ways of dealing with these issues if one of the health system's imperatives becomes to close this widening life expectancy gap."

Acknowledging, meanwhile, that the "life expectancy decline is something that has traditionally been considered a sign that the health and social systems have failed," the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, who also co-authored the report, suggests that the findings "should be a sign that the U.S. health system needs serious rethinking."

(Bakalar, New York Times, 4/22/08 [registration required]; Harvard release, 4/21/08; Ezzati et al., PLoS Medicine, 4/22/08)

My comments: These diseases and early deaths are related to overeating, drinking, smoking and other lifestyle choices. They are not related to failure sin the delivery of health care.

Facing Death and Eternity with God

Steve Judah has been a good friend as well as a professional colleague for many years. Although he and I grew up across the Wabash River from each other, he in Indiana and I in Illinois, we met in Columbus, Ohio. I became involved with Steve Griebling, a Clinical Counselor at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church in Columbus, and that led to a long friendship with Dr. Judah.


Steve Judah is a Clinical Psychologist with a fine practice in Columbus. He has developed some of the most innovative and creative approaches to mental and emotional health in the World. Steve's commitment to Christ with integration of psychology and theology have been liberating and a witness to Christ. It matched perfectly with that which Steve Griebling and I were doing so we worked together to bring the love, truth and mercy of God to people in pain.


Dr. Judah came down with a terrible form of cancer last year and we have been praying for him, his wife Sharon and kids since we got the news. However, unless God does a radical miracle, Steve will not survive. He is in Hospice and is facing eternity with courage and faith. He recently wrote the following statement on his blog.

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Greeting beloved.


This is the most important message I've yet sent to you from my perspective. This morning I had a most surpassing spiritual experience. I want to place it into three parts: (1) the context, (2) the message, (3) and the experience.


(1) The context is that we just decided to pursue hospice care in order to have quality of life for the remainder of my life rather than further treatments or interventions since my diagnosis is terminal. I see this as an opportunity to celebrate the transition between earth and eternity. So with this backdrop I went to sleep at 12:30 am and awakened at 5:30 am with an incredibly crystal clear message.


The message follows: (2) Peace.Life Death. Live a Good Life. Do Good. Accept Salvation through Christ. Die. Live Eternally. Peace.


(3) Lastly let me convey the experience. I had the most overwhelming experience of PEACE that I have ever had in my life. So my wish for you is that you too find Peace as God calls unto you.


Steve, thanks so much for your testimony and thanks be to God for His marvellous grace. May the God of peace keep your heart and soul in His hands.

Gary Sweeten

WATCH PRAYERS

Over time I am writing a few posts on the concept and Process of Dialogue Prayers. In a previous post I covered W for Welcoming one another and the Lord. Now let us take a look at Attending one another and the Lord.

A-Attend to one another and Attend to the Lord: Paying attention to what is happening to each other is crucial in the Dialogue Prayer process. We focus on what each member is experiencing as we welcome God into our gathering. It is here that the group is built into a community. If one member begins to confess a sin the entire focus of the rest of the group will be on her or him until that facet of ministry is completed. Attending means that we minister fully in the same direction until the Lord nudges us to move in a different direction. Have we not all experienced times when the anxiety of a leader or member moved the focus before God was finished?

By attending to God's work in the group we are beginning to operate in a manner described in I Corn. 12, 13 and 14 when the church functions as the integrated "Body of Christ." If the focus is on individual, isolated and personal prayers this unity will never develop.

In Dialogue Prayer Group the Holy Spirit is at work making all the various "parts" of the "body" moves together in unity. The gifts of the Spirit are not primarily intended to be individual characteristics that a person can carry around to use at her will. One does not transport the "gift of teaching" in his back pocket or in her purse to pull out at random.

Rather these gifts are to operate within the context of the gathered community. I am not always an "ear" in the body but I am an "ear" whenever the body is moving together in the unity of the Spirit and I am led by the Lord to be an "ear." Thus, I may minister at one time with the gift of healing and at another time in the role of confessor.

Maurie may manage the group process one week and facilitate worship through spontaneous singing the next. By attending to the Lord's voice and to the people's voices I can more appropriately judge the exact nature of my call to function at this particular time.

The current emphasis on spiritual gifts is a wholesome addition to the days when Christians failed to recognize gifts other than a clergyman. However, our westernized version has members filling out "gifts tests" that supposedly inform us what God has done once and for all for all time in the same way we can identify whether we are good in mathematics. Additionally, check lists are purported to work for us whether or not we have ever been in a group that operated as an integrated community as described in I Corinthians 12. In fact, many of the churches that use these gift checklists do not even believe that all gifts are possible or permitted. It is similar to selecting someone to be on the baseball team because he checked that, as a child, he really like hitting things with sticks. A gifts-check list might show that he had the gift of batting even though he had never even been to a ball game let alone played in one.

This is what happens when leadership gifts are removed from the life of a real community. What kind of test will reveal that my daughter is ready to baby sit? What kind of checklist tells me that my son was gifted in music presentations? There is no test for relating to others and to God. The only way any of us decides when a child is mature enough to carry out a relational ministry or function is when we have observed them in action and have had an opportunity to disciple them.

And how do they discover those gifts? By reading a book or by watching, trying and being supervised?Attending requires that we focus our attention on what God is doing in the group with particular reference to what He is doing with and to the individuals and the group as a whole. The group has a life in addition to the individuals within the group. Most of the commands in scripture are to the gathered community and not to the individuals who "attend" church. In fact, attending church is not even a biblical notion. Rather, we are the church and when we gather in his name we are His family whose job is to listen to His directions. As a family we must learn how to carry out His instructions.

Attending requires us to take risks and ideas that we think the Lord is raising up for whole group. For example, I was once impressed to suggest that a group go on a "prayer walk and servant evangelism outreach". The group rejected my suggestion because they thought we were too immature. However, they encouraged me to share the thought more in the future.

This is the biblical model for discipleship. We call it "socialization learning" rather than "schoolization learning." Children learn to use chop sticks rather than spoons and by watching, talking, and many trials and errors. Some of my Chinese friends are extremely talented in the use of chopsticks while others do not have that particular gift.

Socialization learning demands that we change the way we think about church and ministry. It will require us to carefully attend to one another.

Boomer Tsunami Requires A Response

Here is an article in an online training magazine about the possible crisis that faces US organizations and businesses with the retirement of so many Boomers and Builders.

Preparing Your Workforce Today to Meet Tomorrow's Challenges
By Alisa Blum, MSW
Employees will be retiring in record rates in the next 10 years. The baby boomer generation compromises approximately 75 million people or 45% of the workforce. Many are in management positions and are preparing to retire.

The generation right behind the boomers are a much smaller group of about 45 million people Since many of the employees preparing to retire are in senior management positions, we are likely to see a dearth of employees ready to fill these positions. Added to this, a new generation has recently entered the workforce, with its own unique characteristics.

By looking at the needs of the different generations in the workplace, we can develop strategies to better prepare our workforce. The following are tips that can aid in this process:
1. Develop mentoring programs. Older workers tend to be motivated by having opportunities to pass on their knowledge. Younger workers benefit from the career development opportunities they gain as mentees and learn critical skills needed to prepare for advancement.
2. Create flexible work schedules. Many older workers either don't want to retire full time or cannot afford to retire full time. Organizations can reap the benefits of their experience by creating part-time, on-call or consultant opportunities. Younger employees that are balancing work and family needs will be more likely to want to work for your organization if they have the option to work from home or work part-time.
3. Use a strengths-based approach to promotions. Develop a career ladder where employees can be promoted on the basis of their strengths. Younger employees often want to be promoted but tend to reject the traditional career ladder. For example, a superb technician may not have the inclination to be a manager, but would make an excellent “technical advisor”.
4. Focus on your high potential employees. Pay attention to your high performers. Let them know how much they mean to your organization. Determine the qualities typically seen in your high performers, find out why they like to work for you and use this information to develop strategies for recruitment and retention.
5. Provide opportunities for ongoing education. Our technological advancements mean that employee's skills need to continually be updated. Additionally, employees are often more inclined to work for you if they have opportunities for higher education. Organizations that provide in-house educational opportunities or tuition reimbursement programs will be more likely to attract and retain their employees. Younger employees, in particular, are frequently motivated by opportunities for continued learning.
6. Encourage managers to regularly have career development discussions with their employees. Research on employee retention shows that employees are more likely to stay at if they have opportunities for career development. Managers should have periodic discussions about where the employee wants to grow in their career and how the employee's needs fit with the organization's needs.
7. Design a program to preserve the knowledge of your key employees. Evaluate the processes that are in place or need to be in place in order to preserve and pass on essential knowledge. Determine how you will preserve and pass on essential processes, procedures and practices.

In order to avoid the myriad of problems associated with the impending losses that will occur as we lose a large percentage of our experienced workforce, it will be essential for organizations to take action without delay. By working now to create new ways of working with your employees, you can prepare your workforce today to meet tomorrow's challenges.
© 2008, Alisa Blum & Associates
Alisa Blum is President of Alisa Blum & Associates, a training and consulting company specializing in helping organizations develop a motivated & productive workforce. Training programs are offered both live and via webinar. More information can be found at http://www.retentionsolutions.org/. Alisa can be reached at (503) 524-3470 or alisa@retentionsolutions.org.

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Now, instead of thinking just of your company, consider the implications of these demographics on your church. What age group has provided the bulk of volunteers, donors and leadership for you? Where will they go after retirement? Where will they give after retirement? Who will teach Sunday school and be on the trustees?

Are you prepared for a mass exodus?
Sweeten Life Systems has a ministry of consultation to faith based groups. Let us know how we can assist you.

What Do Seasoned Believers Want?

After our Seasoned Believer Gathering last October we sent out a survey asking attendees what kinds of things would help them as Christians. The following answers are not scientific but they do give us a snapshot of the felt needs of our people.

Zoomerang Survey
1. 26% We are "at the wall and looking for new ways to grow in Christ."
2. 41% "I want to help others who are at the wall."
3. 33% "I have moved beyond the wall and am looking for a new personal ministry."
Topics of key interest - % reporting 'Very Interested + Extremely Interested'
1. 95% - Learning to hear God
2. 90% - Christian coaching and mentoring
3. 90% - Learning to rest in God's love and grace
4. 70% - Learning to 'just be' in Christ, and not always 'doing' for Christ
5. 70% - Learning new ways to be a better influence
6. 68% - Breaking free from your 'leashes'
7. 63% - Health and Wellness
8. 60% - Christian leadership
9. 58% - Improving my own and others marriages and family life
10. 55% - Developing better relationships with my family
11. 53% - Helping my church become healthy and grow
12. 50% - How do I connect with other folks in a common purpose and ministry
13. 50% - Discovering where I am in my spiritual, emotional, and relational growth
14. 45% - Preventing burnout
15. 43% - Getting my financial house in order
16. 40% - Negotiation skills
17. 37% - Christian collaboration skills
18. 25% - Finding a place of worship
19. 20% - Hospitality and hosting
20. 10% - Developing a ministry in my workplace

As you can see, a very high percentage of the respondents want to learn better how to "Grow in Christ". This is a great opportunity for Christian leaders. The three top issues are 1. Learning to hear God's voice; 2. How to be a Christian Coach; and 3. Learning to rest in Christ's love.

In March we acted upon this information and had a half day workshop on "Hearing God in Prayer". About fifty people came and we will repeat it this year.

I have been considering the need to do some Coach Training. Let me know if you are interested.

Demographics are the Future

Our ministry focuses a great deal of our time and energy on the mature or Seasoned members of our society. Despite the fact that businesses, futurists and government planners are working hard to prepare themselves for the incredible rise in older Americans, Christians are still obsessed with youth. Maybe the following thoughts from a futurist will shock us into action.

The Demographic Hour Glass

The demographic concentration of boomers at the top of the population pyramid, backed by their vast reservoirs of disposable income, represents the next American gold rush. Ten years from now, the cover of this magazine (Fast Company) will be graced with the smiling faces of the entrepreneurs and corporate leaders who unlocked the elder boomers' hearts and minds---.

It's hard to overstate the weight of the numbers: Boomers now represent a U.S. market of some 36 million, or about 12% of the population, and as they move up the pyramid, the number of seniors is going to rise dramatically. By 2011, the 65-and-over population will be growing faster than the population as a whole in each of the 50 states. The Boomer Binge will have begun.

Opportunities

Businesses aren't confused about the opportunity that growth represents: Consumer electronics firms such as Vodafone are investing in mobile phones with designs tweaked to the requirements of older customers; IBM has developed a computer mouse that compensates for the tremors that sometimes affect seniors' hands; and Gap Inc. recently unveiled Forth & Towne, a new clothing line for women who fall into the vast retail void between the navel-pierced teen and the librarian in a twin set.

And those examples are just a foretaste. The real breakthroughs are going to come from companies helping boomers to hold on to their youth---. Boomers have never met a life stage they didn't want to remake in their own image, and their golden years will be no exception. (Fast Company; Futurist Andrew Zolli is the founder of Z + Partners, a strategy consulting firm, and curator of the annual PopTech conference.)

American Christians are not stupid so why are they refusing to plan for the future? Why are they acting against their best interests and the best interest of the church and the Kingdom of God?

I prefer to think it is a lack of awareness. That is one reason we are attempting to educate them the data and alert them to the implications and opportunities that lie ahead.

The churches can easily make the changes necessary to bring Seasoned Citizens back into the church. In fact, that group of people have been in positions of leadership for decades so they can lead themselves on their own. These people have been innovators and entrepreneurs leading the economic surge for a long time.

Why are Christians so slow to adapt?

Write me your comments on this topic.

Answered Prayers

Not long after Dallas Seminary was founded in 1942, bankruptcy knocked at its doors. By noon on one particular day, every creditor threatened foreclosure. That morning, the founders of the Seminary met to pray in president Lewis Sperry Chafer's office. They asked God to provide the needed funds.

Harry Ironside was part of that prayer meeting. When it was his turn to pray, he prayed in his characteristically pointed manner: "Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money."

Meanwhile, as these men were praying, into the seminary's business office came a tall Texan. Addressing a secretary, he said, "I just sold two carloads of cattle in Fort Worth. I've been trying to make a business deal go through and it won't work, and I feel that God is compelling me to give this money to the seminary. I don't know if you need it or not, but here's the check."

Well aware of the seriousness of the seminary's financial situation, and knowing that it was for that purpose the founders were gathered in prayer, the secretary took the check to the door of the president's office and timidly knocked. When she finally got a response, Chafer took the check out of her hand and stared at it with amazement. The amount matched the exact size of the seminary's debt. Looking at the signature on the check, he recognized the name of the cattle
rancher.

Turning to Harry Ironside, he said, "Harry, God sold the cattle!"

Source: Howard Hendricks in Stories for the Heart

compiled by Alice Gray

Church Drop Outs

Life Way Resources, the research and education arm of the Southern Baptists, recently released some research on the very high number of Boomers who are dropping out of church. The numbers are quite high but let me offer a word of encouragement.

Many would be open to returning to church.

Church members and formerly churched people are alike in their deep-seated yearnings, according to respected theologian John Stott. He told Christianity Today ... that even in a secular (perhaps we could say formerly churched) culture, people are still looking for three things:

1) transcendence-something beyond, i.e. worship and the reality of God;

2) significance-identity, perspective; and

3) community-love and fellowship that puts "skin" on an invisible God.

The Apostle Paul told the Corinthians something similar in 1 Corinthians 13:13: "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (HCSB)

Comment: Our series on "Dialogue Prayers" is focused on those three items. For too long Evangelicals have offered only morality with little if any transcendence; service without real significance and large group attendance without fellowship. We need to make sure church is more than a rock concert or an impersonal gathering of a mob.

What do you think? Do you agree with Dr. Stott or think he is wrong? Be sure to comment.I want to hear from you.

Gary Sweeten

Sweeten Life Systems

www.sweetenlife.com

WATCH Prayer

These messages will be posted on http://www.sweetenlife.com/ in the near future. You will be allowed to download them for your study and inspiration.

The Small Group Process follows the acrostic WATCH

W-WELCOME God and each other

A-ATTEND to God and each other
T-TELL God and each other your story
C-CALL upon God for help
H-HEAR God and one another

We will examine Welcome God and One Another Today

W- Welcome one another and Welcome the Lord. Begin each gathering with a time of warm greetings. This sets the stage for trust and openness to God and each other.

Warmth, gentle caring and respect for every person is essential to group dialogue and to the development of a "safe place" to experiment with prayer.

The Welcome may include refreshments, a time of "logging in" or other means of establishing an environment where members of the family feel at home. Faith, hope and love that bring healing.

The Welcoming process includes a time of acknowledging God's presence and inviting Him to lead. God is omnipresent so He is always with us. Jesus made one of the most dramatic statements ever when He said, “I will send you the Counselor to be with you and in you”. John 14. In the act of welcoming we acknowledge the words of Jesus. It establishes our intent to meet in His name and for His purposes.

Welcoming God can be done through scripture, songs, praises, or specific requests and thanksgiving for His immanent presence.

Instead of spending time in Welcoming the Lord some begin by asking for "prayer requests." We suggest that this be delayed until later when the group has had time to develop a sense of God's immanence and His guidance. The group facilitator may wish to read a short overview of the WATCH principles to inform and guide newcomers and remind veterans of the "normal" group processes.

The WATCH acrostic can be used for that purpose.Most groups go through four stages of normal development each time they meet. Whenever new people are present, it is especially important for leaders to be sensitive to the individual member needs during these phases.

Forming occurs as members or guests silently ask: " How do I fit into this group? Will I be accepted? What if I make a mistake or embarrass myself? The key to successfully moving through this stage is to warmly welcome and accept every person. It is also important to explain the roles and goals of the group. St. Paul wrote to Corinth about this issue in chapter 14 of the first letter. He told them to avoid public behavior that could confuse outsiders or non-believers.

In a small group committed to a process of give and take dialogue, we can more easily tune in to these concerns and be able to successfully navigate the anxious waters of fearful people.

Storming occurs when members' anxieties about who is in control come out in the group. They may erupt as theological or biblical debates but are usually more about emotional anxiety than spiritual truth. Stormers are asking, "Who is in charge here and why?"

A gentle, caring, warmly accepting peaceful group will weather the storm and go on to the perform stage.

Performing occurs when the anxieties of belonging and control are settled. All cylinders are firing and the group is able to work together as one unified whole. A gathering becomes a community ready and able to dialogue with each other and the Lord.

Reforming When a group comes to the end, it must reform. No two group meetings are the same so there is a symbolic "death and resurrection" at the completion of each meeting. This calls for acknowledgement and celebration.

However, when a group finishes a cycle of life and comes to an end as a covenant community, it is time for reflection and a "celebration of the resurrection". Properly done these ceremonies are extremely healthy for the individuals and for the group.

The process and attitude of Welcoming is important throughout all four stages of group development. Warmly inviting God and each other is being a good host and promotes trust, communication and bold experimentation with prayer.

Call me if you would like to have training on developing a new and more effective way of doing small groups.

Gary Sweeten

gsweeten@cinci.rr.com

Back to the Prayer Process

A few days ago I posted some of my thoughts about prayer and learning to hear God. I have been distracted a bit by other matters and will add a few ideas about some of the principles of moving a group to listen to the Holy Spirit.

WATCH Prayer Meetings

The following acrostic sets out a process which can guide us as we practice Seeking Prayer in a group setting. The word, WATCH gives the process a simple outline.

W-WELCOME God and each other
A-ATTEND to God and each other
T-TELL God and each other your story
C-CALL upon God for help
H-HEAR God and one another

When we practice all these principles we will usually discover that the Lord shows up and the group experiences His presence. Remember, however, that this is a dynamic process not one governed by legalistic rules. Sometimes Attend comes before the Welcome. We may hear the Lord speak about His agenda prior to our arrival at the meeting.

When serving on the pastoral staff of a large congregation we oversaw two monthly services of healing and worship that practiced these principles. The elders gathered prior to each service to Seek God’s guidance about the upcoming event. We wanted to get an idea about the direction He would take us. This enabled us to guide the interactions, worship and preaching. Sometimes a person shares a “Word of knowledge or a Prophesy” that contradicted the direction we had received at the Seeking Meeting.

During a dialogue prayer time we need to be flexible and sensitive to the dynamics of the group. This requires that we are humble about who gives guidance and direction. Sometimes a young, inexperienced or immature person will get a word from the Lord and the wiser, mare mature members will have to swallow their pride and follow the younger one. Many are the times when God has tested our humility by giving a word to an “unworthy” person.

In the early days of our ministry to college students and street people we saw God reveal our pride. God works in a mysterious way and the Spirit guided our actions and allowed us to fail many times because we needed to trust in Him not our own wisdom. For example, a group of us met to prepare for a time of prayer for a man who was deeply troubled. He was a recent graduate of the Arizona penitentiary whom we had taken in to live with us.

During the preparation time, the Lord directed us to ask a young believer named Philip to lead the ministry process. So, we were excited about the time with Charles. We expected God to set him free. However, as we ministered to Charles it was obvious that we had no wisdom, no discernment and no power. It was embarrassing and disappointing.

The next day we met with our tail between our legs for an evaluation. I reviewed the experience and asked everyone to share his thoughts about why God did not show up. Jim listened for awhile but looked awfully uncomfortable. We asked him what was wrong. He stuttered and stumbled for awhile but finally confessed that he was angry at the meeting the night before and God had convicted him of his sin. “I was upset that Philip was the leader not me. I was thinking, ‘I am older in the Lord than he is. Philip has never done anything like this and it shows that you love him more than me’. As I prayed this morning I was really convicted about my attitude.”

Jim's confession revealed why we were impotent. Pride and anger interfered with our operating in union with Christ. God allowed us to fail. The failure showed us that we needed healing ourselves. We were not ready to pray for Charles until we prayed for ourselves. We needed to Seek God’s unity and healing before we had anything to say to Charley. We had failed at the most basic part of ministry, hearing God for ourselves.

“Physician heal thyself!”

Evangelical Community Church Group

Silver Heirs

On the left is Leigh Fopma Ishmael with an old folder from the Christian Discipleship Ministry at College Hill Presbyterian Church. Leigh was involved with us in prayer, care and how to share the good news of Jesus.

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These are members of the Evangelical Community where I visited last week and spoke about the importance of reaching our friends and neighbors with the good news of Christ.Silver Heirs is a group of Seasoned Believers with a wonderful track record of service to God and people.

They are some of the most gifted, talented and compassionate people I have ever known. Silver Heirs is a unique ministry that is a good model for us as we seek ways to minister to the large number of Christians over 45.

Bush Donates Lots of Money to Charity

President Bush and Vice President Cheney and their wives have released information about their contributions to charities last year.

The White House said that Mr. Bush and the first lady, Laura Bush, gave $165,660 to churches and charitable organizations, a figure that represents nearly 18 percent of their total income of $936,111.

The organizations that received gifts from President and Mrs. Bush included the Crawford Volunteer Fire Department, in their Texas hometown; the Malaria No More Fund, which works in Africa and has been supported by Mrs. Bush; Martha’s Table, a soup kitchen in Washington; Susan G. Komen for the Cure (formerly known as the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation); and St. John’s Church, an Episcopal parish near the White House.

The White House did not say how much money the Bushes contributed to specific organizations.

Laura Bush, according to the White House, donated all net proceeds from a $150,000 advance she received for a children’s book she has written with her daughter, Jenna Bush. That money went to Teach for America, a nonprofit group that provides recent college graduates with opportunities to teach at schools in poor neighborhoods, and to the New Teacher’s Project.

Vice President Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, said they contributed $166,547 to charity in 2007, which represented 5.5 percent of their total income of $3.05-million. The Cheneys did not identify the organizations that received their gifts.

The Cheneys said that their total contributions to charitable organizations during the years Mr. Cheney has served as vice president totaled $7.96-million.

Muslim and Mormon Evangelism

Why am I discussing Evangelism and foreign missions on this blog dedicated to Seasoned (Mature) Believers? Well, mature Christians are thought to be the folks most interested in reaching out to non-believers, and, some of the largest unhitched groups in America are immigrants and a home grown cult.

Mormons: 6 million

Jews: 5.75 million

Buddhists: 5.5 million

Muslims: 2.5 million

Hindus: 1.5 million

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These very small groups are growing quickly and that fact disturbs many of us because it gets a lot of press. But I am not upset because I see God at work.

Their percentage growth is great because it begins from a tiny base and any increase looks like a lot. For example, if a group has 100 people and adds another 100 it has a 100% growth rate. But, if a group has 1,000 members and grows by 500 the growth rate is much less.

Some 80% of the American population claims to believe in Christ. This could mean as many as 200 million adults are Believers while all the groups listed above amount to only 20 about million people. And, each of these persons is a focus of our prayer and evangelism.

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Now for some great news!

You might be surprised to learn that the largest unchurched group in America is not Muslim, Mormon or even Mexicans but Seasoned Citizens from a Christian background. Many of these are "Church Alumni" who came to faith and followed Christ for many decades but dropped out of the formal church.

Just think, this is evangelism made easy. We can more easily talk with people we have known or lived next to for years.

Come to our workshop on April 26 and learn how to reach out to the disaffected alumnus and those absent from church since youth. Go to my new web page that is under construction and register. www.sweetenlife.com

Gary Sweeten
Sweeten Life Systems
gsweeten@cinci.rr.com

Thank God for Immigrants

Many Americans are anxious about immigration. Lou Dobbs of CNN, overseas it stands for The Communist News Network, is a poster boy for hyper anxiety and fear mongering. His anxiety plus that of several right wing radio commentators is causing near panic among Christians. I think that such fear and worry is a serious misunderstanding of God's plan for American Christians.


First, God changes nations and national identities. Nations never stay the same.


Second, immigration makes missions much easier than ever before. I have visited foreign countries over 100 times over the last few years and I have seen the desperate needs among their people. I have been able to teach the pastors, missionaries and lay leaders how to minister the gospel to others.


Overseas missions are still needed but the world has changed. Now we live in the global village because God is bringing so many foreigners to our shores and our doors. Donna Thomas, a veteran missionary with a tremendous track record overseas, is now very active in teaching people how to reach their cross cultural neighbors in the USA. http://www.cvministries.org/CVM%20Brochure.pdf


Do not be afraid, dear Christian friends. God is bringing people here to see and know Christ and our nation will be stronger for it. Boldly ask God to lead you to folks from overseas. They are often very interested in knowing Christians and learning about our faith.

How to Stop Evangelism

Gary & his students in Asia

This may seen like a strange topic for an Evangelical Minister but I am struck with how few of us do any outreach to the unchurched. The Bible is clear that Cristian's are called to reach out to their neighbors and friends but so very few do so. There must be a reason.

There are almost 900,000 Seasoned Citizens who live around Greater Cincinnati and about 2/3 of them are unchurched. That means that there are 600,000 people our age who are staying away from Christianity on a regular basis. Despite this fact, there is almost no effort by churches or active members to bring them to worship or Bible study. There must be a reason.

Thom Rainier, a Southern Baptist expert in evangelism, says that many of our age wave group are waiting to be asked. His research indicates that many people are thinking about returning to a church but are waiting on an invitation from a friend that never comes.

Several Seasoned Believers have told me of their attempts to start an outreach to invite people to Christ. Most were rebuffed by church officials. I suppose they have a good reason to stop outreach programs, but I cannot imagine what it is.

Maybe new people are too messy. New people, especially those who are not yet trained in "Church Language and Norms" are very messy. They may use bad language or not know the most important factors about Jesus such as the fact that He was a capitalist. And, many are sick, tired, poor and needy. If they all showed up what would the church do?

Maybe the leaders would be uncomfortable if these folks came so they let everyone in the church know that hurting people are not welcome. And, of course, unBelievers in Jesus, will definitely feel out of place and most will never return, so why invite them.

Change the Culture

What If?

What if the greatest untapped resource in any church is people who have been following Jesus twenty years or more? What if those people could be engaged in a way that moved them beyond feeling left behind and stuck? What if the great gifts and rich experience of these people could be unleashed into a greater level of living and involvement in the purposes of God? What if the people and the church could help make that happen? What if you are in this group?

When: Saturday, April 23 9:30-12:30
Where: River Hills Christian Church, Loveland, Ohio
Who: All Ministers, Church Workers and Seasoned Believers
What: Dynamic and Innovative Ideas about kingdom expansion
Cost: Registration is $15.00 at the door for materials, food and fellowship

How: Register online http://www.sweetenlife.com/sbwregistration.aspx
Event PurposeTo help Seasoned Believers to become fully devoted followers of Jesus through:

A. Living with full potential, experience and joy

B. Unleashing Seasoned Believers to into Kingdom Ministry

C. Engaging in meaningful dialogue, synergistic relationships and collaboration with like-minded people.

D. Expanding awareness of Seasoned Believer & Seasoned Citizen demographics with suggestions for outreach and ministry to the group in Greater Cincinnati.

E. Understanding the incredible opportunities to recruit, mobilize and engage Seasoned Believers in the Great Commission Event Uniqueness (Worth the Price of Admission!)

Learn cutting edge ideas about church growth
Great conversations with Gary Sweeten, Ron Tate, Jeff Metzger and other innovative thought leaders

Event Summary

“People over fifty were expected to retire resign and relapse into a coma in past generations. That is different today. People are not just living longer they are living stronger. They have a legacy to leave future generations. How will they leave a great legacy? Find fellow travelers and become unleashed to enjoy, worship and serve the Lord in their own, unique, chosen manner. You have earned the right to soar in the Spirit with the other Eagles.”

More than any other time in the history the world has an abundance of men and women who have served God and humanity faithfully for decades. Some 807,000 folks over 45 in Greater Cincinnati. As a group, they have been blessed with enormous mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial resources.

Unfortunately, they are largely overlooked and unused. How can we better engage and recruit the 250,000 Believers of that group into the mission of Jesus? Let’s come together and discuss that issue.

When: Saturday, April 23 9:30-12:30
Where: River Hills Christian Church, Loveland, Ohio
Who: All Ministers, Church Workers and Seasoned Believers
What: Dynamic and Innovative Ideas about kingdom expansion
Cost: Registration is $15.00 at the door for materials, food and fellowship

How: Register online http://www.sweetenlife.com/sbwregistration.aspx

Directions: http://www.riverhillscc.com/

An Interesting Ministry

Silver Heirs
I was excited to be with the Silver Heirs yesterday to speak about the booming growth of Seasoned Believers in society and the fact that many of them are abandoning the organized church. Silver Heirs, a group at the Evangelical Community Church, is dedicated to gathering Seasoned Believers together for fun, fellowship and mutual encouragement.

The group consists mostly of friends from College Hill Presbyterian Church where I was on the staff for sixteen years. I sure loved seeing them again and hearing the stories about what they are doing to bless people. This is one of the most gifted and compassionate people I ever knew and I am excited that they are still so actively ministering. This is one of the few ministries to Seasoned Believers in this region. Keep up the good work.

http://www.eccfellowship.org/
There are some 870,000 Seasoned Citizens in the Greater Cincinnati area. It is estimated that 2/3 of them are unchurched and many are what we are calling, "Church Alumni". They have been active church members in the past but have dropped out after graduating to things more interesting.

But most of these Alumni are looking for a dynamic church that will take their contributions seriously by engaging them in active ministries. These folks want to influence the culture and change society but few churches have any place for this group of people to serve.

In order to penetrate society and bring faith to people we have to get out of our padded pews and engage the culture, including the 870,000 Seasoned believers who are just waiting for someone to invite them to get involved.

Our Brand

It is hard to communicate in today's world of overwhelming noise. It seems that almost everyone is trying to sell us something and their messages are so many and so frequent that it makes understanding difficult.

We find it difficult to communicate accurately who we are and what we do. One reason is that we have been around so long and done so many things that people get confused. It is not their fault it is ours.

So, here is our latest attempt to communicate who we are and what we do. We teach, train and develop people with the ability to enjoy

"A lifetime of great relationships." TM

Great relationships are central to healthy and growing families, healthy and prosperous businesses, healthy and faithful churches, healthy neighborhoods that lead to dynamic and civil societies.

Ever since I entered college I have been convinced that building peopl and organizations with Great Relationships was key to physical, mental and emotional health. That conviction was strengthened in Graduate School when I studied the power of groups to influence their members. My assent grew even more during doctoral studies when I read volumes of research that confirmed the biblical statement that, "Life and death are in the power of the tongue."

Every one of my books, articles and equipping classes ends up supporting the notion that strong, healthy, uplifting relationships are promoted by the Bible precisely because God created us to love and care for one another.

So, it takes sense that Sweeten Life Systems will focus on developing people, families and organizations that support and build up Great Relationships.

"A Lifetime of great relationships."TM

Sweeten Life Systems is always building

Great relationships with God

Great relationships with family

Great relationships at work

Great relationships with neighbors

Great relationships around the world

Abiding is Hard Work

One of the most fascinating aspects of faith in Christ is how hard people work to develop faith rather than works. Not long ago a friend wrote to assure our little band that even though he was a Reformed man full of faith, he had not stopped trying to develop more faith so he could heal more people and have more prayers answered.

In response I wrote up my recent research on abiding in the vine and how to abide better. Here is the summary of my research.

I spent a year researching grapes and how they managed to abide in the vine. I interviewed the big, juicy, fat grapes, since they had mastered the abiding techniques well. It was an intense process because grapes rarely want to share their secrets and hard work of abiding and developing faith.

Gary: Hello, Mr. Grape. You are so big, juicy and well developed you must have worked very hard to get so healthy.
Grape: What!! Are you nuts? I did nothing. I simply hung on to the vine.
Gary: But, Mr. Grape, how were you able to abide so well? It must take a lot of work and faith to make yourself so secure in the vine?
Grape: Where did you study agriculture, the USSR? I am telling you that abiding is resting and I can do nothing on my own. In fact, I have no ability to do anything in the realm of sticking or working to abide more. The vine holds on to me not the other way around.
Gary: So, it was your faith in abiding that allowed you to develop so much juice and produce so much? How did you develop into such a giant of faith? Was it hard to do? What about all your failures?
Grape: What do you mean, develop stronger faith so I could be a “Grape of Great Faith”? I have no idea why you are trying to make this so hard? The vine does it all. I do not even know how to ask the vine for more let alone make it produce better. By the way, you are making me so nervous it may interfere with my juice production. Anxiety makes me have acid and that eats away at my juice production. Why don’t you go interview some apples or figs? Go see how hard they work to grow so large and juicy.
Gary: Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it from the horses, er, Grapes' own mouth. They refused to share their secret techniques, exercise regimen and faith building program. That is really too bad and I hope the grapes will write a book on "Becoming a Faithful Grape"! However, I am not confident that they will.

History and Understanding

Thomas Jefferson


One of my favorite subjects in school was history. I still enjoy watching the History Channel and other TV shows about the past even though I do not remember all the facts that well.
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When I watch a drama about great events from the past I always think about how blessed I was to have been born when wealth, medical care and shelter are so common and inexpensive.
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We recently visited Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and saw a replica of the one room home where Dolly Parton and her many siblings grew up. It was very, very small. (See http://hookedonhouses.wordpress.com/ for photos) It reminded me of my childhood home. Neither os us had indoor plumbing or central heat. Her home was much smaller than ours, however.

Neither Dolly or I were kept from achieving great things because of childhood poverty. Dolly is a famous multi millionaire and I have a doctorate and an international ministry. Only in America and other democracies can that happen. God has blessed our nation.
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History proves it is poverty of the mind and spirit more than a lack of money that keep us enslaved. As we remember Dr. King's legacy it is easy to miss that his focus was on building up the inner spirit and mind. Yes, he certainly fought against poverty and a lack of opportunity for African Americans, but he knew that the answer was character not just money.


I get a bit irritated when I hear politicians talk about how bad our economy is right now. The unemployment rate in Ohio is less than 6% and that would be considered a record low historically and internationally, but the media weep because they like to say it is too high. The sky is falling!

A British newspaper wrote recently that the USA was in a Depression. yet, England's unemployment is almost twice that of America.

The media love bad news and they shout it out constantly.


Much of the current housing crisis occurred because people with medium salaries tried to buy mac mansions and they couldn't pay for them. We are trying to live above our means and history shows that it never works.


As a Seasoned Believer I often hear younger Christians lament how awful things are today. But they say there is hope if we old fogies would get out of the way so they could fix it. That is a normal thought process for kids but it still irritates me.

I read this morning a quote by Cicero. It goes something like this. "To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child."

Political Giving

Senator Obama received 40 million dollars last month from over a million Internet donors to keep his campaign going. Mrs. Clinton received about 20 million.

WOW!! Why is so much money going to politicians?

Maybe people are expecting the Messiah to come as President of the USA. Maybe donors just enjoy shelling out millions to support TV, radio and Newspaper ads. Maybe they just want to have their person in the White House.

Let's face it. Effective ministries rarely receive much from the Internet.
World Vision, a wonderful ministry to folks in crisis around the world, has a budget of about 4 Billion Dollars. (It is Billion not Million.) Christians are generous, especially Conservative Christians. God is moving and it takes finances to operate a mission and ministry. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Sweeten Life Systems is a 501c3 faith based charity and God is blessing us with numerous opportunities to impact leaders and their organizations. We are engaged in directly training missionaries, pastors and laity how to relate with health and love. We also help pastors and leaders who are stressed and looking for someone who they can speak to in confidence and safety. This is how evangelism and healing proceed effectively.

We all know that dysfunctional churches and dysfunctional leaders do harm to the gospel. In the past few years we have read how deeply the good news has been compromised by broken, compulsive and sinful leaders. We cannot tell you about the many times we have counseled leaders and their organizations when they are in crisis. Their stories are confidential.

Without confidential and skilled assistance many will end up in the evening news confessing their compulsive "mistakes". Others will be in the divorce courts facing the glare of a wounded spouse. I wish I could tell you the several hundred stories of triumph and victory but it is not possible. Pray for us.

We can say, however, that many fragile, depressed, anxious and tempted men and women came to us when there was no where else to go. We offer them highly skilled care and counsel regardless of their ability to pay. Your pastors and leaders are lonely, frustrated and poorly supported. They desperately need your compassion.

The Sweeten Life Systems' team is well known for providing a safe place to get healed, refreshed and re fired. We are being compassionate for you.

Sweeten Life Systems
P.O. Box 498455
Cincinnati, Ohio 45249