Reducing Poverty and Violence

Let your light shine before others!

Anyone with a heart is concerned with the stories of people destroyed by illnesses, poverty and violence.  Here is a letter I recently sent to my team. It shows how my heart and soul ache for the people trapped in a never ending cycle of pain.

I rarely decry the moral and spiritual chaos in the world because it is futile. I try to focus on my own family and the places God has placed me to minister. It is there I attempt to help people pick up the pieces of their lives. However, the sexual license and moral breakdown in our world as promoted by many state and federal agencies is currently overwhelming the systems we have set up to care for people.

Out of wedlock births causes kids with severe disabilities

The high rate of single parenting exacerbates the disabilities of the kids

Single parents are overwhelmed

Multiple births of needy kids make life a misery

Incomes of poor families are very low and one income is totally inadequate

The social service agencies are overwhelmed with extreme needs

The agencies attempt to cope but the flood of dysfunction makes help difficult for me, an experienced Counselor, let alone these overworked younger people.

The social workers try hard but are under trained, overwhelmed, and exhausted

Schools are overwhelmed by the huge numbers of kids with ADHD and other disabilities

Few parents are  interested in their academic achievements

Parents do not support teachers and schools but attack them

School officials and government officials demand teachers do the impossible with the unmotivated kids

Veteran teachers are burned out and leaving the field

The medical system is in crisis       

Obamacare is making the situation worse and we have seen only 10% of the new changes it requires

Veteran docs are leaving medicine

Churches are almost totally ignorant of the crises

Pastors have not been trained in relational care

Churches can be of enormous support but are in denial and trying to escape from facing the truth

Christians divorce and fall apart as much as anyone but few churches do anything to help marriages

I get calls weekly from pastors in crisis! We must get ourselves together.

We need to spread the good news about healthy relationships far and wide and help the members grow in healthy living

The job is huge but God is great. At Sweeten Life we offer some basic skills but it is hard work to be in the healing business. Love your own family. Hug your kids. Pray for the neighbors. Grow in knowledge of God.