tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74930335434723186222024-03-12T20:20:50.197-04:00Spiritual Healing and GrowthChristian truth, fruit and power. A mixture of research, Bible, stories,testimonies and fun.Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.comBlogger1568125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-52480090914550661702018-12-17T18:35:00.001-05:002018-12-17T18:35:21.144-05:00Essential Skills for the Future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Communication skills are essential to workers of the future. They are already essential to Pastors and Church Workers but Christian Education falls woefully short in that area of training. </div>
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Over two Million people have purchased our books and materials on building great relationships and several thousands have attended our classes. For that we are extremely thankful but so much more must be done. </div>
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All caring in churches demand great skills.</div>
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All great teaching demands it.</div>
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All outreach and evangelism demand it. </div>
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All healthy families demand it. </div>
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Why do so many seminaries and schools leave it out?</div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Go to sweetenlife.com to get the great materials that teach great skills. </a></div>
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-48445923748744739652018-12-16T19:36:00.002-05:002018-12-16T19:36:14.066-05:00Child Suicides: Why<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cFtDlgnuMbMiMfS6v7gpMu5dV9OYNHytNqKfZ7lle5v3Td3Hg_g70mFYCDI9dSdre4Nw_aIa-6oFecpe7i72X8v1yLQFx5j7xEuw8Du3lURib1cDgjbrQAl8rq9RgJRQmFfAx2VTyrg/s1600/Boy+Computer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="427" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3cFtDlgnuMbMiMfS6v7gpMu5dV9OYNHytNqKfZ7lle5v3Td3Hg_g70mFYCDI9dSdre4Nw_aIa-6oFecpe7i72X8v1yLQFx5j7xEuw8Du3lURib1cDgjbrQAl8rq9RgJRQmFfAx2VTyrg/s320/Boy+Computer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">A child alone and ignored</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2018/12/13/mckenzie-adams-bullying-factor-child-suicides-but-complicated/2288792002/" target="_blank">The number of kids that commit suicide is small but very upsetting and it is a mystery why children want to take their own lives. </a><br />
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It is also a mystery how we can prevent such tragic events.<br />
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The press tends to print stories that suggest suicide is caused by one major factor like being bullied. Of course when a child is the victim of bullying they would certainly react strongly but as far as research goes the link between the two is pretty weak.<br />
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The data I have seen seems to focus more on the link between family dysfunction and self harm. Adverse Childhood Event Research (ACE Research) has found a strong correlation between the losses of family members through death, disease, depression, drugs, incarceration, etc tends to leave children very vulnerable to childhood and adult dysfunction.<br />
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In my opinion, offering better resources to support healthy families is on of the best and most productive things we as a society can do. <a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Go to my web page for resources for personal and family healing.</a><br />
<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com</a><br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-45873359662748778232018-12-07T11:47:00.002-05:002018-12-07T11:50:08.274-05:00Donations for Senior Citizens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Wall Street Journal reports that Seniors and the charities they support can greatly benefit from the tax laws. </div>
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<div class="author mobile-scrim hasMenu scrim-loaded open" data-scrim="{"type":"author","header":"Laura Saunders","subhead":"The Wall Street Journal","list":[{"type":"link","icon":"bio","url":"https://www.wsj.com/news/author/6491","text":"Biography"},{"type":"link","icon":"twitter","url":"https://twitter.com/SaundersWSJ","text":"@SaundersWSJ"},{"type":"link","icon":"google","url":"https://plus.google.com/111152448131342548206/","text":"Google+"},{"type":"link","icon":"email","url":"mailto:Laura.Saunders@wsj.com","text":"Laura.Saunders@wsj.com"}]}" itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #333333; display: inline; font-size: 17px; font-style: italic; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 22px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<time class="timestamp article__timestamp flexbox__flex--1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #666666; display: block; font-family: Retina; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 300; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 2.2rem; margin: 0px 0px 4px; orphans: 2; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Dec. 7, 2018 5:30 a.m.</time></div>
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Millions of Americans will no longer get tax deductions for their charitable donations this year. But givers age 70½ or older often have a great way to get around this change.</div>
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It involves making donations directly from a traditional individual retirement account to one or more charities by using a smart move with a clunky name—qualified charitable distribution, or QCD.</div>
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“This transfer is usually the best way for IRA owners older than 70½ to do their giving,” says IRA specialist Ed Slott.</div>
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A growing number of IRA owners can use this maneuver. Roughly 3.2 million U.S. residents turned 70 in 2018, about 50% more than in 2010, according to estimates based on U.S. Census Bureau data.</div>
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The new focus on QCDs arises from the tax overhaul. It nearly doubled the standard deduction taxpayers get if they don’t itemize their write-offs for state taxes, mortgage interest, donations and the like on Schedule A.</div>
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This deduction is now $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for most married couples—high enough so that nearly 29 million more filers will take it than in 2017. Those who do <a class="icon none" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/its-time-to-start-paying-your-taxes-like-a-billionaire-1543573801?mod=article_inline" style="background: 0% 0% / 30px 30px no-repeat transparent; color: #0080c3; font-size: 17px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">will no longer get write-offs they used to</a>, including for donations.</div>
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Yet IRA owners who are 70½ and older have the best of both worlds: They can get a tax break for donations and take the higher standard deduction. In fact, the standard deduction rises to $13,600 for singles and $26,600 for couples age 65 and older.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">We at Sweeten Life Systems would appreciate your support.</a></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com </a>Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-46738955345037580522018-12-01T10:54:00.001-05:002018-12-01T10:54:22.946-05:00Bullies Be Gone!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/princess-tessy-of-luxembourg-says-she-broke-a-un-peacekeepers-nose-after-he-tried-to-sexually-assault-her" target="_blank">Princess Tessy of Luxembourg said she broke a UN peacekeeper’s nose after he allegedly tried to sexually assault her.</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="margin: 0px;">This is the best way to stop assaults, harassments, bullying, etc. Teach women and kids to protect themselves. If people learn to stand up straight and refuse to take any aggression from a bully or a sexual predator, they are much less likely to be victimized. </span></span></div>
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We cannot stop all bullying or sexual predators. Bad people will always be around us. I was a small, scrawny kid that older and bigger kids tended to pick on. However, I learned quickly to defend myself and my older brother. As a result I had a reputation for being a tough kid that would fight back and that made bullies back off. </div>
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I like the Movie "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Story" target="_blank">The Christmas Story</a>" where Ralphie and his little brother were picked on by an evil kid. But Ralphie turned the tables by getting mad and pummeling the bully in the snow! </div>
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As a rule it is good to "Turn the other cheek" as Jesus commanded. However, when we run out of cheeks and face a rapist or a killer we cannot resolve the matter peacefully. By being tough and taking a stand we can be safe. </div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">See our books and videos on relationships here. </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com</a></div>
Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-51798432567368858202018-11-29T12:03:00.002-05:002018-11-29T12:03:16.648-05:00A Testimony to One of God's Chosen<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the occasion of the birthday of my friend Larry Chrouch I decided to write a brief testimony. Many wonderful thing could have been said about Larry but I am limited in time and space. Larry passed away in January and I wanted to mention his impact again. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Larry and Ellen Chrouch have been my partners in ministry for decades. He was a successful businessman when the Lord grabbed his attention and they ended up in our Discipleship Ministry at College Hill Presbyterian Church in the 1970's. Since then, Larry, Ellen and I have been involved in designing and carrying out ministries all over the earth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here was my brief statement in 2000. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There are only two or three people I quote more than Larry
and they are all characters in the Bible. I never teach a seminar or train a person that
one of Larry's wise and unforgettable sayings comes to mind. Not only do we all
regale at his sayings and sermons, we also fondly remember the many things
Larry, and Ellen, have done to take the good news in theory and practice around
the world. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most profound events happened in January, 1986 in
Oslo, Norway. We were simply visiting with the Norwegian leaders one evening before we
were scheduled to speak the next day. We all know that Larry cannot just visit
without telling those wild, wooly, and true, God stories. He and Ellen had
dinner with Kjell-Petter Dahl, the chairman of the OASE movement, and
ministered to his wife and him in sharing, prayer and listening. The couple was truly impressed and blessed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kjell-Petter asked Larry and Ellen to share some of their
experiences with the entire group at an open time after worship and to allow
the Lord to show up as He wished. After they spoke for a few minutes, the floor
was open for discussion. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kjell-Petter then announced, "The Americans will now answer all your questions!" Despite such an awesome challenge, Larry
handled it beautifully even though he said he was "Only coming on the trip so he could, Carry my bags!"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The final question revealed a lot about the mindset of so many people when it comes to healing. It also says a lot about about Larry's ability to minister in tough situations. The question went something like: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"Here in
Norway we will not pray for a person's healing until they have proven that they
have great faith by fasting and prayer. Do you make sure the people you pray
for have great faith?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Silence fell on the group. I was happy that Larry was on the hot spot instead of me. He handled it beautifully. </span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">"No," Larry said, "It is not the people's great
faith but our faith in a great God that matters." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At that, Kjell-Petter stood and said, "Anyone who needs
prayer come to the altar and the Americans will pray for you." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The rest of the evening was filled praying for a hundred
Scandinavian pastors and leaders. The gifts of the Holy Spirit flowed in a marvelous and miraculous manner. Larry's talk and warm interactions
with the Norwegians set up all that occurred later. His quick wit and deep faith opened the door again and again for the Holy Spirit to move in love and power. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are blessed by the memories!</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Gary Sweeten</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">July 7, 2000 on the occasion of Larry's birthday. </span><br />
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Follow us by clicking the link!</div>
Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-6586136425580709702018-11-20T17:15:00.002-05:002018-11-20T17:15:46.605-05:00Kids that Fail to Act<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Carl Jung, along with Freud, Skinner, Rogers, etc founded the study of the soul from a secular and medical position. For thousands of years the psyche had been the arena of Hebrew and Christian Priests as well as Buddhist and Muslim Teachers. Then, the mental and emotional issues faced by all humans became the interest of Physicians. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But Jung, like many, cam to the field as a person that has struggled mightily with his own deep struggles. He is quoted by <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #191919; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Karla, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span> </span></span><a href="https://quillette.com/author/lisa-marchiano/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-image: none; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #999999; font-family: Karla,Arial,sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: invert; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; transition: color 0.1s linear; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" title="All posts by Lisa Marchiano">Lisa Marchiano</a> as writing in his book <a href="http://amzn.to/2BJRKMp" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "Libre Baskerville",Georgia,serif; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px; orphans: 2; outline: invert; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>Memories, dreams, reflections</i>, </a></span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>When Jung was a 12-year-old schoolboy, he was shoved to the ground by another child, hitting his head on the pavement, and nearly losing consciousness. Instantly, Jung grasped the opportunities created by this attack.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>At the moment I felt the blow, the thought flashed through my mind: “Now you won’t have to go to school anymore.” I was only half unconscious, but I remained lying there a few moments longer than was strictly necessary, chiefly in order to avenge myself on my assailant….</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>From this point forward, Jung began having fainting spells whenever he returned to class or attempted homework. For six months, he did not attend school. His worried parents consulted doctors, and sent him away to convalesce. Jung described this period as “a picnic.” Beneath the giddiness, however, he sensed something was amiss.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I frittered away my time with loafing, collecting, reading, and playing. But I did not feel any happier for it; I had the obscure feeling that I was fleeing from myself.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Eventually, Jung forgot how his infirmity arose. His invalid status was taken for granted, and he didn’t question it or concern himself with a remedy, until he overheard a conversation that shook him into awareness.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Then one day a friend called on my father. They were sitting in the garden and I hid behind a shrub, for I was possessed of an insatiable curiosity. I heard the visitor saying to my father, “And how is your son?” “Ah, that’s a sad business,” my father replied. “The doctors no longer know what is wrong with him. They think it might be epilepsy. It would be dreadful if he were incurable. I have lost what little I had, and what will become of the boy if he cannot earn his own living?”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>I was thunderstruck. This was the collision with reality.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>“Why, then, I must get to work!” I thought suddenly.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>At that moment, Jung became a “serious child.” He went straight to his father’s study and began working intensely on his Latin grammar.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>After ten minutes of this I had the finest of fainting fits. I almost fell off the chair, but after a few minutes, I felt better and went on working. “Devil take it, I’m not going to faint,” I told myself, and persisted on purpose. This time it took about fifteen minutes before the second attack came. That, too, passed like the first. “And now you must really get to work!” I stuck it out, and after an hour came the third attack. Still I did not give up, and worked for another hour, until I had the feeling that I had overcome the attacks. Suddenly I felt better than I had in all the months before. And in fact the attacks did not recur. From that day on I worked over my grammar and other schoolbooks every day. A few weeks later I returned to school, and never suffered another attack, even there. The whole bag of tricks was over and done with! That was when I learned what a neurosis is.<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="https://quillette.com/2017/12/27/collision-reality-depth-psychology-can-tell-us-victimhood-culture/#_ftnref1" name="sdendnote1anc" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: invert; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><sup style="border-image: none; border: 0px; bottom: 1ex; box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; line-height: 0; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">1</sup></a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>An awkward and aggressive boy who was not well-liked by classmates or teachers, Jung must have welcomed the opportunity to escape from school. At childhood’s twilight hour, faced with the looming demands of adolescence, Jung withdrew from the world. For a while, his fate hung in the balance, as he drifted towards the possibility of permanent, self-imposed marginalization and infirmity.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I was a Counselor and as a Pastor I often saw this phenomenon manifested in some of the families that came to see me. The parents often wanted guidance about how to "Motivate their son or daughter to get engaged in life and stop acting like a victim." In one Asian nation there was an epidemic of kids unable to attend school because each morning they came down with extreme stomach cramps. The worried parents were faced with a dilemma. Their child seemed really sick yet missing school meant a life of poverty and failure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It seems that that same epidemic has hit America. More and more young people refuse to drive, get out of bed, stop endless hours on the internet and generally fail to launch into life. It is a major concern to see so many ordinary and otherwise healthy kids stop living. They are acting an awful like young Carl and refusing to move up the Maslow Hierarchy. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What is going on?</span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><i></i><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-77458638465621302672018-10-28T22:49:00.001-04:002018-10-28T22:49:05.627-04:00Mass Hysteria and American Politics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Are you acquainted with how mass movements, and mass hysteria get started? The research about mobs, riots, and other such events is deep but rarely shared with the public.<br />
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One of the first research studies I read in Graduate School at Southern Illinois University was on that topic. Looking back I can see how providential it was to study mass movements because the Sixties saw a great increase in mobs and riots.<br />
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The name of the article was "When Prophesy Fails" and it tells about a research study on how groups act when their most cherished ideas fail. Because of past experiences, the researchers thought the group would react not by giving their ideas up but by pushing harder for their fomer position. <br />
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The group heard about a female prophetess in Chicago <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">who was saying the end of the world was coming at 12:00 Midnight on September 26. The cult was gearing up to be transported to a new planet by Aliens in a UFO just before the end arrived. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">A small band of researchers infiltrated the group and took notes on the behavior of the members as the predicted time came and went without any UFO to take them away to Nirvana. After no UFO show there was confusion and a bit of panic at first. Then the Prophetess received another prophecy. She said that their pure hearts and obedience had been sufficient to save the planet and the end was postponed. T</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">he group not only refused to walk away from the original prophesy and the cult leader, they doubled down on it and became even more fanatical about her ideas. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">This seems to be similar to the </span>Mind Merging that can occur in an addiction and mobs. I have worked with a lot of people engaged in harmful behavior, including addictions. At least 90% were smart enough to know drugs, smoking, overeating, etc were dangerous to them but that alone did not stop them from using. They keep holding on. </div>
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I have also studied mob behavior on campus and saw personally how a crowd can become a mob that causes everyone's individual mind to meld into a glob of insanity about some idea with no rational thoughts. Mobs do things that 99% of the people would refuse to do if alone. </div>
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Think about the last election. How does it remind you of mob thinking, especially after the certainty of the politicians', pundits', and medias' prophesies failed to occur. Did the "prophets" quietly admit they were wrong and say, "Well, next time we will do better?" Or, did they claim they were correct and deny that the election was won by their opponent? The UFO did not show up because it was hijacked! I am not blaming the people that lost for their incredulity. Anytime we have strong beliefs about religion, politics, and even sports we must explain the unexplainable somehow. </div>
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The paper, "What Happens when Prophesy Fails" predicts denial that their prophesy failed, and a call to fight the fake winner. The psychology researchers suggest that our need to be right causes us to reject any ideas that contradict our beloved position. WE call it "Cognitive Dissonance" and means we tend to reject anything that contradicts our fervent beliefs. </div>
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The Bible calls us to "Know reality and allow it to set us free" by listening to Jesus. John 8:32 Denial is an inability to actually see and respond to the truth; facts; reality. Whenever we have so strongly immersed ourselves in a political, theological, relational, or behavioral idea, it is very difficult to actually hear the truth, let alone change ourselves. </div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/store" target="_blank">One of the cures for perceptual blindness is the promise of Roman 12:1-2. My eBook downloadable PDF book, <b>Power Christian Thinking</b> can help you adjust yourself to the truths of God. </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/store" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com/store</a></div>
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-36366762245440163812018-09-04T07:52:00.003-04:002018-09-04T07:52:58.589-04:00The Crisis in Care for Chronically Ill People <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVab3nrSb_0C-tSpvuf8LYaItTOCZ4tL01IzkDg89QWRfeQGfxTl8OWD6-oguEFgy6q3AbDn02TRzZkHIzQoXGwLO8sipEqtW3o0eKsMXXyt9k_Nbch6d5_7-0H51KuHilaYhZZdWNq9c/s1600/90+Years.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVab3nrSb_0C-tSpvuf8LYaItTOCZ4tL01IzkDg89QWRfeQGfxTl8OWD6-oguEFgy6q3AbDn02TRzZkHIzQoXGwLO8sipEqtW3o0eKsMXXyt9k_Nbch6d5_7-0H51KuHilaYhZZdWNq9c/s320/90+Years.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When I visited an adult day care center yesterday the 20 older adults there were just finishing up a game that had most of them smiling. Maybe the smells of lunch played a part in their good mood but they generally seemed to be in great spirits. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">For adults with a chronic disease/disability the need for day care and home care is rising. Many of the Caregivers are either too fragile or they work all day so finding a place to stay that is safe and caring is crucial. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, the needs are great but there are several barriers to offering care for all of us older folks.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. The average retiree has only about $400.00 saved and that is not enough to pay for a week of care.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Medicare and Medicaid are available for the indigent and those over 65 but we are rapidly running out of funds and the numbers are rising. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. The number of people doing home care is shrinking. Care taking is a tough job and the places where they can get good training are few, the crisis is growing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. The pay for caregivers is low. They make about the same as working at Wendy's. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I do not have an answer to these issues but each person and family needs to start thinking about who will care for them. We are living a lot longer but outliving our ability to care for ourselves or pay for others. How do you plan to deal with these realities?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We are releasing a new web based software to guide caregivers through the process of dealing with the stress and details of having a loved one with a chronic disability or illness. Pray for us as we deal with the caretaking crisis.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you want to learn more about thinking clearly, get the eBook <a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Power Christian Thinking at Sweeten Life</a> or on Kindle at <a href="http://amazon.com/">Amazon.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com </a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-8726063192512119672018-08-25T13:09:00.001-04:002018-08-25T13:09:19.246-04:00Recovery from Trauma<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQDrVD3IDhDwJTnDyYJ33oFbQR8goS9JAvdc3lQgof6UkTXG6hIZrModpwTpVtDk7_ClPMOmft3YeV9zcaw0XrCRL1NITOhDMLAyJjP17s6S7UuMSt_ujjtpgXDq-hEPMt5rig0bTdDE/s1600/Image+of+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQDrVD3IDhDwJTnDyYJ33oFbQR8goS9JAvdc3lQgof6UkTXG6hIZrModpwTpVtDk7_ClPMOmft3YeV9zcaw0XrCRL1NITOhDMLAyJjP17s6S7UuMSt_ujjtpgXDq-hEPMt5rig0bTdDE/s1600/Image+of+Man.jpg" /></a></div>
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Adverse Events can mark us for life. This is especially true when a child loses a parent or loved one.<br />
However, as Christians we have the ability to pray for healing of the wounds that occur deep in the hearts and minds of people traumatized by losses and offenses as children.<br />
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The brain can hold traumatic memories within that somehow cause pain forever unless unleashed by good Counseling and/or prayers. James Chapter 5 offers us insights into how our prayers can unleash us from the past. One of my favorite phrases is: "It is never too late to have a happy childhood".<br />
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The book of James builds on that assumption. For example, James counsels us to <span style="color: purple;"><b>Count it all joy when we encounter various trials.</b></span><br />
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Why would that be a positive step in regaining a happy childhood? He gives the answer. Because we can choose to see growth through trials and our thankfulness allows us to seek God for a better future rather than focus compulsively on the past.<br />
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It is well known that obsessing pessimistically about past hurts and losses actually leads to anxiety and depression. However, by seeking a better way can strengthen our perseverance and builds us as Christians.<br />
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This is not suggesting that we deny past pain but that we refuse to dwell on it and dwell on ourselves as victims. Face the losses and grieve them but refuse to dwell on why it makes me a worthless victim.<br />
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Come back next time and read on about having a happy childhood.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Now, go to Sweeten Life and download one of our fantastic books that are liberating people all over the earth!</a>Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-14288968048298209732018-08-21T14:07:00.000-04:002018-08-21T14:07:06.402-04:00Out of the Roots Come the Fruits<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZLtbaSvq7JvyRlFsS2Gs1UafmUiwmpFQNeD_5QWrtEmLcrbNeQR8nhYMWXQbIPWgA4hc4rfPLFqraMXrTFGrpqGnvPQNzlC8VLlEEbTATreTMxWUaFZ4GffWw8vx_AdCshavmSgGS58/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ZLtbaSvq7JvyRlFsS2Gs1UafmUiwmpFQNeD_5QWrtEmLcrbNeQR8nhYMWXQbIPWgA4hc4rfPLFqraMXrTFGrpqGnvPQNzlC8VLlEEbTATreTMxWUaFZ4GffWw8vx_AdCshavmSgGS58/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div>
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I led a healing prayer service at our church for several years and people came for prayer for a wide variety of complaints. One lady, I will call Ellen, came with a request that her complaint be kept confidential. As a Minister I assured her that whatever she told us in confidence would stay that way.<br />
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Ellen poured out her story of sexual abuse and trauma by family members from childhood until she left home. She was about 20 pounds over weight and suffered from nightmares, depression and a fear of men. I hesitated to simply pray for her because her symptoms were so severe. After listening intently to her long list of traumatic events and current symptoms I asked if she had considered therapy. "Oh yes. I have been in therapy for years but all my Psychiatrist does is give me drugs. I need healing."<br />
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My female partner that night was Marie and we anointed the lady and prayed for healing of memories. Afterward, Ellen was dramatically relieved and explained that during the prayers she had felt a warm feeling inside of her chest. We suggested that she come back several times to get more "Soaking Prayer" since her trauma was so deep and long term in development.<br />
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Can you imagine how many adults are carrying around memories of deep trauma and distrust as a result of the betrayal of the evil Priests who violated their covenant with God and the young people they violated? It is shocking and startling so hear about so many Roman Catholic Priests have been involved in such awful, evil behavior. Many of the victims are likely to carry the scars for many years. Every single victim needs inner healing. (Outer healing is physical.) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Healing is possible. . </span><br />
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I first met adults in the 70's who suffered from sexual trauma as children and teenagers. Almost every one of them showed current signs of those past wounds. My training as a Counselor had neglected to educate us about how to treat adult victims, most of whom had never revealed their experiences to anyone else. Not only did they suffer from the trauma itself but also the False Guilt and Shame of sexual relations with a Holy Man!<br />
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From the Bitter Roots of Abuse can come the following Fruits:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJQEBbw0AhrSiFO2t913M_ZcH1R-4Qj9n6VlZf-QoiuqH6AeRJcj9e_zyjZcxrLoIEP-DLgPHdTuOkbsLOuMU1f-kRJ32T6JXTid6YsP6RPL9ox0CqgjfF18ocfOwrUBTGA6BXLa8Dzc/s1600/Body+Thoughts+emotions.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="725" data-original-width="650" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJQEBbw0AhrSiFO2t913M_ZcH1R-4Qj9n6VlZf-QoiuqH6AeRJcj9e_zyjZcxrLoIEP-DLgPHdTuOkbsLOuMU1f-kRJ32T6JXTid6YsP6RPL9ox0CqgjfF18ocfOwrUBTGA6BXLa8Dzc/s640/Body+Thoughts+emotions.gif" width="571" /></a></div>
Our of the heart and mind comes all kinds of emotional, relational, and spiritual dysfunctions. God has equipped each believer with the Holy Spirit to release the Love of God, the Peace of Christ, the truth of the God's Word, and the Gifts of the Spirit to "Heal the broken hearted and set the captives free. If 10% of the churches in a community offered free prayers for members and visitors many of the fruits of past trauma could be healed.<br />
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It is great to see so many churches establishing Recovery Groups which promote transparency, confession, prayers and love to help people get free from the past.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Christian-Thinking-Changing-Hopelessness-ebook/dp/B015EXEBJI" target="_blank">One of the most powerful books we have that can be used privately or for a small groups is Power Christian Thinking. It can be ordered he from Amazon Kindle. </a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Christian-Thinking-Changing-Hopelessness-ebook/dp/B015EXEBJI" target="_blank">https://www.amazon.com/Power-Christian-Thinking-Changing-Hopelessness-ebook/dp/B015EXEBJI</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Our Ministry has books, videos and seminars to equip Christians to care and counsel. </a><br />
<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com</a><br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-44306871014105981632018-08-21T14:03:00.002-04:002018-08-21T14:03:53.561-04:00A Powerful Way to Heal the Brain<br />
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I grew up in a tiny town in southern Illinois. During WWII many of our young men were carried off to places with strange sounding names and impossible places on the map find. In my childhood the economic level we all faced was pretty grim. My dad described the situation as being a "hard scrabble existence".<br />
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When the soldiers who survived came back from the war economic opportunities improved but the mental and emotional issues worsened. A lot of the ex GI population suffered from Post Traumatic issues and had few places to go to get help.<br />
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Today, the data about an increase of people suffering with mental and emotional issues is a surprise to those of us in the Counseling professionals. While doing a Leadership and Discipleship Equipping Ministry I discovered Cognitive Therapy and how it has been used to renew the minds of many people with irrational and anxious thinking. It is a perfect fit for accomplishing the goal of Romans 12:1-2 that tells the benefits of Renewing our minds.<br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b>I beg you my friends to stop thinking like the world and be transformed by renewing your mind. </b></span><br />
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I wrote several books and articles that individuals and churches can use to lower their anxiety, depression, and anger of people without having to see a Therapist. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Power-Christian-Thinking-Changing-Hopelessness-ebook/dp/B015EXEBJI" target="_blank">My latest book is called Power Christian Thinking and is on Amazon Kindle.</a><br />
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Thousands of men and women have shared how the book helped them stop Stinking Thinking and started enjoying life more fully!<br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-70106675100544499722018-08-19T19:56:00.002-04:002018-08-19T19:56:26.091-04:00We have always done it that way<div style="margin: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><br />
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The United States Standard railroad gauge; the distance between rails is 4
feet, 8.5 inches, an exceedingly odd number. What caused engineers to use this
gauge? Where did it come from?</span></div>
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<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
was that gauge used to build U.S. rail lines? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">That is the way they built them in England. </b>English
expatriates built the first U.S. railroads. </span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
did the English people build them like that? Because the first rail lines
in Europe were <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">designed and built
by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways,</b> and that is
the gauge they used. </span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
did they use that gauge for trams? Because the people who designed and
built the tramways <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">used the same
jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that same
wheel spacing. </b></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
did the wagons use that odd wheel spacing? Well, when they tried to use
any other spacing, the wagons were prone to breaking down on the old long
distance roads, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">because that is the
spacing of the old wheel ruts.</b></span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">So
who built these old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe
were built by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Imperial Rome for the
benefit of their legions</b>. The roads have been used ever since. </span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">And
why did the ruts come about? Roman war chariots first made the initial
ruts. Since <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the chariots were all
made to certain specifications for Imperial Rome</b>, they were all alike
in the matter of wheel spacing.<br />
<br />
Thus, we have the answer to the original question. The United States
standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original
specification (Military, as it were) for an Imperial Roman Army war
chariot. But one nagging question still remains.</span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 48px;">
<br /></div>
<ol start="7" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li style="color: black; font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Why
did the design of the Roman chariots incorporate that specific wheelbase? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The chariots were designed for the
back ends of two Roman war-horses</b>. </span></li>
</ol>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"><b><span style="font-family: "book antiqua";">So,
the modern transportation system got its original dimensions by following the
rear ends of two warhorses! </span></b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-20686015243644579092018-08-18T16:53:00.003-04:002018-08-18T16:53:38.734-04:00Why Change is Hard<br />
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<br />
All of us realize that change is hard. It is especially hard when people have developed rituals and habits that seem to have extraordinary meaning to their members. For example, when I first went to Russia I met many people who proudly proclaimed they were Russian Orthodox. However, after some discussion it was clear they were also atheists who were born and reared in the days of atheist USSR when actually believing in God was dangerous.<br />
<br />
Many Russians are very proud of the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church was founded over 1000 years ago! That, my friend, is a long time! So, the Russian people felt great pride in their history and culture. As a result, many agnostics and atheists proclaimed their heart felt allegiance.<br />
<br />
<br />
Several years ago I was pretty optimistic about being a change agent. I had gone to school and learned to be a change agent with kids in school: I thought every kid could learn and wanted to learn. Even more optimistically, I thought I could motivate parents to insist that their kids try to learn! It is <b><span style="color: red;">hard for "leaders" to lead change.</span></b> <br />
<br />
I attended Graduate School and learned about psychology and motivation. I got a position in a college at the same time kids wanted to have free sex, free drugs, and engage in riots. I tried to foster change, <span style="color: red;"><b>but Change is hard! </b></span><br />
<span style="color: red;"></span><b></b><br />
I went into to ministry and sought the Holy Spirit as I tried to motivate people to come to Christ and live a holy life. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: red; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Change is hard!</span><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: red; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span>
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">In order to be a success as a change agent we must pray, be patient, and humble! God alone is the only real change agent. Do you know why? <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: red; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Change is hard!</span></span></span><br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="color: black;"></span><b></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-3904108738459901342018-08-05T19:11:00.000-04:002018-08-05T19:11:03.979-04:00Innocent Until Proven Guilty By Gossip in the Media<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9tiz1AgMUEf2so2qxE0m9-Bdv_DpjfemsVo2xGKPYV3WoHYXsIRQTWQ2WN6YgVSdRTNc4JMObqDf3YK65MydovMMjgMkMaNvzIZ3Rir7lDiR9G69zRfqPTyzFd54cTzaEfqCMkrxcss/s1600/Angry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="536" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9tiz1AgMUEf2so2qxE0m9-Bdv_DpjfemsVo2xGKPYV3WoHYXsIRQTWQ2WN6YgVSdRTNc4JMObqDf3YK65MydovMMjgMkMaNvzIZ3Rir7lDiR9G69zRfqPTyzFd54cTzaEfqCMkrxcss/s320/Angry.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It is difficult to keep your job and your reputation if you are famous and accused of a crime. There are individuals and special interest groups that will destroy us if we seem to be a vulnerable target. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Men accused of "sexual harassment" are especially vulnerable. If they are in college the hanging will very likely be swift and filled with hysterical accusations but little if any right to a fair trial. There are numerous cases of false chargers against male groups that ended with complete exoneration weeks after the organization and its members were hounded, publicly scorned, and punished academically. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A fraternity at the University of Virginia was accused of sexual attacks against a young woman in Rolling Stone Magazine. The group was sanctioned by the President and the members attacked by the President. The fraternity and all men were found to be innocent and the magazine and woman who charged them to found to be lying. The president of Virginia attacked the organization and the men and yet was never held accountable. She recently retired with no regrets. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">When I serve as Associate Dean of Students at Cincinnati we were always careful to give every student due process if he or she was accused of wrongdoing. But with great pressure from the Obama administration due process was not applied and many schools are now having to pay millions of dollars for following the DC demands. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We cannot afford to allow the mantra of "Innocent until proven guilty" to become "Innocent until accused by gossipy liars, and social media". </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-36240263887883712652018-08-02T12:42:00.003-04:002018-08-02T12:42:49.808-04:00Are Dads Important to Healthy Kids?
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">New MUHC research highlights the
value of fathers in both neurobiology and behaviour of offspring </span></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Published: 4 Dec 2013 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Even with today’s technology, it
still takes both a male and a female to make a baby. But is it important for
both parents to raise that child? Many studies have outlined the value of a
mother, but few have clearly defined the importance of a father, until now. New
findings from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
(RI-MUHC) show that the absence of a father during critical growth periods,
leads to impaired social and behavioural abilities in adults. This research,
which was conducted using mice, was published today in the journal <i>Cerebral
Cortex. </i>It is<i> </i>the first study to link father absenteeism with social
attributes and to correlate these with physical changes in the brain.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Although we used mice, the findings
are extremely relevant to humans,” says senior author Dr. Gabriella Gobbi, a
researcher of the Mental Illness and Addiction Axis at the RI-MUHC and an
associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. “We used
California mice which, like in some human populations, are monogamous and raise
their offspring together.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“Because we can control their
environment, we can equalize factors that differ between them,” adds first
author, Francis Bambico, a former student of Dr. Gobbi at McGill and now a
post-doc at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. “Mice
studies in the laboratory may therefore be clearer to interpret than human
ones, where it is impossible to control all the influences during development.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">Dr. Gobbi and her colleagues
compared the social behaviour and brain anatomy of mice that had been raised
with both parents to those that had been raised only by their mothers. Mice
raised without a father had abnormal social interactions and were more
aggressive than counterparts raised with both parents. These effects were
stronger for female offspring than for their brothers. Females raised without
fathers also had a greater sensitivity to the stimulant drug, amphetamine.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“The behavioural deficits we
observed are consistent with human studies of children raised without a
father,” says Dr. Gobbi, who is also a psychiatrist at the MUHC. “These
children have been shown to have an increased risk for deviant behaviour and in
particular, girls have been shown to be at risk for substance abuse. This
suggests that these mice are a good model for understanding how these effects
arise in humans.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">In pups deprived of fathers, Dr.
Gobbi’s team also identified defects in the mouse prefrontal cortex, a part of
the brain that helps control social and cognitive activity, which is linked to
the behaviourial deficits.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">“This is the first time research
findings have shown that paternal deprivation during development affects the
neurobiology of the offspring,” says Dr. Gobbi. These results should incite
researchers to look more deeply into the role of fathers during critical stages
of growth and suggest that both parents are important in children’s mental
health development.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">About the study </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">The paper in the journal <i>Cerebral
Cortex</i> entitled <i>Father absence in the monogamous California mouse
impairs social behavior and modifies dopamine and glutamate synapses in the
medial prefrontal cortex</i>, was authored by Francis Bambico (First author)
from the Behavioral Neurobiology Laboratory, Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health (CAMH), Toronto; Baptiste Lacoste, Patrick Hattan and Gabriella Gobbi
from the Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, Department of Psychiatry, McGill
University Health Centre, Montreal. <i>Cerebral Cortex</i> is published by
Oxford University Press.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0px;">This work was supported by the <i>Fonds
de la Recherche en Santé du Québec (FRSQ), </i>and fellowships from the McGill
University Health Centre (MUHC) and from the Faculty of Medicine of McGill
University.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 13.33px;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Men must work hard to be more than just sperm carriers and women must realize that they cannot rear healthy kids alone. See our we to learn how to have a healthy marriage and family life.</a></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span><a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">www.sweetenlife.com</a>Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-81563970919652940972018-07-31T15:18:00.005-04:002018-07-31T15:18:37.791-04:00How to Draw People to Church<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Efi6-wW-x67rSgHRVvlFE6R5RbK6ifXDiWrzSz23X09Fg1U0TLkd59kptGzLGBk-G2qpmMPOvyppWHV8KJzoycD3ArPBPytTEzawK4LjF8SB3QRwQXSBWiDAlOS23ftbSPYOnOyQxS0/s1600/The-Crown-season-2-Queen-Elizabeth-II-actress-Claire-Foy-teases-HUGE-twist-829353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="590" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Efi6-wW-x67rSgHRVvlFE6R5RbK6ifXDiWrzSz23X09Fg1U0TLkd59kptGzLGBk-G2qpmMPOvyppWHV8KJzoycD3ArPBPytTEzawK4LjF8SB3QRwQXSBWiDAlOS23ftbSPYOnOyQxS0/s320/The-Crown-season-2-Queen-Elizabeth-II-actress-Claire-Foy-teases-HUGE-twist-829353.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;">We can treat everyone like royalty!</span></b><br />
<b></b><span style="font-size: large;"></span><span style="color: magenta;"></span><br />
It seems that it is harder and harder to draw new people to church. As I study the reasons why one thing continually jumps out to me. People are afraid of being attacked for being bad, wrong, or sinful. Of course all of us are imperfect but the church seems to have a reputation for showing disrespect for imperfect people.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmVdtOCRCkA" target="_blank">This short video speaks to the importance of showing RESPECT to everyone</a>. And, we don't have to say it as nicely as The Queen of Soul!<br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-63244045280469584142018-07-09T12:44:00.003-04:002018-07-09T12:45:32.343-04:00Let My People Go and Grow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKALWMdfN8BJU9DU_k1S-yYP4DTeC4cpW9soVEJKg-7pCt3DguzBMrq4cw-rbLlhnJiaekOHyHNSLBbLXP2yuurcQZnxxmIa_s8qmbpGX2MbobfLdmyCWulEGVmbvy9JuzZb1ZKr18Ls/s1600/jmovement.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKALWMdfN8BJU9DU_k1S-yYP4DTeC4cpW9soVEJKg-7pCt3DguzBMrq4cw-rbLlhnJiaekOHyHNSLBbLXP2yuurcQZnxxmIa_s8qmbpGX2MbobfLdmyCWulEGVmbvy9JuzZb1ZKr18Ls/s1600/jmovement.JPG" /></a></div>
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I woke up this morning thinking about the wonderful people we had at College Hill Pres. The staff there was a great team that worked hard and attempted to listen to God as best we could. However, it was the congregation that really made us into a fantastic place.<br />
<br />
As I read Twitter, Facebook, and blogs I am struck by the emphasis on elite Preachers, Pastors, and Leaders. I think we need great theologians and preachers. But the emphasis in scripture and in my experience as an Organizational Consultant is really on the ordinary, non titled people in the pew.<br />
<br />
Some of the very best Bible teachers I know were Laity. They were great at Practical Theology and application. They knew how to walk the talk. Members of our church rans P&G and GE and many other organizations. If they can run a billion dollar organization they can do ministry.<br />
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We had a large church with several terrific Ministers but our congregation was filled with energized men and women that were encouraged to try new things. We had a policy of giving permission to anyone in the church that believed they had a Call from the Lord to start a ministry. The Call had to be consistent with our Mission and Vision and cost the church nothing. If a person had a sense of call they had 3 minutes on Sunday morning to tell the congregation what they were doing. 1. They wrote out their 3 minute announcement. 2. They gave their call to join. 3. If people responded, they had a ministry. If no one was interested, it did not go anywhere. The church did not control the ministry.<br />
<br />
When Laity are liberated, then innovation will grow and the church will grow.<br />
<br />
Let my people go and grow!<br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-21306761003211645242018-07-02T11:18:00.002-04:002018-07-02T11:18:29.413-04:00My Triple By Pass and Prayer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: #cc0000;">God still Heals</span></b></div>
<b></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"></span><br />
<br />
It has been six weeks since Dr. Griffin and his team of people at The Christ Hospital took care of the three arteries that were blocked. I am reminded of the scripture that says, "All good gifts are from God." As a Social Scientist I have taken that truth very seriously by constantly examining scripture, research on how the brain and body work and mixed in prayer to keep God engaged in the process.<br />
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My recovery has gone well. The most important person is Karen who is the Chief Nurse, gatekeeper, schedule keeper, medicine regulator and emotional supporter.<br />
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For the past two weeks I have been attending Cardiac Rehab at Christ Hospital in Liberty Twp. Before that Karen and I had the distinct pleasure of getting home health care from some wonderful Nurses.<br />
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The Medical Staff at Christ and at home were extremely pleased with my progress since it was faster than most. Especially those who like me are 80 years old. One Doctor said, "You do not look 80, or act 80 but every organ in your body IS 80! So, take care of yourself and allow the healing to be complete."<br />
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I was able to share with several of my Medical Team at Christ that my improvement was due in large part to their great treatment as well as having so many people praying for me. Thank God for great friends that pray.<br />
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I am slowly reentering my office to write and plan so this note is one result. I tire VERY easily so I am certainly taking naps and slowing down even though I feel OK I am 80.<br />
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I am so thankful for Ron Peake, Andrea Bowsher, Jim Donovan, and Randy Creamer for taking the reins of our ministry and keeping it going so I can rest and recover. <br />
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I have some way to go before I can be fully operational so thanks for your prayers for me and the ministry.<br />
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Blessings and Peace!<br />
<br />
Gary Sweeten<br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-72267727917670399352018-05-14T16:34:00.001-04:002018-05-14T16:34:04.401-04:00Update on My Heart Treatment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Thanks so much for the encouragement and prayers. </span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the angiogram last Friday, Dr. Kereiakes came into my room to explain the results. He said although my heart was beating strongly and looked healthy there were three arteries that were seriously occluded. They were to long to fix with stents so he recommended bypass surgery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dr. Kereiakes had his colleague, Dr. Griffin come in and explain the procedure of taking vessels from other places and putting them to bypass the occluded ones. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Today his office called to give me the schedule:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">1. Tuesday at Christ Hospital for pretesting and instructions.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">2. Thursday arrive at The Christ Hospital at 8:00 AM for preparation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">3. Surgery scheduled for 12:00 Noon Thursday.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">4. Surgery will likely last about 4 hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">5. Recovery in the hospital for 6 days with exercise and instructions. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">6. Return home on about May 23 for recovery for two months. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">7. Dance in the Spirit to thank God for His love, power, and provision of surgeons, nurses and medical personnel as well as great technology. </span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">Post Script:</span><span style="font-size: large;"> I am rereading the old book <u>Healing and Christianity</u> by Morton Kelsey. He traces the healing of body, mind, and spirit by prayers and physicians. He notes that some of the greatest names in Christian history promoted healing by multiple means. Prayers, Fasting, Anointing, Medicine, Dreams, ETC. O</span><span style="font-size: large;">ne of the very first free hospitals in the world was set up by St. Gregory in Caesarea in the 4th Century, AD. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to receive everything God has for me so pray all you can whenever you can. There are no bad side effects or fear of an overdose!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">You can choose to follow me to get updates. </a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-46674403023018440992018-05-10T19:38:00.000-04:002018-05-10T19:38:04.863-04:00John Donne 1623<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">This is always first. Everything must bring praise to God!</span></div>
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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>A Hymn to God the
Father </b><br />
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Will You forgive that
sin where I begun, <o:p></o:p></div>
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Which is my sin, though
it were done before? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Will You forgive that
sin through which I run, <o:p></o:p></div>
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And do run still,
though still I do deplore? <o:p></o:p></div>
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When You are done, You
are not done, <o:p></o:p></div>
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For I have more.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Will You forgive that
sin which I have won <o:p></o:p></div>
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Others to sin? and made
my sin their door? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Will You forgive that
sin which I did shun <o:p></o:p></div>
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A year or two, but
wallowed in a score? <o:p></o:p></div>
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When You are done, You
are not done, <o:p></o:p></div>
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For I have more.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a sin of fear,
that when I have spun <o:p></o:p></div>
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My last thread, I shall
perish on the shore; <o:p></o:p></div>
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Swear by Yourself, that
at my death Your Son <o:p></o:p></div>
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Shall shine as he
shines now and heretofore; <o:p></o:p></div>
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And, having done that,
You have done, <o:p></o:p></div>
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I fear no more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Psalm 103:12 "as far as the east is from
the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." </div>
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Micah
7:19 "He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our
iniquities under foot. Thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the
sea."<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Give thanks and honor our God.</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-63104842828179824412018-05-09T11:32:00.003-04:002018-05-09T11:32:57.339-04:00Great Churches Thomas Road<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 24.5pt; text-indent: .25in;">
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<b><br /></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">Do you wonder what he most influential in church history in the past 100 years were, and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px;">what trends did they set and how </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.25in;">they expressed their influence? Can those past churches’ successes help us today? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.25in;">Read, </span><i style="font-family: "times new roman", serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.25in;">The Ten Most Influential Churches in the Past Century</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; text-indent: 0.25in;">, published by Destiny Image Publishers by Elmer Towns. Order this book from Amazon.com</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I first visited Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1968 doing research on the book, <i>The Ten Largest Sunday Schools and What Made Them Grow</i>. That book eventually became a bestseller and remained on the list for over 14 months. During my first Sunday visit, I taught the Pastor’s Bible Class in the main auditorium to around 2,000 people.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What captivated me most was the sermon preached by Jerry Falwell, the church’s founder and pastor. His sermon was taken from Acts 5:28, “<span class="text">Behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine.” Jerry explained every church should fill its “Jerusalem” where it is located. Falwell explained <i>Saturation Evangelism</i>, “Using every available means, to reach every available person, at every available time.” He wanted to preach to every person in America over television and his aim was to air the Old Time Gospel Hour in every major television market in America. He also created a mailing campaign to get the gospel out to everyone. I walked into the first auditorium to see four large computers, larger than a walk-in refrigerator. </span> The data for 100,000 mailing addresses were kept on those computers. Today, that amount of data can be stored in a smart phone. Jerry Falwell was committed to raising the money, paying the price, sacrificing his time and effort to carry the gospel to the entire world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Out of Thomas Road Baptist Church has grown Liberty University, the largest Christian university in the world (and perhaps in history). When I retired as dean of seminary and School of Religion there were over 113,000 students enrolled online and in the resident program. There have been graduation class of approximately 20,000 people, with over 4,000 young people going into ministry. Many report that there are more Liberty graduates from Liberty in fulltime ministry than any other Christian university and seminary in the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">That morning when I first visited the church, Dr. Falwell announced to the audience that I was preparing a book on the ministry of Thomas Road Baptist Church. He said, “If you have been saved at this church, grab a visitor cards and write your testimony on the back of it, or use two or more cards. Put it in the offering plate and we will give it to Dr. Towns to help his research.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jerry handed me an old cigar box packed with over 100 testimonies of those who had been saved in the church. I went back to Harvey’s Motel, sat on the floor with the concept of <i>Saturation Evangelism</i> in my mind. I began placing different testimonies in piles with others who were saved using the same evangelistic method. People were saved through the jail ministry, television ministry, radio ministry, Sunday school bus ministry, evangelistic crusades, telephone outreach, tract distribution, etc. As I read the testimonies I wept. God had touched my heart through what He had done in many lives, alcoholic, broken families, abandoned, etc. In my opinion, Thomas Road Baptist Church was doing more to get the gospel to their entire “Jerusalem” than any other church I had experienced. I prayed that night that I might have a part with this church, not knowing that one day I would be the Co-Founder with Jerry Falwell of Liberty University.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">WANT TO READ MORE?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What churches were the most influential in church history in the past 100 years? What trends did they set? How did they express their influence? Can past churches’ successes help you today? What can the ministry of past successful churches teach us today? Read, <i>The Ten Most Influential Churches in the Past Century</i>, published by Destiny Image Publishers by Elmer Towns. Order this book from Amazon.com</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">We train Christian leaders how to build a great church regardless of size. Tune in to my Sweeten Life Web page and buy my books to learn more about building great Christian relationships. </a></div>
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Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-26246835466970629292018-05-08T17:00:00.002-04:002018-05-08T17:02:38.036-04:00Sexual License and Despair<br />
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The "Me Too " tag has unleashed a torrent of complaints from women accusing males of accosting them in ways large and small. Hardly a day passes that we do not read about some famous person who was previously lauded as being "Pro Woman/Pro Feminist" that has been outed as a sexual predator.<br />
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<a href="https://www.city-journal.org/html/sexual-revolutions-angry-children-15827.html" target="_blank">A recent article</a> on the sexual revolution has a stinging assessment of the past and present damage done to America because of it. Women, who were led blindly into the revolution expecting a wonder filled heaven of pleasure and freedom but have instead found the life of sexual license filled with predators and pain.<br />
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God always has the good or humans in mind when He tells us about the limits we need to set up on our behavior. God set limits of our sexual behavior and we have disagreed and we thought we knew best with tragic results just as God predicted when He said, "I have set before you death and life. Choose Life!" <br />
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The article lays out the tragic results of going astray for us as a nation and the citizens that must pay for the errors. As always, Christians who follow the ways of the Lord will pick up the pieces because we continue the works of The Great Physician.<br />
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I recently spoke with a man in his fifties that greeted the sexual revolution and volunteered to lead the charge in his region. He and his wife had been fighting for decades and he could not figure out why. I asked if they had had sex before marriage and he said, "Are you kidding? Everybody had sex back then. I do not know of a single man that did not."<br />
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I asked, "Have you asked your wife for forgiveness?"<br />
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He "Forgiveness? Why?"<br />
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Me, "Were you a confessing Christian?"<br />
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He "Yes".<br />
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Me "Was it wrong to do it?"<br />
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He "Well...Yes".<br />
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Me "Then go home and ask her forgiveness."<br />
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He "Well, I know a lot of guys that need to confess."<br />
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Me "So, now you can tell them how you did it."<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/store" target="_blank">Want to know how to recover from past errors? Get my books. </a><br />
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<br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-78414394806432842472018-05-03T09:21:00.001-04:002018-05-03T09:21:46.831-04:00Drugs, Suicide, and Mental Health<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In the paper recently there have been several articles about the deaths of people from drugs and suicide. The death of one person from an accident or disease is terrible but when it occurs in the life of a seemingly healthy person it hits us doubly hard.<br />
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The survivors of deaths from drugs and suicide are especially hard hit. It leaves the family and friends asking themselves a lot of questions and pain because we wonder what we might have done wrong or left out that "caused" our loved ones to take such a drastic action.<br />
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Both suicide and drug abuse are hared to prevent. What signs of real depression or anger did I miss that I SHOULD have caught? Did they hint at their despair? Did some comment of mine cause them to lose hope? We just do not know, and that is an awful feeling.<br />
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In each situation we often read how happy or well adjusted the person was and how surprised we are a his or her decision. In some situations the person is in Therapy and the Therapist is as surprised as everyone else. So, intervening is difficult.<br />
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Some of the usual preventive factors are an active involvement in a faith group and a solid sense of self respect, not just self image. <br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/" target="_blank">Fellowship with good people and a faith in God are very good acts of prevention. Learn more on our web page. </a><br />
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Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-9896590121546643622018-05-02T16:52:00.003-04:002018-05-02T16:52:50.377-04:00Why So Much Despair?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">The correlations between drugs, alcohol, smoking, pornography, and a despairing lifestyle is highly correlated with early childhood losses and trauma. As long as we as a nation have women having babies and rearing them without a man around to love, nurture, discipline, and support the child we will have increasing despair. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The lack of agreement in our society that sex outside marriage is harmful has damaged the psyche of millions of people and brought about an anti-commitment attitude in millions of people. This has been exacerbated by the honoring and idolizing of people like Hugh Hefner and Larry Flint have led many people to fulfill their lusts with no consideration of the consequences in themselves, their partners and their offspring. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hefner ended up with leading beautiful triplets on a leash around his mansions like a slave owner proudly showing off his chattel. But, the truth was far different. Hefner was unable to have sex with any woman and spent his days watching gay porn in a bizarre display of failing to live anything but a nightmare. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The more recent evil acts of Harvey Weinstein and others who acted out the violent fantasies they saw on pornographic videos. Several have asked, "Where were his parents?" but it is more likely that they knew nothing of his desperate search for sexual highs though brutality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Despair leads to acting out desperately in ways that bring death rather than life. God told His people that He had set before them "Death or Life and to choose life". Hefner knew his scripture but he rebelled against it and chose death rather than life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Scoffers make fun of VP Pence for being a prude but he has chosen life not death. When I was a teenager I met the Lord in a dramatic manner. To the consternation of my drunken friends I stopped all the drinking and partying and they protested strongly. One great former friend even threatened to "Kick my _________" if I refused to drink with him. Why do humans that chose<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Times New Roman; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span> activities of despair demand that we join them? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">To abstain is to judge! People in despair know they are choosing deathly actions. When we show we can change it is convicting to them and they get angry. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jesus told us in Luke 10 to ignore Scoffers who point their bony fingers at us and accuse us of evil. My friend who promised to "Kick my ____" did not. I just smiled and said, "Would you also get mad at me if I did not want to eat green beans?" He laughed and let it go. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the evil haters want to attack us because of politics and religion so they will not stop. They are addicted to despair and cannot stand happy people. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7493033543472318622.post-89427487198440663072018-05-01T22:05:00.001-04:002018-05-01T22:05:06.637-04:00Despair and Death <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Disaster Awaits Me</span></b><br />
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Unless a person is under a rock, we all know that drugs, depression, and self harm are killing many, many people. <a href="https://www.thefix.com/johann-hari-deaths-despair-and-rebuilding-connections-america" target="_blank">There is a recent article about it here. </a><br />
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The article points out, as have others, that people are frustrated and lost the meaning of life. They are living in despair.<br />
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As a Christian, an educator, and a Counselor, I am convinced that it will take more places of Recovery but much more to make an impact on the problem of drugs and the problems behind the drugs. For example, the article mentions that many drug users have given up hope of getting a better job or getting out of the bad parts of town. These are issues of imagination and identity. For millennia people have had to scratch and labor to make it in life. Before the current era 90% of the US had to work in menial jobs. But they did it and most did not become addicts or depressed as a result.<br />
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I am not sure why but I wonder if it was because our expectations were low. Now, expectations are sky high ands when we do not all become famous, we may conclude we are failures. Dr. Martin Seligman studied distressed, depressed, and anxious people. He came to the conclusion that people in despair had a faulty or easily overcome Belief System. <br />
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Seligman said many depressed folks have an Explanatory Style of Pessimism that leads them to view Adversities in an especially devastating manner. Maybe you or someone you love has such a style of thinking. Hang on and I will lay it out for you in my following posts.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sweetenlife.com/store" target="_blank">You can help others by getting my PDF. eBook at the Store on Sweetenlife.com </a>Gary Sweetenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11605611324531608167noreply@blogger.com0