Success in Life

Most of us want to be winners in life. The goals we have can vary tremendously from person to person but few of us want to win. I know people who want to succeed in business, leadership, education, sports, church life, family life, parenting, sales, preaching, writing, etc. What can be said about discovering the key to success in such varied fields?

That was the topic of a doctoral dissertation I did in 1975. Back then I wanted to succeed as a Counselor, especially to adults and college students. The classes I took gave us all kinds of theories for helping people. Although every theorist claimed to have the best approach, how was I to pick the best one to actually use?

Then I went to a weeklong seminar on "Outcomes in Counseling, Education and Medicine". Wow! I liked that title so I went down to Georgia and took the training. Here is what I discovered.

1. Every theory works about as well a any other theory.
2. The key to good outcomes is how well the Helper and the Seeker blend in working on solutions.
3. The Core Conditions of good counselors, good teachers, good nurses and good doctors are the same. People who exhibit the Core Conditions will see healing and growth in their students, clients and patients.
4. The Core Conditions are being genuine, respectful, empathic and warm.

If we want to succeed as a parent, husband, teacher, salesman, leader, counselor, pastor, or person, develop these four characteristics. My books and videos are all focused on facilitating these skills can be found here. You may want to take a look and see what you think.

Conservative Christians Love and Care

Committed Christians are growing and changing and being liberated to serve others. And here is a key to understand the impact of Christianity better. Christians form organizations and form healing structures. In other words, this is not just a bunch of individuals doing good works. It is people coming together in a community of compassion and action.

The number of churches, parachurch organizations and volunteer structures that Christians form have an enormous positive influence both formally and informally.

The article goes on to say: "Following the numbers even further, we begin to see the broader picture of religion helping people in America. For instance, there are:

-78,000 programs to help people struggling with mental illness

-56,000 groups dedicated to improving race relations

-129,000 groups for people struggling with alcohol and drug abuse

-25,000 groups helping people living with HIV/AIDS

-120,000 groups to help the unemployed

-25,000 dedicated to discussing ways to reduce pollution and improve our environment

The enumeration of all these organizations and structures is amazing! And, they do not include Alcoholics Anonymous, and the other started by Christians but not openly Christian.

Can you share this and pass the word around?

Support my ministry here! 

You may find it worthwhile. 

Strongly Committed Christians Do More Good than Others

Research shows in data what many of us already know. 

People in the USA with a strong commitment to Christ actually live out their faith with a lot of hope and love. The article was in the 2016 edition of the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. Georgetown University’s Brian Grim and Newseum’s Melissa Grim (a father and daughter team) conducted the study, which was sponsored by an organization called Faith Counts.

In their most conservative estimate, which only factored the revenues of religious organizations, the byproduct of “educational institutions, healthcare networks, congregational activities, charitable social services, media and food,” the study found faith-based enterprises account for $378 billion every year to the U.S. economy. In their most inclusive estimate, which took into consideration all the things the conservative estimate did, along with the impact religion has on American businesses, the figure comes out to $1.2 trillion.

As the study’s Abstract states, the conservative figure of $378 billion “is more than the global annual revenues of tech giants Apple and Microsoft combined.” The higher estimate of $1.2 trillion is “the equivalent of nearly a third of America’s gross domestic product (GDP).” Whichever way you look at it, that’s a lot of money.

On their website, Faith Counts features a video that includes some of the highlights from the study’s findings and relates them to the needs of America’s modern, diverse society.

Fore the sceptics this data is not good news. There are several well known people in the USA that attack all organized religion but especially Christianity. 

What do you think about this study? 

We at Sweeten Life Systems ar a major part of this group and we have a huge outreach to help people in need. Go to our web and see our materials and videos that equip Christians to do more with more skill and knowledge. 

I am remembering the people we have trained to minister that are leading hundreds of men and women out of addiction to pornography, alcohol and drugs. One couple reared behind the Iron Curtain in the USSR came to Christ and then came to sobriety out of alcohol and domestic abuse. PTL!

Do You think we need "Safe Places" to speak Honestly?

I am fascinated by the student uprisings on college campuses demanding that speakers with conservative ideas be banned. Some also demand certain books be banned from classes and professors stop reading some authors who "trigger" negative emotions in students.

As an Assistant Dean at U of Cincy in the Sixties and Seventies we also had student uprisings. However, they focused on freedom of speech everywhere on campus. Now certain students want speech to be banned.

What a change.    

What do you think about banning speakers? If so,who?

Does the US Constitution prohibit banning uncomfortable speech?    

How about freedom of assembly? Should controversial speakers be allowed to speak only in a certain spot?

Should Christian Pro-Marriage and Pro-Life speakers be banned because they are controversial?

Are you afraid to speak up about your ideas?

If your alma mater banned speech would you still send them money?

Let me know what you think.

Hit LIKE and click this link to send a donation or get one of our heavy duty books about freedom.

What Happened in the USSR to Stop Christian Ministry

Last week I posted an overview of some of those challenges but allow me to add a historical view to explain why I am so concerned about losing our American freedoms. Go back and read that link.

Here is what the USSR did in 1929 to suppress Christians.

The main target of the anti-religion campaign in the 1920’s and 30’s was the Russian Orthodox Church.  Because it had the largest number of faithful followers and the most clergy it suffered most. Perhaps the most devastating event occurred not in outright persecution or killing but in a subtle act of the Central Committee. On April 8, 1929, the Party made the following decree.

You say you are not of this world. Well then, there is nothing for you to do in this world. That is why I forbid the church to set up benefit societies, cooperatives of industrial societies, to offer material aid to your members, to organize children’s and young people’s groups for prayers and other purposes, or general, biblical, literal or handicraft groups for the purpose of religious instruction and the like, or to organize groups, circles or sections; to arrange excursions, kindergartens, open libraries and reading rooms, organize sanatoria or medical aid. This forbids the development of all charitable foundations, Christian worker groups, and giving food, clothing and shelter to members. 

Can it happen here? Our work directly defends freedom of religion for all people. If you support us you might can help us out. 

Fantastic Reviews about Sweeten Life

Why do I feel so badly? Can you give me some advice? Is my self anger out of control? Should I quit throwing computers out the window? 

It is always good to get feedback from our friends, students and clients. I especially like feedback when people like me. We recently received GLOWING feedback from all but one of our students.

I was wishing for 100% positive reviews but one student said," I did not like the lectures by Gary Sweeten.

I of course wanted to speak with him or her to find out what I did that was my problem. However, there were no added comments, just "I did not like the lectures by Gary Sweeten".

Shazaam! Right to the heart. Oh sure, every other evaluation was positive but guess which one sticks in my craw? Yep, that one negative review.

Then came my self assessment. "Am I so narcissistic that I cannot get even ONE negative comment without having an anxiety attack? " (Slight exaggeration!) So, all in all I am happy to get feedback that causes me to analyze what I am doing that can be improved.

How about you? If one person has a negative comment does it get under you skin? How do you handle it? Are you able to renew your mind and push those Automatic Negative Thoughts aside? At Sweeten Life we sweeten life. We take sour experiences and turn them into sweetness and life.

If you share these posts you can also sweeten the lives of your friends. Blessing others brings blessings to us as good behaviors are like boomerangs!

If we give we also receive. What a great blessing!

Thanks for listening. If you hit LIKE I might feel better and if you buy one of my very good books that is cheap and easy to order I might be healed. 

Oh, well. At least pray for me. 

Why Have We Lost our Freedom to Speak?

Dr. Borlaug spoke up and saved millions of lives.

Rasmussen Reports the following as a result of their research.

Two-out-of-three Americans view political correctness as a threat and say they don't have freedom of speech anymore. 

Earlier this month the president of DePaul University announced that he is stepping down following student protests that culminated in the shutting down of a speech by a prominent young conservative writer. The growing number of similar protests at other colleges and universities in recent months has a sizable number of Americans questioning whether free speech has a place on modern campuses. 

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 39% of American Adults think there is less freedom of speech on U.S. college campuses today than there has been in the past. Twenty-six percent (26%) believe there’s more freedom of speech, while 29% say the level of freedom is about the same

Support our focus on promoting freedom to speak and it might work. Read our books and watch our videos an you might to learn how to speak better.