Grow Through Serving

The Bible says that when we give we also receive. In fact, it seems to imply that the more we give to others the more we shall get back blessings and peace. They will be in a sack and have been "pressed down, shaken together and poured out into our laps".

I grew up in a farming community and have experienced exactly what the Bible teaches in this metaphor. Jesus was speaking to blue collar and small business people who understood the dynamics of buying and selling grain. If I went to your store to buy grain I would want you to fill my tow sack as completely and fully as possible. If you did not fill it to the brim I would pay much more than the going rate because I would be paying for air as well as grain.

In order to get all the oats that the sack would hold I would shake it vigorously so to press the oats down in a compact manner and force all the air out of the sack. I don't want air I want oats. Any air pocket would look like a packed sack but I would be cheated. It is the same as if the business man was putting his finger on the scale as well as the meat.

By serving and giving we get a full load of blessings. Jesus says the good stuff coming back to us will be "pressed down and shaken together" so we get as much as possible for the little we give to others. The implications are enormous for our peace, joy and happiness. As we serve others according to our gifts and talents, we can enter into what some researchers call, "FLOW". That is a mental and emotional state that seems to fly by as fast as can be.

Flow means that we are so caught up in our actions that we forget about being tired, hungry uncomfortable, or down in the dumps. It is a state of joy. This is why Jesus said serving and giving from our gifts and talents will come back as a blessing. I have been watching a TV show about secret millionaires who go underground to find a non profit that is serving others. In every case the millionaires find great joy in humbly serving the poor, downtrodden and marginalized. As a result, they wanted to give more of their time and money.

Here are some hints about finding these blessings. 1.Better understand your strengths, gifts, talents and call by trying out various volunteer opportunities. When we liberate our strengths in service to others we have the greatest joy. 2. Make sure the serving costs you something. Time, energy, money, status, and convenience. 3. Do your service in the Name of the Lord. Give glory to God for all you have and all you do. 4. Reflect on your experience afterward with some friends and family members who know how to listen. journal about your experience. What was the best parts? The worst parts? 5. Ask God what He thinks about your experience.

On May 27 we are hosting the parents of kids with a disability. You are welcome to come and serve them and learn about our ministry. If you are interested write me at gary@sweetenlife.com. You can also go to our web page for more information.

Music, Worship, Counseling and Healing

I just read Daryl Chow's blog called Music of Therapy and found it fascinating and well written. He has a well developed blog and integrates music and counseling/therapy in a interesting manner. I think he is on to something and hope you will read it.

Healing and Love

Sunday afternoon we stopped over at the Mason Christian Village to visit my Mother in Law, age 94. Hazel and I have been partners in Pinochle for over 48 years. I know how long it has been because Karen and I started dating close to 49 year ago. In fact, our first date was May 6, 1961.

Hazel and I had spent an afternoon defending our spectacular record of beating Karen and her sister Toni some 46 of those 49 years. Here is the problem; at age 94 Hazel can barely remember the trump suit let alone how to bid and play.

But we played and had loads of fun despite the fact that we lost every hand. We laughed and kidded around and talked about the old days. Hazel, who has an inoperable disease, was almost like her old self and perked up all day without a nap. Yes, being together in warmth, and love had a very positive impact on her.

At 94 Hazel is not going to be cured but she can be healed substantially. Nothing cures old age but faith, hope and love can bring a person new joy and energy. That is exactly what happened to Hazel. She normally sleeps many hours each day but with us there she took no nap and was mentally alert all afternoon and even attended church that night.

Sharing life together in the joy of the Lord can have wonderful effects. It is free, easy to do and can be entered into with little or no preparation. Many people spend their lives in desperate isolation. They need someone to stop by and say hello or play a game of gin rummy. We don't need special training or deep religious understanding to be a vessel of God's love, grace and mercy.

These three remain; faith, hope and love but the greatest is love. I CO 13:13.

Autism and Allelluia

My friend and adviser Kathy Bolduc, has written, Autism and Alleluias, a powerful book about rearing a child with Autism. Kathy and her husband along with many other prayer warriors are deeply involved in healing prayer for any person in need. But in this book Kathy follows up on her two former titles to share in story, verse and principles the joys and sorrows of having a child with a severe disability.

Kathy is a wonderful writer along with being a sensitive and jarringly honest reporter. Her books are designed to take us into the depths of her own struggles with life and with seeking God's wisdom as a mother.

If you know someone with a severe, chronic disability then this book will aide you in developing a better understanding of how to care for them more appropriately.

Church Planting in Eastern Europe

I was shocked to hear Peter Dyhr of Denmark say that there are hundreds of new churches being planted in Europe and the Eastern Bloc. Secular Humanism and Communism had about destroyed Christianity in Scandinavia and Europe but God is doing a great work there now.

Peter works for the ECPN - European Church Planting Network and Pastors a new church plant in Copenhagen, Denmark which is a nation filled with dead state churches. Wait until your hear how they are doing it.

Peter works with every denomination and every ethnic group and has them cooperating to share the gospel. It was very exciting to hear what God is doing and Galina Chentsova and I were chatting with him about having the Russian Ministry Liferoute that she heads train the Russian speaking church leaders in the skills of healthy Christian living. The Sweeten Life Systems sponsored Liferoute is very successfuly bringing healing and growth in Russia and Ukraine. Peter wants the same kind of love, healing and growth to occur in the networks he facilitates.

Many of the new churches in Europe are organized around, now get this, Black Gospel Music!!! There are numerous secular groups singing Black Gospel all over Europe so the church planters are following the Spirit and using the music to draw people to Jesus. it is working and the churches are prospering. Praise God!

Remember on this Good Friday that the uprising is coming.

Is It Still A Healing Community

I am still getting a lot of calls from people who want me to pray for them. In fact, an old friend called tonight telling me that he is getting similar calls. People we knew 30 years ago are wanting us to minister to them because they do not have a church that knows how to pray for healing. That is a shocking situation.

I recently spoke with a woman from Europe whose Missionary husband told her to stop praying so much. He restricted her to 15 minutes each day of prayer and he told her she was praying for other people too much. It seems that many young mothers were calling her asking for someone to listen to them and pray for them. "It is unseemly," he said, "for these people to air their dirty laundry in front of others and ask them to pray."

Can you imagine St. Paul telling his small band of believers not to pray so much. In fact, the Bible says to "Pray without ceasing". If there is anything that is taking up too much time it is not prayer. Television, radio, sports, coffee shops and gossip take up more of our time than prayer.

When we get to the place that the Ministers do not know how to pray for people we have passed crisis and entered into chaos and agony. How many churches do you know that have prayer meetings and healing meetings? Not many.

We are doing a research study on ways the church can help families with a disabled child. One of our questions was, "Has the church taught you to pray for your child?" Few answered "YES!" In fact, not many churches pray for the child or the family.

Can you imagine training doctors who did not know how to take blood pressure? Would want a Doctor that did not know how to use a stethoscope?

Would you take your car to a mechanic that could not drive?

Would you hire a carpenter that was unable to use a hammer or screw driver?

Basic tools of the trade must be mastered by every profession yet so few Clergy know how to pray for healing and how to teach their members how to pray.

No wonder so many people are chronically sick, weak and debilitated. What happened to the simple truths that Jesus practiced and taught about healing prayers?

The story is told about a Pastor that was awakened from a deep sleep one night in New York City church. When he opened the locked door, a homeless, sickly old man confronted him by asking: "Well, are you doing it or not? The Pastor replied, "Are we doing what, sir?"

The sickly man said, "Are you doing hat you advertise on the cornerstone of the church?" The Pastor said, "What does it say?" and he went around to read the cornerstone which had on it: "Jesus Christ told His followers to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."

"No," said the Pastor. "We don't do those things today. We have doctors, medicines and Psychiatrists so it isn't needed."

"well then," replied the man, "take that off the cornerstone or I will sue you for false advertising."

What do your advertise? Do you still deliver it?

See Sweeten Life Systems For more information about how to disciple.