Wednesday, February 10, 2016

The Power of Positive



When we had an In-Patient program I often visited with the residents and opened their minds by asking a trick question:

Me: "Good morning Joe. How is God treating you today?"
Joe: "Oh, Great! God is good!"
Me: "Joe, are you treating yourself as good as God treats you?
Joe: Stutteringly replies, "Well, no! That would be selfish."

Most of us are trained to say, "God is good! All the time". But we are also trained to think and say, "If I offer myself blessings, grace and mercy I am being selfish".

That is a classic Double Bind that causes a deep crises of faith. As a result many of us wind up with STINKING THINKING! or thinking that fills our Self-Talk with self condemnation and 
defeat. 

I suggest that we will only believe and receive God's
goodness when we agree with Him about offering mercy and grace and truth to ourselves.

To learn more read my PDF book Power Christian Thinking.



Monday, February 8, 2016

Pessimistic People



Why are so many people, especially Christians, dismayingly pessimistic? Why do I read so many sermons, books and articles pointing out the crises, sins, falls and failures of ordinary and leading Christians?

As I write this I think I may have a partial answer. Because the Pastors and Preachers have such negative ideas about God. When I was still actively leading a Christian Counseling Clinic and In-Patient Program, I regularly had classes with our Clients. Without exception, they had encountered a problem in life, and failed to rise to the occasion with high Christian ideals and failed to live like a perfect Christ follower.

The result was a spiritual, emotional and behavioral disaster of depression and rebellion. That failure led, of course, to more Guilt and Shame and eventually to depression and Compulsive Behavior such as pornography, overeating or
alcohol.

The believer attends church or skkes Christian Counsel and more than likely receives the same advice that Job got from his friends: "You have sinned so repent and die!"

My Clients told such stories over and over again. They saw God a big Judge ready to beat them with the Law and the Christians they knew exaggerated their fears with more condemnation. The entire clan was immersed with Pessimism and Punishment.

The leaders do not communicate that God is filled with love and mercy.  They believe God has no grace except for those who deserve it and work hard to get it.

If I had a God like that I would also be depressed and drunk!

Go to my web page for the Good News of God's Grace!

Gary Sweeten

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Football Fun and Quotes at Super Bowl



After being massacred in the Championship Game by the Chicago Bears 71-0 when asked "What was the Turning Point of the game?"
Said Sammy Baugh..........


"The Opening Kickoff"

"Gentlemen, it is better to have died a small boy than to fumble the
football"   
John Heisman 

"I make my practices real hard because if a player is a quitter, I want him to quit in practice, not in a game."
Bear Bryant / Alabama

 
"It isn't necessary to see a good tackle, you can hear it!"
Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

 
"At Georgia Southern, we don't cheat.  That costs money, and we don't have any."
Erk Russell / Georgia Southern

"The man who complains about the way the ball bounces is likely to be.  the one who dropped it."
Lou Holtz / Arkansas - Norte Dame

  
"When you win, nothing hurts."
Joe Namath / Alabama

  
"A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall."    
Frank Leahy / Notre Dame

 
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out
of you."   
Woody Hayes / Ohio State

 
"I don't expect to win enough games to be put on NCAA probation.  I just want to win enough to warrant an investigation."
Bob Devaney / Nebraska

"In Alabama, an atheist is someone who doesn't believe in Bear Bryant."
Wally Butts / Georgia

  
"I never graduated from Iowa...  but I was only there for two terms -
Truman's and Eisenhower's."
Alex Karras / Iowa

  
"My advice to defensive players is to take the shortest route to the ball.. and arrive in a bad humor."
Bowden Wyatt / Tennessee

  
"I could have been a Rhodes Scholar except for my grades."
Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

  
"Always remember that Goliath was a 40 point favorite over David."
Shug Jordan / Auburn

  
"I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn't recruit me. 
"He said, "Well, Walt, we took a look at you, and you weren't any good."
Walt Garrison / Oklahoma State

  
"Son, you've got a good engine, but your hands aren't on the steering
wheel."   
Bobby Bowden / Florida State

"Football is NOT a contact sport, it is a collision sport...  Dancing IS a
contact sport."   
Duffy Daugherty / Michigan State

 
USC lost 51-0 to Notre Dame, his post-game message to his team was.  "All those who need showers, take them."
John McKay / USC  

  
"If lessons are learned in defeat, our team is getting a great education."
Murray Warmath / Minnesota

  
"The only qualifications for a lineman are to be big and dumb.  To be a
back, you only have to be dumb."
Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

  
"We live one day at a time and scratch where it itches."
Darrell Royal / Texas

  
"We didn't tackle well today, but we made up for it by not blocking."
John McKay / USC  

  
"I've found that prayers work best when you have big players."
Knute Rockne / Notre Dame

Friday, February 5, 2016

The Importance of Parenting Babies




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

It is not always easy to love a little baby. They may cry and squirm and want to eat any time. They poop in the diaper at very inopportune times.

Babies wake us up and care little if the parents get any sleep, even after a hard day at work. We can understand why we get irritated even when we love them so much.

We have known intuitively  for a long time that loving and nurturing children during early life was important. However, research now proves just how important nurture and caring are for the long term health of every child.

Little kids that are not nurtured, nuzzled and chatted with are intellectually, emotionally and relationally delayed. Talking and interacting with babies from earliest childhood is  especially important.

I have taught on the importance of dialogue with older kids and adults fir ages but never before about adults and babies. Read about it here. 

Baby and family dialogues is the ticket. It is that simple act that is so important to the development of brain. It widens the vocabulary of the child and stimulates the brain to add millions of new roots. I remember when I first read about why nursing a baby on mother's breast is key to its development.

A woman's breast is the exact distance from the baby which allows it to look into his momma's eyes and receive her love. Yep, the non-verbal warmth of the mother is as important as the milk!

And, if we neglect to love and nurture the baby we can forever hinder its intellectual ability.


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Healing Life's Hurts



There is a lot of emphasis on Trauma in schools, child care and counseling. There are seminars, books, conferences and discussion about the lifelong impact of Trauma.

In addition, among my professions of Ministry, Education, and Counseling there are many discussions and controversies about the best ways to help people who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress. Here is my two sense from years of study and years of practice.

What really works to heal, change or repair the damages from Trauma?

Caring Relationships?
Education?
Cognitive Therapy?
Behavioral Therapy?
Freudian Therapy?
Biological Medicine?
Music Therapy?
Art Therapy?
Dance Therapy?
Prayer Therapy?
Preaching?
Worshipping?

What say you?

What does the Bible say?

Go to our web site for some suggestions. Our free video tapes are very good.

More later.

Gary Sweeten

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Family Involvement




Karen and I drove back to Illinois last week to be with my older brother Maury and his wife Angela for the memorial service for her 99 year old mother. In the midst of sadness there was also peace.

Jerry Carpenter had lived a very full, loving and Christ centered life for most of her 99 years. With that in mind we celebrated her life with great stories from her family, friends and neighbors.

The breakdown of the family with bitterness, single parents and broken relationships is sad and very destructive. Deep love brings grief but not like those who have no hope. Angela and her family have the sure hope of being with Granny Jerry again so the grief is tempered with hope.

If you do not have a healthy family, get busy and make peace.

If you are not a Christian, go to the Father for eternal life.

Blessings,

Gary Sweeten


Want to know more about the family from generation to generation? Watch these You Tubes. You can also read my book, How to be Me in My Family Tree.


Basic Family Tree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Utr6JhU3lgo

Extensive Family Tree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVhtAiASAlQ