Prayer Works; Especially on Heart Disease
I recently went through a series of examinations to see if I had a blockage in my arteries. This is not moot question for I had severe chest pains while on a 13 hour flight from the USA to Tokyo five years ago. Not the friendly skies, eh? An angioplasty and stent opened the artery up but my heart muscle was damaged.
Every spring I go back for a thorough check-up and this time the nuclear exam showed another block. I was scheduled for another angiogram. However, just before the angiogram I experienced internal bleeding and spent three days in The Christ Hospital.
During this time I received lots of prayer for my colon and my heart. Last Monday I saw the results. Dr. Kereiakes took a look at the angiogram and exclaimed happily, "A false alarm." I believe the block was removed through prayer.
There is a lot of research showing the efficacy of prayer on disease but none with better results than heart disease. When patients at a San Francisco hospital were randomly assigned to Christian prayer groups for intercessory prayers by first name, they got better.
The fatality rates were lower and the complications lower. The people were released from the hospital earlier. So, PRAYER
WORKS! And, there are no bad side effects.
Ask, Seek and Knock!
Is there anyone among you sick. Call for the elders and let them anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayers offered in faith will raise him up... James 5:14-15
Have faith and hope and get His love.
Saturday, June 19, 2004
A Christian Nation
Statistics say America is not only a religious nation but also a Christian one. Up to 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Brian Cronin, who litigated against a cross on public land in Boise, Idaho, complained, "For Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians in Boise, the cross only drives home the point that they are strangers in a strange land." yep, that is correct for they are.
America is a predominantly Christian nation with a secular government. Non-Christians may legitimately see themselves as strangers because they or their ancestors moved to this "strange land" founded and peopled by Christians -- even as Christians become strangers by moving to Israel, India, Thailand or Morocco, when I am visiting Buddhist Thailand I do not expect that they will deny their religion.
It is said that India is the most religious nation on earth and Sweden the least. The American population is like India and the government is like Sweden. This causes deep conflict.
Today, overwhelming majorities of Americans affirm religious beliefs. When asked in 2003 simply whether they believed in God or not, 92% said yes.
In a series of 2002-03 polls, 65% said religion was very important in their lives, 27% said fairly important, and 18% said not very important.
Large proportions are active in the practice of their religion. In 2002 and 2003, an average of 65% claimed membership in a church or synagogue. About 40% said they had attended church or synagogue in the previous seven days, and roughly 33% said they went to church at least once a week.
In the same period, about 60% of Americans said they prayed one or more times a day, more than 20% once or more a week, about 10% less than once a week, and 10% never.
Only about 10% of Americans espouse atheism, and most Americans do not approve of it.
Although the willingness of Americans to vote for a presidential candidate from a minority group has increased dramatically -- over 90% of those polled in 1999 said they would vote for a black, Jewish or female presidential candidate, while 59% were willing to vote for a homosexual -- only 49% were willing to vote for an atheist.
Americans seem to agree with the Founding Fathers that their republican government requires a religious base, and hence find it difficult to accept the explicit rejection of God.
Statistics say America is not only a religious nation but also a Christian one. Up to 85% of Americans identify themselves as Christians. Brian Cronin, who litigated against a cross on public land in Boise, Idaho, complained, "For Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and other non-Christians in Boise, the cross only drives home the point that they are strangers in a strange land." yep, that is correct for they are.
America is a predominantly Christian nation with a secular government. Non-Christians may legitimately see themselves as strangers because they or their ancestors moved to this "strange land" founded and peopled by Christians -- even as Christians become strangers by moving to Israel, India, Thailand or Morocco, when I am visiting Buddhist Thailand I do not expect that they will deny their religion.
It is said that India is the most religious nation on earth and Sweden the least. The American population is like India and the government is like Sweden. This causes deep conflict.
Today, overwhelming majorities of Americans affirm religious beliefs. When asked in 2003 simply whether they believed in God or not, 92% said yes.
In a series of 2002-03 polls, 65% said religion was very important in their lives, 27% said fairly important, and 18% said not very important.
Large proportions are active in the practice of their religion. In 2002 and 2003, an average of 65% claimed membership in a church or synagogue. About 40% said they had attended church or synagogue in the previous seven days, and roughly 33% said they went to church at least once a week.
In the same period, about 60% of Americans said they prayed one or more times a day, more than 20% once or more a week, about 10% less than once a week, and 10% never.
Only about 10% of Americans espouse atheism, and most Americans do not approve of it.
Although the willingness of Americans to vote for a presidential candidate from a minority group has increased dramatically -- over 90% of those polled in 1999 said they would vote for a black, Jewish or female presidential candidate, while 59% were willing to vote for a homosexual -- only 49% were willing to vote for an atheist.
Americans seem to agree with the Founding Fathers that their republican government requires a religious base, and hence find it difficult to accept the explicit rejection of God.
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Religion and Government: A Conflict?
Can you imagine any person with strong convictions, morals and values that would not try to practice them in his or her job? Anyone who does not live according to his or her professed values is rightly called a hypocrite, a mask wearer. One of the most important things a leader can do is develop and apply a set of core values.
According to an article entitled,'Under God'in the Wall Street Journal on June 16 2004 By SAMUEL P. HUNTINGTON,
Americans have always been extremely religious and overwhelmingly Christian. The 17th-century settlers founded their communities in America in large part for religious reasons.
Eighteenth-century Americans saw their Revolution in religious and largely biblical terms. The Revolution reflected their "covenant with God" and was a war between "God's elect" and the British "Antichrist."
Jefferson, Paine and other deists and nonbelievers felt it necessary to invoke religion to justify the Revolution.
The Declaration of Independence appealed to "Nature's God," the "Creator," "the Supreme Judge of the World," and "divine Providence" for approval, legitimacy and protection.
(Can you imagine how secularists and leftists would cry if a modern president said such things? George Bush looks mild compared to these statements.)
He also adds:
The Constitution includes no such references. Yet its framers firmly believed that the republican government they were creating could last only if it was rooted in morality and religion. "A Republic can only be supported by pure religion or austere morals," John Adams said.
Washington agreed: "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles."
Fifty years after the Constitution was adopted, Tocqueville reported that all Americans held religion "to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions."
The article by Mr. Harrington is well worth reading.
Ps. If we were not guided by Christian principles, there would be no conflict over abuse of prisoners, a just war, capital punishment, women in leadership or fighting child abuse. Saddam Hussein, Stalin, Hitler and other Pagan societies did all those things with impunity and no one complained.
Can you imagine any person with strong convictions, morals and values that would not try to practice them in his or her job? Anyone who does not live according to his or her professed values is rightly called a hypocrite, a mask wearer. One of the most important things a leader can do is develop and apply a set of core values.
According to an article entitled,'Under God'in the Wall Street Journal on June 16 2004 By SAMUEL P. HUNTINGTON,
Americans have always been extremely religious and overwhelmingly Christian. The 17th-century settlers founded their communities in America in large part for religious reasons.
Eighteenth-century Americans saw their Revolution in religious and largely biblical terms. The Revolution reflected their "covenant with God" and was a war between "God's elect" and the British "Antichrist."
Jefferson, Paine and other deists and nonbelievers felt it necessary to invoke religion to justify the Revolution.
The Declaration of Independence appealed to "Nature's God," the "Creator," "the Supreme Judge of the World," and "divine Providence" for approval, legitimacy and protection.
(Can you imagine how secularists and leftists would cry if a modern president said such things? George Bush looks mild compared to these statements.)
He also adds:
The Constitution includes no such references. Yet its framers firmly believed that the republican government they were creating could last only if it was rooted in morality and religion. "A Republic can only be supported by pure religion or austere morals," John Adams said.
Washington agreed: "Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles."
Fifty years after the Constitution was adopted, Tocqueville reported that all Americans held religion "to be indispensable to the maintenance of republican institutions."
The article by Mr. Harrington is well worth reading.
Ps. If we were not guided by Christian principles, there would be no conflict over abuse of prisoners, a just war, capital punishment, women in leadership or fighting child abuse. Saddam Hussein, Stalin, Hitler and other Pagan societies did all those things with impunity and no one complained.
Separation of Church and State?
There are many controversial issues in modern America. Few cause more heat and shed less light than the topic of "religion and public life". I have spent a lot of time thinking about the issues and have some thoughts that I hope will shed light more than produce heat.
1. The phrase, "Separation of church and state" is not found anywhere in the constitution or laws of the USA.
2. Despite this fact,I believe in the separation of a specific church denomination and the federal Government or an individual state.
3. The origin of America is Christian and all the Founders recognized that fact and wanted to keep it a Christian nation.
4. Christianity is not a church. Religion and spiritual practices are not a church.
5. I have been to Scandinavia over thirty times to teach. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have a state sponsored Lutheran Church. In all those countries it is the . Taxes pay for the training of clergy, the construction and upkeep of the buildings and all other expenses.
6. The state makes the laws that govern the church. In Sweden elections are held in the parish to elect the church council. Many atheists and anti-Christian fanatics are elected to the boards. They often assign atheists as pastors and welcome homosexual marriages.
7. Many countries have a tax supported Roman Catholic Church while others are Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. I think a tax supported, state controlled church is a terrible idea for everyone involved.
8. The USA has a Judeo-Christian philosophy and foundation but does not control the theology of the church denominations nor gives tax support to one specific denomination over another.
9. The greatest benefit of a separation of church and state is the freedom that it gives all religions from state control. The fear was never that the church would control the state but vice versa. Having religious people in a political office does not violate any law or principle of government.
10. The greatest danger is not the control of government by religion but the strong, angry opposition of secularists to all religions but especially to traditional, supernatural Christianity.
There are many controversial issues in modern America. Few cause more heat and shed less light than the topic of "religion and public life". I have spent a lot of time thinking about the issues and have some thoughts that I hope will shed light more than produce heat.
1. The phrase, "Separation of church and state" is not found anywhere in the constitution or laws of the USA.
2. Despite this fact,I believe in the separation of a specific church denomination and the federal Government or an individual state.
3. The origin of America is Christian and all the Founders recognized that fact and wanted to keep it a Christian nation.
4. Christianity is not a church. Religion and spiritual practices are not a church.
5. I have been to Scandinavia over thirty times to teach. Norway, Sweden and Denmark have a state sponsored Lutheran Church. In all those countries it is the . Taxes pay for the training of clergy, the construction and upkeep of the buildings and all other expenses.
6. The state makes the laws that govern the church. In Sweden elections are held in the parish to elect the church council. Many atheists and anti-Christian fanatics are elected to the boards. They often assign atheists as pastors and welcome homosexual marriages.
7. Many countries have a tax supported Roman Catholic Church while others are Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. I think a tax supported, state controlled church is a terrible idea for everyone involved.
8. The USA has a Judeo-Christian philosophy and foundation but does not control the theology of the church denominations nor gives tax support to one specific denomination over another.
9. The greatest benefit of a separation of church and state is the freedom that it gives all religions from state control. The fear was never that the church would control the state but vice versa. Having religious people in a political office does not violate any law or principle of government.
10. The greatest danger is not the control of government by religion but the strong, angry opposition of secularists to all religions but especially to traditional, supernatural Christianity.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Have A Heart
All good gifts come down from the Father above.
It is common to hear people complaining about the costs of medicine and medical treatment. The politicians respond to such complaints, of course, and try to get our votes by offering us ways to get high quality treatment at low quality prices.
I do not especially blame people for complaining or politicians for pandering to us when we do complain. However, over the past few years I have been blessed by very high quality care at very inexpensive prices. I had the services of highly qualified doctors, nurses and technicians with unbelievable medicines and Star Trek-like machines.
They saved my life and gave me many more years of good living despite a damaged heart and severely clogged arteries. Thank God for His gifts from above. On Monday, June 14 I received the blessings of a talented physician, Dean Kereiakes, and his team of highly trained staff.
The nuclear test of a month ago showed that I had a problem. Despite receiving a stent five years ago the scan revealed an aberration so only an angiogram could show exactly where it was and give Dr K a chance to roto-rooter it out and put another stent in my chest.
A few minutes after pushing the probe through my thigh into the heart he said with glee, "Great! It was a false alarm. This is good news."
Maybe it was all the prayers I got or maybe it was a false alarm but I an thankful to the Lord that I do not need another stent.
The life-saving service of Dr K and The Linder Heart Center at The Christ Hospital deserve every penny they get from me and my insurance. Because of them I will get to play with Lily and Jacob for many years to come. Thanks be to God for many more trips to Asia, Russia and maybe a golf trip to Scotland.
Frankly, the cost of health insurance is very reasonable when we consider what we get for the price. I got many more years of life and it is hard to put a price on that.
All good gifts come down from the Father above.
It is common to hear people complaining about the costs of medicine and medical treatment. The politicians respond to such complaints, of course, and try to get our votes by offering us ways to get high quality treatment at low quality prices.
I do not especially blame people for complaining or politicians for pandering to us when we do complain. However, over the past few years I have been blessed by very high quality care at very inexpensive prices. I had the services of highly qualified doctors, nurses and technicians with unbelievable medicines and Star Trek-like machines.
They saved my life and gave me many more years of good living despite a damaged heart and severely clogged arteries. Thank God for His gifts from above. On Monday, June 14 I received the blessings of a talented physician, Dean Kereiakes, and his team of highly trained staff.
The nuclear test of a month ago showed that I had a problem. Despite receiving a stent five years ago the scan revealed an aberration so only an angiogram could show exactly where it was and give Dr K a chance to roto-rooter it out and put another stent in my chest.
A few minutes after pushing the probe through my thigh into the heart he said with glee, "Great! It was a false alarm. This is good news."
Maybe it was all the prayers I got or maybe it was a false alarm but I an thankful to the Lord that I do not need another stent.
The life-saving service of Dr K and The Linder Heart Center at The Christ Hospital deserve every penny they get from me and my insurance. Because of them I will get to play with Lily and Jacob for many years to come. Thanks be to God for many more trips to Asia, Russia and maybe a golf trip to Scotland.
Frankly, the cost of health insurance is very reasonable when we consider what we get for the price. I got many more years of life and it is hard to put a price on that.
What Does D in D Day Mean?
We have been blessed in the United States by many TV programs and News reports about D-Day. I even preached about the ways our Allies were able to deceive Hitler's spies and make them think that the landing spot was to be Calais instead of Normandy. Near Dover, England across from Calais, thousands of fake airplanes were construced of wood and tanks were built of rubber and filledw with air to fool the Nazis.
The deception worked and we surprised the enemy brilliantly. (The moral for me was, "Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits.") I was extremely blessed to have a visitors in the congregation tell me that he had been in the company that constructed those fake airplanes.
Those who have imagined majestic words like "Demolition" or "Deliverance" or maybe even "Doom", will be disappointed by the facts. The D in D-Day plainly stands for "Day".
That makes the actual word "Day-Day".
It simply means the specific date of the planned invasion of a foreign country, which is of course top secret and cannot be uttered in public. So a stand-in is used: D-Day.
We have been blessed in the United States by many TV programs and News reports about D-Day. I even preached about the ways our Allies were able to deceive Hitler's spies and make them think that the landing spot was to be Calais instead of Normandy. Near Dover, England across from Calais, thousands of fake airplanes were construced of wood and tanks were built of rubber and filledw with air to fool the Nazis.
The deception worked and we surprised the enemy brilliantly. (The moral for me was, "Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits.") I was extremely blessed to have a visitors in the congregation tell me that he had been in the company that constructed those fake airplanes.
Those who have imagined majestic words like "Demolition" or "Deliverance" or maybe even "Doom", will be disappointed by the facts. The D in D-Day plainly stands for "Day".
That makes the actual word "Day-Day".
It simply means the specific date of the planned invasion of a foreign country, which is of course top secret and cannot be uttered in public. So a stand-in is used: D-Day.
Sunday, June 13, 2004
DID YOU KNOW?
As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view - it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.
DID YOU KNOW?
As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.
DID YOU KNOW?
James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind
for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
DID YOU KNOW?
Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ".
DID YOU KNOW?
Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.
DID YOU KNOW?
The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said, "Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."
As you walk up the steps to the building which houses the U.S. Supreme Court you can see near the top of the building a row of the world's law givers and each one is facing one in the middle who is facing forward with a full frontal view - it is Moses and he is holding the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
As you enter the Supreme Court courtroom, the two huge oak doors have the Ten Commandments engraved on each lower portion of each door.
DID YOU KNOW?
As you sit inside the courtroom, you can see the wall, right above where the Supreme Court judges sit, a display of the Ten Commandments!
DID YOU KNOW?
There are Bible verses etched in stone all over the Federal Buildings and Monuments in Washington, D.C.
DID YOU KNOW?
James Madison, the fourth president, known as "The Father of Our Constitution" made the following statement "We have staked the whole of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind
for self-government, upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God."
DID YOU KNOW?
Patrick Henry, that patriot and Founding Father of our country said, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ".
DID YOU KNOW?
Every session of Congress begins with a prayer by a paid preacher, whose salary has been paid by the taxpayer since 1777.
DID YOU KNOW?
The very first Supreme Court Justice, John Jay, said, "Americans should select and prefer Christians as their rulers."
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Christians Pick Up the Pieces
The devil comes to steal, rob and destroy but I came that you might have life in abundance. Jesus Christ, John 10:10
Some old friends recently related how they and others from their little church had helped a young woman through the last days of her life. The girl had grown up in the church but rejected its message for one of "freedom" that we see as license. After years of "riotous living" she fell ill and had no one to care for her and her three children.
The people at Old First Church stepped in and nursed, fed and medicated the woman and loved, disciplined and taught her children while protecting them from a violent father who was not married to their mother. It cost the church many thousands of dollars and many hundreds of hours, but it was done with love, grace and charm.
This is what Christians have always done. Luke 15 tells about a man with two sons. One ran off and destroyed his self respect, ruined his reputation and lost his fortune with riotous living. Then, with nowhere to go, the fellow returned to his father who fed, clothed and loved him despite the way he had been disrespected.
Why did so many pastors, Christian groups and believing volunteers but no United Atheists or Madelyn Murray O'Hare followers show up at Ground Zero? Why is it that Christians that strongly oppose drugs, crime, abortion and divorce also do the most to pick up the pieces from those same acts and their supporters do nothing?
The ACLU, The American Atheist Society and their kind complain about "Too much religion" and "Too much prayer" in the aftermath of tragedies. The stand at the side and do nothing to help while believers pick up the pieces. However, only the people of God have a message of faith, hope and love that propels us to heal the broken hearted.
Why do thousands of believers regularly travel to the former USSR with food, medicine, clothing, construction, schools and love? We fought the atheist society because we love the people. Our ministry in Russia offers hope with no strings attached. We have nothing to gain personally from taking light into the darkness. All we have is the same thing that motivated the Good Samaritan: love of our fellow man.
We hated Socialism, Stalin and the gulags because of what they did to their own people. This is why so many former victims of Communism came to honor Ronald Reagan.
Every charity hospital in the world can be traced back to scriptural ideas. Without God there is no morality. Without God there is no compassion. Without God there is no hope. Without God there is no motivation to help people in need.
With God all things are possible.
LifeWay Ministries in Russia needs your prayers
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
The devil comes to steal, rob and destroy but I came that you might have life in abundance. Jesus Christ, John 10:10
Some old friends recently related how they and others from their little church had helped a young woman through the last days of her life. The girl had grown up in the church but rejected its message for one of "freedom" that we see as license. After years of "riotous living" she fell ill and had no one to care for her and her three children.
The people at Old First Church stepped in and nursed, fed and medicated the woman and loved, disciplined and taught her children while protecting them from a violent father who was not married to their mother. It cost the church many thousands of dollars and many hundreds of hours, but it was done with love, grace and charm.
This is what Christians have always done. Luke 15 tells about a man with two sons. One ran off and destroyed his self respect, ruined his reputation and lost his fortune with riotous living. Then, with nowhere to go, the fellow returned to his father who fed, clothed and loved him despite the way he had been disrespected.
Why did so many pastors, Christian groups and believing volunteers but no United Atheists or Madelyn Murray O'Hare followers show up at Ground Zero? Why is it that Christians that strongly oppose drugs, crime, abortion and divorce also do the most to pick up the pieces from those same acts and their supporters do nothing?
The ACLU, The American Atheist Society and their kind complain about "Too much religion" and "Too much prayer" in the aftermath of tragedies. The stand at the side and do nothing to help while believers pick up the pieces. However, only the people of God have a message of faith, hope and love that propels us to heal the broken hearted.
Why do thousands of believers regularly travel to the former USSR with food, medicine, clothing, construction, schools and love? We fought the atheist society because we love the people. Our ministry in Russia offers hope with no strings attached. We have nothing to gain personally from taking light into the darkness. All we have is the same thing that motivated the Good Samaritan: love of our fellow man.
We hated Socialism, Stalin and the gulags because of what they did to their own people. This is why so many former victims of Communism came to honor Ronald Reagan.
Every charity hospital in the world can be traced back to scriptural ideas. Without God there is no morality. Without God there is no compassion. Without God there is no hope. Without God there is no motivation to help people in need.
With God all things are possible.
LifeWay Ministries in Russia needs your prayers
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
Russian Restoration Update
What an exciting time to report on the good things that God is doing through LifeWay Ministries and Its Moscow Director, Dr Galina Chentsova in the former USSR. After seventy years of oppression, brutality and deprivation, the people of Russia, East Germany, Ukraine, Romania, etc are beginning to recover. However, the long road toward freedom from the past is slow and painful. No wonder so many people, especially males, turned to violence, crime, alcohol and drugs. The Soviets denied it but problems were rampant.
Ronald Reagan saw through the lies of the Socialists and brought down the wall of hate and division. It is time to show how the Christian West is once more bringing order from chaos and life from death. There are numerous Christians doing just that in the former USSR.
"Jesus Christ, the hope of glory" is also the hope for developing a strong democracy. Galina brings not only the truth of the gospel but the means of a better life. Russia cannot be a healthy country without a Christian framework and the Christian work ethic.
Ideas make a huge difference in the world. Communism did not fall on its own. The strong ideas and philosophy of Mr Reagan seeped into the minds of prisoners and gave freedom lovers the courage to promote democracy.
Lifeway Russia is spreading the good news of Christ and freedom and shining a great light into the darkness of a land kept in near total darkness for generations. Democracy cannot flourish in Russia until Christian ideas become widespread. Thankfully, there are a number of successes in equipping lay Christians with the word of the Lord.
People growing in Christ are signs of miraculous grace at work.
1. The psychologists, doctors, guards and administrators as well as the prisoners in the Ural Mountain Labor Camp are growing through the visits of our teams. Some are atheists but they love our ministry!
2. One psychologist is pursuing an advanced degree in addictions treatment and will soon be a leader in the field of alcohol and drug treatment!!
3. The brutal treatment of prisoners in filthy, unkempt barracks has been changed to humane discipline and a model of cleanliness, education and order.
4. Our new charity with a web page with Christ-centered treatment for addictions.
5. She purchased, with her own money, a new computer for the staff and Labor Camp residents to get educational materials and find help for their addictions as well as medicine, law, justice and Christianity.
Galina needs our continued prayers and financial support. Send all donations to
Russian Restoration
C/o LifeWay Ministries
4015 Executive Park Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
513-6697-6494
What an exciting time to report on the good things that God is doing through LifeWay Ministries and Its Moscow Director, Dr Galina Chentsova in the former USSR. After seventy years of oppression, brutality and deprivation, the people of Russia, East Germany, Ukraine, Romania, etc are beginning to recover. However, the long road toward freedom from the past is slow and painful. No wonder so many people, especially males, turned to violence, crime, alcohol and drugs. The Soviets denied it but problems were rampant.
Ronald Reagan saw through the lies of the Socialists and brought down the wall of hate and division. It is time to show how the Christian West is once more bringing order from chaos and life from death. There are numerous Christians doing just that in the former USSR.
"Jesus Christ, the hope of glory" is also the hope for developing a strong democracy. Galina brings not only the truth of the gospel but the means of a better life. Russia cannot be a healthy country without a Christian framework and the Christian work ethic.
Ideas make a huge difference in the world. Communism did not fall on its own. The strong ideas and philosophy of Mr Reagan seeped into the minds of prisoners and gave freedom lovers the courage to promote democracy.
Lifeway Russia is spreading the good news of Christ and freedom and shining a great light into the darkness of a land kept in near total darkness for generations. Democracy cannot flourish in Russia until Christian ideas become widespread. Thankfully, there are a number of successes in equipping lay Christians with the word of the Lord.
People growing in Christ are signs of miraculous grace at work.
1. The psychologists, doctors, guards and administrators as well as the prisoners in the Ural Mountain Labor Camp are growing through the visits of our teams. Some are atheists but they love our ministry!
2. One psychologist is pursuing an advanced degree in addictions treatment and will soon be a leader in the field of alcohol and drug treatment!!
3. The brutal treatment of prisoners in filthy, unkempt barracks has been changed to humane discipline and a model of cleanliness, education and order.
4. Our new charity with a web page with Christ-centered treatment for addictions.
5. She purchased, with her own money, a new computer for the staff and Labor Camp residents to get educational materials and find help for their addictions as well as medicine, law, justice and Christianity.
Galina needs our continued prayers and financial support. Send all donations to
Russian Restoration
C/o LifeWay Ministries
4015 Executive Park Drive
Cincinnati, Ohio 45241
513-6697-6494
Influence
Leadership does not require great intelligence or the ability to master large amounts of information. It does require the ability to influence two people: self and others.
The life of President Ronald Reagan proves this perhaps more than anyone I can remember. Mr. Reagan intentionally downplayed his IQ by self-deprecating remarks, jokes and humorous stories. In this way he proved that which research on leadership has found for over 50 years: the key to success is a high EIQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)
By following graduates of Harvard for many years researchers discovered that those who were at the top of their classes did not fare as well in life as those in the middle. Top grads are not as successful in marriage, careers, finances or politics as the folks who have a moderate IQ but a high EIQ.
EIQ can be summarized as:
AS I GREW
AS-Always Spiritual: A sense of God's presence at all times
I-Initiative in relationships:makes contact with others first
G-Genuineness: I know my thoughts and feelings and can manage them so I manage myself.
R-Respect: Belief in the value of others
E-Empathy: Understands the thoughts and feelings of others
W-Warmth: Shows caring interest in others
We cannot all be Ronald Reagan but we can improve our EIQ and improve influence and success. Improvement is the focus of the LifeWay ministry and we see dramatic successes around the world.
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.Luke 2:52
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
www.lifewaycenters.com
Leadership does not require great intelligence or the ability to master large amounts of information. It does require the ability to influence two people: self and others.
The life of President Ronald Reagan proves this perhaps more than anyone I can remember. Mr. Reagan intentionally downplayed his IQ by self-deprecating remarks, jokes and humorous stories. In this way he proved that which research on leadership has found for over 50 years: the key to success is a high EIQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)
By following graduates of Harvard for many years researchers discovered that those who were at the top of their classes did not fare as well in life as those in the middle. Top grads are not as successful in marriage, careers, finances or politics as the folks who have a moderate IQ but a high EIQ.
EIQ can be summarized as:
AS I GREW
AS-Always Spiritual: A sense of God's presence at all times
I-Initiative in relationships:makes contact with others first
G-Genuineness: I know my thoughts and feelings and can manage them so I manage myself.
R-Respect: Belief in the value of others
E-Empathy: Understands the thoughts and feelings of others
W-Warmth: Shows caring interest in others
We cannot all be Ronald Reagan but we can improve our EIQ and improve influence and success. Improvement is the focus of the LifeWay ministry and we see dramatic successes around the world.
Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.Luke 2:52
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
www.lifewaycenters.com
Friday, June 04, 2004
Churches Commit Suicide
Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added to you Mt 6:33
The old denominational churches in America are often called, "Mainline" groups by media and commentators who are not in the know. I have a better name: Flatliners
This is the term given to a body that has a flat line with no activity on the brain and heart monitors. Most of the former Main Line Denominations have committed suicide. The only thing that keeps some of them alive is the money put into the church coffers by men and women in former generations who believed in God and the church's historic mission.
The Episcopal Church in America is a good example of a group who is so pessimistic that they are fulfilling a death wish by ordaining active adulterers and homosexuals who have abandoned their wives and children.
Finke and Stark, two social researchers have much to say about churches who pursue such policies.
As a religious group grows in numbers and acceptance, its "tension" or degree of separateness from secular society diminishes, and the church becomes yet another mainstream denomination. For a time, it ministers to a conservative and moderate niche, then, as it moves away from these larger niches to the smaller liberal niche, it stops growing, says the Penn State researcher.
"This happens for two reasons," Finke says. "First, large congregational size reduces a church's ability to monitor the loyalty of its members and swells the number of free-riders, members with little or no commitment.
Second, the professionalism of clergy, while it results in better-trained and educated ministers, often produces clergy with tepid religious commitment. Both of these factors pull down the initial level of religious ardor. "As churches move from higher- to lower-tension niches, they will tend to accumulate at the liberal end of the spectrum.
This growing number of organizations will attempt to serve a relatively static number of potential members who are notably lukewarm in their commitment. Consequently, low-tension churches will typically have declining memberships and will tend to disappear via mergers," Finke notes.
Finke proposes that when people at the extreme ends of the curve move toward the middle they will expand their opportunities for growth.
The mainline Protestant churches, at the time of their founding, served a conservative and sometimes even an ultra strict constituency. A classic example would be the Methodist Church, which began as a sect during the 18th century "Great Awakening" in England and was imported by the Wesleys to the American colonies. Famed for its camp meetings, American Methodism flourished in the 19th century, founded dozens of colleges and universities and in 1850 made up one-third of all churchgoers in the United States -- in that year, it had 117 members out of every 1,000 Americans.
"Throughout most of the 20th century, the Methodist clergy have pressed for increased `relevance' and liberalism while downplaying the core Christian doctrines of sin and salvation,Â’ says Finke. "Their success in doing so has been mirrored by a corresponding decline in membership, with the result that by 1990 only 36 out of 1,000 Americans were Methodists." (In 140 years Methodists went from 117 mpt to 36 mpt or a loss of 87 mpt.)
A measure of the malaise affecting the "lower-tension" or more liberal denominations is their sluggishness in creating new congregations and thus retaining their market share of believers. "The tiny Vineyard Christian Fellowship, with only 305 existing congregations in 1994, managed to plant as many new churches as did the huge United Methodist Church, which had more than 36,000 congregations," says the Penn State sociologist.
So, when relevance replaces religious fervor and spiritual blandness replaces Holy Spirit Power, the group begins to die.
Because you are neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of my mouth. REV 3:16
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
www.lifewaycenters.com
Seek first the Kingdom of God and everything else will be added to you Mt 6:33
The old denominational churches in America are often called, "Mainline" groups by media and commentators who are not in the know. I have a better name: Flatliners
This is the term given to a body that has a flat line with no activity on the brain and heart monitors. Most of the former Main Line Denominations have committed suicide. The only thing that keeps some of them alive is the money put into the church coffers by men and women in former generations who believed in God and the church's historic mission.
The Episcopal Church in America is a good example of a group who is so pessimistic that they are fulfilling a death wish by ordaining active adulterers and homosexuals who have abandoned their wives and children.
Finke and Stark, two social researchers have much to say about churches who pursue such policies.
As a religious group grows in numbers and acceptance, its "tension" or degree of separateness from secular society diminishes, and the church becomes yet another mainstream denomination. For a time, it ministers to a conservative and moderate niche, then, as it moves away from these larger niches to the smaller liberal niche, it stops growing, says the Penn State researcher.
"This happens for two reasons," Finke says. "First, large congregational size reduces a church's ability to monitor the loyalty of its members and swells the number of free-riders, members with little or no commitment.
Second, the professionalism of clergy, while it results in better-trained and educated ministers, often produces clergy with tepid religious commitment. Both of these factors pull down the initial level of religious ardor. "As churches move from higher- to lower-tension niches, they will tend to accumulate at the liberal end of the spectrum.
This growing number of organizations will attempt to serve a relatively static number of potential members who are notably lukewarm in their commitment. Consequently, low-tension churches will typically have declining memberships and will tend to disappear via mergers," Finke notes.
Finke proposes that when people at the extreme ends of the curve move toward the middle they will expand their opportunities for growth.
The mainline Protestant churches, at the time of their founding, served a conservative and sometimes even an ultra strict constituency. A classic example would be the Methodist Church, which began as a sect during the 18th century "Great Awakening" in England and was imported by the Wesleys to the American colonies. Famed for its camp meetings, American Methodism flourished in the 19th century, founded dozens of colleges and universities and in 1850 made up one-third of all churchgoers in the United States -- in that year, it had 117 members out of every 1,000 Americans.
"Throughout most of the 20th century, the Methodist clergy have pressed for increased `relevance' and liberalism while downplaying the core Christian doctrines of sin and salvation,Â’ says Finke. "Their success in doing so has been mirrored by a corresponding decline in membership, with the result that by 1990 only 36 out of 1,000 Americans were Methodists." (In 140 years Methodists went from 117 mpt to 36 mpt or a loss of 87 mpt.)
A measure of the malaise affecting the "lower-tension" or more liberal denominations is their sluggishness in creating new congregations and thus retaining their market share of believers. "The tiny Vineyard Christian Fellowship, with only 305 existing congregations in 1994, managed to plant as many new churches as did the huge United Methodist Church, which had more than 36,000 congregations," says the Penn State sociologist.
So, when relevance replaces religious fervor and spiritual blandness replaces Holy Spirit Power, the group begins to die.
Because you are neither hot nor cold I will spit you out of my mouth. REV 3:16
gsweeten@lifewaycenters.com
www.lifewaycenters.com
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Good and Bad Prayers
In a couple of postings I have asked people to nominate bad prayers. It was really a way of saying I want to nominate my favorite bad prayer. "But," you ask, "is it possible to pray a bad prayer?" It is, if we take the scripture as it clearly speaks to us.
Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
So, let us be careful with what we say in a prayer.
Here is my nomination for one of the worst prayers we can teach.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my sould to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why would anyone teach such a fear mongering prayer to their children? The prayer was composed during the Black Plagues of Europe when about one third of the population died, many in their sleep.However, it is very inappropriate today.
A New Prayer For Sleeping
Now I lay me down to sleep
I thank the Lord my soul to keep.
No fear of night, He will provide-
His angels near, my sleeping side.
At morning's dawn, I will awake,
To live again for Jesus' sake.
He gives me strength, the whole night rest,
Enough each day to give my best.
(C) Gary Sweeten
I strongly suggest you moms and dads, greandmas and grandpas teach the new one to your loved ones. I think you will find it much more comforting.
In a couple of postings I have asked people to nominate bad prayers. It was really a way of saying I want to nominate my favorite bad prayer. "But," you ask, "is it possible to pray a bad prayer?" It is, if we take the scripture as it clearly speaks to us.
Ecclesiastes 5
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.
So, let us be careful with what we say in a prayer.
Here is my nomination for one of the worst prayers we can teach.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the Lord my sould to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Lord my soul to take
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Why would anyone teach such a fear mongering prayer to their children? The prayer was composed during the Black Plagues of Europe when about one third of the population died, many in their sleep.However, it is very inappropriate today.
A New Prayer For Sleeping
Now I lay me down to sleep
I thank the Lord my soul to keep.
No fear of night, He will provide-
His angels near, my sleeping side.
At morning's dawn, I will awake,
To live again for Jesus' sake.
He gives me strength, the whole night rest,
Enough each day to give my best.
(C) Gary Sweeten
I strongly suggest you moms and dads, greandmas and grandpas teach the new one to your loved ones. I think you will find it much more comforting.
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