Everything I Need Is Right Here

June 11, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

God wants to bless people. He wants it so much, that He puts everything we need to receive His blessing right in front of us.

It’s not elusive. It’s not obscure.

I don’t need a Master’s in Divinity to figure this out:

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. … No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

The New Testament amplifies this:

  • God’s laws are written on my heart, and my conscience tells me if I’m obeying them or not (Romans 2:15).
  • The Holy Spirit teaches and reminds me of everything I need (John 14:26; 16:8; 13).

You don’t need a spiritual pilgrimage to find God. He’s already written on your heart what you need to call out to Him. Don’t delay another day!

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My Brother’s Keeper…

June 10, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

…is not Finder’s Keeper.

Society has it backward: On the playground, on the worksite, and sadly even in the church, we tend to play by the opposite:

  • I found it, so I get to keep it!
  • Hey, I’m not my brother’s keeper!

Look at what God says:

If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner. If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it.

My brother’s property is my responsibility. Notice that even if I don’t know who the owner is, I’m still supposed to safeguard his property until I can return it to him.

Finding something that isn’t mine makes me responsible to care for it. I am my brother’s keeper; it’s not simply finder’s keeper.

What if my mindset changed to, This is yours, but I’m going to take care of it like it’s mine until I can return it to you?

What if my values became focused on…

  • Mutual accountability?
  • Shared responsibility?
  • Genuine community?

I must be the change I wish for our society. I need to care for anothers’ property as much as I care for my own.

Would you join me in changing your community away from Finder’s Keeper and toward Brother’s Keeper?

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So Long, Status Quo!

June 9, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

What’s holding you back from making a change today? What’s keeping you from breaking with the pack? What status quo in your life needs to go bye-bye?

“Status quo, you know, is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in.’” —Ronald Reagan

“The soft-minded man always fears change. He feels security in the status quo, and he has an almost morbid fear of the new. For him, the greatest pain is the pain of a new idea.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

“I have come that you might have life to the full [away from the status quo].” —Jesus Christ

The gate is wide
The road is paved in moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
You’re safe and sound and
Until now, it’s where I’ve been

‘Cause it’s been fear that ties me down to everything
But it’s been love, Your love, that cuts the strings

So long status quo
I think I just let go
You make me want to be brave
The way it always was
Is no longer good enough
You make me want to be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I’m spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
I say Your name
Just Your name and I’m ready to jump
Even ready to fall

Why did I take this vow of compromise?
Why did I try to keep it all inside?

I’ve never known a fire that didn’t begin with a flame
Every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if You believe in me
That changes everything
So long, I’m gone

—Nicole Nordeman, Brave

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Rules Of Engagement (book review)

June 8, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

In whatever criteria you want to measure him, Chad Hennings is a man’s man: accomplished wrestler, US Air Force fighter pilot, Outland Trophy winner, and Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys. So when Chad sets out to write a book for men, Rules Of Engagement, you know it’s going to be right on target.

And it is.

Chad doesn’t pull any punches. He calls men out on the games we tend to play to hide our insecurities or our shortcomings. Using his military background, the book is divided into two main sections: basic training and active duty.

In basic training, you will learn how to become a well-rounded man. Chad covers the emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical regimens that will prepare men for the battles we fight every day. In this section, I especially appreciated the insights on character and vision, the foundations for a successful life. Chad writes, “Character and vision go hand in hand because a man’s vision comes directly from his character.”

In the active duty, section, you will learn how to put all of this training and hard work into practice. Chad covers the areas of family, accountability with another strong man (your wingman), money, and community involvement.

This book would be excellent for a man to read by himself. But I think it would take on even more effectiveness if two or three men read the book together and then enlisted each other as their wingmen. Accountability is a key factor in making all of this stick.

I am a FaithWords book reviewer.

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It’s Hard To Help Someone Up With Your Fists Clenched

June 7, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Helpful people have to be openhanded people in order to help others.

Tightfisted people may try to help, but they’ll probably bring more hurt than help.

In just one chapter of Deuteronomy (the book that is helping prepare the people to live in the Promised Land) there are several starkly-contrasted words. In fact, these words hardly appear anywhere else in the book, except in this chapter, teaching us how to help the down-and-outer. Like this one:

If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.

Throughout this chapter, look at the contrasting words…

  • Hardhearted  //  Openhearted
  • Tightfisted  //  Openhanded
  • Grudging heart  //  Give generously
  • Stingy  //  Freely lend
  • Empty-handed  //  Supply liberally

God tells us, “There should be no poor among you.” And, “Give to the poor as the Lord has blessed you.”

Do you know why we’re to give to the poor? So we can receive a greater blessing. Check this out:

Give generously to the poor and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.(v. 10)

A tightfisted person cannot catch a blessing from God—only the openhanded person can.

A hardhearted person cannot feel God’s love—only the openhearted person can.

Pretty simple: if you want to be blessed, then generously bless others.

Now let’s go do it!

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Be Careful

June 4, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

In the final instructions before the Israelites were going to enter the Promised Land, the book of Deuteronomy uses the phrase be careful fifteen (15) times:

  • Be careful not to forget
  • Be careful to obey
  • Be careful to avoid making idols
  • Be careful to honor your leadership
  • Be careful of your thoughts

In the dictionary careful is defined as being attentive to potential danger, error, or harm. It implies paying special attention to accuracy and being discerning.

God doesn’t ask this of me to cramp my style but to put me in a place where He can bless me. And not just me: being careful leads to generational blessings. Here’s my favorite be careful verse:

Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you today, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Sometimes to be careful we have to slow down. We seem to want everything quickly and with as little effort as possible. Remember the cliché “Haste makes waste”?

What if you slowed down a bit today?

What if you took just a little time to be attentive to potential danger?

What if you paused long enough to discern if you were giving your best to God?

What if you took a moment to simply ask God to give you the wisdom needed to make a godly decision?

Being careful so that it may ALWAYS go well with you and your children after you….

Isn’t that worth it?

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‘Nuff Said

June 3, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

“What does the Lord your God ask of you but to…

  • revere Him,
  • walk in obedience in all His ways,
  • love Him,
  • serve Him with all your heart and soul, and
  • observe His commands…

…for your own good!” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

‘Nuff said!

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Books & Chocolate & Friends & Food & Smiles

June 2, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I celebrated another year of being alive this past weekend. What a wonderful weekend it was!

I received two of my favorite gifts (and lots of them): books and dark chocolate.

We had an incredible service on Sunday, with some old friends back visiting and some first-time guests too.

Someone slipped Betsy a little money to take me out to dinner for my birthday, and we had a great afternoon together.

And our service was interrupted by my incredible congregation singing happy birthday to me and delivering to me a whole stack of birthday cards. The cards have been cracking me up all week! Let me share a couple with you—

Look who’s turning 2! Who’s cuddly? Who’s snuggly? Who’s cute as can be? Who’s perfect? Who’s precious? Who’s 2? You (Yippee)!

Couldn’t afford to get you a wireless computer for your birthday, but I got you the next best thing! A computerless wire! (Hey, don’t thank me, that’s what friends are for!)

Thought you’d like a funny card for your birthday, but what I think is funny and what you think is funny may be very different. For instance—I think this is funny [and below is a mirror].

Ah, yes, it was a great birthday. I feel the love. Truly!

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Obey─Remember─Teach

June 1, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I see this pattern of instruction repeated throughout the Bible, but especially as the Israelites are getting ready to enter the Promised Land:

  • Obey God’s commands
  • Remember what He has done for you
  • Teach His commands to your children

When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, He quoted a passage from Deuteronomy, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” And He added, “And love your neighbor as yourself.” These, Jesus said, were the fulfillment of all the law.

  • Love God
  • Love yourself
  • Love your neighbor

This Great Commandment corresponds with this pattern of obey-remember-teach.

  • I obey God because I love Him.
  • When I remember what He has done for me, I can fully appreciate my own value in His eyes.
  • I teach others because I love them and want them to experience the same blessings from God that I have experienced.

This is what I need to be constantly evaluating:

  • Am I obeying God out of fear of what may happen, or out of love for Him?
  • Am I finding ways to continually be reminded of His blessings? Do I realize how valuable I am to Him?
  • Am I expressing true love to others by passing on what I am learning?

Obey [love God] … Remember [love myself] … Teach [love others].

What a great way to live!

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