Bommerang

March 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

A kind man benefits himself, but a cruel man brings trouble on himself. (Proverbs 11:17)

There are those who [generously] scatter abroad, and yet increase more; there are those who withhold more than is fitting or what is justly due, but it results only in want. (Proverbs 11:24)

The people curse him who holds back grain [when the public needs it], but a blessing [from God and man] is upon the head of him who sells it. (Proverbs 11:26)

Pretty straightforward…

If you want others to help you later, help others now.

If you want God to bless you later, bless others now.

If you want people to honor you later, be honorable now.

Boomerang!

It will only come back to you IF you throw it first!

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Every Moment Is Special

March 7, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

As I was in the midst of studying for our series Overloaded, there was one thought that kept coming back to me time and time again—

The biggest victim in our overloaded lives are our relationships

And then the news of a tragic, unexpected death comes crashing into all of my local newsfeeds.

Wes Leonard was a star athlete for the Fennville High School Blackhawks. This 16-year-old played quarterback for the football team, and forward for the basketball team.

Last week the Fennville basketball team put their undefeated season on the line in their final regular season game against Bridgman. The game was tied at the end of regulation. As overtime was running out, the Blackhawks turned to their star player. And Wes Leonard deliver: hitting the game-winning shot as overtime expired!

The other Blackhawk players lifted their hero into the air and celebrated their undefeated season. But just moments later their joy would turn to shock, and then to sorrow. Wes collapsed just minutes after the game ended. Even though medical personnel worked valiantly on him, Wes Leonard was pronounced dead at Holland Hospital.

There were no outward signs of any medical issues. It wasn’t until the autopsy that the corner discovered that Wes had an enlarged heart, which led to the post-game heart arrhythmia, which caused this 16-year-old to have a life-ending heart attack.

None of us know how much time we have.

I pray we’re never too busy to have deep, meaningful relationships.

I pray we make the most of every opportunity to connect with our friends and family.

I pray we live without the regrets of unspoken words of love.

I pray we realize more and more that every moment is special.

I pray that you can overcome the overload in your life that may be robbing you of capturing every special moment that comes your way.

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Sermon Series

March 4, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Yes, I do like bringing messages to our church in a series format. Hopefully my series titles are not like this …

And, for the record, our new series that starts this Sunday will only have four parts (not 48!).

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Overloaded?!?

March 4, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I’m starting a new series this Sunday which I wish I didn’t have to start. But the reality is that far too many of us (and I do mean us because I’m including myself) have bought into the cultural idea that we need to add more and more and more to our lives.

As a result, our lives are overloaded. Physically, emotionally, financially, relationally … if life throws us just one curveball in any area, we’re toast!

And the biggest victim in our overloaded lives? Our relationships. It’s hard to have rich, meaningful, intimate, vibrant relationships when we’re so concerned about our own overloaded lives. It doesn’t have to be this way!

I hope you can join me at Calvary Assembly of God over the next four Sundays as we talk about the relief that God shows us in the Bible. There is relief from overload, and God wants us to find it.

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Wishing

March 3, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Another gem from Ella Wheeler Wilcox—

Do you wish the world were better?
Let me tell you what to do.
Set a watch upon your actions,
Keep them always straight and true.
Rid your mind of selfish motives,
Let your thoughts be clean and high.
You can make a little Eden
Of the sphere you occupy.

Do you wish the world were wiser?
Well, suppose you make a start,
By accumulating wisdom
In the scrapbook of your heart;
Do not waste one page on folly;
Live to learn, and learn to live
If you want to give men knowledge
You must get, ere you give.

Do you wish the world were happy?
Then remember day by day
Just to scatter seeds of kindness
As you pass along the way,
For the pleasures of the many
May be ofttimes traced to one,
As the hand that plants an acorn
Shelters armies from the sun.

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Thursdays With Oswald—Yielded

March 3, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Yielded

       There is a distinct period in our experience when we cease to say—“Lord, show me Thy will,” and the realization begins to dawn that we are God’s will, and He can do with us what He likes. We wake up to the knowledge that we have the privilege of giving ourselves over to God’s will. It is a question of being yielded to God.

From Facing Reality

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. (Psalm 139:14)

God has a plan for my life. He prepared me in advance to fulfill His will and plan for me. Will I yield to Him? Or will I continue to try to find my own way?

What a supreme privilege it is to yield to His will for my life!

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AND

March 2, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

It’s a small conjunction that can have enormous impact on your life. Everyone loves it when you can have your cake AND eat it too. Isn’t that way better than having a cake but not getting to eat any of it? For God followers, AND takes on an added power.

Look at this verse:

We prayed to our God AND posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Of course Christians would never say, “We posted a guard but didn’t pray to God.”

But far too often Christians live this way: “We prayed to God but didn’t post a guard.”

Sometimes God provides supernaturally, and sometimes God provides through our efforts. In either case, God is still the provider. How sad that we often limit what God can do because we replace AND with but.

How about this instead…

  • Pray to God for healing AND see a doctor.
  • Pray to God for provision AND get a job.
  • Pray to God for a successful marriage AND learn to love your spouse better.
  • Pray to God for your church to grow AND invite your neighbor to a service.
  • Pray to God to protect your kids AND stay involved in their lives.
  • Pray to God to strengthen you against temptation AND get an accountability partner.

Start with prayer, then add AND.

Where will you add AND to your prayers today?

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Land Of Smoke

March 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Guest Blogger: Dick Brogden

Greetings From the Land of Smoke,

A Christian handed a Bible to a Northern Sudanese Muslim Arab who declined to receive it saying, “I have a smoking problem. If I take the Bible, I will just rip out the pages, make cigarettes, and smoke them.”

Thanks be to God, the distributor did not stand on niceties and responded, “No problem, go ahead and rip the pages out to make your cigarettes. But before you roll them, make sure to read the page you ripped out.”

The Muslim man agreed, took the Bible and began to contemplatively smoke his way through the Gospels. Daily he would rip out a page, peruse it, then roll it into a cigarette and puff away. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all were read and then immolated. By the time the smoker had inhaled his way into John, the Holy Spirit had begun to draw as well. John 3:16 was the clincher—it was after smoking that chapter and verse that this Muslim man gave his heart to Jesus.

I guess it goes to prove that where there’s smoke, there is fire!

Dick Brogden and his family have served as missionaries in Sudan for 15 years.

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How Noble Do You Want To Be?

March 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Sometimes I find the most thought-provoking phrases buried in the middle of passages in the Bible that seem somewhat obscure. Take this line from the book of Nehemiah, where we read who’s rebuilding which section of the Jerusalem wall…

The next section was repaired by the men of Tekoa, but their nobles would not put their shoulders to the work under their supervisors.

This chapter lists all kinds of people working on the wall: priests (including the high priest) … goldsmiths … perfume-makers … temple servants … mayors … even Shallum’s daughters. Everyone, it seems, was willing to pitch in except these nobles.

Many times in the Old Testament this Hebrew word for nobles is used to describe God Himself. In other words, these nobles thought they were far too important to put their shoulders to the work.

Jesus washed feet. The noblest of us all came to earth to serve even the lowest of the servants.

Which do you think was really the most noble?

How noble do you want to be?

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