December | 2013 | Craig T. Owens

December 2013
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

6 Quotes From “The Purpose Of Christmas”

December 4, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I mentioned in my book review of Rick Warren’s The Purpose Of Christmas that this might be a good book to help families recalibrate the meaning of Christmas each year. As you can see from the quotes I highlighted, this book doesn’t talk directly about Christmas trees, or gifts, or mistletoe, or carols. Rather it goes to the heart of the matter: Why did Jesus need to be born in a stable in Bethlehem? He was born for our salvation, and our reconciliation with God and our fellowman.

“Your capacity for enjoyment is evidence of God’s love for you.”

“No one wants what’s best for you more than God. No one knows better what will make you truly happy!”

“Our natural inclination is to want our own way instead of God’s way. This tendency to make wrong choices instead of right ones is called sin. The middle letter of sin is I, and whenever I place myself at the center of my life, I sin. It is any attitude or action that denies God His rightful place as first in my life.”

“Guilt is the mental price we pay for violating our God-given consciences.”

“I asked Peter Drucker, ‘How did you come to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior?’ He thought about it for a few seconds, then replied, ‘The day that I finally understood grace, I realized I was never going to get a better deal than that!’”

“Reconciliation focuses on the relationship, while resolution focuses on the problem. Always focus on reconciliation first.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Advent, book review, Christmas, conscience, God's love, grace, guilt, happiness, Jesus Christ, joy, Peter Drucker, quotes, reconciliation, relationships, Rick Warren, sin. Leave a Comment »

The Star Of CHRISTmas

December 4, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I’m really enjoying preparing for our 3-week Christmas series called The Star Of CHRISTmas. If it’s not obvious to you by the way I wrote that title, I believe the star of Christmas is CHRIST!

We will be learning how Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethelehem was the…

SUPERNOVA which brings light into the Old Testament’s darkness, and allows other stars (that’s us!) to be born.
MORNING STAR which shines brightest just before the dawn and replaces a feeling of fear with the confidence of favor.
NORTH STAR which helps us keep going in the right direction despite the circumstances around us.

If you are able to join us over the next couple of Sundays at 10:30am, we would love to celebrate The Star of CHRISTmas with you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Advent, Calvary Assembly of God, celebration, Christmas, First Advent, Jesus Christ, morning star, north star, Second Advent, sermon, supernova. Leave a Comment »

The Purpose Of Christmas (book review)

December 3, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Are retailers and Christians the only ones who think Christmas is a big deal? Why is it so important? Just in time for this year’s Advent celebration, Rick Warren reminds us of The Purpose Of Christmas.

In his typical style of helping folks clearly understand the meaning of things that sometimes we overlook or take for granted, Pastor Rick shows us that Christmas is a time for celebration, a time for salvation, and a time for reconciliation.

Blending together passages of Scripture throughout all of the Bible—not just the passages we usually associate with the birth of Christ—Pastor Rick powerfully illustrates why we needed God to send His One and Only Son to earth to rescue us. And also why we need to celebrate His birth correctly at this time each year.

This book is an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand recalibration of the meaning of Christmas. For anyone who has ever felt that the retailers are dominating the Christmas season, this is a welcome book to help you return to the foundational truths. It might be a good book for you to pull out each Christmas and read aloud with your family.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Advent, Bible, book review, celebration, Christmas, family, reconciliation, Rick Warren, salvation, Scripture. Leave a Comment »

No Hearsay Testimony

December 2, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

One of my favorite old-time television shows is Perry Mason, the famous attorney who always wins for his clients. In the courtroom, sometimes Perry appears to be daydreaming or disinterested, but he is always tuned-in to the proceedings.

Sometimes he will speak up, “I object, your honor, on the grounds that this is not best evidence.” Or perhaps he will say, “Objection! Hearsay, your honor.” In other words Perry is pointing out that the witness doesn’t have personal, first-hand knowledge but is merely telling the court what they heard someone else say.

A powerful testimony is one that is a first-hand, eye-witnessed, and personally-experienced.

As the Israelites are preparing to attack the city of Jericho, two young men are having a conversation with a citizen of Jericho named Rahab. She has grown up with stories of her gods El, Baal, and Ashera, but she is listening to these Israelite men tell of their first-hand experiences with Jehovah God. They have personally walked through the parted Red Sea; they have tasted manna and have drank water that God brought out of a rock in the middle of the dessert; they have seen God defeat their enemies.

As Rahab hears this new testimony, she realizes that what she has believed about her gods has all been hearsay testimony. She has no first-hand experience, but is only living on stories others have told her. She cries out, “Objection! Hearsay!” And then reaches this startling verdict: “The Lord your God IS GOD” (Joshua 2:11)!

This is why it is so important for those of us who have personally known and experienced God’s blessings to give first-hand testimony. Those around us think they have heard convincing evidence, but when they hear testimony from you that is first-hand, eye-witnessed, and personally-experienced, it annihilates that old hearsay testimony.

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? (Romans 10:13-14, NLT)

Don’t keep quiet about God’s blessings. Don’t let others live with their paltry hearsay testimony. Be a vocal and convincing witness that the Lord your God IS GOD!