May | 2015 | Craig T. Owens

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Rise (book review)

May 12, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

I first knew of Trip Lee as a talented musician, but I have to admit that when I first heard he had written a book I had no idea what to expect. I am happy to say that Rise blew me away!

Trip himself states that his main target audience is teenagers and those in their early- to mid-twenties. Certainly the material in Rise is age-appropriate for them, but I found it to be challenging and confronting and reaffirming for me too. Trip’s message—as the title of the book suggests—is a call for Christians to not simply “go with the cultural flow,” but rise up to let Jesus be seen in a culture desperately searching for truth.

Trip talks about attitudes, involvement in church, sharing our Christian faith with others, having a great work ethic, and so many other topics that are relevant to young people. Perhaps I felt it relevant to me as well because of my work with students. In that case, I have two recommendations for this book: (1) Give it as a gift to those in Trip’s target audience (teens and 20-somethings), and (2) Get a copy for yourself and read/study/discuss the ideas in this book with the teens and 20-year-olds to whom you gave a copy. I really believe this will pay excellent dividends!

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: attitude, Bible study, book review, Christianity, church, culture, mentoring, teenager, testimony, Trip Lee, work ethic, youth. 4 Comments »

Links & Quotes

May 11, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Every time you prefer the pleasures of this world to the joys of heaven, you spit in the face of Christ; every time when to gain in your business, you do an unrighteous thing, you are like Judas selling Him for thirty pieces of silver; every time you make a false profession of religion, you give Him a traitor’s kiss; every word you have spoken against Him, every hard thought you have had of Him, has helped to complete your complicity with the great crowd which gathered around the Cross of Calvary, to mock and jeer the Lord of life and glory.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Unfortunately, seeking the Lord wholeheartedly does not exempt us from outside attack.” Read more from Jim Cymbala in his post about gaining victory.

Heart-breaking: “Babies born as early as 22 weeks may survive if they are treated. Sadly, a number of hospitals refuse to treat infants who are born before 24 weeks.” Read more about what you can do in this Live Action post.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary, Charles Spurgeon, Jesus Christ, Jim Cymbala, Live Action, medical science, pro-life, quotes, sanctity of human life, spiritual warfare, victory. Leave a Comment »

Starve Your Eyes

May 11, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Steve Arterburn has written some challenging books on the care we need to take with what we view. It’s not just pornography itself, but even some of the things that can lead up to porn viewing. Steve has a dare for you: Can you change what you are looking at for 30 days? Check this out…

If you don’t think you have an issue with pornography, or maybe you don’t even think porn is that big of a deal, check yourself with this quick assessment.

I signed up for the 30 day challenge, and I DARE YOU to sign up too!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: challenge, covenant, eyes, pornography, purity, Steve Arterburn. 1 Comment »

A Mother’s Prayerful Perseverance

May 11, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Naomi had it rough. It seemed like everything in her life fell apart. And to add insult to injury, everything around her seemed to mock her pain—

She lived in Bethlehem, which means House of Bread, but there was no bread because of the famine.
Her husband’s name was Elimelech, which means God is my king, but instead of him trusting God, he trusted his own wits.
Her sons were supposed to bring her joy and a hopeful future, but their names also haunted her: Mahlon means sickly, and Kilion means wasting away.

Naomi hit rock-bottom—Now Elimelech, Naomi’s husband died… And after they had lived there about ten years both Mahlon and Kilion both died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband (Ruth 1:3, 5).

Is it any wonder Naomi—whose name means pleasant—wanted to change her name to Mara (bitterness)?

But somewhere deep inside, Naomi had courage enough to hang on to hope. She heard that God had once again provided bread in the House of Bread, and she returned home. She had no prospects for success, and her husband’s debts were still awaiting her, but she went back to Bethlehem with her daughter-in-law Ruth.

It was here they encountered Boaz. His name means pillar and he is described as “a man of standing” (2:1). Boaz was a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz is a picture of Jesus. As our Kinsman-Redeemer, only Jesus can…

Give our needs a voice as He intercedes for us
Bring us peace as He asks us to cast all our cares on Him
Pay all of our debts
Give us a hope-filled future

Especially as we remember Mothers Day, it’s a great reminder that a mother’s prayerful perseverance on her Kinsman-Redeemer yields blessings now and for generations to come!

Don’t give up! Jesus is your Kinsman-Redeemer, and He is waiting for you to cling to Him.

(The Book of Ruth is an absolutely amazing, hope-inspiring story. It you haven’t read it lately, you can read it through in just a few minutes.)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Boaz, Calvary Assembly of God, future, God's blessing, hope, intercession, Jesus Christ, Kinsman-Redeemer, Naomi, prayer, Ruth, sermon. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 10, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“No amount of falls will really undo us if we keep on picking ourselves up each time. We shall of course be very muddy and tattered children by the time we reach home. But the bathrooms are all ready, the towels put out, and the clean clothes are in the airing cupboard. The only fatal thing is to lose one’s temper and give it up. It is when we notice the dirt that God is most present to us: it is the very sign of His presence.” —C.S. Lewis

“Loving God will include obeying all His commands; it will include believing all His Word; it will include thanking Him for all His gifts; but the essence of loving God is enjoying all He is.” —John Piper

[VIDEO] This is a fascinating TedTalk from Susan Cain on the power of introverts…

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: C.S. Lewis, education, faith, God's love, John Piper, perseverance, quotes, Susan Cain, TEDTalk, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 9, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“The world has put a little letter before the word ‘musing,’ and these are the days, not for musing, but for a-musing. People will go anywhere for amusement; but to muse is a strange thing to them, and they think it dull and wearisome. … Now there is much virtue in musing, especially if we muse upon the best, the highest, and the noblest of subjects. If we muse upon the things of which we hear and read in sacred Scripture, we shall do wisely. It is well to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. A man who hears many sermons, is not necessarily well-instructed in the faith. We may read so many religious books, that we overload our brains, and they may be unable to work under the weight of the great mass of paper and printer’s ink. The man who reads but one book, and that book his Bible, and then muses much upon it, will be a better scholar in Christ’s school than he who merely reads hundreds of books, and muses not at all.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Patients do not serve their physicians. They trust them for good prescriptions. The Sermon on the Mount is our Doctor’s medical advice, not our Employer’s job description.” —John Piper

“Every time I open my Bible I will read it as the Word of ‘God, that cannot lie;’ and when I get a promise or a threatening, I will either rejoice or tremble because I know that these stand fast.” —Charles Spurgeon

I can use this: 25 habits to get a better night’s sleep.

Rev. Tim Dilena has an amazing reminder of God’s perfect timing in sending Jesus to earth—He Couldn’t Have Timed It Any Better.

“Given the Greek and Roman acceptance of homosexuality, it is difficult to overstate the courage and conviction required by the early Church to write and speak out on behalf of a biblical, sexual ethic.” Read more in the article When Christians Rejected Homosexuality.

Eric Metaxas shares some good news from Baltimore.

Poetry Saturday—Now

May 9, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

I leave with God tomorrow’s where and how,

And do concern myself but with the Now,

That little word, though half the future’s length,

Well used, holds twice its meaning and its strength.

Like one blindfolded groping out his way,

I will not try to touch beyond today.

Since all the future is concealed from sight

I need but strive to make the next step right.

That done, the next, and so on, till I find

Perchance someday I am no longer blind,

And looking up, behold a radiant Friend

Who says, “Rest, now, for you have reached the end.” —Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: action, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, future, now, poem, poetry, strength. Leave a Comment »

E.M. Bounds On Prayer

May 7, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Some great quotes from E.M. Bounds on prayer…

“Trouble and prayer are closely related to each other. Prayer is of great value to trouble. Trouble often drives men to God in prayer, while prayer is but the voice of men in trouble.” —E.M. Bounds

“Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need.” —E.M. Bounds

“The prime need of the church is not men of money nor men of brains, but men of prayer.” —E.M. Bounds

“Other duties become pressing and absorbing and crowd out prayer. ‘Choked to death’ would be the corner’s verdict in many cases of dead praying if an inquest could be secured on this dire, spiritual calamity.” —E.M. Bounds

“Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life.” —E.M. Bounds

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: church, E.M. Bounds, faith, hope, patience, prayer, prayerlessness, trouble. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Building the Church is the Lord Jesus’ primary agenda before He returns. However, for many of the followers of Christ, working to build the Church is just another thing on their ‘to-do list’ which they may or may not get to during the course of any given week. We can become so distracted by work, family, diversions, and avocations that we have precious little time or strength left for the work Jesus is most interested in pursuing. So, as long as the devil can distract us from the work of building Christ’s Church, he doesn’t need to employ more spectacular or drastic measures.” —T.M. Moore

“‘Why has sex become man’s chief stumbling block?’ But has it? Or is it only the most recognizable of the stumbling blocks? I mean, we can mistake pride for a good conscience, and cruelty for zeal, and idleness for the peace of God et cetera. But when lust is upon us, then, owing to the obvious physical symptoms, we can’t pretend it is anything else. Is it perhaps only the least disguisable of our dangers.” —C.S. Lewis

“The mystery of sanctification is that the perfections of Jesus Christ are imparted to us, not gradually, but instantly, when by faith we enter into the realization that Christ is made unto us sanctification. … It is not power to live like Jesus; it is Christ living in us, and it is His life that is seen.” —Oswald Chambers

“Even while we kill and punish we must try to feel about the enemy as we feel about ourselves—to wish that he were not bad, to hope that he may, in this world or another, be cured: in fact, to wish his good. That is what is meant in the Bible by loving him: wishing his good, not feeling fond of him nor saying he is nice when he is not.” —C.S. Lewis

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, C.S. Lewis, church, conscience, enemies, forgiveness, Jesus Christ, lust, Oswald Chambers, perfection, pride, quotes, sanctification, sexual sin, T.M. Moore, temptation, vocation, work. Leave a Comment »

7 Quotes And A Helpful Memory Tool From “A Brilliant Mind”

May 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

In his latest book, Dr. Frank Minrith tells us about a vital link between our vocabulary, and the growth in the human brain. It’s really quite fascinating! Check out my review of A Brilliant Mind by clicking here. Below are a few quotes from this book I wanted to share with you, along with a helpful list for increasing your memorization capacity.

“Only 3,500 words separate the culturally literate from others.”

“The average adult probably has a vocabulary of thirty to sixty thousand words. The highly literate may extend to one hundred thousand words. Yet the English language has well over one million words. Moving above the thirty-thousand-word range will greatly enhance our communication skills.”

“Many other tests since Dr. Johnson O’Connor’s have confirmed the correlation between career success and vocabulary knowledge.”

“Neuroplasticity simply means that the brain is capable of being molded: it can change and develop more connections between its many nerve cells so that, to a degree, it can even develop more cells. Neurogenesis is a similar term; it means that the brain is capable of growth and development. … You can increase the number of synapses in your brain by memorizing words. The more words you memorize, the more you can memorize because of the increase in neural synapses.”

“K. Warner Schaie, who investigated cognitive decline, found that the risk of cognitive decline could be reduced by three factors: higher education, extensive reading, and being married to a spouse with high cognitive status.”

“We are, to a degree, what we repeatedly take into our brains. As we begin to expand our mental capacity through memorization, the brain chemistry is rearranged and memory is stored. Not only do we gain greater memory capability, but our brains actually change and improve. It is as if we program the brain with new software, and therefore we can respond to life around us in a healthier manner.”

Eight memory techniques:

Review
Employ visualization
Use exaggeration
Utilize association—synonyms, antonyms, subordination, relationships, etc.
Use classification
Command yourself—“When you direct the brain to do a task, it releases powerful chemicals in the direction requested. These chemicals are so powerful that if one hundred people with major medical depression—documented by a medical PET scan—are given a placebo, 33 percent will respond and their PET scan often returns to normal.”
Learn prefixes, suffixes, and roots
See the origins in foreign words