I’m sharing this as a public service announcement because some people really need help in this important social area. You know who you are…
Challenging Concepts
March 18, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
Part two of our Spiritual Self-Defense series went well last night. Considering this was a difficult concept to wrap our finite, human brains around, I felt that everyone was tuned in. Trying to wrestle with the concepts of God as omnipresent, the unique Three-in-One arrangement of the Trinity, or Jesus as fully God and fully Man are not easy. But it is so important to keep learning and keep growing in our understanding of who God is.
Some people bail out too quickly. “It’s too hard,” they complain, and then walk away. But we have to keep stretching.
A couple of thoughts I’m pondering today:
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” —Augustine
“It seems that when we encounter a hard truth about God, we either bend our understanding to Him or bend Him to our understanding.” —Chris Tomlinson
I want to believe the Bible more, so I’m asking the Holy Spirit to continue to bend me and shape me to the deeper truths about God.
Bad Theology
March 17, 2010 — Craig T. OwensI’m working on the next lesson in our Spiritual Self-Defense series. It’s a tough topic to address: the deity of Jesus, who was fully God and fully Man.
I know it’s very hard for a finite human mind to grasp an infinite concept like this. However in my studies I have found some really bad theology posted on the web. I realize as soon as I say, “It’s like this…” that I’ve already diminished the majesty of God coming to earth in human form, because Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection is nothing like anything we can comprehend. But still, I need to find a way to capture it and explain it to our students.
C.S. Lewis wrote about the need for good philosophy to address bad philosophy. I’m adapting his quote in this instance to say,
“Good [theology] must exist, if for no other reason, because bad [theology] needs to be answered.”
Prayerfully my good theology can answer the bad theology that I’ve been seeing.
Theology is a compound word: Theos (God) + Logos (wisdom, revelation, thought). I’ve been praying that God will give me greater revelation about Him. And I’m grateful that the Holy Spirit has given me some like analogies to use. But I’m still blown away by how unlike anything we’ve ever known was the coming of Jesus to earth. It is truly the grandest of all miracles.
Crave (book review)
March 16, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
Chris Tomlinson’s first book is a winner! Sometimes when I read books from guys who have Been There Done That, I get the feeling that they’ve somehow arrived and I’m still so lacking. Crave reads like Chris’s personal journal. He’s a BTDT guy, but he humbly paints the picture of someone still on the journey for more of God (which is also, aptly, the subtitle of his work).
The fifteen chapters all point to the same overarching theme: how can I get more of God? Chris opens up his heart and lets us peek inside to see what his journey has looked like, and what it still looks like. Never did I have the feeling that he was telling me what I should do, but more like he was saying to me,
“Here’s where I struggled; here’s where I blew it; here’s where I overcame; here’s what I’m still learning. Learn from my successes and failures, and let’s go after more of God together.”
Many times I gauge a book by how many passages I highlight, but I couldn’t do that with Crave. Too much of it rang true to me. If I were to highlight the heart-tugging passages, pages and pages would have become saturated with orange ink. Instead of the pages soaking up ink, I let my spirit soak up the truthfulness, applicability and timeliness of Chris’s words.
If you’re craving more of God, if you want a more satisfying relationship with Christ, even if you feel like your relationship with God has parked on a plateau, Crave can help you rekindle your pursuit of intimacy with your Creator.
I am a Harvest House book reviewer.
Out Of The Tomb (Box)
March 15, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
I’m getting more and more excited about Easter Sunday. Jesus is out of the tomb, so we’re going to do something out of the box.
We’ve written an original play called Conspiracy! We’re going to present it on April 4 as a part of our Resurrection celebration at our Easter breakfast drama. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag, but let me just say, this play is going to take a lot of people by surprise.
There’s no cost for the breakfast, and we’ll be presenting the breakfast drama twice: at 9am and 11am.
Make your plans now to join us… it’s going to be an incredible celebration!
Wind Or Anchor
March 15, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
I so appreciate my church Board!
They are by no means a bunch of “yes men” (especially since one of our Board members is a woman!), but they are definitely great teammates. When I want to dream, they dream along with me. When I’m looking for a new way to do something, they help me explore our options. When I propose that we experiment, they give me the latitude to make the attempt.
They are the wind in my sails.
Unfortunately I’ve been around too many board members who feel it is their job to play devil’s advocate, or to hold the pastor to the time-honored traditions (without any regard to their effectiveness), or to always play everything safe.
They are an anchor around a pastor’s ankle.
French novelist Andre Gide noted,
“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”
Thanks, Calvary A/G Board, for allowing us to lose sight of the shore every once in awhile so that we can see what new lands God will help us discover. You are definitely the wind in my sails.
What about you, dear reader? You may not be on an official board, but your comments and attitudes can either be wind or an anchor to someone close to you. Which are you?
Holy Curiosity
March 13, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
Brandon and I spent the morning at the Van Andel Science Institute for a great father-son time called “Science On Saturday.”
What fun we had exploring God’s creation close-up and hands-on. Albert Einstein talked about the value of continual learning. He said, “Never lose a holy curiosity.” I’m a big believer in science and exploration because I believe the more we learn, the better we can worship God.
Here’s to lifelong learning and a greater wonder and awe of our Creator.
By the way, pictures of our exploration time are here.
What Do You Want On Your Tombstone
March 12, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
I’m preparing for our upcoming series called Be An Andrew.
Andrew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, but we know so little about him. Only a few of his spoken words are recorded for us, and he is only mentioned by name 13 times in the New Testament. But one thing is so clear in those few mentions: All he did was invite people to meet Jesus…
- His brother Peter, who went on to become one of the leaders of the first Christian church.
- A young boy, whose small lunch fed thousands.
- Non-Jewish Greeks who wanted to meet the Messiah.
Wouldn’t you love to have that written on your tombstone? If my entire life was captured in just one sentence, I’d love for it to be:
He just brought people to Jesus.
What do you want on your tombstone?
“Wondering Around”
March 12, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
I read this on Seth Godin’s blog this morning:
I stumbled on a great typo last night. “Staff in the lobby were wondering around…”
Wandering around is an aimless waste of time.
Wondering around, though, that sounds useful.
Wondering why this product is the way it is, wondering how you can make the lobby more welcoming, wondering if your best customers are happily sharing your ideas with others… So many things worth wondering about, so few people actually taking the time to do it.
Wondering around is the act of inquiring with generous spirit.
I love wondering around:
- Wondering about Christ’s love for me. (There’s a great Christmas carol about this. You can read the lyrics here.)
- Wondering about what I’m doing that reflects God’s love to others.
- Wondering how I could be so blessed with a fantastic wife, great kids, a vibrant church, health, and on and on.
- Wondering about these blessings—and so many more!—every day as I work on my 365/720/1095 challenge.
Seth was exactly right: wandering around is a waste, but wondering around is a great way to live.
Are you wondering or wandering today?
The Person You Love The Least
March 11, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
Quick… think of the person that you love the least.
Get a good mental picture of him/her.
Got it?
What sort of emotions come to mind as you see his/her face? Are you anxious to give them a bear hug? Or maybe it’s more like a tight hug right around their neck? Do you want to hang out with them at Starbucks? If you saw them stranded on the side of the road, would you stop to help?
Now, with the image of that person still clearly in mind, slowly read this quote:
“I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” —Dorothy Day
Ouch!
I’m really trying to work on this. Are you willing to try too?
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