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Hard Times

July 13, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I have to go through these difficulties?” Or maybe: “What is being accomplished through this pain and heartache?” I know I’ve asked these questions of myself—and of God—numerous times. I have come to three conclusions why Christians must go through hard times:

So that I know that I can trust God to help me pass this test.
So that God will be glorified in helping me pass this test.
So that others will know that God can help them pass their test.

These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when [not “if”] your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. (1 Peter 1:7)

Others will see this and be encouraged to trust God too! Look what Thomas Paine wrote in The Crisis:

“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.”

So to help in your hard times, may this prayer from Charles Spurgeon encourage you:

The graces of the Christian character must not resemble the rainbow in its transitory beauty, but, on the contrary, must be established, settled, abiding.

May your character not be a writing upon the sand, but an inscription upon the rock!

May your faith be no baseless fabric of a vision.

But may it be built of material able to endure that awful fire which shall consume the wood, hay, and stubble of the hypocrite.

May you be rooted and grounded in love.

May your convictions be deep, your love real, your desires earnest.

May your whole life be so settled and established, that all the blasts of Hell, and all the storms of earth shall never be able to remove you.

UPDATE: I shared a series of messages on this topic called Where’s God? You can check them out by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, character development, Charles Spurgeon, difficulties, God's glory, maturity, prayer, quotes, testing, Thomas Paine, trials, video. 2 Comments »

Uh Oh! God’s Calling Me

July 12, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Back in the pre-cell phone days, my parents had to develop another system to communicate with me. Many times it was simply an agreement before I left the house like, “Be home at 6 o’clock for dinner.” Or maybe something like, “Come inside when the streetlight turns on.”

I was usually pretty good about following through on this. But occasionally I would get so caught up in what I was doing with my friends that time just sort of got away from me. That’s when I would hear the distinct voice of my Mom calling me. Not on the phone, but with her hands cupped to her mouth, yelling, “Craaaiiig! Time to come home!”

If she was calling me, that meant I missed the deadline. I wasn’t where I was supposed to be.

Uh oh!

I spoke to them, but they did not listen; I called to them, but they did not answer. (Jeremiah 35:17)

God spoke to His people at first because they were close to Him. But then He had to call to them because they had gotten farther away from Him.

If God is calling me, perhaps it’s because I’ve gotten too far away. Maybe not on purpose. Maybe I just got caught up in what I was doing. Maybe I allowed something else to capture my attention.

I don’t want God to have to call me. I don’t even want to be close enough that He has to speak to me. I want to be so close to Him that just His whisper gets my undivided attention.

What about you: How close do you want to be?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: God's calling, Jeremiah, prayer. 2 Comments »

Smith Wigglesworth On Faith (book review)

July 8, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

He may have a funny-sounding name, but—wow—can this man ever preach!

Smith Wigglesworth didn’t sit down to write a book, he just preached this book. In fact, Smith didn’t even read other books; he only read the Bible. So to read a Smith Wigglesworth book is really to “listen” to his power-packed sermons.

From 1900 to 1940, Smith traveled around the United States, speaking at various locations. His sermons are a heavy dose of Scripture, accented with frequent interpretations of a message in tongues from the Holy Spirit. So Smith Wigglesworth On Faith is a collection of faith-building sermons preached over a four decade time span.

If you want to have your faith (re)ignited, you can’t go wrong by listening (I mean: reading) these sermons. Highly, highly recommended!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, Holy Spirit, preaching, sermon, Smith Wigglesworth. 2 Comments »

Thursdays With Oswald—A Religious Poser

July 7, 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.

A Religious Poser

It is difficult to evade pose in religious life. … If you have the idea that your duty is to catch other people, it puts you on a superior platform at once and your whole attitude takes on the guise of a prig….

The religious pose is based, not on a personal relationship to God, but on adherence to a creed. Immediately we mistake God for a creed, or Jesus Christ for a form of belief, we begin to patronize what we do not understand. When anyone is in pain the thing that hurts more than anything else is pose….

From Baffled To Fight Better

How do I avoid religious posing?

Develop a deeply intimate, highly personalized relationship with Jesus Christ.
Allow everyone around me to have their own deeply intimate, highly personalized relationship with Jesus Christ.

I cannot fake it, nor can I ask someone to be just like me or believe just like me. I need to let God be as original with everyone else as He is with me.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, originality, Oswald Chambers, personal holiness. Leave a Comment »

Leadership Is & Isn’t

July 6, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? … [Your father] defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know Me?” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 22:15-16)

Leadership has both an IS and ISN’T component.

Leadership isn’t about me.

Leadership isn’t about getting comfortable.

Leadership isn’t about getting.

Leadership isn’t about a title or perks.

Leadership is about others.

Leadership is about being uncomfortable with the discomfort of others.

Leadership is about giving.

Leadership is about serving.

True leaders know God and show God to others.

UPDATE: So many of these thoughts were the seed thoughts for topics I elaborate on in my book Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Jeremiah, leadership, servant-leadership. Leave a Comment »

Radical Together (book review)

July 5, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

In Radical Together, David Platt follows up on his book Radical by focusing on how followers of Jesus need to rethink the purpose of the church.

Throughout the book, David continually challenges the age-old paradigms of “church,” and he calls on Christians to return to a more biblical approach to living out their faith. Some of my favorite wake-up calls come in these quotes:

“So we decided to stop planning, creating and managing outreach programs and to start unleashing people to maximize the ministry opportunities God had already planned and created for them.”

“Be careful not to let programs in the church keep you from engaging people in the world with the Gospel.”

“Discussions in the church more often revolve around what we want than what [God] wills. Almost unknowingly, the church becomes a means of self-entertainment and a monument to self-sufficiency.”

And he also addresses pastors specifically in the way they lead their churches. One quote from David really caused me to pause—

“The Bible is not in a church leader’s hands so he or she can give people answers to every question they have and guidance for every situation they face. Instead, the Bible is in a church leader’s hands to transform people into the image of Christ and to get people in touch with the Holy Spirit of God, who will not only give them counsel for every situation they face but will also walk with them through those situations. And when church leaders use God’s Word for this purpose, then church members develop a healthy dependence on God’s Spirit and a healthy admiration of God’s glory.”

Although Radical Together was really written as a sequel to Radical, I didn’t read the first book. With that being said, I didn’t feel like I was only getting part of the story, as Radical Together clearly stands alone.

If you are tired of same-old-same-old church, Radical Together just might be the wake-up call that you need.

I am a Multnomah book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, church, church growth, David Platt, Great Commission, missions, quotes. Leave a Comment »

An Unabashed Appeal To Join Religion And Government

July 4, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Talk about taking a passing remark out of context! In a personal letter, Thomas Jefferson mentions how church and state should be separate. But I’m convinced where we’ve ended up is no where close to what he intended! I’m so tired of historical revisionists trying to convince us that biblical values and Judeo-Christian ethics had no place in the founding of our nation. Or—worse yet—that they have no place now. Consider these founding remarks…

“…Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the Northern parts of Virginia….” —Mayflower Compact

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence….” —Declaration Of Independence

“I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth, That God governs in the Affairs of Men!—And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without His Notice, is it probable than an Empire can rise without His Aid? — We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring Aid we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel…. I therefore beg leave to move, That henceforth Prayers, imploring the Assistance of Heaven, and its Blessing on our Deliberations, be held in this Assembly every Morning before we proceed to Business.” —Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible.” —George Washington

“Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! What a Utopia, what aParadise would this region be.” —John Adams

And, of course, the quotes could go on and on and on. But one of my favorites:

“Yes, if our religion had more to do with our politics; if, in the pride of our citizenship, we had not forgotten our Christianity; if we had prayed more and wrangled less about the affairs of our country, it would have been infinitely better for us at this day.” —John Mitchell Mason (1770-1829), in his book published in 1800

Happy Birthday, America! May GOD bless you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: American history, Benjamin Franklin, biblical literacy, church, Declaration of Independence, Founding Fathers, George Washington, Independence Day, John Adams, Mayflower Compact, politics, quotes, United States of America. Leave a Comment »

I Am Debtor

July 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

A poem penned by Robert M’Cheyne in 1837:

When this passing world is done,
When has sunk yon glaring sun,
When we stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.

When I stand before the throne,
Dressed in beauty not my own,
When I see Thee as Thou art,
Love Thee with unsinning heart,
Then Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then—how much I owe.

Even on earth, as through a glass
Darkly, let Thy glory pass,
Make forgiveness feel so sweet,
Make Thy Spirit’s help so meet,
Even on earth, Lord, make me know
Something of how much I owe.

Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Savior’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

What are you going to do with how much YOU owe?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: God's love, poem, poetry, Robert Murray McCheyne. Leave a Comment »

Be The People (book review)

June 30, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

If Carol M. Swain’s book, Be The People, sounds like the opening words of the Constitution of the United States of America, it was fully intended that way.

Be The People is a clarion call for American citizens to return to our roots. And Dr. Swain makes no attempt to hide the fact that our country’s roots are firmly grounded in biblical truth. The first section of the book is three chapters long and is called “Broken Vows: Forsaking What We Once Knew.” In language that is sometimes scholarly, sometimes biblical, but always straightforward, Dr. Swain systematically lays out where we’ve come from, and how we’ve abandoned God’s ways to get to this point in our country’s history.

The second section — which makes up the remainder of the chapters — lays out what we can do to reclaim our Judeo-Christian heritage. Leaving nothing to the imagination, Dr. Swain lists several action points at the end of each chapter. She also includes the Ten Commandments, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution at the back of the book. There are no excuses for her readers not to be fully informed of the stark divide between our Founding Fathers’ original intent, and the beliefs and practices of those currently in political power.

Parts of this book surprised me; parts disgusted me; still other parts gave me a greater appreciation for our heritage. But the entirety of this book called me to action. After reading Be The People I feel more prepared to defend what I believe about our great country, and more motivated to get involved.

If you are upset with the current highly-politicized, Scripture-eschewing, heritage-denying atmosphere among the current office-holders in the USA, Be The People is just the book for you.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.