Craig T. Owens

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The Prayerful Heart Of Our Testimony

January 25, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on iTunes or Spotify.

The best way to be a first responder in prayer is to work on making prayer a habit. Prayer needs to come first. Remember: I can do more than pray, but I shouldn’t do anything until I have prayed.

King David showed us his nearly-identical “bookend prayer” that he prayed both at the beginning of his reign as king and again just before he died. We can pray similar bookend prayers when we begin with a petitionary prayer—“God, please help me”—and finish with a thankful prayer—“God, thank You for helping me.” We can also try to expand those bookends toward the middle, allowing us to live as the apostle Paul admonished in 1 Thessalonians 5:17:

Pray without ceasing
Pray continually
Never stop praying

Jesus gave us a model prayer at the heart—the very middle—of His Sermon on the Mount. This sermon has 107 verses of Christ’s words, making the middle verse Matthew 6:6, which starts, “When you pray….” Notice the model Jesus gave us:

Hallowing God—Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name
Bringing our petitions—Give us our daily bread, help us forgive, deliver us from evil
Worshiping God for His answers and for Who He is—Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen!

Surrounding this prayer is a Christ-centered life that is:

Blessed (the beatitudes)
God-glorifying—so they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven
Perfect—be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect
Compassionate—when you give to the needy

—Model Prayer—

Disciplined—fasting, handling your treasures
Anxiety-free—do not worry
Fruitful—every good tree bears good fruit
Secure—your foundation is on the rock

You see: Prayer helps us live out a God-honoring testimony, and that God-honoring testimony is empowered by prayer. Prayer is both the bookends AND at the heart of a Christ-centered life.

The heart of a God-honoring prayer is to live out a God-honoring testimony.

David’s bookend prayer follows the same model Jesus gave us: hallowing God, making petitions, and then worshipping God.

Christians need to be BOTH first responders in prayer AND continual responders in prayer—prayer at the beginning, prayer at the heart, and prayer at the end. This way, when God does answer, there is no doubt that He was the One who answered, and it wasn’t just because of something we did.

Prayer fuels our testimony. Our testimony glorifies God. At the heart of this testimony, our answered prayers glorify our heavenly Father and point others to Him.

Let me say it again: The heart of a God-honoring prayer is to live out a God-honoring testimony.

If you’ve missed any of the messages in our series called Be A First Responder, you can access the full list by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Thessalonians, 2 Samuel, Calvary Assembly of God, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, King David, prayer, Psalm, sermon, Sermon on the Mount, testimony, video, YouTube. 3 Comments »

Poetry Saturday—The Lovetobutcants

January 23, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to this post as a podcast by clicking here:

I have a disease called

The “lovetobutcants”—

I think it’s time I told it.

I’d love to help with that garbage can

But my fingers just can’t hold it.

Hand me a bag of groceries and

My wrists just turned to jelly.

Cuttin’ grass and hedges

Gives me flutters of the belly.

The smell of paint will make me faint,

Sweat makes my eyes start itchin’.

Dishwater on my little hands

Will start ‘em shaky-twitchin’.

Pickin’ clothes up off the floor

Would paralyze my shoulder.

I must not try to close the door,

At least not till I’m older.

So though I’d love to join the work—

Till this disease is done,

I’ll have to lie here in the shade

While you have all the fun. —Shel Silverstein

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: excuses, love others, poem, poetry, relationships, serve others, Shel Silverstein, work ethic. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—The Greatest Gift

January 21, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

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

Listen to this post as a podcast by clicking here:

The Greatest Gift

Come…buy wine and milk without money and without price. … The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord…. (Isaiah 55:1; Romans 6:23)

The free grace of God would be insulted by being put up for auction or set forth for sale. … It is a gift and not a prize. There are heavenly prizes to be run for, to be fought for, and to be obtained by divine help. There is a recompense of reward to which we are to look and a crown for which we are to strive, but the divine grace that forgives sin and works faith is no prize for exertion but rather a gift for those without strength. ‘It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy’ (Romans 9:16). …

The blessings of salvation are freely given us of God; therefore they are not a loan, handed to us for a time and to be one day recalled. Our heavenly heritage is not held on lease, upon terms of annual payment. It is an unencumbered freehold to every man who has by faith put his foot upon it. … When He has given it, the deed is done outright and can never be reversed. O believer, if your sin is blotted out, it can never be written in again! God has declared that He has forgiven our transgressions. And then He adds, ‘Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more’ (Hebrews 10:17). …

God is unchangeable, and therefore what He has given He will give again. ‘Still there’s more to follow’ is a popular way of putting a great truth. The stream that has begun to flow will never cease flowing. The more the Lord gives, the more we may expect. Every blessing is not only in itself a mercy, but it is a note for more mercies.

From Grace For Grace

I shared a series of messages on God’s favor—His free gift that we call grace—that was one of the most downloaded and watched of any series I have presented. It almost seems inconceivable to people that God would give so freely and lavishly without expecting some sort of payment in return.

Why would God “not spare even His own Son but [give] Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32)? Because if you feel distant from Him, how can you glorify Him? If you feel disconnected from His love, how will you draw others to Him? If you feel like your relationship with Him is hanging by a thread, how can you happily abide in His presence?

Knowing God’s favor—His free gift—is the key to living the abundant life Jesus purchased for you on the Cross!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Charles Spurgeon, Cross, forgiveness, grace, Hebrews, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, Romans, salvation, video. 1 Comment »

Do I Have Standing?

January 20, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to this post as a podcast by clicking here:

If it is true that I have gone astray, my error remains my concern alone (Job 19:4).

Why do we find it necessary to stick our noses in where they are not wanted? Why do we feel like the other person needs to hear our opinion?

The law dictionary defines “standing” as the right to file a lawsuit or file a petition under the circumstances. In legal terms, Job’s three friends had no standing to bring charges against him. Job himself even said he didn’t want to hear their opinions. Instead, all Job asked for was, “Have pity on me, my friends, have pity.” He goes on to ask, “Why do you pursue me as God does? Will you never get enough of my flesh?”

And then Job gives this warning: “If you say, ‘How we will hound him, since the root of trouble lies in him,’ you should fear the sword yourselves.” Despite this warning, Zophar still begins his argument by stating, “I hear a rebuke that dishonors me so I have to speak up.”

There are indeed times when our friends may be going astray and the loving thing we can do for them is speak a word of truth, but that is something entirely different than feeling compelled to share an opinion or sticking our noses in where they don’t belong. A good question to ask ourselves before speaking: Do I have standing here?

Far better for us to apply the Golden Rule this way: Treat others in their condition the way I would want to be treated in the same condition. And if I do feel as though I have standing, and need to speak a loving word, I need to examine myself first.

Job tells his friends, “You are miserable comforters, all of you!” (16:2). One of the best things they did for him was to simply sit silently in mourning alongside him. It was when they felt compelled to argue that they not only disappointed Job, but they dishonored God too.

My checklist before speaking:

Do I have standing?
Have I examined myself?
Can I speak truth in love (and not just air my opinion)?
Have I considered the Golden Rule?

If I can answer “Yes” to all four questions, then speak; otherwise, it’s far more loving to remain silent.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Golden Rule, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, job, love others, opinion, relationships. 1 Comment »

Think, Do, Evaluate, Propose

January 19, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

The seed thought for me was this quote from John Maxwell:

“Nothing you do will be perfect, so embrace the reality and benefits of failure by releasing yourself from the burden of not making mistakes.”

Here’s what I am endeavoring to implement: Think, Do, Evaluate, Propose. And then Repeat.

THINK ABOUT IT—It’s important to put some thought into what you want to do before you do it, but we cannot camp-out here forever. I like to think in terms of goals I want to accomplish, whether those are for me personally or for organizations I lead.

DO IT—At some point, I must launch out. Many people point out that Peter began to sink under the waves when he took his eyes off Jesus and began to look at the storm. But let’s not forget that Peter was the only one of the disciples who actually got out of the boat and walked on water! I often remind people who are hesitant to begin something that you cannot steer a parked car. We have to get moving first.

EVALUATE THE MISTAKES—Let’s remove all doubt: you will make mistakes. But those mistakes are beneficial because it gives you something on which to work. Get some wise friends around you that can help you evaluate your mistakes. And always remember I failed ≠ I am a failure (here’s another post where I elaborate on this point).

PROPOSE CHANGES—After evaluating your mistakes or shortcomings, you now have evidence that can be processed for your next attempt. This evidence can be taken back into the laboratory of the “Think” box as you prepare to try again, except now you are more informed than you were in your first attempt.

REPEAT THE PROCESS AGAIN—No one is an overnight success, so keep trying again and again and again.

Leaders, walk through this process with your team members. Help guide their thinking, and then move them to action. Let them know that mistakes are okay because they have given you some invaluable feedback you can use as you make your proposals for your next attempt.

Success is a continual run through the Think-Do-Evaluate-Propose cycle, with each revolution moving you closer to success.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: action, apostle Peter, change, evaluation, failure, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, John Maxwell, leadership, mistake, quote, teammates, video, YouTube. 4 Comments »

Miracles Out Of Somewhere (book review)

January 19, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Fans of the band Kansas will recognize that the title of Kerry Livgren’s book is just a slight variation from one of the band’s well-known songs. Miracles Out Of Somewhere recognizes both the miracles and the Source of those miraculous encounters.

For my listening enjoyment, I am always quick to pull up anything written by Kerry Livgren—his solo work, Kansas, AD, or Proto-Kaw are musical masterpieces and lyrically enriching. One of Kerry’s songs was entitled “Miracles out of nowhere,” in which we are surprised by the serendipitous occurrences that cross our paths. But in this book, Kerry makes it clear that he sees God at work in his life.

Miracles Out Of Somewhere is a memoir spanning all of Kerry’s life. He takes us back to his boyhood home, to the pre-Kansas days, to the heyday of Kansas, and to his life since leaving the popular rock band. The book is not written in chronological order, but almost as if Kerry were sitting on the front porch and reminiscing with you.

I have always found Kerry (and all his Kansas bandmates) to be very down-to-earth guys. They enjoyed their success without letting it go to their head. This book has that same accessible, guy-next-door feel to it, which makes it extremely engaging and enjoyable. Kerry simply shares his stories and lets the reader come to their own conclusion of what sort of miracle may (or may not) have happened.

If you enjoy the music of Kerry Livgren, I think you will appreciate the messages in his songs even more after taking this behind-the-scenes tour with him.

ADDED BONUS REVIEW: The band Kansas has a rockumentary about the band’s beginnings and its “miracles” that put them on top of Billboard’s greatest hits. This Miracles Out Of Nowhere DVD is very enjoyable and well worth the time of any Kansas fan.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: autobiography, book review, Kansas, Kerry Livgren, memoir, miracles, music, rockumentary. 1 Comment »

A Proper Perspective In An Evil Culture

January 18, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Do these phrases sound familiar?

The foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?
The faithful have vanished from among men
Everyone lies to his neighbor
The boastful say, “We will triumph with our tongues”
The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men

This could be said today in my neighborhood. And 20 years ago in Washington DC. And 500 years ago in Europe. But it was said over 3000 years ago!

In times like these it’s important to remember that there have always been times like these!

In the United States, elections bring regular changes in leadership. Around the world and throughout history violent dictators are toppled, benevolent monarchies fall, dominate personalities shine brightly and fade from the scene, even people who called themselves “Great” or “the king of kings” have disappeared. What should our perspective be in changing cultures—whether they are good or evil?

In Psalms 9-12, David shares some timeless reminders.

In Psalm 9, he contrasts the temporary track record of mortals with the transcendency of Yahweh. His Selah pauses in this psalm invite us to consider the question: Who benefits me ultimately and affects me eternally: mortals or God?

In the Septuagint, Psalms 9 and 10 make up one psalm. In our English Bible, Psalm 9 closes with the phrase “they are but men” and Psalm 10 closes by calling mankind “mere earthly mortals.” Contrast that with Yahweh who is described as “the LORD reigns forever” and “the LORD is King for ever and ever.”

In between these eternal affirmations of God, mere earthly mortals are described as:

arrogant
boastful—literally saying “hallelujah” to themselves
blessing all who are like them in their wicked thoughts
having no room in their thoughts for God
even praying to themselves—which is the literal meaning of “he says to himself” that David repeats three times

Literally this mere earthly mortal thinks of himself as god! But even as he says “nothing will ever hurt me while I’m alive” he acknowledges his mortality, admitting that he is indeed finite.

In Psalms 11 and 12, David gives the righteous the proper perspective to handle all of this. In a word, David wants the godly to remember:

Remember God sees everything
Remember God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous
Remember God gets the final word

Christians can only live exemplary, anxiety-free, and God-honoring lives when we stay focused on the Infinite, on the Eternal God. With this perspective we can live out our roles as “aliens and strangers”—as the apostle Peter calls us—while we live in this evil culture.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, Calvary Assembly of God, culture, David, evil, Gospel of Luke, paradigm, perspective, Psalm, sermon, video, YouTube. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Indispensable Man

January 16, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Sometime when you’re feeling important;

Sometime when your ego’s in bloom;

Sometime when you take for granted

You’re the best qualified in the room.

Sometime when you feel that your going

Would leave an unfillable hole;

Just follow this simple instruction,

And see how it humbles your soul.

Take a bucket and fill it with water,

Put your hand in it up to the wrist;

Pull it out and the hole that’s remaining,

Is a measure of how you’ll be missed.

You may splash all you please when you enter,

You can stir up the water galore;

But stop and you’ll find in a minute,

That it looks quite the same as before.

The moral of this quaint example

Is to do just the best that you can;

Be proud of yourself, but remember

There’s no indispensable man —Saxon White Kessinger

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: humility, paradigm, perspective, poem, poetry, Saxon White Kessinger. 1 Comment »

Thursdays With Spurgeon—The Plan Of The Cross

January 14, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

The Plan Of The Cross

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

The course of our fallen race has been a succession of failures. Whenever there has been an apparent rise, it has been followed by a real fall. Into ever-increasing darkness the human mind seems resolved to plunge itself in its struggles after a false light. When men have been fools, they have danced in a delirium of sin. When they have been sober, they have given themselves up to a phantom wisdom of their own that has revealed their folly more than ever. It is a sad story, the story of mankind! Read it in the light of God’s Word and it will bring tears from your very heart.

The only hope for man was that God should interpose. And He has interposed, as though He began a new creation or worked a resurrection out of the kingdom of death. God has come into human history and here the bright lights begin. … See yonder avalanche rushing down the steep mountainside? Such is humanity left to itself. Lo, God in Christ Jesus throws Himself in the way. He so interposes as to be crushed beneath the descending rocks. But beloved, He rises from the dreadful burial. He stops the avalanche in its terrible path. He hurls back the tremendous mass and changes the whole aspect of history. …

The plan of the Cross is to conquer death by death, to remove sin by the endurance of the penalty, to work mightily by suffering terribly, and to glorify Christ by shame.

From Grace For Grace

This sermon reminds me of the poignant words from Isaac Watts—

When I survey the wondrous Cross

On which the Prince of Glory died,

My richest gain I count but loss,

And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

Save in the death of Christ my God!

All the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to His blood.

All of man’s attempts to control his universe, or determine his fate, or even make himself acceptable to God have been an abysmal failure. So God Himself stepped in, but He came in a way that no one could have imagined and no one could claim as their idea. The prophet Isaiah said it this way, “The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, He was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so His own arm achieved salvation for Him, and His own righteousness sustained Him” (Isaiah 59:15-16).

It is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone that we have hope of our salvation. And for that we give all glory to God alone. Sola Deo gloria!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, Charles Spurgeon, Cross, foolish, history, hymn, Isaac Watts, Isaiah, Jesus Christ, salvation, Sola Deo gloria, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

The Craig And Greg Show: Leaders Are Healthy

January 13, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

On this episode of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about:

the premier biblical historian Luke tells us how important it was that Jesus grew wholly healthy
unhealthiness in one aspect affects every area of a leader’s life
we need to guard against what we let in our minds and bodies
our emotional/social health is what really shows our leadership health
self-care is never selfish; it’s vital
leaders can only give health to others when they are first healthy themselves
stress can erode a leader’s health, so leaders need to be self-aware
the importance of getting feedback
most of us won’t change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and iTunes.