Craig T. Owens

April 2026
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

What Does God Think About You?

August 10, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Josh Schram, our youth pastor, brought an amazing message to us Sunday morning. I have included the link to his full message below, but here are a few of my take-aways from his message.

Often we think about God’s thoughts of us the way we think about ourselves. That means sometimes I think He really loves me, and sometimes I think His love for me has cooled off a bit.

TRUTH: God’s love for me is not conditional on my circumstances or on my status. His love is unconditional … He couldn’t love me anymore than He already does!

In Luke 15, we see that the religious leaders didn’t like Jesus hanging around “sinners.” Why? Because those “sinners” should be getting the punishment they deserved, not getting Christ’s undivided attention (vv. 1-2).

When Jesus told His first two parables, it seems as if the Pharisees were more concerned about a lost coin or a lost sheep than they were about a lost person (vv. 3-10)! Do I feel that God is more concerned about a lost “thing” than He is about me?

To make the point perfectly clear, Jesus told the story of the lost son (vv. 11-32). The son deserved punishment. He came home covered in pig poop. But the son was STILL the father’s son and he loved his son no less than the day he left home!

The wrong way of thinking—God loves me less because I mess up.

The right way of thinking—God loves me unconditionally just as I am.

Check out this amazing message…

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, biblical truth, Calvary Assembly of God, God's love, Josh Schram, sermon, thinking, video. Leave a Comment »

Problems With Pornography

August 8, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Pornography is so terribly destructive! It destroys relationships, it destroys intimacy, and it even negatively effects the human brain.

Frank Powell has a short, but important, article listing 8 lies we believe about porn. Please check this out.

And then see what Bobby Conway has to say about the destructive power of porn in this video—

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: addiction, Bobby Conway, brain, intimacy, neuroplasticity, One Minute Apologist, pornography, relationships, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

August 7, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Why, do you not believe there may be as much pride in rags as in an alderman’s gown? Is it not just as possible for a man to be proud in a dust cart, as if he rode in her Majesty’s chariot? A man may be just as proud with half a yard of ground as Alexander with all his kingdoms, and may be just as lifted up with a few pence as Croesus with all his treasure. Pray against pride, dear friends, wherever you may be. Pride will grow on a dunghill, as well as in the king’s garden. Pray against pride and vainglory, and God give you grace to keep it under!” —Charles Spurgeon

“How numerous are the tears of unbelief! We manufacture troubles for ourselves by anticipating future ills which may never come…. We get supposing what we should do if such-and-such a thing occurred, which thing God has determined never shall occur. We imagine ourselves in positions where providence never intends to place us, and so we feel a thousand trials in fearing one.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Usually, an adolescent wants ‘freedom’ but not ‘responsibility.’ Real maturity and genuine leadership are only transferred from adult to student, however, when kids receive both of these elements. We’ve not truly helped a young person mature until we’ve passed on ownership.” Reader from Tim Elmore’s post The Single Most Important Ingredient for Maturity.

Eric Metaxas points out that Planned Parenthood is trying to clean-up the image of its founder Margaret Sanger. But the facts about Ms. Sanger are quite alarming.

Ever feel like you are going through hell? Check out what David Wilkerson says in his post Out Of The Belly Of Hell.

Murray Vassar shows us what the new humanitarianism looks like. Sadly true.

[VIDEO] Bobby Conway has a really good answer to the question what’s the big deal about premarital sex—

Links & Quotes

August 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Being in love is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all. Knowledge can last, principles can last, habits can last; but feelings come and go. And in fact, whatever people say, the state called ‘being in love’ usually does not last.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity

“There must be nothing about our religion of our own inventing; it is for us to lay thought, and judgment, and opinion at the feet of Christ, and do what He bids us, simply because He gives the command.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The storms of life are no longer our point of reference when Jesus is our focal point.” —Dutch Sheets

Murray Vassar reminds Christians to speak up for morality!

“Policy, however, Sir, is not my principle, and I am not ashamed to say it. There is a principle above everything is political . . . And, Sir, when we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is there in this life that should make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God.” —William Wilberforce

Two imprisoned Christian pastors have been released from their prison sentence in Sudan. Kudos to the ACLJ!

J.Warner Wallace asks a great question: Can naturalism/evolution account for human dignity?

John Piper has a weighty post that is worth your time to read: satan and sodomy.

Are You Getting Sick Yet?

August 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Have you seen enough? How much more do you need to see before you will do something? When is it enough that you will speak out?

The Center For Medical Progress is doing amazing work in uncovering the absolutely disgusting—and illegal!—practices of Planned Parenthood.

In this latest video, notice the calloused way this Planned Parenthood official calls babies “products of conception.” Are you kidding me?! It’s a human being, not a “product of conception”!

She matter-of-factly talks about her level of “specimen collection” and how “my department contributes so much to the bottom line.”

God, have mercy!

A recent attempt to defund Planned Parenthood failed in the United States Senate on a procedural vote. However, if more people will decrying these abominable practices to their Senator, there is NO WAY they could hide behind this again!

Please contact your Representative and Senators to tell them to defund Planned Parenthood, and put an end to these murderous practices.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abortion, Cecile Richards, Center for Medical Progress, government, murder, Planned Parenthood, pro-life, video. Leave a Comment »

I’m A Blessed Man

August 4, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

This week I get to celebrate 25 years of being married to the most amazing wife God ever created!

I can relate to Winston Churchill who said, “My most brilliant achievement was the ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.” Amen to that!

So we are off celebrating, and I won’t be blogging this week.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anniversary, God's blessing, wedding, Winston Churchill. Leave a Comment »

7 Quotes On Brain Health From “Brain-Savvy Leaders”

August 3, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Charles Stone gave us a very practical book in Brain-Savvy Leaders (you can read my full review by clicking here). Obviously out brain works best when we’re healthy, so check out some quotes from this book on brain health.

“Gratefulness is actually good for brain and body health.”

“At the end of our chromosomes lie protective caps called telomeres that are linked to longevity. Apparently, the longer your telomeres, all else being equal, the longer you live. Long-term stress shortens them, and mindfulness apparently helps lengthen them. For a Christian, mindfulness practices, such as meditation on Scripture and reflective prayer, which we often do in our devotional time, may possibly help us live longer.”

“The hypothalamus acts as a controller to the master hormone gland, the pituitary gland. … Chronic stress can damage our body and even kill neurons in the hippocampus. However, since the hippocampus is one of the few structures that can grow neurons, called neurogenesis, when stress decreases and cortisol levels out, the brain can regrow neurons here.”

“When we feel bored we don’t get as much oxygen and blood flow. When the brain lacks engagement over long periods of time (we are bored), dendrites can atrophy. When that happens, we can lose brain real estate.”

“Neuroscientists have found that stuffing, denying, or a ignoring our emotions reinforces them, affects short-term memory, increases blood pressure, and robs our brain’s prefrontal cortex of the mental energy it needs.”

“Chronic anxiety and stress cause what scientists call allostatic load…. When our body secretes too much cortisol over long periods of time, these problems can affect us: impaired immunity, weight gain, greater emotional reactivity, heart problems, decreased memory, and diminished brain functioning.”

“Exercise increases a key protein necessary for a healthy brain.”

I shared some quotes about how we learn from Brain-Savvy Leaders earlier, and you can read them here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anxiety, book review, boredom, brain, Charles Stone, chromosomes, cortisol, exercise, gratitude, healthy, hypothalamus, medical science, neurogenesis, neurons, neuroplasticity, physical health, pituitary, prayer, quotes, stress. 2 Comments »

God Stamps His Children

August 3, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

From the pages of history we see how kings would finalize or enact a new law by using their signet ring to make their unique mark on the decree. Think about: there was nothing but words on a page, until the impression from the king’s ring made it a royal decree.

The King of Kings stamps His children as well. Anyone who places his or her faith in Jesus Christ receives God’s seal, marking that person as God’s royal possession!

The Hebrew letter taw means a stamp or inscription. It’s the final letter of the Hebrew Aleph-Beth, and its message seals up all that God’s Word symbolizes. In the last section of Psalm 119 called taw (verses 169-176), we read of someone who has made God’s Word an integral part of his life. Check this out…

God’s word answers his cry for help and brings him understanding (v. 169)
God’s promise delivers an answer to his prayer (v. 170)
God’s decrees lead the psalmist to praise God (v. 171)
God’s commands cause him to burst into song (v. 172)
God’s precepts bring him help (v. 173)
God’s law leads him to salvation (v. 174)
God’s laws bring sustaining and reviving life (v. 175)
God’s commands rescue him (v. 176)

In the New Testament, God’s seal is described this way—Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

Here’s one more cool thing about taw. This letter is made up of two other Hebrew letters: daleth and nun. This spells Dan. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the tribe of Dan went last. Their job was to make sure no one got left behind.

Christians who have God’s seal of ownership on them, should live as holy rescuers. They serve by going last, and making sure no one gets left behind, but everyone hears the good news of God’s love.

Do you have God’s seal of ownership on you? What are you doing with it.

Here’s the video of the complete message on taw—

If you have missed any of the messages in our P119 series, you can access them all by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 2 Corinthians, Bible, Calvary Assembly of God, Christian, Hebrew, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, praise, prayer, Psalm 119, salvation, sermon, video. 2 Comments »

Links & Quotes

August 1, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“People most affected by fear are those who hang around negative people. If you’re going to control the negative thoughts in your life, you’ve got to get away from negative people as much as you can.” —Rick Warren

“Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith.” —Horace Greeley

“It’s natural enough in our species, as in others, that the young birds should show off their plumage—in the mating season. But the trouble in the modern world is that there’s a tendency to rush all the birds on to that age as soon as possible and then keep them there as late as possible, thus losing all the real value of the other parts of life in a senseless, pitiful attempt to prolong what, after all, is neither its wisest, its happiest, or most innocent period. I suspect merely commercial motives are behind it all: for it is at the showing-off age that birds of both sexes have least sales resistance!” —C.S. Lewis

“Don’t make a decision, large or small, without sitting before God with an open Bible, an open heart, and open ears. Philippians 2:13 says, ‘God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him.’” —Max Lucado

“Strange as it may seem, one of the primary purposes of being shaken by suffering is to make our faith more unshakable. Faith is like muscle tissue: if you stress it to the limit, it gets stronger, not weaker. That’s what James means here [James 1:2-3]. When your faith is threatened and tested and stretched to the breaking point, the result is greater capacity to endure. … If you think your suffering is pointless, or that God is not in control, or that He is whimsical or cruel, then your suffering will drive you from God, instead of driving you from everything but God—as it should. So it is crucial that faith in God’s grace includes the faith that He gives grace through suffering.” —John Piper

“The promise, made when I am in love and because I am in love, to be true to the beloved as long as I live, commits me to being true even if I cease to be in love. A promise must be about things that I can do, about actions: no one can promise to go on feeling in a certain way. He might as well promise never to have a headache or always to feel hungry.” —C.S. Lewis

“It’s the lives of the saints, not the arguments of the theologians and philosophers, that covert people.” — Pope Benedict XVI