Links & Quotes

March 29, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

link quote

These are links to some interesting quotes and news stories I was reading this weekend.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder still thumbing his nose at the law he has sworn to uphold.

Apparently it’s more important to win games than it is for student athletes to get an education. Check out this whistleblower report.

[VIDEO] Congressman Bruce Braley thinks only lawyers are qualified to serve in Congress … certainly not “a farmer … from Iowa” !

“May God raise up more ministers like William Booth, who support gospel proclamation with practical ministry to those who need it most.” Amen! Check out this great article about Salvation Army founder William Booth.

The Hollywood movie Noah has been called “the least biblical biblical movie ever made” by its director Darren Aronofsky. But check out this article: The Folly Of What Noah Preached.

“Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. When you give someone your time, you are giving them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. Your time is your life. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” —Rick Warren

Tell your Congressional representative and senator not to turn control of the internet over to the U.N.

Glad to see that World Vision reversed their decision on same sex couples.

“I fear John Knox’s prayers more than an army of ten thousand men.” —Mary Queen of Scots

Astronomers have found a new planet! Think what else the Creator has out there for us to discover…. “It goes to show that there’s something we don’t know about our Solar System, and it’s something important,” says co-discoverer Chad Trujillo.

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Poetry Saturday—How Did You Die?

March 29, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Edmund Vance CookeDid you tackle that trouble that came your way
With a resolute heart and cheerful?
Or hide your face from the light of day
With a craven soul and fearful?
Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it,
And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts,
But only how did you take it?



You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what’s that?

Come up with a smiling face.

It’s nothing against you to fall down flat,

But to lie there—that’s disgrace.

The harder you’re thrown, why the higher you bounce;

Be proud of your blackened eye!

It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts,

It’s how did you fight—and why?




And though you be done to the death, what then?

If you battled the best you could,

If you played your part in the world of men,

Why, the Critic will call it good.

Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,

And whether he’s slow or spry,

It isn’t the fact that you’re dead that counts,

But only how did you die? —Edmund Vance Cooke








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Invocation

March 28, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Yesterday I was so honored to be able to offer the invocation for the Michigan House of Representatives as the guest of Rep. Pete MacGregor. It was an amazing experience!


(L-R) Speaker of the House Jase Bolger, me, Rep. Pete MacGregor
(L-R) Speaker of the House Jase Bolger, me, Rep. Pete MacGregor


At the Speaker's rostrum offering the invocation
At the Speaker’s rostrum offering the invocation


 


Almighty God,


Your Word, the Bible, tells us that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes” [Daniel 4:25]. And that “there is no authority except that which God has established” [Romans 13:1]. This is why the Apostle Paul said, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone … for all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior” [1 Timothy 2:1-3].


Heavenly Father, the issues before this body of elected representatives today are not unknown to You. Neither are the House members who will be discussing these issues unknown to You. You have established both the authority and the persons of authority in this great chamber today.


Therefore, it is well and good, and pleasing to You, that I humbly ask for wisdom for Your servants. You have told us that wisdom will be “given generously” to all who ask You for it [James 1:5]. And that by Your wisdom officials “rule wisely” [Proverbs 8:15]. Give these members of the House such wisdom to deliberate and to decide in a fashion that pleases Your righteousness and Your justice.


In the Name of Your Son Jesus I pray. Amen.






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7 Quotes From “Discipleship In Crisis”

March 27, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Discipleship In CrisisCheck out my review of Discipleship In Crisis by Frank Viola by clicking here. Below are a few quotes which I found especially highlighter worthy.


“The presupposition that sits underneath virtually every sermon heralded today and most of the Christian books that fill bookstores is that we can live the Christian life if we just try hard enough. If we study our Bible more, pray more, witness more, tithe more, hear more sermons… then we can be like Jesus. But that’s not the gospel. The gospel teaches that just as Jesus couldn’t do anything of Himself, we can’t do anything of ourselves. Listen to the Lord again: ‘Without Me you can do nothing.’ The Christian life is impossible. It’s only Him-possible.”  


“The goal of the gospel is not to get you out of hell and into Heaven, but to get God out of Heaven and into you.”


“A person who is living by the tree of life doesn’t sit back and say, ‘Let me try to do good and avoid evil.’ Instead, he allows the life of God to flow with in and through him. He yields to the instincts, promptings, and energy of that God-life. … You see, ‘good’ is a form of life. And only God is good. Here are the two choices before you today: (1) The choice to intellectually know good from evil and to try to do good = the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; (2) Living by the life of God, which is goodness itself = the tree of life.”


“The only way you and I can truly imitate Jesus’ external lifestyle is to imitate His internal relationship with His Father.”


“What history teaches us is that men have never learned anything from it.” —G.W.F. Hegel


“In a word, you cannot raise the bar on discipleship without raising the bar on the ekklesia—the living experience of the body of Christ—the native habitat in which true disciple-making and transformation take place.”


“The New Testament talks about spiritual seeing, spiritual touching, spiritual tasting, spiritual handling, and spiritual healing. These are the faculties of your Spirit-regenerated human spirit. Jesus was very much in touch with His spiritual instincts, and hence, He ‘perceived’ things ‘in His spirit’ that were outside natural means. He did this as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit, not because He was God.”






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Thursdays With Oswald−Remorse Is Hell On Earth

March 27, 2014 — 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.


Oswald ChambersRemorse Is Hell On Earth


     Never mistake remorse for repentance; remorse simply puts a man in hell while he is on earth, it carries no remedial quality with it at all, nothing that betters a man.


From Conformed To His Image


I meet people all the time who are sorry for the wrong things they’ve done, and perpetually beat themselves up over those sins. As Chambers says, their remorse has created a hell on earth and it doesn’t do a single thing to help them.


Even a great man like the Apostle Paul felt the hell-on-earth trap of remorse. “I know what the wrong thing is and I don’t want to do it, but I give in and do it anyhow. I say I’m not going to do it again, but I do it again. Oh, what a wretched man I am! (see Romans 7:15-24). That’s where remorse leaves us, and the devil uses that feeling of remorse to condemn us and to imprison us in his hell on earth.


Repentance, on the other hand, is feeling bad for the sin and also asking God to forgive us through the work Jesus Christ did on the Cross—Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Romans 7:25). As a result of this repentance and forgiveness Paul can then conclude…


So now there is NO CONDEMNATION for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:1-2)


Remorse imprisons. Repentance and forgiveness are the only things that free us!








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Links & Quotes

March 26, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




link quote


These are some links and quotes I found interesting today.


“It could be argued that since everyone these days owns his own copy of the Scriptures, the need for the public reading of the Word is not as great as formerly. If that is true, then let us not bother to read the Scriptures at all in our churches. But if we are going to read the Word publicly, then it is incumbent upon us to read it well. A mumbled, badly articulated and unintelligent reading of the Sacred Scriptures will do more than we think to give the listeners the idea that the Word is not important.” —A.W. Tozer


“Praying and sinning will never live together in the same heart. Prayer will consume sin, or sin it will choke prayer.” —J.C. Ryle


“The Church today is in a stupor regarding the power of prayer. A veil has fallen over the eyes of millions. And now, whenever they face trouble, the last place they turn is to Jesus. They abandon the secret closet and, instead, turn to psychology, counselors, books, friends—everywhere but to the Lord. If you say your marriage is a wreck and you want it healed, I wonder how much time you spend shut in with God. How many times have you turned off your television for an hour just to sit before Jesus and unburden your soul? How many meals have you missed so you could fast for your marriage?” —David Wilkerson


The Obama administration continues to lie about ObamaCare: We Never Mean A Word We Say






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God’s Favorite Place On Earth

March 26, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




God's Favorite Place On Earth [web]“God doesn’t have favorites. Everyone and everyplace is His favorite.” Do you think that’s true? If God had a favorite place on earth, where do you think that would be? What about the favorite place for Jesus during His earthly ministry? Was it maybe the nation of Israel? The city of Jerusalem?


Jesus did have a favorite place while He was on earth, and what He did there has major implications for all of us today!


The title of this series is taken from a book Frank Viola wrote (you can read my review of this book by clicking here). In an email correspondence, Frank told me that this book was the most critical of all his works to date, and I must agree! So we’re going to use this book as our guide to visit God’s favorite place on earth and let the pages of Scripture speak to us in a new and exciting way.


I am so excited to get started! Will you please join me this Sunday at 10:30am.






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(Super)Man Of Prayer

March 26, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Man of prayerKing David’s wholehearted devotion to God is well known. We can see it especially in the most trying moments of his life. And what I see is a real man … a (super)man of prayer.


David opens the 108th Psalm with a declaration: “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul” (108:1).


He is really saying, “No matter what, I will praise God. The situation will never distract me from focusing on the One who is worthy to receive the very best praise I can offer!” And it’s a good thing he made this declaration, because in the very next psalm he begins a nasty description of wicked and deceitful men who would almost cause David to focus on them instead of God.


David responds, “BUT I am a man of prayer” (109:4). David’s knee-jerk reaction when slandered by bad guys was to hit his knees in prayer! And, boy oh boy, did he let loose in prayer!


I love how honest David is with his hurt feelings in God’s presence. Never in all the narratives in the books of Samuel or Kings or Chronicles do we read anything of David saying these sorts of things to his enemies. But since these thoughts are in his heart, he must get them out in the presence of his God.


I also love David’s singular desire for God to receive all the glory—“Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with Your love. Let them know that it is Your hand, that You, O Lord, have done it” (109:26-27).


I pray that I can become more and more a (super)man of prayer like David! Look! Down on his knees … it’s a (super)man of prayer!






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Links & Quotes

March 25, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




link quoteThese are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.


I was saddened to hear of World Vision’s cultural cave-in to homosexuality (despite their denial that they caved). Here is John Piper’s great response: Adultery No, Homosexual Practice Yes.


David Wilkerson challenges us to be less self-centered in our prayers in The Focus Of Prayer.


And this reminder from Charles Spurgeon about prayerlessness−“Prayerless souls are Christless souls; for you can have no real fellowship with Christ, no communion with the Father, unless you approach His mercy-seat, and be often there.”


“There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. And the higher and mightier it is in the natural order, the more demoniac it will be if it rebels. It’s not out of bad mice or bad fleas you make demons, but out of bad archangels.” —C.S. Lewis


I love how vocal and active Tim Tebow is for life!


And on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, this murdering doctor makes me ill!






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Discipleship In Crisis (book review)

March 25, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Discipleship In CrisisI am a recent “convert” to the writings of Frank Viola, but this man’s heartbeat is so biblically-tuned that his words resonant with godly authority. I recently read Discipleship In Crisis which is a timely message for the church.


For a limited time you can get Discipleship In Crisis as a free ebook by clicking here. 


This book is short and to the point. You can easily read through it in one sitting, but the issues which Frank will cause you to re-think in the way we are currently “doing church” might take you quite awhile to process. If you are involved in a larger church, implementing these ideas might really throw a monkey-wrench in the gears!


But this is a message that needs to be heard, as the way we are doing “discipleship” now isn’t working … because it’s not biblical.


Download the ebook, read it, and then get together with others to discuss it.






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