Thursdays With Oswald—Emotions In Christianity

February 9, 2012 — 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.

Emotions In Christianity

      Enthusiasm means, to use the phrase of a German mystic, ‘intoxicated with God.’ … The tendency is in us all to say, ‘You must not trust in feelings’; perfectly true, but if your religion is without feeling, there is nothing in it. If you are living a life right with God, you will have feeling, most emphatically so, but you will never run the risk of basing your faith on feelings. The Christian is one who bases his whole confidence in God and His work of grace, then the emotions become the beautiful ornament of the life, not the source of it.

From Biblical Ethics

God gave us a mind, a will, and emotions. We get ourselves in trouble when we elevate one above the rest, or worse yet, deny that one of those aspects are relevant.

So I don’t say, “I will obey God when I feel like it is the right thing to do.”

Nor do I say, “This feels so good, even though it makes no sense at all.”

We obey God’s Word by faith, because it is the right thing to do, and then the feelings of joy and peace and understanding will become the beautiful ornaments of our lives.

Obedience first, and the feelings will follow.

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October Baby (movie review)

February 8, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Betsy and I were privileged to see an advanced screening of October Baby last night, and I’m still trying to process all of my thoughts.

It was emotionally moving, but not sappy nor sentimental.

It was thought-provoking, but not philosophically deep.

It was laugh-provoking, but not a comedy.

It addressed a woman’s struggle, but it’s not a chick flick.

It addressed parenting, but it’s not a dry documentary.

It is just a GOOD movie.

The script was good, the acting was good, the cinematography was good, even the soundtrack was good. The message that all life is precious comes through clearly, but not in an in-your-face, shove-it-down-your-throat way.

The movie is rated PG-13 because of the subject matter (a girl on a quest to find her birth mother, after discovering that she’s the survivor of a failed abortion attempt). But because of the purity of the movie (not a single swear word, zero sexuality), I would recommend families see this together.

This is a story that needed to be told, and the Erwin brothers did a phenomenal job telling that story.

Send a message to Hollywood, go see October Baby on opening weekend, March 23-25.

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Again?!

February 8, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I heard a pastor say once, “You’re either in a trial right now, just coming out of a trial, or will soon be going through a trial.” And I thought to myself, “Wow! What a cheery thought… not!”

Do you ever feel that way? Like you just get through one challenging time, only to be greeted by another challenging time? If you just focus on the challenging times, you will miss the point. The point is: God is doing something wonderful in you.

Check out what Jesus says in John 15—

…God cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. (Amplified Bible)

Did you catch that phrase: every branch that continues to bear fruit? Does it feel like God is constantly working on you? That’s good! That means you are already bearing fruit, but God desires for you to be even more fruitful (or as the Amplified Bible says, even more rich and excellent!).

The writer of Hebrews says it this way—

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child He loves that He disciplines; the child He embraces, He also corrects. God is educating you; that’s why you must never drop out. He’s treating you as dear children. (Hebrews 12:5-6 The Message)

So the next time you feel like saying, “Again?!” change it to “Yes, again! This must mean God wants to bring even more excellent and rich fruit out of my life!” God love you, my friend!

Here’s to more fruit!

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Freedom Begins Here (book review)

February 7, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Freedom Begins Here is not a book for everyone, and I actually hope it’s NOT a book for you. It’s a book for those trying to break free from the powerful hold of sexual sins.

Pornography is a multi-billion dollar business: People are getting rich, and people are being destroyed. What may have started out as a quick peek has turned into a crippling bondage for millions of people. If you feel trapped by addictions to porn or other sexual sins, but you’re ready to break free, this is a great place to start.

This book is a 30-day devotional. These devotional thoughts don’t hem-and-haw around the issue, but address it straight on. It’s addressed in a way that doesn’t make light of the addiction, but doesn’t make the addiction hopeless or fatal either. At the end of each day you will be given a reflection and a prayer, to help you think about the freedom principle you’ve just read.

Don’t stay trapped. Don’t let pride tell you that you don’t have a problem. Don’t let shame tell you that you can never get free. You can be free!!

Get this book and get started on getting free!

I am a Gray Communications book reviewer.

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Live Dead

February 7, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Put this in the category of “contradiction” or maybe “oxymoron.” However you want to classify it, the phrase just doesn’t make sense to the natural mind. Jesus tells us to die so that we might live—

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24)

We are to deny our agenda, to follow His.

We are to not seek our advancement, but His.

We are not to pursue our passions, but His.

We have to die to self to live for Him.

We have to live dead.

I’m going to be diving into this topic beginning this Sunday. Many have already purchased a Live Dead journal, in order to take a 30-day journey of building our understanding of what it means to live dead. If you are near Cedar Springs, please join me this Sunday. If you live elsewhere, I encourage you to check out the live dead materials (click here to go to their website), and begin your own journey of dying to yourself so that you might live for Christ.

Check out of the messages in this series:

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A Spiritual Reflex

February 6, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I love this quote from Martin Luther—

“I first lay down these two propositions concerning spiritual liberty and servitude. A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all, and subject to everyone.”

Yesterday we had our annual business meeting—although it was really our annual celebration. The one thing that stood out to me about 2011 is how much serving Calvary Assembly of God did in Cedar Springs. We are servants to everyone!

We picked up trash, put on carnivals, cleaned the Cedar Creek, helped our neighbors, worked with other community organizations, and presented a living nativity. We answered the call to serve whenever and however it came to us. We served individuals, our city governments, our ministerial association, and other churches and non-profit organizations.

Doctors routinely check our patellar reflex, where they tap our leg just below the knee cap and watch the involuntarily response of our leg. This reflex helps maintain posture and balance, allowing us to keep our balance with little effort or conscious thought.

I want my and Calvary Assembly of God’s spiritual patellar reflex in 2012 to be servanthood. When anyone asks for help, our involuntary response should be service. This is the best way to keep our posture and balance as servants of Jesus Christ and servants of our Cedar Springs neighbors.

This is why so many people around here say, “I ♥ My Church!” Come join us in serving in 2012.

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Today We Are Rich (book review)

February 3, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Tim Sanders has an amazing way of synthesizing business practices, thoughts from other authors, and his own personal experiences into bite-sized, readable nuggets of life-changing truths. Today We Are Rich: Harnessing The Power Of Total Confidence relies heavily on his personal experiences with his grandmother Billye, and it may be his most personally impacting book to date.

This book reads a lot like Tim’s autobiography, as he tells so many personal stories about his childhood and early adulthood. But then Tim steps out of his personal memoirs to give us some great insights from what he has learned. The amazing thing to me was how he could make his story seem so applicable to my story.

I found this book very readable and instantly applicable. It’s a book you can read rather quickly, but you will be applying and working on the principles for years to come.

Highly recommended!

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Start It With Me

February 3, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Pastors, I wrote earlier about the idea that you have to preach your message to yourself before you preach it you’re your congregation. But I want to back up a step to the motivation for that.

These words from William Law are challenging—

“The first business of a clergyman awakened by God into a sensibility and love of the truths of the Gospel, and of making them equally felt and loved by others, is to thankfully, joyfully, and calmly adhere to and give way to the increase of this new-risen light, and by true introversion of his heart to God, as the sole Author of it, humbly beg of Him that all that he feels a desire of doing to those under his care may be first truly and fully done in himself.”

God, if You want to do something in my congregation, start it with me. Right here, right now, in the privacy of my study, begin with me. When I come before my congregation this weekend, may my life be the example of the work You want to do in us all.

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Thinking About Commitments

February 2, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

My friend Jeff Hlavin wrote an article about making commitments. This is good stuff!

1. I cannot expect the strength of an emotion to turn a decision into a commitment.

Confusing a crisis with a commitment is a mistake — commitment can come out of a crisis, but the two are not the same thing.

2. I do not need to try to feel committed in order to validate a commitment.

True commitment shows itself in the very absence of feelings; any immature person can do what they feel like doing.

3. A commitment is best made by approaching the Lord out of the confidence that He wants to help me, rather than making elaborate promises to Him.

4. My best commitments come out of making specific, knowledgeable and attainable goals.

5. I need to ask for help from others whenever I need to do so,

6. Gaining a vision of myself accomplishing my commitments is a key to having them worked into my character.

If you are near Cedar Springs this Sunday, February 5, I am excited to invite you to come hear Jeff Hlavin speak at Calvary Assembly of God. We’ll get things rolling at 10:30am. Please come and join us!

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Thursdays With Oswald—Am I Anti-Christ?

February 2, 2012 — 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.

Am I Being Anti-Christ?

     Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions; Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ. Over and over again a man’s personal relationship to Jesus Christ gets into his convictions and splits them, like new wine put into old wine-skins, and if he sticks to his convictions before long he will become anti-Christ. The standard for my conscience and for the conscience of the whole human race is the Cross, and if I do not take care to rectify my individual conscience by the Cross I become ‘persnickety’ and end in criticizing God. The standard for the Christian is never—Is this thing right or wrong? but, is it related to the blood and passion and agony of the Cross of Christ?

From Biblical Ethics

Every time I read God’s Word, or the Holy Spirit challenges me on my paradigm, I have a choice to make: am I going to try to justify my position, or am I going to submit to His position?

It’s a tough word, but it is right on target. If I persist in sticking with what I know is right, and I disregard the voice of the Holy Spirit, I am becoming anti-Christ and pro-Me.

I must die to my own agenda, so that He may live fully in me.

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