Dichotomy & Ricky Gervais

April 19, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Dichotomy is a big word that means two parts that are opposed to each other. But it also means that they were once joined together—they were once in unity. Much like the first Christians: when people looked at them they saw Jesus; when they heard them speak they heard Jesus; when they watched their lives they saw the life of Jesus.

Christ and Christian were the same unified picture.

Today this is, sadly, far from the truth. People have a lot of wonderful things to say about Jesus, and a lot of nasty things to say about Christians. An unfortunate, and unnecessary, dichotomy exists.

I read an editorial from Ricky Gervais, a self-proclaimed atheist, entitled “Why I’m A Good Christian.” You can read his full editorial in the Wall Street Journal here, but for me this was the key passage:

I am of course not a good Christian in the sense that I believe that Jesus was half man, half God, but I do believe I am a good Christian compared to a lot of Christians.

It’s not that I don’t believe that the teachings of Jesus wouldn’t make this a better world if they were followed. It’s just that they are rarely followed.

Gandhi summed it up really. He said, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

I have always felt this way, even when I believed in God, and in a weird way I feel I am still a pretty good “Christian” who doesn’t believe in God.

I think the way back from this dichotomy is two-fold:

(1) Christ-followers need to make an intentional effort to act more Christ-like.

(2) We Christians need to be more thoughtful in our responses to people like Ricky Gervais. I like the pattern Peter recommends—

Honor Christ and let Him be the Lord of your life [our motivation for action]. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope [“hope,” not theology, not bad behavior]. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear [there is zero justification for a Christian to give a crass, disrespectful, or sarcastic answer]. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ [good conduct = we live, talk, and act like Jesus].

C’mon, followers of Christ, let’s close this dichotomy between us and Jesus!

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Max On Life (book review)

April 18, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever wanted to have a conversation with Max Lucado? Just sit with him for awhile and pick his brain? With Max On Life you can do just that!

Max On Life is a compilation of 172 questions that Max has been asked. Some of his answers come from his previously written books, some are answers formed with brand new insights, but all of the answers come from his very pastoral heart.

The book is divided into seven sections – hope, hurt, help, him/her, home, have/have-nots, and hereafter. But even more helpful is the index of topics at the back of the book, as well as a listing of all of the scriptural references Max uses throughout Max On Life. I can imagine this book staying very close at hand, because I’m going to be referring to it often.

If you are a pastor or counselor, I think you will find a lot of helpful insights in this book to pass on to others. If you have a friend with lots of questions about the Christian faith, this book would make an excellent gift. Or if you just want to be a helpful friend when others are in need, this book will help prepare you to be a blessing to them.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

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Um, That’s A Bit Awkward

April 15, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Somehow I don’t think this is the most effective way to start a conversation about your faith!

Here are four thoughts I have…

Don’t compartmentalize. In other words, don’t put on your “Christian hat” to talk about your relationship with Jesus. Just be Christ-like all the time. People are looking for something real, not someone who’s playing an act.

Develop relationships first. Don’t lead with a sermon; lead with a friendship. As the saying goes, “People don’t care how much (or Who) you know, until they know how much you care.” Be a genuine friend first.

Wait until they’re ready. Jesus told stories with a deeper meaning and asked a lot of questions of people before He spoke to them directly about the kingdom of God. Don’t force people into a conversation. Keep the door open, and let them step in when they are ready.

Don’t get discouraged. Just like there are some topics you’re not ready to discuss right now, others feel the same way. So just because they say “No thanks” today doesn’t mean nothing happened. The Bible says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Salt and light are always seasoning and illuminating everywhere they go. Your life is making a difference.

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Me, Myself & Bob (book review)

April 14, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

As a parent of young children, I really appreciated the biblical values delivered in a fun way through so many VeggieTales videos. Now I’m really appreciating the wisdom of VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer in his book Me, Myself & Bob.

Written in the same witty style that made the VeggieTales videos so engaging, Me, Myself & Bob leads us through the meteoric rise and sudden collapse of Big Idea Productions. We read about the passion that drove the start of this incredible vision, and how—as the Bible says—zeal without a foundation of wisdom is a  dangerous thing.

With such candor, Phil shares about the vision and talents God gave him to do something so groundbreaking, how others caught that vision and jumped on board to help, and then how the company sort of took on a life of its own and how corporate executives took this highly successful business in a direction Phil never imagined.

This book is more like a business strategy book told as Phil Vischer’s autobiography. From the business board room to the family living room, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the rise and fall of VeggieTales. So whether you’re a fan of Bob the Tomato & Larry the Cucumber, an entrepreneur, or a parent, you will find something to love about Me, Myself & Bob.

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Thursdays With Oswald—Pseudo-evangelism

April 14, 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.

Pseudo-evangelism

It was this form of pseudo-evangelism, so unlike the New Testament evangelism, that made [Thomas] Huxley say—“I object to Christians: they know too much about God.” … God is the only Being who can afford to be misunderstood; we cannot not, Job could not, but God can. If we are misunderstood we “get about” the man as soon as we can. St. Augustine prayed, “O Lord, deliver me from this lust of always vindicating myself.” God never vindicates Himself, He deliberately stands aside and lets all sorts of slanders heap on Him, yet He is not in any hurry.

From Baffled To Fight Better

I’m learning more and more that when people ask why God behaves in such-and-such a way that the best answer may be, “I don’t know why, but I still trust Him.” I trust Him even when I don’t have all of the answers, because I know He has all of the answers.

To try to answer for God—or, as is probably more likely, to try to defend my theology—is rightly called pseudo-evangelism. O Lord, deliver me from pseudo-evangelism!

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I Am Drowned

April 13, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I love this thought from John Bunyan:

God is the chief good—good so as nothing but Himself. He is in Himself most happy; yes, all good and all true happiness are only to be found in God, as that which is essential to His nature; nor is there any good or any happiness in or with any creature or thing but which is communicated to it by God. God is the only desirable good; nothing without Him is worthy of our hearts. Right thoughts of God are able to ravish the heart; how much more happy is the man that has interest in God. God alone is able by himself to put the soul into a more blessed, comfortable, and happy condition that can the whole world; yes, and more than if all created happiness of all the angels of heaven did dwell on one man’s bosom. I cannot tell what to say. I am drowned. The life, the glory, the blessedness, the soul-satisfying goodness that is in God are beyond all expression. (emphasis added)

I love drowning in God’s glorious, blessed, soul-satisfying, beyond-all-expression love!

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Paid In Full

April 13, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

We’ve got a super group of churches that form the Cedar Springs Ministerial Association. I love collaborating with these fellow pastors, that have become great friends along the way.

On Good Friday we are combining together to present a Good Friday service. Please join us at 7pm at the Cedar Springs High School auditorium. We’ll enjoy some worship from a worship team combined from all of our churches, and a time of Communion too. A nursery will be provided for children 4-years-old and younger.

And I am very honored to have been asked to deliver the message in this service. I’ll be sharing a powerful illustrated message entitled Paid In Full.

Please don’t miss out on this service!

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The Blessing Of Adversity (book review)

April 12, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

Barry C. Black has lived a full life, and that fullness has been poured into his timely book The Blessing Of Adversity: Finding your God-given purpose in life’s troubles.

A quick show of hands: how many of you have experienced trouble lately? How many of you are experiencing it right now? If you raised your hand in either category, this book could be quite helpful to you.

The Blessing Of Adversity is arranged into 23 chapters, but each chapter is broken down into several “mini chapters.” By that I mean that Chaplain Clark gives us several different ways of viewing the same topic of how to respond to adversity. He might tell you a personal story from his boyhood or his 23-year military career; or perhaps he’ll give you a modern-day example from his current ministry as chaplain to the U.S. Senate; or maybe a story from the pages of history; or a well-timed quote. Whatever his method, he always connects it with an encouraging word from the Bible to help the reader correctly process the times of adversity we all must pass through.

I found this book to be highly practical, and immediately applicable to my life. And for those of you who didn’t raise your hand earlier, there are a couple of chapters for you on how to prepare for the future adversity you are bound to face. This book would work very well as either an individual or small group Bible study.

I am a Tyndale book reviewer.

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Disagreeing Agreeably

April 12, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

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

Why do disagreements have to become so, well, disagreeable?

Is it possible to disagree agreeably?

It’s not easy, but I think it’s possible.

When I was younger I couldn’t stand the idea of “losing” an argument: I always had to be right. I think I’ve matured a bit (at least, I hope I have), and I no longer feel the same way. So here are a few lessons I’ve learned:

(1) Remember the person I’m disagreeing with is my brother or sister. God has created both of us, so that makes us siblings.

(2) Always go for win-win. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too (Philippians 2:4).

(3) Choose your battles wisely. You can’t make everything an issue worth dying over. Thomas Jefferson wisely said, “In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

(4) Redefine the “win.” What does it mean to win? Is it to put someone else in their place? That doesn’t seem very healthy. Perhaps a “win” is when values or principles are agreed to, although the way they are applied may be very different from person to person.

(5) Leave the baggage behind. Don’t bring previous hurts into a new situation. Don’t assume this new person will act like someone else from your past.

We’re all different people, so we’re going to have disagreements. The key: let’s find a way to disagree agreeably.

If you have other thoughts about how to disagree agreeably, I would love it if you would share them in the comments.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? ◀︎◀︎

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The Champion

April 11, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

The most amazing story in all of history (or should I say “His story”) is the story of God coming to earth to rescue us! We were made to be in intimate relationship with God, but our sin made us captives of satan—slaves to his power. Jesus came to set us free!

He was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the Cross for my sins, defeated satan, broke the power of sin’s hold on me, and rose to life again! JESUS IS THE CHAMPION!

I’m so excited about this year’s Easter breakfast drama at Calvary Assembly of God called The Champion! This is a free event, but we do have tickets available to ensure there is enough space for everyone to attend.

If you would like to join us for a powerful, visual portrayal of Christ’s victory over sin, please let me know how many tickets you would like, and whether you want to attend at 9am or 11am, and I’ll set them aside for you. Don’t miss this one!

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