Craig T. Owens

March 2026
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I Only Have Eyes For You

July 24, 2023 — 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.

Love should be blind. That is, we should be so enamored with the one we love that we are blind to all others. There are some sweet lyrics to a 1932 song called “I only have eyes for you”—

My love must be a kind of blind love

I can’t see anyone but you

and, dear, I wonder if you’ll find

love an optical illusion too

Are the stars out tonight?

I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright

‘cause I only have eyes for you, dear

The moon may be high

But I can’t see a thing in the sky

‘cause I only have eyes for you

I don’t know if we’re in a garden

or on a crowded avenue

you are here and so am I

maybe millions of people go by

but they all disappear from view

‘cause I only have eyes for you

Instead of having dedicated eyes, what would you think of someone who was constantly “checking out” those other than their sweetheart? That’s what the song of ascent in Psalm 123 calls on us to contemplate.

Notice the use of the word “eyes” four times in just the opening two verses. The psalmist is asking us, “Do you only have eyes for God, or are you glancing elsewhere?”

The call throughout the Bible, from beginning to end, has always been for a steadfast, loving eye for our loving God. From Moses to Jesus, the call is to love God above all else—to only have eyes for Him (Deuteronomy 6:5; Mark 12:30). I think this is why Jesus taught us to pray for a daily look to our Father’s hand for each moment’s provision (Matthew 6:11).

This is not a begrudging “have to look” but an “I cannot help but continually look.” David said it this way, “Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits” (Psalm 68:19)!

When we continually keep our eyes on our loving Heavenly Father, we see more and more of His graceful favor toward us. It’s the proud and arrogant (in verses 3-4) that think they have to take care of themselves, or that they have to keep their eyes open to other possibilities.

God loves to shower His favor on those who only have eyes for Him: “Out of His fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given” (John 1:16). This reminds me of the waves on the shore, where one wave of grace continually follows the previous wave of grace, which is quickly followed by yet another wave of grace. In fact, this idea is beautifully captured in the Amplified Bible’s rendering of this verse—

For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received—all had a share and we were all supplied with—one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift heaped upon gift.

God’s grace is unearned by our efforts, undeserved despite our sins, and unending for all of eternity!

This song of ascent assures us that the humble servant who only has eyes for God is:

grateful for past blessings
unashamed of his total dependence on God’s provision
confidant in God’s favorable reply for every single request (Matthew 6:8; Luke 12:32)

So the questions we need to ask ourselves are simply, “Where are my eyes? Do I only have eyes for my God, or do I keep my options open? Do I humbly and confidently bring my petitions to God, or do I take matters into my own hands?”

Since this is a song of ascent, let’s make sure that our song to God is always, “I only have eyes for You!”

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our series looking at these Psalms of Ascent, you can find them all by clicking here.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Deuteronomy, God's favor, Gospel of John, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, Gospel of Matthew, grace, Heavenly Father, love song, lyrics, Psalm, Psalms of Ascent, sermon, Songs of Ascent, video. 2 Comments »

Links & Quotes

July 22, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

There are two invaluable resources for Christians to process difficult situations the right way: the prayers in the Psalms and journaling. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

“…[T]here is an enabling grace from God to endure in the strength he supplies and to do what ought to be done. Call it leadership for the long haul. And since great leadership serves the people, great leadership is servanthood, so we could also call it servanthood for the long haul. Meanwhile, merely enduring falls short. There’s something better. Great servants don’t endure merely. They endure by ‘being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy’ (Colossians 1:11).” —Sam Crabtree

I love the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. This post dives deep into this blessing, and as an added bonus also tells of an archeological discovery that marks these verses as “the earliest biblical verses” for which we have archeological evidence.

…and here is even more archeological evidence of the Bible’s historicity. Once again, it can be stated that no archeological discovery has ever contradicted a biblical claim.

It’s not just archeology, but astronomy as well that points to a perfect Creator. “Life requires many parameters in order to survive and thrive. The more data that are uncovered, the more evidence there is that Earth and its environs were specifically designed with the exact conditions needed for life.” This ICR article goes on to describe the perfection with which the sun’s radiation is used by Earth’s plants.

…and an extensive study of a species of octopi also demonstrates the genius of our Creator. “For an animal to adapt to its environment, evolution requires that animal’s DNA to mutate, giving the animal some new ability that helps them survive better. Mutations are permanent. According to evolutionary theory, over long periods of time and after several DNA mutations, a new animal arises that’s better adapted to its environment. But that is not how the octopus adapts to its environment. The changes in the created proteins are made by RNA, not DNA. These changes are not permanent and the DNA remains the same….” Check out the rest of this post.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apologetic, archeology, astronomy, biblical history, biology, blessing, Creator, DNA, Earth, evolution, historicity, Institute for Creation Research, King David, leadership, Numbers, quotes, RNA, scientist, Sun, video. Leave a Comment »

The Power Of Using Names

July 20, 2023 — 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.

It is important for leaders to use the right words to encourage their teammates. The most memorable, motivating, and beautiful word a leader can use is their teammates’ names.

You can check out this full conversation Greg and I had about taking people up with our words on this episode of The Craig And Greg Show.

And I would also invite you to check out this blog post and this blog post about significant name changes recorded in the Bible.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig And Greg Show, encouragement, Greg Heeres, leadership, name change, video, vocabulary. Leave a Comment »

The Leadership-Followership Paradigm

July 19, 2023 — 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.

I read something which is really challenging my leadership paradigm. It’s a challenge to look at successful organizations through the lens of both a servant-hearted leader and a servant-hearted follower.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Resources I mentioned in this podcast:

The verse in Proverbs I quoted
Dick Brogden’s book Proverbs: Amplified and Applied
My book on leadership—Shepherd Leadership: The Metrics That Really Matter

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Dick Brogden, followership, John Maxwell, leadership, paradigm, podcast, proverbs, servant-leadership, shepherd leadership, video. Leave a Comment »

Not Succumbing To The Mob Mentality

July 18, 2023 — 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.

Mobs are scary things! Almost anyone can get caught up in the ugly mentality, vile words, and inexcusable actions.

Even professional soldiers. When Jesus was arrested, He was turned over to “the governor’s soldiers” (Matthew 27:27). These are professional soldiers. Punishing people—even carrying out capital punishment—was their job. But they gave in to the mob’s thirst for blood and made a sport out of punishing Jesus, doing what was outside of their job description.

The mob outside Pilate’s courtroom was stirred up by the religious leaders, and they “shouted all the louder” for a murderer to be released to them instead of a Healer (vv. 20, 23).

Even as Jesus hung helpless and dying on the Cross, the religious leaders continued to incite the crowds with their taunting, prompting even other condemned men to join in (vv. 39–44).

How easy it is to get caught up with the loud voices of the hour and to join our voices and actions with theirs! Mobs are hungry things and they continually devour almost anyone around them.

But Jesus didn’t succumb to the mob mentality. He didn’t even say a single word to those who taunted Him so mercilessly. Instead, as Peter recorded for us,

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:21-23)

The unexpected way that Jesus responded got people’s attention. A professional soldier, a centurion, after watching how Jesus conducted Himself as He died, had to admit He was the Son of God.

A condemned thief that hung on a cross next to Jesus, who just moments before had been joining in the taunting of Jesus, used his nearly last breath to ask Jesus for forgiveness and for entrance into heaven.

Even Governor Pontius Pilate was so moved by the silence of Jesus, that he marveled!

It’s so tempting to join with the loud voices around us. It’s even more tempting to shout back at those who are insulting us. But let us remember the example of Jesus, and perhaps offer a prayer like this:

“Holy Spirit, help me to not succumb to the loud voices, nor to lash out against people who torment me. But, like Jesus, may I entrust myself “to Him who judges justly.” May my quiet lifestyle be a testimony that gets the attention of others. In the name of Jesus I pray this. Amen!”

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, angry, centurion, example, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, mob mentality, Pontius Pilate, prayer, testimony. Leave a Comment »

The Throne Of Shalom

July 17, 2023 — 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 main point in Hebrew literature is usually found in the middle. In Psalm 122 that would be verse 5 where we see the keyword in this verse is thrones—“thrones for judgment” and “thrones of the house of David.” Before this, we have the call to go up to Jerusalem (the City of Peace) in the first four verses, and after this, we have overwhelming, saturating peace in the last four verses.

But I wonder: How do thrones—especially a throne of judgment—bring about peace?

Remember that these are songs of ascent: we are called upward. I think “up” implicitly appears in verse 1—“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go UP to the house of the Lord,’—and “up” explicitly appears in verse 4—“That is where the tribes go UP, the tribes of the Lord, to praise the name of the Lord.”

There is clearly a longing to go up to meet with God, but I also detect a note of uncertainty. Let me show you what I see. First of all, verse 3 in the New Living Translation says about Jerusalem that “its seamless walls cannot be breached.” And yet the walls were breached in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. So anyone singing this song of ascent after the time of exile would have known that the walls weren’t as secure as David hoped they would be.

Second, verse 4 in the Contemporary English Version says that “every tribe of the Lord obeys Him.” And yet it was the disobedience of every tribe of the Lord that led to their defeat and then their 70-year exile. So, again, anyone singing this song of ascent after the time of exile would know about the punishment for disobedience.

In an earlier Psalm, David asked God who could go up to the Holy City, and then he answered his own question like this—

The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart; whose tongue utters no slander, who does no wrong to a neighbor, and casts no slur on others; who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind; who lends money to the poor without interest; who does not accept a bribe against the innocent. (Psalm 15:1-5)

That description also sounds a bit unachievable to me, because who has ever fulfilled all of the items on that list perfectly?

So we get to verse 5 and read about the thrones. The word “throne” means the seat of honor, authority, and power. It represents the place where the final and unchallengeable word is spoken. There is a final day of judgment before God’s throne, which John records in Revelation 20:11-15.

And yet, that day of judgment is not here yet. Jesus quoted the prophecy from Isaiah about Himself in His first sermon, but He purposely left off the last phrase about the day of judgment. He, instead, ended with the phrase where He had come to “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:17-21). We see this thought again in John’s Gospel—

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16-17)

The reason why it’s so important that the “the throne of the house of David” is in the middle of Psalm 122 is because Jesus is the fulfillment of that—He is the final and eternal King to come from David’s line (see 2 Samuel 7:8-18; Matthew 1:1; Acts 2:25-36; Revelation 22:16)!

If we try to earn our own way into the Eternal Jerusalem, we will find that the walls can be breached, our obedience is not consistent, and that we are unable to keep that full list in Psalm 15. As a result, we face a throne of judgment.

But when we place our faith in what Jesus did for us on the Cross, where He paid the price for our sin, took away our unrighteousness, and gave us His righteousness in its place, then we will stand before the throne of shalom.

In the second half of Psalm 122, the words we read are peace, secure, peace, security, brothers and friends, peace, prosperity. That word “peace” is the Hebrew word shalom, which means nothing lost, nothing missing. Jesus wants us to be in the Eternal Jerusalem with Him for ever and ever.

Christ’s desire is that none should be separated from Him (see 2 Peter 3:9-14), so we could also say that shalom means no one lost, no one missing. We should want everyone—every tribe, nation, and people—to be with us in the Eternal Jerusalem forever!

I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go UP to the house of Lord.” Let’s not go alone. Let’s bring as many people with us as we can to enjoy the eternal shalom of God’s Holy City!

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in our look at the Psalms of Ascent, you can find them all here.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Links & Quotes

July 15, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

One of the things that contributes to “quiet quitting” is a lack of passion. But when the leader has conveyed a compelling vision for all that the organization is doing, that vision fuels the passion to work excellently. Vision can change a “have to” attitude into a “get to” attitude. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had about quiet quitting on the Craig And Greg Show. I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.

“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.” —Arthur Ashe

“Strange as it may seem, the first rule of gracious speech is sincere listening: ‘So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath’ (James 1:19). Being an attentive and sincere listener is like cutting a swath through the jungle. It creates a path along which conversations can develop and people can journey together.” —T.M. Moore

J. Warner Wallace discusses how scientists who were Christians used their biblical worldview to drive their scientific pursuits. As a result, Christian scientists have been awarded more Nobel Prizes than any other group of scientific contributors!

“The devil will not stand by quietly and watch his realm decline and erode. He counterattacks with rage; his onslaught is fierce. One of the tricks he uses is to preoccupy Christian workers with issues that are detrimental to a healthy relationship with Christ. The scenario is all too familiar: a Christian worker gets busy in the ministry and work takes priority over relationship with God. He no longer has the time to sit at Jesus’ feet in quiet solitude and listen to God’s Word. Spiritual emptiness comes unnoticed and with it vulnerability to satan’s sifting (Luke 22:31-34); dishonest handling of monies or power or an illicit relationship is justified, and whoa! immorality has lured and sent such a Christian worker tumbling. He commits what he has preached against. Sin is dangerous. Sin is destructive. Its price is very costly—separation from God, irreversible stigma, damage to family relations, loss of ministry, loss of reputation, a black mark on God’s work, and the list goes on.” —Sobhi Malek

Our Creator gave us an amazing gift of the human brain! I love the fascinating new discoveries that scientists are continuing to make. Like this one: “To be spatially capable creatures, humans need their brains to tell them 1) where things are in relation to themselves and 2) where everything is in relation to everything else—the so-called allocentric map of space. To navigate an environment, the brain seems to generate a mental representation of its surroundings. This is often called a cognitive map.” Read more about our cognitive map here.

I hope you have had a chance to see the movie “Sound of Freedom.” Thankfully, this has gotten a lot of people talking about how to eliminate sex trafficking. Fight The New Drug has an excellent post on how you can spot and report human trafficking, and you should also check out Operation Underground Railroad, which was founded by Tim Ballard (whom Jim Caviezel portrays in the movie).

“It will be a comfort to me all my life to know that the scientist and the materialist have not the last word, that Darwin and Spencer, undermining ancestral beliefs, stand themselves on a foundation of sand.” —C.S. Lewis

The Craig And Greg Show: Word Up

July 13, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

Words are incredibly powerful! With our tongues, we can elevate others to amazing heights, or tear them down completely. In this episode, Greg and I discuss how, as leaders, it is critical that we are mindful of our everyday words so that we ensure we are taking our team in the right direction.

[0:20] Sometimes leaders can forget how powerful their words can be.
[1:00] Words need to be used strategically and carefully.
[2:05] “Words of affirmation” is one of the love languages, but everyone needs to hear words that affirm and encourage them.
[3:40] Some of the most meaningful words are our apologies and requests for forgiveness. When we do this well, it opens up the door for deeper communication.
[6:00] Leaders should be able to see a visible and immediate difference in their teammates when they are speaking the correct words to them. If not, we need to quickly adjust our words.
[6:50] People don’t care how much their leader knows (or says) until they know how much their leader cares about them.
[8:25] Negative words can sour relationships.
[9:08] Leaders need to pay close attention to what words work best with each teammate.
[10:15] What is the difference between efficient communication and effective communication?
[12:40] We share some insights from two noteworthy books: Leadership Jazz by Max DePree and Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People by Rich DeVos.
[15:00] One of the most beautiful words anyone will ever hear a leader speak is their teammate’s name.
[19:02] Handwritten notes go the extra mile, but we need to slow down to think about who needs to hear an affirming word from us.
[21:20] Greg shares a memorable quote about the long-term results of our words.
[22:07] A good coach can give you more impactful insights than someone close to you.

Books referenced in this episode:

Shepherd Leadership by Craig T. Owens
Leadership Jazz by Max DePree
Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People by Richard M. DeVos

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 Apple.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apologize, Craig And Greg Show, encouragement, Greg Heeres, leadership, love language, podcast, teammates, video, vocabulary, YouTube. 1 Comment »

His Love Endures Forever

July 12, 2023 — 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.

Psalm 136 calls on us to season absolutely every circumstance and every thought with a reminder to be thankful to God for His everlasting love for us. In the 28 verses of this psalm, we are reminded twenty-eight times that “His love endures forever.”

At every instance we are reminded of God’s eternal attributes: His goodness and His kindness. And at every instance we are reminded to praise God for who He is.

In creation, He reveals His goodness.

In difficult places, He reveals His goodness.

In deliverance, He reveals His goodness.

In His miracles, He reveals His goodness.

In our celebration of His strength, He reveals His goodness.

In our confession of our weaknesses, He reveals His goodness.

In His daily provision, He reveals His goodness.

In keeping us close to Himself, He reveals His goodness.

In His eternal nature, He reveals His goodness.

In our thanks giving, we reveal His goodness to a searching world.

Never, ever miss an opportunity to give God thanks for His ever-enduring love!

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Cretor, deliverance, God's love, God's provision, kindness, miracles, Psalm, thankfulness, worship. Leave a Comment »

16 Quotes From “A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War”

July 11, 2023 — Craig T. Owens

I loved this well-researched and insightful book by Joseph Loconte. The biographies of literary giants J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis are intertwined as their worldview is forged in the furnace of World War I. You can read my full book review of A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, And A Great War here.

“If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that could turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.” —C.S. Lewis, in a speech ‘Learning in War Time’

“Perhaps the character of Faramir, the Captain of Gondor in The Lord of the Rings, expresses it best. He possesses humility as well as great courage—a warrior with a ‘grave tenderness in his eyes’—who takes no delight in the prospect of battle. As such, he conveys a message that bears repeating at the present moment, in a world that is no stranger to the sorrows and ravages of war. ‘War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all,’ he explains. ‘But I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend.’” —Joseph Loconte

“Without an equal growth of Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love, Science herself may destroy all that makes life majestic and tolerable. There never was a time when the inherent virtue of human beings required more strong and confident expression in daily life.” —Winston Churchill

“With God discredited, meaning must be found ‘in life itself, in the act of living, in the vitality of the moment.’ Thus, the new psychology legitimized a new hedonism. Within a decade, W.R. Matthews, the Dean of Exeter, complained of ‘the decay of institutional religion’ because of the ‘incoherence of the Christian message and its apparent contradiction with modern knowledge.’ All of this helped to produce the modern, secular zealot: the revolutionary who seeks to create heaven on earth. Science, psychology, politics, economics, education—any of these disciplines might be enlisted in the cause.“ —Joseph Loconte

“It will be a comfort to me all my life to know that the scientist and the materialist have not the last word, that Darwin and Spencer, undermining, ancestral beliefs, stand themselves on a foundation of sand.” —C.S. Lewis

The remaining quotes are for my Patreon supporters only. Become a supporter today for only $5 per month and get access to quotes, videos, sneak peaks, and so much more.