Your Autobiography

December 31, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

This quote from Oswald Chambers is right on target—

“Faith must have an autobiography.” 

You cannot live the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph or Moses.

You cannot live the stories of Peter, John or Paul.

You cannot live the stories of your grandparents or parents.

You can only live your story.

Your faith in Jesus must have an autobiography.

When Jesus tells us to let your light shine, and to go into all the world and preach, and to be My witnesses, He’s calling us to live our own story. He’s calling us to write an autobiography of faith.

How brightly will you live your faith autobiography in this new year?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . 1 Comment »

Through My Eyes (book review)

August 22, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Tebowmania has spread beyond the University of Florida, and even beyond the NFL, as Tim Tebow has captured the attention of so many around the world. Like me, you’ve probably heard way too many “talking heads” on TV or radio, or read countless reporters and bloggers, explain what makes Tebow tick. Here’s a better way to find out: Read Tim Tebow’s own words in Through My Eyes.

I’m a Tim Tebow fan, so I realize my opinion of his book might be slightly biased. I love this man’s work ethic, competitive fire, leadership abilities, and Christian testimony. But the question is: where did all of this come from?

In reading Through My Eyes you will learn about his tight-knit family who gave Tim a great foundation upon which to grow. You’ll see the inborn competitive spirit become more and more laser-focused on helping Tim accomplish what he believes is God’s plan for his life. You’ll relive the build up to the big games, the behind the scenes struggles and challenges, and how Tim responded to the wins and the losses.

Instead of letting others tell you what they think makes Tebow tick, find out for yourself as you see this outstanding athlete’s world through his eyes.

By the way, my 12-year-old son and I read this book together, and I found it to be a great conversation-starter for many of the issues he will face in his future. I could envision this book being used in a men’s Bible study or small group discussion, or even in a mentoring role.

An excellent memoir that was very well written.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners (book review)

January 17, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

One of my favorite books is Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. I just finished reading Bunyan’s autobiography called Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners, so now I cannot wait to read Pilgrim’s Progress again!

John Bunyan’s autobiography is almost solely focused around how he became a Christian, and then how he defended himself against the Church of England after he became a follower of Jesus Christ.

At times Bunyan’s account of his struggle with his self-doubts about whether God would ever receive a sinner such as himself are absolutely heart-wrenching. He clung so desperately to the Scriptures that said God wanted to forgive him, and yet beat himself up with other Scriptures that talked about the vileness of sin. He felt that his sin had so wounded God, that he was unsure if he could ever be forgiven.

In a way, I found this quite refreshing. It reminded me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s warning against “cheap grace,” where far too many people trivialize the high price Christ paid on the Cross. But John Bunyan acutely felt his sin.

So once he finally received God’s forgiveness, he was a changed man who wanted to tell the world about his Savior. Unfortunately for the time in which he lived, his message of salvation wasn’t “sanctioned” by the Church of England, which landed him in jail for over a decade. The second-half of his autobiography is a play-by-play account of his interaction with the judges who tried and sentenced him. In this account, we read the words of a man who thoroughly knew Scripture, and knew how to use it!

It’s a fascinating biography, which I think any reader will enjoy.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , . 1 Comment »

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.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Borrowed Brains

August 12, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

“We should not only use all the brains we have, but all that we can borrow.” —Woodrow Wilson

It’s so important to learn from others—to borrow their brains. I try to take something from other people’s brains every day.

  • Every morning I begin my day by studying the timeless truths found in the Bible.
  • Then I pray to ask God to give me the mind of Christ for my day.
  • Throughout my day I learn from the brains of other business and ministry leaders. People who have been-there-done-that and are willing to share are an invaluable source of wisdom.
  • I also consume a regular diet of biographies and autobiographies of past and present leaders. I try to put myself in their shoes to see why they made the decisions they made.
  • And I have some close friends that can give me their honest insight and critique.

One of the saddest things is to hear someone say, “I’m a self-made man” or “I’m a self-made woman.” Really?! That’s rather limited, isn’t it?

So whose brains are you borrowing? 

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment »

Once An Arafat Man (book review)

February 26, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Tass Saada’s story reads like a screenplay for an upcoming movie! Once An Arafat Man is such a page-turner, that I could hardly put it down.

In a nutshell, Tass’s story is this: He was born in the Gaza Strip, but his family had to relocate to Saudi Arabia due to the turbulence in Gaza. The Saudi government, like many Arabic governments, talked about supporting the Palestinians, but they were more concerned about self-preservation; as a result, it was just talk and very little action. Tass became a disgruntled, disillusioned young man. As a  teenager, he had a chance to meet Yasser Arafat in Qatar and was enthralled with this dynamic Palestinian leader. So mesmerized, in fact, that Tass ran away from home to join Fatah with Arafat.

Once he was accepted into the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), Tass was trained as a sniper. His mission: assassinate Jewish targets. He even served as Arafat’s personal chauffeur. But once again the unstable political and military conditions caused Fatah to pull out of Jordan and eventually Tass ended up fleeing to the United States of America.

Once in the US, he didn’t want to be forced to leave, so he married an American woman to get his green card. While working on his career, something Tass never expected happened: he became a Christian. As his friend Charlie was sharing with him from the Bible, Tass wrote:

Before I knew it, I was on my knees. I didn’t consciously decide to kneel; it just happened. I lost all awareness that Charlie was even in the room. A light came into my field of vision–a talking light….

The light said in an audible voice, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me….”

In this indescribable moment, I knew something else: the triune God existed—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I knew that God loved me. “Oh, Jesus, come into my life!” I blurted out. “Forgive me and be my Lord and Savior!” I felt as if a heavy load went flying off my shoulders. A sense of peace and joy rushed into my heart. The presence of God was so real it seemed I could almost reach out and touch it.

Thus began a new journey for Tass, one of reconciliation. His wife and children eventually accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior too. But Tass’s family back in Qatar is a different story: they denounced him as an infidel

Tass felt compelled to take the good news of Jesus back to his family and to the very leader he used to work for: Yassar Arafat. The story of how God opened doors of opportunity, and provided supernatural protection, and allowed for reconciliation to occur is amazing.

Read this book. You will be blessed by this incredible story!

I’m a Tyndale book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »
Newer posts »