baseball | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

August 20, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading & watching from today…

Surveys show that Christians who support same-sex “marriage” are also much more open to other unbiblical lifestyles. Read John Stonestreet’s post Package Deal.

“Seeing that a Pilot steers the ship in which we sail, Who will never allow us to perish even in the midst of shipwrecks, there is no reason why our minds should be overwhelmed with fear and overcome with weariness.” —John Calvin

“God has provided His salvation that we might be, individually and personally, vibrant children of God, loving God with all our hearts and worshiping Him in the beauty of holiness.” —A.W. Tozer

Timely reading: Suicide Prevention Tips From A Survivor.

[VIDEO] Inspiring speech from a Little League coach after his team was eliminated from the Little League World Series.

I never thought I’d read the New York Times ask this question: Who Will Stand Up For The Christians?

Want A Happy Marriage? Here are three important things.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, baseball, Christian, coaching, God's protection, holiness, homosexuality, ISIS, Islam, John Calvin, John Stonestreet, marriage, martyrs, persecution, quotes, salvation, suicide, testimony, unbiblical, video, worship. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

July 17, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading & watching from today…

“Avoid relations with unbelievers in which your relation endorses the unbelief or consequent sins, and avoid the kinds of relationships that involve the interweaving of deep personal values (like marriage). On the other side, don’t avoid relationships where you can have clear testimony to the truth and are allowed to stand on Christian principles, even if you are sometimes criticized for getting too close.” —John Piper

Nick Roen has a very thoughtful post that every Christian should read: Orienting On Homosexual Orientation.

One of the all-time favorite Detroit Tigers was Ty Cobb. This is a great post about Ty Cobb versus Babe Ruth in home runs.

Yes! 4 Ways To Use Failure Well.

Jen Wilkin has a good post for parents: Help Your Kids Say ‘No’ To Porn.

This is a great way of looking at this: True Patriotism Is Axing Taxes To Keep Companies In The USA.

[VIDEO] “Where have we entered when the Bill Of Rights is a partisan matter?” Watch Sen. Ted Cruz defend our First Amendment rights.

Links & Quotes

July 14, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading & watching from today…

[VIDEO] Derek Jeter has been a classy baseball player (even if he does play for the Yankees!). This Nike video tribute to The Captain is also very classy and well deserved. #Re2pect

[VIDEO] This is a lot of fun: Toy Wars.

I have to agree with this: Israel’s ‘Reasonable’ Response To Hamas.

“For real business at the mercy seat give me a homemade prayer, a prayer that comes out of the depths of your heart, not because you invented it, but because the Holy Spirit put it there. Though your words are broken and your sentences disconnected, God will hear you. Perhaps you can pray better without words than with them. There are prayers that break the backs of words; they are too heavy for any human language to carry.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Generous pastors lead generous churches, and generous churches embody the true Spirit of Christ, Who gave Himself a ransom for all.” —T.M. Moore

“Dr. Horton was a giant, not because of his impressive achievements, but because he embodied what it meant to have a servant’s heart. I pray that his legacy of godliness and servanthood live on in future generations of Pentecostal scholars.” Read more about the life of Dr. Stanley Horton.

This is a hard-hitting piece, but it is definitely on-target. Too many churches are selling out on the pro-life message. Read Faith & Forceps.

“…While man and woman are equally valuable in God’s image, and while both of them have essential and satisfying roles to play in the drama of God-exalting human life, nevertheless men bear a primary (not solitary) responsibility for leadership and protection and provision in the human race. Therefore they bear a representative role when it comes to accountability (Genesis 3:9; Romans 5:12-14). This unique calling is a responsibility to bear in sacrificial love, not a right to seize in dominating power. Where it is embraced with servantlike, Christ-honoring courage, and supported by women with faith-filled, fearless, intelligent joy, the best harmony of man and woman prevails.”—John Piper

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abortion, baseball, Charles Spurgeon, church, Derek Jeter, generosity, Hamas, Israel, Jesus Christ, John Piper, manhood, pastors, Pentecostal, Planned Parenthood, prayer, pro-life, scholar, Stanley Horton, toys, video, womanhood. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

April 5, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some links to some interesting reading and quotes I found this weekend.

Eric Metaxas shares some interesting archeological finds: Make No Camel Bones About It.

“No man has any moral right to go before the people who has not first been long before the Lord. No man has any right to speak to men about God who has not first spoken to God about men. And the prophet of God should spend more time in the secret place praying than he spends in the public place preaching.” —A.W. Tozer

A couple of family men (not!): Sports radio hosts blast player for taking paternity leave. UPDATE: I was glad to see that one of these guys, Boomer Esiason, apologized for these remarks. Good job, Boomer!

Helpful post for parents: How To Notice Changes In Our Kids.

“How many have we in our churches of crab tree Christians, who have mixed such a vast amount of vinegar, and such a tremendous quantity of gall in their constitutions, that they can scarcely speak one good word to you; they imagine it impossible to defend religion except by passionate ebullitions; they cannot speak for their dishonored Master without being angry with their opponent; God if anything is away, whether it be in the house, the church, or anywhere else, they conceive it to be their duty to set their faces like a flint, and to defy everybody. They are like isolated icebergs; no one cares to go near them. They float about on the sea of forgetfulness, until at last they are melted and gone; and though, good souls, we shall be happy enough to meet them in heaven, we are heartily glad to get rid of them from the earth. They were always so unamiable in disposition, that we would rather live an eternity with them in heaven, than five minutes on earth. Be ye not thus, my brethren. Imitate Christ in your loving spirits; speak kindly, act kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, ‘He has been with Jesus.’” —Charles Spurgeon

Rush Limbaugh’s take on the resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich.

“To be a Christian it is necessary that he serve his generation as well as his God.” —A.W. Tozer

“God’s presence is not the same as the feeling of God’s presence and He may be doing most for us when we think He is doing least.” —C.S. Lewis

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, archeology, baseball, Bible, Boomer Esiason, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, children, Christian, Dad, Eric Metaxas, father, God's presence, hypocrites, Jesus Christ, kids, parenting, pastors, politics, prayer, preaching, quotes, Rush Limbaugh, sports. Leave a Comment »

“Home Run” (movie review)

March 19, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Home Run opens in theaters on April 19, 2013, but Betsy and I were privileged to see an advanced screening of this movie.

I’ll be honest with you: Going into the theater I was a bit skeptical. From what I had been told, and the little blurbs I had read and watched, it seemed like it was going to be a bit over-the-top Christianese. I am happy to tell you I was totally wrong!

Home Run follows a baseball player who has been suspended from his team because of his alcohol problem. One of the conditions of his return to the diamond is his attendance at some sort of 12-step program. Cory chose a Celebrate Recovery program.

I loved seeing the stark contrast between the messages of hope Cory was hearing in his Celebrate Recovery meetings, with the lack of success he was having outside of the meetings. Cory attempts to use his own willpower to overcome his addiction, and the emotional scars that led to it, but is unsuccessful at almost every attempt. In his Celebrate Recovery meetings he is hearing how people who surrendered to the love of Jesus (not just “a higher power”) were finding a freedom they had never known before.

I also like how the movie didn’t lead to an all-too-typical Hollywood fairy tale, they-all-lived-happily-ever-after ending. Instead we see Cory on the road to recovery, but with many relationships and situations still to be reconciled.

The movie is rated PG-13 for the subject matter of alcoholism (and the other addictions discussed in the Celebrate Recovery meetings), and for a rather intense scene with Cory’s drunk, emotionally-abusive father. So I wouldn’t recommend this to families with younger children, but anyone else who is struggling with an addiction, or who knows someone who is, should see Home Run when it opens on April 19.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 12-step program, abuse, addiction, alcoholism, baseball, Celebrate Recovery, freedom, Hollywood, movie, movie review, willpower. 1 Comment »

Swing The Bat Of Prayer

January 14, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

My son Harrison plays high school baseball. Let’s just imagine that I’m his hitting coach. In order for this relationship to benefit him, a couple of things have to occur:

He has to want to improve, and
He has to want to receive instruction from me.

If he thinks he knows it all already, or if he wants to just hang out with the other guys on the team to try to pick up some tips by being around them, then my role of a coach isn’t going to benefit him much.

Let’s say that Harrison knows he needs to improve, and he’s willing to listen to my instruction. We head out for some batting practice, and he lets pitch after pitch sail by him without ever swinging at the ball. If he never swings the bat, there’s only one piece of advice I can give him: Swing the bat!

The same things hold true for us if we want to improve as pray-ers. We have to want to improve, and we have have to be willing to receive instruction from the Coach (in this case, the Holy Spirit). But we also have to give Him something to work with. If we let opportunity after opportunity sail by without praying about it, there’s only one piece of advice the Spirit can give us: Pray!

Jesus said the Holy Spirit would help lead us into oneness with Him—

The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)

If we want to become better pray-ers, here’s how the Holy Spirit can help:

You have to admit that you need help in your prayer life.
You need to read your Bible (the everything that God says to you), and use God’s Word to help form your prayers.
Then, pray… swing the bat of prayer!
As you pray, listen to the voice of the the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, helping you to refine your prayers.

Your prayer time can become more meaningful, if you will tune into the Holy Spirit, and give Him something to work with.

To check out the others messages in this series on prayer called Praying Circles, please click here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: baseball, Calvary Assembly of God, Gospel of John, Holy Spirit, importunity, prayer, sermon. 1 Comment »

Keep Your Eye On The Ball

May 1, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

My son is playing baseball for his high school this season. Whether I’m at a game or a practice, whether the Red Hawks are up to bat or out in the field, I hear the phrase over and over again: Keep your eye on the ball!

Pretty good advice.

It’s awfully hard to field the ball when you are distracted by something else. It’s next to impossible to hit the ball when you don’t watch it all the way from the pitcher’s hand.

As a pastor, people tell me frequently about a stumble into sin, a failure in their marriage, a relapse into their addiction, a slip of the tongue. And I want to repeat the phrase over and over again: Keep your eyes on Jesus!

It’s awfully hard to say no to sin that seems so attractive when you aren’t looking at the surpassing beauty of Christ.

It’s really hard to stay committed in your marriage when you don’t look at the perfect Bridegroom.

It’s almost impossible to stay morally clean unless your eyes are fixed on the perfect Savior.

Charles Spurgeon gave this warning—

“Some creature steals away your heart, and you are unmindful of Christ upon whom your affection ought to be set. Some earthly business engrosses your attention when you should fix your eye steadily upon the Cross. It is the incessant turmoil of the world, the constant attraction of earthly things which takes away the soul from Christ.”

I love the chorus of the old hymn:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

Keep your eye on your Savior!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: baseball, Charles Spurgeon, focus, hymn, Jesus Christ, priority, quote, victory. Leave a Comment »

Ernie Harwell

May 5, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Ernie Harwell taught me baseball. I would lay awake at night with my transistor radio under my pillow listening to the legendary voice of the Detroit Tigers. I didn’t know which player was on which team, but as I listened night after night, summer after summer, I learned everything I needed to know about baseball from Ernie Harwell.

Ernie Harwell taught me storytelling. He didn’t just broadcast a game, he painted a picture. His descriptive phrases told so much:

“He digs in at the plate waiting for this 3-2 pitch. Bent at the knees, his two-toned bat waving behind his right ear.”
“The lanky right-hander goes into the wind up and delivers.”
“There’s a fly ball to deep left field. It’s loooooong gone!”
The Tigers didn’t just turn a double-play, they “got two for the price of one.”
A batter didn’t just look at a called third strike, he was “called out for excessive window shopping” or “he stood there like the house by the side of the road and watched that one go by.”

Ernie Harwell taught me graciousness. After 30 years of serving as the Tiger’s play-by-play voice, he was unceremoniously fired in 1991. What did Mr. Harwell say? “The Tigers had plans that didn’t include me. I’ll always be grateful for the time I’ve been able to spend with such a fine organization.” And after the public outcry restored him to his broadcast booth position the following season, he never once gloated.

Ernie Harwell taught me how to finish well. He finished his career well. He died last night with his wife of 69 years sitting by his side. When he announced last year that he had inoperable cancer, he said he was ready for the next great adventure. He loved Jesus, but never flaunted his personal relationship with Christ. He simply lived it out every single day. I can’t imagine that anyone has an unkind thing to say about this great man.

The radio voice may be silenced, but his lessons will continue to live on in me.