Links & Quotes

September 22, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some good reading & watching from today…

[VIDEO] John Maxwell on the importance of follow-through.

Tim Dilena’s post—Pay For The Salsa & Chips—is a great reminder of the power of honesty.

Quite intriguing: Are We Evolving Stupidity?

Another reason to stand-up and speak out for the true definition of marriage—Incest: Another Disordered Image Of Worship.

“Soul love is the soul of all love. To pet and pamper and indulge your child, as if this world was all he had to look forward to, and this life the only season for happiness—to do this is not true love, but cruelty. It is treating him like some beast of the earth, which has but only one world to look to, and nothing after death. It is hiding from him that grand truth, which he ought to be made to learn from his very infancy,—that the chief end of his life is the salvation of his soul.” Read more from J.C. Ryle in True Love For The Child’s Soul.

Charles Spurgeon: No One Can Believe For Me.

“Pain is terrible, but surely you need not have fear as well? Can you not see death as the friend and deliverer? It means stripping off that body which is tormenting you: like taking off a hair-shirt or getting out of a dungeon. What is there to be afraid of? You have long attempted (and none of us does more) a Christian life. Your sins are confessed and absolved. Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave it with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. Remember, though we struggle against things because we are afraid of them, it is often the other way round—we get afraid because we struggle. Are you struggling, resisting? Don’t you think Our Lord says to you ‘Peace, child, peace. Relax. Let go. Underneath are the everlasting arms. Let go, I will catch you. Do you trust Me so little?’” —C.S. Lewis

[VIDEO] Sesame Street parodies Star Wars to teach us about self-control.

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Links & Quotes

August 6, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some good reading & viewing from today…

As the fellowship I grew up in celebrates its 100th anniversary, I love reading quotes like this: “Worldwide, 95% of Assemblies of God adherents lived outside the United States in 2013. In the U.S., over 41% of Assemblies of God adherents were non-white. In the U.S., the white constituency has decreased by 34,922 over the past ten years, while the number of non-white constituency has increased by 433,217.”

An excellent post for unmarried people, and the friends who care about them: 4 Lies Single People Need To Stop Believing.

[VIDEO] Millions of dollars in “humanitarian aid” for the Palestinian people has been hijacked by Hamas to build tunnels into Israel for their terrorist schemes.

“God’s sovereignty means that His design for us cannot be frustrated. Nothing, absolutely nothing, befalls those who love God and are called according to His purpose, except what is for our deepest and highest good (Romans 8:28; Psalm 84:11).” —John Piper

“Since God does in fact address man in His Word, He obviously regards him as addressable in spite of the fact that man as a sinner closes his ears and heart to Him.” —Karl Barth

“Your gift makes you a servant, not a master.” Read more in: Use Your Knowledge To Serve Others.

“In a time when everything in the world seems to be vanity, God is depending on us to proclaim that He is the great Reality, and that only He can give meaning to all other realities.” —A.W. Tozer

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Where Are The Churches Of Courage?

July 11, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

EinsteinI am becoming more and more concerned about pastors and churches who will not take a stand. So many seem apathetic to what is happening in our world, seldom taking a stand or speaking out against unbiblical cultural trends or the misdeeds of evil.

If not Christians or churches, then who will speak up for truth?

“Being a lover of freedom, when the [Nazi] revolution came, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities, were silenced in a few short weeks. … Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it because the Church alone has had the courage and persistence to stand for intellectual and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised I now praise unreservedly.” —Albert Einstein

Pastor, are you standing “squarely across the path” of the things “suppressing truth”? Are you teaching and arming your congregations to do the same?

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Links & Quotes

June 19, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some good reading from today…

“We were made not primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest ‘well pleased.’ To ask that God’s love should be content with us as we are is to ask that God should cease to be God: because He is what He is, His love must, in the nature of things, be impeded and repelled, by certain stains in our present character, and because He already loves us He must labour to make us lovable.” —C.S. Lewis

“Our old history ends with the Cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.” —Watchman Nee

Chick-Fil-A closed for a very honorable reason.

A bit scary: Muslims’ attitude toward non-Muslims.

“It’s easy, and perhaps comforting, to think of all the things the church is doing to try to change the world. But the real question is, what are you doing? Sure, you go to church and try to live a good life. But how intentional are you when it comes to actually impacting the lives of the lost people you rub shoulders with every day?” —Mark Atteberry

“Whatever the currents of public opinion and governmental action, God’s message is constant and glorious. Whether it is a crime to defy Scripture or to defend it, the Church must preach it—both in season and out of season. This is her calling.” —Kairos Journal

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Links & Quotes

May 18, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some good reading from today.

“No man is better for knowing that God in the beginning created the heaven and the earth. The devil knows that, and so did Ahab and Judas Iscariot. No man is better for knowing that God so loved the world of men that He gave His only begotten Son to die for their redemption. In hell there are millions who know that. Theological truth is useless until it is obeyed.” —A.W. Tozer

Oh boy, here we go again. Pat Robertson calls creationists “deaf, dumb, and blind.”

Watch out! Sen. Harry Reid wants to restrict your First Amendment right to free speech.

I love the research and info graphics at The Bible Overview Project. Check out the 10 least popular books of the Bible.

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Links & Quotes

May 9, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some interesting reading I found today.

“The Bible is not a book for the faint of heart—it is a book full of all the greed and glory and violence and tenderness and sex and betrayal that benefits mankind. It is not the collection of pretty little anecdotes mouthed by pious little church mice—it does not so much nibble at our shoe leather as it cuts to the heart and splits the marrow from the bone. It does not give us answers fitted to our small-minded questions, but truth that goes beyond what we even know to ask.” —Rich Mullins

As I have said before, tolerance is only afforded to those who say “anything goes.” Anyone who says there is a right/wrong, truth/lie is labeled intolerant, as illustrated in this story of the Benham brothers losing their TV show deal…

…and to further prove the point, Yahoo Joins Google In Banning Pro-Life Ads.

“It’s pretty obvious… that the Judeo-Christian concept of God held the key to the rise of the West, and that is the belief in a rational Creator God, because that had the implication, then, that the creation was itself rational—that is to say, it obeys rules” (Rodney Stark). Read more in How Christianity Created Science (And Why Atheism Wouldn’t Have).

Detroit Tiger fans (like me!) will enjoy this: A Numerical Guide To The History Of The Detroit Tigers.

“Has the enemy tried to tell you that God has bypassed you? Have you been tempted to conclude that the Lord isn’t with you? Have you almost given up your faith? Put your hope in the Lord’s Word to you: ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you’ (Hebrews 13:5). ‘The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And they that know Your name will put their trust in You: for You, Lord, have not forsaken them that seek You’ (Psalm 9:9-10).” —David Wilkerson

“… this inscription from Jerusalem may signal widespread—if elementary—literacy during the time of David and Solomon.” Read more about this archeological discovery in Jerusalem.

“Let us meditate on the Lord’s holy name that we may trust Him the better and rejoice the more readily.” —Charles Spurgeon

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Links & Quotes

April 24, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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Some great reading I found today.

A good reminder for pastors … “Let your preaching and teaching be motivated by love—for God and for those you instruct; and let your preaching and teaching equip others to love. The goal of preaching and teaching is not merely information transfer—learning more, or gaining more head knowledge about this or that passage or doctrine. The goal is love.” —T.M. Moore

“According to the Bible, we have because we ask, or we have not because we ask not. It does not take much wisdom to discover our next move. Is it not to pray, and pray again and again till the answer comes? God waits to be invited to display His power on behalf of His people. The world situation is such that nothing less than God can straighten it out. Let us not fail the world and disappoint God by failing to pray.” —A.W. Tozer

A story about a young man with autism that made me mad, and then made me laugh with joy: Movies With Max.

“Eternal life is worth a life’s battle. To escape the hurt of the second death is a thing worth struggling for throughout a lifetime.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The good things even of this world are far too good ever to be reached by imagination. Even the common orange, you know: no one could have imagined it before he tasted it. How much less Heaven.” —C.S. Lewis

A great mini-biographical sketch on J.C. Ryle: Fighting For Truth Decay.

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The Sin Of Silence

October 14, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Qui tacet consentire“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” —Edmund Burke

This is as true for Christians as it is for anyone else.

In addressing the church at Pergamum (see Revelation 2:12-17), Jesus calls the Christians out for their silence. He tells them that what He has against them is their close relationship with those who hold to unbiblical ideas.

Pergamum’s sin is our sin in the USA today: tolerance. We let things slide, hoping to get along with others, trying not to rock the boat, trying to avoid being labeled a “hater,” and finding ways to be everyone’s friend.

There is a Latin phrase used in legal circles that says: Qui tacet consentire, which means Silence gives consent. If you don’t speak up to challenge what is stated, it is assumed that you believe it.

Jesus calls the church at Pergamum to repent for their tolerance. He calls for them to speak the truth of God’s Word. Twice the phrase is used to remind us of God’s Word being sharper than a double-edged sword.

Our job as Christians is not to win an argument, bring conviction, or become the sin police. Our job is to speak God’s truth in love.

True friends speak out when someone they care about is making a foolish choice. True Christians loving speak The Truth when the world around them is selling out to a convenient lie.

“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousandfold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers … we are ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.” —Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I will be continuing our series The 7-Star Church: Becoming The Church That Pleases Christ next Sunday. If you are in the area, I would love to have you join me.

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Thursdays With Oswald—The Bible

November 8, 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.

The Bible

      The revelation of God’s will has been brought down to us in words. The Bible is not a book containing communications from God, it is God’s revelation of Himself, in the interests of grace; God’s giving of Himself in the limitation of words.

      The Bible is not a faery romance to beguile us for awhile from the sordid realties of life, it is the Divine complement of the laws of Nature, of Conscience and of Humanity, it introduces us to a new universe of revelation facts not known to unregenerate commonsense. The only Exegete of these facts is the Holy Spirit, and in the degree of our reception, recognition, and reliance on the Holy Spirit will be our understanding. …

      The Bible does not simply explain to us the greatest number of facts, it is the only ground of understanding of all the facts, that is, it puts into the hand of the Spirit-born the key to the explanation of all mysteries. …

      The Bible tests all experience, all truth, all authority, by our Lord Himself and our relationship to Him personally….

From God’s Workmanship

Quite simply: The only authoritative Source we need to understand all the facts of life is the Bible.

Are you reading it? Every day? If not, make it a habit to live on and live through. It is God’s Word to you!

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You Must Care About Your Vote

November 6, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

I’ve been encouraging people to join me in praying during the 40 days leading up to today’s Election Day. Now that the day is here, you need to do more than pray: You must vote!

Listen to these wise words spoken nearly a century ago—

All the opportunity for self-government through the rule of the people depends upon one single factor. That is the ballot box. . . . The people of our country are sovereign. If they do not vote they abdicate that sovereignty, and they may be entirely sure that if they relinquish it other forces will seize it, and if they fail to govern themselves some other power will rise up to govern them. The choice is always before them, whether they will be slaves or whether they will be free. The only way to be free is to exercise actively and energetically the privileges, and discharge faithfully the duties which make freedom. It is not to be secured by passive resistance. It is the result of energy and action….

Persons who have the right to vote are trustees for the benefit of their country and their countrymen. They have no right to say they do not care. They must care! They have no right to say that whatever the result of the election they can get along. They must remember that their country and their countrymen cannot get along, cannot remain sound, cannot preserve its institutions, cannot protect its citizens, cannot maintain its place in the world, unless those who have the right to vote do sustain and do guide the course of public affairs by the thoughtful exercise of that right on election day. —President Calvin Coolidge (November 3, 1924)

Please vote today for those candidates who most closely align with biblical values. And then don’t stop praying for our elected officials today, but pray every day that those officials would exercise God-glorifying, biblically-sound wisdom in discharging their duties.

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