This Sunday we kick off a two-part series around Thanksgiving. I know it’s a day we celebrate once per year, but thankfulness is also the soil that grows excellent things in our lives. Come and join us at 10:30 AM on November 22 and November 29. And in the meantime, start counting your blessings.
The Soil Of Thanks
November 19, 2009 — Craig T. OwensHow Do You Study?
November 10, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
In our Impact youth service, we’re exploring the study of the Bible. To help me with a little “sermon prep,” can you please comment below to tell me how do you study your Bible:
- Do you highlight?
- Underline?
- Write notes?
- Read a chapter at a time?
- Systematically go through the Bible?
- Read from the same translation every time?
- Write in a journal?
- Memorize verses?
Anything you would like to share would be very helpful.
Greatest Story… Ever
October 20, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
Some people say, “Print is dead.” Perhaps. Probably because there was never a word or a story like the greatest Story. There is a Word that not only came alive but is still alive. A Story that is still being told, still being lived out right before our eyes.
Listen to how John, the disciple who was so crazy-in-love with Jesus, said it:
- The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. //NIV
- And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth. //AMP
- The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. //MSG
In our Impact! Youth service this week we’ll begin looking at this living Story: the Word that came to life and is being lived out right before our eyes even now. It’s a Story in which we play an important part too.
I love this Story. I love telling this Story again and again. I love being a part of this Story. I’d love it if you could join us on Wednesday evenings for a new look at the greatest Story ever.
Trading A Can For A Kid
October 15, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
As we wrapped up our Bigger Than Me series last night, I asked our youth group how we could know that we are putting what we believe into action. It’s easy to deceive ourselves and say, “I’m doing a pretty good job,” but now do we know we’re doing what God wants us to do.
In Bigger Than Me we talked about stepping out of our comfort zone into The UnZone. We looked at the importance of walking in empathy (or, as we said it, walking in someone else’s flip-flops) to know what they are really feeling. Using empathy as the starting point, we then looked at the importance of praying for other people’s needs as though they were our own. And then we talked about how one person doing the right thing—even though nobody else is—made it easier for others to make the choice to do the right thing too.
So here’s the big ask. How do we put this into action? How do we join faith with deeds?
Our youth group was challenged to take on the responsibilities of sponsoring two students in the Latin America Child Care program. For just $64 per month, we’re making sure that two students get a school uniform, eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, get a quality education, and—best of all—have an opportunity to meet Jesus as their personal Savior.
Just $64 per month. For our youth group that’s like each person giving up one can of Pepsi, Coke, Monster (or their other favorite beverage) each month. One drink per month so that two students can have a better future.
Think about it: are you willing to trade one can for one kid? Our youth group did. They responded to the big ask, they stepped up to the challenge, they are putting their faith into action. I’m so proud of them!
How can you step up to the challenge?
The Big Ask
October 14, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
Tonight in our Impact! Youth service we are wrapping up a great series called Bigger Than Me. We’ve been challenging our youth to look out from themselves and see the big world around them. This has been an amazing series and I’ve been so excited to see so many students step out in a big way. You can read more here and here.
But tonight is the big ask. Tonight I’m going to challenge our students to make a commitment that’s going to hit them in a really sensitive area—their wallets. We’re going to present the opportunity to confront a real need in a very practical way: by giving money. Not just once, but every month.
Here’s the way the apostle James laid it on the line:
Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?
Here’s how you can be involved:
- Pray for me that I can present the big ask in a compelling way.
- Pray for our students that they’ll be moved to respond.
- Check out my blog tomorrow for an update on tonight’s response, and to see how you can help too.
I can hardly wait!
Heart Healthy
October 9, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
It’s amazing how many parallels there are between the health of our physical heart that pumps life-carrying blood and the health of our spiritual heart that circulates life to our inner man. I’m going to be exploring what makes a healthy heart (both kinds of heart) as we launch a new 6-part series this Sunday called Heart Matters.
Whether you are having heart trouble now, or you want to maintain a healthy heart for the years to come, this will be valuable insight for you. Join us at Calvary Assembly of God at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. It will be a great investment in your heart’s future.
Take The Initiative
September 29, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” —John Bunyan
I love doing something unexpected for someone. Something kind and thoughtful, but totally “out of the blue.” It’s especially nice when the person for whom you do something nice needs it the most, yet would be the last person to ask for help.
In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about people who take the initiative to help the poor, the hungry, the needy. Jesus never says that they asked for help, but simply that His followers saw the need and addressed it. Jesus concludes by saying, “When you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!”
Even better: we take the initiative to bless one of the least of these and we get a blessing from God. How cool is that!
Over the weekend our youth group showed up at a precious lady’s house unannounced. We all affectionately refer to Thelma as “Grandma.” We didn’t tell her that we were coming, we just showed up and started cleaning up her yard. (Disclaimer: I have to admit that we did get an immediate blessing, in that Grandma’s daughter Joan made us a cake, so we got a slice before we left.) Pictures are here.
I’m so proud of these young servants who showed up to bless Grandma. As you helped her, you were helping Jesus. Great will be your reward in heaven—way to go!
Big, Big World
September 15, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
“The smallest package in the world is a person who is all wrapped up in himself.” —Billy Graham
We have a tendency to get so wrapped up in ourselves. If we are feeling down, no one is happy. If we don’t like our job, everyone has a lousy job. If we have a toothache, the whole world is hurting. But as John Maxwell says, “The whole world—with one minor exception—is made up of other people.”
On Wednesday in our Impact youth service, we’re beginning a new series called Bigger Than Me. It’s a reminder, a wake-up call, an eye-opener to remind our students that the world is big. Bigger than them. And in need of someone who is not all wrapped up in himself.
Back To Tentmaking
September 14, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
“Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers just as he was. Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.”
I can relate to this story.
For 10 years I worked in Grand Rapids doing sales work in our family-owned business. I left our business and West Michigan when God called me into full-time ministry. Now I’m back home in West Michigan, thrilled to be pastoring Calvary Assembly of God. And for this season in my life, I also need to be a “tentmaker.”
My “Aquila and Priscilla” are two brothers named Chuck and Steve Russell. They own Eradico Services, and have graciously offered me a job back in my old “tentmaking” field of sales in the Grand Rapids area. I am so grateful to these men for this opportunity.
Just as Paul made tents during the week and was at church each Sabbath, I will be doing the same thing. It was not a coincidence that Paul had an occupational skill that he could use, nor that God provided a job for him in Corinth. This kept Paul in Corinth doing what he was called to do: telling others about Jesus. So too for me. None of this is coincidence or luck, but God has opened these doors, and I am praising Him for it as I begin making tents again today!
Smarter Work
September 11, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
I met this morning with my teaching team. These are some great leaders-in-training who are helping me both think through what we need to talk about with our students in our youth group, and they help teach some of these points as well. This morning we refined the next series that we want to deliver. I had a pretty good idea going in, but my teaching team made it so much better!
I love leadership teams. The New Testament frequently uses the phrase one another to show that “all of us” is a lot better than “one of us.”
- My team helps me think of things I may have missed on my own
- My team challenges me to clarify my words
- My team gives me perspectives that I wouldn’t have caught
- My team makes my good ideas better
- My team gives me a chance to invest in and train up the next generation of leaders
Do you have a good team around you? Do you have people challenging you to think in new ways? Do you have people who can sharpen you? Do you have people around you that pour into your life, and allow you to invest in them too?
Two great team quotes from some coaches who knew what they were talking about:
“The freedom to do your own thing ends when you have obligations and responsibilities. If you want to fail yourself, you can, but you cannot do your own thing if you want to have responsibilities to your team members.” —Lou Holtz
“The main ingredient in stardom is the rest of the team.” —John Wooden
I promise you “all of us” makes you look a whole lot smarter than just “one of us”! If you’re not already, start developing a team—you’ll be glad you did.
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