Don’t Forget To Remember

May 22, 2025 — 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 was honored to be invited to offer the commencement address for some amazing students graduating from the Parent Teacher Co-op program. 

I think we rush too quickly through our celebrations. It seems that at each milestone, we pause only briefly to move on toward the next milestone. But if we don’t celebrate well, we are actually setting ourselves up for a disappointing future. 

It’s very telling that after the perfection of Creation, God took time to celebrate His own handiwork. And then He called us to do the same. That’s what a sabbath really is: A time to celebrate what God has done for us, and what He has empowered us to do for His glory. I think the reason many older people become more contemplative and nostalgic is because they rushed through their life without taking time for sabbath celebrations.

If you look at the history of the Israelites, you will see majestic mountain peaks followed by depressing valleys. What sent them sliding into their valley was one thing: forgetfulness. Time and time again, God sends His prophet to chastise the Israelites for failing to take a sabbath rest. They forgot to honor God and celebrate Him, but instead they rushed along to the next thing. What brought them out of their valley and back to the mountain was also one thing: remembering. Celebrating God for who He is.

So I challenged these graduates—and you—with this. At each milestone in your life…

  1. Thank God for His blessings
  2. Celebrate your own hard work. 
  3. Recognize the help you’ve received from others. 
  4. Determine which lessons to keep, which to enhance, and which to leave behind. 
  5. Find someone to share the journey with you.

Don’t forget to remember!

I would suggest at a minimum celebrating the sabbath each week as God gave us that example, but you may find that you have a moment to celebrate even a small win in the middle of the day in the middle of your week. If you do that, I think your appreciation for God’s blessings will keep you even more dependent on His abiding presence. 

You may also be interested in a couple of related blog posts and videos:

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Links & Quotes

March 22, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Leaders would help their teams by (1) having shorter meetings, and (2) ensuring their language is clear and concise. Check out the full conversation about “Jargon” on this episode of the Craig and Greg Show. 

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

In a fascinating article about the ways the planet Jupiter protects Earth, the conclusion is spot-on: “Jupiter is more than merely a beautiful planet in the tapestry of the night sky. Its massive size and powerful gravity make it a mighty guardian of Earth. From protecting us from dangerous space debris to helping maintain stable orbits, Jupiter’s influence is essential for life on our planet. Proof of our solar system’s complex design is everywhere around us. It’s easy to see that our world seems purposely made rather than just being a result of random chance causes. From the stars to the tiniest particles, everything in our universe is balanced and works together in a coordinated system. As science progresses and uncovers more about our solar system, scientists keep finding out how perfectly suited our solar system is for life.”

T.M. Moore encourages us to pray for the Church. “The Church is the in-time agency through which the Kingdom comes on earth as it is in heaven. The Kingdom is a spiritual realm; the Church is a physical entity. But is is also a spiritual one; thus it partakes of two worlds at once, and is able to channel the spiritual into the physical to make all things new. The Church is both the sign that the Kingdom has come and the outpost from which the Kingdom advances in the world. Our text is a watershed moment of Jesus’ earthly ministry, and it signals an important focus for every believer’s life and prayers.”

“Celebrate what you’ve accomplished, but raise the bar a little higher each time you succeed.” —Mia Hamm

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The Craig And Greg Show: Dream With A Plan

January 12, 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.

On this episode of “The Craig And Greg Show” we talk about: 

  • [0:24] We want you to dream!
  • [1:47] What are some reasons people don’t set goals?
  • [3:10] The trap of comfort zones.
  • [5:14] Are you afraid of achievement?
  • [5:57] The balance of internal and external discipline.
  • [9:21] We would love to help you stretch to the next level!
  • [10:30] Why do people set goals?
  • [13:42] Why are goals hard to attain?
  • [14:31] Time is not manageable.
  • [15:30] Self-awareness and clarity are tools to help set goals.
  • [17:48] Be a goal-influencer by supporting others’ goals.
  • [19:20] Take time to celebrate reaching goals.
  • [22:40] Sharing goals with others lets them know what’s important to you.
  • [23:31] Celebrating steps toward a goal helps maintain motivation.
  • [25:00] I love this quote from Andrew Wood on incremental steps.

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.

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Poetry Saturday—Easter

March 27, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple or Spotify.

Break the box and shed the nard;

Stop not now to count the cost;
Hither bring pearl, opal, sard;
Reck not what the poor have lost;
Upon Christ throw all away:
Know ye, this is Easter Day.


Build His church and deck His shrine,


Empty though it be on earth;


Ye have kept your choicest wine—


Let it flow for heavenly mirth;


Pluck the harp and breathe the horn:


Know ye not ‘tis Easter morn?




Gather gladness from the skies;


Take a lesson from the ground;


Flowers do ope their heavenward eyes


And a Spring-time joy have found;


Earth throws Winter’s robes away,


Decks herself for Easter Day.




Beauty now for ashes wear,


Perfumes for the garb of woe,


Chaplets for dishevelled hair,


Dances for sad footsteps slow;


Open wide your hearts that they


Let in joy this Easter Day.




Seek God’s house in happy throng;


Crowded let His table be;


Mingle praises, prayer, and song,


Singing to the Trinity.


Henceforth let your souls alway


Make each morn an Easter Day. —Gerard Manley Hopkins




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The Life-Changing Power Of A Father

June 17, 2015 — Craig T. Owens 




Fathers DayThe Bible uses the phrase “a father” quite often, but it doesn’t always refer to a biological father. Whether it’s an emotional father, a spiritual father, or a biological father, the message in the Scripture is quite clear…


Fathers have the God-given power to change a life forever!


This Sunday we are going to be celebrating Dads. If you are in the Cedar Springs area, I encourage you to come join us and learn more about what God is saying to our Dads today about their power to change a life, a generation, a nation forever!


Hope to see you at 10:30am this Sunday. Click here to get directions to Calvary Assembly of God.






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Make A Holy Rest

October 13, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Sabbath = do somethingWe are an on-the-go-all-the-time society. It seems to be a status symbol to be always “on.” If not a status symbol, maybe there’s a fear of what we might miss, “If I don’t keep up on the latest TV shows [sports team, books, music, Dancing With The Stars], I’ll feel out of place when my friends are talking about it.”


Even when we do slow down, often what we call a “rest” really isn’t. (Have you ever needed a vacation to recover from your vacation?)


This all-go, never-stop lifestyle is not only unsustainable and unhealthy, it’s also displeasing to God. In His love for us, God says we need to take a Sabbath rest (see Exodus 20:8 and Deuteronomy 5:12). The problem is: we think “Sabbath” means doing nothing, and we feel guilty for doing nothing when there is still so much to do.


Here’s the good news: Sabbath ≠ doing nothing.


Take a look at the origin of the Sabbath—And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. (Genesis 2:2 KJV)


That’s an unusual phrase—His work which He had made—which is repeated twice, so let’s dig into two specific words: work and made.


The verb tense for work is imperfect, which means God still had work to do. But the verb tense for made is perfect. So instead of trying to find more time in His week, God made His “To Do” list fit the timeframe. Then far from doing nothing on the Sabbath day, God reviewed His work, appreciated the beauty of Creation, and celebrated all that had been made.


This is what He calls us to do as well. Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:8 and Deuteronomy 5:12 all tell us the Sabbath is to be holy = special, withdrawn from the usual … unique. God doesn’t want us to do nothing on the Sabbath, but to do what we don’t normally have the time to do the rest of the week.


Our modern cliché says, “You never appreciate what you have until it’s gone.” But the Sabbath says, “Stop, appreciate God’s blessings, and celebrate them while you can still enjoy them.”


God doesn’t ask you to take a rest. Instead He asks you to make your “To Do” list fit into six days, so that there can be a unique day of appreciation and celebration.


So … how are you doing on making a Sabbath?


If you have missed any of the messages in our series The Love In The Law, you can find them all by clicking here.






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The Star Of CHRISTmas

December 4, 2013 — Craig T. Owens 




The Star Of Christmas [web]I’m really enjoying preparing for our 3-week Christmas series called The Star Of CHRISTmas. If it’s not obvious to you by the way I wrote that title, I believe the star of Christmas is CHRIST!


We will be learning how Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethelehem was the…


    

  • SUPERNOVA which brings light into the Old Testament’s darkness, and allows other stars (that’s us!) to be born.
    • 

  • MORNING STAR which shines brightest just before the dawn and replaces a feeling of fear with the confidence of favor.
    • 

  • NORTH STAR which helps us keep going in the right direction despite the circumstances around us.
    • 



If you are able to join us over the next couple of Sundays at 10:30am, we would love to celebrate The Star of CHRISTmas with you!






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The Purpose Of Christmas (book review)

December 3, 2013 — Craig T. Owens 




The Purpose Of ChristmasAre retailers and Christians the only ones who think Christmas is a big deal? Why is it so important? Just in time for this year’s Advent celebration, Rick Warren reminds us of The Purpose Of Christmas.


In his typical style of helping folks clearly understand the meaning of things that sometimes we overlook or take for granted, Pastor Rick shows us that Christmas is a time for celebration, a time for salvation, and a time for reconciliation.


Blending together passages of Scripture throughout all of the Bible—not just the passages we usually associate with the birth of Christ—Pastor Rick powerfully illustrates why we needed God to send His One and Only Son to earth to rescue us. And also why we need to celebrate His birth correctly at this time each year.


This book is an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand recalibration of the meaning of Christmas. For anyone who has ever felt that the retailers are dominating the Christmas season, this is a welcome book to help you return to the foundational truths. It might be a good book for you to pull out each Christmas and read aloud with your family.






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Annual Souper Bowl Celebration

January 23, 2013 — Craig T. Owens 




Souper Bowl CelebrationI love to eat good food, and I love to hear good stories about God’s blessing. On February 3 I get to do both!


It’s our annual Souper Bowl Celebration. After our regular morning worship service we all sample the delicious homemade soup and chili recipes from the amazing cooks in our church. It’s a little friendly competition, where everyone who eats gets to vote. My son Harrison is the reigning champ two years in a row, so I’ve heard a lot of cooks are gunning to unseat him. The competition should be delicious!


I don’t like meetings, so in place of Calvary Assembly of God having an annual business meeting, we have our annual celebration. It’s a great time recalling what God did for us in 2012, and then looking ahead to 2013. I always get so pumped up for this day!


If you’re around Cedar Springs on February 3, join us for some great food, some friendly competition, and some even better stories of God’s great blessings!






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Forever Better

December 2, 2009 — Craig T. Owens 




Twenty-five years ago today, December 2, 1984:


    

  • Ghost Busters was the top-grossing movie
    • 

  • The A-Team was NBC’s top-rated TV series
    • 

  • Hall & Oates had the number one Billboard single Out Of Touch
    • 

  • Ronald Regan was the US President
    • 



None of these facts changed my life. But something else that took place on that day did. On December 2, 1984, I went on my first official date with Betsy Coffield. My first girlfriend—my only girlfriend—and still my best friend.


Neither movies, TV, music, nor politicians have changed my life, but I’m forever a better man because Betsy said, “Yes.” I love you, babe. Here’s to the next 25 years, which will be even better!






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