Podcast: Leaders And Friends

August 24, 2021 — Craig T. Owens

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

  • some people wear the cliche “It’s lonely at the top” like a badge of honor, but it’s not [0:40] 
  • the best leaders are always developing new leaders [1:25] 
  • do people say, “It’s lonely at the top” because they don’t want others alongside them or because they don’t know how to develop people? [1:55]
  • some people are talented in leading but not talented in friending … what kinds of friends do leaders need? [2:52]
  • what are the differences and similarities between friends, peers, and colleagues? [4:57]
  • a huge leadership challenge in a new position or a new organization is quickly identifying your allies [6:00]
  • a teammates’ participation in team sports can give a leader great insights into that teammates’ leadership potential [7:00]
  • leaders that try to fly solo set themselves up for failure … what are the common traits of leaders who successfully raise up new leaders? [8:08]
  • Greg confesses a leadership mistake he had to correct in himself [9:20]
  • character is vital in emerging leaders [10:59]
  • compassion is valuable in emerging leaders [11:44]
  • consistency helps emerging leaders develop into solid leaders, and it helps the team leader to excel … great insight from Patrick Lencioni about being present [12:15]
  • teams must embrace diversity and find commonality [13:08]
  • I elaborate on Greg’s point about a leader’s presence and consistency [14:10]
  • the team leader has to take the initiative in identifying and raising up new leaders [15:47]
  • leaders need to continue to replenish themselves [17:22]
  • Greg shares a great leadership example from the life of Moses [17:50]
  • we are here to encourage you—check out information on our leadership huddles [18:20]

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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Halfway Leaders Become Evil Leaders

March 3, 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.

Amaziah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly (2 Chronicles 25:2).

Notice the contradictions in Amaziah’s life and leadership: 

✅obeyed God’s law (v. 4)
🚫disobeyed God’s law (v. 14)


✅trusted that God would give success to the army of Judah (v. 5)


🚫supplemented his army with mercenaries from Israel (v. 6)




✅listened to the prophet God sent to him (vv. 7-10)


🚫ignored the prophet God sent to him (vv. 15-16)




✅trusted God (vv. 9-10)


🚫turned to idols (v. 14)




Sadly, the “not wholeheartedly” leader usually ends up just like other leaders that God calls “evil” (vv. 22-24, 27). 


Bottom line: there is no such thing as a halfway leader in God’s eyes. There is only following God or rebelling against God—all leaders must choose one or the other.


A mark of a godly leader is one who consistently chooses to follow God wholeheartedly.


This is part 55 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.


►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? ◀︎◀︎






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Stand Up For God’s Word

September 23, 2020 — Craig T. Owens 




…Josiah read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant… (2 Kings 23:2).


The leader must go first.


The leader must go big.


The leader must be visible.


The leader must be consistent.


This is the only way to affect real change.


Josiah did this extremely well. In fact, he did it better than any other king!


Josiah called all the people together and read “in their hearing” God’s word. Then he made it his own and took a public stand to confirm it (v. 3). Josiah went first, and “then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant.” 


The rest of Josiah’s reign is punctuated by telltale phrases like:


    

  • in accordance with the Word of the Lord
    • 

  • as it is written in this book of the covenant
    • 

  • fulfilled the requirements of the law
    • 



Here’s one of the most amazing things to me: Josiah’s wholehearted obedience to God ends up fulfilling perfectly a 300-year-old prophecy that God gave through a prophet of Judah (v. 16; 1 Kings 13:1-3).


A mark of a godly leader is his public alignment with God’s Word.


When the leader goes public and then wholeheartedly follows through on his commitment to God, others will follow his lead. May all of us be that kind of pacesetting leader. 


This is part 51 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here. 






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People Are Watching 👀

January 29, 2019 — Craig T. Owens 




 “…they watched Him closely… (Luke 14:1). 


The skeptics were always watching Jesus. As with our Master, so with us.


They wanted to find an inconsistency with which they could discount all that Jesus stood for. Thankfully, they found none! May the same be said of you and me.


May our lives and speech (or silence) never cause skeptics to discount the Gospel or—even worse—blaspheme God, nor may our lives cause a weak Christian to doubt or stumble.


This requires from us—


    

  • Self-awareness … I have to know my tendencies and avoid those things that cause offense.
    • 

  • Boldness … to speak the truth in love.
    • 

  • Knowledge of the Scripture … and its correct application.
    • 

  • God-confidence … so that we’re not intimidated by man’s disapproval.
    • 

  • Humility … to not seek things for our own benefit.
    • 

  • Charity … as we demonstrate our faith in loving action.
    • 

  • Focus … on eternity and on the greater treasure in Heaven.
    • 



Holy Spirit, empower us to live like our Master every day. “Adam’s likeness now efface, stamp Thine image in its place.” May people see and hear Jesus in us. No matter how closely they watch us, may they see no inconsistencies.






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Both Immovable And Flexible

April 11, 2018 — Craig T. Owens 




The vision of Isaiah…in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah (Isaiah 1:1). 


Israel (the 10 northern tribes) was in the final stages of collapse, with kings only serving short spans, idolatry running rampant, and enemies closing in on every side. Isaiah boldly proclaimed that Judah was on the same path unless she repented and turned wholly to God.


Isaiah had the same message for four kings:


    

  • Uzziah—who started off well, but fell away from God
    • 

  • Jotham—who faithfully served God
    • 

  • Ahaz—who never wanted to serve God
    • 

  • Hezekiah—who led a powerful revival in the return to worshiping God alone
    • 



Isaiah’s message never waivers. Through 66 chapters, 4 monarchs, and 60 years of ministry, Isaiah never compromises, waters down, nor alters the message God has given him.


But he does use different methods to deliver God’s consistent message—sometimes he thunders, sometimes he weeps, sometimes he uses illustrated messages, sometimes he speaks plainly, and sometimes he uses word pictures.


A mark of a godly leader is one who is both immovable and flexible.


Immovable on God’s principles; flexible on his delivery.


Can that be said of you and me?


This is part 21 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts on this topic by clicking here.






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The Heart Of A Leader (book review)

January 23, 2018 — Craig T. Owens 




Kenneth Blanchard has delivered to us some game-changing books over his years of writing. He has challenged us to do business in a different way, he has coached us on how to take control of our lives, and he has equipped us to better invest in the lives of the people around us. But ultimately he tells us that leadership is an issue of the heart. The Heart Of A Leader is a collection of quotes and insights from Ken Blanchard which go right to the heart of a leader.


Time and time again Blanchard uses the phrase “an effective leader.” He is not primarily concerned with leaders being efficient, and he certainly doesn’t define leadership success by an organization’s financial wellbeing. In his mind, an effective leader engages his heart first to serve those whom he leads.


Throughout his career, Blanchard has partnered with some amazingly insightful co-authors to bring a fresh perspective on how leaders can lead best from the heart. Many of these co-authors are featured in The Heart Of A Leader, which will help you see new paradigms of leadership acumen.


If you’ve never read anything from Ken Blanchard before, this book is a good sampler that will help you choose a book to read in its entirety. If you are already a fan of Blanchard’s writings, this book will help you see the consistency of his work. In either case, you cannot go wrong in reading these helpful words!






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A Leader Must Be Consistent

November 7, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 




There was a man…whose name was Job (Job 1:1).


Job is described by the author of this book like this: “that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. … This man was the greatest of all the people of the East” (vv. 1, 3).


God Himself described Job like this: “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (1:8). Even after Job’s calamities, God repeats this description and adds, “and still he holds fast to his integrity” (2:3).


satan acknowledged that Job feared God (1:9). But that slanderer accused Job of being a mercenary—that is, he said Job only feared and obeyed God because of what he got out of the bargain (1:10). But the liar missed something: Job’s obedience came before God’s blessing, and Job’s worship came after Job lost all his earthly possessions.


“In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (1:22), and “in all this Job did not sin with his lips” (2:10).


A mark of a godly leader is one who acts consistently in good times and bad times.


It’s a good question for godly leaders to ask: why do I obey God? why do I trust Him? why do I fear Him? is it so that I can get something out of it? is it because I’ve already received something? is it so that I can avoid punishment?


Or do I obey, trust, and fear God because He is worthy of all that—and more!—regardless of anything else? Godly leaders consistently ask both sets of questions and answer an assured “Yes” to the last question.


This is Part 14 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts on this topic by clicking here.






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6 Quotes On Commitment From “The Seven Laws Of Love”

June 1, 2016 — Craig T. Owens 




The Seven Laws Of LoveIn The Seven Laws Of Love, Dave Willis gives us some highly practical, biblically-based counsel for investing in all of our relationships. Normally when I share quotes from books, I share all of them at once, but I felt like it would be good to share these quotes a bit more slowly, to give you time to read them and apply them.


The seven laws Dave identifies are:


    

  1. Love requires commitment
    2. 

  2. Love selflessly sacrifices
    3. 

  3. Love speaks truth
    4. 

  4. Love conquers fear
    5. 

  5. Love offers grace
    6. 

  6. Love brings healing
    7. 

  7. Love lives forever
    8. 



Dave writes in the introduction to his book, “God wants love to flow through our lives like a mighty river. The laws of love are the invisible banks God has placed around love for our prosperity and protection. When our relationships live with in those boundaries, everyone involved is enriched. When we dismiss or disregard the boundaries, our relationships can quickly become unhealthy and unsustainable.”


From law #1, here are some quotes on commitment—


“God created love to be a transformative force in every aspect of our lives. … Before that can happen, though, there must be commitment. Without a real commitment, there can be no real love.”


“The strength of your commitment will always determine the strength of your relationship.”


“God brought His own Son through the lineage of a poor young woman named Ruth who understood the power of commitment in the meaning of love. God wants to create a generational impact through your life as well. The level at which you’ll make an eternal impact is defined by your level of commitment to the people God has placed in your life.” 


“Our commitment to others is evident in the consistency with which we serve them. Grand, one-time gestures can be nice, it’s what we do with consistency that will ultimately shape our relationships.”


“We’ve traded true intimacy for porn. We’ve traded committed marriages for commitment-free cohabitation. We’ve traded having children for having pets. We’ve traded meaningful conversations for text messages. We’ve traded ‘till death do us part’ for divorce. We’ve traded the pursuit of holiness for the pursuit of happiness. We’ve traded love for lust. We’ve attempted to exploit all the benefits and pleasures of love without investing the commitment and self-sacrifice that love requires.” 


“Your life and your relationships will be defined by the commitments you make and how well you keep them.”


Check out my review of The Seven Laws Of Love by clicking here.


Watch for more quotes from the other laws of love explained in this book throughout the next few days.






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Links & Quotes

November 16, 2015 — Craig T. Owens 




link quote


“O Lord, keep me strong in the sense of Thy call.” —Thomas Boston, Scottish Presbyterian pastor


“You have remained true to God under the great tests, now be alert over the least things.” —Oswald Chambers


“Mighty events turn on a straw.” —Thomas Carlyle


“God is love, but God is also just, as severely just as if He had no love, and yet as intensely loving as if He had no justice. To gain a just view of the character of God you must perceive all His attributes as infinitely developed; justice must have its infinity acknowledged as much as mercy.” —Charles Spurgeon


“Pleasures demean, disappoint, and destroy us when they are merely fleeting, fleshly, and foolish. The pleasure we ultimately seek, and for which we were created, can only be found in one place, in fellowship and communion with the Lord of heaven and earth.” —T.M. Moore


John Piper has some very insightful words in the wake of the tragedy in Paris—France: A Fabric Torn.


Jim Cymbala reminds us, “There are no trendy shortcuts, no hocus-pocus mantras that can defeat satan.” Read more in No Hocus-Pocus.


Parents, teachers, and anyone who works with youth will appreciate this counsel from Tim Elmore: 5 ways to cure the “cool kid” curse.


[VIDEO] What does the Quran teach about Jesus?—




[VIDEO] Pastor Dave Barringer is in Israel, and this real-time observation is quite eye-opening—








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Links & Quotes

June 1, 2015 — Craig T. Owens 




link quote


“The thing required is not to add to the good actions we have already done, but only to do that out of love to God which men of reputation and virtuous lives due from a principle of honor and regard of themselves. …  Let us do all the same honest and virtuous actions, but let us do them for the sake of Him Who made us and to Whom we owe our all.” —Françoise Fenelon


“If, when no one is watching us, we are building ourselves up in the Word of God, then, when a crisis comes, we shall stand; but if we are not building on the Word of God, when a crisis comes we shall go down, no matter what our wills are like.” —Oswald Chambers


“So the issue for us is: Do we eagerly long for the coming of Christ? Or do we want Him to wait while our love affair with the world runs its course?” —John Piper


For all of my pastor friends who have kids, this post from Pastor Dave Barringer is an important read.


Dr. Tim Elmore uses John Wooden as a great example to ask the question: Are You A Coach Or A Teacher?


Have you heard that there are fewer Christians in America? Check out John Stonestreet’s analysis of the latest reports.


[VIDEO] John Maxwell talks about the consistency and perseverance of the professional—








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