father | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

May 20, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Pay attention, guys: 3 Ways A Man Should Lead His Home. I love this quote from this post: “A husband and father can’t impart what he doesn’t possess. So the best strategy for the everyday preacher is to first preach the gospel to himself. Then, through his own repentance, he is able to lead his family to the very place where he himself has been.” —Dave Bruskas

This is a fun quiz: 100 Bible Knowledge Questions from Kevin DeYoung.

A brand new book from John Piper which he calls “the one most different from all the others.” Read more about Seeing Beauty And Saying Beautifully, and download a free PDF version.

A beautiful reminder from Chilly Chilton that God wants to bless us: The Search.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, blessing, book review, Chilly Chilton, father, God's favor, husband, John Piper, Kevin DeYoung, lifelong learner, marriage, quiz, quotes, Scripture, servant-leadership. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

April 7, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some great reading (and watching) from today.

[VIDEO] John Maxwell with some great advice for overcoming procrastination. (Don’t put off watching this one!)

[VIDEOS] I love what this digital effects specialist from Dreamworks does with his 3-year-old son!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Dad, father, John Maxwell, kids, procrastination, video. 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 »

Links & Quotes

April 3, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some links to some interesting reading and quotes I found today.

Good thoughts from John Stonestreet: How Will Your Church Deal With Same-Sex “Marriage”?

“If we divide ourselves between God and Mammon, or Christ and self, we shall make no progress. We must give ourselves wholly to holy things or else we shall be poor traders in heavenly business, and at our stocktaking no profit will be shown.” —Charles Spurgeon

A very intelligent post on the Noah movie: Gnosticism And Kabbalah In Aronofsky’s Noah. And if you want to read Dr. Brian Mattson’s complete post (which is referenced in the Gnosticism article), read Sympathy For The Devil. Here is one passage from Dr. Mattson’s post—

“In Darren Aronofsky’s new star-gilt silver screen epic, Noah, Adam and Eve are luminescent and fleshless, right up until the moment they eat the forbidden fruit. Such a notion isn’t found in the Bible, of course. This, among the multitude of Aronofsky’s other imaginative details like giant Lava Monsters, has caused many a reviewer’s head to be scratched. Conservative-minded evangelicals write off the film because of the ‘liberties’ taken with the text of Genesis, while a more liberal-minded group stands in favor of cutting the director some slack. After all, we shouldn’t expect a professed atheist to have the same ideas of ‘respecting’ sacred texts the way a Bible-believer would. Both groups have missed the mark entirely. Aronofsky hasn’t ‘taken liberties’ with anything. The Bible is not his text.”

Fathers, here are 7 Things A Good Dad Says.

Parents not allowed to cheer for their own kids on the basketball court?! Yep! Check this out from Dr. Tim Elmore: The Rules We Create When We Lack Emotional Intelligence.

“When we cannot climb the ladder of prayer, surely God comes down to the foot of it where we lie. … We are His and He is of our kind—only all that is infinitely better.” —George MacDonald

“Are you aware of a brother or sister whose marriage is in turmoil? If so, what do you do about it? Do you merely tell others what a shame it is that they are about to break up? Or do you bring up their names to the Lord and strive for them in prayer? Do you desire this ministry of being a helper in prayer? If you don’t know anyone with a need, start by praying for all Christian marriages and all of God’s saints. Your prayers do not have to be long. Simply state your request, and trust God to hear you.” —David Wilkerson

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Charles Spurgeon, children, Christian, church, Dad, David Wilkerson, diligence, Dr. Tim Elmore, emotional intelligence, father, George MacDonald, Gnosticism, homosexuality, Jesus Christ, John Stonestreet, kids, love, marriage, ministry, movie review, Noah, prayer, quotes. Leave a Comment »

Gems

March 19, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Do you ever get lost in the “begats” of the Bible? You know those long, tedious lists of who was born to whom? In 1 Chronicles there’s an equally long list of names that goes on for five chapters(!) of who’s in charge of what. But be careful not to skip over these lists. The Holy Spirit included them in the inspired Word of God for a reason, and sometimes you find some real gems buried in these lists.

Here are a few that I recently unearthed…

For David had said… (1 Chronicles 23:25)—David’s heart was so closely knit with God’s heart that the words he spoke were God’s words coming through David’s mouth, as he gave instructions about how worship in the tabernacle should be conducted.

David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph… (25:1, 3, 7)—Asaph, Hemen and Jeduthun prophesied through their singing in the tabernacle. They didn’t compose music and sing to entertain, but to call people to God. Notice, too, that all of the worship leaders in the tabernacle were “trained and skilled in music for the Lord.” Those God calls, He equips.

For God had blessed Obed-Edom… (26:5-8)—The Ark of the Covenant—the symbol of God’s presence—had been housed in Obed-Edom’s home. God’s presence produces blessing! Listen to how Obed-Edom’s descendants are described:

Leaders
Capable men
Able men
Capable men with the strength to do the work

Elihu… (27:18)—Even David’s older brother chose to serve him.

Hushai the Arkite was the king’s friend… (27:33)—In the listing of all the court officials, here is a man with no other title than David’s friend.

God’s Word is alive! Ask the Holy Spirit, Who inspired the men who penned these words, to give you fresh revelation as you read the Bible. Then prepare to be amazed at the gems He will reveal to you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: ark of the covenant, Bible study, blessing, father, friendship, God's Word, Holy Spirit, King David, music, prayer, prophesy, Scripture, worship. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Answering Him

March 15, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

“When shall I be a man?” he said,

As I was putting him to bed.

“How many years will have to be

Before Time makes a man of me?

And will I be a man when I

Am grown up big?” I heaved a sigh,

Because it called for careful thought

To give the answer that he sought.

And so I sat him on my knee,
And said to him: “A man you’ll be
When you have learned that honor brings
More joy than all the crowns of kings;
That it is better to be true
To all who know and trust in you
Than all the gold of earth to gain
If winning it shall leave a stain.

“When you can fight for victory sweet,
Yet bravely swallow down defeat,
And cling to hope and keep the right,
Nor use deceit instead of might;
When you are kind and brave and clean,
And fair to all and never mean;
When there is good in all you plan,
That day, my boy, you’ll be a man.

“Some of us learn this truth too late;
That years alone can’t make us great;
That many who are three-score, ten
Have fallen short of being men,
Because in selfishness they fought
And toiled without refining thought;
And whether wrong or whether right
They lived but for their own delight.

“When you have learned that you must hold
Your honor dearer far than gold;
That no ill-gotten wealth or fame
Can pay you for your tarnished name;
And when in all you say or do
Of others you’re considerate, too,
Content to do the best you can
By such a creed, you’ll be a man.” —Edgar A. Guest

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: brave, children, Dad, Edgar Guest, father, honor, manhood, maturity, parenting, poetry, sons, victory. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Only A Dad

February 15, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Only a dad, with a tired face,

Coming home from the daily race,

Bringing little of gold or fame,

To show how well he has played the game,

But glad in his heart that his own rejoice

To see him come, and to hear his voice.

Only a dad, with a brood of four,

One of ten million men or more.

Plodding along in the daily strife,

Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,

With never a whimper of pain or hate,

For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,

Merely one of the surging crowd

Toiling, striving from day to day,

Facing whatever may come his way,

Silent, whenever the harsh condemn,

And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad, but he gives his all

To smooth the way for his children small,

Doing, with courage stern and grim,

The deeds that his father did for him.

This is the line that for him I pen,

Only a dad, but the best of men. —Edgar A. Guest

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: children, Dad, Edgar Guest, father, humble, integrity, love, manhood, poetry, work ethic. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 4, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

These are links to articles and quotes I found interesting today.

[VIDEO] A short video from John Maxwell: Pride

“Holiness is inwrought by the Holy Spirit, not because we have suffered, but because we have surrendered.” —Richard Shelley Taylor

[PICTURE] A cool father-son moment after the Broncos Super Bowl loss: Broncos’ Shaun Phillips Receives Touching Text From Son

[VIDEO] A powerful pro-life statement: Science Is Clear On When Life Begins

“We need to learn that truth consists not in correct doctrine, but in correct doctrine plus the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.” —A.W. Tozer

“For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is our-selves. … He cannot bless us unless He has us. When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.” —C.S. Lewis

“We need an outside word of love, kindness, support, faith and confidence. We long for people we admire to put their arms around us and speak life into our being. We hunger for relationship. We crave intimacy.” —Bill Leach

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, blessing, C.S. Lewis, doctrine, father, holiness, Holy Spirit, John C. Maxwell, medical science, pride, pro-life, quotes, RIchard Shelley Taylor, technology, video. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—“A Man” by Edgar A. Guest

January 25, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

A man doesn’t whine at his losses,

A man doesn’t whimper and fret,

Or rail at the weight of his crosses

And ask life to rear him a pet.

A man doesn’t grudgingly labor

Or look upon toil as a blight;

A man doesn’t sneer at his neighbor

Or sneak from a cause that is right.

A man doesn’t sulk when another
Succeeds where his efforts have failed;
Doesn’t keep all his praise for the brother
Whose glory is publicly hailed;
And pass by the weak and the humble
As though they were not of his clay;
A man doesn’t ceaselessly grumble
When things are not going his way.

A man looks on woman as tender
And gentle, and stands at her side
At all times to guard and defend her,
And never to scorn or deride.
A man looks on life as a mission.
To serve, just so far as he can;
A man holds his noblest ambition
On earth is to live as a man. —Edgar A. Guest

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: attitude, complaints, Edgar Guest, father, grumble, husband, jealousy, manhood, noble, perseverance, poetry. Leave a Comment »

Don’t Exasperate Them

January 24, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Pastoring is not for the faint of heart. Nor those easily offended. Nor those lacking in patience…. You get the idea!

John Chrysostom (347-407) gave this counsel to pastors—

“Thus then must the Priest behave towards those in his charge, as a father would behave to his very young children; and as such are not disturbed either by their insults or their blows, or their lamentations, nor even if they laugh and rejoice with us, do we take much account of it; so should we neither be puffed up by the promises of these persons nor cast down at their censure, when it comes from them unseasonably.”

The Bible tells fathers not to irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4, Amplified Bible)

Instead we should follow the example of Jesus, the Great Shepherd—

When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36, Amplified Bible)

Ask our Shepherd to give you His patience, and compassion, and tenderness, and wisdom to carry His sheep in your arms. After all, it’s His flock that we’ve been given the privilege and responsibility to care for!