gratitude | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

November 28, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading from the last couple of days …

“The blood of Jesus can cover your sins, but it does not make you dependent on Him. Miracles can deliver you from satan’s power, but they can’t make you dependent. You can be led by God and still not lean wholly upon the Lord. God has to strip us of all self-assurance and destroy all that remains of self-righteousness, spiritual pride and boasting. He must (and He does) humiliate all who are destined to inherit His great spiritual blessings.” —David Wilkerson

Fast Company shares why thankful people are happier and healthier. And Dr. Tim Elmore shares 5 ways leaders can show gratitude.

“May God grant that no doctrinal belief may ever dry up the milk of human kindness in our souls! … May we feel that no dogma can be scriptural which is not consistent with a sincere love to men.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The enemy never quite knows how to deal with a humble man; he is so used to dealing with proud, stubborn people that a meek man upsets his timetable. And furthermore, the man of true humility has God fighting on his side—who can win against God?” —A.W. Tozer

“The problem with problems is that they always keep us from focusing on opportunities.” Read more of Seth Godin’s post The Problem With Problems.

Poetry Saturday—Away With Our Fears

May 31, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Away with our fears!

The glad morning appears

When an heir of salvation was born!

From Jehovah I came,

For His glory I am,

And to Him I with singing return.

Thee, Jesus, alone,

The fountain I own

Of my life and felicity here;

And cheerfully sing

My Redeemer and King,

Till His sign in the heavens appear.

With thanks I rejoice

In Thy fatherly choice

Of my state and condition below;

If of parents I came

Who honored Thy name,

‘Twas Thy wisdom appointed it so.

I sing of Thy grace,

From my earliest days

Ever near to allure and defend;

Hitherto Thou hast been

My preserver from sin,

And I trust Thou wilt save to the end.

O the infinite cares,

And temptations, and snares,

Thy hand hath conducted me through!

O the blessings bestowed

By a bountiful God,

And the mercies eternally new!

What a mercy is this,

What a heaven of bliss,

How unspeakably happy am I!

Gathered into the fold,

With Thy people enrolled,

With Thy people to live and to die!

O the goodness of God,

Employing a clod

His tribute of glory to raise!

His standard to bear,

And with triumph declare

His unspeakable riches of grace.

O the fathomless love,

That has deigned to approve

And prosper the work of my hands!

With my pastoral crook

I went over the brook,

And, behold, I am spread into bands!

Who, I ask in amaze,

Hath begotten me these?

And inquire from what quarter they came?

My full heart it replies,

They are born from the skies,

And gives glory to God and the Lamb.

All honor and praise

To the Father of grace,

To the Spirit, and Son, I return!

The business pursue

He hath made me to do,

And rejoice that I ever was born.

In a rapture of joy

My life I employ,

The God of my life to proclaim;

‘Tis worth living for this,

To administer bliss

And salvation in Jesus’ name.

My remnant of days

I spend in His praise,

Who died the whole world to redeem:

Be they many or few,

My days are His due,

And they all are devoted to Him. —Charles Wesley (supposedly this poem was written on the occasion of his birthday)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: birthday, Charles Wesley, fear, grace, gratitude, hymn, poem, poetry, salvation, singing, thankfulness. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 17, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading this weekend:

“It is bad to pursue something good negligently; it is worse to expend many labors on an empty thing.” —Hugh of St. Victor

A ground-breaking scientist of the 16th and 17th centuries who was (gasp!) a Christian: William Harvey.

“Could the IRS do anything to make itself more unpopular?” Yep! Read more in New IRS Revelations.

“In the worst temptations nothing can help us but faith that God’s Son has put on flesh, is bone, sits at the right hand of the Father, and prays for us. There is no mightier comfort.” —Martin Luther

“Most of us are like the disciples. We see one miracle, and we are satisfied to talk about it for the rest of our lives. Yet, if we really knew God and let Him be God to us, we would ask Him for so much more.” —David Wilkerson

Great (not!): States Face Overwhelming Reality Of Obamacare.

Gratitude is a “chosen attitude.” Read more in Dr. Tim Elmore’s post The Inverse Relationship Between Gratitude And Entitlement.

Links & Quotes

March 31, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Here are links to some interesting reading (and watching) from today.

[VIDEO] Funny, but really sad. I’m not sure what is being taught on college campuses anymore.

[VIDEO] Stephen A. Smith on Arsenio Hall’s show about race relations. Right on target!

Great reminder from Jennilee Goodwin: When The Grace Seems Greener.

[VIDEO] Greg Koukl discusses how Christians should debate evolutionists.

Tim Elmore shares a hilarious but helpful story about a woman involved in her own search party.

[VIDEO] John Maxwell reminds us of the importance of generosity.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: American history, apologetic, Arsenio Hall, Creation, current events, Dr. Tim Elmore, education, evolution, generosity, gratitude, Greg Koukl, John Maxwell, racism, Stephen A. Smith, video. Leave a Comment »

The God Of Luck

November 25, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

‘Tis the season we are supposed to be thankful. As Thanksgiving Day approaches, many people will gather around a dinner table and share what they are thankful for this year, and then quickly move on to the turkey and football. But we never quite finish the thought: Yes, we are thankful, but to whom are we thankful?

Consider some of these clichés we use:

The ball bounced my way.
I thank my lucky stars!
Wow, must be good clean living!
Whew, I caught a lucky break there.
It’s about time something went my way.

In all of these phrases we are saying, “I did something to get what I got. I did the right things, or I was in the right place at the right time.”

God says, “My people shall be satisfied with My goodness” (Jeremiah 31:14). Notice He says MY goodness.

Contrast this with what Moses warned in his farewell address. He said, when you have been blessed make sure you give the thanks to God, and don’t forget all He has done for you. If we forget to thank God, the inevitable result is pride in our own abilities, or in our own luck. YOU may then say to YOURSELF, “MY power and the strength of MY hand has made this lucky break for ME” (see Deuteronomy 8:10-20).

Notice the MY has been changed from God to me. I have made a god out of my luck. Or even worse, I have enthroned MYSELF and dethroned God.

The only guard against this is continual, uninterrupted gratitude to God for His goodness—Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Don’t make a god out of luck, but make sure the One True God is the center of your thankfulness this week, and all year long!

I’ll be wrapping our series A Grateful Heart Is A Strong Heart this coming Sunday, and I’d love to have you join me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, Deuteronomy, gratitude, Jeremiah, luck, Moses, sermon, thankfulness, thanksgiving. 1 Comment »

Forgetfulness Can Be Deadly

November 24, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Some folks asked me to share the quotes I used in my message today in our Grateful Heart series. Ask, and you shall receive!

“It is no wonder that the Lord’s people should be satisfied with the goodness of their Lord. Here is goodness without mixture, bounty without stint, mercy without chiding, love without change, favor without reserve. If God’s goodness does not satisfy us, what will? What! are we still groaning? Surely there is a wrong desire within if it be one which God’s goodness does not satisfy.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense out of our past, brings peace for today, and create a vision for tomorrow.” —John Maxwell

I’m looking forward to wrapping up this series next Sunday!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: blessing, Calvary Assembly of God, Charles Spurgeon, gratitude, John Maxwell, thankfulness, thanksgiving. Leave a Comment »

Gratitude Cancels Anxiety

November 18, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

The wise King Solomon said, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down…” (Proverbs 12:25). And now medical science proves it.

There’s the physical weight of anxiety:

Digestion of food is hindered
Sleep is disrupted
Short-term memory is hampered
Immune system is depressed
Heart disease risks are elevated
Not to mention the emotional and relational weights of anxiety

But do you know what brings an almost immediate bounce-back from these conditions? Feeling and expressing gratitude.

The feelings of gratitude…

Release endorphins (the feel-good hormone)
Make good memories easier to recall
Strengthen relationships
Improve overall physical health

The verse I quoted earlier from Proverbs was only the first half of the verse. The full verse says, “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Science tells us that it doesn’t matter if those good words are words others say to us, or words we say to ourselves, or words we say to others. Our bodies cannot tell the difference, so any grateful/thankful/positive words cancel out the heaviness of anxiety!

Try it! Keep a gratitude journal … write a letter to someone you haven’t properly thanked for their investment in your life … make it a point to compliment others … speak more positively to yourself. Those grateful words are not only the antidote to the anxiety weighing you down now but also the inoculation against future anxiety.

We’ll be looking at more benefits of gratitude next week, as we continue our series A Grateful Heart Is A Strong Heart. Please join me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anxiety, Calvary Assembly of God, compliments, digestion, endorphins, gratitude, health, heart disease, immune system, medical science, memory, mental health, proverbs, relationships, sleep, thankfulness. Leave a Comment »

A Grateful Heart Is A Strong Heart

November 13, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, many people begin to get their thanks on! They will start rehearsing for their family gathering when someone might ask them, “What are you thankful for this year?”

But I want to make the case for practicing gratitude all year long!

There are emotional, physical, psychological and relational benefits to being a thanks-filled person. Truly those with grateful hearts have strong, healthy hearts … both physically and emotionally.

Please join me the next two Sundays at Calvary Assembly of God as I share some of the medical research and biblical truths that will reveal the year-round, whole-person benefits of being grateful.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Calvary Assembly of God, emotions, gratitude, health, heart, John Maxwell, mental health, thanks, thanksgiving. Leave a Comment »

Distinguishing

September 25, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

A week ago I blogged about why some people avoid reading some of the Old Testament books because they seem tedious, or even out-of-date. But if you look at the Old Testament through the light of Jesus, you will find a rich beauty in its pages.

In Leviticus 11 God lists all kinds of food that is considered clean or unclean, and the proper ways to prepare and eat certain foods so as to not become unclean.

I believe one of the reasons God gave the commands for clean and unclean food was to cause His people to pause. Instead of just gobbling up what was in front of them, without any thought as to what it was, they would have to slow down to distinguish. God even said, “You must distinguish” (Leviticus 11:47).

Slowing down gives time for thankfulness too. How many times do I grab whatever is close by when I’m hungry? I shove anything in my mouth just to satisfy an immediate hunger, but there is no distinguishing, no thought, and no gratitude.

If I were to pause long enough to distinguish, how much healthier and grateful might I be?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: distinguish, eat healthy, food, gratitude, Jesus Christ, Leviticus, Old Testament, slow down, thankfulness. Leave a Comment »

10 Quotes From “Plastic Donuts”

June 12, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Plastic Donuts is a fresh look at the biblical concepts of tithing and giving offerings. You can read my full book review by clicking here. These are some of the quotes that caught my eye—

“What I didn’t realize was that my lifestyle had frozen my giving at the 10 percent level. When it came to my finances, my lifestyle had all the influence. The issue is not about my needing to sacrifice my lifestyle. The issue is about my giving a gift that is connected to my heart.”

“In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus provided instructions on giving, praying, and fasting. For each, He focused on the heart standard but did not provide an amount standard (see Matthew 6:1-18).”

“David praised God seven times a day. Daniel prayed to God three times a day. Moses fasted from food and water twice, for forty days straight. Daniel fasted twenty-one days from rich foods and wine. Where did these faith heroes get their standards? They determined them. It’s human nature to seek something that is concrete, an inviolable guideline, clear marching orders. … But let’s be honest. Are we looking for a rule to follow so we can check it off the list? Or does a strict rule help to soothe a sense of guilt and confusion? It’s always easier to follow rules than to follow a living God. The absence of rules can cause tension in determining the amount of our gifts. Shouldn’t there at least be a minimum? If not, suddenly it’s wide open. Multiple options appear.”

“God is not looking for the same gift from all His children. He wants a personal gift.”

“You may not think you have the ability to give. But if you pay attention, you’ll be surprised at just what abilities you really do have.”

“Tapping your true giving ability will require countercultural lifestyle choices—such as debt-free living or a reduction in your spending.”

“If you want to grow your faith, grow your gratitude. To grow your gratitude, take time to count your blessings.”

“No matter what your ability or inability, God can be pleased with your gift.”

“Could it be that a giving lifestyle apart from love and obedience to God is simply philanthropy?”

“In the end, it is the condition of the giver’s heart that makes the gift pleasing to God.”