Challenging Concepts

March 18, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Part two of our Spiritual Self-Defense series went well last night. Considering this was a difficult concept to wrap our finite, human brains around, I felt that everyone was tuned in. Trying to wrestle with the concepts of God as omnipresent, the unique Three-in-One arrangement of the Trinity, or Jesus as fully God and fully Man are not easy. But it is so important to keep learning and keep growing in our understanding of who God is.

Some people bail out too quickly. “It’s too hard,” they complain, and then walk away. But we have to keep stretching.

A couple of thoughts I’m pondering today:

“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” —Augustine

“It seems that when we encounter a hard truth about God, we either bend our understanding to Him or bend Him to our understanding.” —Chris Tomlinson

I want to believe the Bible more, so I’m asking the Holy Spirit to continue to bend me and shape me to the deeper truths about God.

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Bad Theology

March 17, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m working on the next lesson in our Spiritual Self-Defense series. It’s a tough topic to address: the deity of Jesus, who was fully God and fully Man.

I know it’s very hard for a finite human mind to grasp an infinite concept like this. However in my studies I have found some really bad theology posted on the web. I realize as soon as I say, “It’s like this…” that I’ve already diminished the majesty of God coming to earth in human form, because Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, sacrificial death and resurrection is nothing like anything we can comprehend. But still, I need to find a way to capture it and explain it to our students.

C.S. Lewis wrote about the need for good philosophy to address bad philosophy. I’m adapting his quote in this instance to say,

“Good [theology] must exist, if for no other reason, because bad [theology] needs to be answered.”

Prayerfully my good theology can answer the bad theology that I’ve been seeing.

Theology is a compound word: Theos (God) + Logos (wisdom, revelation, thought). I’ve been praying that God will give me greater revelation about Him. And I’m grateful that the Holy Spirit has given me some like analogies to use. But I’m still blown away by how unlike anything we’ve ever known was the coming of Jesus to earth. It is truly the grandest of all miracles.

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A Sense Of Urgency?

February 27, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m reading a challenging book today called Endued With Power: The Holy Spirit in the Church. I just read a thought-provoking quote from the book:

“If the church that is claiming to be Spirit-filled is not a missionary community that is living with a sense of urgency, then its members will be caught up in the rush to respectability and social accommodation” —Steven J. Land

(1) Do we have that sense of urgency? Are we living and working and sharing like today is the day Jesus could return?

…or…

(2) Or are we more concerned about what is socially acceptable and politically correct? Are we just playing church?

I pray that I am leading our church always into that first category. I pray that I personally am always living with that sense of urgency.

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Campfire Stories

February 25, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever just sat around a glowing campfire with your friends? During those times I’ll bet that some cool conversations took place.

  • Maybe you heard a story about a friend that you had never heard before.
  • Perhaps you got some insight into someone’s way of looking at life.
  • Or maybe you had a chance to share something that had been on your heart for a while.

Last night in Impact we had a great campfire time. We didn’t light any wood on fire. Actually, our worship time was really passionate and intimate, so the Holy Spirit lit a fire for us. Then instead of our usual setting with all our chairs facing the speaker on the platform, I asked everyone to turn their chairs into a big circle.

To wrap up our Be You series, my favorite guest shared. (Hint: she’s my first and only girlfriend.) We heard a great reminder that it’s our job to prepare ourselves to be ready to walk through the doors that God opens for us. Betsy reminded us that God isn’t going to open a door that we’re not yet ready to walk through. So we study, and pray, and prepare, and get degrees, and take classes, and stay ready. Then when God says, “Go,” we can say “Yes!”

I loved our campfire last night, and I’m definitely looking forward to more times like this.

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Knowing What To Look For

February 23, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

On Sunday afternoon Betsy left our house to meet with our KidZone team. She had only been gone for a few minutes when she called me. “I just had to pull over to the side of the road,” she said. “It sounds like something is dragging underneath my van.”

I quickly threw my coat on and drove to meet her. Sure enough, as I pulled up behind her van I could see something hanging down. I laid down next to the van to look underneath and discovered that the band which holds up the gas tank was missing a bolt. I’m not a mechanic, but even I know that’s not a good thing!

I called a friend at church who’s got a lot of hands-on experience with cars. He said, “I’ll be right there.” He arrived quickly with a metal coat hanger, which he used to take the place of the missing bolt.

We turned around to head back to my house. Jeff was in front of me and had only driven about 150 feet when he jammed on his brakes, pulled to the side of the road, and leaped out of his car. I then watched as he ran across the road, bent down, and picked up the missing bolt!

When we got back to my house I said, “You must have the eye of an eagle to spot a rusty bolt on wet pavement.”

“No,” he said, “I just knew what to look for.”

In Genesis 45, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers. Twice he tells them, “Don’t be afraid. God sent me here.”

“Wait a minute,” you might protest, “God sent him to Egypt?! I thought his brothers sold him as a slave. God put Joseph in the position as prime minister of Egypt?! I thought his special dream-interpreting skills did that.”

Joseph went from a prince in Jacob’s family, to a slave in Egypt, to comptroller of Potiphar’s affairs, to a falsely-accused rapist, to a prisoner, to a prison trustee, to a forgotten man, to Pharaoh’s dream interpreter, to Egypt’s prime minister.

Joseph knew what to look for along the way. He knew God had given him a direction for his life, so he was constantly looking for it.

Prayer does this for me, too. I may know verses like…

  • I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
  • Before I was born, God knew me.
  • All things are working together for good for me because I love God and called me for a purpose.
  • I should rejoice in my trials because God is developing something in me.

…but it’s only when I’m praying these verses that the Holy Spirit trains my eyes to know what to look for.

God was placing Joseph and preparing Joseph to be just where he needed to be, at just the right time, and with just the right skills.

God is doing something with me: He’s preparing me and placing me in His perfect timing to fulfill His perfect plan. When it seems my life has become derailed, I need to know what to look for. Prayer does this: Prayer trains my heart and my mind and my eyes to know what to look for.

I can also assuredly tell you that God is doing something with YOU: He’s preparing YOU and placing YOU in His perfect timing to fulfill His perfect plan. Prayer will help you know what to look for too.

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Sermon Perceptions

January 29, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I read an interesting article about people’s feelings about sermons. You can read the full article here, but allow me to list some of the main points:

  • Nearly all churchgoers “look forward” to the sermon.
  • Some view sermons as educational, some as entertainment.
  • Catholics wanted the sermon to last 10 minutes. Baptists were fine with a 75-minute sermon.
  • Only 17% say the sermon leads them to change their lifestyle.

Only 17%?!? If that’s the case, why do I (and other pastors) spend so much time preparing a message?

I made a change a while ago. Instead of trying to prepare a sermon, I try to prepare myself.

I’m not a fake-it-until-I-make-it pastor. I don’t tell my congregation how they should live, I tell them how the Holy Spirit is challenging me to live.

I don’t walk to the platform on Sunday morning with my finger pointing out at my congregation, but with my finger pointing squarely at me.

I stumbled upon this anonymous poem a number of years ago. This is my goal in my sermon prep:

I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day;

I’d rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.

The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear;

Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear.

And the best of all preachers are the men who live their creeds.

For to see the good in action is what everybody needs.

I can soon learn how to do it if you’ll let me see it done;

I can watch your hands in actions, but your tongue too fast may run.

And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true,

But I’d rather get my lesson by observing what you do.

For I may misunderstand you and the high advice you give,

But there’s no misunderstanding how you act and how you live.

Amen!

So, pastor, it’s not really sermon prep you should be doing, but individual heart prep.

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Just Be Yourself

January 26, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

How many times have you ever made one of these statements:

  • “If I could only sing like her.”
  • “I wish I could draw like you.”
  • “Wow, I wish I could write like that!”
  • “You have way more Facebook friends than I do.”
  • “I could never stand up in front of an audience like that pastor.”

If you’ve ever said something like this, what you’re really saying is, “I want to be someone else.”

But God made you you. He didn’t make anyone else you. No one can be you but you.

When you get to heaven, God isn’t going to say:

  • “Why didn’t you learn to sing like her?”
  • “You should have taken art lessons.”
  • “Your blog wasn’t as popular as his.”
  • “You had fewer friends than anyone else.”
  • “Why didn’t you become a pastor/missionary/evangelist…”

All God is going to ask is this: “Were you the best you that you could be? Did you use the talents, personality, passions, gifting, and opportunities that I gave to you and to no one else?”

On Wednesday nights in our Impact! youth service we’re exploring this topic in a series called Be You. That’s all God wants you to be. Come join us at 7pm on Wednesdays. In the meantime, listen to the Holy Spirit teaching you to be the best you you can be.

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Relearning To Pray

January 22, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’ve been sharing a series about prayer with my congregation. It’s called Total Access. The premise of the series is that we have total access to the treasure trove of God’s blessings, and prayer is the key which unlocks the door.

One of the things I love about preparing a message for my congregation…

…how much more I learn.

One of the things that challenges me about preparing a message for my congregation…

…how much the Holy Spirit convicts me.

I feel like I’m having to relearn how to pray.

It’s so simple, yet it is so deep.

I love the words to Kari Jobe’s song The More I Seek You…

The more I seek You
The more I find You
The more I find You
The more I love You 
 
I wanna sit at Your feet
Drink from the cup in Your hand
Lay back against You and breath
Hear Your heart beat
This love is so deep
It’s more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace
It’s overwhelming

It is overwhelming. And at the same time so comforting. I love relearning to pray… again and again and again.

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Don’t Fight It

January 18, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some unique insights I gathered from taking a trip with my wife’s TomTom GPS unit. Well, I was taking another trip with TomTom the other day, and I got really annoyed!

I was running late. I grabbed my laptop and my cell phone, fired up the TomTom and hit the road. I got about a mile down the road and realized I forgot something for my meeting. So I turned my car around and quickly headed back home. All of a sudden a voice was reminding me…

  • “At the first possible place, make a legal u-turn.”
  • “Turn right at the next road and turnaround.”
  • “To return to your entered route, make a legal u-turn.”

This voice was still just as sweet and even-keeled as before, but it was really getting on my nerves. I knew I was heading in the wrong direction, but I wanted to get this taken care of quickly, but the voice kept reminding me. I tried to tune the voice out—tried to ignore it—but it didn’t work.

I turned the voice off.

When I wrote about TomTom earlier, I equated it to the moral GPS of the Holy Spirit. And that analogy still stands:

The Holy Spirit does convict us. He warns if we’re on the wrong path, and He lovingly and persistently keeps reminding us to do a u-turn. Those who listen and respond are fully restored. Those who don’t listen—those who switch off their moral GPS—can have their conscience permanently seared.

Are you listening to the Holy Spirit? Do you hear Him encouraging you? Do you hear Him challenging you? Do you hear Him reminding you to turn around? Stay tuned in—He only has the best in mind for you.

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TomTom Directions

January 5, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

My wife is a beautiful, talented woman, but she tends to be, uh, directionally-challenged. That is to say, it’s not hard for her to get on the wrong road, heading the wrong direction. So a wonderful Christmas gift from my folks this year was a TomTom GPS unit.

Yesterday I took a trip and borrowed her TomTom. My first destination was a familiar one, but my second stop was somewhere I hadn’t been before. So I’m driving along when all of a sudden I hear a pleasant female voice tell me, “In two miles, exit to the right.”

Cool!

The Bible tells us that we can have a moral GPS system just like my wife’s TomTom. Check this out:

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a Voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”

That Voice is the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Holy Spirit would guide us in the right ways to go:

But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

You have this moral GPS system at your disposal. Are you using it? Prayer is the power supply that activates the Voice. Turn Him on and make better decisions, live a better life, and do greater things for God.

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