The Big Ask

October 14, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Tonight in our Impact! Youth service we are wrapping up a great series called Bigger Than Me. We’ve been challenging our youth to look out from themselves and see the big world around them. This has been an amazing series and I’ve been so excited to see so many students step out in a big way. You can read more here and here.

But tonight is the big ask. Tonight I’m going to challenge our students to make a commitment that’s going to hit them in a really sensitive area—their wallets. We’re going to present the opportunity to confront a real need in a very practical way: by giving money. Not just once, but every month.

Here’s the way the apostle James laid it on the line:

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

Here’s how you can be involved:

  1. Pray for me that I can present the big ask in a compelling way.
  2. Pray for our students that they’ll be moved to respond.
  3. Check out my blog tomorrow for an update on tonight’s response, and to see how you can help too.

I can hardly wait!

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Take The Initiative

September 29, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” —John Bunyan

I love doing something unexpected for someone. Something kind and thoughtful, but totally “out of the blue.” It’s especially nice when the person for whom you do something nice needs it the most, yet would be the last person to ask for help.

In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about people who take the initiative to help the poor, the hungry, the needy. Jesus never says that they asked for help, but simply that His followers saw the need and addressed it. Jesus concludes by saying, “When you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!”

Even better: we take the initiative to bless one of the least of these and we get a blessing from God. How cool is that!

Over the weekend our youth group showed up at a precious lady’s house unannounced. We all affectionately refer to Thelma as “Grandma.” We didn’t tell her that we were coming, we just showed up and started cleaning up her yard. (Disclaimer: I have to admit that we did get an immediate blessing, in that Grandma’s daughter Joan made us a cake, so we got a slice before we left.) Pictures are here.

I’m so proud of these young servants who showed up to bless Grandma. As you helped her, you were helping Jesus. Great will be your reward in heaven—way to go!

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Walking In Someone Else’s Flip-Flops

September 24, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

DSCN0970“Empathy is a stunning act of imaginative derring-do, the ultimate virtual reality—climbing into another’s mind to experience the world from that person’s perspective.” —Donald H. Pink

As we continued our series called Bigger Than Me last night (part 1 is here), we challenged our Impact! youth group to develop greater empathy. That word literally means to be immersed in the feelings of others … to step into someone else’s reality … to walk around in someone else’s flip-flops.

The greatest example ever of this is when Jesus Christ came to earth. He stepped into our flip-flops by coming to live among us in human flesh. He experienced everything we ever have or ever will experience; He knows our weaknesses, our dreams, our joys.

For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning. … For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried…. (Hebrews 4:15, 2:18)

Our youth have committed themselves to develop this Christ-like attribute of empathy. Last night they came to the altar to pick up a flip-flop keychain to remind themselves of this commitment. All of us who made this commitment are going to try to walk in others’ flip-flops by trying to find out:

  1. What do they cry about?
  2. What do they sing about?
  3. What do they dream about?

(Thank you, John Maxwell, for your instruction to me on this!)

I hope you have personally experienced the incredible empathy of Jesus. He understands your fears, your joys, and your dreams even better than you understand them yourself. And I hope that you will join us in our commitment to greater empathy with each other. What a blessing you can be to others when you choose to walk in their flip-flops for awhile.

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Big, Big World

September 15, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Bigger Than Me“The smallest package in the world is a person who is all wrapped up in himself.” —Billy Graham

We have a tendency to get so wrapped up in ourselves. If we are feeling down, no one is happy. If we don’t like our job, everyone has a lousy job. If we have a toothache, the whole world is hurting. But as John Maxwell says, “The whole world—with one minor exception—is made up of other people.”

On Wednesday in our Impact youth service, we’re beginning a new series called Bigger Than Me. It’s a reminder, a wake-up call, an eye-opener to remind our students that the world is big. Bigger than them. And in need of someone who is not all wrapped up in himself.

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Living Sculptures

September 10, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Last night in our Impact! youth service we played a fun game called “Living Sculptures” (pictures are here). It was a whole lot of fun watching the groups invent and then reinvent one another within their group.

Sculptures are works of art. A person or a point in history captured in solid three dimensions for all time. The sculpture doesn’t change. At least it doesn’t usually change in a positive, beautifying way. The sculpture may erode or be broken or crumble, but that’s not a good change. The sculpture ceases to be what the artist intended it to be.

However, our lives are living, breathing sculptures. We change, or rather The Artist changes us. And the change is good when we are in the hands of the right Artist: our Creator.

Michelangelo’s famous David sculpture came about because Michelangelo said he saw David in the marble and just released him. So too with God, the Artist of our lives: He sees what we can become and is in the process of releasing our beauty, our potential.

God began sculpting your life even before you were born…

Oh yes, You shaped me first inside, then out;
You formed me in my mother’s womb.
I thank You, High God—You’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
You know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, You watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before You,
The days of my life all prepared
before I’d even lived one day.

…and He is continuing to form you into something beautiful…

As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand.

…until you become the masterpiece that He saw in you all along…

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

God is the perfect Artist. Let Him work on you today to make you into His masterpiece: a one-of-a-kind creation that brings glory to the Artist.

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The Q Series

August 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

The Q Series

I l-o-v-e answering questions.

One of the best Q&Aers in history was Jesus. Take a look through the Gospels and take note of the question marks. People were always asking Jesus questions. Some He answered very directly, and some He answered with a question of His own so that the questioner could learn the answer through self-discovery. Whatever His method, Jesus addressed all of their questions.

In our Impact! youth service, I’m turning the agenda over to our students. For the next three weeks they are throwing out the Qs and I’m going to attempt to come up with the biblical As. If that sounds scary… it is! I know I’m going to get some very challenging questions.

You can be involved too. Feel free to submit a question or two. I won’t use your name (unless you want me to). You can get your questions to me in several ways:

  • Comment on this post below.
  • Through Facebook.
  • Through Twitter.
  • By using an anonymous form at the church.

Then come and join us over the next three Wednesdays at 7:00 PM for The Q Series as I attempt to answer your questions. It’s going to be great!

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Get Ready For Impact!

July 23, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Yesterday on Facebook I jumped into a conversation that a couple of guys from our Impact! youth group were having. I loved it—they were trying to organize a 24-hour gathering to pray and fast.

When spiritually hungry people make this sort of commitment, I just know God is going to show up in a powerful way. King David said, “Blessed are they who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2).

There’s no greater way to seek God with all your heart than to deny yourselves and focus on His provision.

So beginning at noon today, nearly 20 of our Impact! youth group will be camping out on the church property. They’ll be praying, fasting, worshiping, and intently seeking God’s favor for the needs which are confronting us. The fast will continue until noon Friday. If you can, join them on-site. Otherwise, fast with them wherever you are.

You can post a prayer request in the comment section below, and you can also check back here to see prayer requests and thoughts that the group will be sharing during their 24-hour season of prayer. We’ve also setup a Twitter account to follow real-time updates from the group.

I’m so proud of these students for taking the initiative to seek God with all their heart!

UPDATE… pictures are being added here.

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Priceless Freedom

July 16, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Turn it up!

I had a blast last night with a bunch of students at Calvary Assembly of God who are excited about Jesus. They are free, and they are hungry for more of God in their lives. It was awesome!

Jesus said, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10 NLT). And He said, “If the Son gives you freedom, you are free!” (John 8:35 CEV).

Last night we looked at Paul’s instruction to Timothy where he reminded Timothy not to let anyone look down on him. If you dig a little deeper into the meaning of these words, it’s clear that you and I teach others how to treat us. In other words, Timothy was already devaluing himself, so others assumed that’s how they should treat him too.

Paul said, “Timothy, you are valuable. So hold your head up high and set an example worth imitating for everyone around you.”

God loves you so much that He created a cosmos to display His majesty, He gave you a conscience to prod you to look for Him, and He sent His one and only Son to earth to pay the price for so you could be in a personal relationship with Him.

You are of immense value to God. God bought you with a high price. And if you accept that incredible gift of Jesus, you are free to live… to REALLY LIVE!

When we closed the service last night, the students began to worship God, and they didn’t want to leave! They lifted their hands in freedom, they sang in freedom, they loved God in total freedom because they recognized their value in Him. And today I believe they are going to be living in that priceless freedom.

What about you? Are you living free today? Accept the gift Jesus already paid for your life and you can live free!

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