John Maxwell | Craig T. Owens

June 2026
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Links & Quotes

June 13, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Quality leaders empathize with their teammates, but struggling leaders use their teammates’ stories as a lead-in to tell their own stories. Don’t be a one-upper! Check out our full conversation about the power of a leader’s empathy.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“Personal devotion to a friend or a pursuit means that they will always hold a place in our heart, even when other people and things occupy our attention. Personal devotion to Jesus means that we allow nothing to separate us from Him for a moment. To abide in Him and His love, to be kept by Him and His grace, to be doing His will and pleasing Him—this cannot possibly be an irregular practice if we are truly devoted to Him.” —Andrew Murray

“Let us all seek out the good points of our brethren, and consider them, that we may afterwards be the means of guiding them to those peculiar good works for which they are best adapted.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Hebrews 10:24

AI deepfakes are a very real and present concern. This is a long article from Fight The New Drug about how innocent photos and videos are being manipulated into sexualized content. Parents: “A practical rule: before posting, ask, ‘Could this image embarrass my child later, reveal personal information, identify their location, or be misused if copied?’ If the answer is yes, do not post it publicly.” This post also lists several resources to remove AI-generated photos and videos that have been shared online.

“Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” —Charles Dickens

“Not all who wander are lost forever. By the mercy of God, even now, may your wanderer return home.” Jill Noble has encouraging words for parents who are praying for their prodigal child.

“Servant leadership is all about the person you serve. To grow in effectiveness, you must value what is valuable to that person. It is not enough to just ‘get better.’ We must get better in the areas that are important to the ones we serve. As a leader, do you possess what your team members need, specifically in the areas that can benefit your people?” —John Maxwell

“How many preachers mimic Achan with his stolen plunder? Contraband discourses, borrowed knowledge, unlawful paragraphs copied and pasted because a quick AI prompt was easier than doing the work themselves. To me, these have the glimmer of cursed objects, gold and silver under the ban. … What is a studied and well-expressed sermon built largely on the foundations of artificial intelligence? Is it not stolen plunder? What value is that orthodox teaching, conjured with a few keystrokes, when bereft of orthodox affection? Is this the blessing that Jacob wrestled all night for, the blessing that marked him the rest of his days? Men’s sacred trains of thought ought never run on AI search engines. There may be gold in their orthodoxy or oratory, but too often these are nuggets taken by the hand of laziness, inexperience, and lack of prayer. A lifetime of AI-produced sermons, Bible studies, and Sunday school lessons will not honor God and will end in defeat. … What is the point? Ministers must never replace their reliance upon God and His Spirit with any tools. The warrior of God does not trust in his spear or his chariots or his ChatGPT.” Greg Morse has more to say to preachers about the reliance on AI.

“The work of a Beethoven and the work of a charwoman become spiritual on precisely the same condition, that of being offered to God, of being done humbly “as to the Lord.” This does not, of course, mean that it is for anyone a mere toss-up whether he should sweep rooms or compose symphonies. A mole must dig to the glory of God and a cock must crow. We are members of one body, but differentiated members, each with his own vocation.” —C.S. Lewis, in The Weight of Glory

Links & Quotes

June 6, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Sometimes leaders will have to part ways with a staff member. The way this is done can either bring resolution or it can create lingering problems. Check out this clip from our conversation on combatting toxicity in the workplace.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

I thoroughly enjoyed this commentary from John Piper on the power of silence in the face of critics and revilers. Pastor John noted, “Both the teachings and the sufferings of Jesus are meant to teach us how to respond when we are treated badly, unjustly. We are to glorify God by finding in Him the reward that satisfies our heart deeply enough that we don’t need to return evil for evil.” I really leaned into this supernatural response to critics in my book When Sheep Bite.

“To preach Christianity meant primarily to preach the Resurrection. … The Resurrection is the central theme in every Christian sermon reported in the Acts. The Resurrection, and its consequences, were the ‘gospel’ or good news which the Christians brought: what we call the ‘gospels’, the narratives of Our Lord’s life and death, were composed later for the benefit of those who had already accepted the gospel. They were in no sense the basis of Christianity: they were written for those already converted. The miracle of the Resurrection, and the theology of that miracle, comes first: the biography comes later as a comment on it.” —C.S. Lewis, Miracles

David Mathis says, “The fight against sin and the fight for holiness and joy is a soul-and-body fight. We are soul-and-body creatures. God made us like that.” He then shares the importance in physical, bodily exercise as a strong ally in our fight against sin.

“We all know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it’s because we’re burning off stress or reducing muscle tension or boosting endorphins, and we leave it at that. But the real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best, and in my view, this benefit of physical activity is far more important—and fascinating—than what it does for the body. Building muscles and conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially side effects. I often tell my patients that the point of exercise is to build and condition the brain.” —Dr. John Ratey

“When it comes to leadership, attitude becomes even more important. You need to see possibilities when others don’t, encourage people when they are feeling defeated, and demonstrate commitment when others want to quit.” —John Maxwell

J. Warner Wallace not only makes the case that original accounts in the Gospels haven’t been changed over time, but he also shows how the corroborating sources affirm the original account—

Links & Quotes

May 23, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

When hiring a new staff member, leaders need to assess the level of accountability that teammate has had in the past. This is how we can set up people for success beyond their current job.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“Once we’ve learned a lesson from a mistake, we need to declare the details ‘useless memories’ and discard them. Store the insight; delete the details.” —Tim Sanders

“Immature people often have lots of knowledge but little understanding; lots of means but little meaning; lots of know-how but little know-why; lots of sight but little insight.” —John Maxwell

In discussing the fossilized remains of a dinosaur found in Patagonia, ICR notes, “Fossils cannot show how a structure formed—they only show the final shape of an organism. Scientists must build evolutionary models to suggest how fossils might be related. When new fossils are found, these models often change, revealing how uncertain these evolutionary stories can be. From a biblical view, the fossil fits a different explanation. Genesis says God created land animals “according to [their] kind” (Genesis 1:24). Animals within a kind can vary in size and shape. This type of variation is called biological flexibility. We see it in many living animals today. At the same time, core biological systems remain stable, signifying biological inflexibility—meaning that a creature may vary in size or proportions, but the main body plan remains the same.”

Want to see how far you’ve traveled on Earth since you have been living on this planet? Want to see how many times your heart has beat and your lungs have taken in air? Plug your birthdate into this website and be amazed!

This is a pretty cool mini-biography about KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: accountability, astronomy, biography, Creator, dinosaurs, insight, Institute for Creation Research, John Maxwell, mistake, paleontology, quotes, Tim Sanders, video. Leave a Comment »

6 More Quotes From “Leading In Tough Times”

May 12, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

John Maxwell’s Leading in Tough Times is a great resource for leaders because every leader is going to face challenges! You can check out my full book review here.

As he does in all of his books, John shares insights from other authors that help add some impact to the ideas he is sharing. I have already shared some quotes from this book, but here are some of the notable quotes that John shared in Leading in Tough Times.

“Once we accept the fact that life is hard, we begin to grow. We begin to understand that every problem is also an opportunity. … We use [those problems] as a means of rising to the occasion.” —Hal Urban

“A mistake simply shows you something you didn’t know. Once you make the mistake, then you know it.” —Kim Kiyosaki

“The basic role of a leader is to foster mutual respect and build a complementary team where each strength is made productive and each weakness is made irrelevant.” —Stephen R. Covey

“Life is a series of problems. Do we want to moan about them or solve them?” —M. Scott Peck

“When you step into a turnaround situation, you can safely assume four things: Morale is low, fear is high, the good people are halfway out the door, and the slackers are hiding.” —Nina DiSesa

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person they are almost indistinguishable.” —David W. Augsburger

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: challenge, difficulties, John Maxwell, leadership, M. Scott Peck, quotes, Stephen Covey. Leave a Comment »

8 Quotes from “Leading In Tough Times”

April 7, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Everyone faces tough times, but leaders who encounter these difficult times have the opportunity to help their teams thrive or fall during this time. John Maxwell shares the challenges leader face in these situations, and how they can overcome them and help successfully bring others along as well. Check out my full book review of Leading in Tough Times.

“Good leaders understand that adversity and challenges are actually opportunities to rise up in leadership.

Adversity introduces us to ourselves
Adversity is a better teacher than success
Adversity opens doors for new opportunities
Adversity writes our story if our response is right”

“How do people overcome problems, challenges, and difficulties? They make changes. Improvement requires change. Innovation requires change. Seizing opportunities requires change. … As a leader in tough times, you need to become a change agent. You need to help others embrace positive change, even when it takes them outside their comfort zone. You need to help them get results, even when they worry that it might not be possible.”

“There is no downside to adding value to people. Yes, it will cost you time and effort. But when you add value to people, you help them and make them more valuable.”

“If you lead people who are falling short of their potential, you need to start asking why. Have you put them in their strength zones? Are you providing the training and resources they need to be successful? Is there something they need that you’re not giving? You always need to make sure you are not the problem before you look to see where the problem is.”

“If you are a leader, the true measure of your success is not getting people to work. It’s not getting people to work hard. It is getting people to work hard together.”

“In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In terms of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Trust is required for people to feel safe enough to create, share, question, attempt, and risk. Without it, leadership is weak and teamwork is impossible.”

“One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears. That may seem counterintuitive, because we expect persuasion to involve speaking. But when a leader listens to members of the team, that act gives the leader greater credibility and therefore influence. In contrast, when team members no longer believe that their leader listens to understand them, they start looking around for someone who will.”

“Care and candor must be in balance. Care without candor creates dysfunctional relationships. Candor without care creates distant relationships. But care balanced with candor creates developing relationships. … Caring values the person while candor values the person’s potential.”

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: adversity, book review, difficulties, John Maxwell, leadership, quotes, trials. 1 Comment »

Leading In Tough Times (book review)

March 17, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Some people have a misconception about leadership that John Maxwell dispels in the opening words of his book Leading in Tough Times. He writes, “Good leaders understand that adversity and challenges are actually opportunities to rise up in leadership.”

In fact, I would say that some of the best leaders have gone through some of the toughest of times, learning lessons that have set them apart as an exemplary leader.

Tough times come to every organization—no matter its size—but leaders who will seize the opportunity to navigate the difficulty successfully will grow both themselves and the organization they lead. That’s because there are some lessons that can be learned in no other way than to grow through difficulties.

If those statements inspired you, then Leading in Tough Times is the book for you! As he does in all of his books, John Maxwell culls the best advice from the best sources and distills it down into actionable steps for leaders who are ready to learn. In this book, Mr. Maxwell shares seven challenges that give leaders opportunities not just to go through difficulties, but to grow through difficulties.

If you are in a challenging season right now, this book could be a lifeline for you. If you aren’t in a difficult season right now, use this book as a training manual for both you and the emerging leaders around you to prepare for the next challenge. After all, the challenging times are inevitable, but our growth as leaders in these times is entirely up to us.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, character development, difficulties, John Maxwell, leadership, maturity, personal development, personal growth, trials. 2 Comments »

Accountability To Saints

September 1, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Sanctification (saint-ification) is an ongoing process that brings out fruitfulness, joy-fullness, and enhances our testimony to others. And an essential part of this process involves other saints. Notice that this word “saints” it plural. That’s because it is a plural word every place it appears in the Bible.

Saints have gotten themselves into trouble when they tried to go solo. Like David’s sin with Bathsheba, Elijah’s slide into depression, or Peter’s denial of Jesus. But we also see saints thriving through difficult situations when they have a fellow saint alongside. Like how Barnabas gave Saul his start, Paul and Silas could sing together in prison, Silas and Timothy helped Paul minister, and how Jesus sent out His ambassadors by twos (Luke 10:1).

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

I love the names of traveling companions John Bunyan uses in Pilgrim’s Progress: Christian travels with Faithful and Hopeful; Christiana travels with Mercy and Mr. Great-heart. And we get to travel along with some really great people as well (Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

How does accountability to other saints work? Since we see togetherness so much in the early Church (look for the phrases like “each other” or “one another”), think A.C.T.S.—

(1) Admit my need for accountability. James tells us that we all stumble and that even my so-called little slip-ups are major in God’s eyes (James 3:2, 2:10). So I need help.

John Maxwell said, “Every person is undisciplined in some area of their life; in the area that I am undisciplined, that is the area where I need greatest accountability. I will not do well in my areas of weakness unless I am held accountable for better results.” We all have blind spots, we all have weak areas, and we must be humble enough to admit to those things.

(2) Choose my accountability partners prayerfully and carefully (Proverbs 12:26; 2 Corinthians 6:14). These should be trustworthy people who have the emotional and spiritual capacity to be able to come alongside me (Proverbs 17:9; Galatians 6:2).

(3) Trust my friend. Trust their counsel even when it stings a bit (Proverbs 27:6), and trust the effectiveness of their prayers for me (James 5:16).

(4) Stick with them through thick and thin. Be your brother’s keeper and let them be your keeper (Hebrews 3:12-14). We need to keep at it especially in difficult times. Notice the phrase “let us” that appears five times in Hebrews 10:19-25.

If we are living with a biblical worldview, we realize that the saints here on earth are those we will also be with for eternity. Our biblical worldview should form our understanding of both being accountable to another saint and holding other saints accountable as well.

As Jack Hayford so wisely noted, “The believer’s best defense against self-deception is through mutual accountability to one another.”

If you would like to check out the other messages in our series B.A.S.I.C. Christianity, you can click here.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: accountability, blind spots, Book of James, Calvary Assembly of God, Ecclesiastes, encouragement, friendship, Galatians, Gospel of Luke, Hebrews, Jack Hayford, John Maxwell, proverbs, quotes, sermon, video. 3 Comments »

7 Quotes From “High Road Leadership”

July 28, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

The subtitle of this John Maxwell book is “Bringing People Together in a World That Divides.” That is so needed today! Check out my review of High Road Leadership, and may these quotes inspire you to pick up a copy of this book to learn how you can be a part of healing a divided world.

“Leadership can be a blessing or a curse. It can help people rise to a better life, or it can cause people to fall into despair.”

“One of the reasons we don’t come together and work with one another is that we no longer see people on the other side as merely disagreeing. We see them as disagreeable human beings. We assume their motives are wrong. And the moment we think a person’s motives are wrong, we lose trust. … Good leaders need to rise above this attitude and help the people they lead do the same. How? We need to possess a strong collaboration bias. We need to bring people together to increase our understanding of each other and broaden our perspective.”

“We can’t divide people and expect to accomplish positive results. Conversation and collaboration will always come up with better answers than isolation and exclusion.”

“In my opinion, as a culture we lost our way when we went from simply disagreeing with others to devaluing them because we disagree. That’s when we crossed the line into low-road leadership. It’s one of the reasons so many people are so angry all the time. And when others take the low road with them, they become even angrier. It’s always easier to make a negative point than to make a positive difference.”

“High-road leaders who value people have a strong, healthy sense of self-worth, yet at the same time they are humble, meaning they don’t think too much of themselves or about themselves too much.”

“Accepting our humanness and possessing humble confidence does nothing to diminish our leadership ability. In a study of medical students, those who possessed doubts about their ability were just as effective in diagnosing illnesses as their more confident counterparts. Furthermore, the more humble students rated higher in bedside manner, empathy, respect, and professionalism.”

“The problem with arguing loudly that you are right is that you’re not listening and learning so that you can find out what actually is right. It’s the height of arrogance to believe you know everything there is to know about a subject, that you have looked at it from every angle, and that you possess the only valid perspective.”

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: collaboration, disagreement, humility, John Maxwell, leadership, quotes, self-worth, unity. Leave a Comment »

High Road Leadership (book review)

July 22, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

I have been a longtime fan of John Maxwell. His ability to distill so many insights into accessible action steps is a true gift. High Road Leadership is no exception to this, and it is a timely read at this cultural moment.

I was recently talking with a friend about the stark divide in American politics today. I was recalling a time when a US President would nominate someone for a cabinet position or an opening on a judicial bench, and the vote in the Senate would be something like 89-8 in favor of the nominee. Now it is more likely that the vote will end in a 50-50 tie with the vice president stepping in to cast the tie-breaking vote. It’s become axiomatic that a senator’s vote has to be a “nay” if the president making the nomination was of a different political party.

As a pastor, I’ve even experienced people moving to a different church because someone else in the church is perceived to support something that they are against. It’s heartbreaking, to say the least!

This is why I said that Maxwell’s book is timely in this cultural moment.

As with all of his books, the focal point is leadership. More specifically, John Maxwell calls leaders to continue to grow in their ability to serve more people; with the emphasis on “serve.”

High Road Leadership challenges leaders on ways to take the high road. One illustration that encapsulates the ideas in this book comes from Maxwell’s observation on the well known story of the good Samaritan. The thieves took the low road by saying to the man they robbed, “What’s yours is mine.” The leaders who passed by the man who was injured took the middle road by exempting themselves from action by saying, “What’s mine is mine.” However, the good Samaritan who helped the injured man at his own expense took the high road in saying, “What’s mine is yours.”

High road leaders are always looking for ways to bring people together, to go above and beyond what would be culturally expected of them, to embrace those who are different, to find common ground that can unite disparate groups.

This is the consistent example and teaching of Jesus Christ Himself, but it is an attitude and lifestyle that is routinely ignored. Everyone seems to be waiting for “them” to go first, but high road leaders always take the Christ-like initiative of going first.

High Road Leadership is a practical guide to help all of us consistently operate on the high road. If you are ready to help heal what divides us, this book will become your go-to resource.

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Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, Christlike, Good Samaritan, John Maxwell, leadership, politics, servant-leadership. 1 Comment »

Listen, Listen, And Listen Some More

July 17, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

We rob ourselves and diminish the other person with whom we’re conversing if we aren’t fully listening. Listen, listen, and (really!) listen some more before you share your opinion.

Solomon said, “He who states his case first seems right, until his rival comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17 AMPC).

And I like this thought from John Maxwell:

“The best way to understand people is to listen. The best way to learn from others is to listen. The best way to receive people’s best contribution is to listen. The best way to learn what others need from you is to listen. The best way to gain people’s buy-in is to listen.” —from John Maxwell’s book High Road Leadership

I shared several quotes on this topic in the posts Leaders Listen and How to be Wise with your Mouth and Ears.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

P.S. After posting this, I came across an article on the Desiring God website called Listen Well to Love Well. She wrote, “Listening is hard work. While our ears automatically welcome sound waves and ship them to our brains, it doesn’t mean we always hear other people. We might even wonder if listening well is worth the effort. … We have a long history with listening that makes it essential to who we are yet difficult to get right. Sarah Clarkson writes, ‘We are by nature a listening people. If we were spoken into being by the Word of God, then at our core we are to be listeners, and to attend to the word that spoke us into life.’”