John Newton

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Links & Quotes

October 5, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Authority never comes from you, but from God through you, therefore let God introduce or withhold as He chooses.” —Oswald Chambers

“The best of men are men at best; and, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, and the power of divine grace, hell itself does not contain greater monsters than you and I might become.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The Bible is the grand repository … It is the complete system of divine truth, to which nothing can be added, and from which nothing can be taken, with impunity. Every attempt to disguise or soften any branch of this truth, in order to accommodate it to the prevailing taste around us, either to avoid the displeasure, or to court the favor, of our fellow mortals, must be an affront to the majesty of God, and an act of treachery to men.” —John Newton

“Seeking the Kingdom of God is not a matter of doing first things first. Seeking the Kingdom is not just the first thing on the Christian’s daily to-do list. Seeking the Kingdom is a first things always proposition, so that whatever is on our to-do list on any given day, seeking the Kingdom is the first things pursuit which defines and directs everything else we do.” —T.M. Moore

Eric Metaxas said, “Children are being sexually abused in Afghanistan, and our soldiers are being told to turn a blind eye. That’s got to stop.” Read more in his commentary Their Custom, Our Complicity.

In the style of C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, Burk Parsons writes a letter to pastors.

A thought-provoking piece from Nancy Pearcey, in light of the Kim Davis situation and the Obergefell decision: The Bait-and-Switch Over Same-Sex ‘Marriage.’

Seth Godin points out, “Thinking of one’s self as a failure is not the same as failing.” Read more from On Feeling Like A Failure.

Links & Quotes

January 12, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“O I would beloved, that the Holy Spirit would make you feel the promise as being spoken to you; out of this vast assembly forget the rest and only think of yourself, for the promises are unto you, meant for you. O grasp them. It is ill to get into a way of reading Scripture for the whole church, read it for yourselves, and specially hear the Master say to you, ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me.’” —Charles Spurgeon

“Freedom from greed comes from faith in God’s future grace.” —John Piper

John Piper has a great reminder in his post What God Can Do In Five Seconds.

Seth Godin suggests another story for “failure” in his post Failure Imagined (24 Variations).

History buffs will love this―The Real Story Of George Washington’s Christmas Attack At Trenton.

“My grand point in preaching is to break the hard heart, and to heal the broken one” —John Newton

[VIDEO] John Maxwell and Nick Vujicic on the uniqueness that is you―

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: American history, Bible study, Charles Spurgeon, failure, George Washington, God's promise, grace, greed, Holy Spirit, John Maxwell, John Newton, John Piper, military, Nick Vujicic, pastors, preaching, quotes, sermon, Seth Godin, uniqueness, video. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday—Come, My Soul, With Every Care

January 10, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Come, my soul, thy suit prepare:

Jesus loves to answer prayer;

He Himself has bid thee pray,

Therefore will not say thee nay;

Therefore will not say thee nay.

Thou art coming to a King,

Large petitions with thee bring;

For His grace and power are such,

None can ever ask too much;

None can ever ask too much.

With my burden I begin:

Lord, remove this load of sin;

Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt,

Set my conscience free from guilt;

Set my conscience free from guilt.

Lord, I come to Thee for rest,

Take possession of my breast;

There Thy blood bought right maintain,

And without a rival reign;

And without a rival reign.

As the image in the glass

Answers the beholder’s face;

Thus unto my heart appear,

Print Thine own resemblance there;

Print Thine own resemblance there.

While I am a pilgrim here,

Let Thy love my spirit cheer;

As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend,

Lead me to my journey’s end;

Lead me to my journey’s end.

Show me what I have to do,

Every hour my strength renew:

Let me live a life of faith,

Let me die Thy people’s death;

Let me die Thy people’s death. —John Newton

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: conscience, grace, guilt, Jesus Christ, John Newton, poetry, prayer. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

June 30, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading from today…

Thrilled for the pro-life victory in today’s Supreme Court ruling!

[VIDEO] This is a really straightforward explanation behind the horror of the Plan B pill that Hobby Lobby stood firm against providing.

“We are always on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.” —Henry Ward Beecher

“Whatever we may undertake with a sincere desire to promote His glory, we may comfortably pursue. Nothing is trivial that is done for Him.” —John Newton

“I would never follow a leader who doesn’t follow a leader.” —John Maxwell

“A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.” —George Bernard Shaw

[VIDEO] Why didn’t anyone tell me that Star Wars’ Mark Hamill did the voice of Joker in the animated Batman series?!?

“Quiet heroes dot the landscape of our society. They don’t make the headlines, but they do sew the hemlines and check the outlines and stand on the sidelines. You won’t find their names on the Nobel Prize short list, but you’ll find their names on the carpool, and Bible teacher lists. They are parents! Heroes! Their kids call them mom. Dad. And these moms and dads, more valuable than all the executives and lawmakers, quietly hold the world together. Be numbered among them. Read books to your kids. Play ball while you can and they want you to. Make it your aim to watch every game they play, read every story they write, hear every recital in which they perform. Children spell love with four letters: T-I-M-E. Not just quality time, but hang time, downtime, anytime, all the time! Cherish the children who share your name. Succeed at home first!” —Max Lucado

Dr. Tim Elmore has a great post called How Failure Can Be Your Kid’s Best Friend. And exciting news … he has a new book coming out! I cannot wait to read Twelve Huge Mistakes Parents Can Avoid.

“The cosmos exists to help you know God, the Maker. And the main message is that He is very great and that we are very small. We need to feel this greatness. We need to be able to say, ‘You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You’ (2 Samuel 7:22).” —John Piper

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abortion, Batman, books, children, Creation, Creator, Dad, Dr. Tim Elmore, failure, family, Generation Y, George Bernard Shaw, God's glory, government, Henry Ward Beecher, heroes, Hobby Lobby, John Maxwell, John Newton, John Piper, Joker, leadership, Max Lucado, mistake, Mom, parenting, pro-life, quotes, SCOTUS, Star Wars, video, worship. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 19, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some things I was reading today:

“They who find the Word sweet feed on it often, savor it continuously, share it eagerly, and grow from it consistently.” —T.M. Moore

I love this reminder about the value of corporate worship: Kindle The Fire In Corporate Worship.

“No man is a good preacher who is not willing to lay his future on the line every time he expounds the Word. He must let his job and his reputation ride on each and every sermon or he has no right to think that he stands in the prophetic tradition.” —A.W. Tozer

Abortion providers are scary! 15-Year-Old Girl Held Against Her Will In Abortion Clinic.

“I hope you will find the Lord present at all times, and in all places. When it is so, we are at home everywhere; when it is otherwise, home is a prison, and abroad a wilderness.” —John Newton, in a letter to a friend

My Detroit Tigers are rolling! Should we be worried?

[VIDEO] Ken Davis asks, “Remember when you could remember?”

Max Lucado has a good reminder about humility in Who Did The Work?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, Abby Johnson, abortion, Bible, church, comedy, Detroit Tigers, God's presence, humility, John Newton, John Piper, Ken Davis, Max Lucado, pastoring, pro-life, quotes, reputation, sermon, sports, T.M. Moore, video, worship. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 24, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

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

Wise words from John Maxwell: A Leader′s Need For Humility

“Many people preach and teach. Many take part in the music. Certain ones try to administer God’s work. But if the power of God’s Spirit does not have freedom to energize all they do, these workers might just as well stay home. Natural gifts are not enough in God’s work. The mighty Spirit of God must have freedom to animate and quicken with His overtones of creativity and blessing.” —A.W. Tozer

Very thoughtful post from Frank Viola: Rethinking The Second Coming Of Christ. Frank references the book he co-authored with Leonard Sweet entitled Jesus: A Theography; I highly recommend this book!

Max Lucado writes in Like A Child, “Quit looking at life like an adult. See it through the eyes of a child.”

[VIDEO] Greg Koukl on Discussing The Age Of The Earth With Other Christians

5 Reasons To Attend Church Regularly

“To be humble, and, like a little child, afraid of taking a step alone, and so conscious of snares and dangers around us, as to cry to [God] continually to hold us up that we may be safe, is the sure, the infallible, the only secret of walking closely with Him.” —John Newton

“One of principle that today’s intellectuals most passionately disseminate is a vulgar relativism, ‘Nihilism with a happy face.’ For them it is certain that there is no truth, only opinion: my opinion, your opinion. They abandoned the defense of the intellect…. Those who surrender the domain of the intellect make straight the road to fascism. Totalitarianism…is the will-to-power unchecked by any regard for truth. To surrender the claims of truth upon humans is to surrender Earth to thugs…. Vulgar relativism is an invisible gas, odorless, deadly, that is now polluting every free society on earth. It is a gas that attacks the central nervous system of moral striving…. ‘There is no such thing as truth,’ they teach even the little ones. ‘Truth is bondage. Believe what seems right to you. There are as many truths as there are individuals. Follow your feelings. Do as you please. Get in touch with yourself….’ Those who speak in this way prepare the jails of the twenty-first century. They do the work of tyrants.” —Michael Novak

Cool story on how The Detroit Tigers Hired Sparky Anderson

World Changing

April 11, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

You are coming to a King,

Large petitions with you bring

For His grace and power are such

None can ever ask too much.

John Newton

Are you praying largely?

I want to pray world-changing prayers!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: John Newton, prayer. Leave a Comment »

My Prayer For My Blog

May 6, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

“Oh! that the power of God would set my heart and pen at liberty while writing, and fill your hearts while reading, that we may rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory!”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: blog, John Newton, prayer, quote. Leave a Comment »

“Amazing Grace…

March 9, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

…how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.”

I’ve heard it reported that John Newton’s song may be the most well-known song in the world, and yet it seems we still live in a world so dominated by ungrace.

Another verse of this beloved song says, “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” How could grace bring both fear and relief? I think it is because grace is freely given. We don’t deserve grace, and yet Jesus paid a terrible price for us to recieve it.

We’re more used to earning what we recieve. Sometimes looking at our own lives of ungrace we may feel like we’ve earned punishment, which is why the thought of grace brings fear. Yet the more we learn about God’s grace, the more those fears are relieved.

I need to learn more about grace. I want to soak in all that it means—the full impact—to be a recipient of God’s grace.

I love this definition of grace from Philip Yancey:
“There is nothing we can do to make God love us more.
There is nothing we can do to make God love us less.”

God’s grace truly is amazing!