John Piper | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

February 11, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Parents and teachers should check out this post from Tim Elmore: Mastering The Art Of Tough Love.

A disgusting movie which glamorizes deviant sexuality opens this weekend. Do NOT be tricked into seeing Fifty Shades Of Grey! Instead check out the post Fifty Shades of Nay.

“We are sinful not because we’re victims of darkness, but because we’re lovers of darkness.” ―John Piper

More proof that so-called “global warming” or “man-made climate change” is not based in science: EPA Under Fire For Concealing Controversial Scientific Data.

If you love studying the Bible like I do, then you have got it check out The Overview Bible Project. Here is one of Jeffrey’s latest infographics…

“I do not know how philosophers may ultimately define religion; but from Micah to James it has been defined as a service to one’s fellow men rendered by following the great rule of justice and mercy, of wisdom and righteousness.” ―Theodore Roosevelt

Links & Quotes

February 10, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Everything the world has to offer, God is better and more abiding. There is no comparison. God wins—every time. The question is: will we have Him? Will we wake up from the trance of this stupefying world and see and believe and rejoice and love?” —John Piper

A nice mini-biography on Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Max Lucado says, “You cannot be anything you want to be. But you can be everything God wants you to be!” Read more in his post All Things New.

“No prayer is at all likely to bring down an immediate answer if it be not a fervent prayer. ‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much’ [James 5:16]; but if it be not fervent we cannot expect to find it effectual or prevalent. We must get rid of the icicles that hang about our lips.” —Charles Spurgeon

“The Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or—if they think there is not—at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” —C.S. Lewis

A great overview on what really happened in the Crusades.

[VIDEO] John Maxwell says what is on the inside is always more attractive than what is on the outside―

Links & Quotes

February 9, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“We find the deepest meaning in life when our hearts freely go out to admire God’s power, rather than turning inward to boast in our own—or even think about our own. We discover something overwhelming: It is profoundly satisfying not to be God, but to give up all thoughts or desires to be God.” —John Piper

“Of course, what these people mean when they say that God is love is often something quite different: they really mean ‘Love is God.’ They really mean that our feelings of love, however and wherever they arise, and whatever results they produce, are to be treated with great respect. Perhaps they are: but that is something quite different from what Christians mean by the statement ‘God is love.’ They believe that the living, dynamic activity of love has been going on in God forever and has created everything else.” —C.S. Lewis

“Holiness is the architectural plan upon which God builds up His living temple. … I pray you who profess to be followers of Christ, set a high value upon purity of life and godliness of conversation.” —Charles Spurgeon

This is a great inside-the-huddle conversation with Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels on the final two touchdown drives of Super Bowl XLIX.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, C.S. Lewis, Charles Spurgeon, football, God's love, God's power, holiness, John Piper, meaning, NFL, quotes, sports, Super Bowl. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 7, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Because Jesus died in our place, He guaranteed that every good deed prospers in the end. ‘Blessed are you when others revile you. . . . Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven’ (Matthew 5:11-12). Reviled here. Rewarded there.” —John Piper

“‘For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river’ (Jeremiah 17:8). An amazing Hebrew word is used here for ‘planted’—it actually means ‘transplanted.’ Faith uproots the dry, fruitless desert-shrub that is scorched, lonely and ugly and transplants it by the living stream of the waters flowing from Lebanon.” —David Wilkerson

“So long as you are content with the world, and with the prince who governs it, you will go on, on, on, to your own destruction. satan does with men as the sirens are fabled to have done with mariners.” —Charles Spurgeon

Pornographers are so deceived and deceptive. Check out the most common word found in comments on porn websites.

Dave Barringer has some good counsel for couples about “brownie points.”

Daughter of a homosexual parent writes a letter promoting traditional marriage.

Seth Godin has some fabulous insight about getting and giving constructive feedback.

Links & Quotes

February 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Are you subscribed to The Overview Bible Project’s summary of each book of the Bible? Check out this summary of Genesis and then subscribe.

“On this planet, there are about 7,000 living languages. 1,860 of them do not have a single word of Scripture. 4,500 languages do not have a full Bible. That’s more than 1 billion Bibleless people.” Read more in There Is No Good Bible For Over A Billion People.

My friend Jeff Bonzelaar has a thoughtful post called To Drink Or Not To Drink.

“Worry is anti-trust. If you’re worried, you don’t trust something: your kids, their friends, strangers, the church, even God. Can He take care of your children? Certainly. Jesus says, ‘I tell you, stop being anxious and worried about your life.’ Pretty blunt. Stop it! Easier said than done, huh? Worry tests your trust, so hand your children to God and let Him babysit your babies when you’re not around. He’s pretty good at it!” —Max Lucado

Planned Parenthood continues to disgust me. Read 5 Little Known Facts About Planned Parenthood and tell me why we taxpayers are helping subsidize their operations.

DON’T SEE THIS MOVIE! Why Fifty Shades Of Grey sends the wrong message.

“Hell is at stake here, not just the loss of a few extra rewards. … So we warn each other: Don’t drift away. Don’t love the world. Don’t start thinking nothing huge is at stake. Fear the terrible prospect of not cherishing the promises of God above the promises of sin. But mainly we must focus on the preciousness of the promises and help each other value above all things how great the reward is that Christ has purchased for us.” —John Piper

[VIDEO] President Obama is finally making Pastor Saeed Abedini’s captivity in Iran more of a public issue. Check out this video, and go here to sign this petition.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anxiety, Barak Obama, Bible, Bible study, Genesis, Jeff Bonzelaar, Jesus Christ, John Piper, Max Lucado, persecution, Planned Parenthood, pornography, pro-life, quotes, religious freedom, Saeed Abedini, Scripture, The Overview Bible Project, trust, video, worry, ]. 1 Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 4, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

The folks from The Overview Bible Project have a huge infographic about the 12 tribes of Israel. Check it out!

“The God who in the old creation did all this, can He not work today? He made the world out of nothing, can He not make new creatures without the aid of human will? His Word fashioned the creation of old, and His Word can work marvels still.” —Charles Spurgeon

“This verse [Psalm 119:67] shows that God sends affliction to help us learn His Word. We should ask how affliction helps us understand God’s Word and keep it. There are innumerable answers, as there are innumerable experiences. But here are five: (1) Affliction takes the glibness of life away and makes us more serious so that our mindset is more in tune with the seriousness of God’s Word. (2) Affliction knocks worldly props from under us and forces us to rely more on God, which brings us more in tune with the aim of the Word. (3) Affliction makes us search the Scriptures with greater desperation for help, rather than treating it as marginal to life. (4) Affliction brings us into the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings so that we fellowship more closely with Him and see the world more readily through His eyes. (5) Affliction mortifies deceitful and distracting fleshly desires, and so brings us into a more spiritual frame which fits God’s Word more.” —John Piper

[VIDEO] Duane from DW Video has a new project for any organizations operating in Michigan called “Buy Local.” I did a promotional video for the En Gedi Youth Center which turned out pretty nice. (By the way, if you’re in Michigan and you would like to have a free promo done by Duane for your organization, please click here.)

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: affliction, biblical history, Charles Spurgeon, Creation, En Gedi Youth Center, God's Word, infographic, Israel, Jesus Christ, John Piper, quotes, suffering, The Overview Bible Project, trials, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 2, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Who among you today is doing the most for your Master’s kingdom? I will tell you. Lend me a spiritual thermometer by which I may try the heat of your heart, and I will tell you the amount of your success.” —Charles Spurgeon

Max Lucado shares A Prayer For America.

A couple of free ebooks for you―

Killjoys by John Piper, David Mathis, and a whole host of others.
God’s Favorite Place On Earth by Frank Viola. You can read my review of this book by clicking here.

“Someday there will be a community where everyone behaves and no one complains. But it won’t be this side of heaven. So what do we do? We reason. We confront. We teach. But most of all, we love.” —Max Lucado

“It turns out that the most productive thing we can do is to stop working on someone else’s task list and figure out a more useful contribution instead. This is what separates great organizations from good ones, and extraordinary careers from frustrated ones. The challenge is that the final step requires a short-term hit to your productivity. But, if you fail to invest the time and effort to find a better path, it’s unlikely you’ll find one.” Read more of Seth Godin’s post The Productivity Pyramid.

[PHOTOS] Some really cool pictures from the scientific world.

And for some pseudo-science: Was 2014 “the hottest year on record”? Better read this for the facts.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bethany, Charles Spurgeon, Christian, ebook, Frank Viola, free books, God's Kingdom, Heaven, John Piper, joy, love, Max Lucado, photography, prayer, productivity, pseudo-science, quotes, reading, science, Seth Godin, success, United States of America. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

January 29, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

How do you define “healing”? Check out this comprehensive list of Scriptures posted by Eurasia Northwest that may expand your definition.

Parents, beware of the book-turned-movie Fifty Shades Of Grey! Dr. Miriam Grossman has four blog posts about the dangers of seeing this movie or letting your kids see it. Check out the posts here.

“Unceasing prayer may sound complicated, but it needn’t be that way. Do this. Think of prayer less as an activity for God and more as an awareness of God. Seek to live in uninterrupted awareness. As you stand in line to register your car, think, ‘Thank you, Lord, for being here.’ In the grocery store as you shop, think, ‘Your presence, my King, I welcome.’ As you wash the dishes, worship your Maker.” ―Max Lucado

Tim Elmore reminds us that the next time a young leader approaches you with a “zany idea,” you might do well to listen to him/her. After all, he lists some really smart people who totally missed the future!

“If there be any deed of kindness or love that we can do for the very meanest and most obscure of God’s people, we ought to be willing to do it—to be servants to God’s servants.” —Charles Spurgeon

John Piper and the Desiring God crew have a list of 24 free ebooks. Good stuff!

[VIDEO]

A beautiful stories about a sister’s love for her brother―

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Charles Spurgeon, children, creativity, Down Syndrome, Dr. Tim Elmore, ebook, future, healing, ideas, inspiration, John Piper, kindness, Max Lucado, parenting, pornography, prayer, quotes, Scripture, servant, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

January 21, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“When we look at the love of Christ, we make a wonderful discovery. Love is more a decision than an emotion! Christ-like love applauds good behavior. At the same time Christ-like love refuses to endorse misbehavior. Jesus loved His apostles, but He wasn’t silent when they were faithless. Jesus loved the people in the temple, but He didn’t sit still when they were hypocritical.” —Max Lucado

“One of the great enemies of hope is forgetting God’s promises.” —John Piper

“If you perform deeds of charity with the idea of getting to heaven by them, it is yourself that you are feeding and clothing; all your virtue is not virtue, it is rank selfishness, and Christ will never accept it; you will never hear Him say, ‘Thank you’ for it. You served yourself, and no reward is due. You must first come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and look to Him to save you; you will forever renounce all idea of doing anything to save yourself, and being saved, you will be able to give to the poor without selfishness mixing with your motive.” —Charles Spurgeon

Dave Barringer has a good word for pastors: 8 reasons why being vulnerable is better.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: charity, Charles Spurgeon, Christlike, Dave Barringer, God's promise, hope, Jesus Christ, John Piper, love, Max Lucado, motivation, pastors, quotes, relationships, selfishness, Sola Deo gloria, unselfish, vulnerable. Leave a Comment »

The Problem With Pride

January 19, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

As I was reading this weekend, several passages on pride came up in my reading time. Pride really is destructive!

“A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.” —C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. ―Psalm 10:4

“Ultimately, the proud must persuade themselves that there is no God. One reason for this is that God’s reality is overwhelmingly intrusive in all the details of life. Pride cannot tolerate the intimate involvement of God in running even the ordinary affairs of life.” —John Piper