joy | Craig T. Owens

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It’s A Love-Hate Thing

October 22, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Are there things you love to do, but hate to do at the same time?

Ah, yes, that wonderful love-hate relationship. I spent most of the first part of this week in a love-hate thing, and I discovered yet again that love outweighs hate. To rediscover this, all I had to do was agree to walk through a funeral with a grieving family again.

I hate seeing families grieving. I love being able to share hope with them.

I hate how drained I feel after funerals. I love seeing the flicker of encouragement glow in others.

I hate tearful goodbyes. I love the knowledge of joyful reunions.

I hate preparing funeral messages that remind people of eternity. I love sharing that Jesus is the Promise of an eternity in heaven.

I hate having every eye in the room on me. I love seeing God speak His truth through me.

Yup, it’s true: walking through a funeral with a grieving family is—hands down—something that so drains me physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually more than anything else I do. But I wouldn’t trade this privilege to step into hurting people’s lives for anything. Yes, love triumphs over hate!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Augustine, despair, encouragement, eternity, funeral, grief, hope, Jesus Christ, joy, pastoring, quote. 2 Comments »

Pursuit Of Happiness?

August 31, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I was driving behind an SUV this morning which had the following decal on its rear window—

In Pursuit Of Happiness

Interesting. So I began having an imaginary conversation with the driver of the SUV. (Don’t laugh; you know you’ve done the same thing with other drivers on the road!)

“So is the day a complete waste if you’re unhappy because you got fired? Or because it rained when you planned a picnic? Or because the ice cream store was out of your favorite flavor?

“How far will you go in your pursuit of happiness? Would you cut corners? Would you compromise your values? Would you break the law?”

I like what John Piper says,

“The chief end of man is not just to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever. And if we don’t enjoy Him, we don’t glorify Him.”

The pursuit of happiness will leave you disappointed. The pursuit of happiness will tempt you to cut corners.

But the pursuit of God’s glory and the enjoyment of His favor will never leave you disappointed nor cause you to compromise a thing. And do you know what else: the pursuit of God will bring a deep-down joy that will bubble up in happiness.

Instead of pursuing happiness, pursue God with all you got.

I’m in this pursuit with you today!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: happiness, John Piper, joy, priority, pursuing God, quote. 2 Comments »

Opposites

August 20, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace. (Solomon)

Everything in life has an opposite.

For every hello, there’s a goodbye.

Every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else.

Sweet has its bitter, and bitter has its sweet.

Your day may be gloomy, but the sun will shine.

You may have sorrow, but there will be joy.

You may be in the dark night of your soul, but a bright dawn will appear.

Just remember: God has made everything beautiful in its time.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: beauty, Ecclesiastes, joy, Solomon, sorrow. Leave a Comment »

Routine Weekend Rewind

April 27, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Whoa, this weekend seemed like a whirlwind! Lots of interesting and noteworthy stuff packed into 72 hours.

Great homegoing celebration for John “Jack” Rivers on Saturday morning. What an incredible legacy he left. We celebrated his life with his wife, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren. Wow!

I love my extended family. Not just those related to me by blood, but those that call me “brother” because of our mutual relationship with Jesus Christ. It was great to see brothers and sisters comforting the extended Rivers family. There’s just something special about having those that truly love you around in times of loss or crisis.

Driving in the rain is just slightly (!) stressful. We were in torrential rain all the way to West Michigan, and most of the way back home. That kind of rain makes a two-hour trip seem a whole lot longer when the stress level is elevated. I’m grateful that God kept us safe.

Short, but sweet, time with my family. Nice to have some of Mom’s cooking and spend time with my folks, my sister and brother-in-law, and my nephews.

Incredible service at Calvary Assembly of God in Cedar Springs! The worship team loves Jesus and they rock! Loved seeing the enthusiasm for worship and for the Word among both young and old. I look forward to getting back to visit this enthusiastic group again!

Great phrase in Switchfoot’s song Faust, Midas and Myself, “And what was once routine was now the perfect joy.” My life is anything but routine, but the “simple” things around me everyday are truly the perfect joy.

Enjoy your “perfect joys” this week!