Poetry Saturday—Abide With Me

May 27, 2017 — Craig T. Owens
Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.


Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;


Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away.


Change and decay in all around I see.


O Lord who changes not, abide with me.




I need Your presence every passing hour.


What but Your grace can foil the tempter’s power?


Who like Yourself my guide and strength can be?


Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.




I fear no foe with You at hand to bless,


Though ills have weight, and tears their bitterness.


Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, your victory?


I triumph still, if You abide with me.




Hold now Your Word before my closing eyes.


Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.


Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee;


In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me. —Henry Francis Lyte










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Speak Life

May 15, 2017 — Craig T. Owens 




“It is so easy to be harsh and sharp with your words. Speak optimistic words, life-giving words, bold words, healing words and words of comfort.


“Speak about the good things of life and declare life. Make it a point to say nothing negative at all. If/when you fail, be quick to repent and rephrase! Give each other grace because this is going to be a challenge for all of us!


“Pray that God will help you and empower you to speak life and blessing. Pray that God helps you to be a carrier of peace amidst the chaos of our world.” —Matt Kladnik






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Poetry Saturday—The Traveler

July 12, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Ella Wheeler WilcoxWho travels alone with his eyes on the heights,


Though he laughs in the day time oft weeps in the night;




For courage goes down at the set of the sun,


When the toil of the journey is all borne by one.




He speeds but to grief though full gaily he ride


Who travels alone without love at his side.




Who travels alone without lover or friend


But hurries from nothing, to naught at the end.




Though great be his winnings and high be his goal,


He is bankrupt in wisdom and beggared in soul.




Life’s one gift of value to him is denied


Who travels alone without love at his side.




It is easy enough in this world to make haste


If one live for that purpose—but think of the waste;




For life is a poem to leisurely read,


And the joy of the journey lies not in its speed.




Oh! vain his achievement and petty his pride


Who travels alone without love at his side. —Ella Wheeler Wilcox








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Thursdays With Oswald—Eternal Life Now

January 30, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.


Oswald Chambers


Eternal Life Now


   But to the soul alone with God the secret is known and made real, and already a Paradise has begun that presages a grander and a greater blessedness than has entered into the heart of man to imagine.


From Christian Disciplines


Far too many Christians think of Christ’s promise of “eternal life” to mean something we get later, as in after we die. They falsely think that they have to just hang on during this life to finally get eternal life, if only they’ve hung on long enough.


That’s not at all what Jesus meant! 


The Gospels record Jesus talking in present tense about being Life and having His fullness of life flow through us. He talks about the oneness we can have with the Father, just has He has, right now. He tells us the Holy Spirit will be a constant companion to us, revealing more and more of God’s mind to us about this present eternal life.


Don’t wait until after death to live in eternal life; live in it right now … today!






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unPlanned (DVD review)

May 2, 2011 — Craig T. Owens 




One of the most courageous stories I’ve read comes from an admission that few people will ever make. Abby Johnson, after working for years

as a director of Planned Parenthood, did an abrupt about-face by admitting, “I was wrong.” Her dramatic story is captured in a book and DVD called unPlanned.


In a moment I’ll tell you how you could win a free copy of this powerfully moving DVD.


Although I have heard Abby’s story before, I sat memorized by the story I watched on the DVD. Abby was sucked into the lies that Planned

Parenthood tells themselves and the unsuspecting young women who come to them for advice. The “advice” that is typically given is for these young ladies to have an abortion. Abby tried to reconcile what her employer was telling her with what her parents had taught her, and with what she was seeing in the lives of the pro-life groups praying on the sidewalks outside of her office.


With so many thoughts swirling in her head, it was the love of a pro-life volunteer and a horrific experience as a doctor performed an

abortion at which Abby was assisting, that woke Abby up and led to her staunch pro-life stance. This is a story that deserves all of the attention it can get!


Check out the trailer for this DVD —



I also want to encourage you to be a part of the Unite For Life webcast with Abby Johnson on May 17.


Okay, here’s how you can win a copy of this DVD. To be entered in the drawing (which will take place tomorrow, May 3, at 5pm EDT), do one or both of the following:


    

  1. Leave a comment below about what you may have already heard about Abby Johnson’s story.
    2. 

  2. Send the following message via Twitter: Check out “unPlanned” about how @AbbyJohnson left Planned Parenthood …  http://wp.me/pmy10-17d #unplanneddvd
    3. 



If you are the winner, you will be notified after the drawing on May 3.


I am a Tyndale reviewer.






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Is Today Your Last Day With Us?

May 20, 2010 — Craig T. Owens 




Okay, this seems a bit bizarre: God tells Moses, “Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and bring them with you up to Mount Hor. I want you to transfer the office of high priest from Aaron to Eleazer. And then Aaron is going to die on the mountain.”


Seriously!


Anyone reading this post knows their birth date, but none of us knows his or her death date.


Aaron did.


What do you think he did with his last few hours?


    

  • Did he need to apologize to someone? Ask their forgiveness?
    • 

  • Did he need to make amends?
    • 

  • Pass along some vital information to Eleazer?
    • 

  • Say “I love you” to someone dear to him?
    • 

  • Give one last kiss? One last embrace?
    • 



James wrote, “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14).


You and I don’t know what our death date will be, so our best bet is to live today like it’s our last day. What do you need to do with your last few hours?


    

  • Are you ready to meet God?
    • 

  • Do you need to ask Christ to forgive your sins?
    • 

  • Is there someone who needs your forgiveness?
    • 

  • Do you need to make something right somewhere?
    • 

  • Is there vital information you need to share?
    • 

  • Does someone need to hear “I love you”?
    • 

  • Who do you need to hug or kiss?
    • 



Don’t wait for tomorrow, because tomorrow may never arrive. Live today like it’s your last day. Because it may very well be your last day with us.






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Precious Life

January 24, 2010 — Craig T. Owens 




Today is Sanctity Of Human Life Sunday. It’s the day we take time to remember this awesome truth:


For You created my inmost being;

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.


I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.


My frame was not hidden from You

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,


Your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in Your book

before one of them came to be.


Life is precious… all life. Today I’m challenging Calvary Assembly of God to help support the Alpha Family Center in Cedar Springs, MI. This is a wonderful organization:


    

  • Gives free pregnancy tests.
    • 

  • Helps young people cope with the anxiety of an unexpected pregnancy.
    • 

  • Provides resources to young parents.
    • 

  • Offers counseling to those who have experienced sexual abuse or a miscarriage.
    • 

  • Supports women who have undergone an abortion.
    • 



Celebrate precious life whenever and however you can. Life is so very precious!






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Lots Of Stairs

November 10, 2009 — Craig T. Owens 




Sometimes it’s hard to find a block of time to set aside exclusively for exercise, so I try to build some exercise opportunities into my day. My during-the-day exercise usually is trying to find more ways to walk. Like…


    

  • Parking at the back of the parking lot
    • 

  • Walking down the hall to someone’s office instead of sending an email
    • 

  • Taking the stairs
    • 



Lately, I’ve been in lots of places with stairs, and yesterday my legs were really feeling it. I learned something from climbing all those stairs: It’s a lot easier going down than it is going up.


Up gets my heart pumping more. Up works up a sweat. Up makes me breathe deeper. Up builds my leg muscles. Up is painful (but it’s a good pain).


The soreness in my legs is a reminder that I’ve exercised, that I’ve done something that’s giving me long-term benefits, that I’ve prepared myself for a healthier future.


Solomon wrote, “The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.”


Spiritually, I can say up brings life.


Up makes me wiser. Up keeps me from going down. Up is painful (but it’s a good pain).


If you haven’t been spiritually sore lately, perhaps you’re shying away from a healthy workout.


Let God take you up today. You might be a little sore tomorrow, but the soreness will remind you that you’ve exercised, that you’ve done something that’s giving you long-term benefits, that you’ve prepared yourself for a heavenly future.






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