Bright Lights

November 1, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

One of the things Jesus said about Christians was that we are to be the light of the world. That means we need to be involved in our communities, visible to our neighbors, so the light of Jesus can shine out from us.

That’s just what we did last night for our third annual Light The Night event.

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I am so grateful to all of the folks at Calvary Assembly of God who donated candy and prizes, those who filled hundreds of bags with all that candy, and those who came out to greet our neighbors and run the games. Because of the rainy weather, we moved our event indoors, and so I am extremely thankful to Pastor Mary Ivanov who opened the United Methodist Church’s gym for us to use!

Whether it’s a public event like this or not, I pray you will always let your light shine for Jesus!

(Thank you Delbridge Langdon Jr. for supplying some of our pictures from last night.)

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Light The Night

October 9, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

There are so many encouragements that Scripture gives us to make a difference in our world:

  • Jesus tells us to be salt that seasons and light that brightens (Matthew 5:13-14).
  • Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).
  • Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life (Philippians 2:15-16).
  • So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

We should look for opportunities to do shine every day. But sometimes there are even more appropriate times to do so. One such time is Halloween … Hallow’s Eve … Reformation Day. October 31 used to be a day that glorified God. Now, sadly, it has become a day to glorify anything but God.

So Calvary Assembly of God will be lighting the night again this Halloween. We will put on the best, brightest, friendliest carnival of the evening right on Main Street in Cedar Springs! We have a prayer team going out 24 hours before this event to pray for protection and favor, and to pray for open doors through which the light of Jesus will shine on October 31.

Here’s how you can help:

  • Pray. Start now and pray through October 31.
  • Bring some candy to the church through October 28.
  • Come pray with us at 5pm on October 30.
  • Signup as a volunteer to shine with us from 4-8pm on October 31.

We’re believing the light of Jesus will be seen as we Light The Night!

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Smile Power

November 1, 2011 — Craig T. Owens

I noticed something last night at our Light The Night event: lots of people were smiling, and laughing, and enjoying themselves.

And I thought to myself, “Why don’t we do this more often?”

To think that just a blow-up inflatable, some fun carnival games, and candy could make people light up. Well, it was more than that. It was our amazing Calvary Assembly of God folks. They were the ones smiling first, and that brought out the smiles in everyone who came by.

This is why I say it all the time: I ♥ My Church!

Thanks Lindsay, Scott, Harrison, and Jeff for keeping everyone safe on the slide. And for your kind words and smiles that made everyone feel so welcome.

Thanks Jeff, Damian, Brandon, Sarah, and Crystal for making such simple carnival games so much fun. And thanks for your words of encouragement and smiles to everyone who came by to play.

Thanks Mindi, Kayla, and Betsy for passing out the candy, answering questions, and smiling at all our guests. You made them feel so welcomed.

Do you want to influence people? Here’s a simple suggestion: Smile more often!

And I have to pass along some other thanks as well:

  • Del — you take amazing pictures!
  • Inflatable Frenzy — you are so easy to work with.
  • Esigns.com — you made us look good for a great price.

(I highly endorse these businesses. They are people of integrity and are very flexible and reasonably priced.)

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God Moments

November 15, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

Last week I was at the B2B (Business-to-Business) meeting in Cedar Springs. We were talking about events that bring people into the downtown area, like the Spook-tacular, at which we did our Light The Night carnival. The next item on the agenda was the upcoming Mingle With Kris Kringle event.

Out of the blue I was asked, “Hey, do you think you could setup a nativity scene?”

I wanted to say yes, but I was mulling over my response for a second. Someone else offered, “Yeah, just grab a couple of sheep and you’re good to go!”

<POW!> The proverbial light bulb went off, and I immediately said, “Yes! We’d be happy to do that!”

Right away I began texting a bunch of people in our church:

  • Can you sew some Middle Eastern first century costumes?
  • Can you build a manger?
  • Do you know where we can find some live animals?
  • How would you feel about playing an angel?
  • Have you ever considered playing the role of Joseph?

In a matter of just a few moments I got back a whole lot of Yeses. We’re under the gun to get everything done (we have to present this on December 3), but we’re going to make it happen.

Just imagine if I hadn’t been at that meeting … or if I hadn’t got so many yeses … or if I hadn’t wanted to take the risk … none of this may have happened.

I truly believe my steps are ordered by God. He places me in the right place at the right moment. So those moments are God moments where I get to say a wholehearted “Yes!”

When was your last God moment? How did you respond?

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Still Glowing

November 1, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

I’m so proud of our team from Calvary Assembly of God who helped Light The Night last night in downtown Cedar Springs. In fact, they lit it up so bright, I’m still glowing!

Here are just a couple of pictures to give you a little feel for the festivities (more pictures are on Flickr here). We had a huge inflatable slide, some great games with prizes, and lots and lots of yummy treats—candy, fresh-made popcorn, cotton candy, donut holes, apple cider, and more candy!

God gave us such favor with our location on Main Street right across the street from City Hall, and He gave us great weather too. Prayerfully a whole bunch of people in Cedar Springs saw that we know how to have a good time.

We were the light of Jesus in our community last night. May we continue to shine just as brightly for the next 365 nights, as we’ve already been invited to be back next Halloween. Yea, God!

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