Impressing People

September 24, 2025 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Near the end of his letter to the saints in Galatia, Paul takes a minute to talk about “those who want to impress people” (Galatians 6:12). Check out how some of the other translations render this phrase—

  • NLT: want to look good to others 
  • AMPC: make a good impression 
  • NASB: make a good showing 

There’s only one way that I can think of for men to look good to other men, and that is to create a man-made program that plays to my strength so that others are impressed with how good I am. It’s only playing a game. 

Paul calls out this foolish pursuit, saying, “the only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the Cross of Christ” (v. 12). In other words, they think that if they are popular with men, men will leave them alone, not troubling them for their belief in Jesus. 

In Paul’s letter to the saints at Philippi, he says that these earthly-minded people might make themselves look good to other earthly-minded people, but they really “live as enemies of the Cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18). 

Doesn’t this put my desire to look good to other people in a different light when I realize that earthly popularity may make me an enemy of the Cross? 

People pleasing is a deadly trap! The approval of Jesus eternally outweighs the approval or even the persecution of men. 

I only want to look good to my Savior!

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , . 1 Comment »

The Craig And Greg Show: Remembering The Details

May 30, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the audio-only version of this podcast by clicking on the player below, or scroll down to watch the video.

Greg and I think that a great way to take your leadership to the next level is by paying attention to people. Keeping an eye out for the small details and remembering them shows people you care, which in turn makes them much more receptive to the leadership you want to pour into their lives. 

  • [0:15] Memorial Day is coming up 
  • [0:54] Great leaders remember the little details about others
  • [3:05] We share how leaders can leverage their retention of the details of others’ lives
  • [6:37] Exceptional leaders give way more than they take
  • [8:21] How do we get out of our own way so we can get to know others better?
  • [10:47] Greg and I both have some personal examples of how we learned to remember the details
  • [14:26] Leaders can lift up those around them by just doing the little things well
  • [16:24] John Maxwell wrote a “people principle” that I unpack 
  • [17:47] Greg learned a lesson from his grandparents about “taking a drive” to observe important people and places
  • [18:58] A powerful quote from John Ash
  • [22:55] Make every day special for others
  • [24:00] Greg and I can help you grow as a leader—get in touch with us!

Check out this episode and subscribe on YouTube so you can watch all of the upcoming episodes. You can also listen to our podcast on Spotify and Apple.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

God-Oriented & People-Focused

March 31, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

God-oriented & People-focusedYou can spin it around, roll it down the stairs, throw it high in the air, and still it isn’t phased one bit. It doesn’t matter if you’re moving fast or slow, if you’re at high altitudes or in Death Valley, it still works. The needle of the compass always points north.

It can’t help it: it is naturally oriented to the north pole. Whether it’s pitch-black outside, or 40 degrees below zero; whether you feel like north is “north” or not, the needle will always point its way back to north.

Jesus could be cheered by the crowds or jeered by them. People could shout “Hosanna!” or “Crucify Him!” The weather could be calm or stormy, His disciples could be courageous or scared to death, and still Jesus was oriented to His Father.

Every word Jesus said, every action He undertook, every lesson He taught, every prayer He prayed was God-oriented.

But not only that, even as much as people ridiculed Him, snubbed Him, rejected Him, or denied Him, Jesus was still people-focused. After being so cruelly treated, I think I may have turned from some people, or even turned on some people with some not-so-kind words. I may have even begun to withdraw from people. But despite the way people mistreated Him, Jesus remained lovingly people-focused (see 1 Peter 2:21-23).

Jesus us told us that if we stand for Him, we will be mistreated as well (see Luke 21:17 and John 15:20). But He also told us there was a reward for that mistreatment (see Matthew 5:11-12).

When asked what the greatest of all the commandments was, Jesus replied that it was to be God-focused and people-oriented—

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31)

So a good check-up question for us all: How am I doing at being God-oriented and people-focused, no matter what the circumstances are?

UPDATE: I explore the example of how Jesus responded to His critics in a couple of chapters of my book When Sheep Bite.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »