photography | Craig T. Owens

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Links & Quotes

April 19, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“You cannot have seen much of the Savior, unless you desire to let others see Him. Your piety is a mere sham if it does not lead to practical service.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” —Winston Churchill

“Real security is in Heaven and thus earth affords only imitations.” —C.S. Lewis

“One thing I know, if you are free, then you are thinking about setting others free; and if you have no zeal for the emancipation of other men, you are a slave yourself. If you are free you hate all sorts of chains, all sorts of sin, and you will never willingly put on the fetters any more. You live each day, crying unto Him Who made you free at first, to hold you up that you fall not into the snare. If you are free, this is not the world for you; this is the land of slaves; this is the world of bondage. If you are free, your heart has gone to heaven, the land of the free. If you are free today, your spirit is longing for the time when you shall see the Great Liberator face to face.” —Charles Spurgeon

The Hubble Telescope is turning 25 years old. Here are some break-taking pictures that it has captured so far.

Seth Godin has a very intriguing question: What if you stopped doing what you are doing?

Antony Van Leeuwenhoek is the father of microbiology. Here is a very cool short biography about his work.

Parents and grandparents, Mark Merrill has a cool way to use technology to encourage your (grand)kids.

Links & Quotes

February 13, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

[PHOTOS] This is amazing! Womb-Selfies: 5 Amazing Photos Of Preborn Life.

“The enemy of creativity is fear. We’re all born creative, it takes a little while to become afraid. A surprising insight: an enemy of fear is creativity. Acting in a creative way generates action, and action persuades the fear to lighten up.” —Seth Godin

Super Vision: scientists are creating technologies to allow doctors to see inside you better. “It is already possible to peer inside the body with X-rays and ultrasound. But the images produced by such tools are crude compared with those that should be possible with visible light.”

Men’s Health magazine surveyed people on cheating. The results are eye-opening, and sad. It’s far better to do things God’s way!

“All that stuff you have now? You don’t get to keep it. In fact, you never had it. You’re simply a steward of what God has given you. Psalm 24:1 reminds us, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.’ Your stuff is not yours. Ever since you grabbed that toy and yelled, ‘Mine!’ you’ve been lying. Everything is God’s!” —Max Lucado

“In March 2014, the BICEP2 radio astronomy team announced purported direct evidence of cosmic inflation, an important part of the modern Big Bang model for the universe’s creation. This announcement was front-page news all over the world. However, these scientists recently submitted a paper for publication that effectively retracts their breakthrough claim, acknowledging that their earlier results were spurious. They admitted their ‘evidence’ was actually an artifact from dust within our own galaxy.” Read more in Big Bang Evidence Retracted.

Nicholas Herman took the name Brother Lawrence after his conversion to Christianity, and he wrote some amazing thoughts about prayer. Here are a few of his quotes.

“The real heart of integrity stays in place whether the test in adversity or prosperity.” —Chuck Swindoll

[VIDEO] A heartwarming story with dogs. What could be better than that?!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: astronomy, Brother Lawrence, cheating, Chuck Swindoll, Creation, creativity, Creator, dogs, fear, infidelity, integrity, Live Action, marriage, Max Lucado, medical science, photography, prayer, pregnancy, pro-life, quotes, relationships, science, selfishness, Seth Godin, stewardship, survey, 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

December 8, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading from today…

“As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol. How then can you hope to have inward peace? … Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear. Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.” —A.W. Tozer

[PHOTOS] Some great photographs from the scientific world.

Dave Barringer has a great post about marriage and adultery: Affairs And Fruit.

[PHOTOS] Today marks the 73rd anniversary of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “day of infamy” speech. Here are some memorable photos remembering that horrific day.

“It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been ‘had for a sucker’ by any number of impostors: but it would be a torment to know that one had refused even one person in need. After all, the parable of the sheep and goats [Matthew 25:31-46] makes our duty perfectly plain, doesn’t it? Another thing that annoys me is when people say ‘Why did you give that man money? He’ll probably go and drink it.’ My reply is ‘But if I’d kept [it] I should probably have drunk it.’” —C.S. Lewis

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, adultery, C.S. Lewis, charity, Dave Barringer, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gospel of Matthew, humility, Jesus Christ, marriage, Pearl Harbor, photography, pride, quotes, science, World War II. Leave a Comment »

All God’s Alls

November 20, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

“His greatness no one can fathom” (Psalm 145:3).

God’s kingdom is everlasting and endures through all generations (v. 13). Look at all of God’s “alls”—

He is good to all (v. 9)
He has compassion on all (v. 9)
He is faithful to all His promises (v. 13)
He is loving toward all (v. 13)
He upholds all who fall (v. 14)
He lifts up all who are bowed down (v. 14)
All eyes look to Him (v. 15)
He satisfies all desires (v. 16)
He is All-righteous (v. 17)
He is All-loving (v. 17)
He is near to all who call on Him (v. 18)
He watches over all who love Him (v. 20)

My only appropriate response to all God’s “alls”—I will praise Your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever. … My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever (vv. 1, 2, 21).

ALL praise to God FOREVER!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, compassion, God's blessing, God's faithfulness, God's love, God's promise, God's protection, God's strength, photography, praise, Psalm, righteousness, worship. 2 Comments »

Links & Quotes

November 10, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading from today…

[PHOTOS] Today is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Here are some great pictures of our Marines in action.

“Your hope for the future is not in what you did yesterday, but improving today so that you can meet the future head-on.” —John Maxwell

Did you know that 90% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted?! Here are 9 people with Down syndrome who live highly successful lives.

“‘Circumstances over which I have no control’ is a perfectly true phrase, but it must never be made to mean that we cannot control ourselves in those circumstances.” —Oswald Chambers

“The whole Bible and all past history unite to teach that battles are always won before the armies take the field. The critical moment for any army is not the day it engages the foe in actual combat; it is the day before or the month before or the year before. … Preparation is vital. Let this be noted by everyone. We can seek God today and get prepared to meet temptation tomorrow; but if we meet the enemy without first having met God, the outcome is not conjectural; the issue is already decided. We can only lose.” —A.W. Tozer

“We must open our Bibles every morning with this prayer—‘Give us this day our daily bread.’” —Charles Spurgeon

Good advice on how to respond to people who are antagonistic toward your Christian faith.

Hmm, Pope Francis demotes (again!) a U.S. cardinal who is doctrinally conservative.

Halel

October 29, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

The last five psalms all start and end on the same note: “Praise the Lord!” This is actually the Hebrew word halel. In the English language it’s usually translated praise, but it can also mean boast about—our God has a lot about which I can boast!

In fact, there is so much to boast about concerning God, that the first halel psalm opens with, “I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (Psalm 146:2).

Here are some of the other boast-worthy things these halel psalms list:

God upholds the cause of the oppressed
God gives food to the hungry
God sets prisoners free
God gives sight to the blind
God lifts up those bowed down
God loves the righteous
God watches over the alien
God sustains the orphan and widow
God gathers exiles
God heals the brokenhearted
God binds up our wounds
God knows all the stars by name
God sustains the humble
God cares for His creation
God delights in those who fear Him
God strengthens and blesses His people
God gives peace
God satisfies
God displays His splendor for all to see
God takes delight in His people
God crowns the humble with salvation
God gives us His Word

Halel! Just like the psalmist, I will boast about my Lord all my life; I will continually sing my boasts about Him all of my days!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, photography, praise, psalms, worship. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

October 15, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Some good reading from today…

“I have learned…that the Lord can fill the soul with Himself, when He takes away what seemed indispensable to our happiness on earth.” —Andrew Bonar

“In a day of endless distraction and diversion, there is no greater remedy for our clouded heads and hectic lives than the sober mind of Christ.” Read more in this post: Finding A Level Head In A Hectic World.

“Prayer really is simple. Resist the urge to complicate it. Don’t take pride in well-crafted prayers. Don’t apologize for incoherent prayers. No games. No cover-ups. Just be honest—honest to God. Climb into His lap. Tell Him everything that’s on your heart. Or tell Him nothing at all. Just lift your heart to heaven and declare, ‘Father … Daddy.’ Stress. Fear. Guilt. Grief. Demands on all sides. And all we can summon is a plaintive, ‘Oh, Father.’ If so, that’s enough. Your heavenly Father will wrap you in His arms!” —Max Lucado

Some super-cool pictures of the work that won the 2014 Nobel Prize for chemistry.

[INFOGRAPHIC] The size, spread and cost of Ebola.

I have been saying this was coming: Pastors in Houston have their sermons subpoenaed to make sure they are “correct.”

“The time for speaking seldom arrives, the time for being never departs.” —George MacDonald

“The Word of God ignores size and quantity and lays all its stress upon quality. Christ, more than any other man, was followed by the crowds, yet after giving them such help as they were able to receive, He quietly turned from them and deposited His enduring truths in the breasts of His chosen 12.” —A.W. Tozer

Delightful Fear

October 2, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

The 112th Psalm begins with an interesting idea that almost sounds like an oxymoron: delightful fear—

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in His commands. (v. 1)

Fear and delight
Worship and obedience
Reverence and action
Awe and love

These are not contrasting ideas, but two sides of the same coin. They are completions of each other, and they are essential to a healthy relationship with Jehovah. And then, oh!, the blessings that flow from God to me!

Mighty children (v. 2)
Abundant household (v. 3a)
Enduring righteousness (v. 3b)
Brightly shining life (v. 4)
Reciprocated generosity (v. 5)
Security in troubled times (v. 6a)
A lasting legacy (v. 6b)
No fear of calamity (v. 7)
Eternal life (v. 8)
Highly honored (v. 9)

After nine verses of these amazing blessings to the one who delightfully fears God, only one verse is left for the one who doesn’t—he is vexed, wasting away, and frustrated.

I don’t know about you, but I want to delightfully fear—worship, obey, revere and love—Jehovah my God!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Bible study, blessing, children, eternal life, fear, legacy, no fear, oxymoron, photography, Psalm, reverence, Scripture, security, worship. Leave a Comment »

Not A Glory-Stealer

September 23, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

Not to us, Lord, not to us but to Your name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness. (Psalm 115:1)

You are Love; I struggle with selfishness.
You are Faithful; I can be fickle.
You are Just; I am short-sighted.
You are Mercy; I can be petty.
You are Grace; I keep score.
You are Forgiveness; I remember hurts.
You are Perfection; I am flawed.
You are the Potter; I am a pot.
You are God; I am man.

Not to me—not ever to me—be any glory, but all to You. I extol You both now and forever more. Despite my flaws, may no one ever be able to say of me that I tried to steal Your glory.