quote | Craig T. Owens

April 2026
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Be The Sermon

January 17, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

It’s not enough to just preach a sermon, my pastor friend, we must be the sermon, too.

Heed these challenging words from Gregory The Great (ca. 540-604)—

“There are some who investigate spiritual precepts with cunning care, but what they penetrate with their understanding they trample on in their lives: all at once they teaching the things which not by practice but by study they have learnt; and what in words they preach by their manners they impugn. …

“The ruler should always be chief in action, that by his living he may point out the way to those that are put under him, and that the flock, which follows the voice and manners of the shepherd, may learn how to walk better through example than through words. For he who is required by the necessity of his position to speak the highest things is required by the same necessity to exhibit the highest things. …

Every preacher should give forth a sound more by his deeds than by his words, and rather by good living imprint footsteps for men to follow than by speaking show them the way to walk in.”

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: example, Gregory The Great, integrity, lifestyle, pastors, Pope Gregory I, preaching, quote, sermon, video. Leave a Comment »

Leaking Influence

March 22, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Jim Collins has great advice for leaders: When things are going well, look out the window (at your people); when things aren’t going well, look in the mirror (at yourself). This is as true for business CEOs as it is for pastors.

Pastor, you leak.

I leak.

We all leak.

It’s impossible to just maintain where we are. There needs to be a constant refreshing, a constant refilling. We need to keep learning, keep changing, keep renewing. If we don’t, well, this is how Oswald Chambers described it—

“If you are in a position of authority and people are not obeying you, the greatest heart-searching you can have is the realization that the blame does not lie with them, but with you; there is always leakage going on spiritually. Get right with God yourself, and every other one will get in touch with God through you.” (my emphasis)

Pastor, don’t wait: Look in the mirror today, get right with God, replenish what’s leaked out of you, and then watch to see how others in your congregation will begin to move toward God themselves.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: influence, Jim Collins, leadership, Oswald Chambers, pastoring, pastors, quote, renew. Leave a Comment »

Enter The Pulpit Without Embarrassment

March 15, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

“I am afraid of the pastor that is another man when he enters the pulpit from what he was before. Reverend, you should never think a thought or do a deed or be caught in any situation that you couldn’t carry into the pulpit with you without embarrassment. You should never have to be a different man or get a new voice and a new sense of solemnity when you enter the pulpit. You should be able to enter the pulpit with the same spirit and the same sense of reverence that you had just before when you were talking to someone about the common affairs of life.” —A.W. Tozer

My dear fellow pastor, your congregation wants a pastor-shepherd who is authentic, not plastic. One who is real and approachable, not high-and-mighty. One who is a tour guide on the journey with them, not a travel agent that stays behind. One who is the same in the pulpit, in the restaurant, on the ball field, in the “unguarded” moments.

UPDATE: I elaborate much more on this in my book especially for pastors and church leaders called Shepherd Leadership.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: A.W. Tozer, authenticity, character, integrity, pastors, quote, real, shepherds. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Our Father

March 14, 2013 — 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.

Our Father

Think for one minute, have you behaved today as though God were your Father or have you to hang your head in absolute shame before Him for the miserable, mean, unworthy thoughts you have had about your life?

It all springs from one thing, you have lost hold of the idea that God is your Father. Some of us are such fussy, busy people, refusing to look up and realize the tremendous revelation in Jesus Christ’s words—“Your heavenly Father knows what you need….”

From He Shall Glorify Me

What an amazing thought that when Jesus taught us to pray, He said we could address Almighty God with the affectionate title of “Our Father.” In his book Who Do You Think You Are?, Mark Driscoll points out:

“In the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament, God is referred to only as Father roughly fourteen times—and each time it’s impersonally, in reference to the nation of Israel, not to individuals. Everything radically changed with Jesus. He spoke of God as Father more than sixty times in the New Testament.”

Your heavenly Father loves you more than you can possibly imagine! Let that truth sink in. Don’t give in to the thoughts that your life is not very valuable, or even that God doesn’t like you very much.

God loves you as if you were the only person on earth to love! And He sent Jesus to earth to make it possible for you to be adopted into His family, to call Him Father. Even more than that, to call Him “Daddy God” (see Romans 8:15-17).

Live in your heavenly Father’s love today.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: adoption, God's love, Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ, Lord's Prayer, Mark Driscoll, Oswald Chambers, quote, Romans, thought life. 1 Comment »

Where Are You Looking?

March 10, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

This morning I shared this quote from Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola’s book Jesus: A Theography—

“When Jesus said to satan, ‘Get behind Me,’ He was acknowledging that we all live with the devil. We cannot escape evil on this earth. But as long as we are in front and he is behind us, we are protected. The devil ought not be in our line of vision but in our shadow.”

It reminds me of the old song:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace

Stop looking at that loser named satan! Stop listening to the one who’s been defeated and whose fate is already sealed! Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! Keep your ears tuned into His voice!

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Jesus says: I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:18)

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

Check out more in our series Who Is Jesus?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Corinthians, death, Frank Viola, Jesus Christ, Leonard Sweet, quote, Revelation, satan, victory. 1 Comment »

O Lord, Forgive

March 6, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

A friend of mine gave me some solid counsel a number of years ago that has always stuck with me: The mark of a maturing Christian is one who is closing the gap between sin and repentance.

Sin is open treason against God. Why would I want to overlook it or excuse it?! Once I recognize it as sin, why would I want to hold on to it?!

If we freely admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins—dismiss our lawlessness—and continuously cleanse us from all unrighteousness—everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action. (1 John 1:9 AMPC)

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)

May we all take the time to reflect on our words and actions to see if we have sinned, and then to quickly confess that sin and ask for our loving God’s forgiveness.

“If my soul has turned perversely to the dark;

If I have left some brother wounded by the way;

If I have preferred my aims to Yours;

If I have been impatient and would not wait;

If I have marred the pattern drawn out for my life;

If I have cost tears to those I loved;

If my heart has murmured against Your will,

O Lord, forgive.” —F. B. Meyer

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 John, confession, F.B. Meyer, forgiveness, introspection, Isaiah, poem, prayer, quote, repentance, sin. Leave a Comment »

Refrain From Rhetoric

March 1, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

My dear fellow pastor, we should all heed these words—

“…If some preachers would refrain from rhetoric and tell their plain unvarnished tale, they would succeed better than they do now. Do you think that God meant his ministers to kill themselves in order come out on Sundays with one or two splendid displays of ‘intellect’ and eloquence? Surely this is not God’s way of doing things. I do not believe that Paul ever preached a fine sermon, or that Peter ever dreamed of any display of intellect. I asked the other day of one who had heard a sermon if it was likely that sinners would be converted by it. He said, ‘Oh no; by no means; but it was an intellectual treat.’ Is there anywhere in the Bible a word about intellectual treats, or anything approximating to such an idea?” —Charles Spurgeon

I’m not sure I can add much to this advice from the “prince of preachers” except to say, preach to glorify God, not to impress your earthly audience. Jesus said if we would lift Him up, He will draw everyone to Himself.

Posted in Pastoring. Tags: Charles Spurgeon, Jesus Christ, pastoring, preaching, quote. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Venting In Prayer

February 28, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Venting In Prayer

When you are worked up to a pitch emotionally, read some of the Psalms, and the Spirit of God will gradually teach you how to form a spiritual nous*, a mind whereby you will not only understand but will slowly and surely get to the place where you can express your spirit, you will have a totally new language.

* To read what Chambers means by the Greek word nous, click here.

From Biblical Psychology

Sometimes we’re too timid in our prayers. We think we need to hold back, or not really say what’s on our mind. We probably think that some of the language we use might be too offensive for God’s ears.

Have you ever read some of the Psalms? As Oswald Chambers suggests, this is a great place to form your prayer vocabulary. David really “lets loose” in some of his prayers, calling his enemies all sorts of names, and basically saying, “Get ‘em, God!”

So you don’t want to say those kinds of things to God? Don’t you think He already knows what you’re thinking? Wouldn’t it be much more effective to “vent” in prayer—in the safe presence of your loving Heavenly Father? It’s really only after you “get it out” that the Holy Spirit can help you work it out.

Express yourself—vent in God’s presence instead of the presence of those who are troubling you—and then listen to how God’s Spirit will help you slowly and surely get a brand new perspective on your situation.

UPDATE: I have a whole chapter called ‘Your Emergency Release Valve’ about these types of prayers in my book When Sheep Bite.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: anger, Holy Spirit, imprecatory, King David, language, Oswald Chambers, prayer, Psalm, quote, venting, vocabulary, When Sheep Bite. 2 Comments »

Did God Send Me Into This?!

February 26, 2013 — 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.

Have you ever experienced this? You are certain that God has spoken to you. You’ve launched out in obedience, things are sailing along smoothly, and then <wham!> a storm threatens to swamp you. And you begin to second-guess what you thought God said to you. You begin to wonder if perhaps you misunderstood the directions God spoke: “Did God send me into this?!”

Ever been there?

The disciples of Jesus must have felt that way. Jesus says, “Let’s get into the boat and head over to the other side of the lake.” The disciples obeyed Jesus only to have a huge storm come crashing down on them, to the point that their boat was about to be swamped (see Luke 8:22-25).

What were they thinking then? What would you have been thinking? Perhaps you might have thought, “Did I miss something God said?”

I love this thought from Oswald Chambers—

You say, “If I had not obeyed Jesus I should not have got into this complication.” Exactly. The problems in our walk with God are to be accounted for along this line, and the temptation is to say, “God could have never told me to go there, if He had done so this would not have happened.” We discover then whether we are going to trust God’s integrity or listen to our own expressed skepticism.

God knows what He’s doing. He knows what He needs to accomplish.

Too many times I get focused on the destination, while God is focusing on the process. I often will learn more about my faith, and about the power and faithfulness and love of my God, during these storms than I will in an incident-free journey.

If you are on a journey on which God sent you and your boat’s rocking, don’t second-guess what God said. Keep your eyes on Jesus, and watch to see what He’s developing in you during your stormy trip.

Conspiracy!

February 20, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

“The one Jesus that skeptics refuse to tolerate is a uniquely divine, miraculous, prophesy-fulfilling, and resurrected Jesus—even if the evidence points persuasively in that direction. After all, that would put them in the place of being beholden to Him. Their personal sovereignty and moral independence would be at risk. The problem is: that’s the real Jesus.” —Lee Strobel

Jesus was crucified. He was in the grave for three days. Then God raised Him from the dead, fulfilling everything that had been prophesied about Him! That’s the real Jesus!

But those who don’t want to acknowledge those facts have concocted all sorts of conspiracy theories as to His death and resurrection.

On Easter morning, Calvary Assembly of God will be presenting an original drama called Conspiracy! to tackle these conspiracies head-on. The cast of characters is interesting, the dialogue is witty and fast-moving, so this will be a very memorable morning!

Here’s the info:

When: Sunday, March 31, at 9am and 11am.

Where: Calvary Assembly of God.

Cost: FREE but we suggest you get a ticket to make sure you have a seat. You can reserve your spot by clicking here and emailing your ticket request to me.

A delicious breakfast + some uplifting music + a memorable drama = a great morning learning about the risen Jesus. Please don’t miss it!