Important Morning Routines

October 12, 2023 — 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. 

On a recent episode of The Craig And Greg Show, Greg and I talked about the importance of leadership habits. In this particular clip, Greg asks me about my most important leadership habits.

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Church-In-A-Box

April 18, 2012 — Craig T. Owens

Did you ever play with a Jack-in-a-box? You turned the crank, listened to the song, and waited for the funny-looking Jack to pop out of the box. Then you stuffed Jack back in the box and did it again.

And again, and again!

It was predictable.

It happened like clockwork. After awhile, though, the predictability became boring, and the Jack-in-a-box ended up collecting dust on the shelf.

Sometimes I’m concerned that our churches are becoming like a church-in-a-box. Like the predictable Jack-in-a-box, we turn the crank of showing up on Sunday, going through the same routine, waiting for God to show up, and then stuffing it all back into the box, only to repeat it all again the next Sunday.

And the next Sunday, and the next Sunday!

It’s predictable. It happens like clockwork. After awhile, though, the predictability can become boring, and our church-in-a-box ends up collecting dust on the shelf.

Here’s what I’m pondering:

  • Why do we meet on Sunday mornings?

There are as many mentions in the Bible about Christians meeting on other days as there are mentions about the first day of the week.

  • Why do we get so hung up on the “order of service”?

None of the New Testament writers taught about that. Yet if you want to anger some folks, just change up the Sunday routine.

  • Why do we dress a certain way to go to church?

Jesus had only one set of clothes, which means He wore the same thing to the synagogue as He wore the rest of the week. Yet we expect people to “dress correctly” for church.

  • Why do we call what happens on Sunday “worship,” and what happens the rest of the week “work”?

Shouldn’t everything we do bring glory to God? Shouldn’t all of our lives be worship?

  • Why do we complain about a church service not “moving us,” when we don’t feel the Holy Spirit moving the other six days of the week?

I’m not trying to pick a fight. Really.

I’m just wondering if perhaps we’ve gotten used to church-in-a-box. And if we have, perhaps we’ve also put God in a box too. Maybe we’ve become so accustomed to showing up on Sunday, dressing a certain way, following a certain routine, singing certain songs, and then expecting God to pop out and thrill us.

And then we put it all away until the next Sunday.

Wouldn’t God be more glorified if we didn’t put Him in a box? If we worshiped Him every day, not just Sunday? If we felt His Spirit animating us in everything we do, not just in the churchy things we do? If He popped up all throughout the week, in all sorts of places (like work, school, the grocery store, home)?

What do you think? Have we put church (and God) in a box? If so, how should we change?

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Happy New (School) Year

September 7, 2010 — Craig T. Owens

This is a new year for many people, especially students heading to college, or families with school-aged children. We’re all coming out of the fun-and-sun times of the summer, and it’s time to get back to a more normal routine.

With this return to routine, many people make New (School) Year’s resolutions. If you’re going to make them, you should do your best to keep them, don’t you think? So here are a few quick bullet points from my message on Sunday.

  • Check your motivation—be motivated by something which will last into eternity.
  • Set realistic goals—we often overestimate what we can get done in a day, and underestimate what we can get done in a year.
  • Don’t quit when you slip—there’s always slip-ups with new things, so be prepared for it, and don’t throw in the towel when it happens.
  • Start now—the Bible uses the word today twice as often as tomorrow, and uses now 1000 times more than later. Get the point? Don’t wait!

And two more tips that may help:

Guys—studies show you are more likely to follow through on your resolutions if you set specific goals (like: read one chapter a day, or exercise for 30 minutes three times a week).

Ladies—studies also show you are more like to stick with your resolutions if you tell a friend what you have resolved to do differently, and then ask that friend to follow up with you.

Happy new (school) year!

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sHAkE it uP

July 8, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

The other day my son Harrison and I were talking about the books he was reading. Like a chip off the old block, he loves to read almost as much as I do (just makes a Dad so proud!). Our discussion about reading was about the variety of genres. I suggested that just like a healthy diet for our bodies includes a variety of healthy foods, so should our mental diet include a healthy variety.

We are all creatures of habit. In fact, some scientists estimate that as much as 90% of our daily routines are things we do by unconscious habit. We just do it because we’ve always done it.

You know when your daily routine has been messed up, don’t you? You feel agitated and out-of-sorts. You think, “I just don’t feel like myself today.” Because you are not yourself: your routines, your habits have been shaken up.

So if unplanned things mess up your routine and make you grumpy, can I propose something else? Instead of waiting for something unexpected to shake up your routine, go ahead and sHAkE it uP on purpose.

Do something far from the norm, completely different, out of the box. Who knows, you may uncover an unhealthy routine that needs to be changed, or you may find there’s something new that you never realized you would have liked so much.

  • Instead of reading the same books by the same authors, grab something new.
    • …or try nonfiction instead of fiction, or classic instead of contemporary.
  • Instead of watching TV after dinner, go for a walk.
    • …or play Monopoly with your family.
  • Instead of going to your usual spot for lunch, brown bag it and eat outside on the grass.
    • …or fast your lunch and spend the lunch hour in quiet meditation.
  • Instead of sitting in the same seat at church, sit in a different section.
    • …or make a rotating plan to sit somewhere new every month.
  • Instead of allowing the same topics to trigger an argument with your spouse, find a new way to handle the emotion.
    • …or read a book together to help you resolve the issue.
  • Instead of returning your empty pop cans to buy more pop, donate the cash to charity.
    • …or find a cause your whole family can support together.
  • Instead of scooping ice cream at home, take a family walk to the ice cream shop.
    • …or buy popsicles for all the neighborhood kids when the ice cream truck rolls by.
  • Make breakfast for dinner
  • Listen to the music your kids like or your parents like
  • Ride your bike to work
  • Visit a museum
  • Watch a black-and-white movie

  • sHAkE it uP!!

As Mark Twain said, “Take your mind out every now and then and dance on it. It is getting all caked up.”

I’d love to hear about your adventures in shaking up your routines. What are you going do to sHAkE it uP this week?

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