video | Craig T. Owens

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Why We Do What We Do

March 9, 2026 — 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.

Charles Spurgeon said, “The resurrection of Christ is the cornerstone of the glorious temple of truth, the keystone of the arch of revelation.”

What we believe about the resurrection gives meaning and purpose to everything else. The resurrection is the defining Truth. In 2 Timothy 2:19 we read two important truths about this foundation: (1) God knows those who truly know Him, and (2) Those who really know Him must unabashedly stand for the Truth.

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Words are powerful, they are creative. At the very beginning of Time, God said, “Light” and light existed (Genesis 1:1-3). God’s Word is still creating today (Hebrews 4:12). There are words we need to let go, and there is the Word for which we must stand without wavering or backing down.

In 1 Timothy 1:3-7, Paul essentially says we have two choices: Do we want to promote controversy or do we want to promote God’s work? We have to learn to distinguish what is biblical and what is not.

Biblical things—God’s Word clearly tells us “Yes” (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Unbiblical things—God’s Word clearly tells us “No” (like: do not murder, do not commit adultery, etc.)

These two are fairly straightforward. As Dr. Donald Stamps wrote, “The Church has the responsibility to safeguard the true and original apostolic doctrines found in Scripture and commit it to others without compromise or corruption.”

What is harder to sort out is:

Extra-biblical things—something in addition to or outside of God’s Word
Non-biblical things—something not specifically addressed in God’s Word

Passages like 1 Timothy 4:1-7 and 2 Timothy 2:14-19 help us sort out biblical and non-biblical things.

Are extra-biblical things wrong? Not necessarily. Paul quoted poets, and even uses an extra-biblical example of Jannes and Jambres [who] opposed Moses (3:8).

Are non-biblical things wrong? Not necessarily. But both extra-biblical and non-biblical things can become wrong when we give these things biblical status (Mark 7:9).

“Church” and “Christian” can completely lose their biblical meaning if we allow unbiblical, extra-biblical, or non-biblical ideas to define them. We must stand firm on God’s Word to give biblical meaning to everything we say and do.

Jesus said, “I will build MY Church.” He’s going to build it His way, not our way. We don’t want to fight the Architect, but neither do we want to fight the erring saint or the scoffing skeptic (2 Timothy 2:22-26).

Let me give you four applications for this:

Do get into God’s Word everyday.
Don’t define the words but let God define His own words.
Do gently challenge those saints who are getting caught up in non-biblical or extra-biblical things.
Don’t quarrel with those who are living an unbiblical lifestyle (Colossians 4:5; Jude 1:22).

You can find all of the other messages in this series called “I will build My Church” by clicking here.

You may also be interested in these posts and videos:

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, biblical, Calvary Assembly of God, church, Colossians, Creation, extra-biblical, Genesis, Jesus Christ, Jude, non-biblical, resurrection, sermon, unbiblical, video. 4 Comments »

Links & Quotes

March 7, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Is it possible for you to accurately judge whether or not you are being honest with yourself? Probably not. You need something or someone else to help you see yourself clearly.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The Christian optimism is based on the fact that we do not fit in to the world. … That is what makes life at once so splendid and so strange. We are in the wrong world. When I thought that was the right town, it bored me; when I knew it was wrong, I was happy. So the false optimism, the modern happiness, tires us because it tells us we fit into this world. The true happiness is that we don’t fit. We come from somewhere else.” —G.K. Chesterton

“It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.” —C.S. Lewis

Del Tarr’s life “embodied a simple conviction: to preach Christ well, one must first listen and learn well.” Tarr was a missionary and a linguist. His legacy is empowering for all Christians, not just those missionaries who minister in other countries.

The ICR reports, “According to the online Smithsonian magazine, ‘The calls and songs of some species in these groups [parrots, songbirds, and hummingbirds] appear to have even more in common with human language, such as conveying information intentionally and using simple forms of some of the elements of human language such as phonology, semantics and syntax.’” There are numerous corroborating studies that tell of the complex language of birds that never could have developed by chance, but were designed by an all-wise Creator.

“In Biblical times, farmers would put olives in the trough of a stone olive press, and then roll the large, heavy circular stone over them. The enormous weight of the stone crushed the olives, allowing the oil inside to pour out through a spout cut into the stone. The first pass of the heavy stone produced the most precious, pure drops of olive oil. This oil was extremely expensive and was used to anoint kings. In Hebrew, this sort of olive press is called a ‘gat shemanim’ (גתשמנים pronounced ‘geth-sem-uh-nim’), which we translate in English as ‘gethsemane.’ Sound familiar?” —Dave Adamson [see Mark 14:32-36]

“To overcome the world takes faith and faith comes when we hear the Word quickened by the Holy Spirit. Be faithful in prayer and reading your Bible. It sounds like a Sunday school answer, but it is quite literally the application for every verse in the Bible.” —YouVersion reading plan Uncommen: Holy Connection

Intentional Habits

March 6, 2026 — 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.

Consistent leaders are exemplary leaders, but consistency doesn’t happen automatically. Effective leadership of others starts with effective leadership of yourself.

Check out the full conversation Greg and I had about leadership consistency.

You may also want to check out a couple of related posts:

And I take several chapters in my book Shepherd Leadership talking about the habit that are necessary for us to excel in our ministry positions.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig And Greg Show, habits, leadership, video. Leave a Comment »

The Authority In Bowing

March 2, 2026 — 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.

Recognition of the proper chain of command is drilled into every soldier, and knowing and following that chain of command is essential to success. In fact, it’s so important that violating this hierarchy could result in court martial and a dishonorable removal from military service.

This is just as true in our service in the Lord’s army.

Pastor Dan Chastain noted how similar the US Army’s Non-commissioned Officer (NCO) creed is to the way Roman centurion’s operated: “I will know my Soldiers and always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my Soldiers and I will never leave them uniformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment.”

The centurion we meet in Luke 7:2-10 cared for his servants and understood the chain of command. He recognized the supreme authority that Jesus had, even His authority over death and disease.

(Check out all of the Scriptures I mention in this post here.)

Pastor Dan also noted that the backing for an NCO’s authority is fear. There is an understanding of the authority that officer has to both reward and punish.

The Romans had perfected the torturous act of crucifixion. It struck fear into the hearts of their enemies. In Mark 15:15-38 we see just how well the Romans had developed this gruesome act to keep people living in fear of them.

They knew just how much to flog their victims to demoralize them for maximum effect—just enough to take the fight out of them, but not too much that they died before being crucified.

The death of Jesus, however, was probably not what the Roman kill squad expected. It was probably a bit of a letdown for them that Jesus died rather quickly because they were used to their enemies suffering for days. But they also knew they had to ensure that their victims were truly dead (see John 19:31-34).

Governor Pontius Pilate was also surprised how quickly Joseph of Arimathea showed up to ask for the body of Jesus, so Pilate summoned the centurion who had been in charge of the crucifixions to verify that He was indeed dead (Mark 15:42-45).

Did you notice that Pilate called “the centurion”? Who is this? He’s the one who oversaw the kill squad that had crucified Jesus and the two other criminals.

This centurion was a professional soldier. He had obtained his rank by his military skill, his leadership capabilities, his bravery, and his rigidly following the chain of command. His climb through up the ranks would have had him saying over and over again, “Kyrios kaiser,” which means “Caesar is lord.”

But notice that throughout the time that the Roman soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes, hurled insults and Him, and thrust a spear into His side that this centurion remained silent. There was something about this Man that was different.

When Jesus breathed His last breath, this soldier didn’t say, “Kyrios kaiser,” but something entirely different—“And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how He died, he said, ‘Surely this Man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). He changed from “Caesar is lord” to “Jesus is Lord”!

Just like the Romans terrified their enemies, our enemy wants to do the same thing—to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10); to prowl and growl like a lion (1 Peter 5:8).

We resist him not by our show or force against him, but by our show of submission to the King of kings (Philippians 2:10-11). The devil isn’t afraid of you, and you aren’t strong enough to defeat him (check out what happened in Acts 19:11-16). But satan has been defeated by our King, and when you bow to Christ’s authority, then he must flee from you (James 4:7).

Our authority comes from bowing, from giving up our way of doing things, from not trying to figure out solutions on our own. When we bow to our King, we have victory!

If you’ve missed any of the messages in this series on spiritual warfare, check them all out here.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, Calvary Assembly of God, centurion, crucifixion, Gospel of John, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Mark, military, Philippians, Roman Empire, sermon, spiritual warfare, US armed forces, video, world history. 1 Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 28, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

As we mature physically we pay more attention to our physical health. Why is that people who see themselves as spiritually mature think they can do the exact opposite by taking it easy? We must pay more attention, not less.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

A worldwide missions movement that was started by five college students while they were sheltering from a storm in a haystack. Appropriately enough, this is remembered as the haystack prayer meeting.

“Intangible falsehood, based upon no authority, is of all things the most difficult to fight.” —G.K. Chesterton

“In his gospel, Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy to Adam. He then says Jesus went into the desert to be tempted by satan, the same spiritual being who tempted Adam thousands of years before. The apostle Paul makes the same comparison in Romans. Adam brought death into the world; Jesus brought life. In fact, Jesus came to save us because of what Adam did. When Paul is in Athens, he explains that all people are descended from one man. When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he says marriage goes back to the first couple. And when Paul talks about roles in the church, He refers to the first temptation.” —From the ‘Is Genesis History?’ reading plan on YouVersion. Check out Luke 3:23-38, 4:1-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 19:4.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: church history, G.K. Chesterton, Genesis, Gospel of Luke, lies, maturity, missions, physical health, quotes, Romans, spiritual health, Steve Nichols, video, YouVersion. Leave a Comment »

The Craig And Greg Show: Consistency Strengthens Leaders

February 26, 2026 — 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.

Like many popular phrases in the lexicon you’ve probably heard “consistency is key” thousands of times and rarely given it a second thought, but Greg and I want to challenge you to revisit this vital area. In today’s episode we discuss how an intentional focus on consistency will make you a better leader—which in turn will make your team more effective and productive.

[0:00] Intro
[0:30] People naturally gravitate towards certainty.
[1:20] One of a leader’s biggest goals should be to be consistent for their team.
[2:29] Greg discusses how an inconsistent leader can derail an organization.
[3:50] What is the message to your team when you’re not consistent?
[5:05] We use non-business examples to highlight the importance of consistency.
[6:44] Consistency takes effort and intentionality.
[9:03] What are people looking for from their leader to be consistent?
[10:53] Greg shares a quote from Aristotle.
[12:46] Excellence isn’t just “a habit,” it is an intentional choice of habits.
[17:42] Protect your spirit.
[18:26] I reveal what has made me the most consistent.
[22:41] Greg and I want you to be more successfully consistent as well!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: consistency, Craig And Greg Show, Greg Heeres, leadership, video. 1 Comment »

Delight In Your Duty

February 23, 2026 — 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.

If anyone is known for attentively doing their duty, it is the members of our military. Duty is drilled into them over and over and over. Civilians could learn a lesson from this. We tend to be reward-motivated, that is to say, if we feel some sort of reward for our effort, we may stick to our commitment. But duty-bound soldiers stick to their commitment regardless of how they feel or what the circumstances are.

We need to be especially on guard against Christian duties that seem to be thankless, or else we may forget about doing them or do them only reluctantly.

Some of you might be saying, “‘Christian’ and ‘duty’ doesn’t sound right in the same sentence. Isn’t everything we do for Jesus supposed to be delightful?” Paul said to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3).

(Check out all of the Scriptures I use in this post by clicking here.)

And listen to these words from Jesus—

Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “Come along now and sit down to eat”? Won’t he rather say, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink”? Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:7-10)

Why does the military drill the idea of duty into every soldier? Because doing your duty is indispensable to success in battle!

In the New Testament, we meet three Roman soldiers who did their duty. Only one that we know of became a follower of Jesus, yet all three were pivotal for two key leaders in the early Church. These Roman soldiers were important because doing their duty helped Peter and Paul get where God had called them.

Peter—Jesus called on Peter to be one of the foundational leaders of the Church (Matthew 16:18). But Peter never stepped fully into this role until a Roman centurion named Cornelius did his duty.

In Acts 10:1-7 we meet Cornelius who followed the command of an angel without question, just as a dutiful soldier would. This dutiful act helped Peter understand what God was calling him to do (10:15-16, 22-28), and then helped him explain what the rest of the Church was supposed to do (11:18; 15:7-11).

Paul—Lysias was the commander of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem. He saved Paul from literally being torn limb-from-limb by an angry mob, and then he safely transported Paul to Caesarea to avoid the assassins who were laying in wait to ambush Paul (Acts 21-22).

Then when Paul was being sent to stand trail before Emperor Nero, a centurion named Julius also went to extraordinary lengths to see that Paul made it safely to Rome (Acts 27).

All three of these Roman soldiers were merely doing their duty—obey orders from their commanding officers—but their dutiful service allowed Peter and Paul to get to the places where God needed them to be.

Earlier I asked if the Christian life was supposed to be delightful. It may not be delightful here, but doing our duty may be tough at times. Paul said he rejoiced in the difficulties (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Truly, doing our duty here is noticed by our Commander and King. Allow me to paraphrase Matthew 25:21 for the reward that Jesus gives those saintly soldiers who do their duty—

Our Commander will reply, “Well done, good and dutiful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Do your duty—for your sake, for the benefit of others, and for the glory of our King.

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series called The Lord’s Army, you can find them all here.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 2 Corinthians, 2 Timothy, Book of Acts, Calvary Assembly of God, centurion, Christianity, commitment, Cornelius, duty, Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Matthew, Julius, Lysias, rewards, sermon, spiritual warfare, video. 1 Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 21, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Christians never have to be at a loss of which way to go. We can yield to our GPS—God’s Personal Spirit in us!

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

A cold-case detective examines the universe as he would a crime scene. “The universe is an incredibly complex, finely tuned environment—so precise that carbon-based life like ours can exist at all. This point isn’t just made by those who believe in God; it’s widely recognized, even by critics and naturalists who try to account for the remarkable, razor-edge calibration of cosmological constants like the weak and strong nuclear forces, as well as electromagnetism. These are set within the narrowest tolerances. Just a slight deviation, and our universe would not be capable of sustaining life—yet, here we are.”

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis gives these words to Screwtape about politics: “About the general connection between Christianity and politics, our position is more delicate. Certainly we do not want men to allow their Christianity to flow over into their political life, for the establishment of anything like a really just society would be a major disaster. On the other hand we do want, and want very much, to make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything—even to social justice.”

A Christian brother or sister says or does something just a little “off.” How do you respond? “Now you’re pretty sure you should say something. But you’re also busy. Or you think someone else might be in a better position to bring it up. Or you hate uncomfortable conversations. (Or all of the above.) So you convince yourself to stay quiet.” Scott Hubbard shows us from Scripture why staying silent is not an option for Christians who love each other.

“According to Big Bang cosmology, we should be seeing these very distant galaxies, not as they are now, but as they were shortly after the Big Bang. Since star and galaxy formation should take many millions of years, theorists were not expecting to see many galaxies in the ‘early’ universe, and those that did exist were expected to be unevolved and immature. Yet data from the James Webb Space Telescope have been shattering these Big Bang expectations.” Check out this astronomical evidence that points to an all-wise Creator.

“Metabolomics is the study of chemical processes involving small molecules that were part of fats, proteins, amino acids, and nucleic acids.” This study has recently been applied to fossilized bones that have been excavated. The results: “Tiny chemical clues trapped inside ancient bones are revealing what animals ate, the diseases they carried, and the environments they lived in.”

“[God] unrolls before Job a long panorama of created things, the horse, the eagle, the raven, the wild ass, the peacock, the ostrich, the crocodile. He so describes each of them that it sounds like a monster walking in the sun. The whole is a sort of psalm or rhapsody of the sense of wonder. The Maker of all things is astonished at the things He has Himself made. This we may call the third point. Job puts forward a note of interrogation; God answers with a note of exclamation. Instead of proving to Job that it is an explicable world, He insists that it is a much stranger world than Job ever thought it was.” —G.K. Chesterton

Loving, Truthful, And Calm

February 19, 2026 — 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.

Greg and I took some time to discuss some of the best traits we’ve experienced in some memorable leaders in our work careers. Three traits are linked together in a powerful combination.

Check out the full conversation we had on Memorable Leaders.

You may also want to check out a blog post and video I shared previously called “Speak the Truth in Love.”

And speaking of leadership models, my book Shepherd Leadership calls us back to the leadership model that is most consistently used throughout the Bible.

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

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Craig And Greg Show, leadership, love others, memories, video. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

February 14, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Greg and I challenge you to take a phrase from our amazing military personnel: Change “I work here” to “I serve here.” Then just as we express our thanks to our active duty and retired service members—“Thank you for your service”—others at our workplaces can say the same thing to us.

I have a lot of new video content on my YouTube channel every week. Please check it out and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.

“The human mind never goes so fast as that except when it has got into a groove.” —G.K. Chesterton

“In the opening paragraph of Revelation, we’re met by the encouragement, ‘Blessed are those . . . who keep what is written in [this prophecy]’ (1:3). Then at the conclusion we’re reminded, ‘Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book’ (22:7; see also 22:9).” Justin Dillehay then outlines three ways Christians can “keep” the Book of Revelation.

“For it is not so much of our time and so much of our attention that God demands; it is not even all our time and all our attention; it is ourselves. … When we try to keep within us an area that is our own, we try to keep an area of death. Therefore, in love, He claims all. There’s no bargaining with Him.” —C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

T.M. Moore also wrote about the Intimate Glory we have in Jesus: “The greatness of our great salvation is to be known in the Presence of Jesus, God With Us, and the intimacy of peace, safety, rest, and joy we know in Him. Take away all the outward trappings and benefits of our salvation, and we will still, like Peter, be overjoyed just to be with Jesus. The hope of sharing in His glory—not just then and there but now and here in all we do—refreshes and excites our soul and energizes our bodies for daily obedience.”