Watch Out For Flattery

November 3, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Then the Pharisees met together to plot how to trap Jesus into saying something for which He could be arrested. They sent some of their disciples, along with the supporters of Herod, to meet with Him. “Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest You are. You teach the way of God truthfully. You are impartial and don’t play favorites. Now tell us what You think about this: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” But Jesus knew their evil motives. “You hypocrites!” He said. “Why are you trying to trap Me?” (Matthew 22:15-18) 

In my book When Sheep Bite, I call flattery the sneaky bite. Jesus was certainly aware when people crossed the line from compliment to flattery, and wise leaders will do the same. In the chapter on flattery, I wrote—

     You may be thinking, “Wait a minute! I thought we were talking about the bites of the sheep in this section. How is flattery a ‘bite’?” 

     Let me explain by first giving you the dictionary definition for flattery so that we can distinguish it from a compliment. A compliment is an expression of praise or admiration. Flattery is marked by its excessive or insincere praise. … 

     Flattery crosses a line. 

     The compliment become flattery when the words begin to sound like, “This is the best sermon I have ever heard,” or “Everyone in the world who needs counseling should come to you,” or “No one could have done what you did for our family.” Flattery begins to put the shepherd on a pedestal. … 

     So we need to guard our hearts against the desire to hear compliments from the sheep we serve. If our heart is in this posture, we can easily slide into self-pity if we don’t get the recognition we think we deserve. Then when the sycophantic flatterers come along, and we’re parched for praise, we will quickly lap up everything they are doling out. As a result, we are now listening for a voice other than our Master to say, “Well done,” and we can all too easily slide into a people-pleasing lifestyle. 

Learn more about the sneaky bite of flattery, as well as the biblical way to handle all of the other ways that sheep bite their shepherd. Pick up a copy of When Sheep Bite today. 

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Not This Way, But This Way

October 28, 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. 

The apostle Peter was a big believer in repetition to get his message through (just look at the words remind you, refresh your memory, and remember these things in 2 Peter 1:13-15). As pastors who are in the pastures of ministry every single day, it’s good for us to be frequently reminded of the duties of our calling. So, who better do to this than the apostle Peter; or, as he called himself: “a fellow elder” (1 Peter 5:1). 

Peter’s repetition to pastors comes after he tells them, “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them” (1 Peter 5:2). Then in verses 2 and 3, Peter repeats a pattern three times to remind shepherd leaders of what Christ-honoring shepherding looks like. The phrase is: “not … but….” 

(1) “NOT because you must, BUT because you are willing” (v. 2). 

This contrasts a “get to” attitude with a “have to” attitude. If we have a “have to” attitude about tending to the sheep in our pasture, we will ultimately end up trying to coerce the sheep to follow us. Jesus said worldly leaders use their authority to “lord it over” the people around them, but He calls His leaders to be servants (Luke 22:25–27). 

Shepherding is NOT a duty, BUT a delight. 

(2) “NOT pursuing dishonest gain, BUT eager to serve” (v. 2). 

The KJV says this very graphically: not for filthy lucre. Shepherds are not supposed to be bottom-line, profit-motivated workers. To think something like, “I don’t get paid enough to do this,” is to say, “I’m only here for the paycheck.” The AMPC renders this verse, “Not dishonorably motivated by the advantages and profits belonging to the office, but eagerly and cheerfully.” The true shepherd knows that the true rewards come from the Chief Shepherd only after the flock is brought Home. 

Shepherding is NOT for temporal rewards, BUT to hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” 

(3) “NOT lording it over those entrusted to you, BUT being examples to the flock” (v. 3). 

Our shepherding should NOT be, “Do as I say,” BUT always, “Do as I do.” Again, the AMPC captures it well: “Not domineering—as dictatorial and overbearing persons—but being examples, patterns, and models of Christian living to the flock.” Shepherd leaders seek the Holy Spirit’s help to be gentle, patient, and creative with the flock under their care. 

Shepherd leaders must always remember, “These are NOT my sheep, BUT they are Christ’s.” 

We shepherd NOT to get temporary rewards and recognition here, BUT to know the Master’s eternal rewards and approval in Heaven. 

I invite you to check out three of my books to help shepherd leaders: 

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

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Don’t Slander

September 29, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:16 NLT) 

Slander is defined as: “The utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation.” (Merriman-Webster dictionary) 

I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors. I will not endure conceit and pride. (Psalm 101:5 NLT) 

Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool. Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. (Proverbs 10:18-19 NLT) 

And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. (Matthew 12:36) 

In my book When Sheep Bite, I have a whole chapter about dealing with slanderers. In that chapter I wrote—

     You might be thinking, “But I have to respond to these lies, right? I can’t just let them continue to fly around unchecked because people may start believing these falsehoods.” I think this is a very natural response, but I want to again call us to strive for a supernatural response—something we can only do if we are completely yielded to God. Just as we saw what Peter wrote about the way Jesus didn’t verbally lash out at His slanderers (1 Peter 2:23), we need to respond in the same way as our Chief Shepherd did. … 

     Don’t treat those who criticize and slander you as an enemy. Instead, grieve for their hardened hearts and pray for God’s mercy on them. Intercede for them to be able to acknowledge their sinful words, so they may ask God for forgiveness before His judgment inevitably falls on them. Remember that these sheep—though they are angry and attacking—are still ones for whom Jesus shed His blood. The natural response may be a desire to see our slanderers eternally punished, but the supernatural response is to desire for their soul to be eternally in God’s presence. (Excerpt from When Sheep Bite) 

God-fearing people are not to listen to slander nor to slander another. Every human is created in the image of God—to slander another is to slander his or her Creator. 

You may also want to check out these blog posts: 

And these videos:

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Links & Quotes

September 26, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Psalm 99 lists four different ways saints come to worship before God’s throne. The Old English spelling is “worthship” because God is worth all of the praise we can lift to Him—especially when we think about the sins He has forgiven 🙌🏻

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.

“True love hates that which is unlovely. It is inevitable that a man, who is full of love, should feel intense indignation against that which is contrary to love. Hence the apostle says, ‘If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 John 4:18-20 

Christians aren’t supposed to be “lone rangers” but in community with other saints. T.M. Moore wrote, “Our Christian friends can be a very helpful resource for improving our conversational skills, if we will take the time to talk about spiritual things. As iron sharpens iron, we may expect that, by engaging often in conversations with other believers, over matters of the highest moment, our conversational skills will improve steadily over time. We might even have some fun.”

The social conditions that led up to the Prayer Revival of 1857, in many ways, mirror those in America today. Check out a short history lesson about spiritual revivals. 

“And, in yet another sense, handing everything over to Christ does not, of course, mean that you stop trying. To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity 

A young man in the middle school where I serve asked to read a copy of my book When Sheep Bite. Nearly every day on his lunch break, Nick would come into talk with me about what he read, and share some insights he had gleaned. He wrote the most sincere and straightforward endorsement that I have ever received.

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Why A Book Of Prayers?

September 10, 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

It’s a good question: Why would I put all of this effort into writing yet another book? The simple answer: This book basically wrote itself! 

In their book Spiritual Leadership, Henry and Richard Blackaby wrote, “Biblical praying can be the most challenging, exhausting, laborious, and yet rewarding thing leaders do. … More than any other single thing leaders do, their prayer life determines their effectiveness.” 

This is exactly why I wrote Amen Indeed—I wanted to help shepherd leaders with this laborious yet rewarding discipline. You can pick up a copy by clicking here. 

And if you also want to check out the book that Jim Wiegand held up during this interview, get your copy of When Sheep Bite here. 

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

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3 Vital Attributes For Healthy Leaders

August 20, 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

When it comes to leaders being hurt by those under their care, it is not a matter of if but when. How leaders respond to these attacks reveal three key attributes that must be addressed. 

On the Ailbe Podcast, T.M. Moore and Rusty Rabon asked me what attributes pastors needed to develop to respond to sheep bites in a God-honoring way. I believe the three most important attributes are: 

  1. Humility 
  2. Vulnerability 
  3. Accountability 

Humility is the ability of a leader to be open to the possibility that the sheep bite may have been in reaction to something the shepherd did or failed to do. To go a little deeper on this point, check out Pay Attention to the Bites. 

Vulnerability is used in the context of bearing our souls to a true friend. T.M. Moore has written extensively about “soul friends,” and we discussed that in more detail in a previous appearance on the Ailbe Podcast which you can check out here. [soul friends] 

Accountability is really a direct result of our humility with ourselves and our vulnerability with a soul friend. As the Bible tells us over and over again, we need to remain in relationship with fellow saints that can encourage us, empower us, and sometimes correct us. Check out the blog post and video Accountability to Saints. 

If you desire to grow as a godly shepherd leader, please check out my book Shepherd Leadership. 

If you want to learn more about how to recover from sheep bites and how to handle future attacks in a biblical, Christ-like way, please pick up a copy of When Sheep Bite.  

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

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Let Your Silence Do The Talking

August 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. 

…When He was reviled, did not revile (1 Peter 2:23 NKJV). 

In the Greek language, this phrase is loidoreo antiloidoreo ou antiloidoreo.  

Loidoreo means to insult, reproach, and revile. 

Antiloidoreo means not to do those things. 

Reviling others—especially those who have already reviled us—is a natural response. But not reviling or responding to revilers with reviling of our own is a supernatural response. 

Anyone can speak or act unkindly, and it’s sort of expected when someone else has reviled you first. But to bless someone that has revealed first or to remain silent as Jesus did, requires Spirit-empowered self-control (see 1 Corinthians 4:12 and 1 Peter 3:9).

Our silence in these situations speaks volumes! 

Was Jesus really silent? Peter says Jesus “entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” I think Jesus had an internal dialogue with His Father, something like, “Father, You hear the hurtful reviling they are heaping on Me. I trust You to handle this so that I don’t have to.” 

The only words Jesus spoke aloud to those who were reviling Him were still words spoken to His Father: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). 

Jesus responded with supernatural antiloidoreo, which spoke louder than their natural loidoreo! 

So this has me thinking: When loidoreo is hurled at me, will I respond naturally with more loidoreo? Or will I allow the Holy Spirit to help me respond supernaturally with antiloidoreo? 

My book When Sheep Bite is all about seeking to respond supernaturally when we have been treated unfairly and unkindly. This book is especially for pastors, but I also shared several posts and videos for all Christians in a series called When Sheep Bite Sheep. 

You may also want to check out these related blog posts:

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

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The Grind To Excellence

August 13, 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

When I would be struggling with stick-to-it-iveness, my Mom would say to me, “Anything worth having is worth working for.” From a young age, she was encouraging me to grind through the tough work to get to the payoff on the other side. 

This is a great leadership principle, not only for leaders but for the teams they lead as well. Check out this clip where Greg and I talk about the grind necessary to achieve greatness. 

You can watch the full Craig and Greg Show episode where we discuss how the leadership builder of resilience can keep at bay the leadership killer of resignation. 

My book When Sheep Bite will help pastors who are trying to grind through the painful experience of biting sheep. This book has helped so many pastors see the factors that led up to the bite, the biblical responses to bites, and the resilience we can discover to help these shepherd leaders stay faithful to God’s calling. Check it out! 

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

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The Heavy Responsibility Of Pastoring

August 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. Check out the video content in this post by clicking here. 

Even Charles Spurgeon—a man called “the prince of preachers”—recognized the heavy responsibility of God’s call on someone to serve as a pastor. 

Here are the two Spurgeon quotes I shared in the video—

“Oh, what a solemn thing it is to be a preacher of the everlasting gospel! It is an office so high that an angel might covet it, but one that is so responsible that even an angel might tremble to undertake it.” 

“Pray for us who preach, not merely to a few, but to many of our fellow-creatures, that we may be the means, in the hand of God, of blessing to our hearers.” 

The best resource a pastor can tap into is prayer, and I would suggest that the first person a pastor should pray for is himself. This is where my book Amen Indeed can be a huge blessing. This is a book that helps pastors turn the Scriptures into prayer. 

Pick up your copy of Amen Indeed here. 

If you are a pastor who has been wounded in your ministry work, you may also want to check out my book When Sheep Bite. 

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

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Links & Quotes

July 11, 2026 — Craig T. Owens

Here’s a quote from John Piper that got me thinking: “God loves His people. He loves for them to get good food, rich food. He knows how to put His shepherds in the vice of affliction and squeeze out of us authentic, prayer-soaked, desperation-flavored insight—the unsearchable riches of Christ for the joy of His people.” Pastor, God wants to use you to shepherd the flock He’s placed under your care. So trust Him to give you what you need. And check out my book When Sheep Bite to help you along through this journey.

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.

“Do more than go to church; be the church. Find a place to serve in the promises of your pastor and fight for that vision like it was your own. Do more than give what’s left; give what’s right. Do more than show up as a consumer; show up as a partner, knowing the day will come when you will need partnership to see your dream come to pass. If your promise is concerning business, then be the best employee of the people for whom you work. If your promise will need generous people involved to make it happen, then be generous in the promises of others. If your promise is about your family, be a blessing to the families of those who are around you. Make their dreams come to pass and you will plant the seeds that will, in time, become the fruit of your God-given why.” —Jim Wiegand, in Why is Greater Than What 

“You have noticed, I expect, that Christ Himself sometimes describes the Christian way as very hard, sometimes as very easy. He says, ‘Take up your Cross’—in other words, it is like going to be beaten to death in a concentration camp. Next minute he says, ‘My yoke is easy and my burden light.’ He means both.” —C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity 

T.M. Moore is beginning a new series of posts on the importance of the spiritual life for the Christian. He writes, “We may thus define the spiritual life in terms of Christ exalted as our focus, Christ indwelling as our sustaining power, Christ at work in and through us as the outcome of our discipleship, and Christ returning as the hope which sustains us through the tests we encounter every day. True spiritual life, in other words, is all about Jesus Christ.”

“The truths of eternity have an infinite power. They are often powerless because we do not give them time to reveal themselves. Taking time to be alone with God is the only remedy. … The Word that we get from the mouth of God brings the power to know it and to do it. Let us learn this lesson: personal fellowship with God alone in secret can make the Word alive and powerful.” —Andrew Murray 

Dr. Thaddeus Williams unpacks what Charles Darwin meant when he wrote to a friend, “The horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man’s mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy.” Check out Dr. Williams’ post, which he opens with, “If our minds came from a capital “M” Mind—God—gifted to us as truth-knowing mechanisms, we have a reason to reason. But if our minds came from a non-mind, a literally dumb process of random mutations and natural selection, then our minds are not fundamentally truth-knowing mechanisms, but mere survival mechanisms.”

“Our first birth brought us into sin and sorrow, but our second birth brings us into purity and joy. We were born to die; now are we born never to die, ‘begotten again’ unto a life that shall remain in us for evermore, a life which shall even penetrate these mortal bodies, and make them immortal, ‘by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.’” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on 1 Peter 1:3-4 

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