wisdom | Craig T. Owens

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Lots Of Stairs

November 10, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Sometimes it’s hard to find a block of time to set aside exclusively for exercise, so I try to build some exercise opportunities into my day. My during-the-day exercise usually is trying to find more ways to walk. Like…

Parking at the back of the parking lot
Walking down the hall to someone’s office instead of sending an email
Taking the stairs

Lately, I’ve been in lots of places with stairs, and yesterday my legs were really feeling it. I learned something from climbing all those stairs: It’s a lot easier going down than it is going up.

Up gets my heart pumping more. Up works up a sweat. Up makes me breathe deeper. Up builds my leg muscles. Up is painful (but it’s a good pain).

The soreness in my legs is a reminder that I’ve exercised, that I’ve done something that’s giving me long-term benefits, that I’ve prepared myself for a healthier future.

Solomon wrote, “The path of life leads upward for the wise to keep him from going down to the grave.”

Spiritually, I can say up brings life.

Up makes me wiser. Up keeps me from going down. Up is painful (but it’s a good pain).

If you haven’t been spiritually sore lately, perhaps you’re shying away from a healthy workout.

Let God take you up today. You might be a little sore tomorrow, but the soreness will remind you that you’ve exercised, that you’ve done something that’s giving you long-term benefits, that you’ve prepared yourself for a heavenly future.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: discipline, exercise, life, proverbs, Solomon, wisdom. 1 Comment »

Tick, Tock! Drip, Drop!

September 16, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Tick, Tock! “There just is never enough time in my day!”

Tick, Tock! “Wow, this day has just flown by and I got nothing done!”

Tick, Tock! “Why do I always have so much To Do List left at the end of my week?”

May I suggest that instead of Tick, Tock! you focus on Drip, Drop!

(The data compiling website Flowing Data has a fascinating look at how men and women of all ages spend their time throughout the day.)

I’ve gotten some great insight on time usage from Paul Meyer. Check it out:

“Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately emptied.”

Usually our time doesn’t just Tick! by, it Drips! by. In other words, it’s really easy to spot the huge time-wasters; it’s much more difficult to find the time-leakers. But they can be found and plugged. Listen to more good advice from Dr. Meyer:

“Time is usually wasted in the same way every day.”

You cannot add more Tick, Tocking! time to your day, but you can keep more of your day from Drip, Dropping! away. Here are two things I’ve done which have really helped me:

For one week (7 full days) I kept a log of how I spent every 15-minute increment. This might sound like a Drip, Drop! thing to do, but I was amazed at how many leaks I discovered after a week of doing this.
Then I prayed the same prayer Moses prayed, “Give me wisdom to use my days the right way.”

If you can identify the time leaks, God can give you the wisdom to help you plug them. When you can control the Drip, Drop! you’ll get more out of your Tick, Tock! each day.

UPDATE: The thoughts in this chapter became a whole chapter in my book Shepherd Leadership. The chapter is called ‘Can’t, Won’t, or Don’t,’ and it addresses the three attitudes that hold us back from stewarding our time.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Moses, Paul Meyer, prayer, Psalm, quotes, shepherd leadership, time, time management, to do lists, wisdom. 2 Comments »

Anti-Sudoku Theology

May 28, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I really enjoy Sudoku. It’s a challenging game of logic, and I’m (for the most part) a logical guy. I like knowing exactly where the digits one through nine are supposed to go, using logical deduction and inference to fill in all of the squares.

If I had my choice, all of life would be this logical. Simple. Neat. Well-defined. Clear. Easy. But, much to my dismay, it’s not.

If I’m following the example and teaching of Jesus, life with Him is anything but logical. Think about some of the paradoxes Jesus Christ taught and lived—

To advance, be humbled.
To have more, give away more.
To possess everything, desire nothing.
To connect with people (social), spend time alone with God (solitude).
To bring people in, go out.
To be a leader, be a servant.
To fill up with God, empty yourself of yourself.
To come first, come last.
To gain wisdom, become foolish.
To gain strength, become weak.
To live, die.

A.W. Tozer wrote about a godly man: “He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels. In himself, nothing; in God, everything.”

It isn’t logical, but it’s true: God loves me. And the greatest of all paradoxes: when I was the least worthy of God’s love, that’s when Jesus came to die for my sins.

God’s love for me—the greatest of paradoxes—helps me live these paradoxes Jesus taught. And His love will help you, too.

What other biblical paradoxes have you discovered?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, God questions, Holy Spirit, humility, Jesus Christ, paradox, quote, sudoku, wisdom. 3 Comments »

Wise Guys

May 21, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

I’m facing a big decision. I have an idea of the right way to go, but I’m taking some time to run my options by some wise guys. After all, even King Solomon—who was wiser than any other man, and probably could advise himself—wrote, “The more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances” (Proverbs 11:14, Message).

I also like what George Washington Carver said, “How much of God are we missing because we don’t stop to listen to the many voices God uses to speak to us?”

Of all the voices speaking to me, how am I choosing which wise guys to listen to?

Friendship—I have to know that my counselors are my friends. William Shakespeare asked the question, “Can he that speaks with the tongue of an enemy be a good counselor, or no?” I would answer “no.” I need wise guys that want me to be successful.

B.T.D.T.—I choose wise guys who have Been There Done That. Guys who have walked through the same scenario I’m facing now. Not a travel agent to point the way, but a tour guide who knows the path and will walk it with me.

Scarred—It’s hard to be helpful to someone else when you still have a gaping wound. I need wise guys who have been wounded in the past but now have the scars to show where they’ve been healed. It’s from this vantage point that they can be of the most help to me.

Successful—Finally, I choose to listen to wise guys who are successful. I don’t need some to tell me what should work—I want to hear what does work.

There’s an old attorney’s adage that says, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” If you have a decision to make I would modify this to say, “He who takes advice only from himself is taking counsel from a fool.”

What else would you look for in a wise guy?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: advice, counselor, decision-making, foolish, friend, friendship, George Washington Carver, personal experience, proverbs, quotes, William Shakespeare, wisdom. 6 Comments »

When Friends Wound

May 6, 2009 — Craig T. Owens

Bill Hybels wrote in Axiom, “The nature of human beings is such that we tend not to drift into better behaviors. We usually have to be asked by someone to consider taking it up a level.” I have learned that this is true not only for behaviors but for crucial decisions too.

I’m in the process of contemplating some major decisions for my life. During this time I am grateful for friends that can give me their counsel and can share with me their wisdom.

I’m also grateful that they wound me.

Huh?

Yes, I am glad for friends who wound me!

The wise King Solomon wrote, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). So true. Those who don’t care about you don’t ask the tough questions; those who care about you challenge your logic and your reasoning. Those who don’t care about you let the little things slide; those who care about you challenge you to not settle for the status quo.

The New Living Translation renders this verse, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” I would much prefer to be wounded by a friend during the decision-making time, than to have lots of so-called love upfront, only to walk smack-dab into a huge problem later. Wouldn’t you? So when I have an important decision to make, I get around people who love me enough to wound me.

And not only for the big decisions, but I need sharp friends for the day-in-day-out things that will help me “take it up a level.” Solomon also said, “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces” (Proverbs 13:20, The Message).

Many years ago a Romanian friend shared with me a proverb from his homeland: “Show me who your friends are and I will tell you who you are becoming.”

What does your choice in friends say about you? Do your friends love you enough to wound you? Do your friends help you take it to the next level?