Pastor Craig’s Corner
Rev. Dr. Craig M. Watts was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended college at the University of Michigan where he directed a campus ministry. Craig earned his Master’s of Divinity and his Master’s of Science in Human Development Counseling at Vanderbilt University. Craig earned his Doctorate of Ministry at Boston University. He was ordained as a Christian Church (DOC) minister in 1980. He served churches in Oklahoma, Illinois, and Kentucky prior to his move to Coral Springs, FL in 2000.
Preaching, teaching, and compassionate outreach are the cornerstones of Craig’s ministry. Of these, preaching is his central passion and purpose. He is dedicated to offering meaningful and useful sermons to teach and to witness. Several dozen of his sermons have been published in leading professional journals for ministers and in several resource books. Further he has had numerous essays published in religious magazines and academic journals, and he has had two books published, Disciples of Peace (Indianapolis: Doulous Christou Press, 2005) and Bowing Toward Babylon (WIPF and STOCK Publishers, 2017).
In addition to caring for the needs of his congregation, Craig endeavors to be involved in various community ministries including a number of ecumenical events throughout the year. He is a strong advocate for peace and justice. Most recently he has spent a great deal of time fighting against laws that detrimentally impact the homeless that have been put into effect in Ft Lauderdale and regularly participates in feedings that take place downtown. He has served on the board of the Disciples Peace Fellowship, the oldest denominationally related peace organization in America, for many years, and he regularly contributes to the Shalom Vision blog on their website.
It is hard to keep negative feelings in check when we face people who are doing things that we believe are devilish. But we need to embrace the wisdom of scripture: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
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Scripture says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Let’s pray that those with great power set aside their pride and threats and instead exhibit restraint.
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Several years ago RPCC hosted an interfaith forum on “Religions of Peace.” Pastor Craig’s contribution was later published in a journal under the title, “Is Christianity a Religion of Peace?” If you want to learn more about a Christian perspective on war and peace follow the link below. Is Christianity…
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In an important but challenging scripture text the Apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
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Happiness…Again No doubt happiness is number one on the list of human wishes. People pursue happiness in a variety of ways, some more helpful than others. But the goal of all our efforts is a sense of well-being and fulfillment. Recently I heard someone say that happiness is…
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HAPPY FAITH A couple of days ago I heard someone say, when is it my turn to be happy? Everyone wants to be happy. Not many are very good at it. Sometimes we attribute our lack of Happiness to others. We hold them accountable for what is missing in our…
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It probably comes as no surprise that I’m not particularly pleased with the “Christian leaders” who get most of the media attention. In fact I’m usually either appalled or embarrassed by the sorts of things that get said by those who are most often trotted out in front of TV cameras to represent…
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Spiritual Hunger I don’t know if anything is more spiritually hazardous than satisfaction. The unhealthiest relationship with God is the one that is “good enough.” If there is no craving for closeness, no hunger for more, no desire for a deeper connection with God, danger is near at hand. Jesus…
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Needs and God God’s will and our desires are certainly not the same thing. And yet the will of God and the needs of people are not utterly different either. Even those of us who sometimes speak of God as the “Wholly Other” cannot strictly separate the human and the…
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LIFE TOGETHER Remember the motto of the Three Musketeers? “All for one and one for all!” That sounds like something that should be on the lips and in the hearts of every church member. In good times and in bad, mutual support is essential for the life we share in…
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