by jakeowensby | Sep 8, 2023 | Forgiveness, Matthew 18:21-35
J- remembers bits and pieces of that day. Just a toddler, he recalls playing on the floor with his mother, T-. She had bought some cheap plastic dinosaurs for him at the dime store (or the Dollar Store in today’s language), and she looked on as he marched them around...
by jakeowensby | Sep 1, 2023 | Forgiveness, Matthew 18:15-20, Proper 18 A
On August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Southwest Louisiana with winds of 150 mph. Those winds still exceeded 100 mph as Laura passed through our home in Central Louisiana and traveled north. At dusk the following day, my wife Joy, our daughter Meredith,...
by jakeowensby | Aug 25, 2023 | Holocaust, Matthew 16:21-28
When people first learn that my mother survived the Holocaust, they frequently ask me if she was Jewish.[1] It’s understandable. The Nazi Final Solution targeted Jews. Six million of them died in the camps. It comes as a surprise to them when I explain that my mother...
by jakeowensby | Aug 18, 2023 | Following Jesus, Matthew 16:13-20, Proper 16 A
After Sunday worship at one of the congregations in my diocese, I met with the church’s leadership for the standard review of finances, attendance figures, evangelism strategies, and the like. One of the leaders was visibly angry. He said nothing until we came to the...
by jakeowensby | Aug 11, 2023 | Matthew 15:21-28, Proper 15 A
When my daughter was diagnosed with autism, I had a few choice words for God. On a long evening walk under the stars, I railed at the unfairness of it all. At God’s unfairness. “Honestly, the kid’s barely out of preschool and she’s already undergone open heart...
