by jakeowensby | Jun 30, 2023 | Matthew 11:16-30, Proper 9 A
They are community centers. Apartment buildings and restaurants. Abandoned, decaying shells. Former worshippers used to call them church. The authors of Beyond Doubt: The Secularization of Society tell us that up to 10,000 churches close each year in the United...
by jakeowensby | Jun 23, 2023 | Matthew 10:40-42
Mack McCarter envisions a world where “every single child, no matter their age, can be safe and loved.”[1] That vision led him in 1994 to leave traditional congregational ministry in Texas and to found Community Renewal International in his hometown of Shreveport,...
by jakeowensby | May 26, 2023 | Holy Spirit, John 7:37-39
A crowd of camo-clad men and women were gathering around a grave. The mourners were wearing camouflage gear to pay tribute to the deceased. Like lots of people in Louisiana, the man had apparently been an avid hunter. A couple of weeks later I took a peek at the newly...
by jakeowensby | Feb 3, 2023 | Being Human, Matthew 5:13-20, salt of the earth
Sister Charleen pulled me aside after one of my high school English Literature classes. Noticing my uncharacteristic silence during the discussion, she asked, “Have you read the book?” We were studying The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I admired and respected...
by jakeowensby | Jan 13, 2023 | Following Jesus, John 1:29-42
Sometimes you don’t realize what you’re getting into. I don’t have bad things in mind. Actually, I’m thinking about good things like marriage or parenting. It’s not that we knew nothing at all about these kinds of relationships before we got hitched or before...
by jakeowensby | Sep 2, 2022 | Disordered Love
The Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell was favored to win the 100 Meter at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. He decided not to compete in the event. The qualifying heat fell on a Sunday. For him, honoring the Sabbath precluded work of any kind, including running in a...
