by jakeowensby | Apr 29, 2016 | 6 Easter C, Body of Christ, Holy Spirit, Jesus Movement, John 14:23-29
Listen to Audio When our oldest son Andrew was about three, he loved climbing things. Ladders, trellises, trees. They all beckoned him to clamber up toward the roof or the sky. In the house, we found Andrew mounting our coffee table and leaping off. Not wanting him to...
by jakeowensby | May 20, 2013 | Holy Spirit
On the Feast of Pentecost we celebrate the birth of the Jesus-following community. I say “Jesus-following community” instead of Church because the word “Church” has come to be synonymous with organized religion in some circles. That is to say, when people identify...
by jakeowensby | May 28, 2012 | Holy Spirit
Mark Zuckerberg designed Facebook to connect people. According to Facebook, I have literally hundreds of friends. Mind you, I have never met some of my friends. We have never exchanged a spoken word, shared a meal, gone to a movie together, or laid eyes on each...
by jakeowensby | Dec 12, 2011 | Holy Spirit
Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)In the children’s game Follow the Leader, you simply mimic what the leader does until it’s your turn to be the leader. It’s all external stuff.You wave your hands or stand on one foot or stick your finger in your ear...
by jakeowensby | May 10, 2011 | Contentment, Desire, Holy Spirit
This is the final post in the series on desire and discipleship.At the very beginning of this series I said that desire is the third rail of the soul. Our power to accomplish things and to make a contribution in life derives from our passions. Along with this motive...
by jakeowensby | Feb 2, 2011 | Holy Scripture, Holy Spirit
Nothing incites my impatience quite like being told to be patient. In the list of helpful hints for the spiritually weary, the phrase “Be patient!” ranks somewhere near the bottom.Anxiously striving to be patient seems somehow to miss the point.And yet, patience is...