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 | 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 | Mar 24, 2023 | John 11:1-45
Friends show up. Especially in bad times. They may not know what to say or what to do, but they’ll sit with you in your dark place just so you know that you’re not alone. Jesus was tight with Lazarus and his sisters. So, when Lazarus fell ill, Mary and Martha sent for...
by jakeowensby | Sep 17, 2022 | Luke 16:1-13
Friendship, says C. S. Lewis, “is born at the moment when one [person] says to another “What! You too?” You love this thing that I love? And so it was for one of my oldest friendships. In our boyhood and teen years, R- and I shared a love of Tolkien’s Lord of...
by jakeowensby | May 7, 2021 | John 15:9-17
Even before the pandemic forced many of us into relative isolation, Americans were feeling increasingly lonely. In one pre-COVID survey, more than 3 in 5 people reported feeling poorly understood and hungry for companionship. We human beings are hardwired for...
