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 | Oct 14, 2021 | Mark 10:35-45
When I was 23 I underwent a six-hour surgery. The physician harvested skin and muscle from my throat and from the sides of my mouth. He used that tissue to construct what is called a pharyngeal flap, a kind of artificial soft palate. You see, I was born without the...
by jakeowensby | Oct 1, 2021 | Mark 10:2-16
She had endured beatings and intimidation for about a decade and a half. The breaking point came when her husband stuck a pistol in her face. That’s when my mother decided to divorce my father. This happened in the small-town, church-going Deep South of the 1960’s....
by jakeowensby | Sep 17, 2021 | grace, Mark 9:30-37
People are more than one thing. Our worst moments do not define us. None of us is merely petty, angry, stubborn, self-absorbed, impatient, or hypocritical. We can also be kind, selfless, courageous, persistent, curious, and honest. Everybody operates from mixed...
by jakeowensby | Jun 29, 2020 | Uncategorized
We are all connected, whether we acknowledge that or not. I cannot really separate my well-being from yours. What you do affects everyone else. Life is all about relationships. Here’s a brief meditation: This video refers to a passage from Matthew and a prayer. Here’s...