Jake Owensby

What Is Faith? Faith is a gift, not an achievement

Faith isn’t an achievement. It’s not a transaction. Faith is gift—God’s way of drawing us into relationship.

Becoming the Beloved The Eternal Trajectory of Our Spiritual Habits

Our spiritual habits have an eternal trajectory

What Makes Spiritual Practices Christian Secular and Religious Spiritual Pathways

Christian spiritual practices are about relationship. They open us to God’s presence.

I Am Because We Are Belonging is at the heart of the Gospel

When our daughter was seven, a psychologist told us that her way of processing the world fell within the autism spectrum. Like most of us, Meredith wants to be herself—and she wants to belong.

Doing is Believing Our actions reveal what we truly believe

Belief isn’t an idea we hold. It’s a way of life we practice. Doing is believing.

Doing is Believing Our actions reveal what we truly believe

Sister Agnes asked the class, “Do you believe in hell?” Not a hand went up. I finally said, “A loving God wouldn’t torture people for eternity.” Everyone stared at their desks.

Starting Fires When faith sparks conflict

Sometimes faithfulness starts fires.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.

Telling Your Story Your life is part of a larger story.

My ego says, “Hurry up.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”

Telling Your Story Your life is part of a larger story.

You’re living a story that began before you were born.

Where the Infinite Finds Us God meets us in beautiful and messy places

God doesn’t wait for us to go searching.

The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓

Rethinking Your Spiritual Path How your path shapes who you become.

“I’m not exactly Christian,” she said.
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓

Rethinking Your Spiritual Path How your path shapes who you become.

We don’t find our true selves by curating a spiritual identity. We become our true selves by answering a call from beyond us. ⚓

What Makes Your Life Meaningful You receive meaning—you don’t achieve it.

Striving won’t satisfy the soul. Love will. In the Incarnation, God crossed the universe to give our lives meaning.

Part Two of The Infinite in the Everyday series. ⚓

The Way of Grace: How Our Choices Matter Grace is a gift and a responsibility

The driver had something to get off his chest.
We had 90 minutes to the airport.
And he had a bishop in the back seat. ⚓

Our Holy Longing What are we really looking for?

We long for more—but we aim too low.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.

The Power of Grace: How Our Choices Matter Grace is a gift and a responsibility

God’s love for us is real, relentless—and demanding in the best way.
Part 3 of The Power of Grace asks: What does grace ask of us? ⚓

The Power of Grace: How Our Choices Matter Grace is a gift and a responsibility

God’s love is a gift, not a transaction.
But it does shape us. It frees us—from fear, from striving, from self-justifying—and it calls us to something bigger than ourselves.
Here’s Part 3 of The Power of Grace. (Links to the full series are inside.)

The Way of Grace: Belonging How God's love makes us the beloved family.

There’s an anonymous quote often mistakenly attributed to Maya Angelou. It goes like this: “Family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs.” Jesus wants us as part of his family. ⚓

The Way of Grace: Belonging How God's love makes us the beloved family.

Hi from week one of sabbatical, everybody!
Part One of a new series The Way of Grace just dropped at The Woodlands. Parts 2 & 3 drop on the following Fridays. Come join me at The Woodlands. Subscriptions are free.
Would love to hear your thoughts: ⚓

Turning Everything Upside Down What does God do with suffering?

Jesus overturns empire by standing in solidarity with the powerless, with those on the margins. And he tells us: take up your cross and follow me. ⚓

Fighting Truth Decay We need spiritual companions today more than ever

None of us can keep walking a pathway relying upon our own sense of unassailable certainty. Alone, we may grow weary and abandon the path. We need walking companions.

Another Perspective Seeking the spiritual in a disenchanted world

Are mystical experiences all in your head? Here are some thoughts about spiritual experiences in a secular age. ⚓️

Bad Faith Empathy is not a sin, no matter who says it is.

In a world where empathy can be disparaged and can even be called a sin, the Christian community becomes a crucial force of resistance.

Led a Preaching Conference today for the Brant-Norfolk Deanery in the Diocese of Huron at Trinity Anglican Church in Simcoe. Here’s a pic of the group in the nave and yours truly in the War Memorial Chapel. Love our Canadian neighbors. ⚓️

Soul Making in the Age of Big Tech How Big Tech undermines spiritual growth

All roads in the social media universe lead to life hacks, to increasingly effortless shortcuts for making life’s biggest dreams come true.
There’s just one problem when it comes to soul making. The process of spiritual growth requires discomfort, effort, patience, frustration, and perseverance. ⚓

Here are some of the birds we heard singing on our walk this morning:

Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Gray Catbird, Tufted Titmouse, Brown Thrasher, Northern Mockingbird, Barn Swallow, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Carolina Wren

Either/Or The power of love redeems the will to power.

Resisting the will to power. ⚓️

So looking forward to this! ⚓️

Presiding at the School of Theology’s graduation at All Saints’ Chapel, Sewanee. Such a remarkable class! ⚓️

What to Make of a Deathbed Experience Walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

As Simone Weil once wrote, "We cannot take a step toward the heavens. God crosses the universe and comes to us." Jesus takes the initiative. Even in the valley of the shadow of death.