Jake Owensby
@jakeowensby.bsky.social
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana. Chancellor of Sewanee: The University of the South. jakeowensby.substack.com
Faith isn’t an achievement. It’s not a transaction. Faith is gift—God’s way of drawing us into relationship.
What Is Faith?
Faith is a gift, not an achievement
open.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 11:40 PM
Faith isn’t an achievement. It’s not a transaction. Faith is gift—God’s way of drawing us into relationship.
Our spiritual habits have an eternal trajectory
Becoming the Beloved
The Eternal Trajectory of Our Spiritual Habits
open.substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Our spiritual habits have an eternal trajectory
Christian spiritual practices are about relationship. They open us to God’s presence.
What Makes Spiritual Practices Christian
Secular and Religious Spiritual Pathways
open.substack.com
September 19, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Christian spiritual practices are about relationship. They open us to God’s presence.
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.
I Am Because We Are
Belonging is at the heart of the Gospel
open.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 11:42 AM
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.
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
open.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 10:09 PM
Belief isn’t an idea we hold. It’s a way of life we practice. Doing is believing.
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.
Doing is Believing
Our actions reveal what we truly believe
open.substack.com
August 22, 2025 at 3:10 PM
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.
Sometimes faithfulness starts fires.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.
Starting Fires
When faith sparks conflict
open.substack.com
August 15, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Sometimes faithfulness starts fires.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.
I told my diocese: our first loyalty is to Christ, not party, flag, or nation. It sparked a reaction.
My ego says, “Hurry up.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”
Telling Your Story
Your life is part of a larger story.
open.substack.com
August 11, 2025 at 12:18 PM
My ego says, “Hurry up.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”
Jesus says, “Wait. See what God is up to. Then join in.”
You’re living a story that began before you were born.
Telling Your Story
Your life is part of a larger story.
open.substack.com
August 9, 2025 at 1:24 PM
You’re living a story that began before you were born.
God doesn’t wait for us to go searching.
The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓
The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓
Where the Infinite Finds Us
God meets us in beautiful and messy places
open.substack.com
August 1, 2025 at 1:59 PM
God doesn’t wait for us to go searching.
The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓
The Infinite comes to meet us where we are. ⚓
“I’m not exactly Christian,” she said.
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓
Rethinking Your Spiritual Path
How your path shapes who you become.
open.substack.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:03 PM
“I’m not exactly Christian,” she said.
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓
And that’s when things got interesting. ⚓
We don’t find our true selves by curating a spiritual identity. We become our true selves by answering a call from beyond us. ⚓
Rethinking Your Spiritual Path
How your path shapes who you become.
open.substack.com
July 25, 2025 at 12:42 PM
We don’t find our true selves by curating a spiritual identity. We become our true selves by answering a call from beyond us. ⚓
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. ⚓
Part Two of The Infinite in the Everyday series. ⚓
What Makes Your Life Meaningful
You receive meaning—you don’t achieve it.
open.substack.com
July 18, 2025 at 2:53 PM
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. ⚓
Part Two of The Infinite in the Everyday series. ⚓
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. ⚓
We had 90 minutes to the airport.
And he had a bishop in the back seat. ⚓
The Way of Grace: How Our Choices Matter
Grace is a gift and a responsibility
open.substack.com
July 14, 2025 at 1:18 PM
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. ⚓
We had 90 minutes to the airport.
And he had a bishop in the back seat. ⚓
We long for more—but we aim too low.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.
Our Holy Longing
What are we really looking for?
open.substack.com
July 12, 2025 at 12:38 PM
We long for more—but we aim too low.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.
We settle for what fades when we were made for what lasts.
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? ⚓
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
open.substack.com
July 8, 2025 at 12:42 PM
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? ⚓
Part 3 of The Power of Grace asks: What does grace ask of us? ⚓
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.)
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 Power of Grace: How Our Choices Matter
Grace is a gift and a responsibility
open.substack.com
July 7, 2025 at 3:15 PM
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.)
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.)
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.
open.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 2:53 PM
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. ⚓
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: ⚓
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: ⚓
The Way of Grace: Belonging
How God's love makes us the beloved family.
open.substack.com
June 20, 2025 at 3:41 PM
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: ⚓
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: ⚓
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. ⚓
Turning Everything Upside Down
What does God do with suffering?
open.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 12:50 PM
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. ⚓
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.
Fighting Truth Decay
We need spiritual companions today more than ever
open.substack.com
June 7, 2025 at 12:25 PM
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.
Are mystical experiences all in your head? Here are some thoughts about spiritual experiences in a secular age. ⚓️
Another Perspective
Seeking the spiritual in a disenchanted world
open.substack.com
June 4, 2025 at 1:19 PM
Are mystical experiences all in your head? Here are some thoughts about spiritual experiences in a secular age. ⚓️
In a world where empathy can be disparaged and can even be called a sin, the Christian community becomes a crucial force of resistance.
Bad Faith
Empathy is not a sin, no matter who says it is.
open.substack.com
May 30, 2025 at 5:12 PM
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. ⚓️
May 28, 2025 at 1:57 PM
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. ⚓️
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. ⚓
There’s just one problem when it comes to soul making. The process of spiritual growth requires discomfort, effort, patience, frustration, and perseverance. ⚓
Soul Making in the Age of Big Tech
How Big Tech undermines spiritual growth
open.substack.com
May 23, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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. ⚓
There’s just one problem when it comes to soul making. The process of spiritual growth requires discomfort, effort, patience, frustration, and perseverance. ⚓