The Woodlands: A Place for Exploring the Spiritual Life

Hi everybody! Thanks for being here.

I’ve come to think of the Christian spiritual life as aspirational: we yearn to grow. We don’t want to be more because we worry that we’re not enough. Instead, we are drawn to greater depths of something good and beautiful that we’ve already started to experiencing. That’s our theme for this week.

Before turning to the reflection, here’s a quick update on my comings and goings. In October I’l be preaching at All Saints’ Chapel and St. Augustine’s Chapel, both in Sewanee. Then I’ll be leading a retreat for EfM graduates at the Solomon Center in the Diocese of Louisiana. The theme is A Full-Hearted Life.

If you would like for me to speak at your event on themes such as discipleship, preaching, spiritual practices, or the like, just hit the button below and my colleague Holly will help make that happen.

A Spiritual Practice

At the beginning of the day:

Sit comfortably in a quiet place. Breathe. Let your mind settle. After a minute or so, bring to mind people and situations you’ll encounter today. Don’t treat this as a to-do list. Just picture people, places, animals. As each image appears to you, linger and repeat to yourself silently: love.

After five minutes, close with this prayer:

Jesus, during this day help me discern what you would do if you were me and give me grace, wisdom, and courage to do it. Amen.

Repeat the prayer silently throughout the day.

During the day:

Take a walk in nature, around your neighborhood, or around your place of work. Notice what you see, you hear, and you smell. Be aware of your emotional response to what you encounter. Don’t judge. Just notice. After your walk, take a few minutes to jot down what you noticed and what you felt. Don’t worry about crafting an essay. Bullet points and sentence fragments are fine.

Ask yourself: Where was God in this? What need called out to me?

At the close of day:

Sit quietly and review your day. Be very gentle with yourself. Let these questions guide you:

When did I let the world’s need matter to me today?

When was I rushing past things?

Did I feel God’s love for me today? When? Where?

Close with this prayer:

God of inexhaustible grace, thank you for loving me today even when I was too hurried to feel it. Help me to be more mindful of your love so that I may share more generously tomorrow; in Jesus’ name. Amen.

That’s it for this week friends. Until next time, be well and God bless.

Jake

P.S. My book A Full-Hearted Life is available in paperback, Kindle, and audio book. Grab a copy here.

Hi everybody! Thanks for being here. This week we’re looking at the Parable of the Yes and No brothers. How God responds to rejection, indifference, and hypocrisy tells us a lot about the persistence of God’s love.

Before moving on, a quick reminder that my colleague Holly Davis is now working on my 2027 schedule. If you would like to invite me to lead a retreat, offer a talk, participate in a webinar, or preach at your event, just give her a shout.

A Spiritual Practice

For the morning:

Sit quietly with your eyes closed for a minute or two. Open your eyes and read this passage aloud slowly:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. (Psalm 139:23)

Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and recite “Search me, O God, and know my heart” silently for a few minutes.

Sit in silence and listen.

Finish by praying: “Test me and know my thoughts.”

For the evening:

Sit quietly for a few minutes with your eyes closed.

Open your eyes and read this passage aloud slowly:

“O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” (Psalm 139:1)

Close your eyes again. Walk slowly back through your day. Don’t stop. Don’t judge. Let these three questions gradually emerge for you:

* Where did I say yes today?

* Where did I say no or say nothing?

* Where did something come toward me? A kindness, a moment of beauty, a sorrow?

Sit quietly and listen.

Finish with this prayer: You have searched me and known me. Thank you.

Over the past two weeks we’ve been discussing forgiveness. Forgiveness is one way we live with our past. This week we turn to how living authentically with our past opens us to the future we long for.

Before moving on, a quick reminder that my colleague Holly Davis is now working on my 2027 schedule. If you would like to invite me to lead a retreat, offer a talk, participate in a webinar, or preach at your event, just give her a shout.

And now here’s a spiritual practice for today or for the rest of this week:

A Spiritual Practice

In the morning:

Sit quietly for a couple of minutes. Let your heart and mind settle. When you’re ready, read this passage once and then do so again silently:

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. (Exodus 16:4)

Sit with that for a moment and recite the Lord’s Prayer aloud, and then silently repeat “give us this day our daily bread” for five or ten minutes. During the day, you may find it helpful to silently repeat the phrase.

In the evening before bed:

Sit quietly for five minutes and review your day.

Are you carrying any regret, any remorse? Don’t judge yourself. Just sit with it, then hand it to Jesus.

Where did you receive bread from heaven today? Something that helped you to take the next step, make a decision, face a challenge?

Give thanks.

End with this prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book:

Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen.

That’s it for this week y’all. Until next time, be well and God bless.

Jake

P.S. The Woodlands is always free. I offer paid subscriptions for those who would like to help fund ministries in under-resourced communities, especially among young people. Whether you opt for a free or a paid subscription, I’m really grateful that you’re here.

Hi everybody! Thanks for being here. This week we’re continuing our reflection on forgiveness. Last week we talked about where forgiveness begins. Now we’re going to discuss how forgiveness is a process, not a single, discreet act. Do be advised that this reflection contains a story about domestic violence that may be upsetting to some people.

And before we get started, a quick reminder that everything from The Woodlands is always free. I offer paid subscriptions for those who would like to help fund ministries in under-resourced communities, especially among young people. Whether you opt for a free or a paid subscription, I’m really grateful that you’re here.

Now, on to this week’s conversation:

Forgiveness Can Take a Lifetime

A Spiritual Practice

Sit quietly for a few minutes in a comfortable spot. Let your mind, your heart, and your body settle. When you’re ready, say the Lord’s Prayer silently. Then, repeat the following line silently for two or three minutes:

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. (Or, if you prefer the modern version: forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.)

Now bring to mind a time that someone forgave you. Reflect on how that felt at the time. How you feel now.

Sit with the awareness of being a forgiven person. And now let’s turn to being a forgiving person.

Search your heart for unresolved feelings of resentment you have toward someone or hurt that someone has caused. Imagine bringing that person to Jesus. Ask Jesus to forgive them. Don’t worry if you’re still struggling to forgive. That’s not a failure. It’s part of the process. Stay with this for a few minutes.

Close by repeating the the Jesus Prayer silently for a few minutes:

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

That’s it for this week, y’all. Thanks again for being here. Until next time, be well and God bless.

Jake

P. S. Just a quick reminder about scheduling me for your event. My colleague Holly Davis is now working on my 2027 schedule. If you would like to invite me to lead a retreat, offer a talk, participate in a webinar, or preach at your event, just give her a shout.

P.P.S. Thanks to everybody whose generosity helps provide educational resources to the children of Alma Redwine Elementary. They send their love:

Hey everybody! Thanks for being here. This week we’re exploring the paradoxical dynamics of forgiveness and how it shapes a Jesus-following community.

A Spiritual Practice: The Jesus Prayer

Sit in a quiet comfortable place. Close your eyes. Take a couple of minutes to let your body, heart, and mind settle. Repeat the Jesus prayer in rhythm with your breath:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Inhale: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God

Exhale: have mercy on me a sinner.

Breathe normally. Repeat this ten or twenty times or set a timer for five or ten minutes. Expect your mind to wander. That’s natural. When it does, gently come back to the practice.

You can carry this into your day. While you’re doing ordinary things like washing dishes, taking a walk, or waiting in line, let the prayer run in the background of your mind.

The church has always been a mess — because we've always been a mess. Jake looks at the fractured, ethnically divided congregation Paul wrote to in Rome — a church he hadn't founded and had never even visited — and finds the same thing he's found in his own life: God doesn't wait for us to get it right. God works with the material God is given — flawed, quarreling, imperfect people — and somehow, love gets through.

Before moving to the Spiritual practice, here's a reminder about scheduling me for your event. My colleague Holly Davis is now working on my 2027 schedule. If you would like to invite me to lead a retreat, offer a talk, participate in a webinar, or preach at your event, just give her a shout.

A Spiritual Practice

At the start of the day, read the passage below three times (aloud or silently).

On the first reading, notice which word or phrase stood out for you.

Read the passage again slowly, then spend a few minutes meditating by repeating the word or phrase to yourself.

Read the passage one more time and talk directly to God. Share your hopes, desires, thoughts, and fears.

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:20-21)

Now, sit quietly with God. Let go of thinking. Just rest in God’s presence.

At the close of day (or at some point that seems right to you), take ten minutes to examine your day.

First, take a few minutes to let your mind and your body be quiet, to rest.

Review your day:

* Where did you receive a kindness today? Where did you offer one? Give God thanks.

* Where did you feel joy, peace, or energy? Where did you feel anger, frustration, or regret? Where was God in that?

* Choose one moment from today and talk to God honestly about it. Express sorrow for mistakes, unkindnesses, or kindnesses left undone. Ask God for mercy.

Look toward tomorrow. Ask for grace and perseverance.

Close with the Lord’s Prayer or with something like this:

Gracious God, you continue to shape me through the love that others give me and the love that I give to others. Help me to receive love with an open heart in whatever form it takes, especially when I feel unworthy to receive it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hi everybody! Thanks for being here. This week we’ll be thinking together about how to be a faithful Christian within a diverse cultural context.

A Spiritual Practice

Walk back through your day and reflect on how you responded to people and circumstances

Where did you feel the pull to withdraw: to stay silent, to avoid a conflict, to leave the room?

Where did you feel the pull to control: to fix the problem, to win an argument, to run things your way?

And where were you faithfully present: simply listening, speaking an uncomfortable truth, pitching in?

Don’t judge what you find. Just notice it and hand it to Christ. Close this examen with the following prayer:

Gracious God, you send us to be an instrument of your love in this time and in this place. Give us the wisdom to hear where our presence is needed each day, the humility to serve without controlling the outcome, and the perseverance to endure when we grow weary; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If you’ve been around The Woodlands for awhile you know that I’m the son of an immigrant. And I’ve been thinking about what makes somebody an American…. with the help of Isaiah and Abraham Lincoln.

A Spiritual Practice

Find a quiet few minutes at the end of the day. Breathe. Let your body settle before your mind does.

1. Gratitude. Where did you feel genuinely welcomed today — not tolerated, not merely included, but wanted? Sit with that feeling a moment before moving on.

2. Review. Walk back through the day. Who crossed your path — in person, on a screen, in a passing thought? Notice, without judging yet, who you moved toward and who you moved away from.

3. The harder question. Was there a moment today when you measured someone by where they came from, what tribe they belonged to, what side they were on — rather than by whether they were trying, in their own way, to keep faith? Don’t rush past this. Let it be uncomfortable if it needs to be.

4. Sorrow, honestly held. If you drew a boundary today that Isaiah wouldn’t have drawn — around ancestry, party, class, or grievance — name it to God plainly. No performance. Just honesty.

5. Grace and resolve. Remember that you, too, are one of the ones let in on nothing but fidelity — not pedigree, not merit, not the right family. Ask for one small chance tomorrow to extend that same welcome to someone you’d normally overlook.

Close, if it helps, with:

Lord, you have never once asked me for my ancestry. Only my faithfulness. Let me offer others what you’ve offered me. Amen.

Two old priest friends die within days of each other, and Bishop Jake Owensby finds himself preparing both their funerals. What starts as a meditation on obituaries becomes a meditation on character itself — the difference between the crooked-timber striving that shapes a resume, and the deeper truth that we are already Jesus' beloved. Drawing on David Brooks and the story of Peter walking on water, this episode asks what kind of life is actually worth remembering — and offers a short evening practice to help you feel the difference for yourself.

A Spiritual Practice

Sit in silence for a few minutes at the end of the day. Let your mind settle and the quiet settle in.

Before you sleep tonight, walk back through today. Find one moment you were trying to prove something — your competence, your worth, your grip. Then find one moment someone simply loved you, or you loved them, and nothing was being proven at all. Sit with the difference.

Bring your quiet time to a close with this prayer:

Lord Jesus, this day is past. Help my restless heart to rest in you, not in what it has proven or earned. You have made me for yourself, and however far I wandered into striving today, hold me now simply as your beloved. Amen.

This episode explores Jacob's night-long wrestling match with God at the Jabbok River (Genesis 32), and what it teaches about the spiritual practice of letting go so that we can receive what God is already offering.

A Spiritual Practice: Letting Go to Receive

* Sit in a comfortable chair for a minute or so. Both feet on the floor. Eyes closed.

* Clinch your hands tightly into fists. Hold them that way. Name to yourself what you’re grasping for or clinging to. It could be a result you want. A person. An image of yourself. Don’t judge yourself. Just name it. Breathe. Stay with it, even if it begins to feel uncomfortable.

* After a few minutes, relax your clinched fingers. Open up your hands slowly and gently. Rest them on your knees, palms up. Breathe for a few minutes. Feel the tension in your hands lessen.

* Open your eyes slowly and close with the following:

A Closing Prayer

O God, give me the grace to let go and to open myself to what you are always already giving: to your loving, liberating, life-giving presence. Remind me daily that the blessing of your love is received, not seized or achieved. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.