The Woodlands: A Place for Exploring the Spiritual Life

Jake Owensby
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

The Woodlands helps you see grace at work in the everyday, navigate life’s challenges with courage, deepen your relationship with God, and live with love, hope, and purpose in this complex world. jakeowensby.substack.com

  1. 4d ago

    Forgiveness Can Take a Lifetime

    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: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  2. Sep 4

    Where Forgiveness Begins

    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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  3. Aug 28

    Overcoming Evil

    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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  4. Aug 21

    Faithful Presence

    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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  5. Aug 14

    Who's Really One Of Us?

    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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  6. Aug 7

    What They'll Say At Your Funeral

    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 is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  7. Jul 31

    Wrestling with God

    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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

  8. Jul 24

    Where the Infinite Finds Us (revisited)

    We spend much of our lives pursuing things we believe will finally satisfy us: success, security, approval, achievement. Yet even when we get them, something still feels unfinished. In this episode, I explore our deepest longings and why they point beyond the finite toward something more. Along the way, we consider where we place our ultimate trust and how God meets us in the ordinary moments of everyday life. Spiritual Practice: Where the Infinite Finds Us This week, pay attention to the ordinary moments of your day. A conversation. A meal. A walk. A task at work. Time with family or friends. At the end of each day, ask yourself: When did I feel moved today? What moment stayed with me? Where might God have been present in those moments? Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, open my eyes to your presence in the ordinary moments of my life. Help me to notice where you are at work in the people I meet and the experiences of each day. Amen. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jakeowensby.substack.com/subscribe

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The Woodlands helps you see grace at work in the everyday, navigate life’s challenges with courage, deepen your relationship with God, and live with love, hope, and purpose in this complex world. jakeowensby.substack.com

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