Writing

Mary Said "Yes" to God So That God Could Say "YES!..

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

Reformed theologian, Karl Barth, said that Jesus Christ is God's "YES!" to humanity. I've always like that. But before God could say "YES!" to us thro..

The Golden Rule -- The Key to Joy and Answered Pra..

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

“Ask! And it will be given to you. Seek! And you will find. Knock! And the door will be opened for you. Because everyone who asks will get; ..

Spiritual Sickness and Its Spiritual Remedy

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

Traditionally, in Western Christianity, sin is seen as a transgression of a list of rules or commandments. It is often viewed as an active and willful..

Sodom and Gomorrah -- What Needs To Be Said

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST DEALS WITH GROWN UP ISSUES. SO READ IT AT YOUR OWN RISK. I PERSONALLY THINK IT NEEDS TO BE SAID, BUT THAT DOESN'T NECESSAR..

The Church -- Think Universal, Act Particular...

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

The Church exists as two concepts: there is The Church, which is the catholic expression of faith and vision �" the Church in its entirety..

Taking Off the Mask and Showing My True Face

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

“Make sure that none of you act out your right relationship with God in front of other people because then human praise will be the only rew..

Love -- Why It Is Important

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

The reason why it is so important to love others is that there are a lot of people out there who have never learned how to love themselves -- and they..

False Prophets and the Face in the Mirror

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

Watch out for false prophets! They’re hungry wolves disguised as harmless sheep. You’ll be able to tell them from real prophets by the sor..

Religion is Not an Opiate

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

I think my point is that religion is not an opiate. We do not use it to deny real life and real pain. Death is real and death is powerful, but so too ..

Hurting in the Name of Jesus

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

As the time of his death was getting closer, he looked long and hard toward Jerusalem and set off in that direction. He sent messengers ahead of ..

MATTHEW 25:45

A Poem by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

A Christian died in the streets of Boston,He had no home to rest his weary head.Being more like Christ than all the lost onesWho securely dwell in sta..

Which Is Harder -- Compassion or Blame?

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

So Jesus got back in the boat and sailed back across the Sea of Galilee. He returned home. And check it out! A bunch of people brought a man on a str..

Chastity

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

For Saint Ignatius, chastity is more than simply refraining from sex. The step of embracing chastity coincides with that of abandoning the world and g..

Tasting the New Wine -- Being Religious Rather Tha..

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

Then John the Baptist’s students went to Jesus and asked him, “Why do we and the lay-ministers fast so much, but your students never do?&r..

Prayer

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

The issue for me is not whether God answers prayer or not; the issue is that we have reduced prayer to being something that requires an answer. ..

The Great Commission

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

The Great Commission at the end of Matthew's Gospel is not a command to "Go out and make disciples of all nations," it is a statement of being: "Where..

Finding Yourself on the Wrong Side of God

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

In the Bible, the people who often find themselves on the wrong side of God aren't necessarily BAD people, they just usually resent the fact that God'..

Show, Don't Tell

A Story by Bishop R. Joseph Owles

Maybe at Confirmation, or at Conversion, or at sometime in Sunday School or Youth Group, experienced Christians should be giving all new or budding Ch..