Drew Downs
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So We Isolate Ourselves
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6 min read
9. But in the arrogance of Christian piety and Western intellectualism we seek isolation. Jesus wants us to be with one another. So why are we so divided? You know the problem. Or at least part of the problem. Our friends on Facebook have all lost their minds. And depending on where we sit, they’ve…
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In the Kingdom of Earth
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8 min read
In the Kingdom of Earth, selfishness rules and violence is justified. How far such things are from what Jesus offers: a kin-dom of heaven. Proper 22A | Matthew 21:33-46 Several years ago, Rose and I took a trip to northwestern Michigan. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near Traverse City and drove up the…
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God is active with us
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5 min read
8. When we feed the multitudes, welcome the stranger, and heal the sick, we are also with Jesus. There are essentially two ways Christians speak about the material of their faith. We can speak literally or metaphorically. And for those outside the faith, it can be really hard to tell the difference between the two. Just…
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To Create Withness
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3 min read
7. But in Jesus, we are given human responsibility to create withness with one another. The nature of God is withness. From the divine dance of the Holy Trinity to the very withness of Jesus, all of God’s glory is withness. What I mean by “withness” is presence–the eternal and constant being with someone. And this idea of…
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When a name is about us
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5 min read
5. Even the name given to Moses expresses “withness” saying I will be there howsoever I will be. One of the worst kept secrets in the world is that God’s name isn’t “God.” It’s like the town drunk who we we all know [wink, wink] doesn’t have a problem. We all agree to pretend like it is…