Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

  • Eternal

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    5 min read

    Episode 5 November 11, 2021

  • Learning Perseverance

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    3 min read

    As the disciples leave the Temple, Jesus tells them a story. Not to scare them, but to warn them. Because we struggle to see the difference.

  • Large

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    1 min read

    In this week’s gospel, the disciples are awed at the size of the Temple. It reminds me of moving to Boston from small-town Michigan and being surrounded by skyscrapers. The size inspires awe. So does the thought of how they were built. Jesus isn’t awed by it. Or, at least, he isn’t moved to be…

  • Saving Time

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    6 min read

    Returning to Standard Time brings disruption. How much disruption it brings, however, is debatable. And we do debate. Arguing over that one hour—where it goes, when to take it, how to plan it—is a cultural phenomenon we experience twice a year, every year. Scientists have even studied the effects of shifting in and out of…

  • The Art of Unbinding

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    7 min read

    Jesus doesn’t simply raise Lazarus from the dead. He commands those who love him to also unbind him and let him go.

  • Rescuing Sainthood

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    5 min read

    I’ve been thinking a lot about saints. Partly because it is that time of year. And partly because I launched a podcast with the word Saints in the title. But more than anything, I’m focused on what we, you and I, think of sainthood. There isn’t one universal experience with the concept of sainthood, but…