Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

  • I usually beat myself up for not getting everything on my to-do list done. This is a ritual process that occurs daily. Usually before lunch, again sometime around two, then again at four, at dinner, and then sometime before bed. It’s a habit; and it’s a bad one. Behind this sense of unease is not…

  • It’s a declaration. When we say that we don’t have enough money to pay for something we want, we aren’t taking a measurement. The measurement is done. We look at the total given to us by our bank. Then we compare that amount to the price of something. And we evaluate. Even such a simple…

  • For Sunday, the Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost Collect Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with…

  • Glory

    It is like losing the plot The hallmark of our faith is humility. Jesus teaches us to be humble, serve, and seek first the kingdom of God. So what then do we do with fame, wealth, and glory? Usually, we take them as opposite. Until we have them. Then we generally call it a “blessing…

  • The point isn’t to be good, it’s to do good. It seems both countercultural and yet so normal, doesn’t it? For those of us who grew up trying to be good, though, this is hard to swallow. We were rewarded for sitting still and following the rules; often being complimented for our behavior. Our benefit…

  • In a story we assume is about wealth, Jesus reveals our misconceptions about life, grace, and the human project.