Drew Downs

Make a New Normal

New Year

  • Raw, emotional, conflicted. These are the words I used last year to describe 2016, but they bear repeating for this year. But, as one year fades and the optimism of another’s beginning rises here is some of my experience of the past year. This is the third year I’ve taken stock of the year that was. Check out…

  • Happy 2016! I’m trying something new. I’m kind of jazzed about it. I’ll pick 3 words for the year. Like a mantra. A vision. A course of action. A way of changing my life and maybe help me change the world. Do you want to give it a try? [bctt tweet=”What are your 3 words?” nofollow=”yes”]…

  • I love both Advent and Christmas. I love preparing, anticipating, waiting for what is to come. It makes the arrival of Christmas all the sweeter. Like waiting all summer for a resolution to the cliffhanger, all year for the next book in a series, the next chance to have candy corn, peppermint mochas, or cream…

  • Do you make New Year’s resolutions? If you are like the millions who do, you no doubt find that they are always harder than they seem. Looking back at the last few years, many of us recognize a pretty poor track record. Even the words “New Year’s resolution” conjures thoughts of failure and personal experiences…

  • The project I’ve been stewing on for awhile is a new blog called  Break Sabbath. It is a passion project of mine, dealing with the very root of my faith–the notion that we are challenged to find the source of our faith in spite of its trappings. In my third post, I explore what it means…

  • I have been writing and announcing Advent for a few weeks now. I’ve described the primary way the church imagines the season is through the lens of hopeful expectation. Until Sunday, I had refrained from discussing the church’s other focus. That perhaps this season is less about retelling the story of Jesus’s first coming and…