God or Wealth?

By Bryan Owen "When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.” Those words are attributed to John Wesley, the 18th-century Anglican priest and founder of Methodism. And ther... Read More...

The Good News of Christian Faith

By Bryan Owen If someone asked you “What is the Christian faith all about?,” how would you respond? While different people may answer that question in different ways, I think the best place to start is wi... Read More...

Living as Salt & Light

By Bryan Owen I had the good fortune of growing up next door to my grandmother. Her name was Lily Pearle. Does it get any more Southern than that? Grandmama’s house was a refuge whenever I needed a getawa... Read More...

Abiding in Jesus

Bryan Owen In my first post for Covenant back in 2015, I noted how much I hated attending church as a child and how that changed over time due to immersion in the eucharistic liturgy. It’s a fairly common ex... Read More...

Good Friday Is Not a Funeral for Jesus

By Bryan Owen In many parts of the Episcopal Church there’s a tradition of highlighting the mournful character of Good Friday and the agonies of our Lord's suffering. This is sometimes underscored by veiling... Read More...

Judging Like a Christian

By Bryan Owen Do not judge, so that you may not be judged — Matthew 7:1 These words of Jesus are sometimes quoted to undermine attempts to name other people's behavior as morally wrong and sinful. "Who are y... Read More...

A High Regard for Scripture

By Bryan Owen  One of the things that struck me when I first started worshiping in the Episcopal Church was the prominent place of Scripture in the liturgy. In addition to three Scripture readings (plus a ps... Read More...

Rescuing the Poor Widow

By Bryan Owen Many years ago when I had the privilege of traveling to the Holy Land, one of the things I enjoyed the most was people watching. People from all over the world thronged through the narrow stree... Read More...