Category Archives: Thy Will Be Done
Christianity, Community, and Side Effects
August 2009 I am lying on my back on a red Target air mattress in a former Victorian convent, which is now the rectory of a white Anglican pastor of a black urban church. They call it the Friendship House after the name of this neighborhood that tells enough stories of the largest and most [...]
Love That Lasts a Lifetime
Note: Today’s post was written by my mother, Jill Severson and edited by me. This past Saturday I read Lane’s blog about his first date with my daughter-in-law. I’ve heard the story before, once as a wedding toast from his best man Al Cedeno. I enjoyed reading the story, especially the ending where Lane wrote, [...]
The Upright Man: Confessions of an Opioids Addict.
The post today is being published anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the story but will be tagged under my name as author purely for logistical reasons. -Lane Severson Who wouldn’t have to get high just to stand it? What was unendurable was what his own head could make of it all. What his [...]
Frogs, Puerto Rico, and Three Kings Day
When I think of Epiphany, I think of amphibians. The coquis (onomatopoetically named frogs) densely cover the Puerto Rican island, and when they leave for places like Hawaii, they often do so in packs overtaking their new digs, blasting their disyllabic cry as they did back home. That is to say they are quite loud at night and considered invasive by some. The same has often been said of the Puerto Rican people.
Was I Friends with Adam Lanza?
We became friends in freshman honors Geometry class when Mark stood up to answer a Trigonometry bonus question that the teacher said was well beyond our ability. Mark was a strange kid: the kind of kid who wears snow boots in October; who had a mustache as a freshman; who transferred from another school and claimed that the other school was “St Mary’s Over Looking the Thames.”
Seeking God’s Peace
Jerry Seinfeld once reported that people are more afraid of public speaking than they are of death. Then, in his classic style, he reflected: we would rather be the guy in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy. I have always related to this statement, not because I’m afraid of public speaking – I’m a sucker for the limelight – but because I would rather be dead than left alone.
Church is for Children
Our mobile church has bought a building after about two decades in a high school. To consecrate the new church, we are reading through the whole Bible and broadcasting a live feed online. I have been fascinated with the live feed image of the new sanctuary. In the first moments watching the video stream, I saw one of our senior pastor’s children walk up to the font and dip in his hands. He was mesmerized by the water overflowing. I said to my wife, “Our girls are going to be playing in that water their whole lives.”
Advent is for Seekers
The purpose of Advent is that we prepare for the coming of Jesus. As we look forward to the celebration of his birth (anachronistic as the calendar may be), we should challenge ourselves to look for him with new eyes. Advent reminds us that whether we are believers or skeptics, Jesus draws near to us this season.
A Very Guilty Advent 1.1
When I was six, I feared that I might become the antichrist.
I remember it vividly: that small house on Morgan Street; that living room where my father fell asleep to Sunday afternoon baseball games; that backyard with the swing set down from which I was too afraid to climb, when finally our mailman—a tall godsend who picked me up and slowly lifted me to the ground. I remember the laundry room vividly, and the bedroom that I shared with my sister. It is still in my mind, though we moved at six. But most of all, most often at least, I remember learning about Jesus Christ from the most influential and maybe greatest preachers that I have heard: my mother.
God in the Hurting
One of my kids, “A” has recently been having a lot of allergic reactions. Most days she is breaking out in hives on her arms, legs, and tummy. We know in general what she is allergic to: cats, dogs, pollen, dust, etc. But the allergist is still testing her to get a complete picture of what we are dealing with. The cat and dog allergies are the biggies. “A” took the news that she wouldn’t be able to go to homes with cats and dogs like a champ even though it meant that she wouldn’t be able to play at her best friend’s house anymore.
