Category: Pedro S. Silva II
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What Will You Build With Your Life?
This is Notre Dame. It took almost 200 years to complete. The architecture is nothing short of magnificent. Reflecting on what it took for this edifice to materialize, I was awestruck. Generations of people toiled. Whole families were born and died without ever seeing it finished. I imagine on that first day when the first…
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Artists Turn Chaos Into Culture
When I was six years old my mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told her I wanted paint, a canvas, and an easel because I wanted to be an artist. Her response was that artists don’t make money. Instead she bought me a typewriter and told me I was going to…
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A Confession of Sin
As I confessed in the past blog post tagged here, The Sin of Overprotection, my biggest sin is overprotection. I know that this might sound benign. But, in my experience, it does me as much harm as other people’s professed sins, It has cost me relationships, it has caused me needless suffering, and in many…
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Trusting What Can’t Be Trusted
Humans are designed to radically Trust. From our first cry, we call out to be held and comforted and above all, we call out to be loved. It is as if love is our breath. It is our Life. Can we truly live without it? It is almost maddening and definitely saddening in the moments…
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Race Doesn’t Divide, Racism Does
After I shared my piece on whether or not Jesus’s skin color matters, I had someone suggest that what I write about race is divisive. I, of course disagree. I look at it as more of an intervention because I love everyone and I would like for us to get to a place where we…
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Stepping into the Mystery
Are you willing to step into the Mystery? “I don’t know” is a viable answer to any question if “not knowing” is the truth. Two years ago, when I listened to the “Voice” that called me into pastoral ministry saying that it was time to leave the pulpit and the building and go out into…
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A Black Santa for White Christmas
Picture this. It is Christmas 1977. My mom and dad are arguing. I am 2. Somehow I know that I shouldn’t understand what is happening. But, yet I do. The final threads in the fabric of our family are snapping. My father is leaving. As he heads for the door, I feel an invisible tether…
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Is Jesus Made Up?
Yes. Jesus is made up. Haha made you look. 😂 I’m talking about the name “Jesus” (Jeezuss) In response to a Facebook post I did someone said they wondered why some cultures (aka Latin influenced) feel comfortable naming their sons Jesus and others don’t. Here is my long answer. It is worth reading if you’re…
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Message From a Frustrated Former Pastor (Concerning Pauline Interpretations and Other Stuff)
Since I don’t go to a particular church right now, I sometimes visit different churches or listen to messages from different folks online. Today I came across a guy online giving a message out of 1 Corinthians. Sadly he was using it to “put women in their place” and talk about “weak men” who support…
