Author Archives: The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

Science and Faith: The Hows and the Whys

Posted on September 14, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

I spent my first year in college at Capital University, a small Lutheran school in Columbus, Ohio.  Despite its size, it had some very strong courses of study, among which were biology and pre-med.  Intro Biology was team-taught by the … Continue reading →

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Leaving Anger

Posted on September 7, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

One of the most intriguing movies I’ve seen in recent years was a little known film called “The Upside of Anger.”  It told the story of a middle-aged mother with four teenage daughters who suddenly finds herself in the middle … Continue reading →

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False Prophets

Posted on August 31, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

Usually, about this point in the quadrennial national election cycle, people begin to lament that we’ve entered into the “silly season” of campaign rhetoric—a phase that seems to lengthen with each go-round.  It’s usually categorized by the radical hyperbole and … Continue reading →

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Welcoming Your New Rector

Posted on August 24, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

[This past Sunday at our Parish Forum on the New Rector Transition, I spoke about the role of a rector in a parish and offered some of my own thoughts and experiences of what a priest goes through in making … Continue reading →

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Of Mills and Mansions

Posted on August 17, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

During much of the last decade, I served as rector of a parish in Newport, Rhode Island.  Newport, which styles itself as “America’s First Resort,” was famously the summer home of “The Four Hundred” leaders of East Coast society at … Continue reading →

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The Two Seas

Posted on August 10, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

At our mid-Summer baptism this past Sunday, I was struck by the looks of fascination on the faces of our parish children gathered at the foot of the font at the chancel steps.  They seemed especially enthralled by, of all … Continue reading →

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Feeding Multitudes: How Are We Doing With That?

Posted on August 3, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

In the Fourth Century a nun from the west coast of Europe by the name of Egeria undertook a three-year pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  For three years she traveled around Palestine, observing the customs and practices of the Christian … Continue reading →

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Summertime Reflections

Posted on July 27, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

“Summertime,” George Gershwin once famously wrote, “and the livin’ is easy.”  His words come from a different day and a different place.  They remind us of a time when much of everyday life simply closed down during the summer months … Continue reading →

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Nature, Grace, and “The Tree of Life”

Posted on July 20, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

There is an amazing new and controversial movie in the theaters that will get you thinking and talking in ways you probably haven’t in quite some time.  The movie is “The Tree of Life.”  It includes realistic scenes of suburbia … Continue reading →

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Kaddish

Posted on July 13, 2011 by The Rev. Canon John E. Lawrence

In early June, Jerri and I were gifted and richly blessed by the opportunity to attend a performance of Leonard Bernstein’s Kaddish at the Kennedy Center.  This haunting symphony, first performed in December1963 within weeks of John Kennedy’s assassination, is … Continue reading →

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