Our Soma family has recently suffered the loss of our dear brother in Christ Pastor Randy Sheets. This post is shared with permission from Jackie Jarawan, one of our Soma Eastside leaders, who also experienced deep tragedy when she experienced the loss of a child. We hope her journey with grief...
“Why do you have so many bumps on your face? It looks bad.” Kids are notorious for saying what comes to their mind. With an undeveloped filter, we can be left humbled by the honesty and bluntness of their words. “Why, yes, sweet child of my womb, that is adult acne on my face...
How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given!So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of the heavens.No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin,where meek souls will receive him still the dear Christ enters in. If we can learn anything from jolly ole St. Nicholas, we...
“And in despair I bowed my head,There is no peace on earth I saidFor hate is strong and mocks the song,Of peace on earth, good will to men” As we assess the year that we have each endured together, yet more separated, isolated and divided than ever we are reminded of the broken...
O star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to thy perfect light. The Christmas Star. It is the crowning jewel of the Christmas tree. We love the Star of Bethlehem, the mystery and the magic of it all. The mysterious visitors...
Come, Desire of nations, come, fix in us thy humble home; rise, the woman’s conquering Seed, bruise in us the serpent’s head. Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface; stamp thine image in its place. One of the most intriguing stanzas from this popular Christmas Carol...
O come, O Branch of Jesse's stem, unto your own and rescue them!From depths of hell your people save, and give them victory o'er the graveOne of the more hauntingly beautiful of all the songs of Advent, O Come, O Come Emmanuel begins each of its seven verses by using an Old Testament moniker for...
"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28 In 2020, it has been impossible to escape the tension and division of politics. No matter your political leanings, you have likely been...
There was an interesting article in the LA Times about a loneliness crisis on University campuses. It was written by Varun Soni who is Dean of Religious Life at USC. He writes, "When I arrived at USC 11 years ago as Dean of Religious Life, my pastoral conversations with students mostly focused...
If you want to know what it looks like to parent your children according to God’s word, look to Jesus. He often called his disciples “children” (Mark 10:24, Matthew 9:2). If looked at from this angle, His life gives us many concrete ways we can help our kids “grow...