Several of the children spoke of going to bed without eating. They struggled for words to describe their experience. “My tummy growled.” My eyes began to water. And another said, [...]]]> Know yourself—then do something

After hearing a heartbreaking story on the car radio about hungry children in Nevada, the Rev. James Ford urges us to take action.

Several of the children spoke of going to bed without eating. They struggled for words to describe their experience. “My tummy growled.” My eyes began to water. And another said, saying how hard it was to sleep. “I waited until the next morning when I could go to school and eat.” I choked.

Another child waited. And then spoke very softly. It was hard to understand. The interviewer had to ask for sure what the child said. It was, “We ate a rat.”

I pulled over and wept. (Monkey Mind, February 15

The Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern is devouring Michelle Alexander’s recent book, The New Jim Crow, “even though every bite burns going down.”

What I thought before: Racism is present in the criminal justice system, the way it is present everywhere. It’s a problem that concerns me, but calling it the equivalent of Jim Crow is nothing more than a rhetorical flourish.

What I think now: The criminal justice system has been pressed into the service of an agenda that has changed form over the years but has not diminished: the social control of racial minorities, especially African-Americans. The means was once Jim Crow; now it is mass incarceration, which is truly, not just rhetorically, the new Jim Crow. (Sermons in Stones, February 15)

Strange Attractor, the mother of two girls, has had enough of “all the ugly misogyny in the news lately.”

My daughters’ bodies are not political footballs. . . . All of this, and more, is poison to the futures of young women. For every lesson their father and I teach them that they have as much value as any man, there are counter-lessons like these. They are being told that they need to be sexy, but not too sexy; independent, but not too independent; that they bring their problems on themselves; and that most of all, they are not to be trusted. These are not the family values I am trying to teach. (Strange Attractor, February 16)

Thinking about atheism

Shannon McMaster explains why he is not an atheist.

What atheism offers isn’t enough of an explanation of my subjective experience of the world. And, really, all I’ve got is my subjective experience of the world. . . . My subjective experience has included experience of the religious impulse and of the religious feeling. (This Is Worker, February 10)

A few of the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum’s Christian colleagues define “practical atheists” as “people who might profess a belief in Christ, but live a Godless lifestyle.”

The use of the term “Practical Atheist” in this way assumes morality is from God, and so those who are living amorally are atheistic, at least in practice, even if not in belief. And it’s a slam on Atheists. But, as we’ve seen, people generally believe that Atheists don’t have morals, because Atheists don’t believe in God. For the record, then: living as if there is no God does NOT mean living immorally. (Rev. Cyn, February 15

‘Congregations and Beyond’

Conversation continues this week in various forms of social media about UUA President Peter Morales’s “Congregations and Beyond” essay and the brainstorming it launched.

The Rev. Tom Schade writes that the conversation is “a mess,” and offers a number of questions and suggestions.

I myself would like to see all of our ministers and laypeople be turned loose to create “no-logo liberal religious ministries” wherever they can. Let our congregations keep doing what they are trying to do. Out of all that ferment, something new will emerge. (The Lively Tradition, February 11)

Andie Arthur, drawing on her background in the arts, encourages UUs to focus on creating “good church,” rather than worrying about unhealthy congregations.

[Once] you find that bit of good church . . . keep growing it. Focus on what is profound and moving, on what makes you want to bring others to your congregation, and grow that. Put energy around that, market it well, and see how it grows. (Toward a Holy Theatre, February 16)

Tandi Rogers, who serves as a Growth Strategies Specialist for the UUA, shares part of the results of her recent survey of “Free Range UUs.”

[One] thing that stunned me was the number of Free Rangers who have been to our congregations and left, repelled by less than inspiring worship or an exhausting congregational conflict or our issues with power and authority. A significant portion of Free Rangers are former board members who left demoralized under the unrealistic pressures of their role.  A target for all sorts of ugliness.  This keeps me up at night. It makes my heart ache. (Growing Unitarian Universalism, February 13

President Morales shares his observations about the in-person Orlando consultation, as well as the wider conversation happening through social media.

Just as important as what we are doing (and maybe even more important) is how we are doing it. We are creating a new way of working together as an association. Our work on the Congregations and Beyond initiative is just one example. Stated briefly, we at the UUA are doing all of this in close collaboration with others. We are “crowdsourcing” our work—working in partnership with a wide variety of people and inviting input along the way. (Beyond Belief, February 14)

UUA Trustee Linda Laskowski provides her perspective on “Congregations and Beyond.”

The blogsphere flurry about President Morales’ “Congregations and Beyond” surprises me in that it is the extension of a conversation that started some time ago. A less restrictive definition of what a “congregation” is was passed by the delegates of GA2011. Peter brought an earlier version of this paper to the October board meeting, which dovetailed with a formal conversation the board was having about the scope of the Association. (UUA View from Berkeley, February 10)

Around the blogosphere

The Rev. Sam Trumbore’s mindfulness practice helps him cope with contagious anxiety.

So much of the religious project is learning how to manage our emotional brain more effectively so we can live together in peace.  May we all learn to deal with it better so we stop killing and hurting each other out of that primitive, reactive response to the daily challenges of existence. (Rev. Sam Trumbore, February 16)

The Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot, who serves a congregation affiliated with both the UUA and the United Church of Christ, shares insights about the two denominations’ recent “intentional conversation.” (Burbania Posts, February 10)

The Rev. Amy Freedman redefines church, faith and religion. (Amy Freedman, February 10)

It’s not about prayer in schools, or soccer trumping Sunday school. It’s about groups of pundits, politicians and “American”-centric groups redefining the teachings of Jesus to suit their economic, social or political agenda. (Rev. G. Jude Geiger, January 31)

The [...]]]> Rethinking Christianity

The Rev. G. Jude Geiger writes that “there is a war on Christianity in this country.”

It’s not about prayer in schools, or soccer trumping Sunday school. It’s about groups of pundits, politicians and “American”-centric groups redefining the teachings of Jesus to suit their economic, social or political agenda. (Rev. G. Jude Geiger, January 31)

The Rev. Sam Trumbore takes on another distortion of Christianity—the message of death instead of life, a gospel of suffering rather than of paradise.

The primary focus of the early church was not on the way Jesus died but their belief that he returned to life. His return sealed the promise for them they had nothing to fear in death. . . . This picture of Jesus in a worldly paradise has resonance with how we do religion here. The image of a bloody Jesus dying, nailed to a cross, does not. (Rev. Sam Trumbore, February 5)

Journeys of faith

Anna Snoeyenbos, who has found a new home in a United Church of Christ congregation, shares the baptismal testimony she delivered to her new faith community.

I’m keenly aware that we live in an age when more people claim to be spiritual but not religious—and I’m standing if front of you now to say that yes I have spirit, always have really, but what I crave is religion. . . . I believe that together we can root ourselves in this giant oak of Christianity—with all its many branches – we can root ourselves in this ancient faith together so that we may have the strength ourselves to grow. (Deep River, February 6)

A friend’s loss leads Christine Leigh Slocum to think about the transient nature of life.

[Forrest Church writes] about how death is the price one pays for this great opportunity to be alive. . . . that grief is the evidence you have loved. It may be accurate, though it is not consoling. I study social problems for a living, and every time I read or hear of some tragedy, all I can think of is that it was that person’s only chance on this earth. It always seems so brief. (Seattleite from Syracuse, February 7)

Pavarti Tyler introduces a series of guest posts about spiritual journeys, and begins by telling her own story of faith.

I think I was the first person to ever go through confirmation class and not be confirmed. . . . My mother cried and the pastor pulled me into her office for private discussions where she tried to dissuade me from my decision. But I knew, the God I believed in, the God who loved me, didn’t care if you were gay or Buddhist. I knew that was wrong. (Fighting Monkey Press, February 3)

Pluralist conversations

Reading about the Hindu festival of Thaipusam prompts Crystal St. Marie Lewis to think more deeply about interfaith commonalities.

[Religious] people in other cultures are not really “otherly” or “beyond our understanding.” We are all people who are responding to an inner urge for contact with God. . . . Whether Christian, Jew, Hindu, Muslim or otherwise, we are all reaching beyond the human condition in an effort to touch the Greater. I find those commonalities both humbling and beautiful. (Diary of a Christian Universagnosticostal, February 9)

Liz James considers the challenges of language among Unitarian Universalists, using the word “church” as an example.

For me, “Church” refers to community, connecting to what’s meaningful, living with intention, and caring for the world. For some people, not so much. So, I’m reluctant to use the term “Church” as an exclusive label for the stuff I do, because I want the people looking to be able to find me. (Sacred Lego, February 9)

John Beckett offers practical advice for dealing with Pagan-phobic UUs.

Go around them. Or go over them. Or go through them. Don’t let them be a roadblock on your search for truth and meaning and on your congregation’s path to growth and maturity. And if they’re too entrenched and too powerful and too dead-set on keeping things the way they’ve always been, take your time and your effort and your money some place that’s interested in being a religious community and not a social club. (Under the Ancient Oaks, February 9)

Politics, religion, and women’s health

Sarah MacLeod, a physician’s assistant, weighs in on the Susan G. Komen controversy.

Playing on sympathies to buy products that are of dubious health benefit to support an organization that’s mission is to eradicate breast cancer gives me a headache. . . . Pink isn’t the answer to ending breast cancer. If we truly care about breasts, breast cancer, women, and women’s health, we’ll think twice before we act. We’ll research carefully where we send our donations and to what we commit our time. (Finding My Ground, February 4)

The Rev. Debra Haffner can’t believe that contraception has become a political football.

[The] U.S. Catholic Bishops have called an all out attack on birth control coverage in health care reform—and each of the GOP contenders have joined them. Their anti-women, anti-sexuality positions are being cloaked in a “religious liberty” argument that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. (Sexuality and Religion, February 8; see media coverage of Haffner’s response at this week’s UUs in the Media)

Around the blogosphere

The Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern provides the text of her presentation on race and liberal religion.

If we’re going to hold tight to it and say that we (white European-Americans) own it, liberal religion will dwindle. But if we allow it to change as it encounters other cultures, it can grow. . . . So yes, if Unitarian Universalism becomes more truly multiracial and multicultural here in the US, as it already is around the world, it will change. Let’s embrace this as good news! (Sermons in Stones, February 9)

The Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley offers an overview of last week’s consultation about “Congregations and Beyond.” (Learn Out Loud, February 7)

The Rev. Naomi King asks, “How are you caring for your neighbor’s dreams?” (Digital City of Refuge, February 5)

Christian Schmidt plays tour guide for ministerial candidates planning to come to Boston to meet with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee. (A Free Faith, February 8)

The Rev. David Pyle is representative of many responses in wanting [...]]]> ‘Congregations and Beyond’

This past week Unitarian Universalist Association President Peter Morales published “Congregations and Beyond,” encouraging all Unitarian Universalists to “read, discuss, and share” his “vision of the opportunities and challenges that face Unitarian Universalism as an international movement.” Bloggers have been obliging.

The Rev. David Pyle is representative of many responses in wanting to go farther than Morales’s paper does.

Let us open up membership and identity as a Unitarian Universalist to any and all who can connect with us. Let us join with them not how we are used to, or how we are comfortable joining with others, but however the hundreds of thousands out there need us to join with them. Let us accept that they will transform who we are, as our radical faith calls us to accept such transforming power and grace. Let us find any way we can to bring people to the point where they can say, in their hearts and with their voices, “I am a Unitarian Universalist” . . . and to know what that means.

But let us do this for the right reason . . . not because of what we might expect to gain, but because of what we have to give to this wounded, broken, hurting world. What we have to give is our saving, transforming, and healing message. (Celestial Lands, January 20)

The Rev. Chip Roush points out that UUs are not unique.

I agree with much of Peter’s analysis – and I had virtually the same conversation, with a friend about her Lutheran church, two days ago. We UUs are not unique in facing this issue. Nor are we unique in trying to solve it through marketing. (So May We Be, January 21)

The Rev. Christine Robinson considers three circles of engagement in a congregation: “leaders,” “members,” and “the audience.”

The audience includes the people who come to services but don’t join or contribute, sometimes just on Christmas Eve, or when they are between relationships, or when their mother comes to town. They are the people who use the church parking lot as a staging ground for group hikes, who rely on the food pantry, whose children go to the child care center which only pays it’s direct expenses in rent, but not the cost of the capital investment in the physical plant. The audience includes the people who read the op-ed’s which the minister produces, whose organizations meet for free in the meeting rooms, and those who are considering membership and getting involved. (iMinister, January 21; see also January 23)

Patrick Murfin places Morales’s statement into the context of changes in governance within the UUA. (Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout, January 24)

Bill Baar doesn’t think it’s worth reaching out to people who identify as UUs but are not members.

You can’t build Churches (or a Movement) with folks who will not commit to do the hard work of building either.
(Pfarrer Streccius, January 25)

The Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum says Morales is “vague.”

But the question that he points to, well, that’s intriguing. Morales points out the there are, as we’ve known, bunches of people who identify as UU and who don’t attend UU churches. And there are bunches of people who were raised UU who don’t attend UU churches. Some of them are fairly well connected to UUism in other ways—he points to the fact that a significant number of people who attend SUUSI don’t attend any UU congregation. . . .

But what I think is new about “Congregations and Beyond” is that Peter Morales is not suggesting we find out why they’re not in churches, but, rather, find out what they are interested in doing that would connect them to our movement in other ways. Some people will never be church-goers, he’s saying, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be part of the UU religious movement. (Rev. Cyn, January 24)

The Rev. Scott Wells thinks there’s too little in the report for him “to be hopeful—or upset.” (Boy in the Bands, January 24)

Christine L. Slocum does not experience her faith as membership in her congregation.

I agree with him 100%. I also share a lot of the reaction that various other UUs have – this is not exactly earth shattering. In fact, I am already active with many of the suggestions that Rev. Morales gives. Being somewhat uninterested and somewhat ignorant of UUA politics, I already thought of UUism as a religious movement. Imagine my surprised when, in the ensuing discussion, I discovered that I had the wrong idea the entire time. (Seattleite from Syracuse, January 24)

The Rev. Peter Boullata is “thankful that Rev. Morales envisions the continued central place for congregations and is imagining other experimental forms,” but is concerned about the difference between an institution, such as the UUA, and a religious movement.

The relationship between an organized religion and religious movement, it seems to me, is one of grassroots momentum and institutional response. How does a religious organization spawn a religious movement? . . . [W]here is the movement on the ground that the UUA will respond to? What are the theological and ecclesiastical distinctives among us today around which a movement is moving? (Held in the Light, January 25)

The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein, on her ecumenical blog for clergy, Beauty Tips for Ministers, explores her personal grief at the changes in congregational life.

I do not want to be a “Churchitarian,” worshiping buildings and traditions that may not minister to seekers of today. But there is a difference between false worship, or idolatry, and love. The Church has earned my love, respect and loyalty. It has changed my life in all good ways. The discipline of Sunday morning worship has been a challenging spiritual practice that has hammered a lot of alienation and unkindness out of me. (Beauty Tips for Ministers, January 24)

Around the blogosphere

The Rev. Naomi King was waiting for her life “to really begin.”

Perhaps I would have waited longer, if I hadn’t tumbled to the fact that there’s no cure for what I have. I find mercy in that. I’m free to live as I am now, without waiting for something to perfect me first. (City of Refuge, January 20)

Vance Bass, the contemporary music director at First Unitarian Church in Albuquerque, N.Mex., regrets the name he chose for his blog, Liberal Religion Gets Loud:

When I named this blog, I made a mistake: “loud” is not the defining characteristic of contemporary worship or contemporary worship music. . . . We’re no louder than the Steinway, which is to say no louder than the choir. (Liberal Religion Gets Loud, January 20)

The Rev. Kit Ketcham give a peek into the minsterial credentialing experience. (Ms. Kitty’s Saloon and Road Show, January 20)

The Rev. Justin Schroeder explains (on day 21 of blogging about spiritual practices) what he means by “spiritual practice.”

Spiritual practices/disciplines are about growing the soul, about paying attention in such a way that the “soul” expands. Spiritual practices are about noticing the ways our inner lives, the world, and something larger than ourselves are woven together. (The Well, January 22)

Crystal St. Marie Lewis looks at religion through the analogy of learning to ride a bicycle.

I do not oppose the guiding hand of tradition. In fact, I fully acknowledge that tradition seems to work like a charm for some people. However, for others, organized religion works better as a springboard to becoming independently spiritual. I think it’s important to understand religion in these terms and affirm the validity of both experiences. Some people prefer the guidance that organized religion can offer, while others prefer to break free and ride more independently. (Crystal St. Marie Lewis, January 22)

Andy Coate draws attention to expressions meant to be inclusive that are actually gendered (and exclusionary), and offers some specific suggestions.

When an assembled body of people is referred to as “ladies and gentleman,” or “men and women” or anything along those lines there is a group of people you’re ignoring. When you sing “brothers and sisters” or “oh, fathers/mothers let’s go down,” or do a reading that calls on “men” to do one thing while “women” do another you are ignoring all of the “me’s” out there. You’re ignoring my existence. I don’t think it’s intentional but I do think it’s something that needs to change. (thoughts ON, January 22)

Linda Laskowski continues her series of posts on the recent meeting of the UUA Board of Trustees at UUA View from Berkeley.

On this, the observance of Dr. King’s 83rd birthday, I am reminded of the repeated call in scripture that we return to the mountaintop—if for no other reason than to hear the call of God, or weep tears of love for [...]]]> Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

Crystal St. Marie Lewis asks, “Will you go to the mountaintop?”

On this, the observance of Dr. King’s 83rd birthday, I am reminded of the repeated call in scripture that we return to the mountaintop—if for no other reason than to hear the call of God, or weep tears of love for the societies we serve, or to demonstrate the love of God which overtakes us so relentlessly, or to dream of the future.  (Crystal St. Marie Lewis, January 16)

Kim Hampton wonders, “Next year, can we have an A. Philip Randolph and Fannie Lou Hamer Day instead?”

[When] we’re talking about something like civil rights, something that has such a long arc, why put all of the focus on that one man? Doesn’t that ignore the people and the work that made him possible? (East of Midnight, January 16)

Lizard Eater is learning about love from Martin Luther King, Jr., and from JT, an African-American classmate, who “lives in a world that sees him as the bogeyman.”

Over and over, through his sermons, through his speeches, [King] counseled love. He knew that to cede the power of love was to lose part of yourself. JT shows me how very hard this is. That to forgive others, others who have never even realized how wrong they were, is a herculean task. (The Journey, January 16)

The most hated girl in America

The Rev. Cynthia Landrum is stunned by the deluge of hatred directed toward Jessica Ahlquist, the teenage atheist who successfully fought to have a prayer banner removed from her high school.

The obvious irony is that the words of the prayer call on people to grow morally, to be kind, to conduct themselves in a way that brings credit to the school, and to be good sports and smile when we lose.

If only everyone who wants the prayer to hang could at least try to live up to it. (Rev Cyn, January 19)

Searching for common ground

After a confrontational social media encounter, Sarah MacLeod reaffirms her commitment to dialogue and the search common ground.

Why bother? . . . Because, like it or not, much of life is a mystery, as is all of the future.  None of us have the market cornered on the best way of living in this remarkably complicated world.  Really. And no amount of vitriol and rhetoric actually changes anyone’s mind. (Finding My Ground, January 13 and 17)

Amy Peterson Derrick is giving up one of her favorite pastimes—yelling at her television and radio.

Perhaps my energy would be better spent writing letters and having an actual conversation with somebody. So, with our cable service cancelled and the local talk radio channel erased from my presets, I have decided that it is time to have real conversations with people while engaging in a new spiritual practice: listening. Really listening. (UU@Home, January 14)

Worship experiments and evolution

The Rev. Christine Robinson, who serves the UU congregation in Albuquerque, reports on the staff’s visits to contemporary worship services at neighboring churches.

Some of those [who attend these evangelical churches] are someday going to say to themselves,  ”I just don’t buy this!” and walk.  If this has been their experience of worship, they are not going to find my church’s eclectic but more formal music interesting, no matter how much freedom they are looking for. . . . Therefore we are experimenting with contemporary worship.  So that we can be hospitable to the next generation of seekers, most of whom attend churches with bands, not organs. (iMinister, January 16)

Vance Bass, Albuquerque’s contemporary worship director, shares his perspective on the congregation’s learning journey.

The really important thing here is that the ministers understand what contemporary worship is all about, why it’s vital to UUism, and are totally on board with making changes in that direction. We as musicians—even the music ministers among us—don’t usually have the authority or influence to make this kind of change happen alone. But we can educate our colleagues in the pulpit, assist them or guide them, and learn along with them. (Liberal Religion Gets Loud, January 16)

The Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot weighs in on music choices in his congregation.

I usually try to avoid the terms “traditional” and “contemporary” when talking about worship because they are more of a hindrance than a help. . . . The real question for people is whether or not our worship experience fits the context  we find ourselves in. Each week we ask our selves if what we see and hear is in some way us. One thing we must all remember, though, is that this context evolves over time.  (Burbania Posts, January 18)

Learning to pray

The Rev. Lisa Ward admits that “Prayer has not come easily to me.”

It wasn’t until my twenties that I gave it a good go, and, thirty years later, I am beginning to feel a resonance, a “prayer life.”  I slowly came to realize that I do not have to know, specifically, who or what I am praying to.  In fact, that may limit the flow of energy, healing or wisdom I seek;  because it would then be a conversation with my definitions, not an invocation of that which encompasses more than me.  (Pondering on the Path, January 14)

The Rev. Naomi King answers some of the questions people ask her about prayer.

Is prayer answered? Yes, but maybe not the way we would prefer or can easily understand. Getting what I wish for is not how I judge the efficacy or use of prayer. Prayer doesn’t work from scarcity, and it can’t treat the Holy as a vending machine. (The Wonderment, January 19)

Around the blogosphere

Will Shetterley remembers his mother, who died this week, saying that she “gave me my heart.”

She taught me how to love—none of my flaws as a pupil are her fault. She loved indiscriminately. Children naturally exaggerate the virtues or flaws of their parents, but I was always able to test my belief that Mom was a great mom by seeing how people everywhere adored her. (it’s all one thing, January 19)

The Rev. Ellen Cooper-Davis responds to questions about Unitarian Univeralism in a guest post on Rachel Held Evans’ blog.

Unitarian Universalist churches certainly began as Christian paths, and their theological positions were derived from those who read the Bible, and found evidence there for rejecting both the Trinity and hell. But today, in our modern North American form, we are best considered Post-Christian. That is to say, we have roots in and influence from Christianity, but solidly mainline Christian churches would not recognize as Christian. (Rachel Held Evans, January 19)

Meadville-Lombard seminarian Jim Magaw reflects on lessons learned in a UU polity course.

As faith communities, we need to be . . . . arteries that supply the blood that nourishes the world’s muscle and the world’s heart. The extent to which congregational polity helps us become open channels for this lifeblood determines how relevant and vital we will be to the rest of the world.(Jim’s Meadville Journal, January 16)

Trustee Linda Laskowski begins a series about the UUA Board’s January meeting in New Orleans.  (UUA View from Berkeley, January 14)

Our spirit is a generous spirit, calling diverse people to be in relationship to one another. Our generous way of relation, holding in tension the free individual’s connection to others, holding in tension freedom [...]]]> The liberal way in religion

Reaching back to the roots of liberalism, the Rev. Peter Boullata describes “our essential witness to the world.”

Our spirit is a generous spirit, calling diverse people to be in relationship to one another. Our generous way of relation, holding in tension the free individual’s connection to others, holding in tension freedom and community, can be an example for a divided nation, a divided family, a tension-filled workplace.  (Held in the Light, January 11)

Controversial cookies

The Rev. Cynthia Landrum provides background on the Girl Scout “cookie controversy” sparked by a scout’s protest against transgender inclusion.

Girl Scouts USA welcomes scouts to change the word “God” in the Girl Scout pledge to any word representing the scout’s spiritual beliefs. Girl Scouts also has not taken any stance limiting participation of lesbian or bisexual scouts or troop leaders. The latest Girl Scout controversy is around transgender scouts.  And, once again, Girl Scouts has taken an inclusive stance.  (Rev. Cyn, January 12)

Andy Coate urges us not to demonize the young scout at the center of the controversy.

I feel bad that it’s clearly going to be awhile before she has any actual chance to explore the world a little and meet people not in her religious, social, and political demographic. I feel bad that she’s probably getting a lot of hate directed at her right now from liberal folks and that that is just going to enforce the points she has been fed. (thoughts ON, January 12)

Resources for spiritual practice

The Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern plans a service of contrition and reconciliation, and shares resources for reflection.

If you’re like me, when you set out to reflect on the ways you’ve done wrong, you tend to think of the things you already know about. . . . So you reflect on those, and feel sorry for those, and maybe even tell people that you’re sorry, but what about the ways you’ve strayed that you haven’t even noticed? For those, what you need is a list of possible faults. (Sermons in Stones, January 8 and 10)

The Rev. Justin Schroeder has begun a series of daily posts about spiritual practice, including one about “why small groups matter.”

In Small Groups . . . congregants engage in the discipline of deep listening. . . . It’s the kind of listening that is not about fixing or advising another human being, or interrupting to tell a better story. It is the kind of deep, attentive listening that can help the soul show up, that can help the soul grow and speak its deepest truth. (The Well, January 7)

Our weird little ways

During her sabbatical, the Rev. Cynthia Cain has been learning compassion for what Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron calls our “weird little ways.”

[One] goal of a sabbatical is to create the space and the time to be truly uncomfortable, to face and move through the painful realities of your own weird little ways, to become more human. (A Jersey Girl in Kentucky, January 12)

The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell considers three painful regrets—and the lesson she learned from them.

In each case, my heart was telling me what I needed to do. And in each case, I allowed other considerations to overrule my intuitive sense of what was right. I have learned over and over again in this world that the heart knows a deeper truth than reason can reach. (Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell, January 11)

Allison Rittger writes about the role her son’s dog, Leeloo, played in healing their relationship.

Sometimes a son and a mother get lucky and someone or something comes along to do what they were not able to do for each other, form the nurturing bond that allows a child to love for the rest of his life.  For my oldest son, I was not a reliable, responsible parent, so he was never secure and grew older anxious to provide for others what I had not given him. But his own heart was closed. Then Leeloo came home, and the healing process began.  (spirit flows thru, 1/9)

Lessons from family life

Sara from The Curriculum of Love applies Friedman’s leadership theory to teaching her children how to ride a bicycles.

It is normal to feel anxiety about letting them go. After all, eventually children will no longer need you, and will ride off without you, and each step along that path is a little letting go of this precious child.  (The Curriculum of Love, January 6)

The Rev. Amy Freedman tells the story of a community in New Jersey that chose to foster a more balanced way of living.

In 2002, the entire town . . . declared a Family Night called “Ready, Set, Relax!” with no sports, no homework, no meetings, chores, or classes. Instead families enjoyed a meal together, played games or just relaxed.  The idea was that having one night in which the whole town shared this experience would motivate people to find ways to slow down and reduce unnecessary pressures from families and children. (Amy Freedman, January 12)

Around the blogosphere

The Rev. James Ford reflects on Swami Vivekananda’s impact on the West in the late 1800’s.

He introduced America to the idea, startling at the time, that a non-Christian and a non-European could be both saintly and scholarly, and could advocate another religious perspective as compellingly as any Christian preacher. (Monkey Mind, January 9)

Linda Wright tells the story of her segregated educational experiences prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  (Equual Access, January 11)

Patrick Murfin remembers the birthday of President Millard Fillmore, providing a helpful biography of this little-known Unitarian.  (Heretic, Rebel, a Thing to Flout, January 7)

“Liberal Religion Gets Loud” offers advice and resources for arranging hymns for guitar.  (Liberal Religion Gets Loud, January 9)

First, a new religion for the 21st century will be like Apple because it will be intuitive. . . . A new religion will be like Apple because it will be interactive. . [...]]]> Imagining new religion

John Beckett, responding to a recent essay in The New York Times, imagines a new religion through the lens of Apple.

First, a new religion for the 21st century will be like Apple because it will be intuitive. . . . A new religion will be like Apple because it will be interactive. . . . A new religion will be like Apple because it will be expensive. . . . Unlike Apple, though, a new religion for the 21st century will be humble. (Under the Ancient Oaks, January 5)

Lizard Eater gives voice to the needs of newcomers who walk through the doors of our churches.

I want to be around people who . . . . motivate me to set aside my smartphone and join them in transforming our little corner of the world into a better place. Which will help transform me into a better person. I want to change my life in a big way, I want to give myself to something big. But I need help. I need tools so that I can manage my money, my time, my ideas. I need to feel I’m not doing it alone, that I’m a part of something important. (The Journey, January 5)

The Rev. Christana Wille McKnight celebrates her re-starting congregation’s first public worship service.

It was an amazing thing, to be leading worship for a congregation that has such a history and yet is so entirely new. We learned some important things about our historic building—for example, that the current electrical circuits cannot carry both lights and a coffee pot simultaneously on the same breaker—and that the church decorates beautifully for Christmas. We also learned that the creation of community is magical. (Ordinary Days, January 4)

Liberal religion’s mission

The Rev. Peter Boullata sets off a cascade of blogging and Facebook sharing with his post about the liberal church finding its mission.

Inasmuch as Unitarian Universalist communities continue to neglect discernment, theology, discipline, spiritual practice, faith formation, vocation and engagement with our historic testimonies and tradition . . . . we will never have the kind of impact that a missional religion has on transforming the world. (Held in the Light, December 29)

The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein applauds Boullata’s post, and adds her own thoughts on the missional church and Unitarian Universalism.

What I hope for, wish for, and work for, is a Unitarian Universalism that more intentionally makes a place for unexamined reverence, love, humility, deep listening, crying, grieving, laying down the burden of trying to know and understand and explain and control everything, acceptance at the heart level, solidarity rather than paternalism and dominance, and faith. (PeaceBang, January 4, 5)

The Rev. Tony Lorenzen writes that UU attitudes toward Christianity are “aversion addictions,” and that the UUA is “one big codependent system.”

We do verbal gymnastics in Unitarian Universalism to avoid words like God, spirit, covenant, and faith. Why? Because some people have an aversion addiction to them. (Sunflower Chalice, January 3, 4)

Judgment and humility

The Rev. Kristin Grassel Schmidt reflects on the ways “finger-pointing, laying blame on others, and passing judgment is the name of the game in our national discourse about the challenges we face.”

In passing judgment we can relegate a part of our hearts inaccessible to those whose ideas and opinions don’t match exactly with ours, we rope off a portion of our respect as off-limits for the “other.” In doing this, we make it impossible to bring our whole selves into relationship with those with whom we disagree, those who also happen to be the very neighbors we as people of faith are called to love as we love ourselves. (wanderingfollower, January 5)

The Rev. Fred Hammond considers what it might mean for UUs to “walk humbly with their God.”

Can we as Unitarian Universalists embrace the idea that there are unknown forces at play? These forces need not be supernatural but may simply be the words and actions of others that we are not privy to but have been said and done and are bending the arc towards justice and liberty even while we ponder our next move. . . . For me, walking humbly with my god means to feel the direction of the current of change, to sniff the wind of justice and follow it where it leads. It means being willing to change how I live if it will ensure that others will find freedom. (A Unitarian Universalist Minister in the South, January 3)

Magical moments

Driving home on New Year’s Eve, Leslie Mills sees flickering, floating lights in the night sky.

The first thing I could think of was a fairy. High up in that cold, rainy sky, there was a fairy floating over my car. Or a will-o-the-wisp. Or an angel. Call it what you will, but it was ethereal and magical, and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. (Leaping Loon, January 3)

In an unexpected encounter, Deb Weiner recognizes echoes of an ancient dance.

It lasted only a moment, and was so fleeting a vision I wondered if I could believe my eyes. But there they were—quietly walking out of the dark, four deer, crossing in front of me. . . . Softly, moving with caution and watchfulness, the beautiful animals were headed toward the conservation land across the road, no doubt. I saw a couple of adults followed by juveniles with gentle spots on their bodies. (Morning Stars Rising, January 5)

The Rev. Dr. Nori J. Rost steps out of a perfectly good airplane.

My instructor open the door and I did as I had been instructed, following his left foot with mine, placed on the step there; next was my right foot. That was the most terrifying moment and I barely had time to feel it before we were out; tumbling over and over in an incredible bullet-fast rush through the skies. After about 30 seconds, my instructor pulled the chute cord and there we were: gracefully wafting down, the silence even more noticeable after the rushing of air during free fall. It was an amazing experience. (sUbteXt, December 30)

Sit and be with this day

The Rev. John Morehouse remembers a story told by his Buddhist teacher about perseverance.

When I was in Vietnam, [the teacher said], the Vietcong came to our village. They raped the women, and shot the old men. My mother and father disappeared. Only my grandmother survived holding me in her lap inside of a large basket. We survived because she had taught me to be very still––to sit. We sat for our lives. My grandmother brought me to a monastery and they took me. I was scared and angry. It took me 30 years to learn to let go of the images of that day in the village. Each day I reminded myself, today is a new beginning. Sit and be with this day. Keep that promise. (Facing Grace, December 29)

Around the blogosphere

Kelly Kilmer Hall processes her daughter’s suicide attempt.

Why do I speak of such things? Because I must. Because families lose children and teens to suicide at an alarming rate, and it is frightening to speak of it. (Seeking Divinity, December 30)

Strange Attractor defends something she never thought she would: the color pink.

I have come to realize in the past year . . . that my dislike of the color pink, and various other traditional feminine traits and activities are really my own unconscious internalized misogyny. (Strange Attractor, January 4)

The Rev. Dan Harper makes three safe—and gloomy—predictions for liberal religion in 2012, and begins a series about how we can change these trends. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, January 3, 4)

Tonight is the longest night. As we wait in anticipation for the rebirth of the Sun at dawn, it’s helpful to contemplate where we have been and where we are going in the coming year. (Under the Ancient Oaks, December 21)

Rebecca Hecking suggests that separating [...]]]> Celebrating solstice

John Beckett reflects on the meaning of the winter solstice.

Tonight is the longest night. As we wait in anticipation for the rebirth of the Sun at dawn, it’s helpful to contemplate where we have been and where we are going in the coming year. (Under the Ancient Oaks, December 21)

Rebecca Hecking suggests that separating the solstice from religious observations allows us all to celebrate the solstice together.

I think that Solstice, as a simple, natural lived event can help us transcend religious arguments. We all experience the deepening darkness, and the returning light, regardless of religious affiliation (or not!). Pausing to reconnect with the Earth in its moment of turning is an experience open to us all. It’s not a religious thing . . . it’s a living-on-Earth thing. (The Sustainable Soul, December 22)

The holiday spirit

Matt Kinsi gives voice to a rumble I’ve heard in the blogosphere—that many of us are not feeling the Christmas spirit.

I even forced myself into listening to the Christmas music radio station all day while driving around and shopping—nope. Maybe I’ll discover it on Christmas Eve when I hit up my congregation’s Christmas Eve services. . . . But for now, I’ll join the ambivalent chorus in feeling like I’m missing out on the Christmas spirit that I’ve felt in years past. (Spirituality & Sunflowers, December 16)

After mailing Christmas packages, Sarah MacLeod considers a series of encounters with a disgruntled postal employee.

I wonder what would change, at least for me, if I greeted all that vitriol and unhelpfulness with a smile and warm comment. Would she respond by softening? Maybe, but that’s not the main question (although that would be a fine outcome). What matters would be what happened inside me. I just might soften, and I’d likely leave far less shaken, irritated, and fatigued. I might even walk away with a smile, if for nothing else than the knowledge that I’d not allowed another person’s misery to become mine. Certainly, it’s worth a try. (Finding My Ground, December 20)

Deb Weiner is “carving out time for the really important stuff, the stuff that reminds me what this season is supposed to be about.”

In that spirit of hope and belief in the light that will once again return, I focus my attentions, this holiday season, on the everyday things that I can do—that we all can do—to bring the light to another person. May we all bestow such blessings on one another. (Morning Stars Rising, December 21)

The Rev. Naomi King offers eight nights of Hanukkah blessings for interfaith families and multi-faith communities.

In addition to the traditional blessings each night when lighting the menorah, we may also choose to add another blessing—the blessings we choose each day in loving interfaith families, the blessings we choose to create in healthy multicultural communities. These additional eight blessings are offered in that spirit, as we turn again in dedicating ourselves to the Holy this Hanukkah. (Digital City of Refuge, December 20)

The ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’

The Rev. James Ford’s family history leads him to neither minimize nor celebrate poverty.

There is no dignity in poverty. There is no grace. It does nothing to make people better. It is just a gaping hole in the soul. And anyone who says different is lying. (Monkey Mind, December 19)

Christine Leigh Slocum, a graduate student in sociology, explores the issue of class in Unitarian Universalism.

[Inaccessibility] likes to camouflage itself in a coat of subtle normality. A perception of normal is class informed, so it seems like it is “the way to do things” and that it could be exclusionary does not occur to people. If something is seen as normal, then it is not seen as a problem, and it may not feel privileged. (Seattleite from Syracuse, December 20)

Hitchens & Havel

Doug Muder remembers Christopher Hitchens.

Whether you loved Christopher Hitchens, hated him, or found him embarrassing, you’ve got give him this: . . . Hitchens’ in-your-face style has created some space in the mainstream for softer-spoken atheists and agnostics. . . . As long as he was the guy sitting furtherest out on the limb, you didn’t have to be. (The Weekly Sift, December 19)

The Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley remembers Vaclav Havel.

He inspired not because he had the best political ideas, but because he taught people that it was possible to believe in themselves and live lives of integrity. While humanistic, his was not an individualistic manifesto. He did not hold to the idolatry of human understanding, but believed through our humanity we could find ultimate meaning in the world. (Learn Out Loud, December 19)

Around the blogosphere

UUA President Peter Morales reflects on the roots of racist hatred.

I have long felt that we religious liberals fail to appreciate humanity’s capacity for evil. We also fail to appreciate our own capacity to lash out. (Beyond Belief, December 16)

The availability of bright yellow clergy shirts with the Standing on the Side of Love logo created a flurry of activity on Facebook and several blogs this week, with some depth of feeling, pro and con. The Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein’s ecumenical blog for clergy has a representative sampling of comments. (Beauty Tips for Ministers, December 17)

The Rev. Derek Parker remembers the Rev. Wells and Mary Behee, lifelong Universalists. (Boy in the Bands, December 17)

Shannon McMaster offers a survey for examining UU congregational life. (This Is Worker, December 20)

The Rev. Dan Harper wishes the Occupy protesters would sing rather than chant. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, December 20)

Holiday break

Season’s greetings from UU World. Our offices will be closed from December 26 to January 3. Interdependent Web will return on January 6. See you next year!

[The] captain came on the horn: “We have just learned that a person has witnessed someone jumping from the vessel. We are launching a rescue boat immediately, have notified the authorities, and [...]]]> One human life

Returning home to Whidbey Island on the ferry, a crisis reminds the Rev. Kit Ketcham of the value of “one human life.”

[The] captain came on the horn: “We have just learned that a person has witnessed someone jumping from the vessel. We are launching a rescue boat immediately, have notified the authorities, and will begin a search. I ask our passengers to go to the rails and assist crew members in watching the waters for the person who may have jumped.” (Ms. Kitty’s Saloon and Road Show, December 13)

Economic realities

When Christine Leigh Slocum learns that her spouse’s job has been outsourced to the Philippines, she chooses to lean into the uncertainty.

I read somewhere that the lessons you learn in life will keep coming back at you until you learn them. . . . This time around I am trying to embrace risk, embrace the uncertainty and not let it rule me. . . . I imagine I cannot be the only person staring at these shoes, waiting to put them on. They seem well worn. (Seattleite from Syracuse, December 14)

Leslie Mills spends a night sleeping outdoors to raise awareness about homelessness—and the next morning struggles with how to help a homeless veteran.

I pulled up to a red light. A few yards away from my car was an older man wearing jeans, a knit hat, and a jacket that couldn’t possibly be warm enough. He was holding a cardboard sign that read, “Homeless Veteran.” After a night like the one I’d just had, what else could I do but roll down my window, wave him over, and empty all my spare change into his keeping? (Leaping Loon, December 9)

After the eviction of Occupy Boston, Andy Coate reflects on his experiences with the protests.

The movement meant so much to so many people, but to me it meant that I’m in the right place in my life. I’m doing what I need to be doing. I feel good about who I am, where I am, what I am doing and where I am going. I’m proud of the decisions I’m making and I’m thrilled to be with the people I spend my time with. (thoughts ON, December 11)

The Rev. Dan Harper gives an account of his participation in Occupy Oakland’s West coast port shutdown. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, December 12)

Moving from polity to purpose

The Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley reports on a conversation with colleagues in the Pacific Western Region about “moving from polity to purpose.”

The Pacific Northwest District Executive, Janine Larsen, recently charged a congregation with this injunction: “The days of ministering in isolation and from behind the comfort of your own walls are over, my friends. This is the age of the network. You must serve differently, nimbly, diversely; virtually and in meet-ups, constantly and spontaneously, in the streets and in the homes.” (Learn Out Loud, December 12)

The Rev. David Owen-O’Quill suggests that theologically diverse Unitarian Universalists might find common purpose with a missional approach.

The journey to a missional expression of Unitarian Universalism provides the potential opportunity to transform this paralyzing contemporary dynamic within the denomination. . . . The clarity of missional thinking would almost immediately bring a new dimension of maturity and honesty to these congregational discussions. (News from the Spiritual Underground, December 12)

Celebrating congregations

John Beckett celebrates a major milestone for his spiritual home, the Denton UU Fellowship.

In our Winter Congregational Meeting today we approved the largest budget in the 62 year history of the Fellowship, which for the first time will include a full time minister. This budget is 86% larger than last year’s budget and it is balanced. This budget increase is possible because pledges are almost double what they were last year. (Under the Ancient Oaks, December 11)

Sarah MacLeod’s home congregation, the UU Church of Farmington, returns to their 160-year-old meeting house after a nearly six-month hiatus.

The problem? Our 160-plus year old meeting-house and it’s newer additions were far from accessible to the disabled. From the rocky, uneven parking lot to the series of steps needed to enter the meeting-house, our boast at being a welcoming congregation was limited to welcoming those who could manage the unwelcoming barriers in and out of church. (Finding My Ground, December 11)

Solstice and cyclic time

Rebecca Hecking writes about the costs of our modern understanding of time, which focuses on linear time, and ignores cyclic time.

Our ancestors who lived in close awareness of the seasons probably didn’t experience time this way. The experience of time rushing by is a product of our modern culture. We live our lives by the clock, with the incessant pressure to move and change ever faster. In the industrialized world, we are slaves to the pace of our times. (The Sustainable Soul, December 9)

Secretly Santa

“Lizard Eater” is proud to be a level-four Santa.

Level Four is when you become Santa for someone not as close––an elderly neighbor, a friend, a stranger, a name on a tree. The recipient can’t know who you are, of course. If they did, you wouldn’t be Santa. So there is much whispering and giggling; it is an appropriate time for secrets and ringing doorbells and running away. (The Journey, December 15)

For Sarah MacLeod, it’s “No Santa, baby.”

Santa? He was just a story, a part of a poem, a guy at the mall dressed up to pass out candy canes. I never recall believing in a Santa who came down the chimney and brought presents. My parents confirm that they’d never taught me to believe, meaning I never had to unbelieve. (Finding My Ground, December 15)

Around the blogosphere

When home improvement retailer Lowes gives in to anti-Muslim pressure, the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Landrum refuses to let Lowes mask its bigotry. (Rev. Cyn, December 13)

Inspired by a colleague, religious educator Sara shares a new way of doing worship with a large group of children. (The Curriculum of Love, December 12)

The Rev. Dan Harper has begun a series called “Top ten best things about liberal religion in 2011.” The first two “best things” are the Great Recession and rethinking districts. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, December 12 and 13)

I was sexually abused, and I won’t be silent about it any longer. It happened only once, it was by a much older man who I knew but wasn’t close to, and in the terrible realm in which these things [...]]]> What we don’t talk about

Christian Schmidt breaks his silence about a traumatic incident in his childhood.

I was sexually abused, and I won’t be silent about it any longer. It happened only once, it was by a much older man who I knew but wasn’t close to, and in the terrible realm in which these things happen, it could have been much, much worse. Thank God, he stopped when I protested. I tell my own story . . . because I know I’m not alone. (A Free Faith, December 5)

An arrest at Occupy LA

Patrick Meighan, a writer for the TV show Family Guy, and a member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica, offers an account of his Occupy LA arrest.

I . . . informed the LAPD officers that I would go peacefully and cooperatively. I stood as instructed, and then I had my arms wrenched behind my back, and an officer hyper-extended my wrists into my inner arms. . . . When I involuntarily recoiled from the pain, the LAPD officer threw me face-first to the pavement. He had my hands behind my back, so I landed right on my face. The officer dropped with his knee on my back and ground my face into the pavement. It really, really hurt and my face started bleeding and I was very scared. I begged for mercy and I promised that I was honestly not resisting and would not resist. (My Occupy LA Arrest, December 6)

'Tis the Season

As an Advent tale, The Rev. Kristin Grassel Schmidt tells her parents’ story of waiting and hoping for a child.

[In] the autumn of 1983, [my mother] received the most unexpected phone call of her life. “Mrs. Grassel,” the social worker said, “your baby girl is here, waiting for you.” [This] is the story of my advent; of how I came to be the daughter of two parents who had nearly lost all hope. (wandering follower, December 8)

Deb Weiner gives a holiday-season spin to her “delight [in] watching someone who has behaved badly land in a pile of metaphorical manure.”

Advent is, traditionally, a time of waiting, of anticipation. I would prefer to not spend that time waiting for someone to beat the system again, to push ahead in line, to find that once again, “the little people” have gotten stomped on. So yes, I admit it:  I do sometimes enjoy watching someone who has behaved carelessly find their comeuppance. Because, at the core, in a holiday that is supposed to be about love and light, it would be nice for us all to feel like we really do matter, and that we still have a place at the table. (Morning Stars Rising, December 8)

The Rev. Sharon Wylie reflects on the tension between the natural rhythms of winter and the social obligations of the holiday season.

I believe that we . . . are pulled to enter a time of rest and reflection in the winter months, as part of the natural cycle. . . . Instead, many of us are swept up in the hoopla of the December holidays. When our bodies and spirits naturally yearn for quiet and contemplation, we load ourselves with obligations: shopping for presents, multiple and repeated gatherings of friends and family, workplace parties and gift exchanges, and on and on. (Ministry in Steel Toe Shoes, December 5)

As he recovers from having “fallen cluelessly into the frenzy of holiday shopping,” UUA President Peter Morales asks “What centers you?”

I have a practice . . . . that helps put everything in perspective. On my computer I have made the “Astronomy Picture of the Day” my home page. . . . What is your practice that centers you and helps you put things into perspective? Prayer? A quiet cup of tea? Meditation? Writing in a journal? Walking in a special place? Whatever it is, I urge us all to do what we need to do to bring us tranquility. (Beyond Belief, December 8)

The Rev. Tony Lorenzen asks, ““What are some of the greatest gifts you’ve ever received that were not bought or sold at a store?” (Sunflower Chalice, December 5)

Practicing gratitude

Strange Attractor’s home suffers storm damage—right after she started a personal discipline of practicing gratitude in every situation.

There is not a lot to feel grateful for when one is hearing the term “structural damage” about one’s home. . . . I consoled myself with thinking about all of the terrible outcomes that didn’t happen. . . . This list provided some comfort, but things could be worse only carries one so far. Then I noticed that something had been happening since Saturday night—Husband S and I have been so close to each other lately. (Strange Attractor, December 8)

The Rev. Justin Schroeder shares a few entries from his daily gratitude journal.

“I thank You God for most this amazing day. . . .” Thank You for the powerful, healing conversations that took place at church yesterday. I was surprised and delighted by the interactions I had with long time members and guests. I was deeply touched and reminded of how important a faith community is and can be. (And thanks, also, for a worship hour filled with moving and soul stirring music.) (The Well, December 5)

Around the blogosphere

Peter Bowden recommends a series of videos about the effect of video gaming on congregation life. (UU Growth Blog, December 6)

The Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern shares her soul-stirring vision for the congregation she serves. (Sermons in Stones, December 4)

The Rev. Dan Harper provides an overview of the book Sustainable Youth Ministries, by Mark DeVries, which advocates taking a systemic approach to youth ministry, rather than relying on charismatic youth leaders. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, December 1)