Service video It is no coincidence that the word “Thank” sounds like the word “Think.” Being thankful is an ACTIVE intention, a CONSCIOUS practice of focusing on what’s good in our lives and showing appreciation for the blessings (sometimes hidden) around us. Let’s take a moment to ask ourselves: What am I thankful for today?” … Continue reading “The Need for Thanksgiving,” by Rev. Joseph Boyd
Service video What is radical hospitality? How do we practice it, and what does it look like? Human beings have a built-in tribalism that needs to be challenged consciously and intentionally. A congregation committed to radical hospitality would go beyond seeking out others like themselves and open its heart to accept all who seek a … Continue reading “Radical Hospitality,” by Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell
Service video From our early primate subfamily hominin ancestors >3 Mya through origin of our genus Homo ~2 Mya, and the emergence of anatomical modernity ~315 kya in Homo sapiens sapiens, humankind and its forebears have used agency-detection, personification, representational symbols, and tale-telling to model ourselves and our World. As meaning-making primates, we have structured … Continue reading “From Mythos to Cosmos: From Representational Meaning-making and Mythmaking to Cosmology-making,” by Dr. Lee Greer
Service video Rev. Michelle Freeman will preach about Mark 9:38-50. Jesus gives warnings using harsh words in the Gospel lesson from Mark. Jesus does not mean the words literally but metaphorically. The harsh language is meant to get our attention. The message is the same. What you do for the least of these, you do … Continue reading “Get Rid of the Dead Weight,” by Rev. Michelle Freeman
Service video UUA’s Principle 8: the call to support the dismantling of racism. The call has gone out, and the UUA communities have answered. Principle 8, in its developmental stage, demonstrates an awareness and a growing commitment to address dismantling racism. Your mission of spiritual wholeness calls for your inward inquiry–your discovering your perspective racism. … Continue reading “The Call for Dismantling Racism,” by Rev. William Heller, MDIV, MBA
Service video Do we view life as black & white or as varying shades of gray? Have our experiences taught us that most things in life are absolute or ambiguous? Or something in between? In today’s reading, written by Bruce Clear, we will consider the concept of “fuzziness” and how it relates to UU values … Continue reading “Fuzzy Questions, Fuzzy Answers,” by the Rev. Dr. Bruce Clark Clear
Service video According to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Beloved Community happens when everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, hunger, and hate. To feel accepted is not only for our uniqueness to be respected by those around us; it is also feeling that it is good and right that you are who you are … Continue reading “Beloved Community,” by Alec Peck
Service video Fear is a primitive instinct and a central motivator in our lives — it is what drives us to make a better, healthier world and helps us avoid what we have learned will hurt us. Yet, many of our religious messages include a theme, “be not afraid.” Is the only thing to fear … Continue reading “Be Not Afraid,” by Rev. Susan Maginn
Service video The author of today’s reading writes: “We all share the need to feel we exist, and that we are safe—we need to feel both present and secure. I am convinced that these very basic emotional needs lie at the heart of all kinds of behaviors.” The way we seek to fulfill these needs … Continue reading “Odd Arrangements and Funny Solutions,” by Rev. Dr. Helen Lutton Cohen
Service video The Water Communion is one of only a few UU traditions which has been celebrated for forty years. After the hot summer, we share some of the water, the source of life, we have saved from our journeys this year. We combine our waters here in the desert as a symbol of our … Continue reading “Water Communion,” by Alec Peck
