In my first or second year in parish ministry, I was approached after the service by the wife of the emeritus minister. With a wry look on her face, she said, “I see from today’s service that you took that class in seminary, ‘How to Pick the Unsingable Hymns.’” I admitted that the hymns that … Continue reading Music, Music, Music
The fast forward of commerce is always startling to me, though I know it shouldn’t be any longer. As we lurch into some fine summer weather, the back to school sales are well underway. My local Value Village has been displaying Christmas decorations for weeks already, and in the heat of August, clothes built for … Continue reading Hart to Hearts: Bits and Bobs* for the Middle of Summer
That’s what I’ve been telling people, preaching about. The message is in invitation to stay awake and pay attention to the dynamics of white supremacy and racism that are all around us all the time. Those of us who are white can easily lose track and slip back into that little bubble of privilege that … Continue reading Stay Woke
In our service on May 22, we missed out on this reading: Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to … Continue reading Excerpt from Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton
Our congregation is beginning to build a relationship with the Vashon Island Unitarian Fellowship. When asked why we might want to do such a thing, here’s how I responded: The first reason for wanting to step into this adventure is actually an old one that takes us back to the very beginnings of Unitarianism in … Continue reading Why Make Ourselves Multi-Site?
On Thursday morning, Affiliate Minister Tandi Rogers and I headed up to the First United Methodist Church in Renton to attend a very special event: the launch of Washington Won’t Discriminate. A group called “Just Want Privacy” is attempting to overturn equal rights for trans* people that have been in force without any issues for 10 … Continue reading Affirming Trans* Lives
On Sunday, the congregation was challenged to wear a Black Lives Matter button for a month. During a discussion in which we considered how to respond to people who may comment, one participant asked about resources for talking about race and this challenge with her child. As it is sometimes a difficult topic of conversation … Continue reading Resources for Talking to Your Children About Race
Those of you who were in the service this past Sunday (April 3), will remember that in the Time for All Ages, I told a story and forgot one of the elements. The story is a Nigerian Tale called “The Three Tasks” and for some reason I drew a blank in the service about what … Continue reading The Second Task
It’s the first Sunday to reflect upon Revelation as our theme, and you are invited to take up a challenge to open yourself to learning something about yourself and the state of racial justice in our community. For several years, Unitarian Universalists across the country have taken up the call to affirm that Black … Continue reading A Challenge to Connect: Black Lives Matter
Last summer, I saw a note on Facebook that the author Brené Brown was coming to Seattle in the fall to promote her soon-to-be-released book, Rising Strong, and I put my name on the list to be notified when tickets went on sale for the event. Up early some months later, I opened my email to find … Continue reading This Sunday: Rising Strong
