Back in the early days of my parish ministry life, I had the opportunity to preach the homily at an ecumenical Thanksgiving service in the little Vermont village where I was serving. I searched through books, looked at various notes and all those odd bits of paper that preachers of that era kept for inspiration, … Continue reading Hart to Hearts: The Story of Our Land
“And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?” This question is the opening line of Raymond Carver’s “Late Fragment,” a poem that seems to reach out to me every few years. Earlier in 2016 I heard this line as the culminating “bonus” question in a commencement address at the Harvard … Continue reading “And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?”
Greetings, A cherished component of our faith community is encouragement to ask questions and receive support as we seek our own truth. For families, I believe a question often asked is, “Is it worth it to muster not only myself, after a long and busy week, but sleepy and sometimes resistant children to church on Sunday morning?” … Continue reading Is It Worth It?
In the service on October 16, I made reference to a Fresh Air with Terri Gross interview with Jonathan Safran Foer that I listened to last week. You can find the podcast of it here: http://www.npr.org/programs/fresh-air/2016/10/11/497066949/fresh-air-for-october-11-2016?showDate=2016-10-11. And while I’m at it, I want to recommend another podcast for you to check out. It’s called the Pamphlet. … Continue reading Resource from Sunday’s service and more
As I get older, I tend to look at healing as a journey rather than a destination. But that wasn’t always the case. After I got plantar fasciitis a few years ago, I thought that all I needed to do was to heal from that and be done with it. But it started a whole … Continue reading What Does It Mean to Be a Community of Healing?
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
This summer a transformation took place in several of the Religious Exploration classrooms thanks to the generosity of Tahama UU’s Paddle Raise donors! The two rooms are used for the middle school and high school youth groups, as well as adult committee meetings and covenant groups. The rooms went from seriously drab …. to fab! But … Continue reading Thank You Tahoma UU Paddle Raise Donors!
The church year has officially begun! We begin our church year anew each year with our Water Communion. Merging our waters together is a symbolic representation for us that we are indeed a community of covenant. But what does it mean to be a community of covenant? With the help of the Soul Matters … Continue reading What Does it Mean to Be a Community of Covenant?
I’ve been thinking about stories. In part because I’ve been reading stories and essays about stories. (Thank you John Barth and Wendell Berry.) But also because I’m part of the team of Tahoma UU Congregation members who will be sharing from the pulpit during our (fairly) annual “What I Read This Summer” worship service on … Continue reading Sharing Stories
Greetings! As a parent I always start to get a little anxious by mid-August. I know the summer is starting to wind down and, as much as I love my children, I begin to look forward to the routines of the school year. This week school calendars were coordinated, supply lists considered, and too-small clothes … Continue reading Introducing Labyrinth Learning!
