In June we celebrate the blessing of living free from fear. Juneteenth honors the freedom from slavery for African Americans and Pride honors the freedom to live authentically for LGBTQ+ people. Living free from fear is essential to living into our full potential, both as individuals and as a society. It is a blessing which … Continue reading Living Free From Fear
Often we appreciate blessings more if we consider what life would be like if “that” had never happened. For example, “what if my parents had never met?”. Pondering such “counter blessings” reminds us how we have become who we are and may help us focus more on the blessings in our lives. See the UUConnect for the … Continue reading Counter Blessings
“We live between the act of awakening and the act of surrender.” – John O’Donohue. This Irish poet, priest, and philosopher helps us rediscover the true source of compassion, serenity, and hope through his writing Beauty: The Invisible Embrace. See the UUConnect for the service logon information or click on May 8 in the calendar. RE Focus: Celebrating … Continue reading The Invisible Embrace
The Passover story reminds us of a people wandering in the wilderness for 40 years before they awakened in their “Land of milk and honey”. What does this story tell us of times of uncertainty? RE FOCUS:Waking Up to the Pain and Suffering of Others. We explore this theme in connection to Passover and highlight … Continue reading Wandering in the Wilderness
The poet Rachel Kann believes we are in a paradigm shift in history. We are awakening to the truth, for better or for worse, and building a new way of being, loving, and living. RE FOCUS: Waking Up To What Really Matters. We reflect on waking up to what really matters and the importance of … Continue reading Tell the Children That This is the Great Awakening!
Unitarian Universalists are continually called to renew our hopeful faith in a better world. Sadly, sometimes such an optimistic faith may feel pointless because humans seem so intent on destroying themselves. We believe in the inherent goodness and the universal salvation of humanity and these truths still call us into the light of hope in … Continue reading What Faith Am I Renewing, Anyway?
Unitarian Universalists have a long and proud history of social justice leadership which is grounded in our deep spiritual and theological roots. Rev. Mark Richards joins Rev. Jim for this service which lays the foundation for an afternoon strategic planning workshop by the Wisconsin UU Social Action Network hosted at the Open Circle Fellowship. RE … Continue reading Spiritual Grounding for Social Justice
Dr. Courtand Dahl, the creator of the Healthy Minds Program, encourages us to overcome our unconcious bias and widen our circle of compassion through meditation and mental training. RE Focus: Widening the Circle of Love We widen the circle when we spread love to everyone, including refugees and asylum seekers. We focus on refugees and … Continue reading Widening the Circle of Compassion
This Justice Sunday let us reflect on what motivates our justice superheroes. What is it about how they live with intention that makes them so effective? Children’s RE Focus: It takes accepting mistakes to live with intention because mistakes are part of living. We need to acknowledge that good intentions can sometimes cause harm and … Continue reading The Intentions of Our Justice Superheroes
Tis the annual season of hopeful resolve followed quickly by disappointment. Phillip Moffitt, a renowned vipassana (insight) meditation teacher helps us better comprehend the difference between goals and intentions. Ironically, maybe we should be setting new year’s goals to become more intentional? Children’s RE Focus: It takes empathy to live with intention. When it comes … Continue reading Goals versus Intentions
