A few days ago, I had our 17-month-old daughter, Addy, out at the church. She was exploring the grounds while carrying a rock she’d found near the building. When it was time to go, I showed Addy how to set the rock down on the ground. But before we could start heading toward the car, she went back … Continue reading Do You Belong?
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” These words come from the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible and are later echoed in the Christian scriptures as well. Our Soul Matters theme for the month of May is “beauty.” When I think about beauty, images of feet are not … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Beauty
February brings us to the Soul Matters theme of “Widening the Circle.” While I often prefer one word rather than a phrase for our theme, I am enjoying thinking about how we can explore widening our circle as UUs. One way is to take a look at Widening the Circle of Concern, a report put out by … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Widening the Welcome
We are exploring the Soul Matters theme of “Intention” this month together. In preparing for this month, I was reminded of some words from the apostle Paul in the Christian New Testament. (I disagree with Paul on a lot of things, but I strongly empathize with him on this one.) “I do not understand my own actions. … Continue reading From Good Intentions to Meaningful Action
Have you seen the 2015 animated film, Inside Out? It’s a journey into the mind of an 11-year-old child, Riley. The main characters are Riley’s emotions: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear. The film does a good job of showing that each of these emotions has an important role to play in Riley’s life, and … Continue reading The Minister’s Mind on Joy
Over the past couple of years, I have enjoyed the nightly newsletterwritten by Heather Cox Richardson, a historian and professor at BostonCollege who uses her knowledge of the past to provide insight into thehappenings of today. Learning about the news this way, in the contextof history, leaves me feeling more grounded than simply reading thedisconnected … Continue reading The Minister’s Mind on History
Was that event three years ago or three months ago? What day of the week is it? The clock says it’s 7 – is that PM or AM? If you’re like me, the past year and a half have really distorted your sense of time. It makes sense. Our perception of time is strongly influenced … Continue reading Time is Relational
Those who know me well know that I’m a huge fan of science fiction. I love imaginative explorations of how the world might look with major technological and societal changes. Science fiction – like most good writing – is a gift created to open our minds to new possibilities. I find that a lot of … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Possibility
Before Virginia and I got married, we sat down with a local Episcopal priest for a few sessions of premarital counseling. This is something I believe is important for all couples as they prepare to build a life together. In our first session with him, Fr. Matthew shared a piece of wisdom a monk had … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Commitment
Our Soul Matters theme for the month of February is “Beloved Community.” This phrase was popularized by Martin Luther King, Jr who envisioned aworld in which resources are shared, peace and nonviolence are the norm,and poverty and bigotry cease to exist. What are we doing, individuallyand collectively, to work toward this vision? As we reach … Continue reading The Minister’s Musings on Beloved Community
