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uuspokane_org

2013_01_27.mp3

Good morning. Acquire. This morning my church is. Is puerto rico a. Important women choir. I never said she was going to become robert frost. One of america's most wanted. Presidential inauguration for president kennedy in 1961. A little bit from his five forces. Ingratitude and his wife marie. Everclear. Your first family last night versus taking their beautiful daughter and some of our members who had make you a wonderful dinner. Saprissa. We can just do this one work for justice throughout the year. Austin water available tuesday the child. We're making slavery. Independence. Water resources. Everyone. Celebrating. In the world. President obama's second term. Encouraging. Civil rights issues like marriage equality. Congratulations. forever your servant on bbc. Obama challenged by energy climate change to changing world. Introduction you won't be surprised to hear that my thoughts and some water. Grocery store clerk florida today. Colorado. The mississippi. The columbia. Purple. The beginning of a new administration of american politics. A place of our country. And the souls of our many cells. Water. In the rain. In cheers in the sea. Play robert frost 1961. It was ourselves we were withholding from our land before they. Dj marshmello. Sanitation. Support human rights water. Right now. John hardy. Repeat after me. Steven ralston water is. Portable waterproof. Sandy hook. You don't remember. Water is. Sanitation facilities more children die every year from all the wars combined. Supreme in the world. Water. Report on ice cream. Unitarian universalist. By james dickey president carter 1977. Remove slime from brain as objects privacy. Appeal. North huntingdon to board. Hopefully you and green. Password off a story. Richardson commercial settings. More kindness. Washington. Sweetwater. 70%. American progress report. What you might not know. October 31st 2012 21. 7:34, texas. Lower and middle-income households were disproportionately affected by many as the most expensive weather events. American government. The world. Greenhouse gas emissions from the united states for the past hundred years of all missions. Contributed. Climate-change appalling actually harvested africa. Time to work. Injustice by working with each other and working for water. Who wrote on the river. 2006's turn entry. Everything we do about the water. Engineering the river so they become master drainpipe brewers listen to see. Slow. What's a rivers meander. Ponderosa pine forest. Arandas farmers from around the world for taking alli. Torturing. Years for peacefully protesting for some gold mining. Jamaica. 120 years later channel return. Baxter village. Victoria. Where is towanda braxton's organizations. Your hands with big hearts human rights defenders. Forest trees. Intercropping heirloom crop. Well making wings or communities to adapt to climate change that is changing your reins and the forest. The pulse of morning. President clinton's inauguration 1993. Today's rock right now. Shallow. Angels in the bruising dartmouth. Ignorance. Your mouth. Across the river sings a beautiful song. Struggles for proper. Colors of winnie cooper. Prince of debris on my breast. Riverside. If you will study war no more to come clad in peace. Psalms 41. Across. The riverside and sing song. Price of water in boston for boston water and sewer shut-off policy commercial of houses know what happens when you. Originals are out per person per month. Submit helpful define. Somewhere between $10 a month. Charlie. Increasing population. Wii support. Coronavirus was arguing better. Directions to connecticut water. First one of the world. About to have a bridge that i water service until 9:50 p.m.. Arhaus. Policy some corporations recognize these. Problem gambling episode. 49ers world. Open hours for waterboro. Apothecary. New york. Happiness. Generations walker marvel. Progressive. Small versus small organization. 7. Future. Except in the minds of those who will call the future. Children. Tormenting people coming together. For every child and even chance. Cannot let lock a long-term door knob. Or not. We know what we have done what we said. Reading ourselves toward all we have tried to become incapacitated. Antifreeze. Universal 2006's conscience. Earth is our home. This world and its destiny as our own life on this planet. Decide our lives on warning planet. How old is conan. Spiritual love. Transform our individual and our conversational live interactive bulletin s. Uncle robinson furniture. Connecticut for medication. Recognizes you rice water in. Praise song for the day. Operation of president obama's 2009. Encounter each other in words. Roseburg oregon clean. Consider. Consider. This day. Struggle. Call for the day. Forever plaid. Personal harm. 44. Charlotte. Uber air. Praise song. President obama administration scandals first american government and water. Human rights council in 2010. Work. Universalist. Play the water policy in the country. Human rights award.. California. What happens to her. Corporate representatives from mexico were former listening. She doesn't come down holy river everyday lives. Time is in cheerleading extended people not only in the united states but around the world. Insulation to buy. 108. Richard blanco. Obama second-term january. Sms today. People over the smokies. Charging across the rockies. Each one. Story. Pictures. Moving windows. Sometimes with her eyes tired from work. The weather of our lives. Somebody loves you back. We head home. Or wheat snow. Flow of god always home. Sky. Our sky. Everything shop. Everyone shows the country. Stars. Oscillation. For us.

uuspokane_org

2014_10_12.mp3

uuspokane_org

2014_09_28.mp3

uuspokane_org

2012_06_24.mp3

Here's why i chose to do this work and for a long time i didn't really talk much about that but. Call my mother and said mom grandma just died and she said she's fine. That i had an experience as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. I agree with kushner. That wonderful book when bad things happen. As if scott fitzgerald said to us one time close to the edge of the precipice i will tell you a story. Let's color mary and they said you have to come talk with her we haven't got time to sit with her and she's pushing. So i said to her what's the scariest part of all this for you but she said i'm dying. So haven't had a lot of training in interactive guided imagery from the academy for california. Open your heart and this beautiful place in every direction including earth and sky. So she did that just kind of imagery i'm in dialogue with people and then they are so shut the whole time. So she also to my amazement. Because all of them all the stories of stories story everyone. Mary was exhausted phyllis lee this. Charlie was out there. And this grass listen dirt track between seattle and the airport. Little dresser. I've never seen anybody in my life looks so frightened. H2 space i said there's something i need to tell you. You said to me. What's going to happen to me. Holy cow this is right when all the. Just asking for help from somewhere. God is good. Forgiveness. We started practicing. The sweetest. Because i ever had listened to that conversation anymore i think they were afraid they'd find him dead. Get me to the hospital it's time. I found a way to call and get an ambulance there to get him to the hospital and he. Very beautiful child and ended up with a jealous rage in him which came out. Anabolic. I want fast anyway but i'm barreled into his room and i walked in the room and walked right into the light that he was dying into. Walking through water up to my chest i wasn't i have never ever experienced forgiveness. It doesn't describe it except that piece. Play my way to the door as soon as i. Burst into tears and couldn't contain at all and i still carry it everyday and. Two years later i was asked to do training for the medical residents at the va hospital. I was about 20 minutes. And to them looked at me like all my god i'm a scientist get me out of here this is why i wanted to medicine. And i love the words of carl jung they've been with me my whole career to mystery of the living soul. I've discovered that comes close our spirits become stronger. Hello number time for the nurse and i was up there checking on somebody in. Beautiful. Larry mcmurtry joe was off to the great perhaps.

uuspokane_org

2011_03_13.mp3

uuspokane_org

2011_12_04.mp3

I really need to know i learned in college or toward the maturation of morality of a child. Having to read it the world would be a better place if we all remember to take turns. Can hold hands unfortunately the world almost everything to the top 10% and almost at the bottom. In a culture where minorities. Can reminder. Is that the morality in kindergarten we can do. Better than the ethical egoism. Understandable. We should also move kindergarteners. His butt. Is such an obvious ethic elementary. Do not do to others. Believer. Is your own loss. Stomach. One must grant the same privileges to others because. In fact. The world we cannot move on. And ought to be treated fairly. Created equal. Robert bailey soldier. Unlike most of his comrades israelis. Regarding. Universal principle. His community his culture or not. Cognitive development. He began talking about the terrorists and kill them. They're allowed to mature without interference in critical thinking. Kisses reflected morley when we begin to understand. Persons become members of human community strange. We eventually must be otherwise. In particular. Can dissociate myself from anyone who held different beliefs in the only world. To bring strangers into my way of life. I don't know everything i really need to know if you will. Don't really know paradox when you think about it because we expect we're going to college to learn something. Because i know he will. Is commonplace if we all approach one another with such humility. What about learning how to continue learning the rest of my life. What's philosophy. Major. It means the world to be better than it is. Hangout with my friends all the time.. History. Can questioning everything can using the critical college my own small way to make the world. No matter how to keep asking questions i think the musical interlude and.

uuspokane_org

2014_12_14.mp3

uuspokane_org

2015_08_23.mp3

uuspokane_org

2012_03_04.mp3

Yes to applaud on that i think saying thanks and applauding are still inadequate ways of expressing gratitude for the gift that you've given us today i'll pick you and that walks upright or stands upright. The peculiar hominid that walks upright posture cannot position is part of what defines us. Perhaps this is also part of the reason that we feel so superior to other creatures especially to our knuckle-dragging cousins nobody despite the fact the very word human. And our love to humiliate ourselves by bending dowling for stooping especially in public we have risk even to prostrate ourselves completely to do so upright position and upright as we are it is. Stupid yes i heard somebody whispering wall street protest. It's a word that many others also using this way to describe those who take different positions than their own. Kissing by donald trump from princeton / april in las vegas are stupid. Cannot be subject to government interference i feel you should be rewarded with your own sign. So in the words of a well-known comedian here's your sign in big bold letters. I presume it refers factor did not praise me for any specific act of stupidity i presume refer to my general practice. Tis an old english term that means silent or unable to speak although we tend to use it in reference to feeble-mindedness gets route dust actually means cloud for mist. State of mind is literally a mystical state of mind that's why we sometimes say that were dumbstruck for dumbfounded. If he keeps silent. In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path light. Henry david silence is the universal refuge the sequel to all dogs discourses and all foolish acts. Asian american poet ws merwin says all my teachers are dead except silence. Theologian walter bower said the arctic expresses the sum of all wisdom silence. Can the great american author dickerson. Is the mysterious. The source of all true art and science. Vistana wrapped kisses good as dead. Positive virtues can turn them on their head by making insults out of him. Compliments of insults praise into ridicule and virtue into sin. I first realized when i noticed how often our society condemns people for loving others. Sympathizers if there something wrong with it. Today those who care about social issues are called bleeding hearts. Environmentalist sparkle tree huggers. Tblt community garden equal rights for doing. Love one another. Discrimination. Now i'm realizing it's the same with thinking and questioning and was speaking freely and honestly to think question or counter the status quo anyway so jeff sister the possibility of riddick ridicule shame and oppression he even though we're supposed to be living in a country that values freedom has its highest principle. I just don't get it how is it that a brave young lady who merely testifies before congress about contraceptive rights is suddenly vilified and called names to despicable repeat. Open rush limbaugh uses powerful bully pulpit to attack the good name and character of sandra fluke this week. He did so to every woman in the world to our mothers and daughters wine partners and sisters. Because mariculture morality has been flipped on its head. Can i come pick those with whom we disagree richard unforgiving justified skin crushing those who actually exert their first amendment right to speak freely by calling them even though. is really the opposite of speech. Free or otherwise. To silence their subject to humiliate them to the point that they become too embarrassed or too afraid to speak out attention. The last the only way to counter this tragic state of affairs to practice the virtue of stupidity or dumbstruck which is the mystical state of being. But discipline understand where i'm going with this play on words or rather this realization of stupidity. For every legitimate question. It's stupid to ask any genuine question is an admission i don't know i don't have all the answers to find the answers if we don't realize but there's a question to begin with. Questioning the authorities found upon to say the least it's another example of our upside-down ethic being upright with being right and being right but having all the answers and having all the answers but not asking stupid question. Equate intelligence but having a lot of answers rather than would having a lot of questions and however particularly. Call larry answers. Which can only be achieved for the practice stuff stupidity. In the west mindlessness is an insult it is nirvana. Alan watts author of the classic book refer to it as perhaps you've heard of doing without doing. No mind or if you will knowing without knowing it isn't short a word meaning timeless this is what they try to educate people. When they know the answers people are difficult to guide when they know that they don't know people can find their own way. To the night and whoever has this light always remains not knowing unfortunately this is not merely an exercise in esoteric philosophy. How we approach knowledge can have a profound impact on. The entire planet. We had to f4 tornadoes touch down on different days with first established in 1971 it was thought to occur only 1.1% of the time. This increasing number of monster storms tornadoes and hurricanes his additional proof of the alarming reality of global warming and its subsequent climate change despite the devastating evidence however there are still far too many people who deny that it's even happening minds have already been made up people who choose to ignore. This is why i consider ignorance to insult. Where is the opposite above. Dummies having the wisdom to remain silent when we don't know what to say when we don't know what we're talking about rush limbaugh statements about sandra fluke. And if stupidity is an intentional act of humbling ourselves before mystery in the hope of gaining more understanding ignorance is the intentional act of turning away from what's right in front of us pretending that we don't see what is glaringly obvious. Stupidity for example that talks about the dealings between god and humanity is. To stoop around the bend over a group of curious angel gathering around humanity in bending over us to inspect us like a curious child looking at a mound of ants then you understand the imagery. Angels with relatively rare word christian scriptures. To look into now wonder what religion might look like in our culture is it. Quit from this stooped. Humble position. Rather than knowing in islam. Place of prostration lower ourselves that puts us in the best religious position. So we have these three ways of looking at. To be dumbfounded try to do so the practice of stupidity mindlessness.

uuspokane_org

2011_05_29.mp3

Thank you brian and thank you beautiful. Happy memorial day. The weather. Hopefully the sun hangs in there. And on the more meaningful aspect of memorial day. All the people that's. Our country and paid the ultimate price. So that we can join all the freedom. So thank you very much for that. Memorial day. Ask. Heroes bar. Is it someone that served in iraq or afghanistan. Secondi. Or is it some of the people that debbie. John f kennedy abraham lincoln. So. Think about this for a minute any of the heroes that you have. 4 something. A sense of purpose. For what their life was about. Get out. Distracted. But what they were doing. Pharmacy. There are many urgent things. Anna coming addison demanding our attention all the time it seems. Almost. And i'm just getting everyone what they need and where they need to be. And. I think that can be challenged. Who has time for that. And i understand that i get that. Keeping the balls up in the air that fits that we have to do. You know it will. Same thing. Hopefully with the little more. Purpose. With a sense of purpose. Okay and. Kind of history for me is. Or more specifically they call it yours. They take this very seriously. Cuz you're calling. You know another another insensitive. We all came here for a reason. Not just to take up space. We all have. Something to offer. So there isn't. Ground-rule purpose for your. Can find purpose reconnect with the purpose in their life. View. Okay we have to see smoking. Outside of ourselves to find out our purpose to find out. And in that type of thing and we've got to bring it and we've got to look inside. And my favorite. Can an instance of that. I've looking inside is. People. Really simplifying and in generalized this not to disrespect their their beautiful ceremony. And it's very powerful. And then. Inexperienced. Okay and the sequester. Coincide. There's no longer any distraction outside and you sitting there and basically. That's what that's what you could do. Preservision. Vision comes to them. It came from inside. So i just think that's really powerful. Sense of purpose. Campbell finally did light. Because brian. Maybe we allowed. Too many clouds to come in. And block the sun. Chimaera forgotten. What we came here to do. In all the busyness of our life. Do something. And please take them as you see fit. First one. Is asking what is important to you. Okay it's exploring and it's it's it's. And i think this is the foundation. And that's why i have it first. It's different forms. Maybe exploring life in early 20s. We may be establishing our career. Maybe marriage. Then later our children and some call that you know. Empty nest syndrome or. Whatever else can. And i call it. I'm in my work with people. But that's a little. People didn't like that word very much. About their sense of purpose they had purpose. Previous. Anime. You know we kind of turned with their sense of purpose. It's really important. What are spiders sense of purpose. With our first tool. It's important what's most important to you. Solution from any crisis of that type. Intention. Okay and tension. Declaring what you are after. And it's kind of. Putting it out there. Okay i'm at. Kind of the energy of our intention. Because. It comes back to us. Read the secret. Okay we often create a picture of it. Gives it power and it gives. But in addition to the picture i think it's really. Important to the essence of what the picture represents. Okay so. Purpose and helping people in third world countries. Okay. What's the best thing i could think of in. About making a difference. Alleviating suffering. Okay. Okay in-n-out. Village christian. It's ultimately. Attention. It taking my heart and say help me with this or or on. Creator. And this morning. And give me the courage to follow it. And i just think that's so. Finding purpose. Is the first step. Whidbey. For receiving the response. Takis. You know. Remember. Presenting itself to us. And ultimately allowed. The receiving part we were sending with the receiving. Annie chang an ancient dallas texas. Being open and allowing. Potentiality. Into the tranquil of possibility. And watch what gets reflected back to you. And there is your answer. Dino with the casting the petals. You know we're sending out and we're sending out our intention to us. About this. You know i always has been for me sometimes. But. Almost. Then how you pictured it. Queso. Coming and we can actually see the real thing. Understanding the essence of our purpose. Okay. So what happened. Africa. And. The purpose comes to us. And we don't even notice it. Nnn another people's loss. Important. And. Presenting itself to me. You know intention the things that are presented themselves to me. You know. You know any ideas. Not sure where they come from. And. So. Being receptive. And. Tube focusing on what presenting itself to you but i want. Okay. Connect to something. You know. Joseph campbell. Pentagon with our theme their journey something if they believed it was my responsibility. What is going on in the world. You know what if that's the case. And see where it takes you. Scuse me. You know sacred to me. And it's called. Your natural blessing is what i called it. Everyone around us. You know and. You know that we have this uplifting effect that you. And my favorite. You know when my heart is open. You know. Based. Well i guess i know i don't have a blessing. You know ask your friends ask your family. Ask your co-workers. I guarantee. Articulated. Yeah they might say something. But i just feel really safe when i'm around you. I mean that would be your blessing. Emanates from us. Okay and so i'm starting. And myself in another people. And. I-10 people tend to feel hope. And so a mission statement for myself. And others. And helping them to see possibilities. Native americans. Call. Okay disability. To create hope and other people. Anything else about me. Okay. You know. And someone was losing hope. Okay. Sam you need to go hang out with mike for a while. Spirit. Okay. So. Discourage me. And he'd be telling me some of that. Keep coming around until he could again. And not just the power of a clan. The power of a community. A church. Shutter. Do you know we can uplift each other each other. Okay.. When i'm keeping the balls up in the air when i'm with my girlfriend when i'm with my parents. I'm going to be carrying that sense of purpose. Okay i'm going to be. People that that i'm talking to. Maybe someone at the grocery store. But i'm always seeking to do that. And i realize. How much that can make a difference i mean it's just tissue. It's kind of a style i was taught. On the first thing i'm going to ask. Is is my heart open. Experience. The second thing is is is. People. You know my purpose. Listen. Touches people. The most. Anyone makes a difference. How any of this make a difference. Text. Oh yes thank you brian.

uuspokane_org

2011_09_04_Story_4_All.mp3

Impromptu announcement cycling sunday to recycle our office paper meetings. September 17th. And he came home. winter from winter break and the children's village came running out to him running. Begin by describing the city towers. He told about the crash. A terrible stillness. Listening to the story. The men women and children. Fire so hot. It blocks out the sun. And although. Thousands of people dying at once. Instant what would come next. Generous. Shuna tribal elders stood. He was shaken and he said. My cow my only cow. They wanted to do more. Us ambassador. Presented to him. And he heard. The american national anthem being played over the loudspeaker. And he saw the entire maasai tribe. Standing in additional tribal. With their hands over their hearts. Is anthem quite clearly. Powerful between these two cultures. America. And the cow this close to their heart has grown to over 35 is considered. Their wish is that when we americans to the story comfort. Then we will know.

uuspokane_org

2013_08_11.mp3

uuspokane_org

2014_03_30.mp3

uuspokane_org

2013_12_29.mp3

uuspokane_org

2015_11_22.mp3

uuspokane_org

2010_12_26_2.mp3

The alarms for tomorrow. Because one of the things that comes with our communication our ability to hear instantly from. Any other part of the world as we know about things and there's always something i will say this if you go to our website. There is a button on the front page of the website for the unitarian universalist service committee. In fact. Anybody on the scene quickly. How to keep from getting sick. Re-read the principles. Just one. Wish for uucs for 2011. To have that kind of experience. Was jesus a humanist a diaspora theist. Does visual puzzles where you if you stare at a long enough and you keep your eyes focused. I've come to believe that. Jesus. 10 since we seen jesus. And so if you if you are a serious chances are. We don't know who jesus was it's time amber capture anything living. What is humanism. Congregations are allowed to be prejudiced toward having christian minister. And humanist. I have a conversation with one of our members. About sacraments in religious symbols and this person is someone for whom. I said you know the problem with humanist. Producer of the power of life. I don't consider myself a theist i probably align. About how incredibly beautiful. There are days when the sun strikes. Beautiful. There are enough of you and who you are thinking about you. I'll let humans decide who they are for themselves but i cherish the presents in this community. What's the best place for me to explain being unitarian universalist is all about. We're all about. Because that gives permission for. Mission statement. Sign out there says it succinctly. All are welcome. Describe briefly the origin of the uu church and how it's different from the other side of the tracks. Universalism in north america was. In connecticut in massachusetts. It wasn't a very interesting schism those on our side of the tracks the connecticut. It was it was yale and harvard it was connecticut and massachusetts it was boss referred to as. Calvinism ashley the calvinist which had a very negative assessment of human nature. To go their own way. The positive understanding of human nature universalist. Is are we still as positive about human nature. Does ralph waldo emerson. Ministry. We are the left. Connections all along there are congregational churches. United church of christ churches that are very much like you are. The message we've got messages that are powerful. Is powerful the principles powerful. You're the best kept secret. Community even this morning. Advertising. Whose last time you invited somebody to come to church. We have i have some friends for the last 10 years or so. That needs to stop. If you know somebody you don't have to you don't have to be in evans. And if you were ever looking for place to be on sunday morning. This church. Advertising. Thank you for the question.

uuspokane_org

2013_01_06.mp3

Recall at the turning of the year as the pens called away behind us. And the future lies before. We hold in our hands on you for years. Can you pull another into memory. Time for the taking of weed. How many humans have died this year no one can count. Overtaking them. Been cut down reviews. And,. In the fullness of the years. 10in reusing of life. Some were the victims of violence and cheers. Heading home following sources beyond everyone. And failures. Superman. Courtney was. All deadlines. Aram legacy to us. Nora cupcake. Your excellency. Description of pattern markings music which she wrote and directed you've got mail and julie and julia. Before you. Hartford probation jack nicholson. Intimidating fisher no one. Tom prokop called the greatest organization in the hard times of the great depression in south dakota and he remembered well the dust bowl storms the grasshopper slaves of the 2230. He saw first-hand desperation poverty and hunger. Who serves as a pilot. He saw firsthand the horrors of war anymore. Mortgage deferment. He believed in. He'd like to see what time the representatives from south dakota and santiago's. Associate in 1972 when he ran for president against president nixon and he was educated. Never ended his commitment to the rest of his life he was committed to issues of social justice. You don't find it. Meaning of war in time. 2410. Memorials in washington dc during wwii. Weber-stephen near me. Talk to him after the ceremony and we told him how much we can do for him in 1972. And we were both stuff melanie is warm. And his righteousness. He backed up as well. My husband with jordan deborah is michael's most prized in a philadelphia everyone. Just months before he died and he got knocked over at the 1890s about. He was traveling around united states he was preaching. Division of poland. Division of healthcare for all. I can practice with the serenity prayer desire to grant serenity to accept the things i cannot change. Trying to change them. Adrienne bailon. Golden deadliest adrienne rich has died aged 82. Adrienne rich road out identity politics long before the term was coined. Her father encouraged her to write poetry when she was still a child and she sees himself in the courts of his library all men when she was very young. From her first book of poems published in her last year at radcliff in 1951 she showed your feminist variance. And universities and reduced corporate they witnessed any 20 years later was among the most likely writer to be included. Married and mother three small boys. She became active in the civil rights and anti-war movement. In addition to writing poetry message to non-fiction book a woman born in 1976 which examines the institution of motherhood. In 2006 she said these words when accepting an award for distinguished contribution to american letters. I'm both a poet and one of the everybody's of my country. I live with manipulated fear he's went cultural confusion and social antagonism huddling together on the fault line of an empire. I hope never to idealize poetry it has suffered enough from that. Poetry is not a healing lotion and emotion on the side of kind of linguistics aromatherapy. Neither is it a blueprint during instruction manual snore billboards. Universal 43 anyways only toiletries and poetics and the streaming intertwining history-maker mom. When selecting for the national medal for the arts at 1997 refuse this war the radical disparities of wealth and power in america are widening a together dating great she broke the president clinton a president and not meaningfully on earth couldn't open order while the people at large exo dishonor. In a 1984 speech do some doubts summed up the reason for writing and by implication her reason for being interested as an orb. Wednesday and the colonies were fighting to achieve with simply did the creation of a society without domination. Gina diaz martinez and her family. A forest surrounding her small southern mexico village. Drug traffickers wanted to trip to forest to expand the area in which they could grow poppy and marijuana. Athena and her husband ruben santana alonzo can organize local farmers like himself to preserve the forest. On february 16th her husband and children murdered. Continue their work. Can you laugh. November 28th and their ten-year-old son reynaldo we're awful murders. Seven-year-old daughter survived the attack. 20 years previously hooven tina and ruben's pedophiles of the organization of peasants ecologist. Of the sierra the heptathlon operations in mexico. Watching the poor environmental practices that into it decided to take action to protect their ecosystem. The organization also works with a standard write the farmer and to protect them from low wages and poor working conditions. Overtime drug traffickers became an even bigger threat. Members of her family and her husband's family were killed. Alone. 10 police officers regarding her regarding her. We defeated her son was murdered. Aloha local human rights leaders said the coumadin tina and her family. They are killing these people for defending the poor. Re-ride. The first american woman who sings this past year has pancreatic cancer. Message i private person. How do you blaze in culinary. Play 983. She was the first woman to other american women in space. President of university of california san diego in 1978. And was selected as an astronaut. Training program at the same time. Maurice sendak. 1963a maurice sendak. Where the wild things are. Arthritis this morning it was the revolution. A little boy talking back to his mother monsters. No 8 mystery room story with this child psychologist lawrence but this looks great. Bonhomme richard. All arrangements mother's elegance the bratwurst aces. Turn on concentration camps. Illustrations for other riders. 4 / 70. Nfl vibrate from you stay here but you do dear i did i'm going to go see my little girl on their own. Coronavirus yet. And overall elevator. And those are his crib mattress. Terani couture defining sets and costumes for over 4:23 productions including the popular nutcracker ballet. Lourdes mexican take a selfie.. Even more. Usually. Sears titustown. The monster discomfort or songs. Coronavirus response. Jessica marie. Dr. joseph murray surgeon who conducted the world's first successful organ transplant. 19541 dr very healthy kitty of a patient and sue jordan into patients identical twin brother he saved a life far from the ethical debate and opened age. Ruben is a career performing in grassy became interested in why skin would interact permanently. Birthday candles with compromised immune systems would accept skin graft for 7.. He thought of a person's immune system could be manipulated the chances of a successful transplant for decreased. Use a kidney from a cadaver were agonizing failures. My friends at the medical school. we'll see if i do not get involved because they said it would ruin my career. In describing the kidney for a transplant he said there was a husband the operating room at you gently remove the clamps from the vessels to the donor kidney. At the blood flowing toward you can eat the gas tank tank and evergreens all around. The transportation to eight more years and toasted his brother for the energy drink union station. Find 1965 isabella center new drug for using transplant survival race after receiving a kidney from an unrelated donor top 65%. Documentary was awarded the nobel prize in medicine in 1990 and last year died at the same boston hospital where he performed a kidney transplant surgery. Weather. Razor mcgrath. Imagination. He was an author and playwright screenwriter vacuums covid-19. One of america's greatest creative geniuses. Recall his fahrenheit 451 in my favorite the martian chronicles. 976-tuna. For my favorite story of martian chronicles called the next visit. Kim's wings. It wasn't. They're amazing heigl. Thermopolis, wyoming. Women with fireflies. And the marshal did like what. Their hands. Raspberry passover on june 5th. In addition to the honor we also remember those from our own church community assesses past years. Jim maples. Kerri green. Willingham. Amazon seller. Panty haul. Barbecuing. Grant hill. Joy.. Play swallowing. We are indicative that these people have been in arvada. Light bar final candles in tribute to all those he's not name. Mine is now ended short or long have touch and black tar heroin. You are welcome to stay there named donald as you did. We honor those names as well as those dogs out. And he's claiming representatives who have died within our human family this year. They also represent those newly born. Write our future. Ethnically. These now why are presents. An illuminated purple cat.

uuspokane_org

2014_08_03_Reading.mp3

Paragraphs from a book between questions.

uuspokane_org

2012_08_26.mp3

Thank you all for having me here today in the end. What i wanted to speak about today with something that i've faced for most of my adult life i decided. A lot of uncomfortable sometimes twice actual like myself faces when returning to live with his parents the most important one came to me just the other day. We didn't disagree riverside questions and yet something felt different hours to realize what the difference was had not once brought money. I was fighting to tell him that i didn't care. Anything else is still known for years that i was someone else other than who i pretended to be but then i realized the whole time never once wavered in his acceptance of me so this is what i put myself through so much stress. This is what we all do delhi parts of ourselves that we think don't fit or don't mesh supposed to be a part of us we hide the fact that we enjoyed fishing or knitting or watching action movies. Entire storyline. Boxes to fit inside one yes we like our stereotypes to fit and make sense but only for a moment. Be proud. Be happy remember your cellphone how precious this more than anything else except your identity is the most precious thing that belongs in this world you a man or a poet for soccer fan. Thank you.

uuspokane_org

2015_10_25.mp3

Every once in awhile.

uuspokane_org

2011_03_27.mp3

Thank you debbie thank you jenny. First community marketplace universalist church. It really brought me up short. Chess. To hear what i was thinking. Wonderful conversations. Scientist. Caught my attention. Very interesting. When you're feeling broken. Are overextended. Walking the dog. What do you do when your broken. We've gotten prayer put into a box. As well. Reconnecting. Around us. Question. He calls us to something called solar living. What comes. Living. I looked at some other things. Entire book. This morning. Generations they lived in the dark. What will the children. But there were some people who had hurt. Sun worshippers. Under the sun worshippers. Umbrella in the light. We're out here because of the prophet and all of his words about the light. I know the people will interpret. Umbrella. Every once in awhile. Imagine. Statements. Once you're free you don't want to go back in. I have a feeling. Andro whole series of umbrellas. Are you doing here. But not organization. Why are you here. Why are you here today. Good. In our policy government statement that we organize ourselves around in. Bowser and statement statements to me. I need a car because i want to have wheels that turn. Hybrid carbon footprint. Question question. I spent a lot of time with the steelers last year. Where do we want to go. I want. Spokane washington united states in japan. Are you wrestle wrestle together. Until you answer the question. Happy song.

uuspokane_org

2011_08_21.mp3

But that really is a tough act to follow thank you are you familiar with the wind.

uuspokane_org

2011_03_20.mp3

The worship service a lot to distract. I was a little afraid to just being stewardship sunday would get lost. Prepared letters. Which means first class mail which gets really expensive please. I wanted to sing the title song that is referred to in the sermon this morning. Actually bing crosby song. Put the song. The land of beginning again. But we've made mistakes that's true. Teaching. In the land of beginning again. And your future. Pretty close. Future that is wonderful. Broken dreams. Come true. And by the way that is not march 22nd. Duran and. Is the celebration of. Oceans in the world. Equinox. To the king of course zoroaster himself who was one of the fathers of modern philosophy. He got. What else are we doing to the holiday. They don't feel like they did before they see us. Existence. Happy new year welcome. Cousin sermon this is fantastic. The congregation. I'm so happy. About those questions. Tell him i love all three candidates. Picked our favorite happy happy new year. Here we are celebrating newness with our springtime banner. Coming. In the midst of all that we have been. What can you do. Invite you to think of that. Bill for services received a charge against cost. Citizen investment. Situated. Timberland. Beginning again. Cynthia. During the second service and hopefully. We pondered discussed ruminated and finally came to consensus about our pre candidates eastern standard time. The only ones involved in this process is also all of you consider what you look at our staffing funding sources in the bottom line. Other opportunities for you to meet todd and his family icalendar with canada dating events will be posted on the church website with a hard copy included in the april sun. We are absolutely duty about our candidate i don't know if i would have said this a year ago or even six months ago when we were mired in the work of preparing and creating all of this but thank you thank you for giving me and all the other team members the opportunity. Time to get to know todd and we are dreaming really big dreams about what's next for all of us and for all of you come talk to us after the service today and in the coming weeks we would be more than happy to share some of those dreams with you. If you all rise as you're willing and.

uuspokane_org

2011_10_23_Story_4_All.mp3

Would crawl home worn out with his efforts. One day his father said to me you haven't been burned in months and it looks to me as if you were. I want you to get yourself out there and. 25 trillion miles away. Seafood. Really reach the star.

uuspokane_org

2014_02_23.mp3

Okay religion which is a great question because. Religion into a belief in god is like one in the same. Brookdale let me clarify when i needed my mind atheism. Introduce myself in this congregation i called myself but an atheistic mystic. Driver services. Atheism. Regardless of whether or not we're believers or not because it's such an incomprehensible. We know the mind of god or the will of god or. The writings of god forever. Better be personal. And that we as individuals and harding. Technically. Remember the talking about a god that exists somewhere else we should invite er faith. And rather than broken, prednisone should live it out your actions to treat them with each other. One doesn't believe in a personal god. Remind that is. Now they're thinking and feeling and. About what it is i think and feel and do it however you want the theology about. God is love.. God is peace and love justice down the leak. Where i'm at. A real religious anomaly is this. Mark christensen. Direct me to western medicine. That religion is based on a belief in god if you start to. Look at world history. Continents and look at what religious people. Where am i. Religion religion in the world. Religion is a moral a moral type of behavior mental religion is. Behaviorism. Cancel. Africanism. Because that's not what religion is supposed to be about. Taoism. Did not discriminate. Definition of a spiritual idolatry. Call david. The wine called the gauntlet 1080. For everywhere you can. Define. Is one person or one thing. Reminder ha the christian mystic binaca. Here i come to the most we can do is talk about what god is not god is not unkind. it's not in debt. it's not. Can you see the fetus in virtually every religious tradition. In judaism. Psychonaut music. The lord is only even paying god. Proper name for for a letter. The name with really refers to the. My wife is motivated every moment by night my religious fervor. Even though i don't feel inclined. Talk about god. Marina believe in person. And i'm leaving taking your self-confidence pretty shocked about no expectations. Disappointment. Yeah. No i like i like that or something. Probably more than most of the other eastern religions. Just because it is kind of philosophical that way. Balance things out it was in taoism was really born in reaction to. Do florida understand extremism in chinese culture at the time in which. Everything was an expectation everything figured out everything is being planned out to the point where where it was buried. Anal society. Princess job to spend his entire day. Walking across the room at the same pace at which the sun crosses the sky because davita friends were out of harmony with the movements of the sun sun might not of the way. Aurora bridge collapse. North. Tiana wilson. Did you try to really miss the whole point. Trying. It's a perspective it's a liberating perspective. I'm going to be giving a sermon i think maybe next month. Mama to tell to talk know where it where i had these sort of parallel why. The one that i struggle for the one that i. Work really hard for trying to achieve certain goals before me. Ivan reitman. It was very appealing working itself out completely on its own without line on with my involvement or attention to it or not. Which is about to be here. Until i understand lapses respected. All you're doing is westbrook. At the same time it's only half the story. And i do think we should go so far overboard bility. This is a big problem with some of the real positive. They're out right now gelato positive overtimes about where humanity is saved and then i love. Then i told apartments on someone like thurmond talk about them in the technological or your sword was advantages. That we have made the rational optimist let me there they're really good book but they seem to indicate that. Stop worrying about the future. So we have an african american president. And many others present. So i think it's a balancing act so it. And you're right now we got to take responsibility for being in our world and being fully present. Panda panda dressing. Is that the really need one now to be one with the way things are to recognize the way things are not to put up shields and coping mechanisms to prevent us from feeling insecure. Well, it's better magically on it now. Instead of taking an active role. Stop.. We were motivated to ask make it better. And that $50. Separation of church and state. Walmart legos. Recommendations about how to increase philosophical discourse or is there a vehicle. Epic classes in high school. Talk about.. Yeah it did everybody here that i don't know if i come down. Question really reference regards went with b. Society that we're experiencing now is there a way to. Do i think there's a way from recovery dialogue from ring to bring us back together we're we're talking with each other. Set up against each other is after that philosophy and ethics and school system. Deal with matters of ethics in philosophy and even some of these questions if you will religions have been to address. In the public sector in a little bit that i think maybe would help our children grow up to be. More. To each other for the darkest night itself becomes more open. Diversity. I think there's going to look out there you know. Copy the kids about the longview milford at things this might be helpful. Immediately. Forgot to get back to dancing kids. Sweet leaf right now we have this society where all communication is a war against those who disagree with us. Can you say something to somebody disagree with the fries with your considered the offender. We're still part of the month society. Is that one of the beautiful things about our society is you don't have to reese's cup. That's really what freedom is. It's not about whether or not you can use this weekend up in my car. And not feel like you have to be quiet about it. Critical. Crippled making another. Spray for wasps. Understand. The basic structure of a pinky. Not what you think happened. Throw up to. Scrutinize. I'm very confident this it's heads up. Just passed generation and raised. There would never have been iraq war. Workout equipment. Situation right now or we we discouraged. Comprehension questions. But that's what they was just asking his decision which unitarian universalist are so good at. When i called our faith in america vintage edition because we're comfortable with not knowing. We're comfortable with being religious and not having a specific believe to find what he's about.. Define belief about anything they were going to hold you so rigidly that would want a course around everybody else that's the way we live in the world. The religion. One of the projects i worked on when i was doing my doctorate. Creative. 18 weeks. Fort lauderdale. Maybe we'll try again i think that's religion. Civics and critical thinking. Logic the kids. Look out world. Yep david. Surprising our face if we were given her temper to properly sizing our base. No i ain't dry pasta district propstream on my way here every every weekend. The number of people that go there and in the number of each compared to the number of people to come here. Florida membership. Comparative many congregations denominations small congregation. Sometimes i wonder if you know what why am i is that is that because it's going to sound really judgmental i think i'm going to say it anyway please just have to believe me. Play the difference between using religion away to this healthy using in a way that is unhealthy. Healthy way it started drive to see more deeply into our delusions so we don't have to deal with reality. And in a healthy way it makes us more present or present in the moment for this week we do deal with reality and i wonder if in our societies it that religion is just going to be. For the most part. Is used to help us escape. When you come to church like this we deal with a really difficult sometimes. We are challenged when we come here work work. Paradigm four questions we don't come to church to have somebody make us feel good and confident about what it is we believe we go into a place that makes us when we leave we often feel awkward. Have you know a little confused about things. I don't know. On the other hand. I don't think there's anything that special.. Democracy for although this is valuing of this of the individual litter for proof. Tradition. Which is. Humanism spirituality. By the way. Prodigious. Adventure time. Really. If i say that it's it's a misnomer. Part of it because we're professional. Sitting back here representing some of the highest aspirations humanity is ever. He's not. Zodiac. Your problem. Is there a such a small group. We're here. 100 probably is 1/3 kirkland out of 100. So. People. It's just a matter of getting beyond our. Finding ways to die. And then people get excited over people like that i want to go i want to go be with that. Santana's nomination we haven't been doing such a good job. The last really big thing we did. 1971. In the next knocking on our door. Supreme court. Got drop after largest butt. If we were out there saying you know what we're going to do for the right to marry. Everybody in our faces we should be able to merica. So i think that's probably the way to talk with dinosaur live at our face. I'm sorry i know i talked to mother vm20ss what reporter be on time. Korean translation.

uuspokane_org

2011_07_03.mp3

And you'll be hearing a lot about mysticism some of these ideas will be repeated. Infinite universe. How about this title has freely three meanings. Is first and foremost a mystical religion. And perhaps most important in the world has mystics. Nevertheless i realize that there are many unitarian universalist. This is so because. Is arguably the most misused and underused in the english language. It's almost 6.. Remind escribe a unicorn for example is a mystical creature. Because we don't understand thunder use it. Is mystikal. For the mystical approach is one of negation not affirmation. A questioning. Not answering. Stonecutter who creates by simply removing what's already in the way the service. This is precisely how mystics attempt to get at altima. We understand because i neither know nor think that i know. If we were struggling with how to answer such a complicated. You are a monkey. Pessimistic. Professor. A baptist minister by the way. True. Understand. And wonder. Of course unitarian universalism. Virtually every major world religion. Has a mystical strain. The christian mystic meister eckhart is absolutely nothing. As god is not god. A knock mine they not person fade not image. The cross was getting. Understand. Knowing. By not knowing. Unknown author. He also said when i speak of darkness i mean the absence of knowledge you must learn to be at home in this darkness. Is not the real way. Understanding. Objectified. Does nebulous and blurred. Hinduism. They cannot be grass. Buddhism. Conceptualization. Makes it truly spiritual. Kabbalah. Definition of spiritual idolatry. Carver. Forced. About the divine. Increase in the night. To the apprehension of god. The poet john keats. Referring to those who are. Without any irritable reaching after fact. The popular philosopher bertrand russell. The path. Is not only a higher ignorance. Psychologist. The most i can do is. Universalist of increasingly reluctant to use definitive theological language. But there is always more to the story. We start asking more questions. 2000 years ago. Question. Responded by grafting the nicene creed. Outline unitarianism. Ushered in the dark ages. Strictly prohibited. Official definitions of god. We've been tweaking the nicene creed ever since by developing theological statements to better reflect our values and ideas. Christian language. A few years later. Using god language. God. Candice recently president of the u.s.. Just reported that he wanted to reinsert the word god into them. Complaining. And most recently and i disagree with that by the way i think. It is pretty holly. Even among ourselves. But noah's god. Has been more comfortable with the phrase. More than with the phrase god is. God is. Goddess. God is not a person. The injustice. Which is nameless. Which is not. Super. Its name. And like unitarian-universalist everywhere. Humble spirit. Possibility. Sugar free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Enter the worth and dignity. Stop all people. Thank you.

uuspokane_org

2015_06_28.mp3

uuspokane_org

2011_02_20.mp3

Call december 26th questions if the congregation ask one of the questions. It's not that we don't need one what is need for speed means nothing we don't have a landline because we got tired of answering. Calls from nobody for donation or support. More often it was somebody. On something that i may never thought about before the phone rang at that moment. You can tell a lot more about the person who's asking the survey. Pictures for i found interesting federal holidays. Financial magazine. Federal holidays do not get tomorrow. 20% does not count martin luther king. Everybody could use another holiday in august. This is a federal holiday. Presidents birthdays in february. Is my washington story a few weeks ago so i have to use my link this week. Abraham lincoln at new york avenue presbyterian church in washington. One morning after the service he was walking back with a colleague and the colleague was going on and on about how wonderful the sermon convince. Colleagues searched. Research. But wasn't it masterfully delivered. Do not consider it an exceptional. The reverend phineas gurley to do something great. According to abraham lincoln the mark of an exceptional. Is asking congregation. We think that our society. Overcome during his presidency. Itself apart everything he could muster his wisdom his political acumen. Tears to hold the nation together. Beyond a large abraham lincoln. Cost. Together and then the great work had to continue. Because the nation's economy. Which have been disallowed. Create. And we think we have economic challenges. There was other greatness that was exhibited during black history month. Completely completely. Hundreds of years of effort. African-american community could have achieved any measure of greatness over this past hundred years even with the help. Overlords. It would have been a market chiefland. Any help at all. Overcome obstacle after obstacle. And yet during black history month. Optical. We've had two secretaries of state. Best african-american. 50 ronald mcnair. So i look at all that i look at those records and i said okay and now an exceptional sermon would be something that would challenge this congregation. The greatness. It would measure up achievements. Understand. Quality or character. History of this nation when we have an idea of our greatness. We were going to work with all those world undeveloped nations bring them all. And doesn't look anymore. Have the resources. And bring the so-called third world. We can't keep living either. Somehow we're going to have to figure out a way to embrace. We're going to have to embrace. Image of greatness. The face of the divine. Religion wants embraced. Christian century wasn't just a publication it was an expectation. At the end of the 19th century in the early 20th century that as christian missionaries went throughout the world. 20th century. It was a great idea. Now we find out that within the religious community to listen to. Other religions. Perspective. I'm practicing with the christians for unitarians. 21st century. Affected. Churches gation spike hours. Add more religious education classrooms for all the kids. Two ministers. 4. Requires more different kinds of music expressions. 15 years ago or so i was traveling around. German farmers wanted to know about stewardship at everything that i said they disagreed with. And still be a church for years i used that as an example. The opposite of stewardship is nebraska and asking the question how little can we spend. A church. Image. I got to confess this is something that's personal for me and i hope that i won't offend anyone. $20,000 in the black. So far this year 27 months for running $19,000 in the black. That means the week. Can our community. We need to be a different kind of institution. I need to have a different vision of what. Freshwater may turn out to be as the electron. Articulate. I know that the spokane alliance is going to be doing a listening season. Talk to bill prouty or cherry fights about it. Use the raw from our wedding for their processes. Then we can use it for our hands. With a new minister, and a bright future big. Picture. I think i'm being harsh with you. I imagine some of you saying i thought you liked. This is the strongest congregation i've ever been affiliated with. If i were going to ask. If not you. Anybody that i wanted to kim it's over coffee to imagine what this congregation could be for what this community. Don't be offended. And let us imagine a visions of greatness. The world needs everything. Are we up to the challenge. Payette pizza.

uuspokane_org

2013_02_03.mp3

When i was seven river. Ohio state mallard ducks only bouncing the shoreline and began walking about the water. Despite what appears to be a broken-winged preventing it from flying completely away at manager now across the water. The water service would appear to be great pain. Explain that it was only injury. Erick away from nearby. That was my light went out in my head. Turn on turn off. The process. Ohio. For example. Environment. We're more suited to endure. In the world. Distance yourself reservations.. Preacher would become willing to sacrifice his own life for the lives of others. Until i began to believe. Did the forces of altruism compassion and love but also play a significant role in evolution. Summer better camouflage better faster smarter or stronger than other. Love my apparent willing to sacrifice his own life or theirs is necessary. Cinnabon. Aberration. Somehow exist despite the code forces of evolution. That's supposed to be the underlying motivations. A crocodile. 500 lb of pressure per square inch of her deadly job. Considered. The symbol of mother's day. In africa. Filipino prosperi her offspring about. Interpower home mountain. Does it really go against nature when. Terrazzo in nashville. What part of the evolutionary process. Compassion for others. Because. 4life. Compassion exist. Is a song for the diesel necessary. Forever lotto. Or. Walmart brand quality kindness. Our service to our evolutionary advancement. When was the world. Mc coronavirus. Exactly evolution bistro. Are reading competition part of our hardwiring part of our biological imperative. And if so. Are we made. You working to make the world to less violence and terror place where off. Sigmund freud. Is an average completion of our own desire to see ourselves as good. Morton comprehensive. Perfect strangers. Nissan.com. Tupac and we should love others as much as we love ourselves to our enemies to turn the other cheek. Airlines in front angle practice with non-violence. International die in this africa. Gerber life insurance afford. We're later on. Destroyed the death represents an overinflated sense of goodness. Working against monroe nature's let alone. Necessary forces of nature.. Injury report crocodile cravens were young demonstrating other underexplored underestimated forces in the evolutionary process. Here. Compassion. Enloe. Sometimes just. And i don't believe in music. It's only a theory. Responding to the suggestion. Because it's only a. Angry birds hal. Evolution might occur. Set a timer. Explain this undeniable reality through various. Stories of humans emerging from the ground. Waterworks. Is the native american word. Reverse about the people and the mud houses that they live in. Is the hebrew word for her. Or of the earth. The creative creatures adapt and change over time but it was 150 years ago that charles darwin he was 69. Rather than explaining town. Gallagher. On his concept of a selection this species are constantly being engineered by passing along with genetic traits for their particular environment. Other more favorable traits. Hobart. Define species which will eventually evolve further. Is individuals with random mutations. Characteristics. Survival. Centerpoint not by darwin by the rather laxidasical dosha philosopher server. Minions series is it on konami slots. I call friend her basically. Because it biography reveals that he never finished reading a single book in his entire life. Intelligent. Extremely. It would have medicated in an elementary school because he were around today. Turn. Gorgeous. Misunderstood that only the strongest individuals can survive. Start with only referring to those individuals best suited for a particular environment and so on that other words were able to deceive domination destroy. What are we serious. The best explanation that the firm foundation. Is parker reactivation of how. Evolution. Scientists are still working. To figure it all out. For example one of the most popular and. Reflective paleontologist in modern times suggested evolution abilities. During periods of relatively rapid change. Jean-baptiste lamarck. Amazon theory of evolution his own explanation of how it happened. Not having a great understanding of the characteristics. Over sometime. The same as example that we heard in elementary school is of a giraffe stretching his neck. Of course. Are b-daman altered by our desire desire desire to befall. Whenever. Lamarckian series based upon the criticism of. Terry georges cuvier a french scientist to on behalf of the church. Concocted this ridiculous giraffe example to publicly humiliate and discredit the mark. Heretical plane. Spontaneous evolution. Turn off of author of the biology of beliefs at work. Reminder. Lamarcus the product of an impoverished family and would have been considered a communist. Ridicule. Enterprise ideas. Supergrass s wearhouse. The french revolution. Yeah.. I write in a do-it-yourself message to the lower class b e l academy. Tomorrow. Set alarm.. Interaction among organisms in the biosphere. Find a dancing to changes in a dynamic environment. Lamar. Authorities would be representing for cooperating. Salvation army. Who was by the way greatly influenced by lamar. 1844. It might call me the manuscript for naturalist alfred russel wallace. Charles fly on the promise. Apa suggests that the earth is far older than the biblical accounts ohio. Jonathan's work with top knot. The man who was merely a self-educated working class. Again. Is the scott unit junior columbine. Sir joseph hooker. Regarding one of the greatest conspiracies in ingleside. This arrangement. What's the weather. In darwin is merely a longing to baited but i'm hashtag ideas. Entirely the same. Starbucks has been greatly influenced by the masked magicians thomas robert malthus has. Usa suggesting that animals including humans for reproducing and supply. Under darwin tile the most pivotal chapter. In origins struggle for existence. Abingdon. Introduction to evolution the first popular theory. Based upon mathematical formula predicting capacity. In other words a dog-eat-dog world in which only the strongest and most most ruthless will survive. Put a tomorrow. Evolution. From my perspective, thomas. Turned out different. World. In order to acquire the status of the u.s.. There would be less focus on competition and more on cooperation. So evolution is a proven fact. The ground beneath our feet long. Reminder. We're still figuring it out. Starbucks. The focus on certain aspects of the process. Natural order. Evolution. There's a survival of the most cooperative. Where the president was a terrorist. Dependency in nature. Anything at all. The story of life. Play the story of diverse elements coming together. Creating resulting in the first cell look like one organelle. More complex. Periodic cell. Animals and plants still includes creatures. Mitochondria and chloroplasts. Are present in every cell. Convert food into energy. Very early on evolve from sally cell. Cooperation. You're saying is true of multicellular. Your birthday was simple block comprised of a few sales at. Responsibility. They were able to become more complex and so on until later. Complex individual form communities. For example. Individuals involved learn to cooperate. Informant biologists now consider one superorganism comprises any individuals. Collinsworth. Water starters. Human societies operation and greater unity. Charles darwin headlines of calculating and cruel.. City of romulus community.

uuspokane_org

2011_10_09.mp3

Thank you deborah and dixie i think you may have just demonstrated what i'm going to be talking about today you're so good. Very tender programmed to me more like real families with real issues understand. Whenever we distinguish ourselves from another or others we see the other as a direct object. But objects consist. Another example personal something. Into a u.

uuspokane_org

2011_10_23.mp3

uuspokane_org

2014_03_02.mp3

uuspokane_org

2012_04_29.mp3

What's going on their mind.

uuspokane_org

2014_11_16.mp3

uuspokane_org

2015_09_06.mp3

uuspokane_org

2010_12_19.mp3

Construction. Find a friend from new york who is visiting his daughter in california. It was when he was opening his fortune cookie at the end of the meal. Has he read the fortune he said television. From time to time is six or seven weeks in advance 2 weeks from now. And then later i have to come up with interesting. The last temptation cousins aqus novel the last temptation of christ. Point. Christian. Frame of reference the christian blends. Christian that's the perspective i need to utilize. I first visited universalist congregation. The congregation in its minister. The congregational minister. Myself for the minister of the universalist church. Sally and i. Confused. Again and again. Christian christian. Not christian. I was confused because i didn't hear them spending as much time talking about what they believe. But the real source of my confusion was this. And what i saw in myself and what i wanted to accomplish. Call myself a christian christian. We had so much in common. Over the years. Christianity. Projecting. I have come to understand christian with his children. I had been preaching jesus christ. Crucified jesus. Return to jesus confrontation with words. We have outgrown our need for you you need to be crucified. It really doesn't matter what you believe anymore. Difference between the jesus of history and the christ of faith. In his book talks about the jesus the tradition of scholars voting on. Christian community. She believes are authentically jesus. The jesus was a spirit person jesus. Jesus that board picks up a teacher of wisdom parables and. Prophet he stood in the tradition of prophecy in tradition. And fourth ward says this historical jesus movement founder prophetically. Social prophet. Christianity. There was. An uncomfortable silence. And after another silence man said it would be fitting to be on the board. Off-color language. Barbie stories. Bad language. My dad new community. People are still standing. I care for others anxiety. That was the closest. He was a christian example. Person who was bringing was dr. charles clymer. Personal physician. One of the churches that my professional services to. Mission trip to. Area of measles. Think of measles. He found that they couldn't get measles vaccine. Talk to his friend into providing 100,000 doses of measles vaccine. He was greeted expected freezer packs of measles. Essenes were called and they came running out with their guns. Finally. They allowed him to get through customs and he took the measles vaccine could be distributed to other clinics. That was what i was taught of christian faith believing that jesus was the messiah. Jesus. Her name was. Financial stewardship campaign. I asked her to address the congregation. She did so but she began with these words. I don't believe god's in percent. But she continued. She wants to know where i got the whole bundle. Height of the christian life was perfect in her principles. That's the kind of person i was introduced to as being a true christian. For christmas christians. As opposed to the oppressed and against the powerful who victimized. Afghanistan. Music christian lens for this exclusively christian. What do you need to practice buddhism. Is it enough to believe. Ourselves. I heard from a friend in north india. There was some movement in india. Thus making him. Irrelevant. But then we would have no sense of responsibility. And the same traction that he lived his. The temptations. The sermon could also be called. The first temptation. Because the first temptation for any religious person is to be content with belief in some power that. Is an adequate expression of religious faith. The truth of the matter is that the first temptation. Responsibility is to believe. On this sunday before christmas. To grow into the shaman. Because friends. If it's not in here. It's. May it be so.

uuspokane_org

2014_02_16.mp3

uuspokane_org

2015_06_14.mp3

Handsome. That's pretty amazing.

uuspokane_org

2013_03_24.mp3

I want to start by talking about smack my daughter. Embarrassing. Spell when she was very young the office being rude because you refused to talk or respond most adults. Because he was terribly shy or crazy strange. She just never likes being talked down to. Isabelle singling her out. Conversation because. You must be awfully bored would you like to go watch tv. We have them for you today cardinals call to her. Describe my daughter concern. It's free store. He wasn't giving it all to silent treatment. Play didn't know her. One of my favorite psychologist. Before we are born. Repeat defined as an image for pattern. That we live on earth. Necessary for germination. Everything was there for it to do so. Likewise each of us is born with a unique. Personality characteristics that will remain with us our entire life. I think most parents would agree. Anachronisms world. Psychologist psychologist gomez. Began noticing a pattern. Keep in mind the word demon a greek word meaning. And original. Here's the same with the word demonstrate or demonstrate. Up-to-date orangetheory. Before. Amateur night at carlos opera house has one of those awkward sixteen-year-old cheerfully on stage. The next contestant is a young lady named ella fitzgerald. Beer invented a us. Folded folded. Directions home. And of course he brought the house down and. Calling ella fitzgerald. And i think this is why is a child because they didn't recognize. Articulated cell. She was raining. Until they saw her as an adult and she could speak to them. Stephen does not want to be treated like a child. Is nautica. Incarceration. Inside the body of a compass kyle does identification. Complete human being. Mozart wrote his first opera. When he was 14. It already can go to pieces. Volume seven. Mary delaware. Information from. When you recording. Johnny rockefeller started pittsburgh company. Nat19. In an accident with a child. Garry kasparov. While they were still in high school. Teenagers are still making history. Jamaican immigrant. Today is known as cj cool. If you haven't heard aj cool you probably don't really recognize the name of our call either. He was the canadian high school students. Evike. Against the durham catholic school board would bring his. Send text to the senior prom. Becoming a greater symbol for lgbtq rights. Around the world. Taurus. Even more recently cancer researcher jack andraka pancreatic cancer early enough still cure. But i don't want to leave album layla. Although born in 1997. Pakistani girls were shot last year by taliban. Continue to recover from a few days to advocate for the education of girls in pakistan around the world. And today. And i'm quite sure will soon be the youngest nobel peace prize winner. And i know there are many teenagers around today many of music is this very room. Who are destined to do great things. And things have been doing throughout human history. Teenager. Never. Whenever kilo. Each of us is born a little unique. Enos. It's never too early or her. Rapid again regardless of aria. Example of a young man story of a mother. Original diver then they using it because she couldn't afford more. To go with that sling bags. He got off the path on the head and patronising is off. And the news service. I leave lincoln sacrifice. Is organization. Illinois sports northwest. Gave away 50,000 drivers. A computing for 100,000. Jiffy lube in spokane valley. Is a senior at central valley high school. He's an inspiration to me. And yes what a this morning. I'd like to invite jessie show the forward now to share his story and passing with jesse. What about what we do is eastern washington's birthday. That means you don't provide direct services a. We provide service to other rt115 social service agencies and programs. We have accumulated over 35 partners. I've got three years for a geographic area from like. Call bill. Mariano's reserve allah. Reserve revivers. Do when i was a. Starting offer late raider decided to open up. Time magazine in the star reading monday. Read the article that describe situation of. Founder of new haven saturday. Whataburger. Baby alive changing table. Timer off. Rinsing it off. As a young teenage boy i didn't really go from here to annoy child so i can have we are going to go to the doctors to observe coronavirus. Translate. Spokane area. Until i found that it is happening. Overall 13-month had a stroke look like exercise. Food stamps. Pocket for family. And they're having to. Use paper towels and some parents are. Having the media separator. Disposable. And so. But i can go get help from. I heard from organization and they're giving 12. 102. Pennsylvania energy reading 80,000 diapers over the last 3 years. What is unimaginable different way. Abandonment. Converters as. Power of one person. 410 kroger. Because a process. Remember my baby and helping multiple family. All the hard work and all of the. Highway. What about being school that. Hardware all of the relationships build a relationship. We provide quotes. Or not you got money to pay for that. Baby is that what is that. For an hour an hour. As long as that one baby. Call my work. Yelling at 1. Centerpiece with me. Carmax. And that's why i do what i do. And i try and go back to the tower of london took one bourbon. When i talk to people. I just asked. I'm wondering if. He doesn't make their day. I don't know anything.. Or just making us feel better about themselves. Everything okay. Whataburger. You don't understand the world. All work together nudity. And build strong relationships. We will. Power septa bus after drive. Flyers to find out i'm ready to just drop off the diapers. You'll get everything the walgreens locations of 51 nearest viewing. Go drop off package drop it off here at fulton on facebook and 500-plus baby on facebook. Twitter wells adams. Career with your vehicle to donate your time. Adidas. There is a large amount. I'm way that you can tell. How about. Obviously there are many things the love of god jesse is not message. Using power on. And. You just got up and later this week and acceptance letter will use out so he's going to be heading to you.. Inland northwest baby. And will be helping more while making sure that. User still involved. Megan is organization work because part of this messages. Reminding us we photos. They can do what they want to do they can say can make a difference in one life for many life and she is done. So congratulations and thanks for being here. Originally. But i really wanted to introduce. Entire congregation. Today so i'm so glad. You're welcome back there and we'll be having that year for the instapot. Musical interlude.

uuspokane_org

2011_02_06.mp3

Someone asked me this week. Super bowl sermon about i was a bit confused i wasn't aware that superbowl sunday was a religious holiday. I'm hoping to see something this year i want to see somebody on their way into the endzone for right after having kicked a field goal i want to see one of those players down. Assistant there was an all-day meeting in portland yesterday that pacific northwest district assembly and i've already registered. Can i set up my airplane reservations i bought tickets. What if i don't make it back in time. Generic was clearly aware of the flight risk what am i supposed to do you don't write anything and then i started thinking of other aspects flight risk. I mean was i at risk of embarrassment by some kind of full body scanner and other risks started to occur to me what is a band of. Tripped over the airplanes and demanded to be flown to the smithsonian anticipating. I got the airport at about 5:10 and through security and they're on the game delayed. Pre-scheduled i looked at the schedule the district the business meeting. Finished my coffee check herb. Baby risks that i contemplated i did not think of the one driving to the airport at 4:30 in the morning having a cup of coffee and coming home. I have another kind of flight in mind. Kind of risk. What might put this congregation at risk. Enter a new time in our life. That's what makes us vulnerable. As a congregation. I have seen vulnerability displayed in this place. Last week i saw jerry and julie jose talking about our partner church relationship with the church himself scirocco. Sinking of our relationship with those people. We're overwhelmed with emotions and they couldn't continue. I'm sure for them the moment and exposing their emotions to all of us. Icing other vulnerabilities in this place. I remember sunday when diane hugin was introducing the the tree of sharing and she started talking about single moms and their kids in the challenges they faced and she could not go on. She apologized i know she was embarrassed. Emotional state. Also in december for the holiday every. Doug's voice quaver and he became vulnerable to be exposing himself to all of us. I sometimes feel as well. I told you about my son's efforts to overcome his learning disability. Of an arrangement of poinsettias for christmas. And my voice gets choked. I have told you about my passion for their life of the universe. And i spin. I found it hard to continue. Sometimes my emotions. Make to the doors quickly as possible will notice their vulnerability. After all we're going to therrien universalist we don't go there what makes us. Makes us most vulnerable it's something very good at being heads. We can argue about the very best of the star trek movies was in fact star trek 4 the voyage home. Xbox. How to computer ask how do you feel. Mister spock's uncomfortable silence what's wrong spot and he said i don't understand this question how do i feel. Practitioners of liberal fox. Flower ideas. Anthony whole beans. Transcending the natural world our own humanity. I'm getting separate from the natural world. Science and technology need to get grounded again. And the book from daniel coleman on social emphasis. Meanwhile coleman talks about we had synopsis fire and we are getting. Our own peril. The flight risk that we face. Thinking about wonderful things and arguing with others to see if we can. I mean the whole human nature that we share. Hits. Overcome flight risk. We're already doing to try to. Navigate to copper. The art wall paints to fantastic job. Intellectual boxes. Pastoral care team. Thank them for what they do. We all have to do it all the time. Nice. If you have social anxiety. That's a big deal. I hope that is worth sharing coffee with each other that she'll give people a pad on the arm that you'll let your hand linger and there's that you'll give him a hug special let them know that you. About. The strength of our religious community. It's not based on how wonderful. Our ideas for how many people. In fact it's just the opposite. How do we deal with human beings. They're going to bring a wonderful minister into our midst. Allow them to touch your life. Universalist fellowship in lawrence kansas. It was one of his favorite open but with a chalice lighting and one ham and then introduce the speaker for the day would go half an hour that about 20 minutes of question and answer. I was done the first time i was done the first time bill house came up smiling and shook my hand the first time. What makes a strong. That's how we'll overcome our vulnerabilities flight risk. Deso.

uuspokane_org

2012_07_01.mp3

Freedom in a couple of unknown guards could agree to work an unfamiliar tear of san quentin. Road with insults. Inmate turns having sex with his wife. Began conspiring to jarvis masters was desperate to save their lives. But nothing. Furious. Tell jarvis argued permanent. Fourth of july. Splash is rolling masterminding the flood regards to jarvis into solitary confinement. The pleasure of seeing them still alive. Was a prostitute and drug addict have much of a chance in life which explains why why he ended up. Age of 19 on death row for his suspected role in the murder of a guard. Although he still maintains his innocence and violence. 20 teacher llama. Initiate him into buddhism. Benefit. Shutters. Mike austin his own life and setting it very well might finding freedom jarvis who still lives on death row. The freedom to express myself. Is what's most important to me in my life with my prayers to be a benefit to others as my writing voice is close to all my aspirations and freedom. Cuz i can. Peculiar for a fifty-year-old man who's been a juror. Speaker freedom in this way be surprising if he said if i simply want to be free from prison to get out from behind bars and go where i want and do what i will but books. Freedom of speech. Develop a society where is free and consideration had the right duty and privilege arrive. Decisions. Founder of unitarians universalism in america john murray. We value our society in which our. Inquisitiveness cannot leave inquisition by an unexamined face or atoms. Is a form of tyranny so freedom for us includes freedom ideas. Individual freedom is among our greatest values and priorities. Injustice. Incarnation. About self-expression questioning your own beliefs and especially. Twitter statement come to realize that there are many people who have. What it means to be free can i do i do not doubt. President bush's sincerity world what i mean by it. She's not the same. In retrospect tire around the globe. Tears of freedom. Freedom president obama participate in the benefits of front. Expression commercial interest. African based upon individual liberties. Score for equality. Freedom to seek what is best for oneself. Perhaps kentucky. Free speech. Because of our system is freedom. Interest. Freedom ring, prodigious hilltops of new hampshire from the mighty mountains of new york from the heightening alleghenies of pennsylvania. What was on his mind church doctrine calling for social economic equality.

uuspokane_org

2012_08_19.mp3

So i want to begin with a little good news about populate the population explosion number is expected expected to officially reached seven billion next year if it hasn't already and 9 billion around 2045 the human birth rate is slowing across the globe. Doesn't make me doubt. The cost of dollars now cost about a hundred bucks and takes only treatments to better grow in hot dry drought-like conditions. Just think about how our reluctance to change has caused us to continue fouling our water supply requiring waste treatment facilities and every because we. Did they have the power to make a difference the birthrate maybe leveling off his ridley suggest to educate others about around the world. Caution cautiously optimistic.

uuspokane_org

2013_12_01.mp3

Intuition and reason when wages transformed true love for example through the heart which means core it becomes core age but he.

uuspokane_org

2011_10_30.mp3

To follow for the search committee when i was speaking before the. Damages us. For having something morrison. Genie and the arabic. Every prescription represent.

uuspokane_org

2010_12_26_Reading.mp3

I know i told you the story before of the night for my dad at the dinner table of the plate. There. I change the future. My brothers and i were not but we protested loudly. Every decision that we make. The future. I have. The great truce then i realized. I could not have imagined. I'm so as one year draws to a close. The decision of search team and a board to throw your lot in with me in the past year has certainly been significant for me. And my decision to continue to pursue. Mature community. Has been a significant decision. And now the search team is in the process of deciding which if candidates. Our future. New year. Share or the recitation. Roads diverged in a yellow wood. And sorry i could not be one traveler and travel both. The other is. As for that. And both that morning equally lay in hawaii. But knowing how way leads on to find out if i should ever come back. I took the one less traveled. And that has made. The difference.

www_cvuus_org

Track02.mp3?_=1

Start alice lighting. Is in your order of service and it is sung. And we are going to do it three times through. Can people hear me. Through the speaker. Make me aware we. Our sanctuary. Each man jose. With thanksgiving. Sanctuary. If you hear harmony feel free to do it make me aware we are sanctuary. Make me up. Beautiful.

www_cvuus_org

Track03-1.mp3?_=2

So. Are the kids in the audience. Who might not know what the word sanctuary mean. The word sanctuary mean to place. And singing. Has often been. Like that. It's often been a place of safety. A place where i felt right. And i felt good and i. Strong. When i sing most of the time. I feel like my mode. True. Self. I feel connected. And it's not always like. There's times that singing has not been easy. That singing has not felt good. And today i'm going to share some of my. It is with all of this. And i'm going to talk about how much i think. Important. You have. Something in our lives. It makes. Feel right and good. Strong. And like our true self. And. How there are times in our lives either from other voices outside us. Or from the voice inside us that is. Scared. It says maybe i'm not good enough maybe i shouldn't do this. Maybe people don't want to see this. And then i think it's. Incredibly important. 2. Hold on to that thing. And not let it get. Describe squelch. Meet smaller or or. Kilt. So my story starts with me as a kid. He was singing some of my favorite songs. I was a super singing loud high-energy kid i sang my heart out i sang in the car. Our whole family sing in the car i sang walking places. While i was doing stuff while i was cleaning. With other people alone. Along with records. The children in the audience. Who have never seen a record. I just want to show you. The records so before the internet. When you could not go online and look up the words to something very easily. The way you got words to something was you either listen to something again and again and again and again and wrote them down or. Just learned it. Or you had a sound book. Or. You had a cool record. That had. All the lyrics on the inside. So some of my very fond of singing memories are me lying on the floor with headphones on. Listening to some kind of album is singing along to the whole thing. Really rosie the muppet. Muppet movie. Billy joel. When i got older and. Purple. If you were into billy joel you know it wasn't really that. Seroquel. Anyway when i sang. I was all-in. I'm really rosie. And i'm rosie real. You better believe me. I'm a great big deal. I'm a star from afar off the golden coast beat that drum make that toast for rosie the most. I can sing tea for two. In 240. I can act. To be or not to be. I can tap a cross. The tappan zee okay can't you see i'm terrific at everything. No star shines as bright as me i'm real busy. Bebe. Give me.

www_cvuus_org

Track05-3.mp3?_=4

Start time for religious the kids can actually stay right where they are because this is a group activity. Submitted the singing game. Called i know it by the words are rum some some some of you may have heard different words. And it has hand motions that go with it. I'm so i'm going to teach it to you all and then we are going to do it. So you want to be like a mirror to me. So what's. Practice with that mean. So if i do this. You all. Go that way like looking in the mirror. Vigo this. Same thing. Yes okay. So here's how it goes. The 1st. Part is. The first part is. You are padding the lap of the person next to you now. If you are someone and you do not want your lap padded. And then the person instead of having it does. Are are padding kind of like mike hulu like kind of like hula dancing yes. So you passed the lap if that's cool with your neighbor otherwise. Panettiere. And there and there's no pressure here this is. Lap padding by choice. That words that go with that are repeat after me. Rumps a rum rum sum sum a rum sum sum perfect. Next part is over this way. The words are. A guli guli guli guli guli guli guli guli. And this time. It's like. Your neighbor on this side has. An invisible beard. This is how i was taught it so. They haven't appeared in your kind of just like her. I like your i like your beard. That if they really have a beard. Do not touch their beard you got it. you got to you know you got to go kind of under it. Right. Beers beers are sacred places. So we're going to let this be. That part will be home sometime around sometime. So it's going to be guli guli guli guli them back. Rum sum sum so let's try that part you ready. So it's a rum sum sum. A rum sum sum. Wiggle wiggle wiggle around something you do it again or rum sum sum around some some. Lego lego legally rom samsung perfect then you do. And you do it twice. Then back to gooley. Guli guli guli guli ram sam sam. Goody goody goody goody ransom. So that's it i should also add if you don't want to do any of this and you want to just sit and watch everybody. Being ridiculous then go for that. That's fine too. Here's the trick of this we speed up. So that was the slow version. We're going to we're going to do positive two times. And and get going kind of quickly and then. That's it. A question. Preston's why she making us do this. Okay so you guys ready. Okay. Here we go. Rum sum sum around samsung. Good girly girly girly wrong sum-sum a ram sam sam sam sam sam. Wiggle wiggle wiggle. Wiggle wiggle wiggle. Wiggle wiggle wiggle a ram sam sam a ram sam sam a ram sam sam. Goody goody goody goody rammstein some oh way oh way. Nicely done. Ben accident. Alright that i cannot tell you how fun that is to watch the entire room do that. So let's sing the kids out i will sing out let's turn them around will send them out with a little bit of that and you can rise in body or spirit and kids. You can go out from where you where you are. So is life. So is life.

www_cvuus_org

Track16.mp3?_=6

So two things before i leave us with our closing words one is it. You all sound amazing singing that it's just like heart-opening. And the other is i am so grateful to be the person up here representing this amazing community of lgbtqia queer folk who come together. To make this holy place. Everything that it can be so. Thank you for honoring me. With that and thank you for supporting. This amazing community.

www_cvuus_org

Track11.mp3?_=1

For those of you were in the habit of reading the notes on the hymns. You have noticed that the him is also based on isaiah 55. And so. We have moved from this ancient. Guy particular hebrew take on the need for freedom of conscience. Into a much wider linkage of all of it. To nature into the the gifts of perception of the sacred that come with the wider world but still coming from that same story. With that modern him so i'm going to be talking about. Problem and an opportunity in it. Aspect of humanity that's been on our minds as people of faith. For thousands of years. Let's start with a story i could have told last week but i saved for this morning those of you who were here or read the sermon listen to it online. Know that i quoted sarah miles who identified as a former mother jones reporter turned christian social activist. And i am not certain i agree with your statement. That religion is not so much about swallowing beliefs. As it is about learning to see. I still agree with that. So much so that i wouldn't mind seeing that i don't know sign for a month. Religion is not so much about swallowing beliefs as it is about learning to see. This miles was raised as an atheist at her parents actually were christian missionaries. But they had rejected their religion and that explains. The household that she grew up in. She was 46 years old in 1998 when the story i'm going to share begins. She was an experienced war correspondent she was a restaurant cook. She was a lesbian activist. She was former editor of mother jones which is that a politically left winning magazine that takes its name from a famous labor organizer from over a century ago. Miss miles i first walked into the saint gregory of nyssa episcopal church. And what is historically a poor working-class neighborhood. San francisco on a whim. She was drawn in by the beauty of the building. Inside she encountered people singing and paintings of saints that to her surprise included malcolm x. People were gathered around the altar sharing the bread and wine of the christian communion. She was fed. She broke down crying and then she fled fearing the people would take her to be a christian. But you returned soon after and started participating in the feeding of others in that communion and she discovered that to her the communion ritual with literally about feeding. And that this was her calling. So she became a christian convert eventually a lay minister in that church and she ran food programs in the church and all around the city. I'm going to let her speak for herself for a minute from the prologue of her book published in 2007. Take this bread. My new vocation didn't turn out to be as simple as going to church on sundays. Holding my hands in the pews. And declaring myself saved. I had to trudge in the rain through housing projects. Sit on the curb wiping the runny nose of a psychotic man. Take the firing pin out of a battered woman's 357 magnum. Then stick the gun in a cookie tin in the trunk of my car. I had to struggle with my atheist family my doubting friends and the prejudices and traditions of my newfound church. I learned about the great american scandal of the politics of food. The economy of hunger. And the rules of money. I meant thieves. Child abusers millionaires day laborers. Politicians schizophrenic. Gangsters and bishops. All blown into my life. Through the restless power of a call to feed people. Widening what i thought of as my community in ways that were exhilarating. Confusing. Often scary. What i found wasn't about arguing a doctrine the virgin birth predestination the sinfulness of homosexuality and divorce. Or pledging blind allegiance to a denomination i was as the prophet said. Hungering and thirsting for righteousness. I discovered a religion rooted in the most ordinary yet subversive practice. I dinner table where everyone is welcome. We're the poor the despised and the outcast. Are honored. Well i save that story for this week because it reminds me. Iyr 5th principal reads. Had to dance. Unitarian universalist originally link these words endorsing democracy. Youtube what is today the first principle of firming worth and dignity of every person is bob geiger noted in his sermon. And now we have. Reshuffle the deck on our. Principles and it is linked to the free exercise of conscience. Our freedom to act. At sarah miles does. Out of a hunger for righteousness. Have this linkage echoes the ancient wisdom preach by the prophet isaiah to the jews living in the babylonian captivity another book of isaiah if you go to seminary and they start. Taking it apart for you is believed to be written over.. Have time by three different prophets and isaiah 55 that particular passage sits right in the middle and a place where they're not sure. Which prophet wrote it. But they believe it takes place. At or just after the end of the babylonian captivity. And the israelites which were not every israelite put all of the cream of society been taken to babylon his prisoners. And now they're in a in an interesting position they've been there for. 60 years by some accounts a little longer by others and some of them have found a place in that society there's still captives there's limits on what they can do but leaving to go back to jerusalem. Which they don't know what's there. Is maybe not the most exciting prospect. So the profits. Not just isaiah but the other loser the community have a big problem convincing people to leave even if they get the chance. And this argument. Is that they are getting their physical needs met but there is something. Much more important that cannot be men. As captives. In a society where they cannot freely practice their religion and their right of conscience. And. They are isaiah's warning them just don't get too comfortable with this it's going to starve you. In a way that really is important. Why do you spend your money. For that which is not bread. For your labor for that which does not satisfy. So. I called bob geiger's reading the fifth principle in our order of service because that's the focus of the picketer passage that i had martha reid. His actual sermon title was defending democracy in the age of trump. Which brings us back to the welcome table in our opening hymn. That table is an image of what life looks like when food and freedom go hand-in-hand. Sarah miles found a version of it at saint gregory's in san francisco. I'm looking for cvuu s to be known. As a welcome table and i hope you are too. I wasn't and i wanted to happen in this world not as. We sang in the song. One of these days. Which in the original spirituals often referred to the afterlife. Sarah miles as a definition of the purpose of the christian church that i really like. The church is not there to get people to believe in jesus. But to feed people so that they can go out and be jesus. To let me translate that into unitarian-universalist terms which of course means more words. The purpose of our congregation is not to get you to believe. Our principal. It is to feed people spiritually and when necessarily and when necessary physically. And we do that. So that no one need feel alone. In our work. To make the world more just. Beautiful. Compassionate. Say that again. We're here to feed people spiritually and one necessarily. Necessary. People spiritually and when necessary. Physically. You know i'm saying it. That way we saw porgy and bess yesterday. And it ain't necessarily so is ringing in my mind. But we're here to feed people spiritually and when necessary physically. We do that so that no one need feel alone in our work to make the world. Marjac. Beautiful. Now that added power of weed magnifies how crucial it is. If we defend our right to democracy. Including the protection of minority. And marginalized opinion. Ivy shorthand version of demarco. Too often leaves out that essential. A democracy doesn't guarantee freedom to follow our conscience or good choices. And how we do that. Hl mencken the famously cynical writer once called democracy the worship of jackals by jackasses. And if you like things put a little more politely. The first unitarian president john adams said remember. Democracy never lasts long. It's soon waste exhaust and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. Back to say if i'm going to be. The honest in this argument you could even argue that democracy is not well-suited to certain challenges. History suggests an author authoritarian regimes like china's today for instance. Could move much more rapidly than western democracies to seriously address climate change. If those in power decide to do so. Look how quickly they changed the growth of population in china. Through their national edicts. Indian dough. I agree our fifth with our fifth principle in which winston churchill's famous backhanded praise that. No other form of government has proven to be better than democracy. There are of course innumerable ways to measure what we mean by better. Is it better if we make citizens safer. Is the measure of weather we make more people wealthy is the measure whether we make people happy. Or we give people longer lives. Say matthew. Percent of being well-fed. Physically emotionally and spiritually could stand in for all of these. Different measures. As i see it. Is instance available that we can do anything essential about what life is without considering. What constitutes food. And how it moves through our economic. Political and social systems. I can't think of anything that prevents conscious. Daily ethical choices in my life. More often than the question of what i eat. Everyday. What and how i eat. Reminds me how free and privileged i am. How my aspirations. And how often i fall short of my best intentions. So if you want something that's bringing up those spiritual challenges daily. Food is a pretty good place to start. Now this means i think about food a lot over the course of year in writing sermons. One aspect that i don't get to as often as i should. Probably because i associated more with the brakes i take in my writing. Been with the messages i'm crafting. Is the connection between food and feelings of joy. When you live with a baker any break in your work. Tends to bring our feelings of joy. But i was reminded this week when i read a wendlebury sa from 30 years ago. I bet there's some deeper thought that's going into the connections between pleasurable eating. And freedom. Barry argued in his essay the pleasures of eating. That most americans no longer realize that a significant part of the pleasure of eating is one's accurate consciousness. Of the lives and the world from which the food comes. Now this is talking about. The live of the things have become few but also the lies that everybody who prepares and gets us that food. And he goes on to say eating with the fullest pleasure. Pleasure that is that does not depend on ignorance. Is perhaps the profoundest enactment of our connection with the world. Eating with the fullest pleasure. Pleasure that does not depend on ignorance. It's perhaps the profoundest and act. Clark connection. Barry also worried the consumer ignorance of what goes into getting food onto our tables has resulted in the loss of our freedom to make responsible choices. Not only were missing out on pleasure as he defined a we're destroying our health. And our planet by not making responsible choices because. We are too often ignorant. Now i can see a lot of ways that many of us have caught up with berries thinking in the thirty years since he wrote that essay especially here in vermont. Speaking personally i get great pleasure out of michelle and id able to associate names and faces an individual farms and. Food products ilities as well as our garden. With a substantial percentage of our food. But. As i read this essay i wondered about a fascinating new twist. On all of this today perry did not anticipate. So if you've been reading the news lately you've been saying more and more about plant-based meat substitutes. And meat products grown from cell cultures rather than live animals. We carry names like the impossible burger. And clean meat. Over at two brothers they have the beyond burger which is. Competitor for the impossible burger. Are these eventions might vastly reduce the contribution of our food chain to climate change. Not an important issue. Their adoption would also be breakthroughs for animal welfare advocates. They won't however reduce the role of industry. In the food system. Nor will they bring consumers closer to experiences of eating as connecting them to life in earth itself. And they won't be inexpensive. For consumers. So all of this creates a lot of. Conflict in different ways of looking things that did barry didn't. Anticipate in the beginning of this. Farm-to-table. Discussion. Headed. Become an important part of our lives. Set for me that says the look of conscientious free choices in the food chain. Could be evolving dramatically in the next. There's a lot of things that play which could affect. Choices that we want to make conscientious. Our power to vote. I want future we want seems more precious spiritually than ever. When i look at a few. Twist cherish the ways that this congregation embodies the fifth principle. In our lives and in the wider community the wasted it. It fosters are right of consciousness. Encourages us. To come together and model how democratic decision. Are made. Encourages us to tell stories to our kids that hold up. The possibilities. Have democracy. May we eat what is better than tasty as the ancient prophets. Urged. Maybe demand the freedom to serve up love. And goodness. With every bite and once we've demanded that freedom. Entertained. Let us bend take the step. Of exercising. May it be.

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Together. From. Today i have four yellow cards. And the first one is from. Caitlin giljan. And she says this week i put in an edit request for a history test. I was doing layout on at work. It was a sidebar on emmett till. 14 year old black boy. Who was murdered. For the accusation of flirting with a white woman. Help. Spark the. Sorry that. Spark. Hopesparks. The civil rights. I requested the peace be updated. 2. Sorry gilder. Updated to reflect. The fact that the. Woman who was accused. Who accused emmett has since recanted. She admitted that she lied. I bring this not as. Self-congratulation. But just a reminder to look for. To look for opportunities for radical. Love in mundane places. Hey sorry i messed that up so badly. But dumb. Yes. I think that's. That's wonderful. That. She has recanted and you were able to catch that and i i hope we can all do that more and more. Look for the truth and things. And our second card is from francois clemmons. And. He says our hearts bleed for the many young children separated from their mothers. On our southern borders. Pray for them. And for us. And forgive how we as a nation continue. Distrust the stranger who comes to our door. Border for refuge. Thanks for reminding us francois. Like so. So in our faces right now and it just feels so helpless. The skirt is from in ross and it's regarding martha soderbergh. Who has been laid low by a fall that she is taken in. And her garden is seeking a youngster. To employ for pulling some fairly easy to pull but exuberant weeds. And she's even offering a $10 per hour if someone is interested in helping her out with her garden. And i you can find martha's phone and or email in the seaview usdirectory. And. I know our hearts go out to martha her garden means everything to her and. She does such a great job with it and i'm sorry to hear that she is taking a fall. And is she at home an. And now from kate gridley. She says it is with great pleasure that we share the news then after 17 years of. Cohabitating happily. Steve from black & josh price. Have actually gotten married. Thank you for the good news. So now let us take. A few moments of silence. The hold in our hearts. That which we have shared today and that which is left on spoken. Both. Being threads that weave the fabric that binds our community together. Little bird. Have you flown to. So high up in the air. Little boy. I cannot see. I know. The sky. It can you. Fall.. And rest your head. And time. Hu. His nose. Binder home. And then.

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Track08-1.mp3?_=7

That song actually makes me think of what. Put on his yellow card. So after college. I moved to san francisco with the dream of starting a theatre company. Which i did not do. But i did get a job at a theater building scenery. Fourier. And there was one day that my friend eric and i were building scenery and singing along to the radio whatever it was. Anderic stopped and was looking at me. And then he said. Why. Why are you not singing anywhere. If you can sing like that. And i was like. Sing like that like. Sing like what. And he said you should be singing. Like you should be. Disco sing who sings somewhere. So. I went to sing at an open mic. An open mic is where you go to a bar usually. And the last thing you signed up you got your name on it and you wait. And then you get your turn and you get to sing two songs. This was. Extremely stressful and really hard. I. How to get tar which i could barely play and i'm not just saying that i could play like three chords every song i sang was in the key of f and that was it. In-n-out i mean i couldn't even strongwell. I played piano but i felt like i didn't play well enough to play out and most places didn't have pianos that you could use it in open mic. Anyway so that wasn't a choice. I did not write any songs for myself the song that i just sang. Was basically the only song i ever wrote. I just. I'm not a songwriter just wasn't my thing. So i. Felt like i was not legitimate. Yeah i can kind of thing but. I don't play for myself. So that's not cool i don't write songs for myself so that's not cool i'm not getting up and singing really personal amazing life journey blah blah whatever i'm like a covergirl i think covers. Right i think other people songs and at that point that felt like that was not. Enough. And i wish now. If i could go back to that person at that point in time so now i'm 22. And stay like that is crazy that is crazy. It is totally not to just sing you do not have to be ready songs or playing guitar doing these all these other things like just do the things that you like to do and decided that is enough. And enjoy it. But at that time i really didn't believe that. So open-ice really hard i had to drink. I had to have at least two drinks to get up and do it. Cuz otherwise i was too stressed. By the time i had a couple drinks i felt like all my guitar playing it's not that terrible. It's been enough but that meant that the experience i had a singing was not totally being in my body and being myself cuz i was. Kind of drunk at that point. So that was not ideal. And. I got a boyfriend. That was a songwriter who could play guitar. And so i started singing backup for. Should we sing his songs he was a very nice guy. I say. The story makes him sound terrible and i and i don't want it to cuz he wasn't very sweet. Nice. Guy butt. You know we sang i sang backup. We thank you songs or songs you picked. I don't even remember we had different names at different times but it was really about his thing. At some point we decided to move to nashville to try to break into singing because we had heard. That. Poke poke alternative poke singer-songwriters. Could make it in nashville. So that was a terrible idea but we you know chance. And the night before we left. He in our hold me with this point was to get discover to make a record like all my i had a whole bunch of friends now who were singer-songwriters musicians trying to get discovered and make records. And. He made me he tried to make me promise before we went. If we went there and we are playing it someplace and somebody showed up and discovered. Us or discovered me and offered me a record contract. But i would turn it down. Unless he was part of the deal. And i mean the one good thing i can say is even though this was like not in you know in fantasy land. There was still this like little part of me that knew. That. Part of my friends. But that that was. I mean that that was terrible. You know and so i said no man had to fight a whole fight about it before leaving about the. Pretend fictitious contract that it might be offered what happened you say no you should say i did not say yes i stuck to my guns about the pretend contract i would be offered sunday. And when i never was offered it. I i still stuck to my guns. And did not involve him. In in having to be part of it. So we you know we did that for we did that for a while. Boonton new york baba blah basically it was years of me adjusting myself trying to not be too bossy not be too loud. Singing open mics a little bit but i really didn't even sing alone at open mics anymore i just kind of thing from our core for whoever. And. I was trying not to be too loud. It loud pushy bossy. Something that i felt i was being told i was. And i was. Be told mostly by men that i was. Men by society and by myself. So we break up i moved back to vermont. I got a job at a funky independent high school called the gaylord school. Where i got to do all kinds of feeder and music with kids. So i got to be singing that was. Joyful and fun where i left them in singing i got to direct please. And. I. Created the show with them. Call brave acts. That involved a lot of songs that i pulled in. And one of the songs that i pulled in. Wait i got to say something else so besides sorry besides besides doing theater. I actually had joined a western swing band. As a backup singer. Singing harmonies. For a male guitar. Who was again pretty nice. But that was still. But i was doing what. Backup singer. And i was singing at all my friends weddings. So this is a time that i was very sick i was single and lonely and desperately wanting to have a family wanting to have kids i could not make that happen. And so i was just putting it all into doing stuff with kids. At the school. So i did the show called graybacks and one of the songs. Did i did was a song by shawn colvin. And it was a song that i sing a lot at home. Alone on my piano. All the happy couples. The way to new orleans. Reminding me of when we got along. Hunting time and space and dreams are what they'll have when they have gone. How could it be that i was born without a clue to carry home. And still it is the same now i am old. Do justin bieber singing song. And binding less unless if i am colder. But i have is funny ache and it's burning in my chest and spread just like inside my body. Is it something god left out. In my spirit or my flashlight ibc if i even had a baby. It was never clear. And you were the only one so far to follow. Stop and need to rest or how long before you stop looking back it's like a waiting for godot and then you pick your sorry ass about the street. Hello. And what the hell is this. Who made this bloody mess and someone always answers like a mother is it something you should know did you never do your best would you be saved if you were brave and just tried harder. So now. I float a mile above lights toil and trouble. 1005 x i still wait. And then go home. How to entertain a happy couple.

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Track07.mp3?_=1

Have to short readings from. Wcix series on mental health. The first is is vermont falling short when it comes to mental health care. In the most recent three-year assessment of community health needs in vermont released last april. Mental health care was ranked as the greatest need. Ahead of substance abuse and homelessness. Because there's a chronic shortage of inpatient beds. And because mental health. Also has ripple effects. Throughout many areas of a person's life. Mike fisher that vermont healthcare advocate added. Whenever you're talkin about basic access. To healthcare issues. You can't miss affordability. People have a hard time. Finding the care they need. Not only because it's hard to find in their community. But also because they can't afford getting it. But some progress is being made on homelessness. And substance abuse. Leffler in the interim president of uem. Concluded it expects. Mental health housing in substance abuse. To remain on the list for decades. The next is turning lives around. Top law enforcement. In vermont and new hampshire are looking for solutions. To addressing the mental health crisis in both states. The discussions in lebanon new hampshire on tuesday. Was called turning lives around. They want to erase the stigma and shame. Often associated with mental illness that was the main mess. Raising awareness and normalizing mental health. Are some of the ways top criminal justice leaders across the region. Hoping to help those living with mental illness. Tom donovan. Attorney general of vermont said. We have to make sure there's access to healthcare. Access to mental health counselors to providers. In our schools. Community where it's normal where it's not. Stigmatize. He was among seven law enforcement officers. And judges who talked about. The need for better education more counseling and early detection. If we can do that that is going to be a huge step forward to making sure we're treating. Persons with respect. Donovan said. We want to make sure we're improving our public safety. Persons are getting the care they deserve. The second reading. Is from elizabeth o'connor. From an article that she called. Are rag bone hearts. It begins with a quote from yates. Now that my ladder is gone. I must lie down where all the letters start. In the fall rag-and-bone shop. Of the heart. The life of a schizophrenic twin brother. Informs my mind and heart as i ponder why it is. That the mentally ill pile-up on our streets and the streets of the world. Richard. Was a freshman at st john's college in annapolis maryland beginning his study. Of the hundred great books. When he was drafted into the army and sent into the battlefields of world war ii. I was never to see him well. Again. I have lived with madness. I have cowered in other rooms while this brother in uncontrollable agony of spirit tour pictures from the walls and flung chairs across the room. I stood at the foot of a retaining wall while he walked on a narrow ledge 50 ft above. Weighing in his mind whether to jump. Or not to judge. I have harvard out of sight while the police i had summons came to take away and put away. The distraught human being. Who was the dearest friend that i would ever have. From this brother of mine i have learned what it is to wait through countless days and months and years for the return of someone held dear. So slow. Was i. To realize that he would never come back again. Because i have companion this brother on his grievous walk. I know something of the heights and the depths of the human spirit. Because of the care of friends through his long ordeal i know that the superhuman love described in 1st corinthians 13. Is a sublima dr. Human nature can attain. Because of his brother. I also know the inhumanity of which are. Sentient beings are capable. I believe i would have borne with less wounding the dreadful election of this brother to a hell on earth. Had it not been only psych had it been. Only psychic trauma. Or something gone wrong in the biochemistry of his body and brain. That caused his suffering. As it was. Indifference. And ignorance. Added immeasurably. To his distress. What i went through. In the conference and visiting rooms of mental institutions marked me in so lasting a manner. But still today whenever a nurse or orderly and one of these institutions speaks to me with kindness. And many do. I receive it in my heart. Is a miracle. And one that in all likelihood will not last. I tell you. About a brother. As my own small effort to give the homeless mentally ill a human face. Because he sleeps in a bed at night is fed closed and cared for it is easy for me to spot. On the buses and sidewalks those who like him. Have been so fearlessly singled out. By this illness. If he were on the streets the peace he now has would quickly turn to terror. And perhaps in time. To violence. But when you stop to think about it wouldn't this be true of anyone of us. Of one thing i am certain. Nothing will change for the homeless mentally ill until the public is given a new heart. Change is not depending on our gathering more statistics or reading more learner journals or absorbing new findings as important as they are. Our failure is. And not letting what we see and hear everyday st. Into our hearts. The task before us is no lesser one. Then the education of our emotions. And no. My words.

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Track07.mp3?_=3

So. Who is your family. Earlier poppy asked us what is a family and i am adding who is your family. Of what tribes are you apart. Who are your people. For each of us the answers to these questions are complex right nuclear extended etcetera. We have ancestral families and families of births and families of choice and families we've created and maybe families we've only just discovered. We have church families and neighborhood families and work families. In and through this complexity. There is another truth as my colleague wayne arneson wrote in a beloved benediction. Which is that while each of us can claim a unique constellation of families. There is one family that cleans us all or to go a little lord of the rings on on you there is one family to rule them all. And that is of course the family of humankind. I am a living member of the great family of all souls wrote william ellery channing. And cannot improve or suffer myself. Without diffusing good or evil around me. Whenever large jennings fear. When channing wrote that essay in the early 1800s his words were his own. But his message was echoing an ancient one grounded in the biblical traditions from which unitarianism came. But also in the teachings of other world religions. As the reference and beloved author anne lamott notes in her memoir plan b. Pretty much all of the great face and wisdom traditions maintains some version of the same rule. We are all family. Will you say that with me. We are all family. Do in contemporary parlance a family is a group of people who share a common ancestor or that's at least one definition. And some religions tend to use that definition as well in the hebrew bible's rendering our entire. Family can be traced back to a single starting point in adam. A word whose origins mean human. Annette story rest in a larger creation narrative. Which says it everything everything and everyone in the world comes from this common source. Which you could say is the very definition of god. But at the same time religious institutions have been some of the worst perpetrators of human division. Haven't they. Right. Yes. The history of religion is replete with examples. A forgetting ignoring or defying. That rule. The in lamont taught us. From the crusades of the middle ages to modern-day fundamentalism. And of course as we see on a daily basis minute-by-minute tweets by tweets. It's not only religious tribalism that has trumped human unity. Ideologies and oppression some of them relying on so-called religious teaching to undergird them have. Sean's song their share of division. Xenophobia racism patriarchy homophobia. All divide. The human family. And not only divided but. Divided into lesser and greater halves right. Yet for all of these religious. Lee grounded desecrations of the human family. I think it's worth remembering and lifting up that along the way there have always been spiritual teachers and reformers. Who have remembered the rule. That we are all family. Jesus. And martin luther shown up to my lutheran friends. Gandhi. Dorothy day is there anyone else who comes to mind that we want to shout out and lift up. Reverend barber yes william barber is like thank goodness for him right now. He is preaching. These teachers have. Stood up they have preached they have teeth they have march they have organized they have inspired us. And are still inspiring us to heal. And mend the divisions in our human family. And going back a couple of hundred years it was just such a spirit that gave rise to our own face. Because channing and his contemporaries what made them heretical and radical is that they preached that humanity was united. In our capacity to do good. Right that rather than be divided by. Can being preselected like pre-approved for salvation and others being predetermined to go to the bad place. The early unitarians were like that makes no sense right we are one family we are all family. And the universalist who were getting going around the same time argued that whatever divided us now whatever fights we might get into with our human brothers and sisters that a god of love would reconcile us in the end. Have you heard the shorthand for our history that unitarianism said we all came from the same source. And universalist said we're all going to the same place. I like that one. It's handy when you're seeing the fellowship committee to get ordained so just like have that in the back of your head. Which okay this isn't so to say that though this is our theological roots this doesn't mean that we always get it right right either as a face tradition or as individuals. Okay cuz workingmen's 2. And we are tied up in these systems and cultures. That perpetuates. Divisions in the family. So we want to acknowledge that. And we want to lift up and celebrate that to be a unitarian universalist. Is to testify. And to say that we know in our bones that would davies road is true. That we are all bound up. In a common destiny. Right. That we are all family. I am a living member of the great family of all souls. I belong to this family. I am tied to it by vital bonds. No channing wrote those words. A couple hundred years ago. And when he was writing them he couldn't have known that he was not telling only a spiritual truth but also a scientific one. Because we have since learned that every human being alive today is. A member of the same family. Some of you may know and i know they're probably more trained scientists here than me but evolutionary biologists i understand have traced the dna back of every living. Person to a common matrilineal ancestor. Have you heard of her mitochondrial eve. Yes she was our for mother. So mitochondrial eve lived about 200,000 years ago in the plains. What is today east africa. And each of us here in our room if we all got really into ancestry.com but tried to go back like 200,000 years. We would all end up in the same place which is pretty wild. When you think about it right. And apparently on our paternal dna side. Y chromosome adam there is such a thing to he lived about 60,000 years ago. So that's just the span of 2000 generation. That we all go back. And it's pretty gives a new meaning to that song from sister sledge does anyone else want to sing it with me. We are a family. I got all my sisters and me okay yeah. It's a good one i don't think i've seen that since a wedding or you know. Bouquet. So. You know when i think about channing's words in light of where we are in this moment in human history. And i think about what we are dealing with in terms of climate. I think wow how prophetic and important those words are. When he wrote i am always in exerting an influence on my human family i can hardly perform an ax. That is confined in consequence to myself rights. It's like he didn't know about our carbon footprints in the seas or the fact that. How we heat our homes are drive our cars is affecting people who live on small islands. Halfway across the globe right. So maybe you were thinking okay i'm i'm with this i'm with this but what what is this really mean on a practical level this whole we are family business. Maybe yes we are related to every single person on the planet and sure i can kind of think about how my actions affect us but with billions of relatives. It's hard to get our minds around what is what is this mean in anything other than in abstract way. And if we were fully to embrace that one family nest what doesn't require of us right. Well maybe we could say the kinship implies a level of heightened concern but as papi sort of point with regards to her brother. Being kin doesn't always mandate that we have caring release. Right. We know that in in real family there is our aspiration of the strong family and then there is like what happened at my house this morning as i was trying to get out the door. So. Here we bump into to nuances or limits or just complexities that i'd like you to hold with me with this metaphor of family. Because yes it is true is that we were to treat every human being. As a member of our extended. Plan is if they were a member of our own family maybe we would become exhausted right maybe we would just need to lay down and not get up. And second yes family doesn't always guarantee that we will be our best selves. In our relationships. And still. I think that shannon great family of all souls. Remains one of the best metaphors. And one of the most powerful ethical. Imperatives i know of. To do as the sages have taught us for centuries. Which is to love our neighbors. As ourselves. In his book bread for the journey the late henri now and was a great writer and spiritual teacher. He writes about what it means to be a neighbor. And he cited the parable of the good samaritan which is so familiar but he said my neighbor is simply the one who crosses the road for me. He writes we become neighbors when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation. That we have a lot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to in our own affairs to take care of but if we would cross the road once in awhile. And pay attention to what is happening on the other side we might become neighbors. To become neighbors he writes is to bridge the gap between people. As long as there is distance between us and we cannot look into each other's eyes all sorts of false ideas are rise. We forget that our neighbors loved as we love. Care for their children as we care for hours. Become sick. And die as we do. We forget they are our human brothers and sisters. And only when we have the courage to cross the road. And look in one another's eyes can we see. That we are children of the same god. And members of the same human family. Not snowing. So some years back now on storycorps do i have any storycorps fans npr story corpse hands okay i'm not. Prize. There was a man named julio diaz who was recounting a time that he. You might say cross the road. But in this case it was a subway platform. And it's a sort of dramatic story because. The story revolves around how he was getting off the subway one night late and he was approached by this young teenager who threatened him with a knife. And took his wallet mugged him. But the surprise really isn't what happens in the next moment and i'm going to tell you the story with his words from storycorps. So diaz has just had his wallet taken by this. Young man. This is diaz. So he starts to leave nes he's walking away. The team has robbed him. I'm like hey wait a minute you forgot something. If you're going to be robbing people for the rest of the night you might as well take my coats to keep you warm. So he's looking at me like what's going on here. And he has why are you doing this man. And i'm like well i don't know man if you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars then i guess you must really need money. I mean all i wanted to do was go get dinner and. If you want to join me hey you're more than welcome. Look you can follow me if you want. You know i just felt he really needs help. So we go into the diner where i normally eat and we sit down in the boots. And the manager comes by the dishwashers come by the waiters come by to say hi. And the kid was like me and you know like everybody in here. Do you want this place. And i'm like no i just eat here a lot. He's like but you're even nice to the dishwasher. And i'm like well haven't you been taught you should be nice to everybody. So he's like yeah but i didn't think people actually behave that way. So i asked him what is it you want out of life. And he just almost had a sad face. Either he couldn't answer me or he didn't want to. The bill came. And i looked at him and i'm like look i guess you're going to have to pay for this bill. Cuz you have my money. But if you give me my wallet back i'll gladly treat you. So i got my wallet back. And i gave him $20 for it. I figured maybe it'll help him i don't know. And when i give him the $20 i asked him to give me something in return which was his knife. And he gave it to me. You know what's funny cuz when i told my mom about what happened no mom wants to hear this. But then she was like you know you're the kind of kid if someone asked you for the time you give them your watch. I don't know. I figure you treat people right. You can only hope they treat you right. It's as simple as it gets in this complicated world. Building bridges beanie solder vision. I reach out to you will you reach out to me. So. For most of us. As we go about our lives. The imperative to treat others is ken may not manifest as boldly and dramatically as it did. For julio diaz on the subway platform. And truthfully in his shoes on like more with his mom like i don't think i would have done that right. And how we would have acted in that moment is shaped by many things. But. I like to think of that story as a parable. A parable. Like the parable of the good samaritan offering us wisdom even if the details don't totally lineup. Because whether or not we will have that moment or whether or not we are at the far end of the altruism spectrum. Life is always offering us opportunities moments openings to reach out. The class behind. To cross the road. To look in another's eyes. To love our neighbor. As if they were our family. Whoever we are. Wherever we are in our journeys we will have a moment maybe today maybe after this service or this afternoon or tomorrow morning. Or later this week to treat another person. As one of our kiddos this morning said. With kindness be kind. With love. And when our chance comes. I hope we will take it by the hand. The poet writes. I mean on a sunday. When nobody was supposed to be watching. I saw this happen. The two of them hugging. Not a secret. But not for glory. The landlord's nephew ready to stand there for the woman. Like a brother. Or a sister. A husband. Or a son. Or none of these at all. A stranger. A stranger who like her. I am a living member of the great family. Of all souls. Wrote channing. May we remember this truth. And live by it. Now. And in the days to.

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So i had a few hours during my birthday trip to washington dc to drop in on the smithsonian museums national portrait gallery. Which is one of my favorite among our capitals many free museums. Among other things. I saw this time was a knock your socks off special exhibit. Have 40 finalists in a nationwide contest for portraits of any type of medium of ordinary americans. And of course. The artist. Who are there were so good that you end up seeing that each subject is anything but ordinary. It reminded me of my favorite quote by the painter pablo picasso art washes away from the soul the dust of life. I was feeling energized and excited. I stopped by the restroom on my way out of the museum and i encountered two young boys who seemed equally energized by their their time in the museum one of them said to the other some of the paintings were bad then you pause while i grab the paper towels i was waiting to hear what excited him the rest he went on were terrible. Only then did i realize that his energy came entirely from looking forward to leaving. That was thinking about that in connection with the sunday the sunday that some ministers call come to church anyway sunday. When those who read in ahead in the congregational newsletters know that i'm going to be talking about stewardship than and people here's our stewardship and they translate that to money and they say god do i really have to hear this. And. I realize that you know it could be for some of you like i'm like me just sitting the portrait gallery and most of the congregants are like the boys. We have different perspectives on this time of year when. I end your lay leaders in this congregation asked you multiple times in multiple ways. For pledge. Of what you intend to contribute financially to seaview us in the church year that begins next july 1st. Now in case you're visiting or your your new to this process. A little bit about the basics are the pledge is not a legal obligation. It's your good faith estimate. And we have every year 120 225 pledges that some of them are family units and other individuals. And they allow us when we see what those pledges are to draft. I proposed. Balanced budget. For the congregation to consider to amanda fit desires and to approve at the end will meeting in june so this is part of making democracy work. And how we handle our finances. Some of you are going to end up. I running into things you don't expect and revising your pledge downward as the year goes along. And that's going to be compensated by some people who have good fortune and make extra gifts in addition to their pledge. And by new members joining over the course of the year. When you add it all up we know from experience that the pledges we receive from you in march. Give us a very reliable picture of where 82 90%. How are income is going to be coming from in the church year. So you're pledging what where you're asking you for actually allows us to be very open. Imprudent and democratic. In our financial planning. I'm happy to talk with you in more detail about any of this and united as one is the theme that tracy chose and we'll be talking more about that when she's here next sunday. But my main purpose. This morning. If the sheriff why this pledge kickoff sunday energizes me as your minister. The pledge drive doesn't ask you for money. It asked you to consider what cvu us does with money. Witches and turn a portrait. A portrait of who we are. And what we value. And if you can look at the amount that you choose to pledge. With the eyes of the young man in our second reading. You just might find. Some inspiring truth. About who you are as. Person at least who you are at this moment in time. Not going to come back to him and to us as individuals later but right now. I need to say that one reason i was drawn to ministry. I said i found unitarian universalist congregation. To be among the most remarkable human inventions on the plan. There is nothing ordinary to me about cvu us. Has a community. Now our relationship to bunny is deeply in intricate it's fascinating to me it's fascinating as. Has a relationship of plants to soil or words to music or. Concepts like soul to science. If we exist. To explore our strongest feeling. Together. Maybe we should be talking more about our communal relationships to money. And maybe talking about it more bluntly. It's not that money's linked to spirituality eludes us. If we stop and think about it we see the link over and over. And we see what happens. When non-spiritual people with power. Start handling our money. I think the problem is that thinking about it upsets us. And that's why we shy away. The concept of stewardship. Is a helpful way forward. Stewardship can be defined as sound management of something valuable entrusted to one's care. Something valuable you know it doesn't have to be bunny not money is part of it. The financial gifts that you devote to see you at are valuable. Without them you and the wider community outside our doors. Would not have the same chew arie. To use for the many functions provides. Or employees. Dedicated to creating a physical and spiritual home. Worthy of your love. Incapable of loving you. I woke up in the middle of the night this week with a short thought forming in my head so clearly that i had to write it down before i can go back to sleep. With it. Death insist. But we exist. To testify. That love persists. Death in sis. But we exist. Testify that love purse. So what is the pledge in the coming weeks to see buus it's your testimony that under your stewardship. Love with a capital l is going to persist here. In one form or another. You are predicting that future because you know it's in your power to fashion it. Has the famous spanish been consulting peter drucker often said to corporations into nonprofit groups that he advised. The best way to predict the future is to create it. To repeat. Stewardship is sound management of something valuable. Entrusted to one's care. Night i find it a little bit ironic that in unitarian universalist communities. We can only exercise that. Sound management. That money entrusted to our care. By attending closely too many things that we think of his invaluable that money can't buy. Justice. Healing wounds when we encounter them. Respecting an exploring life's mysteries. Incurring. Encouraging each other. To make. Confine meaning. In our precious time together. Accompanying each other through transitions like birth. The beginnings and ends of intense relationships. And death. You know a lot of us have been working hard to accompany. Francois. To his hospitalization in his return home this week. No one gave me a yellow card about it but. It's widely known that he had a blood clot. His leg and. Lime glass week. Is in the hospital. Had to. Cancel his trip to the national library meeting in nashville. To talk about his book. And he's home now i'm struggling to. Put everything back together and we have a food train and other things this. All the stuff we're attending to that's invaluable. Part of stewardship. Churches that are rich in bank accounts but poor and fellowship and commitment to good works. Misunderstand. What has been interesting. To their care. Black turned out to be very old news judging by the bible passage. In our reading. This passage is extracted from that long letter of advice to christian churches is that sir told you. Some fair warning here my reading of it like my humanistic on jesus and our time for all ages. And what we will be doing with our communion after the service with likely be regarded as heresy in most christian churches. Traditional christianity. Stewards of salvation faith that is a ticket to heaven for believers that jesus has been physically resurrected and would return for them. But i speak with admiration rather than disrespect. But i say that i read this passage. As the dawning. Have an inkling. And maybe they misinterpreted. If the arrival of the promised future or at least the timing of it is proving uncertain. Perhaps the truly valuable thing jesus left. With instructions on how to live in this world. They were to be stewards of beloved community that's what that passages are back. Has the unknown letter writer put it. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds. Not neglecting to meet together. As is the habit of some. But encouraging one another. I can only imagine what reports of selfishness and lagging attendance in those early congregation. Might have impaled this person to write this letter. You can read between the lines fear that there's a growing confusion about what their mission is because jesus hasn't come back. Our mission seems clear to me even though being you use we could debate forever what words to use to describe him. For today at least. I'd say our mission is this. We gather in community to nurture our better angels. Committed to finding in each other. And ourselves the strength and vision. Needed to make the world more just. Beautiful. And compassion. That's our mission in a nutshell. To nurture our better angels together committed to finding and each other and ourselves. It strengthened division needed to make the world better. Have this mission. Causing us to approach stewardship with deep respect for the diversity. Have our interests are gifts in our circumstance. Some of us. Are at a stage in our lives were generosity of spirit and support for cvu us is likely to be expressed. Primarily through financial contributions. These are genuine gifts that we need to thrive and we deeply appreciate them. Other people come here with little or no financial wealth to spare. But our constant in there other ways of contributing to our vitality. They do not neglect to meet together. Provoke us to love and good deeds. These are also genuine gifts. Requiring our stewardship and without which. Cvu us. Cannot fry. Stewardship in this realm might calling us to provide child care so that young parents. Are freer to participate. And cvuu s fellowship governance. And social action. Or as we did on friday night food so that anyone who showed up. Could participate in making and eating our pizzas. From the well-off among us. To the homeless person trying to survive the winter. Sleeping at charter house. Now this might seem rather. Fine grained. For such a big word as stewardship. Stewardship. It's just one of those big things if grounded in details. It's all in how you see them. Just the way i told you 2 weeks ago that religion is less about what you believe. Then how you see. When michelle and i returned from washington monday we found a package addressed to me from michelle's cousin marion and her husband. The unexpected good gift was a new book by brian greene. A columbia university physicist. It seemed hefty. Until i read the title. Until the end of time mind matter and our search for meaning in an evolving universe. Wow i thought all that crammed into a slim 360 pages 326 if you leave out the footnotes. Anyway. I was reading through chapters like. The lure of eternity and origins and entropy and. Duration and impermanence. It's dinner time approached i went over to the table where michelle was also reading. I asked what the article in the magazine she was really what'd caught her attention. He said it's the history of kitchenaid the company that made my mixer. I laughed if you did at the disparity which michelle initially suspected was some kind of put down over interest. Far from it i assured her. I was struck by how much more connected her reading was to our actual lives. Financial stewardship at cbus is like that. Deeply connected to our actual lives at cbus. Worth our sincere attention. Now the pledge drive is the occasion for talking about it today but our annual operating budget. Is not the whole financial stewardship. Story. There's the question of the building and endowment. For the future. And as we know from recent experience capital campaigns for major projects like the fellowship hall in the kitchen. Recently-completed downstairs. And here's one more example that in the lingo of my old profession is hot off the presses. Recently michelle and i decide to join the ranks of those buying carbon offsets for our travel in other words. We knew there was an environmental cost to our flying to washington to visit our children for my birthday. We wanted to pay it. At first my plan was to turn to native energy a group in burlington that has an app that calculates the dollar value of your emissions based on the method and distance of travel. And then native energy accepts donations based on your calculations they did bundles into grants and the grants are used for projects like wind turbines that provide green energy to the homes and businesses. Of indigenous people on their tribal lands. But our plans came together just as i was learning that cvu us's pellet boiler needs to be retired. Replacing that boiler with a greener energy source. Most probably heat pumps. Is likely to be very expensive if it is even technically feasible it's going to take. Inexpensive study just to find out if that's. Possum. But i decided that my carbon offset donations we're going to be directed. Tuit at cbus reserve to help with the cost. Ivar congregation doing the right thing environmentally right here. In our lives. At home. Steve i heard about it and he's already decided to do the same. I don't 10 that this approach to asset is going to be a major funding source. Fry new boiler. My offset for the trip to washington total just $8. But if all of us started doing this. A piece of what we need will accumulate. And we will learn more about the environmental costs of what we do personally. And as a congregation. Whatever happens i point this morning is that this too is stewardship. Seeing the problem at sound management not just of these facilities entrusted to us but also of the earth itself. And sometimes sound management brings these two together in one act. Enclosing. I want to address the elephant in the room for many pledge drives. How much are you asking me for. What are my favorite new yorker cartoon says this couple in their apartment. And there's a rhinoceros. There between them. And that's been assigned to the wife will talk about it when it becomes an elephant. I might talk a little bit about this now. First of all i'm not asking for a particular pledge increase from any of you. Ultimately the pies drive is what. You are asking of each other. In my prayers though i'd like to see two things happen this year for us. As a congregation is a hole. First i hope that are pyramid of giving can broaden. An extra $10,000. Coming from 20 of you. That's an average of a $500 pledge increase or a roughly $10 a week more. Is a more encouraging sign of good stewardship for the future of cvs in the same some arriving in the form of a gift from one of our top donors. Warframe a new contributor. Traci and her team are going to have more to say about this. Pet supplies drag roselawn. More importantly though. Much more importantly. I hope that all of us can encounter the spirit of tithing. Has steve degroot did in our second reading. Not that i am asking you for a tie. 10% of income. Is a standard few of us are in a position to attain at any time in our lives in today's world. Much less year after year in an annual operating pledge. But i love that his contribution practice with regard to his church community. Left him feeling the opportunity to remember who he really was. What it what amazing opportunity. To remember who you really are. Everyday life is pushing you away. Over and over and over. He remembers he's a person who has received abundantly. A person whose presents matters in the world. A person whose life has meaning because he's connected to and cares about many things that are larger. Then himself alone. Unbiased of course. I was a life 1uu but now i'm a youyou professional. I do believe that participation in the congregation like ours including financial participation is more than a terrible charitable act i don't. Buick. I guess to see the us the same way i view. My donations to other things. It's a testimony. Did you belong is either a member or friend to a community whose purpose. Is nothing less. Then enabling love. In all its diverse forms to persist. In a world. Ford f and sis. May you find the level of pledge then meaningfully reflects back to you. The image of who your best. Self. They that blessing be yours to receive. As you give this year and for many years. Recipe. And armon.

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Track13.mp3?_=1

So there's a story i came across about a unitarian universalist sunday school class. Made up of young elementary school kids. And and maybe it was it was around easter time because their teachers had a bunny there to show them. So the lead teacher asked the children whether they thought the bunny was male or female. And why. They were invited to pet the animal and look closely they weren't allowed to try and flip it over and pin it down and closely probe its reproductive organs. That could be dangerous for kids and for the animal. And it's also often inconclusive. If the animal is young fidgeting scared. What i googled how to determine the sex of a rabbit this week. I found a lot of advice that said check any conclusions that i might reach with the vet if i needed to be sure. Nevertheless the class in the story huddle and with surprising speed told the teacher that the bunny was a female. How do you know the teacher asked. We took a vote one of the kids said. So. This affectionate spoof of unitarian-universalism celebrates the fact that you use value democracy. So highly that our children get exposed to his practices. Especially voting from a very young age. The joke also serves as a lesson that the value of voting and perhaps democracy in general. Depends on what kind of issue you are trying to resolve. There are millions of parts in the average jet airplane. I don't want to fly in one that was assembled based on repeated votes by average citizens on what to do next. Nor is the democratic debate. And voting a good way for a pro football team to pick its next play. Gravity might be filled with players with intelligent thoughts to offer. But it will be penalized if it doesn't start the next play with in 35 seconds. How's the referee signal in the balls ready to be height. Here's another potential lesson buried in my bunny story. Initially reddit. It's a simple joke. It's the something that we've all seen it at one time or another. Young kids misunderstanding their power over the environment. The more i thought about it though. I imagine that the group might have included a couple of ringleaders. Who intuited that there was no way they could give a good answer. Maybe they understood instinctively that a quick vote. With subversive lee critique the teacher for asking them what seemed to be an impossible question. Once i went down this rabbit hole. I started. Couple summers ago at the superbowl with the really terrible pun i got a string to keep up here. So when was i went down this rabbit hole it also occurred to me that a question that seems impossible. Might be more frustrating or suspicious to a child then say you folks. Puno. That our third principal encourages spiritual exploration in our congregation. And our fourth principle embraces that free and responsible. Search for truth and meeting. Now we affirm these principles because you use are skeptical about final answers. We prefer good questions. And i hope that's what the teacher wanted from the class even if it might have been too much to expect. What does good questions might be in response to the challenge to determine. The sex of a bunny i will leave to you. But. And thinking about this re class i hope we can agree that all of us begin learning long before we can put it into words. That democracy is a completely human. And highly adaptable invention. As such. Doctor marcus he's capable of being used and abused in countless ways. I suspect the most frequent recent democracy gets abused. Is that we as adults. Simply go through the motions. We rarely commit completely to the work of democratically and lovingly responding to overwhelming challenges. Like climate change. How open our borders should be. And yep there tomorrow cracy is. The centerpiece of our fifth principle. Affirming that this is how we are to make decisions together in our congregations and in our association. Alas. However much we grew up believing or wanting to believe in the virtues of democracy. Many of us now feel. That democracy is fraying under the pressures of modern political. Social economic and environmental challenges. Who among you was surprised by the decline in the worldwide democracy index in our reading. Or even by the economist intelligence unit assessment. That the united states had fallen into the category of. Flawed democracy. I'm not going to overwhelm you with the details of how this was calculated but the united states has slipped to 25. It's 25th place in these rankings. And it did so because of a relatively weak performance compared to other advanced nations and how well the government is functioning. And weakening protection of civil liberties among other things. I caution you though. Democracy is perfectly capable of going off the rails and ways that have nothing to do with authoritarian government. Take the unitarian universalist association. Which. Transaxle out of its business at its annual general assembly. As far back as 2009 the study group called the fifth principle project noted that this was a fake form of democracy. Less than half the delegates congregations are entitled to send. Show up at the annual meeting and those who come are overwhelmingly well-off people who can take time away from work. And can afford to pay for the trip. Housing registration and meals. Q congregations look closely at the issues to be decided beforehand. And hardly anybody sends their delegates off with directions about how the congregation wants them to vote. Boats. Including the uua presidential election. Are often decided by less than 2%. The nation's 200000 unitarian universalist. When it comes to congregations investing the time. Finances and intellectual effort to make. Democracy robust. In our organization. We bought. And it's not just our denomination that has this problem. Human devotion to democracy frequently wayans. But we have to sacrifice. For it to thrive. On december 20th 2016 just a month after donald trump was elected president rev lynn ungar the director of religious education for art. Church of the larger fellowship. The organization that serves you use who do not live near congregation. Posted the following on her facebook page. Here's a poem for the solstice or the election or whatever. Born again. Let's be clear about this. It isn't the same as being sick and getting better. It isn't changing your mind at the last minute we're pushing away from the brink. The only way to be born again. Todai. The phoenix doesn't just go up in a blaze of glory it feels the fire lick up and sizzle every feather until each quill becomes a column of flame carried straight. To the core. Whatever the legend of rebirth there was always a time in the fire. Under the ground. Hanging on the cross for the tree. Don't skip over that part of the story. If you would be reborn you have to die but what then. After the dying are we to rise again into new life. The earth. The hero the god you and i how does any of us find our way back. From the valley of the shadow. The same way we die. Walk into the light. Okay you might be saying. If you are still with me in this train of thought. Democracy has its limits. Acting with compassion for all. And demanding justice. While seeking to honor and account for conflicting perspectives and needs. Isn't child's play. Nurturing democratic institutions and practices is an eternal struggle according to judge hasty. That pioneering african-american federal appeals court judge. From 1950 to 1971. Or you can liken it to constantly giving birth. A labor that can only be successful. When we take deep intentional breath. And pushed that's the vision. Of the thirty-nine year-old sikh american civil rights activist valerie cowher. Her perspective is a democracy. With its presumption of the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Enable switch she calls revolutionary love. Dennis rapping on gear. Who felt in the wake of president trump's election the practicing democracy. In the trump era would call us to experience a form of death. And then steadfastly walk toward life. That would still be there for us on the other side. All of these visions strike me is true. But linegar solstice election whatever problem also suggested a different truth from. We turn toward the light each morning literally when we look toward the rising sun but we don't walk towards. This most life-sustaining of all lights. We orbited. That's why we don't die but instead seem to be reborn each day we orbit a great energetic light. In a very narrow realm were like. And all of its wonders proved to be feasible. Against odds that we have no way of cock. The principles as we now have them. Intuit. Fitstrong practices to democracy are somehow crucial to our ability to remain. In stable orbits around life-sustaining love. That requires much more than working to let everyone vote on matters that are important to them. Has the kids version of the fifth principle. I don't get me wrong voter suppression is a dire threat. But any vote. It's a weapon that may be used against all we value its citizens are denied access the truth. On which to base their judgment. Democracy also requires that potential voters and truth tellers. In the media or public assemblies. Are protected against retaliation or oppression when they exercise. Democratic rights. It is so much more than just being able to vote. Democracy is faltering because. Our common understanding. At what constitutes truth-telling. Is eroding. Perhaps you're one of those people who believe president trump is the most unrepentant irresponsible dangerous liar ever to occupy our nation's highest office. Maybe you figure the washington post tally accusing him and more than 16,000 false and misleading claims. Since he took office is reasonably accurate. But all of that. I'm going to say to you all that is missing the point. A couple of years ago. I told you about a non-white european view of truth that i had seen attributed to the pawnee tribe of native americans. I haven't been able to confirm its accuracy but the claim goes like this. To the pawnee. A true story talks about something that is important to the tribe's future or its current situation. The details can be imaginary or flat-out wrong. It doesn't matter. In this story whether the hunt lasted eight days or 12. 416. On the other hand. A story could be rigidly correct. About what we call facts. And be false. By the pawnee standard if it doesn't deal with something important to the tribe. Now this makes a lot of sense. The people who aren't wedded to literal truth. Which would be for instance. Most people who read the bible today. The stories live on because they address questions of right and wrong the nature of humanity and other issues in ways that we turn to. Again and again fruitfully because we are not demanding literal truth. In our search to understand what seems true to us. Or take this modern example. For those of you who simply stop listening when you hear the word bible. In this work. Homo deus. And it's really philosopher named yuval noah harari claimed in 2014. Better venture capital company quote broke new ground by appointing an algorithm named vital to its board of directors. Think of it. An algorithm that is a computer program. For analyzing problems and calculated decisions. Voting on the board right alongside the humans. That was it turns out. Harari source was an online article. That when you actually read through it made clear that this board appointment was imaginary. Her i wasn't too bothered by kiss live though when it was pointed out. It did not mislead anyone in his view about the larger truth it meant to illustrate. The artificial intelligence was evolving rapidly enough. To command our intelligence. Folks. This is what's going on. With many of president trump's lies. They are simple fictions that don't embarrass him. Because they tell his supporters. The story they believe is true. In the pawnee sense. About what they take to be real threats to the tribe. Too many immigrants. Coastal elites ignoring their needs. Climate change being hyped. To justify government regulation that will eliminate their jobs. Crushing taxes to redistribute wealth and services. From them to the poor. And so on. These. Are the truth that the stories. Deal with it for them. There is a war. Framed as truth versus lies. But it is just as much about which facts matter. In determining truth. That matter. And which sources you can trust. In this climate. It takes great faith. To affirm as we do in our congregation. That we will send her decision-making on democratic process. Once we understand how difficult that is. To do well it takes great faith. Commit ourselves. To working that way in our congregation. Those practices are reliant on shared truths. To form meaningful stories clarifying where we are as a community. And what future we want. The fashion as a commune. Unitarian universalist democracy relies on our willingness to show up for. And with each other. To co-create. These life. And love. Sustaining. Story. It causing us. Two separate. Facts that matter for accuracy when you are assembling an airplane. From back. That matter for accuracy when you are assembling. A truth you can believe on when you go out. The battle for justice. Blessed be.

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Hi again. Our first reading is an excerpt from the introduction. Of the reverend dr. martin luther king jr.. As the where lecture speaker at the uu general assembly. In 1966. By reverend dana greeley. And from. Greeley. Thank you. Takes a team. And from dr. king's introduction of his talk. Who can say. Whether this man is more the product of his times. Or the architect of his age. In either case the god of history is with him. Preacher reformer citizen man of peace. Lover of justice. In. And history. In history he will be appraised as one of the truly great men of this century. We offer him not only our respect. But our love and our loyal support. It is a great privilege to give you. Dr. martin luther king. After which. Dr. king began to talk with the following words. I need not pause to say how delighted i am to be here tonight. There are those wonderful moments in life. When you speak before a group. That is so near and dear to you. That you don't feel like you have to exchange. In the art of persuasion. You don't feel like you are in the mist. Strangers. You know that you are with friends. I can assure you that i feel that way tonight. And our next reading is by our very own. I was lucky enough to see a representative john lewis speak at the flynn. Several months ago and. A couple of you. Also. There. And. This is a poem i wrote afterwards sorry thank you. It was such an honor to see him a person who had marched with dr. king and had been such a. Physical part of that. Movement which we are still continuing today and. This is not the poem this is still there. Leaving in park. And i was thinking about. What that legacy looks like in. In this moment. Poem written after seeing john lewis speak about civil rights. Make it plain he said. Advice from the king of oration. Make it plain. Make it clear. Make it true. The crowd rose to see him walk on stage. And again. And again as he spoke as though a wind lifted us altogether a storm of applause reaching up. To the vaulted ceiling. But once. A woman. Stood. When the rest of us were seated. She was clapping and we were clapping. And representative john lewis. Was walking the stage. And telling us. About the edmund pettus bridge. And the plain truth is. I thought. She. Was going. To shoot him.

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Track09-2.mp3?_=8

So. Fast forward. I was married. Tgp. A wonderful guy we had two kids. The thing i had been wanting. My whole life. And it was everything that having two kids is it was full and it was busy and it was. All about the kids. For us. I had stopped singing. I had so stop singing. When i tried to sing to the kids as babies. I couldn't even do it it was like i would think what what should i eat. If i would babysit. You know that. So eventually i started with some songs from my childhood. Mike ali lies over the ocean my cali lies over the sea. Mike ali lies over the ocean. Oh bring back my callie to me. And. The ocean waves me rollin the stormy winds may blow but we poor sailors and skipping to the top and the landlubbers laid down below beloved. And the landlubbers lay down below. Finally i got confident enough so you know songs. They upped my singing to the children at night time game. And started including some. Songs. They're really kind of songs i might want to sing out. Hi came upon. Child of god. He was walking along. Anna haston tell me why you go and i miss you told me. And i started to want to singing. And not just. For the kids. But it seemed logistically impossible. We are kids we had everything there was no time. I was still not writing songs i was still not playing guitar. Angie p said. Go sing. I'm able to put the kids to bed by myself. Don't be afraid of what you want. Still staring at the skyline from the riverfront. Buildings like mirrors. Reflect. Back on. Don't be afraid of what you want. Don't be afraid to start a fight. I said i'm swinging i do from behind. Let me see comments. Don't be afraid to defy. If you could. Swell password. Dramacool. You are stupid. Shine the brightest when everything goes if you cry. That's right. Where are you find the world. Letter. Expose.

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Track04-3.mp3?_=1

Now is the time in our service where we take our offering. Each month. Cvu us shares the weekly offering with a nonprofit organization whose mission is in line with our principles. This morning veronica giambra and kathy comstock or going to come and talk to us about addison allies network which is are. Our share for this month. Kathy and veronica. So addison always network started with. Kathy and i teaching english to a bunch of guys at four hills farm in. Bristol. In 2017. The migrant farmworkers and. They were they were referred to us by open door clinic clinic in middlebury. That. Provide services to underinsured and uninsured people. Addison allies is now incorporated and we're a 501 c 3 organization we have 22 people teaching english around the county to farmworkers many of them are people who. Go to this church. About 50 of way about 50 esl students right now many of whom have been with us for over a year or more. And we have 16 volunteer drivers. Two of them are migrant farm workers who we helped either by a car or. Get that drivers license or register the car insurance. We provide 11:57 rides per week. Mostly to medical and dental appointments. We do off the farm activities. Wide variety from hiking to going dancing going out to dinner. And we help people access goods and services in the community. When generalizations about the farm workers. Siri here three to five years usually. To earn some money to make life better or to create opportunities for themselves or their family in mexico. They were twelve or more hours a day. They pay taxes all the same taxes that american workers pay. And they don't get any of the benefits of paying those taxes. They are less than minimum wage generally. And housing is included but. It is usually pretty substandard and sometimes dangerous housing. They have one day off per week some have less than that. Some stories that will explain what we do. So. When i started teaching english with tail to. He was very confused about the words. Foot feet. Feed fed. Food. Do these all mean the same thing that they mean different things that they all relate to feet or did they all related to food. He now calls me this is about almost two years he has been a student of hours. And he talks in sentences and can talk to just about anybody and get himself understood. So i feel really good about that. There's a man named louis who moved here a year-and-a-half ago from new hampshire. He told us while he was living in new hampshire he never left his farm. Except maybe once or twice a month to go grocery shopping. Since moving here. He has started taking english classes and his english has excelled beyond. Anything i could imagine it's better than mine sometimes. He has taken and passed his driver's exam he has purchased a car and he now gives rides to his own family that lives here and others in the group to the medical appointments and groceries. Stores that when it's needed. Sofa transportation. I was providing the ride to two guys of. Young man and his uncle monday. And i said something about lake champlain they had both lived within a half a mile of lake champlain for 2 years. They asked me what is that. I said it's a big lake. You never saw it and they said no so i took a ride down to lake champlain with them. And they when they saw the bridge they asked me if we could drive over the bridge so we drove over the bridge over the crown point it was. Early. Spring is pretty chilly was very windy day. They just. Two pictures of themselves away i felt like we would taurus. Two pictures called family in mexico. Panoramic views of where we were. I told everybody about what we were doing and we would just turn us for a couple of hours. Another man named tony. I really wanted to work on his english skills in fact that's one of the main reasons we started this group was because of his call to learn english. We started veronica and i started teaching him english and we learned that his ability was well beyond our teaching skills teachers. So we quickly found vermont adult learning. After finding out that about vermont adult learning was a. Copacetic organization and that we could work well with them. Tony started. His english learning with them. We have now brought several students to vermont adult learning. Tonino has his ged. And another one of the students has just been awarded a certificate from the national honor society. So as far as access in goods and services. So every so is a man who lives out in addison. He lives in. Apartment above the barn the cows are just under his room which has no windows. He was in this recent heatwave he was having difficulty sleeping. And told that to the person he works with with english. And she talked to her congregation got a free. Are confortable air conditioner and there was a hole in this trying to figure out what do we do about venting this thing well there was a hole in the side of the barn. So now the vent goes out the hole in the barn and. He's. Just texted me and told me he's sleeping much better. And this is not to forget the daily ptsd that these men and women live in everyday. Just yesterday when i was clothes shopping with three of the guys. And i made the suggestion of going down to rutland. To the walmart and the old navy stores down there. Without abby they said no we don't want to go there because we know the ice raids are beginning and we're scared. So we do a lot of activities social activities kathy is really great at taking people dancing. And we have several volunteers have had big dinners at their houses we'd hike we take people swimming. We do a whole bunch of different things. As volunteers and workers are interested and one recent activity we hiked up snake mountain. With a bunch of guys and. One of the guys after the hike sent me this text and i'm going to quote. The hike was an unforgettable experience thank you. So. We have more stories all our volunteers have. Stories. Amazing stories. Of their time with workers and the amount of appreciation and gratitude they show to us. Making us food. Offering us whatever little they have to share with us. End. We don't have any big goals as far as like migrant justice on the political level our goal is to blunt the sharp edges. Of a bad system and an unjust system that these workers are. Involved with. One goal that we do have though is to have a community center at some point where workers are the people in the larger community can come together to meet. To sharon to grow. Thank you. So thank you both and thank you for this important work that you're doing we will now have the offering please be as generous as you are able.

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Track16-1.mp3?_=3

Song we're going to sing. Assessor said this is an oldie but goodie. It's been around over 100 years. Was originally written as. We will overcome. Changed in the 1930s. Where they became we shall overcome recorded by pete seeger. Song. For coal miners striking in the south. Get for justice it became the anthem of the. Civil rights movement anti-war movement. And maybe you still some life left in this old song. Today. Yes and where it where if i would ask. Maybe you should listen to us saying the first verse. And then francois call out the second one we change the words a little bit. The four-part arrangement we have was written by our own cake. Ridley. Arrange. And if i happened. Mistake. Please.

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Track10.mp3?_=1

I know you you think that i cracked the service each week. Really i sort of encounter to service and we work together to figure out how it's going to end up. And so. I had an in the order of service readings old and new because i figured on the subject of conscience. You know i couldn't find something biblical to say or some other ancient source to show the people than worrying about this forever and then something very modern. To juxtapose to it. And ask the service came together that the readings got more and more. Compressed until we have something that's sort of old and something that's almost as old. As i readings. Did james russell lowell columbus from 1845 for the civil war. Paul is a radical abolitionist. And i'll be talking a little bit more. About that. It's a very very long poem. Two of our hymns. Are based on it. Once every soul a nation. And i was the other one i showed you at. Any anybody this language from from toolbar. I'm just pulling into our hands. And i've newed boys was written over century ago. 1907. His response to how the saying. My country tis of thee he was. Just beginning to become famous as one of the the leaders of african-american. Fought in this country get that time. So those were some heavy historically important readings and the more background you have about them they're heavier they get. But i want to start my reflection on conscious today talking about pinocchio. The most innocent open tokyo from the walt disney animated film of the same name which was originally released in in 1940. It got. Overshadowed by the. The start of world war ii. Didn't become really famous actually till after the war. Even though it was revolutionary in terms of its animation. Pinocchio is a carved wooden marionette. In the shape of a boy in pinocchio is brought to life. By the blue fairy after the old woodcarver geppetto. Which is upon a star that is marionette could be a real boy. A truelumen with literally no strings attached. But those of mutual love. And once he's alive pinocchio wants that too but he's still a marionette. And one thing that he's missing is a conscience. A cricket who happens to be watching over this transformation into alive marionette. Jiminy cricket. 2b pinocchio's conscience. Or to give the full title to the blue fairy assigns pinocchio's conscience lord high keeper of the knowledge of right and wrong counselor in moments of high temptation and guide along the straight and narrow path. What timothy swells up to his new job and he sets out to explain to pinocchio what's going on he says the world is full of temptations. They're the wrong things that seem right at the time and the right things. Might seem wrong sometimes or sometimes the wrong things may be right but they're at the wrong time. Or vice versa. You understand. Pinocchio goes no. The scene is bafflement jiminy cricket resorts to song. The song always let your conscience be your guide. Tell papi could sing the title lyric when she and i were chatting about it this week and neither of us can remember any of the verses advice like. It's a straight and narrow path and if you start to slide give a little whistle yoo-hoo give a little whistle woohoo and always let your conscience be your guide. Do i do where i know when to stop. Pinocchio has to demonstrate bravery honesty and selflessness before he became can become human. That he repeatedly falls prey to temptation and eventually he and geppetto. Both worse for the wear. Do achieve their shared dream and the blue fairy gives jiminy cricket a gold star for his work as pinocchio's. Initial conscience. So how does this work for you is the way to think about. Conscience. The uu fifth principle says that we promote it as a basic human right. It's not ours from birth. Like the inherent worth and dignity reaffirming our first principle. We are introduced to it by others. As we seek meaning in our early life experiences. And somehow. Somehow it's linked to bravery honesty and selflessness. That's not a bad starting point. But in the course of my research because. I saw this movie when i was a kid and did not remember any of the details. I also learned about the original fairy tale which was serialized in an italian children's magazine from 1881 to 1883. And it turns out that the original story has a much more complicated view of honesty. Individual story pinocchio becomes human in the end simply because he shows himself. Who is travis to be good-hearted. In an age-appropriate way. Not because he becomes some disney role model of the perfect boy. I thought. That feels closer to my main message for today. Conscious isn't about saintliness or heroics. It's about the diverse ways. That we'd to the use the words of a pal davies use our lives to grow a soul. We are taught with the world around us around as regards as right and wrong as we mature. And it's maybe a special category of what you might call socially appropriate behavior. We eventually develop our own internal grass. At what is truthful about those teachings of right and wrong what we really think is true. And that. Is conch. Credit score. How many of us cents consciences is a voice within it. Intensely emotional private language for communicating with us. Some people sent it as a conduit for instructions from god. I would put it more generally if i'm going to use spiritual language. I would say that we're connecting with the will and power of what abraham lincoln called our better angels. When we heed our conscience. I benjamin franklin once called a good conscience. Continual christmas. It's not as cheerful as it sounds that when you think about it the christmas birth story is the first step. Toward eventual rebellion against an unjust social order and crucifixion. For jesus. A troubled conscience. Is no bed of roses but a life spent maintaining a clear conscience. Has its own stresses. There's a story about a mother who carefully explain the difference between conscious. Conscious. And conscience. To her child and then asked if she had been clear only to get the response sure conscious is when you were aware of something and conscience is when you wish you weren't. Tell the truth and that comes from the clothes and frequent connection between conscience and justice. Unitarian minister theodore parker sought this way. As truth is the side of god turned towards the intellect. So is justice the side of him which conscience. Conscience calls us out of our comfort zones is james russell lowell did in the present crisis. The reverend dr. martin luther king jr. in speeches and sermons like this anti-vietnam war talk not long before he was killed. On some positions cowardice ask the question is it expedient. And then experience comes along and ask the question is it politic. Vanity asked the question is it popular. Conscience ask the question. Is it right. There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe. Nor politic nor popular. But must do it because conscience tells him it is right. My point in summoning these great figures on the heels of pinocchio. Is it the right of conscience is featured in our 5th principal because our ability to exercising. So often defined our relationship to the great challenges. Of our times. We saw it recently in the voting on the impeachment. But i want to make sure that we don't limit our regard for conscience to the times when the stakes are so high. Like the original pinocchio we are not naturally conscientious. The more essential we believe developing a conscience is to our humanity. The more humble. We need to be about how we respond to its call. Our conscience. Even when mature doesn't magically escape narrow-mindedness. Lowell deserves to be honored for his passionate call to the struggle to abolish slavery in 1845 when that was still an unpopular position. But we rightfully cringe when it builds towards a climax grounded in hero worship. Have his pilgrim ancestor. And i had jason reed. Only one stands out of the. Five or six involved in how high vee thought of the pilgrims. And in fact lowell's anti-slavery stance. I did not coerce. Understand. The white supremacist aspects of his ancestors treatment of the indigenous people. And lowell like many of the abolitionists. I also had a deep-seated belief that black people were inferior to european settlers in intelligence. And other ways even though they should not be slaves. The conscience of james russell lowell is an ambiguous heritage for. It's spotlights why critics warn. The claims to freedom of conscience when someone is telling you. They have a right to what they're saying because of freedom of conscious. That freedom includes the right to act on the basis of conscious but it often short-circuits the use of reason. Ammunition to the discussion of competing arguments. Standing other item congins. It's saying there are no other arguments that i'm willing. To hear. No wonder we unitarian-universalist hitch our affirmation of it. To the use of democratic decision-making. In the same principle the same 5th principal it's kind of a checking balance. Lowell poem for all its grandeur seems less real to me. Then the act of conscience. Embodied in w.e.b. du bois is revised version of my country tis of thee. This small almost private act of subversion. Remember he tells you if you just sing it this way hardly any notice. Pics of values all people of goodwill should embrace. But the language centers on the experience of marginalized people so clearly. The white folk. Must be just a little bit uncomfortable singing these lyrics. For blacks. Indigenous people and other people of color maybe they were just that uncomfortable singing original lyrics. Do i wonder how many white people. The boys have time or ours get beyond the general discomfort to catch on to have specifically is expressing outrage against lynching. There's an unbearable irony i confess that i initially missed. In his heart's purpose to rise. And. Keep us the rise word rising at alex's heart's purpose to rise above all hate and chill. Paint the chills. And it's immediately followed by the next verse let laments swell the breeze and ring from all the trees. Sweet freedom song. This is a direct. Protest. Think for a minute how urgent. The traditional closing words of the hymn. Protect us by thy might. Great god our king. Sound to black folk at the end of w. Voices. Am i regional a tent in the sermon was to leave ample time to introduce you to granny weatherwax. A renowned resident of a planet called discworld invented by the late british writer. Terry pratchett. As a setting where he could satirize countless aspects of human history and modern life. Granny lives in a remote district of the discworld called lenker. Where magic lies heavy on the landscape and witches have long been prominent. Anchor is no paradise the winter winds are described by pratchett. As lazy in the sense that. They blow right through everybody because they're too lazy to go around them. Or around anything else. Granny is close to pure conscience. She's not always nice but she is always on the side of right. She's not concerned with what anyone wants. What is instinctively in touch with what is needed for a just outcome. She is subversive not by choice but by nature. Stepping into any situation for her gut tells her i can't be having with that. While she is quite capable of casting spells and curses she prefers to work in tune with nature. A lie. Psychology. Or. If she calls it had ology. In one case. Rather than lighting a fire she stares at a log so long that it becomes embarrassed enough by the tension to burst in flames. Troublesome characters can often be dealt with by hinting that she has cursed them. Sooner or later something bad happens that they had tribute to the curse she hasn't actually. Put into place and they flee her presents. Granny belongs in the company of others inhabiting the sermon because. The scale or visibility of doing the right thing is never an issue. There may be times when that can be a helpful way i think for us to think about conscience as a congregation. It's not only how we respond to the great. Challenge. Everydays. In fact it might not even be mainly about. How we respond to the great challenge. Ivar days. Take our recent participation in the charter house lunch. A chicken dish was on the menu. Our cooks were notified is a helpful hint the chicken was on sale that we can hannaford's. But my wife michelle has for a long time a 2.0 buying chicken from local organic farmers she's met at the farmers market. Either directly or through the coop. She told me i'm not getting what i'm cooking at hannaford's because it doesn't feel right. To give the gas at charterhouse something different from what i give us. So how does this relate to that fifth principle calling on us to affirm and promote the right of conscience. African rogation remember the principles. Applied west collectively. You don't have to strive to any of them as an individual to bau you. Well michelle and i are fortunate enough not to need reimbursement for an occasional contribution like this to the charterhouse meal but what she said made me think that cvu us might want to work. Collectively. I'm paying for food we feel good about serving ourselves and others. It won't necessarily make the mule tastier but it might. Enlarge the spiritual sphere. At what is right. About that meal. No i'm not advocating for this particular action i bring it up as a simple example of the countless small ways. If we can discuss. Matters of conscience. Once the discussion has started. We can bend a democratic decisions as a group. About whether to amplify them into changes in congregational behavior. I spoke last week about cvu us being a welcome. Table carbonation are we saying that him. All kinds of people at the bottom. A place where we encourage each other to think. About everything we do as feeding people in some way. Physically or spiritually. Practicing the ways of being. Good-hearted like the original pinocchio can help. Not being afraid. To follow the call of contest in pueblo be tackling the great justice issues of our day. By james russell lowell martin luther king junior did. Knowing history will find falson us to which we are blind and forgiving ourselves for that shortcoming. As we think about. James russell lowell. Misplaced. Unvarnished love of the pilgrims. Embracing the small axe. That's the version. They keep our connection. The conscience open is the boys did. With his him can. And if a granny weatherwax appears among us. Someone who just instinctively always heads for the right thing. I hope we can welcome her. As a kindred. Howbeit scary spirit. Blessed be.

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Track09-1.mp3?_=1

Winstead. The house of delusions is cheap to build but drafty to live in. I would add that when he says draftee. I'm imagining a shelter potentially so flimsy that it is hazardous to your health. Humans get ugly living with the stress of maintaining houses of delusions. That's why are six principal makes me nervous. I cannot remember a time in my adult life. When i believed humans could create a worldwide community with peace liberty and just. For all. So why on earth are we you use identifying our congregations. As affirming and promoting that goal isn't it tantamount to confessing that we are naive. And diluted about human nature. Perhaps the biggest stretch of all in this affirmation it's the thought of peace for all. Jim scott the uu hymn writer who will be appearing here friday night. On his way to montreal has a brief song that's in our grade hymnal called nothing but peace is enough. The first line says nothing but peace is enough for me. The next to say nothing but peace is enough. And it concludes by repeating the first line nothing but peace is enough for me. Now you might hear admirable commitment in these lyrics. I've never asked you to sing them because i feel like a fraud when i say that. I know that i am too easily seduced. Inda. zar grateful contentment. That i know are neither universal. Or enduring. And in those moments of unders. Standing. In those moments gratitude is enough for me. It's all i need. Doesn't have to be peace on a worldwide scale. I don't mean to pick on scott. But this level of affirmation of peace is a goldeneyes centuries of wisdom about the human weakness for violence and oppression. There's the greek philosopher plato. Only the dead have seen the end of war. The german military strategist von clausewitz. War is the continuation of politics. By other means. And then there's a real cynic ambrose bierce who says peace. Hey sister. of cheating between wars. But i'm not here to advocate that we throw out our six principal. I just want us to be very clear that it is one of our clearest examples that these principles are statements. Of how we aspire to live together not what we intend to accomplish. We aren't proclaiming a commitment to attain the unattainable. We aren't failures if our efforts. Don't lead to justice and liberty for all much less universal peace. We are failures. If we don't turn our communal effort towards such were. What is good in sacred has never been confined. To what is within our grasp. Our values or just to be honest about what is unattainable. But you remember. Unattainable is not the same as unapproachable or irrelevant. Stars that we have no way of reaching. Stars that might not even exist any longer in reality still shine in our skies. Every night. And often they illuminate our deepest thoughts. And feelings. Are six principal at best. Challenges us to be realistic without being defeatist. It's realistic to believe that world peace is unattainable. But experience teaches aspen moments of peace. And spaces of peace. Are constantly popping in and out of human history. Unitarian poet in tufts university english professor john holmes. Mapped out this accessible aspect of peace. He called it the peace not past our understanding. In the him that we just sang. Written in 1948. It's like. Falling out of tablecloth during the winter supper. Bike the shabbat meal that michelle and i had with three middlebury college you used to. Friday evening. This kind of piece is too simple to be scrutinized. Or whether it meets the definition of peace in some grand scheme. It's. Houses lighted every year. Year-after-year garden harvest. And holidays. And holmes went on to say this accumulation a little things too simple to be viewed as acts of making peace. Come true at last for those of god's goodwill. These are the things we mean by saying peace. The message here is that it is realistic to believe that simply by being peaceful. We strive for world peace. Best can we expand the domain of our encounters with peace. Can we ban the arc of the universe tour. Peace gesture. And liberty. But there's another step beyond this kind of peacemaking that's the conscious actions calculator. To extend what we have noah piece. Two other people. The poet denise levertov says. Do we have in our daily rhythms of a feeling. Toward p. Do we need to actually speak the forms of peace allowed others to shape them by there are actions to have an impact. She calls it applying the grammar of justice. Two are words of deeds. The syntax. Mutual aid. Libertad suggested in the 1980s that our lives were were like sentences that were structured to affirm. Profit and power. And peacemaking she said requires restructuring those sentences. The question what are two needs are. And to allow long pauses. I see a lot of wisdom in that. Sometimes peacemaking involves not doing things. Not saying things. Not getting caught up in the rush to what turns out. Beacon flea. Intentional nonviolent resistance made conspicuous. My refusal to go along. Am i experienced after say that tactic only works. When you were sure. Of what you love about humanity. And they are. I got that feeling. That assurance is more powerful than your anger. Eddie ray. Never talked said that only then can peace become fully realized poetry they just to say a beautiful energy. Field more intense than war and she visited. Posting into the world danza by stanza you may remember she said each active living one of its words. Guy i love. This imagery but. It feels a little bit. To worked out to advanced human brain. Thinking. 2 meme. I was looking for something that actually was more deeply instinctual. So i want to offer contagion. At the different metaphor. And poetry for peacemaking. A contagion has a bad name right now for obvious reasons. But you don't have to look far. Famous people assuring us that all kinds of emotional goodies are contagious. Confidence. Courage. Generosity. Kindness you name it you can find a study in a quote saying that that's contagious. And don't forget laughter. My father had an amazing laugh. Loud unrestrained. The only word for it was infectious. And i will never forget going to see the slapstick french comedy the mad adventures of rabbi yaakov with. It was his third time seeing it. That he would be getting roaring with anticipatory laughter a few seconds before every funny scene. It was pretty embarrassing at first i have to say. But soon i realized that most of the people around him couldn't resist his infections laugh and they were laughing too. At and with him at first but continuing riton and into the scene that was actually funny. Now maybe there were some folks. In the theater who were offended i didn't get that sense though. Has money python member john cleese once said. A wonderful thing about true laughter is that it just destroys any kind of system of dividing people. Psychologist daniel goleman. Says all emotions are contagious and i suspect that understates the role of contagion. In the universe as we know it. Life itself relies. Heavily-armed contagion. For evolution. But let's think about peacemaking in terms of what the new coronavirus is teaching us. Imagine. That instead of saying we are affirming in promoting world peace justice and liberty. And arts expensive all we said we're committed to infecting the world with the impulse to make peace. Let's consider. First we can hypothesize about the current nature. Of this infection using. The coronavirus is our guide. We must assume that the impulse to be involved in peacemaking is contagious. At least. In many forms. We must assume sadly. That the impulse to peacemaking. Can be damaging or even deadly two individuals heavily infected with devotion to it. Jess. As the outcomes of infection by the coronavirus vary widely with the location and the circumstances in which it was contracted. So does the outcome of peacemaking efforts. It's far more dangerous as a citizen of north korea. The publicly antagonize the government with a peacemaking gesture than it is for a citizen of the united states. And i'm not saying united states is the safest place in the world to do this. I'm just comparing it to north korea. We must assume that there are far more mild cases of the impulse to work on making peace. Then serious. We must assume that there are millions of carriers of the impulse who do not see themselves as infected in anyway. Yet who are none the less capable of acting in ways. That expose others. To the impulse. We must assume. That a true epidemic of peacemaking. Would have many unpredictable consequences. Not all of them positive. Just as the coronavirus epidemic would call tragic. Can have positive side effects. Like a sharp if temporary decrease. In global carbon emissions. We must assume that there are hotspots for this infection. And others where it isn't as visible. Or simply isn't present. Yeah. Now comes the part that really interest me as your minister. If cvuu asked aspired to be a hotspot for ps4. Hahaha better contagion. Who would we look for among us as our effective carriers. One of the reasons i offer communion here quarterly is that i believe jesus. If edited through a u u lens. Offer some good suggestions for cases like this. Where can we encounter folks. Who's health. Is the joy of living. Who do deprived a good are not lacking in goodness. Yes. Give us fellow cargo throughput our version of the sermon on the mount calls. Food for mine. And i pray cvu us is a sanctuary to gather those who hunger for righteousness. And that exceeds their desire for riches. Riches. Their thirst for integrity greater than their craving for. Has the uu version of jesus at least is interpreted by me said. They will show us the way of just. And i love. That is a road to happiness. Atlantis welcome. Each person whose heart is tender whose sympathy lift up the fallen. And give strength to the week for they will lead us. To making the kind of peace where the meaning of friendship. Is lifted up for all to see. And i see many among you. Many among you who cherished memory those who walk with you no more. Who are found in bereavement first-hand knowledge. That love outlives death. You blessed. With the understanding that in this respect. All who experience live are united as one. Are jesus also said the lonely seekers after truth. Those who risk their lives and fortunes to push back the night of ignorance disease and poverty are a blessing among us. I was thinking specifically of dr. morris earl jr travel to lebanon to serve syrian refugee children in a hospital run by doctors without borders. But he's not the only one among us. Who's example of services provided us with lasting inspiration in the realm. A peacemaker. I love that the last invocation in our communion. Approved glasses are impulse. The peacemaking is far more general. Then heroic. Blessed we say communion are they who build goodwill among people respecting the endless diversity of human identity. Preaching. If utility of strife. And seeking creative piece. We affirm that such words and works. From any among us. Live in our hearts. And express faith. That their work will enrich generations to come. Do for me. The communion words suggest cbus is thoroughly infected with people. We're capable of seeing themselves as blessed. And as a result. Capable of blessing the world. These words are inspirationally vague perhaps to the ears of an outsider. But in every verse. I see faces i recognized in this room. He remains fair. It's cynical. To ask whether we are mostly individualize viruses park temporarily in this still young organism struggling for vitality in the world. Hospital. Took brad progressive faith communities. But i look out. And i see. Beloved community building. And ever more precious version. Have the people's peace. Can i pray. The history will regard us in this ladder light. Play we live to make it so. Are closing.

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Track14.mp3?_=4

I do have the privilege of putting the green stripe. And i'm really looking forward to in a couple of. Weeks identifying myself as. Liam be greenwood. And seeing your hands do that. Oh my goodness. I have been a pastor in the reformed church in america. For well over 25 years. And about 18 years ago. Atwell. As a pastor you're always trying to shape and meaningful community. Let's grow in grace and understanding and grow in love that's what we had pastors drive for. And so when a gay couple came to. My church and asked if i do a union ceremony. I said okay yes. They'd been together for 14 years and they wanted to take another step. In commitment. I had we had a beautiful. Ceremony. And. That was on the weekend and on monday. All hell broke loose. If you want to define hell as anti loving spirit. Then all hell broke loose. I was brought up on charges of heresy of his. Formal discipline i was reprimanded there was it was just with an inches. That i wasn't immediately terminated and. Removed as a pastor within the reformed church in america. Fast forward another. 15 years. And. I had the audacity. To have a. Have a book study a tag in a church that i was pastoring. A book study called on the book if god is love and it contemplates. The divine love for all people. If god loves. All people how do we care for the poor if we do god loves all people how do we deal with racial differences if god loves all people what about people of different religions if god loves all people what about people of different. Gender identifications or orientation. And this time. I didn't survive. Somebody reported me to supervisors. And i was given the letter saying i needed to transfer out of the rca. Within six months or. Lose my pension and retirement and be. So i was removed from the rca. Because i wanted to contemplate. God's love for all people. And here i am. With you. No less. Within the reformed church in america there are also other brave souls. That are nurturing on organization called room for all. And it's their goal to make sure that the reformed church grows. And its ability to make room for all people. And so i share. This poem. With you from scott's table from the book. Just love. And it starts with there's room for you. There is room for you. In this world. For your creativity. Your opinion. Your desires. For your sadness. Your laughter. Your fears. There is room for everything. You have. To offer. Yes. Every single thing. You can't be too big. Too brave to outrageous. You can't give or express too much. Feel or release. Too much. There is room for you. An open invitation. To be the full realization of yourself. Anything and everything. You want to be. You. Can. It is always. Tu.

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Track10-1.mp3?_=2

If a never approaches you and asks you to stand up here and do this. Don't let her play that song right before you have to say something. This first reading is a collection of three excerpts from anne lamott bird by bird. Very few writers really know what they are doing. Until they've done it. Nor do they go about their business feeling dewey and thrilled. They do not type a few stiff warm up sentences and then find themselves bounding along like huskies across the snow. I honestly think to be a writer. You have to learn to be reverent. If not. Why are you writing. Why are you here. Let's think of reverence as all. As presents. And openness. To the world. The alternative. Is that we stultify. We shutdown. If something inside you is real. We will probably find it interesting and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Right straight into the emotional center of things. Write two word vulnerability. Don't worry about being too sentimental. Worried about being unavailable. Worried about being absent. Or fraudulent. Risk. Being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you are a writer. You have a moral obligation to do this. The next song solid heart is from a benefit concert. For an organization called in harmony on behalf of our nation's children. It's an organization that assists traumatized children in their journey from foster care. The permanent adoptive homes.

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Our readings today old and new. Begin with excerpts from the present crisis. By james russell lowell. For mankind are one in spirit. Had an instinct bears along. Round the earth's electric circle. The swift flash of right or wrong. Whether conscious or unconscious. Get humanities vast frame. Through its ocean-centered fibers feels the goths of joy. Or shame. In the game or loss of one race. All the rest. Have equal claim. Pastel chosen o my people. On whose party now shalt stand. Are the doom from it's worn with sandal. Shakes the dust against our land. Do the cause of evil prosper yet tis truth alone is strong. And i'll be at she wonder outkast now. I see around her throng troops. A beautiful tall angels. Tuen shield her. From all wrong. New occasions teach new duties. Time makes ancient good uncouth. They must upward still and onward. Who would keep abreast. Low before ice cream her campfires. We ourselves must pilgrims be. Launch are mayflower and steer boldly through the desperate winter see. Floor temps the futures portal. With a pass. Blood rusted. Our second reading. His from wdeb. Divorce. Entitled my country tis of thee. Of course you have faced the dilemma. It is announced they all smirk and rise. If they are ultra they remove their hats and look ecstatic. And they look at you. What shall you do. Noblesse oblige. You cannot be boorish or ungracious. And two after all it is your country and you do love its ideals. If not all of its realities. Now then. I have thought of a way out. Arise. Gracefully remove your hat. And tilt your head. Then saying as follows. Power plate and with deep function. They'll hardly know the little changes in their feelings in your conscience will this be saved. My country tis of thee. Late land of slavery. Of the icing. Land where my fathers pride. Slept. Where my mother died. From every mountainside. Let freedom ring. My native country the. Land of the slaves set free. Buy fame. I love. I love my rocks and reels. An oral i hate with chills. My heart with purpose thrills. To rise above. Let lemon swell the breeze. And ring from all the trees. Sweet freedom song. Let laggards tongue. Awake. Let all who hear partake. But southern silence quake. The sound. Prolong. Our fathers god to the. Author of liberty. To thee we sing. Soon maryland be bright. With freedoms happylight. Protect us by dynamite. Great god our king.

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Track14-1.mp3?_=2

I'm just not tuned up but i'm on. Thanks. I'm going to share with you in imaginary conversation between me and dr. king. I have some doubts. This is a responsible thing to do. With the freedom of our pulpit. I never met dr. king and even if i had. It goes without saying that a privilege. 69 year old white guy like me. Can't have walked. Annie justin. As a rule it's a risky proposition for someone in my position to speak on behalf of. Any person of color dead or alive. I do so praying i can help us. Leave worship today. Fencing that doctor king still lives among us. A feeling overwhelmingly white. Nations like ours desperately need. If we are ever to sing we shall overcome. A good faith. I'm constructing doctor kings park. In this conversation from what i've read about him. Records of his actual words. Examples of what he did in the years he walked among us. A particular there is the record of his address to the unitarian universalist general assembly in 19. 56. And there's also guidance and what people who really do.. Kingwell like john lewis. I've had to say about him over the years. Since he was assassinated. In 19. Perhaps most importantly. Most importantly for this conversation. There is our knowledge. Of the course of racism. And other forms of oppression. In the more than half a century. Since. 1860. All of this. Is woven into what you are about to hear. And i'm confident king would want to know this history. Before giving us. Any marching. Today. King with a very collaborative leader. High heels. Constantly in touch with a group of trusted advisors drawing on. And their wisdom he was highly responsive. The current event. Even as he never wavered from his deeply held principles. About the moral and pat. Necessity. Of nonviolent resistance. Repression. And he spoke the truth. About human nature. Has he encountered it. Even if he occasionally. Flattered white crowd. Like unitarian. You got that right. I told folks long ago. That we are not makers. Of history. We are made by him. We may recognize demands on us to live differently. But most people. Are thermometers. That record or register the temperature of majority opinion. Not thermostat. That transform and regulate the temperature of sissy. The great tragedy of my lifetime. Despite the positive social changes. Was not the straighten. Clamor. Of the bad people. But the appalling silence. Of the good people. We have technology now. Call social media. That makes silence a lot rarer. Sadly though it doesn't make what good people say more influential in every case too often. They're only talking. In their homes. Who agree with. Batman mistaking those. Conversation. For serious anti-racism work. There's a new word for it. Slacktivism. I'd like to talk with you about that but first let me say i find it fascinating that you were speaking to us. In the form of a young african-american women. Raising two small children on her own. The lord moves in even more mysterious ways once you are dead. I'm sure there are ways you can imagine where my current appearance is entirely fitting. Well the part of you that lived out the role of the traditional charismatic male authority figure in a black church. Hasn't worn very well. There many reports that you sometimes demeaned. Exploited women. Who among your most gifted and devoted allies. Your most famous quotes always use the word man to stand for all people. And we do regret that. Paternalistic. Texas elementary. Me too. You might want to find a different way. Expressing. That regret. Those very words were published. 2006. As a way to draw attention to victims. Tarana burke. A black civil rights act. Recently me to has become the name of a worldwide movement spotlighting how. Widespread and diverse. That abuse is. Justice is finally becoming available for some victims but but not all. So far no woman has named you as an abuser despite the well-documented. Effort of the fbi. Smear you. But the possibility that you will be me to to some point remains a scary thought. For those about. To love you. Including i might add tarana burke. She has praised you for years at. Thank you for the heads up. I'm truly glad to hear about this progress. Actually there's been a lot of progress in many areas of civil rights. Women are cheating position. The power. Rat society. One of them with the popular vote winner. It came close to being elected president. Women. The fastest-growing group in congress. And a california democrat named nancy pelosi. Speaker of the house. People of color are a big part. And you remember your friend reverend greeley who introduced you at the uu general assembly in 19. Today his position of president of the usa is held by women. Susan frederick gray. And she succeeded reverend peter morales. Hispanic. Man. Winter has exceeded our first. African american president of the u.s.a. reverend william sink for. Black unemployment rates are at historic lows. And by the way what are your pronouns. My pronouns. I yeah i've been moving to expand the civil rights of gay people eventually led to changes you never imagined. But with your wife coretta came. Support. Like legalising same-sex marriages. And that also led to a growing understanding that people are more diverse in their sexuality and relationships. Two gender. Then the old concepts of. Men and women allowed for. So some people begin feeling it wasn't accurate. To use words like he and him or she and her to describe themselves. And they prefer the pronouns band them or even some new ones. Z and zuri. Wii u use try to remember to ask. But pronounce. I prefer for themselves. And to share ours. I'm here. Well. Looking at myself now. I probably shouldn't be hasty in this choice. Let me think about it. But i'm proud of where coretta went with the civil rights work after i died. And i would have moved with her if i had the opportunity. One of the most painful experiences. Of my life was feeling compelled to side with those who squeezed. Bayard rustin. A brilliant and dedicated civil rights activist. Out of the public limelight in our leadership circle. We feared his homosexuality would be used against our movement. That kind of pressure. Has weighed heavily on many a good person. One of our congregants was forced to hide his homosexuality by fred rogers.. Faintly pioneer. Inhumane children's television. In order for his character. Remain. On the program. Mister rogers fear the program will be cancelled. This character. An african american. Became known as. Only gay. You talk about francois clemmons opposite 11. You know. I met him when he was still a music major at oberlin college. I was the graduation speaker. He somehow worked his way to the front of the crowd. That greeted us when we arrived. He was so excited. I'm not sure i understood everything he said but he was clearly anxious to work for justice. So i looked at him as i held his hand and said. Well just keep on keeping on young man we the movement need people like you. I'm grateful for your help and cooperation i'll be listening for you in the choir. I'm astonished you remember that incident. If almost as if you had read the advanced galleys or francois's memoir this going to be published in may. Well as i said the lord moves in mysterious ways i'm very fond of his sneaky sense of humor. I'm a serious man and not a somber one. But i have to say you painted and encouraging picture of history since i died. The only thing missing is a african-american president. I forgot to mention that two terms in fact. Barack obama used your family bible when he was sworn in for his second term. 2012. So i was right to be happy the night before i. Rashad. I told that rally supporting a strike for better pay and working conditions for sanitation workers in memphis tennessee. That i wanted to live a long life like anyone else. But. That i no longer fear death. I told them that i have been taken by god to the mountaintop. Like moses in the bible. And i have seen the promise. Land ahead of us. Remember those. Dark times when you felt overwhelmed by. Setback. Detailing. The arson attacks. And you would call. Mahalia jackson. Haversine. Precious lord to you. Well. Mahalia is on the line. Here to you. I didn't hear phone ring o yeah because we all put our phones and worship mode. Rebellion vibrated. And this is mahalia and and she wants. Nothing to you because. He thinks you might need it. Slow. Let me stop. We. I am war. Prune. 2. My house. Precious. I need. When ma. Rules reedy. True glory. Lingo. Moore's go. Oh. Left. Parisa. The whole. Wow. There's some history you haven't shared ipad. You guessed it. You told us the general assembly. It was our job to be maladjusted. The races. How many of us have worked hard at that but racism still runs rampant. In the world. Discount parts. Would be the prom. And you thought you could. We've gotten better at recognizing how white. Embedded in arkansas. In ways that. Reinforced races. Destructive in. Without any conscious. My wife did. And we can now see the many ways. Well-intentioned white people. Too fragile at times. To sustain their work. Democracy is in retreat and many of the places you look too hopefully. Bike india. As well as in the you. And perhaps worst of all. But you worried about burning cities due to riot. My poor people. Ignored. The entire earth. Through the spread of environmentally unsustainable. The world's pop. I see that we are more than ever tied into a single garment. I've shared destiny. I will tell you again. That human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Everystep. Towards the goal of justice requires sacrifice. Suffering and struggle. And tireless exertions and passionate concerns of dedicated. So what advice would you give us today. In your hour of darkest need you turned. Towards your faith in an all-powerful. Precious lord. Is that the only road map for our struggle. Honestly. I don't know. But you surely need to accept that this work is sacrificial at times. And can take. A shape worth dying for. And you must know you can't complete it in your lifetime. We all need god to help us home in the end. But while we are here. There are hands and hearts all around us. The work still calls for walking hand-in-hand. With others seeking justice. As we often sang. In. We shall overcome. You know. That song is what you call an oldie but a goodie by now. Given the fix you are in. You need to work. Harder and more bravely at loving all men excuse me. I mean all people. And earth itself. Otherwise you will simply be nostalgic. If you sing. We shall overcome. I think you're right. But if i can end on a note that expresses my gratitude that. Wii u you still have you illuminating our memories our hearts. Longing to do the right thing. Let me introduce you to a new prayer song that we have. Hip pointer. In the right direction for the work. What you call us. I'm going to invite the congregation to stand and sing.

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Track06.mp3?_=2

Good morning. Jean barstow. And i'm here to introduce the next him but also tell you that. I represent the a+. Ea. An ally. And for ally. Why do identify as an ally. Because four decades. In certain situations. I describe myself as a man with a lot of woman in me. I'm very intuitive i'm not. And. That doesn't mean women are rational i just saying i'm intuitive. And i am i appreciate that trade. And then women. And others. Hyundai. But. It's important to me because i do believe that are binary. Tradition cultural. Norm. Is limiting. Can limit many tea. And how they live. Now let us join. And singing him 170. And we're adding him. In your orders i'm sorry we're having a first it's in your order of service. So check that out. Where it is. Please turn to 170. Body.

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Track13.mp3?_=3

Hello. My name is marty levine young and i'm jordans. Partner. And it's been accompanying them. On there. Gender exploration. And i'm here to conduct the ritual correcting. The second source. We give you a little history so you know what i'm talking about here. Unitarian universalist congregation affirm and promote seven principles. Which we hold a strong values and moral guides. And we is a congregation have been exploring these principles this year one each month. And they're printed. In heaven. We live out these principles from. But drawing from 6 sources. Which were adopted by the unitarian universalist association in 1984. Anisette the six horses are also. Printed in the handle. The second source reads words and deeds of prophetic women and men. Which challenged us to confront powers and structures of evil. Was justice compassion. And the transforming power of love. Great source write. However in 2017. Do you know a general assembly which is our annual business meeting. Was presented with an amendment. Replace the phrase women and men with people. But you can imagine a roomful of 3000 you use couldn't pass such a simple obvious change without. Least a half an hour of discussion. And you can actually watch the video if you're interested. Some people noted that back in 1984 it was actually a big deal that women. Came first before man. People pointed out that they hated to lose that record of our history of feminism. Okay. However considerations of inclusivity carried the day. I was aware at the time. That this change supported and included non-binary people. But just yesterday. Are you friend pointed out. Something i have never thought about. Which is that the change also expanded the pool of prophets. To include children and youth. People. Instead of women in that. I totally not thought about that but of course i. Torrid credit. And i am frank. And many other. Young people. Who are also prophetic sources of wisdom. So the amendment needs to pass twice because bylaws. And it did in 2017 and 2018. And only you a website the corrected second source now starts. Words and deeds of prophetic people. I'm the web team manager at the ua so i actually got to edit the page. And make that change. And i was honored to do so. Whoever printed versions of the sources do not self-correct my change did not. Seemed to have changed what was printed on the paper. What can you do about so here's. The ritual that we're going to do and this is why there are pens on a lot of. So i would like you to open your hymnal and flip. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6 pages in and i'm saying that because. The pictures aren't numbered so i can't tell you to just open the page number whatever. But it is the page that starts we the member congregations and it lists. Are seven principles and then it lists. The six sources. And if you read down you will find the line that starts. Words and deeds. So want to take out your pain and i know we've all been trained never to write in books. Especially with a pan. But we're going to do that now. So i'd like to to very neatly crossout. Women man. And write in. You don't have a lot of space the word people read about it i'm going to do that here now i'll give you a minute. People are going to have to share cuz i gathered every pain and our house and astoundingly. There were enough to put on every other seat. No we're not using all the hymnals today there are still a bunch on the cart. So in future sundays if you happen to flip open your hymnal. And that is not corrected you can just. 6 fat. At any time. It's not 12 on my gosh. Let's just go for it can someone say. I don't have what how many pages forward you have to flip to find it. But here we go. Sorry say again. Bought the reading 559 in the gray also will you know i think we may have to do this overtime. But at least we got it on that first page maybe some future sunday will work on the rest of them. So. For making this correction and thinking about the expansion. Of our sources of wisdom. Let us all say thank you and hallelujah.

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Track12.mp3?_=4

This next reading is from a book that. My. Professor in my uvm program wrote. The first excerpt is from another writer vivian gornick on memoir writing. A memoir is a work of sustained narrative prose. Controlled by an idea of the self under obligation. To lift from the raw material of life. A tail. That will shape experience. Transform event. Deliver wisdom. Truth as memoir is achieved when the reader. Comes to believe that the writer. Is working hard to engage with the experience at hand. What happened to the writer is not what matters. What matters is the large sense that the writer is able to make of what happened. This next part is from robert nash the author. It's in a section of the book called courage. Overcoming the fear of imperfection. Ralph waldo emerson once said that there is a crack. In everything. God has made. When i learn to admit to myself i was cracked. But i was imperfect. And that people would still love me. Regardless. Only then did i become a person of courage. Purge is giving myself permission to be awakened. Buy all the things in my life. That used to torment. And diminish me.

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Track15.mp3?_=5

Let me preface this sermon with a disclaimer about what it is not. This is not gender identity 101. Or gender anything 101. This is not 101 at all. Cbus doesn't feel like a 101 kind of place. If you don't know what this means. If gender non-binary in gender non-conforming and genderqueer or equally obscure to you. If the distinction between sex and gender and gender expression in gender retribution and romantic and sexual attraction don't make sense. And if a gender an asexual and gray sexual and demi sexual sounds like word soup to you. Then i expect ali invite you not. To tune out. But the sermon is not going to find any of those terms. I mean i could do that. But it would be a lecturer not a sermon. If you want some reference material there's a hand up by the sanctuary door to the foyer it's not a list of definition. But it does set up a framework. You're talking about the nuances of maleness. And femaleness. Masculinity. And femininity. And gender performance. And there are a number of us who would be happy to talk more. Icoffee hour. What i intend to do. What i hope to do. It's make the case that for your own spiritual growth. And commitment to love injustice. You need to become. Familiar with the language of gender. Just as you will become familiar with the languages of racial justice. A feminism. Every other awakenings. The call upon us. To see our fellow humans not through the lenses that society has created for them. But through the identities that they have claimed. Themselves. So this is gender 201 or maybe 301. It's about intentional. Purposeful awareness. Of the deep ways in which gender is embodied in our institutions. Our society and yes in cbus. And why this awareness is indispensable. If we wish to create the community. Cbus aspires to be. So what start with y in old white guy. Assist. Queer non-binary gender non-conforming old white guy. Is doing a sermon about living your truth within meaningful community in the context of gender. And why is that worth bringing up. It's worth bringing up. Because the work we are talking about. Navigating the interfaces between personal identity. Our intentions. Our interactions with one another. And cv us as a community. That work. You spaced and identity. So it's been a minute on that for what does it mean for work to be based in identity. My experience of unitarian-universalism from high school onwards. Has been that are teaching from the pulpit is traditionally been much more about the content. Of the message. Then about. The identity of the messenger. What many of us have come to learn over the past several years. As we critically examine ourselves the institutions we love like cbus. And the broader institutions of our society. Is that the identity of the messenger. Cannot be separated from the message. The messages i see in shape. To share with you. Are created from my experience as a cyst hat old white guy. They are couched in terms that are familiar to me. They speak to the things that i have seen and experienced. And that my vision and experience are inseparable. From who i am. From who people think i am. From people's reaction. Tumi. And the friction. Among. No everyone here does not share that identity and only a minority of you share all of the p. You heterosexual old white guys know who you are. And if you don't know if your sis then you probably are. And there are people here who do not appear to share that identity. Yet in their own experience. They share many aspects of it. And similarly there are people here who do appear to share that identity. Yet even their own experience. So here's one thing you can do in pursuit of meaningful community. Be open to the fact that the apparent diversity. Among your fellows and community. If you us may not be as great as you think. You may have more in common than. By the same token. Be mindful that the homogeneity the lack of diversity. But you see may not reflect a homogeneity of experience. Almost all of us have hidden aspects of our identities. Better not appear. Let's just say for simplicity's sake that what you see is not necessarily what you get. Because when you assume that what-you-see-is-what-you-get you erase important parts of the identities of the people you are talking to. So what does erasing identity mean. It means assuming that we are all the same there's nothing significantly different about the life experiences of a person who's gay or person who is lesbian or person who is trans or person was non-binary or for that matter of person who's african-american or person who is treated as female. There's nothing significantly different about their life experiences from the experiences of a purse. Who is perceived as white and male. So there are two pieces to that. And the perception. There will always be parts of my identity that are not visible. Here's one example. Depending on how you define hispanic. either qualify or i don't. One side of my family does not speak english as their first language their brazilian. I've discovered that there are parts of my early childhood experience. That i share with children of mexican parents. Yet the government's guidance as to whether brazilians should check the hispanic box is a really ambiguous. I'm the kind of person who would do that i would. Website okay what are the instructions instructions are not clear. So when i get to the box that says hispanic on the form there's no checkbox for sort of. There's no checkbox for will not in the way you think. In fact there's only one checkbox. Hispanic. Because if you're normal you just don't check the hispanic box. Most people don't. It's only a few different. So that aspect of myself will never be visible. My discomfort it being perceived as male on identifying with masculinity as expressed in our culture was also invisible foremost. As long as i dress like a man i can be expected to act like a man or to nuance the words to. The effects of my identity that or genderqueer did not get express. They could not be perceived. They were erased. I don't have all the answers i do not have a. Bulletproof intellectually watertight argument as to what it means to be a man who doesn't identify with masculine roles. As distinct from. A man who doesn't entirely identify with being a man. I know i'm more of the ladder. Man who doesn't entirely identify with being a man. Denying the former a man who doesn't.. Enroll. A few years ago i chose to start presenting in gender-nonconforming ways to be seen in a way that reflect more of how i feel and interact with the world and incidentally to make it easy. For people who see me to figure out. That for me what you see is not necessarily what you. And i appreciate the tv you us has been a safe annex. But i want to challenge you to recognize that while our acceptance and celebration of diversity of wonderful things. They are not enough. Much of what follows rests on the assertion that white male people have been centered in our culture. Our society and our institutions and it had the power. The access to resources. And the voice. To create the institutions of our culture. And the cathedrals of thought and power that surround them. If that assertion troubles you then that's a conversation for another time. In a conversation that connects directly with the work of the unitarian universalist. And many others. But they've been doing on whatsapp. Being racist. While writing these words for today i really listen to dd delgado sermon for december. September 29th here on direct reparations. Black women. Energy challenges us to reconceptualize giving. In ways that decenter the value it provides. Three economically privileged people. And donors. And it's centers the experience of people whose lives have been. Impacted. By the institute. Culture. Took a reconceptualizing. Similarly i want challenges to reconceptualize seaview us in a way. Dissenters binary gender. And it centers on the experience. Of people of all. Genders and of no gender. In pursuit of meaningful community. From our history we're all about new england white anglo-saxon protestant tradition. From our intellectual heritage. Governments to order of service to our relationship to time. What would cvudeos look like if our beloved community reflected the personal truths and lives. Not only the people who are here. But all the people who could be here. Or would be here. If they felt not just tolerated. Not just celebrated. But if they felt that this community was about. Honestly. I don't know. So there's another thing the today's service is not going to do it's not going to offer a checklist of things. You could do as an individual or the tv us could do as a community to be a more welcoming congregation. In their personal testimony back in november. Illegal for a talk eloquently about the difference between the many things tvus does and could do. To be welcoming congregation. And they pointed out the distance between that. In the community seaview us aspires to be. Do use all these words. As welcome as it is to have a pride flag outside a rainbow nametag gender-neutral bathrooms and pamphlets i do not yet feel able to bring my whole self. Doing these checklist things pronoun stickers fighting to have non-gendered bathrooms. Approved by the building inspector yes that was a thing. And reverend barnaby and some others will be on hand during coffee hour i think to do. Name tag. Gender pronoun exercise yes. And we have stickers to help out. All those things are great and necessary. But that and a flag and bathroom signage are not enough. Instead we are feeling our way towards and understanding. Of what it would take. Cbus to feel like a queer space and by that i mean. A space where we commit ourselves to an ongoing dance. Among many identities. And many center. Can we aspire to be a place where each of us can claim the center when we need it. And step aside when others needed. Can we aspire to be a place where those of us. Who may have felt entitled to claim center. Probably without even knowing that that's what we were doing. Can become mindful of that fact. Mindful of leaving that space for others. Are those of us who felt most comfortable with the way cd us works willing to feel uncomfortable. Because now it works in ways that feel most comfortable to someone else. Are we willing to grow into our disk. It feels like a big part of that work that growth is creating space. The community the works to free itself from the traditional white male systems of power and privilege. That system is inseparable from the marginalization of queer people. Along with in different ways the marginalization. Of people of color of women of youth and of others. Meaningful community. Is community where among other things everyone feels equally valued for who they are. Not in spite of who they are. Where the community assumes that you are the way you are. Not that you are the way. Are norms. It's about a commitment to question your own assumptions and actions in pursuit of justice and transformation. This is not so different from the message of dd delgado with those were motivating us towards racial justice. Because decentering people like me or white guys. Is the way we create institution. But center people with other identities. Experiences. It's a matter of being accountable. Each of us individually. And collectively one to another. Not waiting for someone else to hold you accountable. Not waiting for someone. Speak the ways in which they feel invisible or uncared-for but to seek out different ways of relating to one another. As a rule of thumb the more privileged you feel in this community whether it's a privilege by age. Or gender or race or income or intellect or the art of time you've been here and remember patience stoddard back in the day. The greater your opportunity is. Ahold yourself. Accountable. For your privilege. This is scary. If it's not scary you're probably not doing it right. Me and mingus a writer educator and community organizer for disability justice and transformative justice. Challenges of this way. What she says. What is accountability wasn't scare. It will never be easy or comfortable but what if it wasn't scary. What if our own accountability wasn't something we ran from. But something we ran towards. And desire. Appreciate it and held a sacred. What if we cherish the opportunity to take accountability. As precious opportunities to prep. Liberation. The practice love. Practice two kinds of people the kinds of elders to be kind of souls. We want to be. So what is accountability was something. What if we did cherish those opportunities. To take accountability. To practice love. Practice b. We invite you. To run. Towards. Are closing him is. 1oo 8in the fuel handle. We are blessed with love and amazing grace when our heart is in a holy place. Nrr is a mile.

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Track08-2.mp3?_=2

Our ancient reading. Is the opening section section of the book of jonah. The biblical story most famous for the incident where jonah is cast overboard from a merchant ship. In distress. During a storm. And swallowed. By a great fish. Sometimes described as a whale. When he prays in the belly of the whale for forgiveness and the chance to serve the lord. Is returned by the beast. 2 dryland. I do listen to how jonah happen to be on the ship. Consider the parallels to our time of all ages for accounting john marie's attempt. The give up. Calling to preach universalism. And go to america. The word of the lord came to jonah son of amittai. Go to the great city of nineveh and preach against it. Because it's because its wickedness has come up before me. But jonah ran away from the lord. And headed for tarshish. He went down to joppa where he found a ship bound for that port. I'm paying the fare he went aboard and sailed for tarshish to flee from the lord. When the lord sent a great wind on the sea in such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up all the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god and they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But jonah had gone below deck where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. The captain went to him and said how can you sleep. Get up and call on your god maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish. Our modern reading. Is 1. Was one you've heard from the pulpit. Before. But which is endlessly powerful. Given that it was written by the late. Elie wiesel. A survivor of the german concentration camps in world war ii. Feazel became known for fighting oppression not just of jews but many marginalize people right up until his death. 2060. He was the winner of the 1986 nobel peace. When the great rabbi israel baal shem tov. Some misfortune threatening the jews. It was his custom to go into a certain part of the. And meditate. There he would light a fire say a special prayer. And the miracle would be accomplished. And the misfortune. Averted. Later when his disciple the celebrated magi of metric. Had occasion for the same reason to intercede with heaven he would go to the same place in the forest and say. Master of the universe listen i do not know how to light the fire. But i'm still able to say the prayer. And again the miracle would be accomplished. Still later. Rabbi moshe levi sackhoff. In order to save his people once more would go into the forest and say. I do not know how to light the fire. I do not know how to say the prayer. But i know the place. And this must be sufficient. It was. Then it fell to rabbi israel of richsing the cobra come misfortune. Sitting in his armchair his head in his hands he spoke to god. I am unable to light the fire. I do not know the prayer. I cannot even find the place in the forest. All i can do is tell the story. And this must be sofia. God made man. Because he loves. So. I had a. A sermon prepared and some of it. Will still be delivered. But. Have i thought about what was happening this week. In our lives and. How far had drifted from the assignment i had given myself. When i had to fill in that schedule at the beginning of the summer. I thought i wanted to talk to you a little bit. Abreva. Before we move into the second part i thought as i looked at our schedule that we would have melissa lori. Talking about her life in the theater and that play the christians and what it was. As a spiritual experience for her last week. Which we did. And then i thought well this would be the time this week for me to say hey there's lots of good theatrical stories in the history of unitarian universalism as well. Unfortunately people don't really tell them they never get ridden as theater and then i was going to run through a whole bunch of examples that are sort of waiting for our our shakespeare. Someone to come and turn these into wonderful play. I thought about it and one of the things that bothered me. Was i'm inviting you each week into the. Space for worship. Anderson. Tension in. That i felt. I needed to name. Will be coming to a space and worship for coming. See more clearly to look at things differently than we do in our life. And we have these. Elements. Of silence. Music. To take us out of ordinary life. And at the same time we're coming. Especially as you used to be learn to be challenged. To hear some new things. Maybe some stories about our tradition. And then the last issue was hey this is the last sunday of the summer. Even dealing with arts alzheimer do we really want some heavy. Theological discussion or do we just want to have some fun on our last. Sunday is summer so i was thinking about my task and. It felt. It's a pretty impossible. And i was thinking about. Melissa. Talked last week but i didn't get. To hear but which i read because i was here for the beginning to call to worship. Then i went off at the kids. And. I feel as if you were here you'll remember that the call to worship. What's that. Famous. Speech from as you like it. About the nature of. Of mankind. And. You know and that all of us are actors. And all of us are players on the stage. Ironically i don't think melissa mentioned this. Delivered by someone who doesn't have any role in the play. He's just commenting on he's really not an actor. He's just a voice. And he's a very warwell world-weary voice. And he's. Doesn't speak from that place of joy that we try to speak of them. Come here. And it's very paternalistic voice. The seven ages of man. And i there's it's almost as if women don't exist. So it's not a voice that i would i would pick for a call to worship in a uu. Space. But melissa. Picked up because it is beautiful. Central park. A shakespeare. And. For her as she said her religion is theater. He's not looking at it from the same. Angle. That we do and i also think. That she was saying. What this is really about is that the world. So incomprehensible. We all have our roles. And we act in the. And. That she wanted to say that. It's 10. For her theater. Is all of life. And it's a wonderful point chino high had some. Perfect emails have gone back and forth in last week. Talking about what i might experience what. What she wrote. And. I won't go into that too much because i didn't get her permission to. To share what she said. I don't think i'm breaking any confidences if i say that she was thrilled with how warm in audience. And i'll leave it at that. One thing i did push back. On her was that. I felt that. It isn't true to say all the world. That. All the world is out there and it's what we call. The interconnected web of existence. And it only becomes the stage when human beings. Look at a little piece of this and start to make a story out of. And then we start to see each other. As actors in something that makes sense is part of how we make meaning. And i think that's what we've been talking about all summer. By making art. Her focus. Art. But theater. And. How the visual arts and dance are always that we human beings interact with that web of exist. Take a piece of. Make it a state. See people of actors see ourselves actors. And make meaning. So that's the big boss. I'm going to go back to. My original intention here. To say that there's a lot of great. Stories and unitarian universalist history. Fix screen out to be plays and i'm hoping that our shakespeare will come along. And write them. You know if you want. A play about what it's like. Today be in that agonizing middle-of-the-road position where you're a peacemaker. And. Yet there's something terribly evil going on in your world. Slavery. And you don't know how far to go and combating it without giving up. Your ideals about being a peacemaker. Seeing what's lovable in. Everybody. Even. A slave owner. And your struggle and struggle with that. You can go to the life of william ellery channing. Founding father of. Universal enchanting kept listening to the voices and all the sides and he wasn't racist himself. But he was an abolitionist. And. Ultimately. He made a great sacrifice he gave up his pulpit. In the most powerful church. In boston. When the board would not let him. Conduct a memorial service there. Reverend charles fallen who is much more. Staunchly abolition. And radical. Ben 10 himself. He was there. He wanted to honor the life of someone who was able to be more radical than he was when his board wouldn't let him do it. He stopped being. I think that's the grist. Have a really wonderful play. Wish someone would write it. Of course there's emerson and thoreau and all the transcendentalist. They have fascinating stories. Outside of little women i don't think any of them has ever been. Created the place of the. Alcott family. Replace but i haven't seen one that's really good on any. And. So on and so forth through you hissed. And especially. There's been short shrift to the universalist and unitarian. Women. Have they were short shrift. Two women throughout its. And you could start with. People like mariah mitchell. The first famous female astronomer. This country. Never been a great play done about her to my knowledge. Her distant cousin phoebe hannaford. Universalist minister from nantucket. Who. Left home with her child to be a minister. Elektra husband took. Female organist with her. The funeral organist. The love of her life. They had a very interesting life she was a famous. Fighter for women's rights. A great subject. Play. Very smart and widen x viola liuzzo the detroit housewife. Who. Became following the civil rights movement. Church. Detroit decided to. South. And help the marchers at selma. And was murdered. These often an afterthought. In the summer story. And there's. Mariah cook. And just for your stage guy. I am no longer going to be. Hi. And now nicola. You mean me mr. stacy. I'm still angry at you even though you died 150 years ago. And i'd already been in my grave 33 years by then. At least you look taller and better fed than the five-foot-tall 100-pound universalist evangelist i remember from those days on the frontier of upstate new. Will you should be more grateful. It's mainly thanks my memoir that you are known as the first female universalist preacher. Didn't i honestly report that extraordinary time. When you appeared before our association convention in 1811 and that barn in bainbridge new york. I was 30. And i had already been spreading the word that god would the word that god would save everyone. For about a year. My family in geneva new york couldn't believe that i'd come up with these views on my own. But. The money provided in my father's will gave me something few other women had in those days just enough income to survive independently. And do what i wanted. Even if they thought i was crazy. I always found respectable companions willing to take me to the next stop. Well as i wrote in my memoir you had a commanding presence. Even when you took liberties with the bible which you often did. People were fascinated to hear a woman preach with confidence. Once we decided after that very close vote in bainbridge to let you speak to the whole association at. Meeting in western new york. We were on tiptoes anticipation. And you didn't disappoint. I was glad you were given that leather fellowship by the other ministers after your discourse but paul dean the most famous universalist in the region. Gave me the cold shoulder. So i decided the offer of fellowship was was insincere. I tore it up. Well you were always proud and i'm willing to put up with flights from men or even other women who didn't think it was proper for you to preach. You were the most popular universalist in the region. For about a year. But his criticism grew you spend so much time every time you were in the pulpit responding bitterly to the critics. The people stop coming to listen to your message. And then you disappeared for a year. Well i went to go live with the shakers near troy. I learned a lot from them about spiritual community. By the way you did do a good job we're counting that ridiculous incident and i'll stay car when i came back to central new york. You know. When that local judge in cooperstown ordered me brought in for questioning. About whether i was a vagrant. I can still see that hapless sheriff pulling up to the house and i'll stay go with his wagon. Told me to get in and refused. So how will you go. He asked i said i wouldn't. But the law requires me to bring you in. He said. Well i told him that had nothing to do with me. He finally gave up and he carried me to the wagon. I didn't resist but no one watching fought that was proper a friend followed us to make sure i wasn't mistreated on the way to cooperstown. Yes i heard it all about it from him and when you got there after 5 miles of icy silence. You also refused to get out of the wagon to go see the judge. Yes as i wrote i told the sheriff i had no business with the judge if the judge had business with me let him come to me. There was a lot of useless arguing after which the sheriff went to the judge and sure enough. The judge ordered him to come back out and carry me in. Whereupon the judge started questioning you about where you lived and how you supported your. And i told him. You can ask me any questions you please but i feel under no obligation to answer you. Nor shall i answer any of your questions. And kept asking and i kept refusing to talk until finally he charged me with contempt and i told him you have worded it right sir. For you and all of your proceedings are perfectly contemptible in my view. You then refuse to walk back out to the wagon to be taken to jail. Yes. The judge had to order the constable to carry me to the wagon. But here's the part i love. The jailers lived in the building that held the gel and he took a liking to you. He invited you to eat with this family and go anywhere you wanted in the building. I was quite happy there for 3 weeks. I preached universalism to everyone who came by. Finally the judge who couldn't figure out what to do with me hinted to the jailer he would be happy if there was some way to get. Rid of me. So i was set free. And then you retired from active circuit preaching. I was it was 18 years until i happened to run into you again. And then you gave me one of the severest tongue-lashing i've ever received from man or woman. You may have been a faithful servant of universalism. No one traveled more or in worse weather to speak anywhere they were invited. You were always so poor i paid your faithful wife and children but you wouldn't listen when i explained that what you were doing was a waste of time. The shakers had it alright the universalist needed to build separate societies for the faithful. Me. Nola. So. Unfortunately there were universal to did that who built separate size societies and utopian communities. I'm none of those really worked out very well and those are other stories also. Waiting for their playwrights. So was i see it. Maria cook. Could be either a dark comedy. Or a tragic stifling of a free spirit. That awaits the playwright or the screenwriter who picks it up. I hope it does happen though someday because like 80 rahzel i am drawn to that idea. Have a god who loves story. And wiesel became an agnostic while he was in the concentrate. I can't see it lost his faith in god. Pretty hole. That if there is a creative god duty. If that god exists it makes sense. Bad guy. Supreme act. Web creation would be to make creatures that love. Stories. The love would not be rooted in entertainment all those stories certainly have their entertainment.. But in the very act. Of extracting. From the universe vision that's available on the web. Divisions of connection. For those are hidden. Otherwise. Do acting out and experiencing these visions. We can glimpse. More fully what is good and evil. And we can intuit. What it means to carry a spark of divinity. Each of us its stories. About each other. In the stories we tell ourselves. Somehow we are connected. The divine even if we. Figure it out. It's never election. Two aren't we can know through faith and reason. That we have meaningful roles open. For us. Display. We call life. And speaking to you as an incompetent stage act. Reading from a text is about as far as i will ever get. In terms of. Acting. I take comfort that all of us can act for good. Even if we don't act well. And i think of that as the ultimate. Blessing. It's a blessing that we come together to share. Here at the view us. I look forward to talking with you about some of the other. Unitarian. Story. That there are out there.. Are part of our story when we come together. We come together as a. Horizontal space we're all here at the same point in time. But those of us who really embrace the faith also come together in this depth and. And all of these. Who went before us. Are part of our heritage. And the more you learn about the more you see. Connection. To the problems in my life. And how i live it's not an accident. Bad when john murray got. To tell his own story in his memoir. He went back to the bible met church. Follow jonah for people to feed the cat. And to think you're. Him seeing his experience. The holy one. Tomica. To tell our stories we get. Go back in time week. Forward in time. We get to change the facts. Bats. Why that god. Real talk. Lust. We're able to create. Stories worthy. Have a god. And. So i'll just. Satan closing that. The spirituality in the arts. The third summer. It's going to be back. I'm almost positive. Dear. There is always so much. We can do. But as we go for him when i asked you to. Think about. What stories. You want tolls and how you want control. Next year when we. Take our art our ability. And bring them to go. Share with each. In this. Sacred space. Are closing.

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Track08-1.mp3?_=2

4/4 years. I too walked through the conference rooms and visiting rooms and hallways of a mental institution. I did so however not as a family member. But as a chaplain. In the late-2000s i was hired to be the director of pastoral care for new hampshire hospital. New hampshire's only state psychiatric hospital. What i learned there will travel with me for the rest of my life. I learned about the devastation that can happen to individuals into families in the wake of severe mental illness. I learned about the gifts. And the limits of psychiatric medical medication. I also learned about. The potential fragility of the human mind. And the potential resilience of the human spirit. I also learned about the inadequacy of our current mental health system to meet the needs of those suffering. There are many changes that need to be made to bring more justice and care to those with severe mental illness. While the numbers of those who need care grow. And the number of beds and psychiatrist reserved to meet that need continues. To fall. So the numbers get higher. And the beds year-by-year. Fewer. But while the system needs to be changed. Our minds and hearts me to be changed as well. I wholeheartedly agree with lizabeth o'connor when she says. Of one thing i am certain. Nothing will change for the homeless. Unless the public. Is given a new heart. The task before us is no lesser one than the education of our emotions. And so for the next few minutes. Rather than sight more research and statistics i want to share some very brief stories with you. About the education of my emotions. And the many lessons i learned. From the patients. Who were my teachers. I have learned not to judge a person. By how they look. Or even behave. How little we can know about anyone we see on the street mumbling nonsense or one who sticks their hand out for money. For me and i suspect for most of us. The very poor and desperate make us anxious and uncomfortable. While we may see ourselves as compassionate people. It is just so much easier to look away and walk on by. Not only thomas. Please. From such a need. Not so however for my six-year-old daughter ally. Now about to turn 30 by the way. We were worse walking out of ocean state job lot in walpole new hampshire. A very short of opera croston quiet town not the place where you were expected to meet a homeless person. But standing right outside the door was a gaunt man in dirty clothes. Missing a few teeth. And. My daughter immediately said hello. And started moving towards him. My name is allison. I'm embarrassed to say that my first reaction was fear. And anxiously i called that probably come over here. And she looked at me. Nsaid. Mommy i'm talking to this man. At which point he asked her name. I mean she asked his name and he told her. And he said ali you are such a nice little girl. I hope you have a very nice day. It was a smile on his face however that nearly brought me to tears. So allie went up in her way and gave him the very slightest of a little hug. And walked back to me as we walk to the grocery store said mommy. Hi like that man. Years later. I got to look of what could be on the inside of someone who looked so dirty and unkempt. On the outside. The woman who arrived at new hampshire hospital. Pass me by while i was sitting in the cafeteria. She was remarkably dirty with tangled hair shocking and appearance really. Gaunt and. Terrified looking. Barely looking like a human being. Because she was on a unit that i did not cover. I did not get to learn her story. Until. 3 weeks later. I was again in the hall. And i saw a very attractive woman. Nicely dress. Talking on the phone in the entryway and i turned. To my colleague and said do you have any idea who that is. And she goes oh yes. She's that woman who used to live in the barn. Who came in about 3 weeks ago. She was an lpn the mother-of-three. Who had simply disappeared. And for two years she lived. In the streets and haunted the farms in the monadnock region. Not knowing who she was. King survived just one more day. Given the right medication. Some respect. And a bed to sleep in and food to eat. She was miraculously transformed. The phone call. Was her talking to a nursing home where she was applying for a job as an lpn. Family picked her up that afternoon. I've also learned how easily fear. Can shut down our hearts. How it gets in the way of genuine human connection. How that fear can dehumanize others and teach them to never reach out. To keep other people away. It was a patient when i first got to the hospital. I'll call him bob and he. Did not have a traditional organically based mental illness or ptsd he had actually had a construction injury. That had bastian part of his skull. And he had lost control of his emotions. Could become violent at the drop of a hat. But luckily as his brain healed. And as he got a lot of support and therapy. He was able to slowly come back into himself. And by the time i knew him he'd been there about a month. It was hard to understand why he was even in a locked psychiatric unit. And so he got ready to go out and start his life again. To my surprise. On the last day i took him to lunch. We got to do that then. And. He said to me there's only one favor i need from your patients. I want you. To go to big john. I knew who big john was. And i want you to give him a hug for me. And i said oh. You mean the scary six-foot-eight bigjon. Who been in the hospital for at least a year if not two. And he said. Yes. He said he's not really scary. He's just afraid of everyone. He helped me more than anyone else in this hospital. And he doesn't like people to talk about feelings and he doesn't like to be touched. But i think you're just the one. To deliver that hug. People know me really quickly we won't talk about how the administration felt about hugs were just skipping. That part. So i did i went up to the long-term chronic junit and i spoke to him and i said bob is leaving and he has asked me to do him a favor so i'm about to hug you. And i could feel and just go completely rigid. And when the nurses weren't looking. I crept up and gave him. The world's shortest hug. From that day i knew a very different man than many of the people including the staff who are afraid of him. Every now and again he'd come to my office on the administration wing when he had privileges and said i'm not here to talk i just need that hug. I learned also the power of compassion to heal. When even the finest doctors in advanced medications cannot. There was a woman on that same long-term unit who wouldn't eat. She refused to eat and slowly would wither away until that would get permission from the court to put a feeding tube down her throat and feed her. Against her will. I will admit i never really talked to her. I went in wants to her room and she was in bed and getting in and getting some kind of intravenous feeding and she said get out of here and i got out of there. I didn't know much about a story. But i did come to learn that she had been a drug addict on the street. And she had had children who had been taken away from her. And she now she was better. And sober. Had decided that she had committed an unforgivable sin. And that she wanted to die. And the only mean she could find what's the stuff eating. And then something happened. There was a woman who lived with her. A woman. Home i got quite close with. Would also spend some time on the street and also have been an addict. But also had schizophrenia. And which i suspect with more cover for severe ptsd. And she got into trouble one day and was. Told her to stay in her room and so she called me. And i came up to see her and i said wanted to do this time. And she said oh you know i mouthed off to one of those therapist it's not a big deal i can do three days in the room but she said i'm worried about ruth. And i said yeah and she said we'll have you noticed that she's looking better and i said yeah. I really had i can't figure out what it did they change your medication and she goes no no no she said she started eating because she loves candy. And we're not allowed to have it so i sneak it into my pockets when i'm on privileges. And i sneak it under her socks in her drawer so no one will know and then she gets up when no one's looking and eat. She wanted me to smuggle. She wanted me to smuggle candy into the unit which i felt with maybe a step too far. But i certainly applauded. Her civil disobedience. I'm going to fast forward now to after i left the hospital. And i went to visit glencliff which is a nursing home for the mentally ill a wonderful place the place of healing by the way. Quite remarkable. And i still go to see a couple patients there now and again. And i was in the living room i mean the dining room and there was this lovely. Long-haired plump woman sitting in chatting with this man. And she said patience. Patience come over. What are you doing here. It was ruth. Ruth was eating mashed potatoes. And had a boyfriend. And i was flabbergasted. And i said. Whatever happened to your friend from the hospital. And they had made a pact that they wouldn't go to glencliff without each other. And she said okay. She would only lived about another six or seven months. She did have cancer. And kidney disease. And. But she came here and was much happier before she died. And she said and you know. She's the one who saved my life. I shared stories. Those were in the hospital for long periods. Of time long enough to be part of a community. Because it was helping to deepen and create that interconnection and community that i felt. With my most important job. As chaplain. Communities. Can be a place of healing. Nursing homes can be hospitals can be. Even rooming houses. But what about community such as yours. What about. Unitarian universalist faith community. I have a dream for ruu congregations. To be one of those few safe places for those struggling with mental illness. This priceless offer of community to those often stigmatized and excluded requires intentionality. And a willingness to strengthen boundaries. Wild deepening welcome. And support. It takes both courage. And compassion. It takes. An awareness of one's own need. And self-care. And as so many things. A real value. It takes a willingness to risk. I want to close. With a very a story. That came out of my more recent. Ministry. There were. There was a man in my congregational leader of the congregation in many ways. Who struggled. Throughout his life with severe depression. Here come to me to share that he was feeling. Suicidal. And. Was able to find the strengthen enough hope to. Call the hospital and get himself hospitalized. This happened two or three times. He was a quiet man an engineer. With that sort of way that some engineers have of not spilling out what they're feeling very often. He was our mr. fix-it man for the heating and the roof problems and all of that. But i knew that every day was a struggle for him to survive. After his second hospitalization when he began to get a little better. He came to my office and said patients. I'm thinking of sharing at joys and concerns. The fact that i've been suicidal and then i twice been in the hospital in the last 3 months. What do you think. It was a hard question. I basically said i can't make that decision for you. But here's what i will tell you. It is my. Trust and believe. That if you choose to share something. That the response. Will be. Positive. Will be toward you not away from. But i said there are no guarantees. People are very scared. About depression and suicide. For good reason. I wasn't in that was interesting it wasn't there that way it was it was another person in the pulpit a guest minister like myself is for you. And after it was over after i came back to work the first thing i want to do is call this gentleman on the phone and say how did it go cuz i hadn't heard anything yet. So he came and he did stop by. And he says i did tell them. I told him how hard it it been i told him. That i had been barely able to keep myself. From suicide or self-harm. And i wanted them to know. And i said. Okay what happened. And he said. By the end of coffee alright three dates. For coffee. But he also said. The other only other person who knows this besides my family. This is older woman in my congregation. My former congregation who had been struggling with depression since the age of 22. She's been in and out of hospitals 20 or more times. And she was at a place. Where she liked herself. For a while. And she. He had confided in her and they had been meeting for coffee every week for a month-and-a-half. He said she was one of those. Strings. That helped to hold me together. In summary. Oh and one ps i'm gone too long so you'll have to forgive me i'm only here want to hear it's really hard to stop. There's a second part of the story. I did a group for the congregation made a lot of depression in that condition where people struggling with depression so why did a groupon self-compassion based on a. Book i'm going to recommend later to burn me and not for his depression. I led that can for 4 weeks they decided to keep meeting but i was about to leave and i couldn't make that long-term commitment. And so now he and another member of the congregation. Are leading that group and the last i heard it's two and a half years and they still me to practice meditation to talk about self-care. And to help one another heal. Is summary it's important to advocate for more psychiatric beds please do whenever you can. Better and off and longer-term treatment for those with severe mental illness. I have brought a couple of flyers which i'm going to send to laura later in case any of you want them this could be a little sign up sheet there. Very simple but they have some very good information in them. But you know that's not enough. Each of us needs to be aware of all we don't know about that person sitting next to us. Or across from it. Are on the street beside us. Each of us. Needs to work together to create space where hurting and lonely people are welcome. Truly welcome. And where there are deepest stories. Can be safely shared. A sacred place. Where we are encouraged to remember. That the holy dwells in each. And everyone of us. Even you. At your very lowest. It is my belief that this is becoming such a community. And let me tell you from personal experience. It is absolutely worth. The risk. Will close. With him 121 will build a lamb.

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arvid11_20_05.mp3

On the 2nd of august in the year 2002 chief justice of the alabama supreme court. Ray seymour. Unveiled at two and a half ton granite monument. At the alabama supreme court building under no authority but his own. The monument was of the ten commandment was neither the. Jewish ten commandments. No the protestant version which is different. Nor the catholic version which is different yet but a copyrighted version of his own. The federal court. Ordered that monument removed and. People stood vigil over that monument it represented something to them. And removal of that monument represented some kind of allah to them. Even in alabama though the rule of law prevailed. The. The monument was removed. And judge moore was removed from office. By his fellow justices. He has announced his intention. To run for governor of alabama and has a very good chance of winning. That. Document the ten commandments. Means something important. To a lot of people in and we can't forget that and actually moore's argument for keeping the ten commandments is more nuanced. Then that of his followers the people. Who stood around that monument. Trying to keep it. From being removed however. And this is true proven by surveys. That the people who supported judge moore. And that monument of the ten commandments and bama and across the nation. Could not recite either the jewish. The catholic. Or. The protestant version of the ten commandments. Interstate. Can't recite the ten commandments. Don't keep them. Now there is a commandment it's the second one. Against worshipping an idol. Something that isn't. The creator of the universe. Something that is more limited than that. A critique. Of their position is that. Bibliolatry is idolatry. And one of the commandments is about keeping the sabbath. Everywhere in alabama because i've been to alabama lot sonya's from alabama. In small towns and medium-sized cities and. In the big city of birmingham on sunday. People shop. They're not keeping. That commandment. So this issue we have to recognize is not about the ten commandments. It's about what the ten commandments. Symbolize in the culture war. The view. People who want a. Right-wing version of what they say is a christian nation. Established by law. Next year or the year after. The protestants in america will be in the minority. For the first time in our history. And i think we can begin to understand the reflexive defensiveness. Epsom on the religious right. I am proposing to offer a series of sermons. Occasional sermons on the ten commandments. Because i think these actual commandments are important for us to meditate on. For living with integrity. I don't want to limit my remarks however to. Just the ten commandments found in the book of exodus. But in some of the other great moral codes of humanity's religions including. The buddhist five precepts. And the avalex of confucius. As far as what met humanity's wisdom traditions say about what it is to live with integrity. And what the guideposts are. That we should put before us in. Taking the moral path. There is a great deal of unanimity. Living with integrity. Is what a moral code is all about. In the 1960s there was a. Demographers have tracked a huge shift. In. How americans. Make moral decisions. Before the 1960s. Americans tended to make their moral decisions based on external. Standards. Societally sanction ideas. Of what is right. And what is wrong. It was an age of. Great conformism. Off and honored as much in the breach. Has it in the keeping. But the standards for. What is right and what is wrong tended to be external and conventionally define. Sociologists noticed the shift in the 60s. And the early 70s. And the standard. For what is right shifted from outward. 2 in word. And respectability was no longer. The greatest goal of life. Rather personal fulfillment. Became the greatest goal of life. Now. That was an important corrective for ace by fling conformity. We're petty standards were enforced by society and brave social evils were allowed to flourish. But could it be that we lost something. Those of you who remember and. I know generation xers you're really really tired of hearing us boomers talk about the sixties but. Bear with me a little. We remember the sexual revolution in. Sexual mores being. Throwing out and a new exploration of people's sexuality. Beginning. Do not commit adultery while we had open marriage. Man. Honor your mother and father well. No never trust anyone over thirty. Do not take the name of the lord your god in vain. Well. Have you ever been to an anti-vietnam war demonstration. Or an ordinary conversation at a party. Four letter words abound. All standards were questioned. And. Sometimes. Deliberately. Broken. For many unitarian universalist the ten commandments became. The 10 suggestions. If they were not. Outright rejected. As. An artifact. Of the patriarchal god. Who. Does not exist. But the idea of home. Create a depression for centuries. Let us not forget. The ten commandments assume that slavery. Is okay. And that women are the property of men. So there wasn't a great rejection unnecessary correction. That went too far. In my opinion. Because we made a bad assumption. Why we believe. In the worth and dignity of each individual human being. We made a mistake about what freedom is for. Freedom is not an end in itself. Especially. If we define freedom as the freedom to follow our own impulses. It was a view of humanity that came into being in the 60s that said everything about us was good are most natural impulses we're good we should follow them. Do your own thing. Be natural. Chloe come to see now that some of our. Natural. Impulsive. Are not always skillful. They don't create happiness. In every case. They sometimes result in harm to ourselves. And two others. And anyone who has ever struggled with an addiction nose. That one of the worst forms of bondage you can imagine. Is the freedom to follow your own impulse. All the time. So what have we created. Reflect on the society where everyone is doing their own thing without regard for community. Voting their own self-interest without regard for neighbor or the least of those or those left behind. In our society. Wade clark roof is a sociologist of religion. University of california santa barbara and a couple of weeks ago i heard him lecture about generation x. Those people who are between the ages of about 42 about. 24. Most of those folks. Come. From a scarred childhood. A childhood scarred by marital instability. Freedom to follow all our impulses. Is a profound. Form of bondage. It hurts other people. So how then can we. Protect our freedom. Without. Following in the viciousness of chaos. And the suffering of license. We have to remember that freedom is an and. Anata means. I mean let me say that again. Freedom is a means and not an end. Freedom is a mean. Cannot attend. I'm so we need to reflect if we are to use our freedom wisely. And don't get me wrong we must. We must vigorously defend. Our freedom. But if we are to use our freedom. Wisely. We must know what the end of our life. Woody. How we would use as precious gift of our days in years. What the deepest values. Are that we will live by that we will choose. Garage sales. Parker palmer. A theologian sad. That holness. Is the combination of identity. Knowing who we are knowing our uniqueness as individuals. And integrity. Knowing. What. We live for. That is beyond who we are. So while they have been misused. And while they have been misunderstood. And while they have reflected the limited view of their time. The buddhist five precepts. The analects of confucius the ten commandments. Allpoint. 2 guidelines. For living with integrity. It may be easier for a moment to look at something other than the ten commandments because. You know the ten commandments have that. Angry patriarchal god behind them. Like you will be punished for your sins. And you are commanded to do this and will be punished if you don't. That's not a very modern sensibility so. It may be difficult. For us too. See them as guidelines for our own integrity. And freedom. Select look instead at. The buddhist five precepts for behavior i'll be talking a lot more about those in the series to come but basically they are. To avoid killing. Any living thing. To avoid stealing. To avoid lock both lying and harsh language. To avoid sexual immorality. And to avoid intoxication. In buddhism. People are not. Punished. For their sins. If you want to use the language of sin. They're punished. By their sins. You know santa's an interesting concept in the greek of the new testament. The word that's translated as sand as an archery term it means you missed the target. You have to try again. And buddhism. Right behavior. Is talked about as. Skillful behavior. And what we call sin is known as unskillful behavior. And we can learn from unskillful behavior. And try again. As. The vietnamese zen master tick not han says. You cannot. Get to the north star. But if you keep following the north star. You will make great progress in a northerly direction. So take the first of the precepts. Do not kill any living thing. I have killed. In those three steps. Thousands of beings. It's impossible. To keep that precept. Perfectly. And therefore they are not commandments. But teachings. Do you value life. Not just human life. But other life that feels. And experiences. And once. Its own version of happiness. If so. What is your choice in the next moment. It's a practice. More than a command. And i feel that all the moral codes of humanity. Can be used as guideposts like that and i think it would behoove us. To meditate on. These. Distillation. Of what human choice. Candy. In his wonderful book about the ten commandments. Losing moses on the freeway. Journalist theologian and former war correspondent chris hedges wrote. The commandments choosa. We rarely choose them. We do not. However hard we work to insulate ourselves ultimately control our fate. We cannot save ourselves from theft. Betrayal. Envy. Greed. Deception and murder. Nor always from the impulses. That propel us to commit these acts. Please. Violations. Often committed without warning. Can leave deep and lifelong. Well. Most of us wrestle profoundly with at least one of these violations. And quote. So. Given that we do have. Competing impulses. Some of the more wholesome than others. Some of them more skillful than others. How we choose matter. And it's important that we recognize for ourselves for each of us. What. Standards we will use. By which to choose. You can't trust your mind and your impulsive. I mean your mind will say. Have another piece of pie. And then it will say. Why did you have another piece of pie. He liked your natural impulses they're not always at your best interest. Secondhand said if we were all booed as we wouldn't need the precepts cuz we know the right answer. We know how to make the right choice. Daddy said we're all buddhas in training. And the precepts are tool. For enlightenment. It's not going to work to have somebody else tell you what your code should be. Whether it's me. Or the ten commandments. Or the buddha. You still have the responsibility to choose your own called. To choose your own standards. We live in a free society still. And you have the choice. It belongs to you. What are your standards. How will you choose to behave in a way that. Keeps your integrity intact. That protects your own happiness and the happiness. A bother. So does the least harm to yourself. And two other. At least. And that might promote the peace. And justice and happiness. About community. You have the responsibility to choose those standards. And well. They are encrusted with. Ancient prejudices. There are in humanities wisdom traditions. Some suggestions. Some guidelines. Some wisdom. That if stood by. Generations of people making choices. Freedom is not doing whatever your impulses and appetites tell you to do. The best self in each of us knows. What behaviors we must do to realize our own potential around holness. And to help and protect the wholeness and potential of others. Freedom is being guided not by the way i'm of the moment. Bye-bye. The convictions. Held by our best. Cell. And so. We need to. No. Our best self. And to study. What others have found. And then according to the best lights that we have. Act. With awareness. And compassion. So in the next few months. Will be reflecting. On what others. Thanks for joining me in that adventure. Sobia.

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arvid9_18_05.mp3

Morning. Had to leave. Contacts. Which is an organization. Perceptions. Is also a child of the creator. We are sisters and brothers. Information. Nonviolent. Relentlessly. True. Has word. Or the heart. Before i discovered sulfur. Dynomite. They are sincere. To wish them. Reflect. Call. Them. And freedom of the pew. I said in my. Ordination. As i see it. And yours. According to your own reasons your own heart. And your own experience. Cancel going to speak this morning. And i want to make it very clear that i for the entire congregation. Walker unitarian-universalism as a hall because this is a political sermon and i have. Spectrum sears political opinion in this room to presume. For everyone. I have a confession to make and before anyone apply. I want you to know that i am not bragging. Recovering book hater. A recovering bush haters. And monitor my reaction. What i see president bush. The hatred. I used to be that my middle finger. Okay julie says i'm supposed to tell this joke that i. Itsfunneh. Suede. He doesn't care how you evacuate from new orleans. Hatred is not a religious value. Anyone. Spiritual teacher. Set my reactions to tell me. About the places in myself that are not whole. The places in myself that are not healed. The places. We're more work to be done. The recognition. Projection. Jesus put it this way. If you see a speck in your neighbor's eye. And went to remove at you better first remove the two-by-four from your own eye. From your neighbors odd. Talking about it. What you see in the other person is not there. But if you have a visceral. The great spiritual traditions say. That it is because of you. That you have not healed. Or acceptance. If you spot it you got it. Where i need. Spiritual healing. Arrogant. Sometimes. Insensitivity. That there too. That doesn't mean that i don't really believe. President bush's. Leadership. Is bad and dangerous for the country in the world i still believe that. Resisted. Effectively. And we must remember. Has gone d&k. That we. Resist. Z's injustice. Is more important. I mean. End. More important than the means are more important. Another one of my teacher said there are. Many causes. But there is no fall. Ancestors another spiritual problem with hatred. Hatred. Consume. Keeps us from seeing what really is. Demonize someone. You don't understand that. Are we to see. Ways in which. We can work together. The great problems of the world. Dangerous. Leadership. A president. Enemies everywhere. But he's hardly alone. Everybody making anime. The enemy. Isolationism said between us and them. It's through our own hearts and our own community. And we all share. And. If we are to solve the world. Problem. Then we can't make enemies. If i am going to be a positive influence. On the face of humanity in this planet. I have to stop hating. Anyone. Making enemies. Of making enemies. Let there be. Of making enemies. The buddhist. Let us overcome by gentleness. Let us overcome evil by good. Let us overcome. The liar by true. More and more come to be concerned about how bad. Partisanship is for this country. Partisan divide. I see how an accurate. Perception. Difficult. Between conservative and progressive. For families. Need to come to cooperation. Understanding and compromise across ideological line. We need to look for solutions at work solutions. Call about the work of finding the common. Ground. Struggling. In our country. One-party. Is black and the other is completely full. Solutions for families in america. Special interest. There are many causes. Set the world itself and. One-party thinks that. Will be good for everyone country. Needs to go to a narrow version of judeo-christians. Other party. Presented evasion. And it's only criticize. Division. Jim lawler. Evangelico. Christian pastor. And the progressive. It's called politics. Spelling. And the laptop doesn't get it. Who says betrays. The message of the hebrew prophets. Analgesia. When he was in college. Wallace took a copy of the bible and a pair of scissors. Every section of the bible. Talked about. And when he's finished. The book. To the judeo-christian message. Rick warren. The christian world needs to do. Little issues of newsweek ago a special issue on spirituality. 63%. Evangelical christian said christianity. Sometime. Progressive. Together. To bring about justice. Biblical. Central. To doodle. Christian values. In the jewish. Encryption. Version. Have religion. Problems. We need to bring people back to those central prophetic. Messages of jesus and the prophets. Publix ad. That it out of prophetic. It's called god and other famous liberals. Criticizes. Shuffle symbol. Every one of those symbols. I know symbols are the bible. And the family. Disrespect for ordinary americans. And progressive circle. Biblical. Has bigoted. And superstition. Very bright. Wonder. That they struggle to keep their family. And to shield their children from the many harmful influences. Of our culture. You guys. You poor uneducated. People don't know what's best for you. We have a lot of degrees. Square expert. Your deepest values. Your deepest yearning. Don't matter. It doesn't get it. But is very aware. Of the motivation. Of the american electorate. We know. But there is a lot. A common ground. Many of the churches that we cooperate with. Protect our families. Time a budget crisis in san diego. Or they don't agree with us at all reproductive choice. And family. Neighborhood. We can work together. More people agree. That families and children should be supported and protection. Protected. On abortion. Support. Families. Young women. There would be fewer abortions. Wallace talks about. A woman named lisa sullivan. She was a young african-american woman who grew up in. City of washington dc. In an underprivileged background. But through persistence. And intelligence. She went on to. Position. And nonprofit group. But. Young people. Such as she was. Ultra heart. She gave up well-paid and prestigious. Job. In order to. Create program. Ticket pull. Do young people. In our inner cities. Until she died. Rare heart ailment. She was in the center of. So young people. We complain as he often did to her. Where are they. Where are the king. Invasion. Buick. And she would say. The ones we've been waiting for. Amman. Sophia.

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arvid1_22_06.mp3

I want to demonstrate a yoga posture now. It's a balance posture it's called a tree pose. And i did try to find somebody with better. Poor man who looks good in a leotard. To do this but i didn't have any luck so you're going to have to settle for me. So i've got my gaze focused on one particular spot. And this is really a good metaphor for life balance because. You need to know what your life purpose is if you're going to balance it. And you need to keep your gaze steadily focused. On that now if you had a more accomplished yogi. This apostate would seem almost static. But i like balance is not something you would cheat once and for all their constant adjustments. Sometimes the adjustments are. Very minoot. And at other times. U-haul life. Makes you sway a little more. Or sometimes if you quit your focus you have to start over. So. We all yearn for balance. And yet we don't always do the things we need to do. To balance our lives because sometimes we don't know what the purpose. Of our lives are and we also have. A problem with. Annoying. What it is we need to do to balance our lives. We think it's. Astatic thing that you arrived at. Once and for all. The fact is that your lives are never in perfect balance. There always are adjustments. And it's really more like a dance. Then anything else. Mount stephen covey in his book 7 habits of highly effective people. Gives a wonderful metaphor for life balance. Imagine a person who was walking through the woods. On a hike. Eddie c's two guys with one of those push-pull saws. Sawing through a log and they're not making any progress onto that log. And they're bleeding and blistered. And they push and pull push and pull. Emma is stuck and. You asked the hiker asked what are you doing and they say well we all this wood to thaw. And we have to hurry because there's a time pressure here time is money. And. The obvious question. Is. Have you thought. About stopping. To sharpen the saw. The fact is. It doesn't necessarily. Mean you're getting more done if you're doing more. Actually to be effective sometimes you need to do laugh. And you need to stop. And sharpen the saw. And kavi suggest for areas. Where we should stop to sharpen our thought we could put. Time for this. In every week and one is physical. Physical exercise. As a way to keep our bodies. Healthy. And alert. And to deal with the stresses of life. In a healthy way. We need time for social emotional balance. That means we need to spend time with people. Who make us laugh. Who make us feel good about ourselves. Who make us enjoy life. Culaba. We also need to spend time carpeting our intellectual saw so our brains don't rust. As the world of ideas moves on we need to move on. With it. And of course there is that spiritual saw. Which is sharpened by prayer or meditation or chanting. Or walking or reflecting. Embarrass. For everybody. There's one. Saw sharpening activity. That i think is very important. Even though stephen curry doesn't mention it i think. We need to realize that we are the children of mother earth. That we are part of nature and nature keeps us balanced. Nature keeps us whole. And we can't just be spending all of our time and human-made environment if we want to stay balanced. We need time. In the natural world. To stay balanced. The problem with. Our culture. Is that we are. Dreadfully. Out of balance. We've created. I really unpleasant world because. Too many of us. Are fine with dolls. Saws. From a place of huge stress. And frustration. And we're not taking care of ourselves. Why is it. That we hurry so much. Well. It's because it's addictive. That adrenaline rush a multitasking doing too much rushing from one thing to another it gets to be addicted after a while. And it hurts when you stop. At least at first. Until the rest. And. Restoration of balance. Comes into play. You know what's it's really quite insane. If we stopped to think about it we realized just how insane it is. For instance. And this. Just blows my mind. The average american. Takes only. 1/5. Of his or her paid time off every year. Only one. Fifth. Now if that's you. Please listen to me. Your life is finite. You don't know when it will end. But it will and. And every moment of your life is precious. Irretrievable. And you're giving it away. This precious commodity this easy retrievable moments you're just giving it away. So someone can make a profit. Or mita goel. And meanwhile. The people you love are crying out for those moments. Meanwhile your body and soul. Is crying out for that rest. Meanwhile. You are spirit. Is yearning for wholeness. Meanwhile. Ar. Civic life. Is falling apart. Because people are not participating. In our precious democracy. And you're giving that time away. How crazy is that. You know there's a lot of cost. To this hurry sickness. Not only came to visuals but to. Our society first of all the chinese. Pictograph. Picture word. For busy is made up of the characters for heart. And kill. There been studies done about multitasking people multitask. Because i think they get more done that way. But if you take. At income into consideration the fact that people screw up when they multi-task. And have to start over. It's actually. A lot less effective than doing one thing at a time and being in the moment. To keep that balance posture. I had to stay in the moment. At least enough. To stay focused. And it was difficult to do it but while talking. I could have. Have better form if if i did just paid attention. To that pot yourself you know we need to stay in that moment. Call so it cost the environment. You know. Are distractions. In the manufacturing of those distractions in the disposal of those distractions. It hurts our environment. When the true pleasures of life was simple and cheap. Love friends wrath. Pleasure of food. Enjoy. I'll being. Don't cost anything. Or very little. It costs our friendship. Because our civic life. Thomas merton the renegade monk. Wrote these words. Unnatural frantic. Anxious work. Work done under the pressure of greed or fear. Or any other inordinate passion. Cannot be properly speaking dedicated to god. Because god never wills such work directly. Give me a permit that through no fault of our own we may have to work madly. And distractedly. Due to our own sins into the sins of the society in which we live. In that case migos tolerated. And make the best of what we cannot avoid. But us not be blind. To the distinction. Between sound healthy work. And unnatural toil. Remember. No one ever said on their deathbed that they wish they had spent more time. At the office. There are some. Gaining. Movements. Toward striking more balance in life. And we should pay attention to those movements. For instance the slow movement. It started out with the slow food movement. Mcdonald's opened an outlet. Near the spanish steps right on right. Almost on top of the spanish steps in rome. An italian chef. Started the slow food movement. Saying that food was not meant to be fast. To enjoy food. You should enjoy it slowly and its own proper time and place use natural ingredients enjoy the preparation and the consumption of it. With wonderful conversation with people you enjoy. And don't rush the meal. The slow food movement has spread all over the world and it's begotten. Slow sex movement. And even the slowest symphony movement. You know there's a german music colleges. Who has researched this and found. That the music of the great. 18th century composers was composed to be performed. And a much. Slower. Hayes then today. And we're even rushing are symphonies. Imagine that. So. He's providing people with the opportunity to. Listen and enjoy that music at the pace. And witches was at witches was intended i haven't had the chance yet to. I experienced that but i look forward to it it must be coming to san diego diego at some point. There's another movement in it's it's. This is a movement that. Is part of our church. It's the. Voluntary simplicity movement one of the reasons. That we have to hurry. It's because we got so much. Stop. To keep us distracted. And you know it takes a lot of time to. Earn the money to get that stuff takes a lot time to buy the stuff it takes a lot of time to use the stuff that takes a lot of time to maintain the stuff. It takes a lot of time to worry about that stuff that we. You know and. Plus. Simplicity isn't just about material things it's about. Keeping our lives balanced and down to the central so our voluntary simplicity is like a support group for people with hurry sickness and. If that interests you they've got a table that you can check out with him and have a conversation with them. They got time for you. There's one. Time-honored method. That in judeo-christian tradition in the past had a sacred status. And that is a keeping of the sabbath of taking one day of rest one day free of all economic activity. One day of prayer. And enjoyment. And that's the sabbath. The fourth commandment about keeping the sabbath is the only commandment. That has the word holy in it. So is seen as very important. To take that one day a week. Now in many jewish and conservative christian contacts. The sabbath is a ticket on. Kind of a legalistic and punitive. Aspect. But that is not the spirit of it. The spirit of the sabbath is. Is enjoyment rap. Love. Company conversation. In a traditional jewish household the best meal of the week. Is on the sabbath. Orange line to enjoy each other sexually on the sabbath. People. Are asked to spend time in prayer. And sacred reading and conversation and visiting. And. We don't have to take that legalistic view of the sabbath. I think the spirit of the sabbath was well express by rabbi doctor follow me when he said. The sabbath is when you don't do anything. That's on your to-do list. The sabbath. Is one day. When we try to remember whatever the day of the week it is a youtube. When you try to remember. That life is a gift. And not a project. Life is a gift. And not a project. It's difficult to keep the sabbath in our culture there are so many demands. People yell at you if you don't check your email. Monday. You know. We might want to be careful about. Scheduling church business on sunday. Just a thought. Life is a gift. It's not a project. To live with integrity we need to know. The purpose of our lives. And we need to live in balance. Inhale. In wholeness knowing that that's going to change from. Year-to-year. From day-to-day. From. Moment-to-moment. That takes courage. That takes intention. And to do it. We need a little help from my friends. I'm in.

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arvid2_19_06.mp3

This is the fifth in a series of sermons about the. Grades. Similar. Moral codes of humanity's religions. The series is entitled. Living with integrity. We seek. In the series to mine the wisdom of humanities. Religious. Traditions. In ways that guide our actions. So that our thoughts are aspiration. Interaction. And our values. Can be one. Today. We recognize that. To live with integrity means to live. In right relationship. With our families. To live in right relationship. With the families we came from. Whether the members of that family be alive or not. And the families. We find ourselves in. Now. As well as. That are nurtured by the action. In the judeo-christian moral code the ten commandments. The fifth commandment is you shall honor. Your father. And mother. Now it's important to recognize. That the ten commandments were intended. For adults. It's up to parents. To honor their children. Because the children. Other ones. Who until they are grown are vulnerable. In need. Of guidance. Love. And care. In need of respect. For their uniqueness. In there. Destin. So honoring our fathers and mothers. That's. For adults. It is wonderful. Book. On the ten commandment. Called. Losing moses on the freeway. Chris hedges right. We honor our parents. Even parents we reject. Even parents whose cruelty did not make them fit. Call tara. For honor our parents. Is to honor our essence. The roots. From which we have sprung. And even the best parents. Have an oppressive power. Must be broken. We must free ourselves from our parents. To become. Fully-formed individuals. In the process. Taking with us. That which they gave us. Or did not. And trying to fashion a distinct. And separate. Flies. So those of us who have had pretty good parents. Can benefit from. Gratitude. For everything that they have given us. And try to live. For their best app aspiration. For us. And those of us who have had. Wounding. Relationships. With our parents. We can seek. To heal those wounds for our sake. Daresay. And the sake of. We have it within our power to. Shoes. To forgive. And to use. That. Experience. 2. Growing. Passion. For also. How we relate to our families is inseparable from living. With integrity. Now we. Read tear. Are told. That families are in trouble today. Well families have always been in trouble. As the reading by annie dillard that jessica red. No. The. To parent to child mother at home family never exist. Perfect families. Never existed. But the fact is that our families now are being challenged in waze. That they have never been challenged before. The radical right. Has an answer. It's because of bad personal choices. It's because of. Sexual immorality it's because of. Family break-up it's because of. Selfishness. And not going to church that the family. In trouble. So they blame the families. Liberals on plane families dewey. Well look at pop psychology. And even what some professional therapist. Say. Who blame it all on the individual families. Dysfunctional family. Of course it's the mother who gets the most blame. Now isn't that an ancient. Ancient behavior. That we might want to examine. Always blame. For the problems of the world. Are we doing it again. In a new guy. I hope segment is turning over in his grave. I'm so sick of that term dysfunctional families. We're talking about ordinary families with all have challenges and problems there are no families that are perfect. Dysfunctional family pathologizing has everybody. I once. Sad in a sermon. That all families are dysfunctional and i had people lined up to tell me the ways in which. Their families were not dysfunctional and. I agree their families were not dysfunctional. And there are many ways in which my family wasn't even dysfunctional. I'm somebody who cares about children. Even though i have no children of my own i care about families. And a lot of what i have to say is based on. 30 years experience of working. Family. In a congregational setting. And i want to share with you some insights in the best from the bath book. I've ever read about families it's written of course. Buy a unitarian universalist. Family therapist. From my home state of nebraska. Mary pipher. She's most well-known for the book she wrote about the struggles of adolescent girls called reviving ophelia but this book that i want to talk about today is about families and it's called in the shelter of each other rebuilding our families. Piper notes in that book. That quote parents are trying harder. Then parents 20 years ago tried. And yet their children are not. Do it. As well. Really the point of her book is that. Right now in our time. Raising healthy. Halloran compassionate. Wise children is a counterculture activity. In order to do it we have to counter a lot of the values. And influences of our culture. Families are getting blamed for this. The culture seems to be getting no blame. Among progressives. Piper says some radical things. About her fellow therapist. She takes her philip therapist to task for blaming women for all the problems in the family. She takes her fellow therapist to tasks. Cortisol advising the struggles. And the suffering. Of ordinary life. They used to be called living. And the challenges of living. And now there's a diagnostic category for each one of them. Especially she takes. Umbridge to the fact that very often. Love is pathologized. If you sacrifice. For others. You're codependent. Now there is such a thing as being codependent but. If somebody is. Who doesn't have a license is diagnosing somebody as codependent. They're not. Probably. She questions. The therapeutic nostrum that all suffering must be analyzed. Suffering isn't pathology suffering is like. Challenges life. And the notion that therapy is more important. The light. And here i'm calling her. Life is more important than therapy. France. Family. School. Vacations and ball games are all more important than therapy. Don't get me wrong she says. Good therapy is a meaning building activity. Does about seeking the truth. With all its ambiguity. We can teach lessons she says. Don't have affairs. Don't spend more money than you make. Don't lie or have secrets. Don't work 72 hours a week. To buy jewelry and valium. Love. Isn't always enough. Humor helps. Calmness helps. Addictions screw things up royally. It's good to have work. That matter. Unquote. The reason we can't blame individual families for everything. Is that there are a lot of things that impinge on families that didn't use to. You say. 20 30 40 years ago. The culture help. To raise family. Neighborhood. Took care. Of each other's kids. If anything happened on the media that was perceived as threatening children. There was a huge public outcry i just wasn't tolerated. But nowadays. People who make money. By doing things that harm our children. Hide behind their first amendment. Right. And because of the various media that our children are exposed to. Television with its advertising. The internet. Radio. Pop music. All of it. Some of it. Has values that are antithetical. To raising healthy children. Misogynist violent. Materialistic. Nihilistic. Hopeless. We're living. Good houses. With no walls. It's all coming in. And our children. And piper points out all television is educational. All television is teaching our children something. And what adds teach our children. Are these things. Impulses should not be denied. You are the most important person in the universe. Pain should never be tolerated. Products. All the answers. To all our problems. So. She isn't hopeless. I'm not hopeless. We're not hopeless here. In this church as we minister. To our family. There are things that we can do. Does piper says. Time together talking. Is often all that needs to happen for things to improve. I think that bears repeating. Time together talking. Is often all that needs to happen. 4 things. To improve. The writer james hillman. Says that there are a lot of people who are in therapy that don't need therapy. Themselves. It's their schedule that need therapy. They just don't have time to talk to be to enjoy each other. Bible remind us that for the middle class. You can either have time or money but not both. So you need to think hard. About what the trade-offs are. Piper says contrary to the news from the broader culture. Most of our children need money cannot buy. Children need time and space. Attention. Affection. Guidance. And conversation. They need sheltered places where they can be safe. As they learn what they have to know to survive. They need jokes and play touching. They need to have stories told to them. By adults who know and love them in all their particularity. And you have a real interest. In their moral. Development. Where to find the time. To do all that. Turn off the tv. Turn off the computer. Now. I'd like you to do a thought experiment if you wish. Think back to your own childhood. To your fondest. Memories. A family time together. Do you have that picture in your mind. I'm willing to bet that for the vast majority of you. You're outside as you remember that. You are outside. Much of the best. Family time is time. Spent outside. Hiking. Boating. Picnicking. Swimming. Think about it. When piper works with troubled families. The first thing that she prescribes to them. Is to do things outside. Together. Often that is the most important thing. That can heal troubled families. Because the fact is that we are not separate from nature. We are part of nature we need nature. Our families need. That contact. With our natural world. We want to help. We want to help in this difficult. Countercultural activities of raising why. Healthy tolerance. Children. Our director of religious education liz jones took a month of sabbatical in january. She went to our theological school in chicago. And they're took courses about how it is that churches today. Can meet the needs and challenges of today's family. And on march 4th. She plans to hold a conversation. With families. Child care of course is included. To talk about. The challenges that families face today. And how the church. Can help. Another way that we can help is this is a place a same place. For children. To be with adult not their parents who care about them. Who want to get to know them. Who have their best interest. At heart. Because. Mistrust of adults can lead to interpersonally impoverished lives. And here. Here we can help. And there are choices that parents make they can help. And one of those choices is this at. Limits. Now that can be sometimes controversial. In my former congregation. There was a member who was the principal of a montessori school. And it broke her heart. To observe. Two of the families in that school. They were always the one. Who were the latest. To pick up their children. They had to start imposing hefty fines on these parents. Because they were keeping the staff. Hours past when they should cuz they were so busy and so important. In what was. So heartbreaking. To her. Was that. The interaction with our children was as if they were strangers. They spent so little time together. The children has. Bill moyer said we're being raised by appliances. And what little. I'm a hat together. They didn't want to. Plymouth who set boundaries. There's a fine and a coffee shop that says. Unsupervised children. Will be given an expresso. And a free puppy. Folks the message needs to be. I love you. I'll always love you. I love you. No matter what. There is nothing you can do to keep me from loving you and i expect you to behave properly. So. So. The fact is that. Yes we believe in the worth and dignity of every human being but. That needs to be shaved. And children need to be taught. Those who grow up without expectations tend to grow up with rigid personality. The fact is that. Almost all families. Have the welfare of their members at heart. And we don't recognize the cultural. Barriers. That make the job of parenting. So much harder. The budget. That was just passed by the national congress. Is taking away. Some of the things that working and middle-class parents. Have counted on. To help them. In their difficult. Job of raising their children. Student loans are disappearing. Medical care. For children of the poor. Is disappearing. Now. We all. Have to get involved in changing that situation. And there's something you can do about it and you can do about it. Do something about it this morning. Now. It'll take you five minutes or less. There is an initiative. That we trying to get on the ballot. To provide health care for all. Children. Two of the organizations that this congregation is involved with. Is collecting signatures to get that initiative on the ballot. The san diego organizing project. And the unitarian universalist california legislative ministry. So what you can do is after the service is over please wait till the end of the postlude. Go out. And sign that petition. There's more that we can do. But this religious community. Needs. To meet. Contemporary parents. Where their challenges are now. We are part of their family. Living with integrity. Means living in light relationship with our parents. In right relationship with our children. And our current families. And the generations to come. I'm in.

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arvid4_2_06.mp3

In buddhist mythology. There is a. Realm. Call the realm of the hungry ghosts. Hungry ghosts are beings with huge. Hungry. Bellies. And throats. That are so tiny that a drop of water. Can barely get through. So. No matter what. The hungry ghost is. Always doomed. Near starvation and near thirst because. Oh such a huge needy belly. And such a. Small ability. To take in. The nourishment. Of the world. Through that tiny little throat. During the question-and-answer period with the vietnamese m-master tick not han who. Understands westerner. Somebody asked him. Is there really a place. Call the realm of the hungry ghosts. And he didn't hesitate he said yeah. It's called america. All the great religions of the world without exception. Have said and taught. At the core. Other teachings about human wholeness and well-being. The greed is poison. The greed is deadly. That greed keeps us away from our wholeness at puts barriers between us. And others and the love we need to thrive. In this world it is a barrier to truth to seeing things the way they are instead of seeing that them. Through a cloud of want and grasping. But in our popular culture now. Even though judaism and christianity supposedly according to the religious right the basis of our country. Teachers that greed is wrong. Seems to agree with the character from the movie wall street gordon gekko. We live as if. Greed is good. Remember. The one who dies with the most toys. Dies. And what is left behind. Especially if all of the ear retrievable moments of life. If all of the energy that could have gone toward generosity. And love and wisdom. Has been invested in a mindless. Attempt. To acquire. More and more. Stop. More and more security. And more and more experience. The blood actually taught. That clinging. Is the cause of suffering. And liberation in from suffering enlightenment. It's by the way i don't think means perfection i don't think that's human. But enlightenment. Memes. Letting go of the grasping. And polly the language of the buddha. The word for. This. Grasping. Clinging. Just called hannah. We are always thirsting for the next moment. To the next. Sing for the next experience. Pushing away what we don't like. Grasping what we think we want. And it is. Suffering. There's a difference i think between wholesome and unwholesome desire. I think it's a wholesome desire to have a desire for a loving heart. It might lead us to actions to let go of our own self-interest for a moment. To reach out to someone else. I think it's a wholesome desire to be. Want to be liberated from our suffering from our constant. And unconscious. Grasping for more. But i'm hopeful desire their desires that harm ourselves and others. Or it's the desire for something at the wrong time. Whopper something whose time has passed. This is the eighth in a series of sermons on living with integrity. Based on the ten commandments the five buddhist precepts the analects of confucius and other great moral codes of the world religion. The 8th commandment is. Val shalt not. Deal. So we all know it's dealing is right. So when somebody puts a gun to your face and says give me your wallet. Why when we come home and find that our door has been. Push down and our cherished possessions. Have been taken. And worse than that our sense of safety and sanctuary in our homes has been violated. That's stealing. We want those people to go to jail at least i do. Amanda of course we have the. Embezzling. And swindling and fraud. Which is the obviously reached the highest levels of the corporate boardrooms of america. Without us noticing until recently. Suddenly some of them are going to jail. They should i. Well. In buddhism there's a very precise definition of what stealing is. Stealing is taking what is not offered. Now i'll say that again cuz i want you to think about the nuances of that. Taking what is not offered. So maybe there are. More subtle forms of stealing. How about some misrepresenting merchandise. Trying to sell something. Or maybe. Exaggerating the suitability. Our usefulness of a product. Or how about. Taking some tax deductions that you know don't fit with the irs code is that stealing i mean. The government's only going to use it for war and stuff right. I need the money better. More. Uncle sam. Or. How about the unauthorized. Copying of software. You know what the fbi warning and everything but. Hey do gates doesn't need any more money. Why should i pay. Hundreds of dollars for the software what i can get it for free. Or music. Or videos. Taking what is not offered. Stop. There are subtler forms of stealing. Any question i think we all need to ask ourselves is. Am i a person of integrity. The ten commandments even warned us against. The mental states. That might or might not lead to stealing and forbids them. We're not supposed to envy. We're not supposed to have it. Our neighbor's house our neighbor's wife our neighbors ass we're talkin other donkey here. We're not. Post envy. Anybody else's possession. If you look at. The order of service. You'll see the second mindfulness training of tick not han. Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation. Social injustice stealing and oppression. Hi val to cultivate loving-kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people animals plants and minerals. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time energy and material resources with those who are in real need. I'm determined not to steal. And not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others. But will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on earth. As with all of technology hans my phone has trainings this one is impossible to keep perfectly. And it starts with the word. Aware. To live with integrity means to be aware. Aware of your deepest. Motives. Aware of the ways we. Applied ourselves. Aware of our. Tendencies. To take. Moral shortcuts. There are layers and layers and levels and levels of this. The opposite of greed in the buddhist teachings. Is generosity. Stealing. Is. Taking what is not offered generosity is giving when asked. Or. What the buddha called noble generosity kingly generosity. Giving even. What is not asked. Let's reflect for a moment. You're busy all week. And now you have time. To do this inventory. In what ways might you be. Giving. What is not offered. The way you see the need. In what ways. Cuz my craving for more material goods. Led me to cut corners in my personal or professional life. Am i stealing time. That belongs to my family. My loved ones. My spiritual growth. Am i on a treadmill. Where i'm working really hard to buy toys. That i don't have time to play with. Because i'm so busy working to buy more toys that i won't have time to play with. And consider this. Right now. Americans are buying bigger and bigger houses. And. The most desired. Aspects of rooms of the house. What people are really investing a lot of money. Are there bathrooms in their kitchens. So. People americans are having. Nicer. Better equipped kitchen. Than ever before. And cooking. Much less than ever before. What is this. We must not be thinking. You know. I think it's great that the kitchen if you use it. Is this just sort of a nostalgia the half-conscious nostalgia for a time when we actually cook for each other at 8 together. Building a bigger kitchen isn't going to help with that. It's your schedule that needs. Remodeling. Not your kitchen. Or your bathroom. Am i cultivating generosity. Generosity of time generosity of energy generosity of money. And other resources. Rebecca parker. Who i think is our best theologian alive right now. Says that if you want to resist. The current. Socioeconomic order. Our culture now. There are two practices. That she recommends wanted to keep the sabbath. Play ancient one it means one day when you are not productive. When you don't do anything that's on your to-do list. When you simply enjoy life. And the other is tithing. Giving away two things you believe in. One dime for every dollar. Generosity. Bonnie and i have been tithing for years we give 5% to the church. 5% to other causes we believe in. And over those years. Have inspired other people. To try that practice. Nobody who's ever tried it. Has ever. Regretted it. I know one minister who talked to board into offering a money-back guarantee. He asked people to try tithing and if they didn't like it they would get their money back. Nobody asked for their money back. So. Living with integrity. Is ball paying attention. To make sure that we are not getting more than our share. That we are not taking what is not offered. That we are respecting our property. And the property of others and respecting the time it's taken us. To amman. And buy and maintain that property. And not to allow. Property possessions to be the center of our lives. And also. The idea of the open hand. A practicing generosity. Forever. 10. It means i think. Simplifying our material live. Now. There are no. Easy steps get rid of that. Don't buy this. That's not going to work. Remember the first word. Of the precept. Aware. Aware. Where are your precious moments going. Are you living a life dedicated to love. Are you living a life dedicated to spiritual. Crow. Are you living a life dedicated to relationships. Are you living a life dedicated. To service. Are you giving your. Special and unique gifts. To a world that needs those gifts. Or are you living primarily. For the neck. Possession. And the next experience. He who dies with the most toys. Die. And if somebody live only. For possession. What can be said of them. At their memorial. When they do die. As we will. Everyone of us. Possession. How to serve the higher purposes of human life in human wholeness. Love. Grow. Service. To live with integrity means to live with balance and perspective. About our material lives. Certainly. It begins with not stealing. At luzon. To giving. And finally. Letting go. Self-centeredness. Altogether. And recognizing that this universe is one of giving. And receiving. And that we are not separate from that. Constant. Generosity of life. Soviet.

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arvid9_11_05.mp3

Good morning greetings from the cherokee tradition. One evening. An old cherokee indian told his grandson about a fight going on inside him. He said my son it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One will represent fear anger and resentment. The other wolf stands for joy generosity and compassion. The same fight is going on inside of all of us. The grandsons thought about it for a minute. And then ask his grandfather. Which wolf wins. The old cherokee simply replied. The one you feed. When i explain who is a great novelist then also the writer of the best book on mysticism. Yet published student of life philosophy religion. And human nature with a wide knowledge. Was on his deathbed. He was asked. What is the most important thing. You have learned in your life. And thought. And his answer was. Quick it all try to be a little kinder. I planned a sermon. Months ago. Knowing that this would be the anniversary of september 11th. When there was such an outpouring of compassion and help and. Generosity. Due to that tragedy. And now we have another tragedy here in the aftermath. Help hurricane katrina. I'm here too. There is an incredible outpouring. Compassion. An incredible outpouring of. What is the best in human nature. As we see. And the pictures and hear the stories. How to stop ringing of the people caught. In the aftermath. Of that storm. I know that some of you many of you like me have burst into tears because. No way to just contain that. And people have. All over the country opened their wallets and their hard. They have rushed to the scene they have done what they could to help the people and other beings. Who are suffering. In that. Tragedy. And here. Because of their. We are remembering again who we really are. Please don't forget. Your response. Subcompact and you're opening. Of the heart. In relation. To the suffering of others. On such a massive scale this is important for us to remember. Because it brings us in touch. With something essential. About who we are. Why is it that we reach out in compassion why is it that our hearts open to suffering. People say it's because. We can imagine. Ourselves in that situation. After all compassion is. You and me. And me and you. Compassionate. You and me. And me and you but the fact is. It's not that we can imagine. That we are. The people in new orleans. Louisiana and mississippi. We are those people. Are universalists forbear. Cara. That we are one and at times like this we know that we are one. True of oliver. Like the people in the aftermath of the storm. We to know in our hearts that we will be. Rap. Every cherished possession that we own this is part. All of our condition. We know that we will be ripped away. From the ones we love. We know. That every single comforting ritual. Every pretension every role in status that we own. Will finally need to be relinquished. If not before. Then at the moment of our death. What the people. In the south, gulf culture suffering is what we all will suffer. They are not. Like us they are us. They are our and that's why our hearts open phone actually. They alright we all are suffering. Humanity together. And the other important smooth here. Is that love is stronger than death. What is it. That makes. Human journey together. Not only bearable. But joyful. And meaningful. It is love. It is the fact. That we are. Living for each other. And with each other. And. Through each other love. Is stronger. Send death. The extent to which we live out of that truth. Of the one of our hearts. Andar. Involvement in the lives of others. Is the extent to which we will be whole and human. Hammock stand. Which we fail to do that. Is the extant. To which our humanity. Is crippled. But this is enormous. The suffering is enormous. And it's just natural. For all of us human beings to. Step back from it. One way we do that if we. Allow our compassion to be turned into pity. Now the buddha taught that pity is the near enemy of compassion. Near because it looks from the outside like i'm passion but the interstate a pity is very very different. Because it's kitty you put a distance between yourself. And the person who is suffering. Oh those poor victims. Out of my fortunate. And out of my. Generosity i will help them. But there's not a joining aparts here. And it's just a natural reflex. Against the enormity to try to put. , that distance forgetting. Then when we go past here. Our hearts are big enough to hold them. Our own suffering. And that of others. Me and you. And you in me. Another way that we distance ourselves from the suffering. Find somebody to blame and that is such a quick. Find someone to blame. When i rolled my newsletter call him the newsletter that you all just have received i had just heard. About the breaking of the levees in new orleans in. Tanya's family while they had been able to evacuate. New orleans did not know the condition of their homes at that point by the way all the homes of. People in anya's family rrok. But we didn't know. And. I had heard that day and this is true that. The administration had cut funding. For the. Project of modernizing the levee and pump system so i jumped immediately to my very favorite person to blame which is president bush but no way i wish i hadn't done that. No i wish i hadn't done that because what it did is it allowed me. 2. Move from my own ability to feel the suffering of that situation. And put some distance. Put some justin. Now i'm not saying we shouldn't hold our leaders accountable i don't mean that. Weimar. But i saw the other side of blame it's easier to see how ugly it can be when it's somebody else is doing it. That in the aftermath of the storm the only way that people could find any information about what their houses were and what the condition of their houses were. Was through. Report on website. Pennsylvania of course was looking. Several times a day to see where the various members of the family. Call stood if anybody had known anything about this tree for that suburb. And there. Posted. Weather. Hateful. Thought. A blaming the victim. Blaming the victim. Using horrible language which i will not repeat here. Why didn't those people leave when they were supposed to. The poor people of new orleans don't have cars. Arrangements made for their evacuation. And. The reasons that the response was so anemic. Authorities on all levels who had that responsibility that the postings were because of looters. Blaming the victim. And this has stone. How ugly. This can be. And i'm ugly is the racial divide in this country. If you haven't read bill think for a bladder aren't the president of the unitarian universalist association duets and their copies available at the book card for jtw you can get a copy or you can go online to uua.org he's got some very important things to say about what this tragedy. Has shown. About this country. Going past. The people who are dying for abandoned and i'm literally dying if convention center with no food no water and no health the buses that went past them. To evacuate wealthy white tours from the french quarter. Node. Your response to the suffering. And that. Reflexive blame. What's a titty. And the stuff separate yourself. From the reality. The dalai lama was asking an interview. Tell us about your religion in the interview. Expected something about buddhism. The dalai lama replied my religion is kindness. Well the fact is that all religion if it's true religion. Is about kindness. Because it recognizes the most fundamental truth of all. That in our heart we are joined. We are joined. All the great scriptures. Talk about this truth. Listen to the christian scriptures. The first letter of john in the 4th chapter. God is love. And those who abide in love abide in god. And god abides in them. There is no fear in love. For perfect love cast out. Here. Those who say i love god. And hate their brother or sister. Are liar. For those who love not a brother or sister who may have seen. Cannot love god. Who may have not seen. That about says it all. Y'all debating doctrine abstract concepts. That allow you to separate yourself and hate others is not part of religion. And a way to recognize truth in religion is. Is there kindness is there compassion. It's true. Anna. There's not. There's a wonderful book that's your come out. Call field notes. The compassionate life untitled search for the soul of kindness. It's written by mark ferris. Embarrassed was inspired by the people in his life. Just have a sense of kindness. Generosity forgiveness. And. B&q wondered for all of us and for himself whether kindness was an aide part of the human condition. Or whether kindness could increase. Or kindness could be stink.. Out looking for truth and facts about compassion. Definitely wasn't normal amount of science being done in this regard in different areas and different fields and in different ways. Y'all people think that are close relatives of chimpanzees with their hierarchy and aggression. Is telsa of something about human nature. But there are cousins of her and of the chimpanzees physically smaller versions called bonobos. Society is based on love. Cooperation kinda. And a lot of sex. There are some science for teaching bonobos to communicate with american sign language. And the compassion that the being. Exhibitus amazing. They're researchers will looking at the heart. You know. All great traditions are talking about kind of coming from the heart. Well we know that emotions comes from the brains don't they. We thought so. But the fact is. That having to do with emotions. The nervous signals from the brain. To the heart. Far fewer than those from the heart to the brain. Some scientists are talking about the brain inside the heart. The intelligence of the heart. And they're seeing how bad is happening physiologically. The heart is not just the pump. Not just a mechanism. It's the seat of our emotions. Dipladenia study about people who have given away their kidneys. The total stranger. Just thinking. Well i have to i can help somebody why not. Reaction of course from their loved ones about this decision. Is amazing. So it appears that kindness are apart. Of the human condition in the great wisdom traditions teacher. That it is. Central park. How cool we are. You and me. Me and you. Where wine. Pat fear. Is love. And love cast out all fear. Hot. High society. Has a different view of human nature. Embarrassed points out. Better society view of human nature. Brookhollow the way we see our potential is human being. And we can see it everywhere. You know there is an innate. Ability to reach out. But in our culture. It is always emphasized individualist. Live for yourself message. We have a consumer society. And that extends not just to getting more good than we need or is good for the earth. But seeing everything is a commodity and looking at everything. Aggrandizement of the individual self. People who go out of their way to help others can be accused of being codependent. Now there is such a thing is codependent but boy is that term over you be suspicious. When somebody. Accused of being codependent maybe that person is just. Jealous. Of their ability to reach out to others. As bearish puts it. The concept of altruism has been a sort of scientific pariah. Odd man out in modern sociology which assumes people are self-interested rational actors. Stop psychology which tends to focus on ego integrity invisible man in economic theory to assume the best. Work of our fellows wrote adam smith we address ourselves not to their humanity. But to their self-love. Among the underpinning of any society are at the functions about human nature. If we consider it a scientific fact that we are fundamentally egoistic our educational system will teach children to be self-assertive individually. Relegating kindness. To a secondary value. Our business culture will enshrine maximal self-interest. With a nice small gestures for the common good pegged to larger trade-off. A siri. Can become society. Spell fulfilling prophecy. Because our society does not encourage kindness. We need to do that here. In communities like ours. How. How do we do it. Why not. Natural. So what we need to do if gap. Out-of-the-way. A barnett. Human tennessee don't want to reach out to help to love to forgive. As the zen master from vietnam if not hansa. We have seeds in our consciousness. We have seeds. Anger and fear. Call steve we shouldn't call today we should notice. When they come up and not give them energy. And there are seeds of peace. Seeds of love steve the forgiveness of compassion we should consciously. Cultivate. That's the wolf. That we should feed. The wolf. A kinder. Forgiveness. And compassion. And we do that intentionally. And we do that consciously and it's not a big dramatic. Moment. It's day-by-day it's looking for opportunity. Be generous to reach out to hell. To forget to think the best of others. To assume the bat. And to notice our tendency to dipped. And asking ourselves. Is this what we want. Imperfectly. Slowly. The barriers to our natural. Openness of heart fall. And we become. The kind people. Widmyer. And others. We find that our hearts are big enough. For our suffering. And the suffering of the world. That love is stronger than death. Set in the suffering if shared in love. There is deep meaning. Enjoy. I'm in.

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marjorie4_30_06.mp3

What are the many reasons we cherish. Our religious community and our unitarian universalist religious tradition. Are the values behind. Choosing our ministers. Unitarian universalism. A minister is not chosen. Buy a far away or even a nearby hierarchy. Our ministers are not chosen by a government. Or a ruler. In our tradition. Ministers are chosen by a majority vote. Of each individual congregation. And after this service. This congregation. Will vote on whether to call reverend marjorie. Bowen's wheatley. This is a tradition that goes back. 300 years. It's so good to look out and see. Faces fat. I spent this week. Talk to scott into noah. Several different levels. And it's so good to have such wonderful music.. Especially. Some of the spirited pieces for my new hymnal and. The choir and the bell choir it's just wonderful. In my meetings with you this week. Individual. With ministry teams. Action groups. I learned a lot about how. You have come to build such a strong. Congregation. I heard stories from many longtime committed members leaders. And some of the newer folks as well who are just beginning to find their way here. I learned about your desire to. Continue to build karen relationships. To have opportunities for spiritual deepening through worship. Through religious education. Through. Covenant groups. And i sensed a strong desire to live in right relationship. With people and the great universe in ways that bring about. More goodness. More caring. More compassion. And more justice. Have you gave voice to your hopes and dreams for the future. I had i heard many expressions of desire for. You to use your gifts in different ways individually and collectively. It's rebecca parker says to bless. The world. Disturbed this church. To serve this community. And to spread our liberal religious values. Trout. The san diego area. You shared with me many ideas about what kind of congregation you wish to become. Quite a few people asked. How do we become more diverse. More accepting of various theological and political. Perspective. And if i thought about these questions i was reminded of. A number of different points that. Bill schultz. Made in the. Words that i. Open our service with. The mission of our faith he writes. Is to teach the fragile art of hospitality. To revere both the critical mind and the generous heart. To prove. That diversity need not mean divisiveness. And to witness to all. That we must hold the whole world. In our hands. I want to unpack this a bit this morning because i think that if we can do. What bill schultz is suggesting. But there is no limit. To what we can accomplish together. As partners in this ministry. And so how do we teach the fragile art of hospitality. There are many ways of course. At one of the meetings this week i talked about donuts and coffee as wonderful ways to welcome people and aspect of hospitality. And the literature that's available all the things that we do out there on the patio to make people feel welcome that's an aspect of hospitality of course. But hospitality represents more than these outward expressions. There was a moment in my life before i became a minister when i discovered. The hospitality begins with compassion. I was working as a producer for a nightly news and public affairs program in washington dc. The i had chosen to work in public television because i thought that there might be. More opportunities to offer an alternative perspective to the corporate. Media the corporate monopolies. And i wanted to do story so compelling that people might not only be educated on issues but be inspired. To take action where needed. One afternoon i was out on assignment as a field producer. I was covering a story of a woman. Who was the victim of a carjacking. The woman let's call her valora. What's filling up her car at the gas station and for a brief moment. She turned away. And someone drove off with her car. But they probably didn't know was that her eight-year-old daughter was lying down in the backseat. When i arrived at the same four or five reporters were already there bombarding her with. Questions. Mike ammerman placed the microphone in my hand and went to search for. A prime spot. For a close-up. My fellow reporters seemed. Distant and dispassionate they just wanted the story i suppose. Ballora's responses were soft and she was teary-eyed. And i remember thinking to myself why don't they leave her alone. And then there was this sudden realization that i was one of them. These were my colleagues some of whom i knew quite well. And they were doing what reporters do. Have i walked toward. Ballora with the microphone in my hand. I wasn't quite sure what i would say or do and i was usually. More than ready for the opening question. But this time i felt my own eyes welling up. And i. Couldn't speak. The word simply didn't come. And i. Remember suddenly. The words of one of my journalism professors who told us. Keep the camera rolling until you make. The professor was of course. Emphasizing that. One needed footage dramatic pictures. He wanted to get your story. On the evening news that night. And so i realized that this was a moment of decision for me. And the question was would i follow my training. What would i be guided by my conviction and my values. As i moved closer to velora i looked at her and she looked at me and i. Knew we had made a connection beyond the story. As i got closer to her i slipped the microphone in my bag. And i found myself placing my hand on flores gently. I knew that what she needed was not a gang of microphones in her face but someone to talk to her about her troubles. Someone to console her someone with whom she could let out all her anxieties. Someone to tell her. It's going to be okay. And when she accepted my outstretched hand. I knew in that moment that i couldn't do that story. I knew that i couldn't keep the cameras rolling. I quietly drew her. From the crowd. Toward my stations fan. I didn't know for sure i couldn't know what she might have been thinking but had it been me. I might have felt guilty for turning my i even form. I would have been terrified. Got a stranger head. Goofing off with my child. What would he do when the police chase began. Would drive more recklessly trying to get away or would he surrender. I was proclaiming atheism at this time. But even so. I was praying. Out loud i could have imagined praying out loud. To the great. Whom it may concern. Whomever or whatever sustained the universe and me. And in my cry i might have said. Send my child back please i don't care so much about the car. But send my child back. I tried to help the laura give voice to her feelings. The firm that she'd been slapped with a terrible injustice. Set a piece of her soul had been robbed. That her spirit had been assaulted. She didn't talk much. I could see that she was empty with grief. Mostly she cry. And asked if i could help. Contact her family. So they could give her a ride home. Before long. The microphones and the reporters disappeared. Audio and video tape in hand for the evening news. They had gotten their story. But i knew that i could no longer be the dispassionate reporter. This was a human being. Coronavirus. Court. Not for her to be exploited at this most vulnerable time in her life just for the sake of a story. I couldn't get velora out of my mind. For the rest of the day. And it wasn't until i lay down to rest that evening that i became clear. Why. My spiritual values had trumped. The values of my profession. The person behind the story. Had become more important than the story itself. By the way to velour did get her child back. The police found the car abandoned with the child still in the back. Of the vehicle. Emotionally shaken but physically okay. The man who committed the crime apparently ran away on foot and i never did hear. Whether they caught him. In one way or another. We all face the dilemma that i faced covering the story that day. So much of what our culture teaches us. Broadcast away. From doing the right thing. We are encouraged to keep the camera rolling. To move from pasque to pass b2 taxes e. Without paying too much attention. So what's going on. Before our eyes. But not noticing sometimes puts us out of right relationship with others. Those with whom we work. Those are families. And our communities as well. But to build the kind of congregation that your mission statement and vision. To become an increasingly diverse community. With differing beliefs. Yet shared values. We must i think do what bills show. Calling for. He asks us to be in right relationship with ourselves. With our community. And to have compassion. For those around us. In spite. Of our differences. After doing that story i knew that i had to find another way to earn a living. A way in which i could acknowledge that every person has dignity and worth. Without exploiting them. My encounter with ballora was indeed transformative. The decision to turn the camera off. And instead. Try to comfort her. Was i think. My first deep understanding. Set my spiritual values were. Deeply foundational to who i was. And to my life. And on reflection this experience was also. My first call. To the ministry. Even though i didn't recognize it at the time there was a pastoral dimension and a prophetic dimension as well. Set this story laid bare before me. When i covered the story i was already a part of all souls church unitarian universalist which i talked about last sunday. And i was aware that something. In the experience of being part of a of a religious community. Had changed me helps me to broaden my outlook. And to begin to see the whole world from a spiritual lens. Religious communities teach us. A way of being in the world. That embraces others. That extends hospitality and widens the circle. Weather. The other people that were in touch with whole. The same perspectives as we do or not. And so i'm thinking how do we prove that diversity need not mean divisiveness. For unitarian universalist of course our particular way of being in religious community as a challenge for some. Because we don't offer simple answers. And because we are informed by such a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs. My friends we are faced with the reality that our world is incredibly diverse than san diego is a great reflection of that. It reflects the. Various cultures and colors and languages and sexual identities and nationalities. Class and religious backgrounds many as we go shopping. Go to a restaurant to eat. To the theater. We interface with people from every corner of the globe. And with all manner of backgrounds. First unitarian universalist church of san diego is of course a religious community. And i want to ask. Who is welcome here. And how can we extend hospitality. The people who may be different from ourselves. As i mentioned several of you asked me during the week. Can do to come. More welcome. Recibiendo. More multicultural. Already have the foundation i. Affirming the. Richness of diversity that already exists among us. In the city. In this community in this congregation. And in the wider spectrum of unitarian-universalism i think all of these things. Can be encouragement as well as a pathway for us. In affirming even greater diversity. Whenever i get the chance i listen to garrison keillor as i suspect some of you do. I rather liked him. But there's one thing that i don't agree with you said. He said that the only common belief that unitarian universalist old. Is that somewhere in the darkest night a candle glows. We are very diverse in terms of our beliefs and we don't all play at the same way and we don't all believe the same thing. Newcomers to our face probably wonder how it is. That we can have a bagel brunch with unitarian universalist for jewish awareness. Meditate with unitarian universalist buddhist. Go to a good friday service with unitarian universalists christians. Participate in a winter solstice with unitarian universalist to affirm earth-centered spirituality. Attend a meeting of yu-gi-oh religious humanist. Affirm those who identify as atheist or agnostic. Or identify with none of the above. And still feed park. Of the same congregation and indeed i have met people of all of those persuasions and more of this week. In the hebrew bible the prophet amos asked the question. He asks can two walk together unless they be agreed. Conrad right one of the more famous. Unitarian universalist historians among us he taught at harvard too many years. Conrad right answers a mrs. question with. On the one hand yes. On the other hand now. Yes he says but only if the two are going to the same appointment. But no he says. If they are not willing to meet each other halfway. As they travel along the same road. It's hard for people sometime to understand that although. We may not always agree as individuals that collectively we see no contradiction. An honoring multiple pads. Truth. So diversity is our strength. If we can use our different perspectives to build bridges. Rather than barriers. I draw great. Hope. From imagining what we can become because i have already seen. Several examples of healthy congregations including this one. Who in spite of differences. We are here. In spite of differences in gender identity and sexual orientation and racial and cultural. And theological identity we are here. And i think that we can spread the net even wider. Under the skin. We are 99%. Alike. But. The particular circumstances in which some of us find ourselves. Still needs attention. And here i am particularly referring to. Individual prejudice and systemic oppression. But many of us still. Are faced with. And so the question i want to post is how can we companion each other. Even through our differences. And are we willing to stay the course. I believe that if we keep moving toward each other. That we can be a model for religious pluralism. But our world. So needs to witness. If we are able to do that. Then we will have learned the art of hospitality. And we will have learned. But there is. No need. For diversity. To mean divisiveness. Deep. In my heart. I do believe. That we have all the ingredients. Stretch our arms even wider. To continue to build. Strong. Spiritually nurturing community. Of many. Type. People. And i am willing to walk with you. If you are willing to walk with me. To use our gifts. To bless the world. Celebrate. The richness of this community. In the spirit of caring and compassion. And in so doing. We witness to all. That we can. Hold the whole world. In our hands. So maybe.

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marjorie4_23_06.mp3

The story is told of a high anglican bishop. Who as a missionary in west africa west performing. A baptismal and christening ceremony. One of his duties was to assign christian names. To the new converse. To eliminate any traces of. They're indigenous religion and culture. The bishop had carefully taught each baptismal candidates. The name of a christian saint. By which he would be. Called following the ceremony. He lined up the candidates and as he walked the line. Asked each one. Find what name will you now be known. Each echo the name of a particular saint. Peter paul john and so on. And the bishop. As the bishop approach the end of the line. There was the chief of the tribe standing fully roads in warrior regalia. And he asked. The bishop asked the chief the same question by what name will you now be known. Looking intently into the bishop's eyes and speaking in his proudest voice. The chief answered. Labanga. I will be known as labanga. The bishop paused for a moment. Cleared his throat. And said i do not recall a saint by that name. With equal pride and his voice. He said i intend to be the first. I will be known as st labanga. And others. Will be baptized. In my name. Here was a group of people who found themselves in a situation of estrangement. Their lives essentially taken over. By others who represented. A religion the language and a culture that was foreign to them. Missionaries who went to africa where i'm sure good people at heart. But as we know and many colonial settings part of the work of a missionary. Involved stripping people of their identity. Which was the first step to controlling their lives. But why that singular act of resistance with boldness. Power. And the courage of his convictions. The chief. Challenge. An imposed identity and in so doing. He was living out. His calling. One of the most important missions. In this life. To be his authentic. Self. We searched. And search. Seeking to discover who we are. Are various gifts and talents and convictions. And then somebody comes along and says you ought to be doing this. Or you should do that. And of course these suggestions are usually made out of love and concern. And their purse purse. Perfectly rational. To the person making the suggestion. But by going along with someone else's agenda not following our own heart. This is the beginning of losing ourselves. I can imagine that as the bishop was walking the line the chief was pondering his own questions. What can i do what can i say and how must i behave in order to. Maintain my own identity. To keep. My saturday. And my soul. What can i do or say. On behalf of my people. That might strengthen them. Are unitarian forbear william ellery channing. Said that there is a divine spark in every person. That. Call forth the powers of the soul. This sparky believes demands a response in other words. This spirit within us this spark which he believed that was the spark of the divine. Needs to be reflected in our everyday life. It was this kind of spark something that comes from deep within. But gave the chief of that african village the courage. The stage an act of resistance. He didn't say to the bishop please let me lead my people for i am their chief. Rather. Call forth that power of the soul. And models for them a new way of being. Sing to the bishop. You think i'm one of your converse but i have my own religion thank you very much. I won't be your kind of saint. I'll be my own kind of sink. This story reminds me of my own religious past. Both of my grandmothers were founding members of a conservative pentecostal set. That started in the early 1900s in philadelphia. It was a religion in which. All the saints and they literally called themselves saints. Segregated by gender as muslims do during worship services. Women's dress was restricted to six. Dark or neutral colors. And we had to be covered from head to toe. Beyond the usual conservative prohibitions like smoking and drinking and dancing. The list of rules was long. Almost anything that was a norm in secular society was not allowed. For example. We couldn't take medicines of any kind including caffeinated drinks or. Prescription eyeglasses. They believe only in faith healing. But three of my mother's sisters died before the age of 40 leaving 10 children between them. We couldn't participate in competitive games or sports. And girls couldn't wear pants or even a gym suit without a skirt on top. Otherwise based books er legs. We couldn't buy insurance on our homes or property. That would be a statement that material things were more important than trusting in god. We couldn't say or even stand for the pledge of allegiance. Nor could we participate in military service because our only allegiance was the god. We didn't celebrate easter or halloween or christmas because these holidays originated in pagan religions. From the age of 12. I started asking my parents pretty serious theological questions questions about the virgin birth and original sin and so on and i never did get. Satisfactory answers. But leaving all the doctrinal restrictions and the prohibitions aside for a moment. Corruption and abuse of power. Wasn't even bigger problem. All this led me to lose faith in god and in the institutional church at a fairly young age. Knowing that i could never be there kind of saint. I was asking how can i be myself how can i be authentic. What can i do to let my family know that i'm simply not going to follow their program. And so i made a plan that by the time i could get a job and save a little money. That i would leave that church. It works. Not perfectly but i managed. At the age of 16 i was the first in my family to leave my parents church. I was somewhere in the middle of what became 12 years of therapy doing the healing work. Necessary to get over the pain. Have my religious past when my daughter tanya. Who was about twelve at the time started asking me questions. Questions about god. And i had no real coherent response i was dealing with my own stuff. And so she said to me okay mom if you won't let me go to church if you won't let me he won't answer my questions about god can i at least. Go to church with my friends. Now i hadn't been in a church service for 15 years and here was my daughter. Asking me to go to church what was i to do. When i asked her what kind of church she and her friends wanted to go to she gave me the name. Have a mega church on the other side of town. And i had this sudden sense of dread because i knew about this church. A woman that i worked with. Went there she was a member. And i knew it was the kind of church that was a church of true believers. Who divided the world into the saved and the unsaved. And had a very narrow interpretation. Based on biblical literalism. On the one hand i wanted my daughter to experience religion on her own terms to choose for herself. But on the other hand i had had enough damnation theology to last a few lifetime. And i was determined to protect her. From religious absolutism. And the frightful images of fire and brimstone. That i had grown up with. And so i asked her how about a different church. She told me she really didn't care what kind of church it was she just wanted to see her for herself. What church was like. It was perfectly reasonable request. That we were living in washington dc at the time and i knew of a church that my daughter could attend. It was just a few blocks away from my apartment for my apartment. But i didn't really know it as a church. I knew it as a centre for social justice. This was the church that held rallies rallies protest apartheid. And in south africa this was in the 1980s. Rally's that protested us policy in central america. Rally's that called for better balance between domestic and military spending. Rally's where we marked for martin luther king's birthday as a holiday. This was the church that i had gone to many many times. O'reilly's in to hear progressive speakers and poets and musicians i knew it was a great church. But i even though i was a frequent visitor to this church building i had no idea. What happened there on sunday mornings. Now the minister the reverend david eaton had seen me in the hallways at these rally than these different events in. He would say to me why don't you come to church sometime. And i would say. I don't do church. And he would say come anyway. But i didn't really see any reason to come. Until now. When i needed a church not for myself i thought. But for my daughter. I was dumbfounded when my daughter said to me how about a unitarian church. All my memories of those meetings and rallies and concerts came to my mind and i said yes let's go. And so there we were the next sunday at all souls church unitarian universalist in washington located about. 10 minutes north of the white house. Now as it turns out. My daughter. What studying ralph waldo emerson and her english class but i didn't even know it. And she said that she kind of like this guy. Interesting lee and she didn't know this because we hadn't talked about it. I was on my own intellectual search and i to. Had been reading emerson. Anthro and the transcendentalist. And i have this big 3-ring binder with notes. About them and about other people that i admired in the world of. We're religion. And wouldn't you know. That my daughter's teacher. Was a member of all souls church. Which needless to say became our religious home. That was 24 years ago. And if you said to me you if i said to you i you can't imagine how strongly. We felt that we were in the right place you would probably say back to me yes we can. Because we had a similar experience of coming home and feeling that. Unitarianism was the right place unitarian-universalism was the right place when we. Discovered it as well. And yet i am struck by the fact that. When many people ask about my spiritual journey my journey into unitarian-universalism so often. They are surprised that my story mirrors there's that i too. Found unitarian-universalism through an intellectual search. That my daughter and i were both searching for a spiritual home where we could feel like. We could be ourselves. That we were attracted by the long history. Of social justice within unitarian-universalism and the many many people. Who worked over centuries. To make this world a better place. And when i further probe in these conversations i have sometimes come to understand. That in their surprise of my journey what they're really saying is. But you're black. Wasn't your experience different isn't it different for you. And i say. Unitarian universalism is the religion that saved me. This is the religion where i found hope again. This is the place that gave me the opportunity to grow spiritually. That restored my faith in the institutional church. Through pastoral counseling an adult religious education classes this. Is the religion that helps me to overcome. My bitterness. And nurtured me back. Spiritual health again. This is the place. Where my daughter and i learned that religious education is not about indoctrination. But as channing said. Its purpose is to awaken the conscience and strengthen. The powers of fought. This is the religion that helped me to understand that social justice work is indeed. The work of the soul it's spiritual work. We are a saving religion. Andaz. But we have a lot of good news to share. If i sound a little bit like an evangelical unitarian universalist. I confess. I know that. Some of us have issues with that term evengelical. Which has pretty much been co-opted by the religious right but the term evangelical really means. The spread your good news. And we certainly have good news to share. We are. We have a liberating message one not based on fear. And intolerance butt on face. And hope. And love. We are a saving religion for those who live on the margins of oppression. And isolation because of racial and other. Forms of social injustice. For immigrants and my grandfather was an immigrant. For immigrants and those who are still fighting for a living wage. Be included. In the healthcare system. For those who are concerned about gender justice. Four person to identify as gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender. Who has been harassed. And even killed because of whom they love. We are a religion based not on a certain kind of being a certain kind of saint. But a religion that accept people for who they really are and i believe that this. Is what saves souls. In a culture of religious intolerance. In a time such as this one our nation faces an array of moral choices. That the religious right has fought to define. Based on intolerance exclusion and fear. This country and this city needs saving religion like ours. I believe with all my heart that we can be. Saving religion for the people of san diego. I believe that we can walk this journey together in creating a community of love. And justice where we witness our liberating values. In a world that is hurting. A world in which people are being damned to hell. Because they have stood up and said my name is labanga. I know who i am. And i will not bow down to your narrow beliefs. We weave the stories of our lives together. Out of whatever raw material we have been given. And whatever time we have. Our stories shape us. And we are shaped. By then. It's all about dreaming. Screaming new lives. Into being. I believe that i have found a partner in you. And i'd like to know your stories. What drew you to this community. What keeps you committed to this church and this face. How can you become more effective in carrying out your mission. To become an increasingly diverse community. With different beliefs. And shared values. Our children story reminds us that it's up to us. All of us. To finish the world. Bar task is not one of. B&r construction is not a construction job it's a task. Of ministry shared ministry. That is perhaps best expressed. And the hebrew term tikkun illume which means to restore the world. I'd like to be your partner. And healing repairing. Restoring. And transforming the world. Interning. The world around. Harry belafonte turn the world around. Hymn number 1074. In the blue hymnal.

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Stumbling%20Toward%20Camelot.mp3

Good morning. Happy mom's day. I wrote this song. For all the women in my life. Some years ago and today i think it especially for. For moms everywhere but for my mom is just an hour away but couldn't quite make it here this more. I has a baby boy. Lisbon in mahjong. The company of my mother. Surrounded bob. The boys will play with. Girl's best friend. Bonnie love in the backyard i started singing. Rock and roll linda tommy how to spell spin the latest. Moving out of state. And i think of this pot release. It took time making new friends. American true friend. Baseball did not fill me and football nearly killed me. Most anything about the win i had a ball. Piano daily a daddy anaheim. Perform duets on concert g weed through the crowds with flying ham. Now we will be something you would like to tell me. Oh man is this a woman that come on chris get it straight. Haven't danced in a man. Little woman. But we've had a good mother's day celebration i'm sorry to disappoint you but the sermon isn't about mother's day. It's really a different kind of. Sermon. Then the one you might be used to hearing from me. It isn't obviously. Theological. It isn't obviously spiritual. I've been privileged to be your lead minister now for. Almost 2 years to goodyear. And thank you and what. And what this sermon is about as kind of a. State of the church report. Where we are today. Where we could go tomorrow. And what our mission is in a world that really. Needs us so really it is kind of a theological sermon because. Archaeology is that. We come together as free individuals. The covenant. To seek the truth. In love. The illogical sermon after. It is a spiritual. Because. It's impossible to grow. Spiritually. As isolated individuals. We need each other. Nobody. Makes it. Who this world alone. Mostly what i have to say is really good news i'm excited about where first churches today. I'm excited about where we're going. It's a great adventure. So let me get this part out of the way first. Because it's not so good. Couple months ago i i wrote a newsletter article. Talking about how. Just a few folks but enough to make a real impact on on the morale of our staff. We're treating our staff with the disrespect. Angry voices. Sarcasm occasional even bad language. I thought that all i had to do was say that this was happening and call us to our best selves. I'm sorry to say that. It hasn't stopped. And it's getting to the point where we are in danger of losing some key staff. And that would really slow down our forward momentum. We can't afford for that to happen and also. It's not who we are. This is halloween. Theories about that. Maybe it's that so many you use or in positions of great responsibility and power and. Are used to being we'll just tell people what to do. Kind of broccoli. What number of the staff was talking to me and she said that she was proud. To work for an organization with our mission. She felt like she was making a difference in the world. But you said you know arvid. In that battle corporate world i was never treated so mean. A boy and then a light bulb kind of went off for me. And i said you know. Archer. Is really more. Of a family than an organization. We're really more of a family than an organization. People feel comfortable in their families and. They're able to be who they are and their family. They're not always careful in their family. Let's not be a dysfunctional family photo. The board of trustees has. Absolutely behind me on this. 2. Change. And they're now the point people on it see if somebody will treat the staff you're going to hear from one of your elected peers on the board of trustee. Just so we are clear about what is. The right behavior and what isn't the board will be working with the whole congregation. In the coming months to come up with that a covenant of how we treat each other i think that's a great idea i'm looking. In the meantime. Please don't. Use the staff to vent your frustration. I know that there are frustrations aplenty. Because this church has been going through so many changes. In the past few years. There are new faces in the office. There are changing job descriptions we're going through a reorganization. It's going to be great. But we're in process. And people don't know. Where they stand. The weather fits sometimes. It's understandable that there be frustrations but. Please don't bentham. Staff. Please see the staff at partners in solving problems. As opposed. To the problem. Please treat the staff. As well as you would your friend here at the church. Now the good news. Okay. We living in. Time of unparalleled. Danger and upheaval in our culture. That's not the good news. But the good news. Is that we are in a position to do something to heal our world. The good news. Is that each of us has something to contribute to that effort. My good friend patrick o'neal who was in the pulpit about a month ago. Had a wonderful sermon at general assembly last year. He talked about how for a while. Unitarian universalist. Candid. 2. Concentrate on their own self realization. Any talked about how that was after all part of our history henry david thoreau. Went off to walden into the woods to find himself. And unitarian universalist. I've been preoccupied with finding ourselves. The patrick said. And i'll never forget the electricity i went through the room when he died. The woods are on fire. We can't. Stay in our little cabins anymore. We all have work to do. Each of us has something to contribute. Each of us has something. To contribute. The world needs you. The leadership of this church needs you. I need. You. I need every one of you to help fulfill the mission of this shirt. We have a great adventure. And helping to serve the less fortunate indirect service. We have a great adventure. In joining others. Who have a vision of a just society. An equal society a free society where the dignity of every human being is recognized. There is wonderful important work to do there's a great adventure. Will you join us in this adventure. Our children and youth need to be equipped to offer the world. An understanding. A colleran. An equality. And wisdom. We need to help this generation of children and youth. Annette and generations of children and youth to come. To grow up why and hold and we need your help. Human life is precious. It's terrible to waste it in a meaningless. Materialistic life. When everyone has something important to contribute that the world desperately needs there is work to do helping people discover and use their gift. Will you help. People need. Spiritual growth. And religious inside. To free their minds and souls and hearts. The beast. Who they were created to be. And there's work to do in helping. That spiritual growth and religious inside. Will you help. Somebody needs to show the world. That there can be a community of exuberant diversity where people with diverse opinions. Different sexual orientations of different races and ethnic background. Camp come together to support each other and their spiritual growth and to help heal the world. We can be that community. We can create that community. And will you help. Nobody can make it through this world alone. All of us. Need to be cared for by others in our time of need no human life. Is without its tragedy. And chrysler. And we need to help each other in our time of need. There's work to be done. Will you help. We have. Emission in this congregation. It beautifully said every sunday morning. Will you join me in reciting our church aspiration. Love is the spirit of this church. The quest for truth is a sacrament. And services is prayer. To dwell together in peace. To seek knowledge in freedom. And to help one another in fellowship. This is our aspiration. Our staff wants to be up. Partner. Enough. And we have a particular role. Supply. Under our new empowered organizational structure. It's a different kind of role than this church has been fused to. It is an oversimplification to say that we need to let the staff run the church closes members can do ministry. But not too much. Have an over-simplification. We're trying to get away from a time when the staff spends all its time. Almost making decision. And then educating. Committees. About why that decision is important in selling that this. Are empowered organization plan allows for a nimble and accountable organizational structure. Where our staff is free to do its work. And our ministry team is free to do its work. Under a series. I'll policies limitation policies. And careful oversight. By our board of trustees. Right now. We're in the middle of his pain. I promise you. As we go further along the process. Ivar empowered organization. It will become clearer. And it will mean that people who have. Gifts to give ideas to offer. Ways to fulfill our mission in this world. Still have an easier time. Harnessing. Those are gifts and their contributions. To the mission of the. If you're not familiar with the empowered organization. I refer you to our website. Those of you who are new here. You should know that. First unitarian universalist church was founded in. 1873. That we grew up with the city. And that through our history. We have stood for freedom reason and tolerance. Long before most other organizations and institutions in our city and in our country. We stood for racial justice. We stood for free speech. During the 24-year ministry of tom and carol and i want all. Two people i'm proud to follow. We grew to be the largest church in california. And one of the largest in california in the in the united states not. Because of church thought you grounded because this church did the right thing. And offer people opportunities for spiritual growth. And stood for something. In the culture. We. Before. The culture as a whole stood for equality of women. Not only. In the outside world but in the power structure of this congregation. Wida for a whole society caught up with it. Shut up. For the rights of gays lesbians and transsexuals people and for the full except. We were involved in so many organizations. In the founding of so many organizations in san diego. That'll help meet the needs. Of the less fortunate. I was impressed by two things when i came here. The follow-on that illustrious ministry. 1 is. How much the members carefree. This is truly extraordinary unique i know a lot of people. And you are among the best we. Know how to do that. It's because. Long before covenant groups became popular in this wisdom was known. That small group are needed in large. You had men's groups women's groups neighborhood groups hoses. And many opportunities to. For people to care deeply from their hearts. And that's created by the size of our congregation. Friendship. I also got an entree. And all the social justice. And social change routes in san diego that i visited. We have a reputation. Standing. For the right things. In this community. And i'm proud of that. Proud of us. And i am very proud and happy to be your mentor. Let me make that very clear. In fact. Has the popular song says. Our future is so bright. That we need to wear shades. I'm especially excited about some of the things that are happening. In our immediate future. With the reverend marjorie bowen's wheatley. You will have a team of ministers. Who are experian. Passionately dedicated to our. And have. Complimentary gift. Copper. This congregation. Community. I'm proud to say that it really does look like. On september 15th. Will have a full-time staff person. To serve. The needs of those who are 18 to 35 year olds. Both on this campus. Anton university camp. And that. Cousin. Fighting. Cardboard. Is about to. Release after. Talking. Too many of you. An open forum. A series of the visions for the future. And your staff and your ministry teams and. Others will be. Developing nose. Into a strategic plan. Here's what i. Hope will happen. I think we need. About person. To help with our program. For middle school and high school. I think there is so much more. That can be done to serve that. Population. I think we need. More. Ministry. To the frail elderly among us. Those who can't get around like they used to but still love this church. I would love them to know that they are cared about. And a part of history. And our internet steer victoria ingrid will make that her special project. To expand our minister. Me to that popular. Another thing i'd like to see. Define ali. The fulfillment of a long-held dream of this congregation. I think in the next year or two let's not wait too long. We should start a satellite congregation in the south bay. One of the fastest-growing areas in san diego. The most diverse area in san diego. There are so many potential unitarian-universalist there whose lives could be changed. For the better. They are. And i think we can do that. I'm very excited. About that. Possibility. In 15 years. Ic. That. Everybody in san diego will know who we are. What we stand for. And that unitarian. Universalism. It's a force for good in this world. And that. Tens of thousands of people. Well i found a home here in this congregation in our partner congregation. And any the new congregation. That we will start. Time. People whose live. Will be in rich. Saved. From meaninglessness. Materialism. And loneliness. Biosense other unique gifts. And our beloved community. People. Backgrounds. All sexual orientation all racial. And ethnic. And that we. Will model the kind of world that you manatees. Here. For everyone to see. So they can be no doubt. That we. Or about. Nothing less. We need you. There's plenty to do. Will you join me. Canal. Have you tried to answer the question that's in the song. Partially. In the sermon please rise as you're able and we're going to sing. Well yeah which is number 1020. And now may we have faith in life. To do wise planting that the generations to come may reap. Even more abundantly than we. May we be bold and bringing to fruition the golden dreams of human kinship and justice. Jusqu'a. Did the fields of promise become. Fields of reality.

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fred10_2_05.mp3

Redemption. Why does this word make my skin crawl. What does it really mean. I found a definition online. The art of redeeming. Or the state of being redeemed. We parked it. Ransom relief. Delivering the redemption of prisoners taken in war. 3 * 10. And cargo. I also found more theological definition. The procuring of god favored by the sufferings and death of christ. The ransom or deliverance center from the bondage of sin and the penalties. Of god's violated law. I find both definition cuddling. The act of redeeming implies that i am in some place of captivity. Some sort of dungeon where i am hanging on a wall with backhoe on my arms and leg. And so to be redeemed. Means being released from this dungeon. My christian friend argue that this is a dungeon of my own making. Of my own sinfulness. This point of view and supplies that i would want to be released. Call mike taco. And have no means to do so on my own. Or perhaps the dungeon is like plato's allegory of the cave where people are chained facing away from the light and all they can see our shadows on the wall there whole world is defined by the shadows one-person creed from the chain. Is drag reluctantly off the light and see. For the first time the world as a directly is. And not at shadows flickering on the wall. Return to tell the others still in the cave about this discovery and is received. Lunapic for heretics. Probably burned at the stake. A redeeming those not wanting redemption. Can be perceived as a defensive. No matter how right it may seem. To the redeemer. The second definition of redemption is even more troubling for me. Why do i need to procure god's favor. Doesn't god love everyone unconditionally. How to sacrifice things jesus on the crucifixion show god's mercy for the world. William ellery channing says it back when he compares god's atoning salvation. Jesus's death on the cross. To the parent. Unwilling to inflict a penalty on a disobedient but feeble child. Persuade a stronger child's the barrett. He add. Would not the offender see i'm more touching mercy in a free forgiveness. Immediately for a parent part but in if the curative remission. Once i thought i had the answer to the question. I was a christian attempting to live our first century style christianity in the 20th century of the common era. I was living a celibate life. Because as a king man that was the only hope for me to work out my salvation in fear and trembling. Weather in aspen. What's an abomination in the sight of god. My christian community in which i live remind me of it often. Perhaps. Perhaps.. If i prayed hard enough if i sacrificed my natural tendency. I would find redemption from the dungeon of sexual orientation. The carrot at the end of the stick for me. Was the elusive hope. That i would be play with an attraction to a woman. We would fall in love in live hetero ever after. Well i did fall in love with a woman yeah it did happen she was beautiful bride ready to be around i'm nervously introduce her to my parents. And because christ would want us to. We were saving ourselves for marriage. The fateful day came when i asked her to marry me. The unimaginable were going to happen. I was expecting to be declared by my christian community as being fully healed and a line through my rifle sexual orientation. And then the unimaginable did happen. She came out of the closet as a lesbian and broke off the engagement is yanked. Devastated. My christian community told me to keep praying. God will not abandon me i was restored but they suggested i was not as healed. As they had thought. So once again i began to pray for salvation. From the abomination of my core being. Play maximo now. A few years later. And then he too came out of the closet. She thanked me for helping her find her true self. And i was left wondering. Where was my true self. Where was i to find it. Working out my salvation with fear and trembling. Pk mode. Fear and trembling and damned exhaustive. Redemption. It's always procuring. isn't always about david gray for procuring god's favor. Procuring favor in our own eyes that is redemptive. How we view ourselves in relation to others around us. Is important for redemption. How we are in relation to others is key to the redemptive process. My best friend from junior and senior high school was glenn. We did a lot of things together he was bright inquisitive. Greatwood work wifey. Contralor. Generous to a fault. Friendship with the type of friendship that i hope we all can experience in life. No matter how far away we were in time or faith. When we spoke. It was as if only one day had high. Since our last meeting. Compare. I wasn't always as good a friend to glenn. Ipy to me. About our third year of college glen and i got together. It had been awhile since we had spoken to each other. We took a walk through a small hometown of port jervis new york and ended up on the bridge crossing the delaware into pennsylvania. Overlooking the river below our conversation turned.. England called me the difficult times he was carving in college. He told me he had met someone. And realized that he was gay. We had decided to drop out of college. And move with him to atlanta georgia. Supportive. Plus i kind. Shamefully. I would not. My reaction was anger. I remember driving back to my enclave a christian community. Screaming at god for the turn of events. I wrote a hurtful poem about what gland had done. And promptly mailed it off to him. It would have seemed that our fates were sealed to spin off in different directions at that point. And it's something i could not. He remained steadfast with me. As i talked with his coming out. Am i going deeper in the closet. If you can clothing. Send mom i had a great deal to do with it. He would rave about all the things that glenn and peter were doing. Intervening figure. She did her part. Sometimes twist and turn and discovering the role that other time in our lives. Are not always apparent. I began visiting glad atlanta. We would talk about sexuality and the bible. Glenn became the exception to the rule. In my eyes became alright by glenn was gay. After all he was the same person that i knew as a child who joined me and racing down racing our bikes down suicide hill. Only now he was madly in love with another man. Put myself however. To be true to my face. I seriously clung to my i'm straight. Percona. Because i was still looking for salvation. I'm beyond myself. In the 1980s. Beer with spreading the country regarding a new disease. Children or being thrown out of their cool their houses that on fire. Young man we're being disowned by their parents their friend. Fired from their job and expelled from their congregations of faith. Nurses and doctors had a name for their patience. Suffering from this new disease. They called them waze. Wrath of god suffer. Beer was so rampant that it took the death of a prominent actor before president reagan would even acknowledge its existence. Contact. Set my visit woodglen in 1987 occurred. One evening. Play maniacal diner. The waitresses wearing a rather peculiar button. It is a simple design. Needle and some thread. Curiosity got the best of me. He told me about the a primordial quilt making its first four of the country and route for a first national display in washington dc. The quilt was in atlanta. And there would be a memorial service. At the presbyterian church. What you going on. Oh no he replied. She had lost 12 of her closest friend to this disease. 10 degree. Would be too overwhelming. Well friend. I couldn't imagine losing one friend today. But around 12 i felt dizzy i'd watched he was going through. As we left the diner i thought. Dear god who is going to love these people. Federal law for people who can work for the disabled. People. They like all good thoughts and prayers. It put it out into the universe. A day later. Glen sat me down on the patio. And told me that key. Was hiv-positive. I could not imagine knowing anyone. Suddenly had before me. Someone i loved. Put hiv. Upon my return home i decided i had to do something. Anything to support my friend. Even if from afar. And the universe was kind enough to place before me word of an interfaith congregational response to aid. Fifth committee of men and women form but wish to become interface aides ministry. I became one of its founder. In board president. I kept glenn involved informed with my activity. Charlie before his death. I was able to tell glenn how grateful i am. For his presence in my life. I was given the honor of delivering his eulogy. Arlington memorial service. My relationship with glenn and his partner however. Was not enough to break a hold of my beliefs of who i was in the side of god. A year. Acupuncture. I stepped into the role of the executive director of interfaith ministry. It was in this role that i would make these wonderful gay couple. Want to be hiv-positive. The other negative. I noticed something in these relationships. Took the sense of self i had taped together with prayer and scripture verses. They had the same integrity. The i thought was an exception with in glen in petersburg licenses. I provided pastoral care to this couple. Aids in the early 1990s was a bleak situation. I would go to their houses. Hoping to be a channel of something akin to god's abiding love. One couple i visited with michael and red. Michael was fast approaching the end stage of ed. His body was a wither skeleton grape with skin. He could knock it out of bed. He had no strength. No energy. Enrich was there on the bed with him. Caressing his forehead with a damp cloth offering him i tipped to sue the chase and cracked lips. Whispering to him about nothing. And about everything. The light in the room reflected the emotion. Everything came past and gold. I witnessed all of this. And god.. I know but this is. I have seen this before. This is. Is god's love flowing between them. Hulk. God's love cannot dwell in the abominable relationship. One of my board members with reverend barbara peskin. Are you attending universalist minister not serving the evanston illinois congregation. I had a meeting with her sometime towards the end of june. I don't remember now with the topic of discussion was. Remember this statement. She asked me. If i was doing anything for pride. I looked at her dumbfounded. Pride. She looked me straight in the eye and said fred. We all have to be proud of who we are. Farmersburg concertmate. It began to dawn on me if i was to continue being in relationships with people living with aids and their partner. I need it to be in a relationship with me. I could no longer minister to gay. If i did not love myself for being gay. If i do not allow for love that i saw flowing between wrist and michael. Also flow within my being. That i could no longer love others regardless of their orientation. Redemption. Quizknock some christ figure paying the ultimate sacrifice for me. Redemption. Glenn willingness. To forgive my painful attack. Knowing and say. But my love for him would win out. Redemption. With wrist and michael embracing each other with all the tenderness and warm of two people in love with each other in love with the essence of life itself. There was a relationship. Turn off of life. Come what may to be in bray. Redemption. Was barbara parkins short comments. Not even knowing that it was what i needed to hear. So desperately. I began attending the unitarian universalist congregation after michael had died. I began questioning what my christian faith has taught me about sexuality. Somewhere along the way getting to know michael before his death. I stopped believing that i god to be present in the loving relationship of two committed people. Struggling with the specter of a. Could either one of them. For the love that dare not speak its name. Secret name. And it was at sacred. And life-affirming at any love could be in this life. At the unitarian universalist congregation i attended. I was encouraged to ask question. Encouraged to explore new ways to affirm who i was in this life. Enable me to be a better pascal caregiver because i was not able to hear where people were in their lives. Without the judgment an eternity could bring. I began to understand what it meant to live in gray. Has anne morrow lindbergh foot bit. Clothing the outward in the inward man with the coming at 1. Signs of this became visibly evident for me as i began to simply fit with people who were near death door. I found no need to be praying for the salvation of their calls aren't even for their body. What i did was simply fit. And be present. One man clearly agitated but no longer able to talk. Simply took my hand. And we held each other pan for hours. Word for no longer necessary. Present. Ultimate. Quit came time for me to leave. He looked at me and chloe noticed nodded his head. Presumably saying thank you. The nurses said he died quietly a few hours later and told me i was the last person to be with him. Redemption. Is in the mutual acknowledgement of the dignity of a life live. Redemption. Come in the unexpected moments of our humanity. Intern.. Corey coleman. It is only in our reflections on these moment. Do we realize we were in the presence of something holy. Something sacred. Something. Redemptive. Blessed be.

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fred2_26_06b.mp3

Reverend bill sinkford. President of argentina nation. An honoring the rev wait still and martha sharp. For being received to the righteous among the nations and israel this june. Sad. For me a spiritual life includes a personal journey. And engagement with the world. Either alone is incomplete. Are face. Noah's deeply that these are the only hands on earth. The only hands that can move our world toys of beloved community. We shared. But the question remains. Will we answer the call. Listen. To the story. I'll rev wait so and martha sharp. American unitarians had been visiting norfolk unitarian congregation in prague czechoslovakia. Throughout the 1920s and 30s. Play czechoslovakia fell to the nazis in 1938. The american unitarian association. Chose to send commissioners. To assess the needs of the refugees and of the prague church. Evan whitesell and martha sharp. We're just dropped over what was happening in europe. These were our friends. Rachel would later state. Something needed to be done. While reluctant to leave their two young children the sharps arrived in prague in 1939. The very day that the nazis marched in. They're working tables many to escape to the us. And gave rise to the establishment of the unitarian service committee. Still in existence today at the unitarian universalist service committee. The sharps barely escaped arrest and detention. They returned to europe in 1940. Where martha sharp arranged for 29 children in 10 adults to leave nazi-occupied europe. The stripes work. Combined with a founding of the unitarian service committee and sure the rescue of 3,500 families. From nazi-controlled europe. The sharps became known as the guardian angels of european children. Martha sharp was said to have asked her daughter-in-law. What important work. Are you going to do for the world. This is a statement of strong conviction. But with our lives intricately connected to the world around us. We carry a responsibility. To that connection. Listen to the story of anne hines. She was raised in the catholic faith. Dr. anne hines. A pediatrician in danbury connecticut. Originally felt called. To the mission to be a missionary. She contemplated. Start living her face. We've been practicing medicine in a third world country. Inside. She fell in love with paul hines during college and married him. They both had a sense. To live fully in this world. Was to live fully engaged with their face. Paul. A chemistry professor at western connecticut state university. Became a founder of the dorothy day soup kitchen and shelter. An an. Discovered that there were many children without healthcare. In danbury. In 1974. An inherited money from her parents. Daryl and mary had a hoe. Enough to begin a free health clinic for children. Many of them immigrants. She began the hannaha clinic. Names and their memory. Without any additional money. And without collecting a salary for the first several years of the clinic. It wasn't an easy task to establish a clinic. Does an. There are times when i felt like locking the door and going away. But it's not that easy. Partly because of the people you get to know and who count on you. And partly because. We really believe that this world isn't all there is. And that god expects you to do your bit. Call ads. Do you meet people you generally like and respect. And you see the beauty in them. So how can you walk away. I remember the day she made a presentation to the united way asking for money to keep the clinic open. Her inheritance funds. We're gone. She have been piecing together grants and donations. And the cost of medical care for children were increasing. She sees 1500 children a year in this free clinic. Her presentation was impassioned and full of faith that the work would continue. Poverty-stricken children receiving free healthcare that otherwise would not. Is an amazing testament to and faith. For thousands of people in danbury. The healthcare received often stands between these children. Having life. Or death. Listen. To the story of azim camisa. Many of you may remember hearing about tarik camisa. The young 20 year old shot and killed by 14 year old tony hicks. As part of his initiation into a san diego gang. Tarik was delivering pizza. When he refused to hand over the pizza without payment. Tony was ordered to shoot tyreik. Tariq's father. Azeem. Is a sufi muslim. He wrote in his journal. Losing an only son is devastating. It is spiritually. Ungodly. Emotionally. Unloving. Investor ali. Paralyzing. It is like a nuclear bomb detonating inside of you. However. If you survived the devastation. Among the debris you see many paths. I chose the path closest to my heart. As a result of that choice. I am at a meaningful place. I am closer to my heart. Then i ever remember being. It is also the way i communicate with my son. Daily. Azim states. In my face. On the 40th day after a death. You are encouraged. To channel your grief. Inter good compassionate deeds. Which provide high octane fuel for the souls forward journey. Azeem screen. Was transformed into the desire to begin the tariq camisa foundation. An anti-violence education program. Azeem heart went out to plattsville ex. The grandfather and guardian of tony hicks. He offered him the hand of forgiveness. And together they do the work of the foundation. Azeem right. We share a common purpose. We believe that in every crime there is an opportunity. To improve society by learning how to prevent that crime. From happening again. Tariq was a victim of tony. But tony was a victim. Of american society. And society. Is a mirror image of each. And everyone of us. What gives me hope. Is the fact that when we give talks and school. You can see the metamorphosis. As the kids are moved. Buy our story. Azeem deep face. In the power of forgiveness. Enabling him to see beyond the initial flashpoint of violence. Towards his son. To see this death as symptomatic of something else. Is nothing short. Of a miracle. For him to begin a non-profit. Best 62 and gang violence. Is a transformative. Of redemption. And all lives. Immediately involved in this tragic moment. Have been transformed. Young tony hicks. Serving prison. Has been reborn baez eames forgiveness. When tony receives parole. Azeem has already offered him a job at the foundation. Tony hicks. Has written letters from prison. To be shared with the students. At the school. These. Heroic stories are remarkable for many different reasons. Any one of them. Could easily find a way to the screens of hollywood for their dramatic twist. And turns as their lives unfold. But to make their stories into a larger-than-life images. On the big screen. What's a minute a simple truth of their lives. The truth. That martha sharp. And hines. And azeem camisa. Are ordinary people. Like you and me. Thrown into extraordinary times and circumstances. Their influence. Will survive them in the live they have touched. And in turn influence future generations of the world. I remember chatting with a person. Who is committed to empowering people with developmental disabilities. As he told me why he did this work. He mentioned when he was growing up dorothy day was a friend of the family. He would listen to her experiences in establishing the paper the catholic worker. And hospitality houses in the 1930s. Her presence in his life. Had a profound influence on how his life was. To develop. It wasn't dorothy days and passions catholic faith. Said she had given him. But rather her belief. That every human. Regardless of life station. Has intrinsic value. And a boy. Needing to be heard. No one. Would have questioned and hines. If she provided health care to children. Charging the current race of medical care. No one would have batted an eye. If reverend wasteful and martha sharp had said. We just began our family. We can't possibly go to europe. Elysian kumasi. Would have had all the sympathy and the world. If you had allowed the violent death of his only son. 2in better his heart. However. Their face. Call them to a higher purpose. Their conviction that this life. Is meant for something more. Then turning a blind eye to the needs of our society about global community. Calling them. To act in a transformative manner. Now i can hear the congregation saying. But not everyone can do heroic deeds like the sharks. Not everyone has an inheritance. To enable a medical clinic to be set up for children. Not everyone has the skills. To set up a non-profit. Transforming their grief into a positive force. To heal a violin. Society. I remember. When i worked with developmentally disabled adults people would say to me. Bread. You must be a very special person because i could ever do that work. I remember when i co-founded the nonprofit for people living with hiv aids. People would say to me fred. You must be a very special person. Because i could never work with people who. 6 or dying. I used to smile at comments like these because while i understood. Why the comments were being made. I would think to myself. Wait a minute. You are very special person. You chose to adopt. Kyle. And give them a safe and nurturing home. Or. You chose to teach english as a second language through literacy volunteers. Or. You chose. To teach children how to express their heart. Through music. And the arts. Or you chose to stand with the workers. Outside of san diego's children's hospital. In support of their seeking a living wage with health benefits. Visage. Are a mark of specialness. They are a talent. Stared. Compassionate. Heart. Revealed. These are all at. Face. It takes. Spiritual discipline. To continue doing this kind of work in our society. A spiritual discipline today in and day out give society the life force. Healing. That is so desperately needed. For aaron paul. It meant to be fully engaged. And their face. Prevail sinkford. It is combining the personal journey. And engagement with the world. That creates. The spiritual life. For me. It is the daily reconnection. To the mist. Greater than myself. That has enabled me. To do. What i have done thus far in my life. Gyros. Like reverend wait so and martha sharp. Bike doctor ann and paul hinds. Like azim camisa. Are not found on the streets like i found quine. But i created. By the quiet. Persistence. Of the sweat. The brow. In the mix. Of life evil. Attempt. To save those they can. One heart. At a time. It is the ability. To receive the gift of relations. Comes out. Seek their help. Sustain. Their journey. It is. Paul hines says. You see the beauty in them. How can you walk. Away. No i don't want to diminish those. Declare as heroes. For a momentary. The bravery. The passerby. Who see someone fall through the ice and rescues them. Or the person who interrupts a violent act. Upon another person. These are indeed moment. Of heroism. How to take someone with their wits about them. To ask. In a decisive. Manor in such moments. However. It is the constancy of heroism. Over the long haul i am referring to here. Their heroism. I am lifting up. Today. Is the heroism. That often goes unrecognized. An unrewarded. The heroism that requires. Spiritual discipline. Day in and day out. The type of heroism. That you and i can participate in. As we engage our world. The type of heroism. That often requires the eyes of faith. To envision the world as. We hope it. Tubi. The sharps. Neverfull inu. What would become of those 3,500 families. That they had helped get out of nazi-occupied europe. 67 years later. What has become of their children's children. That enjoy. The gift of life. Because the sharp. Call. With their grandparents. And got them out of harm's way. Doctor hines. Might never know. Which of the children now growing up healthy. We'll go on to do some incredible feet. For her community. Her world. Androzene. We'll never know how many young teens. Will now reach adulthood. Because he spoke a word. Of nonviolence. Add a crucial. Decisive. And we as people are face. May never know. What the long-term effect of a work. To create a fordable housing in san diego. Will being for the people who live there. Open clean elections become a reality. What will be its full positive impact. On the future of our community. Yeah. These two. Our heroic act. Of justice making. That require spiritual discipline. To always keep. Sephora. Division. What could be. It is a spiritual. It is a spiritual discipline. To keep that vision before us. And not despair. Princess back. Occur. True heroes. Live in face. Of the vision vasey for their world. The sharps. Lived in faith. That people were to live free and not oppressed. Behind living faith. Set children. Receive medical care. Camisa and selects live in face. That our society can be. Free. Violence. It is these very same visions of a just world that we unitarian universalist. Also strive. Bring into. Reality. These are the only hands we have. To create the beloved community. The call is not to go out. And start a non-profit. Or travel. To a far country. Children. The call. Is to use your talents. For the most good. And allow the journey. To take you where you are needed. That journey. Ken's here. In san diego. I'm in.

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julie11_27_05.mp3

Ic3. And i think to myself what a wonderful world. And i think to myself what a wonderful. I hear babies cry. And i think to myself what a wonderful world. And i think to myself what a wonderful world. Whenever i have guests in my kitchen. They're likely to comment on my rather large. Magnets collection. On my refrigerator. I've been collecting them for years ever since my daughter was little and we used to play with those big plastic letters. Once she could spell the basic words including her name. Then we got creative and started inventing words of our own. Eventually we graduated to one of those poetry refrigerator sets. Maybe you've seen them. One of the magnets. On my way frigerator came back to me. From my father's house after he died several years ago. It had been a gift. From me to him. The magnet says. Blessed are we who laugh at ourselves for we shall never cease to be amused. I remember the moment i saw it in the gift shop and i knew it right away it was the perfect gift for my dad. Basically for two reasons. One is that my father. Had a really corny sense of humor and he wasn't shy at all about using it. Maybe you know somebody like this in your life. He often admitted to being a corny guy kind of like he was proud of it and he would go around shamelessly telling the same jokes. 4 years. To anyone and everyone who would at least even appear to be listening. He knew it was a little annoying but he chose to do it anyway. Because really. He just like to help people laugh. Or maybe he did it to annoy people i'm not sure. In retrospect. I think my father also needed to tell silly jokes. Because. Over the years that actually help them. Get through hard times. And there were plenty of those. There were plenty of times he found himself in situations like most of us if not all of us. At certain points in our lives. When he simply had no idea. What he would do next. Just to make it through. My parents. Had. A marriage. That ended in a tumultuous divorce. My mother wanted to protect me. From the bitterness between them. And so i grew up separated from my father from the age of two. Until i met him briefly. When i was 11. For many years even after that. My father would only get in touch with me on an infrequent basis. And i admit it was hard for me to give him a chance. I only visited him a few times in my life. It wasn't until my father was fighting lung cancer. That we really began to get closer. And what would become our monthly phone calls. In addition to my father having lost to second wife to cancer a few years before. My father took care of my grandmother. For nearly 15 years during her failing health. Including the time of his cancer treatment. There were many times indeed. When he just didn't know. What you would do to make it through. My father didn't go to church even though his mother had been a founding member of st anne's episcopal. In the town where he was born and spent most of his life. But my father did have. Athanasius faith. In one of the ways he seemed to hang on to it. With with that corny sense of humor of his. The second reason that that magnet was so perfect for him. With that one of his fangs. Was that when he didn't know what to do. He pray on it. And hope to find the answer posted on the refrigerator door the next morning. He never did find a piece of paper under a magnet with a perfect advice. But it kept him going. Prayer. And corny jokes. As we find ourselves in the midst of yet another holiday season. I'm reminded frequently. How difficult this time is. For many of us. Just below the sparkling lights and glistening decorations bringing the feel of winter to a place in perpetual summer. There's something amiss. Just underneath. The list making of gifts and parties and places to shop. Is a restlessness of spirit. It has something to do with a perennial challenges of this season. Many of us experience a deep recognition that the pressures of the holidays. Seems somehow to be in a fundamental contradiction. To the original religious and spiritual purposes. Within the celebrations. Of thanksgiving. Christmas. Hanukkah. In kwanzaa. How do we celebrate a harvest meal. As we're also trying to watch her weight. How do we celebrate a meal with our family. As we sink. Of the hundreds of thousands of families displaced from their homes and loved ones this year. By katrina. How do we celebrate a message of peace on earth among all peoples. When we are a nation at war. How do we celebrate ancient miracles. When the day-to-day political struggles in our world seems to never end. How do we celebrate. Families and communities. Becoming self-determining and financially viable when we see a growing disparity. Hopewell. Vix the holiday season is rife with contradiction. If we allow ourselves to think about it too long. It's a real challenge. For many of us to stay in touch. With what is most meaningful. In the holiday season. Even optimists are known to experience melancholy at this time of year and i don't think it's just about how much daylight we have. I know that for me while we were growing up. Our family never match the image of the traditional one celebrating holidays. And so for years and years. We have found our own ways. I'm celebrating. For example when i was in the restaurant business there were lots of thanksgiving where anyone who is not going home for any reason whatsoever would gather together and we'd have huge. Potluck feast. I also think about. The thanksgiving when i just started seminary a few years ago and my daughter and i had moved to berkeley we didn't know anyone. And so. We decided to get a couple of those. Jumbo turkey tv dinners. As an alternative. I think. We as unitarian universalist. Have a creative license when it comes to the holidays. I encourage you. To think creatively. Tree this season. And find your own ways. A keeping in touch. With what is most meaningful in your life. And the current issue of the uu world magazine there's an article about our shared faith as you use it highlights. The result of a us commission on appraisal study. Trying to find. Common ground among ruu theological diversity. There were a handful of. The findings that i think are important for us as we think about the holidays one is that as a people of faith. We believe that experience our experience of the world. Matters much more than our belief. Especially when. Believe. That we are asked to. Except contradict. Our own experience. We value our free face because it encourages us to recognize our own authenticity and integrity. And. Encourages us to compose our own faith that articulates what we. Value most. As you used were deeply touched by the interconnection of all life. It leads us to cherish the earth. And recognize that we humans. Have created. Most of the injustice is on this earth. And it's up to us. Our responsibility. To stuart our resources. Into address. Suffering in our world. By creating just. Wherever we can. Bonner are covenants. Rather than a creed that keeps us together we choose to be in community. And. We. Value what it is that each of us has to teach and learn from each other the popularity of covenant groups is an indication of that in our uu congregation. One of the core values found in the study was that more than anything we value our relationship. With each other. We're characterized as curious. Imaginative. And we aspire. To be open-minded. And open-hearted. Interfaith. With hope and human potential. To create a commonwealth of god as it used to be referred to. And more recently we like to say the beloved community. Do you recognize any of the qualities listed here. That you hold dear. I see many of the same values reflected in the lyrics of louis armstrong song what a wonderful world. My father was a big fan of louis. He was a jazz astorian and the son of a jazz musician who was a contemporary. Of armstrong's it was that kind of ever optimistic. Attitude. And faith in the goodness of people. That help my dad through the hard years. You see my father spent most of my life. Wondering if he'd ever see me again. He worked very hard to make up for lost time with me. And if you couldn't tell by now he succeeded for the most part. It was a huge gift. For both of us. In this holiday season and whenever it happens in our lives. When heartbreak. Comes our way. Do we harden our hearts and retreat and call back from the fullness of life. Or. Can we find a way. Could gently except. The brokenness of our world. And to keep our hearts open. To the fullness of life. With all its tragedy. It's mystery. And it's joy. To the holiday season minniva. Will be wrestling with the perennial challenges of either being in a family or outside of the family. And so may we celebrate. The genuine friendship. Instead found. Caring that we experience in our lives wherever they may happen. As one of the very most meaningful rituals of the season. Even when our hearts. Heartbroken. By our own limitations or the limitations of others. Even when we have done all that we know to do. And still find life broken. May we remember there is an abiding love. It has never broken faith with us. And never will. In this way. We may truly find. A way to celebrate the season. At the season. Amen and blessed be.

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fred2_26_06a.mp3

Courage. You gain strength. Courage and confidence by every experience. In which you really look. Fear in the face. You're able to say to yourself i lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along you must do the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor roosevelt. I like this candle to my mother who is in hospice care. Whose idea of a perfect mother's day. Is going to the nevada nuclear test site. To get arrested. My great-grandmother his house was up a stop in the underground railroad. Christopher reeves said when the first superman movie came out i was frequently asked. What is a gyro. My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure. In spite of overwhelming obstacles. Generosity. I would like to speak about a hero of mine errands to our stein. And he's the chief executive officer. And the owner of malden mills. And malden mills is a textile factory in lawrence. Massachusetts. And. He was celebrating his 70th birthday. And i was december 11th 1995 and i'm at date. The factory burned down. Hand. It would have been easy for him is a seventy-year-old man to retire and get the insurance payment and so forth but lawrence is a small community. Have a few thousand people and he knew that his factory was the main employer that community. So hit the next day december 12th they decided to. Rebuild. And he made assurances to the 3,000 employees. That not only would he bring them back to work and guarantee their jobs. Thought that he was going to pay them the $275 christmas bonus. Andy end up paying them for 3 months and they worked out of a warehouse. Andy continue their health benefits. And so i he just had a commitment a very religious man he had a commitment to both. State employees at work for him and for his community. And so i knew him as a hero for that reason. I also would like to raise up in our community. Ed and betty law who have. They major generous contributors to. The work that we do about financially and their involvement in the congregation. Compassion. We lived in the concentration camps can remember the men who walks through the hut. Comforting others. Giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number. But they offer sufficient proof. The everything can be taken from a man but one thing. The last of the human freedoms. To choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances. To choose one's own way. Viktor frankl. Wisdom. There are two things about wisdom. There's knowing something important. And then there's the ability to communicate it. My heroes are those who have wisdom. And they were able to say it so that i get it. Ron robertson. He's a wise hero of mine. And a member of this congregation. Ron always knows what is at the heart. Of the matter. And i always know what he's talking about. My father howard was another of my heroes. He was the great communicator of my life. When i was a child i thought he knew everything. As i grew older i learned there were limits. But. I always thought. But he knew the importance. Acceptance. In 1939 opera singer marian anderson. Plan to perform at constitution hall in washington dc. The daughters of the american revolution. Who owned the hall refused to let her perform because she was african-american. First lady eleanor roosevelt resigned her membership in protest. Anderson performed on the steps of the lincoln memorial instead. For an audience of 75,000 people. There are many persons ready to do what is right said anderson. Because in their hearts they know it is right. But they have at 8. Waiting for the other fellow to make the first move. And he in turn. Waits for you. The men of the person whose word means a great deal there's to take the open-hearted. And courageous way. Many others follow. In 1946. With the encouragement and support of her family. Cynthia crooks left her home in jamaica. To become the first black student attending a quaker boarding school in pennsylvania. Some of her fellow students were accepting. Those few were genuinely genuinely welcoming. Still others were quietly withdrawn from the school. You know this courageous young person as sid carpenter. A member of our church. And my mother. Do these courageous women who stood up for the right to be accepted we hold you in the light. How does one define heroism. One definition suggested by the heroism project. Is it a hero is an individual who possesses certain qualities that strengthen the fabric of society. Qualities such as integrity. Courage. Generosity. Compassion. Wisdom. And acceptance. What's digest-eeze words and their meanings for just a moment. Integrity. A steadfast adherence to one's values. Courage. A stance of the spirit. Enables one to face danger or adversity. Generosity altruism. A willingness to give of oneself for the good of others. La seeking nothing in return. Compassion. A deep awareness of and concern for the circumstances of others. Love. Wisdom. The discernment of truth. Insight. And acceptance. Knowing deeply within oneself that the differences between individuals. Uphold their beauty. And worse. Indignity. A group of 10 students in the graduate school of journalism at uc berkeley. Which direction to explore the american notion of the hero. Selecting those individuals whom they deemed to deserve the title. They thought it would be easy. For ours is a land of heroes. Davy crockett. Martin luther king jr.. John f kennedy. Muhammad ali gloria steinem and many others. Their definition included courage. Strength. Humility. And a concern for the greater good. They also noted that in the context of the history of heroism in american culture we might add the qualities of independence. And ingenuity. Some individuals that have been considered heroic they realized. We're busier than their time but might not pass muster now with their proposed definition. For example. Davy crockett might not be considered a hero today. He chased away the indians rape the land and killed animals. But he was a hero to another time. Malcolm x is another example of a heroic individual who was nevertheless perceived as threatening by many in his time. Ultimately each individual in the group of students. Had to dig into their own core values to identify what makes someone heroic. Dr. andrew bernstein philosopher and novelist rights. But he wrote is an individual of elevated moral stature. And superior ability who pursues his goals undaunted in the face of powerful antagonist. Because of his unbreached devotion to the good no matter the opposition. A hero a teen's spiritual grandeur. Even if he fails to achieve practical victory. A hero's life is an unbroken and inviolable series of actions. Taken in accordance with his own principles. In the teeth of any obstacle with which nature or others may confront him. So we may surmise. That who we uphold as heroic. Various with the changing values of our society. And but it is less important whether they win in their cause. And more important that they stand strong in that cause against any difficulty. This leads us to an important question. What is the purpose of our holding up certain individuals as exemplars. Why do we need heroes. Author william thomas suggest. That it is not necessarily to promote self-sacrifice even though this may at first seem to be cord to the notion of heroism. Rather we look to these individuals to be reminded of what it is to live our lives completely and passionately. To do whatever it is that we do with strength and pride. Undaunted by the many distractions and difficulties which life offers. Oneapp tags ample comes from the events of september 11th 2001. From the evidence available it appears that the individuals who took action on board flight 93. Did so believing that they would end the conflict and go safely home. They did what they believed was right in that moment. Not to be a hero. But simply because it was the right thing to do. This is courage. The kind that thomas notes requires comprehension of the risk involved. Met with an acceptance of that risk. In a similar fashion the firefighters on september 11th went into those towers. Not expecting their imminent collapse. Not seeking to be heroes. But trying to save lives. Because that is what their passion and skill had led them to do. It seems that very often being a hero is not something an individual sets out to do. But something that an individual becomes. Because she chooses to follow her path with string. And passion. One writer says. A true hero is someone who wants to make a difference. Who never gives up and she gives everything she has no matter the circumstances. A true hero works hard and never loses sight of her dreams. And another. True heroism is remarkably sober very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost. But the urge to serve. Others. At whatever cost. And we are reminded by yet another. That we. Are the heroes. Of our own stories. Same to yourself. If there is any good thing that i can do. Or any kindness. That i can show to any human being. Let me do it now. Let me not defer it or neglect it. For i may not pass this way again.

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oneill3_26_06.mp3

I'm so pleased. 2. Introduce our guest. Preacher. Rev dr. patrick o'neal. Dr. anil graduated with a. Dr. ministry degree in 1979. I know that date because i too graduated from meadville lombard theological school in 1979 with patrick. But the doctor of ministry degree. Arborist. Parishes we're right next door to each other. Patrick. Is an old. And cherished. Friend. He served churches in yakima and kirkland washington. Framingham massachusetts. And wilmington. Delaware he's a recipient of many honors. And awards. Including. Cuu a stewardship sermon of the year award. And the unitarian universalist. Service committee vision for justice. Sermon award. He currently serves as men. Ministerial fellowship committee. Or fred will be next week. And. He's a wonderful preacher. And a good friend. I brought a reading for you this morning written by. Our friend and colleague the reverend libby stoddard. Of our unitarian universalist church in lafayette indiana. Maybe right. What i wonder about a lot is. Why churches. Or temples or mosques. In the first place. Surely it was all done as well at stonehenge. Under the open sky. Surely there are other ways. To give away our money. To hear. Great ideas together. To work together. To worship together what i wonder about a lot is. That there are a great many people who don't come here. Or to any other temples or churches or. Mosques and they don't go to stonehenge either. And you know they seem to live. Okay. And they probably end up with more money in free time than we ever do. So this place. Can't be essential to life. Like food and water and sleep. And love. Injustice. What i wonder about a lot is. What we would do with all our questions. If we weren't here. Where else would we find. So many names. For god. For joy. For fun. For destiny. For the agony and. Hope of life to be express. If we were not here. With whom. Would we share. Help. Hope. Love. Aptitude ineptitude. Joys and sorrows mark the passages of life. If we were not. Here. Today. Together. I want to begin by thanking my. Friend arvid for the invitation to come and speak to you and your. Beautiful meeting house this morning. Believe me there is no. Greater act of trust. By any minister. Then to invite a colleague. Into one's pulpit. On canvas sunday. The pressure is on here folks. Barberton i have. Ben francis he said for. More than 30 years. Going back to when we were. Cindy classmates in theological school in. Chicago and later. Student ministers baby ministers together in the. Great pacific northwest. Orbit is. Quite simply. The best kind of friend and colleague to have in this life. And i hope you are privileged to have such a friend. In your own life. As i. Think about some of the moments. In my life when i have laughed the hardest and wept. The most deeply. My friend arvid was there to share that with me. It's. Great privilege to be with you today. Been great fun to be with him and sonia. This weekend and also i get to visit with tom and carolyn do until tonight. Also long time. Prince. And now i hear that marjorie bowen's wheatley is coming to your church. Play i'll say one thing for you guys you know how to pick ministers week. So you got up this morning and. You remember that it was canvas sunday. Can you vaguely recalled from the newsletter that some guests minister that you don't know. Was going to be in the pulpit. And you came to church anyway. Well good for you. Your presence here today is 1. Wonderful. Indication that this congregation is important to you. An important to people that you love. I want to reflect with you just a bit this morning on. What it is about these. Unique. Little communities called congregations. That we choose to affirm. In the first place and why these little institutions like this. Continue to be. Important in our lives and clamar. Loyalty over the years. For indeed as libby stoddard says. This place. Can't be essential to life. Not like. Food and water and sleep. And love. Injustice. Or can it. Can it be that important. To who we are because let's face it you probably drove past. Two or three or four different houses of worship. To get here. This morning. I often think we ministers what to give that. Same announcement that flight attendants give when you land at the airport we realize you had your choice of airlines incoming to san diego this morning. And we thank you for choosing southwest. Well we are to say we realize you had your choice of. Places to worship this morning. Can we thank you for choosing this great unitarian universalist church. As your place of worship. Today at your place of worship week in and week out. Month after month year after year this place becomes. Very very dear and important to you. It will probably not. Surprised many of you to know that as a minister. I have a great. Personal fondness for churches and. Temples of all kinds. I mean for houses of worship in general the buildings. Where religious groups congregate for whatever form of. Worship they practice. I love churches. Temples most monasteries. Schranz wayside chapel. Of all kinds. From the most grandiose an ornate. To the smallest and most humble i find them all to be. Fascinating places. I always have. I have never in fact meta professional clergyperson yet. Minister priest rabbi or imam. Who did not have a similar. Feeling of appreciation. Four houses of worship. I imagine we're a bit like. Artist. Who enjoy. Being in other artists studios. Just to see what it feels like. As my family can tell you i cannot go by. A new church or temple without stopping. And trying the front door to see if i can get just a peek inside. And if perchance the door is open. And i have the opportunity. To look around i will prowl all over the place. I will know everything about it in about 20 minutes. I read all the plaques and. Dedication plates i look at all the windows i. Well. Crawl around up in the choir loft if i get the chance i will sit at the organ. Even though i don't play the oregon just to get a feel for it. I will sit in the pews so i will kneel on the kneeler if there are any. And if there are candles to be lit i will. Light a candle in memory of my grandmother. And i will say a prayer that she taught me when i was. A little boy and she used to drag me into such places. You can tell a lot. About a church or a temple. Just by sitting there. Quietly by yourself for a few minutes. You can tell a lot just by experiencing. The light. In the room. Or the acoustics. Of place. The but the visual aesthetics the balancing. Symmetry. Of the place i always try to imagine. What kind of people worship there. And what kind of god. Might be honored there. I do check out the view from the choir loft. And if i get a chance to i also. Climb up and stand in the pulpit. Just for a minute. I don't touch anything you know. Test to see how. How it handles in on the curves you know. See what this baby can do up here. Ministers say i often wonder what i would say if anyone caught me doing that. Clergy of course understand this about each other. But church custodian. They frown upon people trespassing. In their pulpits to this point in my life i've been. Privilege to visit o a seven or eight countries not as many as. Some of you world travelers in our midst i know but. I have been privileged to visit. Some of the most famous and most beautiful places of worship in the world. In america. Visited the cathedral saint john the divine and of course saint patrick's in. New york city in. The great white marble national cathedral in washington. In california and redwood forests north of. San francisco perhaps you've been there too i. Once worshipped in its end monastery building. That was. Octagonal in shape. And made completely by hand. Of polished rosewood. Biogen master who also happened to be. A master carpenter. That building has not one nail. In it. In canada. Vintage notre dame. Church in montreal. With its ornate. Hand carved wood. Cancel that beautiful church of. Perfect acoustics where. Pavarotti. Once recorded his christmas concert. In spain. Studying the great cathedral of sevilla. Where christopher columbus is buried. I visited the great mosque in cordoba. With its 1,000. Marble pillars know two of them. Carved. Exactly the same indesign. And i've worshipped in christopher wren's magnificent. Cathedral of saint paul's and. In westminster in london net. Great. Chapel where it seems every notable in british history is buried. And of course i've been to magnificent notre dame in paris. Tucson chappelle and sacre-coeur. Also in the city of life i've been to san marcos. In venice. To the duomo in florence. And st peter's in vatican city. I love all these places. Knifehead religious experiences literally in all of them. But the one who loves churches love. Holy places history and. Classical architecture. To me the most beautiful and impressive of them all. Is the 800 year old cathedral. In shark. In france. Nothing i had. Read or study prepared me for the sheer beauty. Of shark cathedral it sits in the midst of an agrarian. Countryside with no high-rise buildings around it or. Anywhere near as we approached it one. Spring day. Driving from the south it rose up from. 10 miles away. And we saw it as i imagined pilgrims. Of the 13th century sauce. As they walked from all over europe to visit shark. It was an aesthetic. Experience in every way just to be inside. That building to walk the labyrinth. On the floor. But above all. It was the light. The softness and texture of the light. As it filtered through gorgeous. Glass windows. Red and green and blue and gold. More than 800 years ago all still. Vibrant with color. It was the light above all. That i. Remember from shot the light from 160. 7 windows imagine. Two stories of them around the entire. Cathedral all shapes roses. Oculi lancets. Each one of those windows. A masterpiece. Of beauty and workmanship leaded together. Transcending time. Transcending. Space some of those windows. Had stated ever-so-slightly. With the sunlight of eight centuries. Of summer. Imagine 8th century. Of sunrises. And sunsets. It was the light. That i remember in shark. But those windows did to it. What they created. With it they wrapped you in color. They turned. The cold hardiness of granite stone flooring into a kind of. Colored liquid. Carpet. Those windows were each impossibly beautiful. And intricate piece together. To form and illustrate epic stories from. Scripture stories from the old testament stories. From the lives of the saints stories from the life of christ. Stories from the prophets. Stories. From the whole history. Of christendom. And judaism. Each window. In a medieval cathedral is a kind of story book. An artistic rendering for worshippers. And pilgrims of a far-off. Preliterate culture. In a time before printing presses. When faith. And the essence of spirituality was. Passed along through oral teaching. Or true stories. And terrible. Through music yes and. True visual art to architecture itself. Not far inside the cathedral i. Found myself standing at the foot of one soaring magnificent. Window with hundreds of pieces of. Mosaic glass leaded together a bowl. Different colors. It seemed to me to recount the entire old testament it was so. Elaborate and exquisite. At the very bottom of the window. In one. Spring that was in the corner of the window. Showed. A cobbler. A shoemaker. Huddle's over his workbench. It didn't seem to go with the rest of the. Story being told in the window. And one guide saw me studying this. Image. This is the shoemaker's window. He explained to me. It was installed in the year 1201. And it is considered one of the most beautiful windows in the cathedral. In fact it was the gift. Village shoemakers. From every village in france. Who each contributed. Whatever they could even the smallest coins. The smallest. Tents. To commission this work of art. For god's house. The royalty and the. Wealthiest. Noble szafranski continue gave. Some of the windows in this church. But this particular window is the gift of the shoemaker's. Another window was given by the. Village water carriers. Of every village in france. The butchers. Of the villages gave another. When do the fishmongers. Gabe one. The vine growers in. Tanners. Gave windows in the same. Men. As did the masons. And furriers and draper's and weaver. Cooper's send. Carpenters in cartwright. The blacksmiths of every village in france. Gable window. Hat makers gave one. The apothecary scape one. These windows many of them. Said my guide were given one mosaic. At a time. Piece by piece. Coin by coin. By people who wanted nothing more than to contribute something beautiful. To laugh. The ages. How i wish i could. Transport everyone of you. Too short cathedral this morning. To see what those. Working people from all the little towns and villages of all over france were able to give. Today at grace national church. And hence to all the pilgrims of. 8 centuries. Like me. Who have visited. There and stood in that light. The irony is that these. Majestic windows which are the very symbol of medieval greatness in art and architecture beyond value today. The great irony is that these were mostly the gif. Common people. Not the provenance of the wealthy or nobility. My guide explained. As i pondered. What i might say to you this morning to get across tonight. Concrete image what your support of. This church. On celebration sunday means. What your individual place. In the life of this great mosaic. Congregational life is it's that shoemakers window. That kept coming back. To my mind. Can we talk about supporting our. Churches in this we are all the same. Any congregation. From the largest cathedral to the smallest thing. Salinas chapel. Is always the gift. Of the common people. Who supported. It's the gift of. People who love. That congregation love that place. To work for and supported. As they are able. Each of us at our own level of ability. To be generous. And to support. It's the love. Of its congregation. That ultimately makes any of these buildings. A church. Aurora temple. Or meetinghouse takes an ordinary. Building an ordinary structure and makes a b. At sanctuary. A holy place. A place where amazing things happen. Every week. When people gathered there. A community that transcends time. Am i nearly 30 years as a minister time and again i have been. Humble. By the loving loyalty in this stunning generosity. Of spirit. Which people hold for their churches. Two little stories i'd like. In particular to share with you this morning the first story i tell with the. Permission of one of my church members in delaware. Couple of years ago she called me one morning while i was on vacation. Oh. No greater love. While i was on vacation. And she said. That it was really important that she talked to me that day could we. Meet for coffee. Over a cup of coffee my friend told me an amazing story of. Good fortune that has happened to her. And her family it turns out that her grandfather. On the farm. In the middle of the state of delaware. Where recently. Two new interstate highways. Have met. And that particular form was bought by the bank of america. To put their new world headquarters on. So suddenly her grandfather's farm. Was a source of rather significant wealth for. Her and her sisters. They lived modestly their grown children wear. All provided for and she wanted to give the church a gift. I suppose it could wait till i die to do this. She said. It might be more economically advantageous to my family to do so. But i would like to see the church. Do something good. While i'm around to see it. And with that she handed me a check. 42 million-dollar. Just another day at the office. Don't ask me what the second largest gift is i ever got. A check for $2000000 it's an unrestricted capital gift. She said which i hope. The church will use to build its new sanctuary. She was crying as she announced this to me. And i asked her why she was crying. And phyllis said because. This feels. Even better. Tonight. Tell the two of us sat there crying and. Laughing into our coffee for the afternoon. It was that gift that enabled our church to purchase in fact and adjacent. Piece of property in. Where in the next few years we hope to see a new sanctuary built. I want to tell you another kind of story altogether a flipside of. Generosity and resources if you will. As you might guess from my name patrick thomas aquinas o'neill. I am not a born-and-raised unitarian universalist. Might as well know that up front what the heck. I grew up in an irish catholic family and a lot of what i know about. Church community i first learned by watching. The folks who were part of the working-class catholic parish. Where i grew up in new jersey. This particular story is about a man in our church. Whose name was still. Bill with an immigrant labor. Who worked as a longshoreman on the docks in new york city. When i was a little boy i would see him. Walking home from. Work after getting off the bus and he had one of those. Hooks that longshoreman used to have. Out of his back pocket. Used grapple bale. And whatnot. He lived across the street from the church with his wife in. Seven children he was a devout churchman. When year. My mother says i was probably about 10 years old at the time. Bill in fact was laid off of work. Due to a strike on the dock. He was unable. To pay his financial pledge to the church. Now. This was a serious blow. Two bills pride. He knew it was a poor parish that needed all the. Contributions it could get. So as my mother years later told me the story. Bill went to the pastor. Any volunteer to contribute his services. As the unpaid. Night custodian. For the church school. Attached to the church. Until he was able to. A ford again to resume his financial. Pledge to the church it's something the church needs he said. And instead of paying for this service. The church can use its money. To do good work. Sweet evening bill worked for. Several hours. For no pay. Sweeping and mopping funny school classrooms. And double hallways and long staircases. Every night. On snowy days and those years before snow blowers. Still got up early to shovel the church. School sidewalks. Before the children arrive for classes. Unable. To contribute financially to his church. He found a working man's way. To contribute. His fair share to the church that he loved. The dock strike ended. Some months later and fill with able once again. To resume his. Full-time day job and resume his financial pledge. To the church. But he decided. That in addition to his financial pledge. He would continue working. As the unpaid knights custodian of the church. Which he did. For the next. 30 years. I know this story is true because bill was my dad. And i remember going. With him to help him. Do that work and complaining the whole time. My dad never complained. Here is. What i know. About. These communities of faith these precious. Rare life-changing institutions that we call. Churches they touch people. And they are meaningful to people in ways that most of us. Cannot even begin to guess at. Even those of us who have been longtime experienced leaders. Of the church. For many years a church is finally nothing more than its people. And what they bring to it. Their face. Their love their collective hopes and dreams. Their memories and their customs. Their history their prayers. Their good work their children. Their values. It's where they come to name their babies. To marry their children. To bury their parents and their grandparents. There is no more profound work. In the world. And what community we are able to create here. For ourselves. It's like that great stained glass. Window piece together. Painstakingly let it together. With love. With enduring patience. With experience together each one of us shoemakers. Cobblers. Candlestick maker. Lawyers. Built business people. Nurses teachers. Social workers. Homemakers. Each one of us bringing. One more mosaic. To the whole. That's all we have to give. It's all we're ever asked for. John wolf the minister emeritus of our church in tulsa. Once bro you know there is only one reason. Joining a unitarian universalist church. That's to support it. You want to support it. Because. You find hear a church that stands against. Superstition and fear in a time and a world where superstition and fear. Divider. So dangerous. So precipitously. You want to support it because this church. Represent what is novelist and theft. In our human desire. Define community because it's open. Women and men of every stripe. No matter where they come from no matter their race. Creed color place of origin. Is sexual orientation. No matter whom they love. Why they come. On sunday morning. What are rare institution that is. Think about it. So you came to church this morning and. You knew you were going to be asked to think about your pledge for the next year. And you probably talked it over with your household and you decided on some kind of an amount based on what you would giving last year. Cancel all i ask you to do in the. Few minutes when we're playing music to pledge by. Think about that figure that you came thinking you were going to give to your church. And ed. A little bit to it. Give a little more. To make the good things. At this church. Stan's would make those things. Let me give you a little closing. Light story. It's the story about the church of scotland minister. In the highlands of scotland who won. He was a teetotaler himself and he gave escaping if totally ineffective sermon. About the evils of drinking to his. Congregation. And the following week he and all his neighbors were. Invited to a harvest feast. At the manor. Of the of the area's richest farmer lord macgregor. What's his name. No. Lord mcgregor's farm was fame not only for the fine barley and oats. That grew there but also for the fine cherry brandy that lord macgregor himself bottles every year. And after this magnificent feast in fact each guest. Was offered just a wee dram. Of the fine. Cherry brandy. And the parson. Not wishing to offend his host. Did indy taste. The cherry brandy and found it to be. Quite delicious. In fact afterwards he asked the lord privately if you might have a case of the fine brandy delivered to the parsonage. And lord macgregor said he was delighted to do so on one condition. That's a parson write a public thank you. On the front page of the church newsletter. So the parson thought about it for a moment and indeed. He agreed to do so the next morning not one but. Two cases. Of the fine brandy where delivered to the parsonage. And true to his word the parson wrote the following thank you on the front page of the newsletter. The person wishes to thank laird macgregor. For his wonderful gift. A fruit. To the parsonage this week. But even more. We thank the lord for the fine spirit in which it was given.

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lindyramsden10_9_05.mp3

Thanks acquire the lovely keith i understand they're going to rearrange themselves down here for the closing. The closing song but i am not to wait then to dive in. It is a pleasure to be able to join with all of you for working this morning. And i want to thank julian reverend julian particular. Those who have helped to make. The meeting of our board of directors yesterday here on your campus so accommodating we had rides to and from the airport and put me up last night and. Help with food in arrangements all the rest of it so thank you for for your hospitality. There are dimensions during the story about 80 congregations unitarian universalist in the state and there are. Large ones like yourself in our urban centers. And then there are some small liberal outpost. In very rural landscape. I'm reminded of our congregation in modesto for example that showed up on internet communications people being thrilled that a whole bunch of people beeping their horns and downtown modesto and i can assure you that the marriage equality people were blown away and and just so excited to have the hospitality out in the hinterland. Some of you may know prior to assuming this responsibility with auu legislative ministry i served one of the city congregations are coronavirus in san jose. And like your congregation our congregation was. Known in the community as a place that was trying to walk at the park that had a visible social justice ministry that was. Connect to come if they were interested in putting their faith in the practice. But. We also were in a way unitarian-universalist island. When is kansas local justice work. While we were engaged with interstates. Network. Labor coalition the pico network we had not developed a collaboration with other unitarian universalist congregation. In our county and larger region. Universalist congregation in our area seems to come up with its own social justice ministry priorities independently. And if we happened to end up at the same interfaith coalition or showed up in a demonstration and noticing another unitarian-universalist sign across the crowd it was more like a pleasant coincidence rather than a result of intentional strategy. It is really important that our congregations are engaged in interfaith and multi-ethnic collaboration in our local areas. Particularly in the arenas of economic and racial justice. However mark interfaith coalition because they do include more conservative religious communities. Some of the more contentious social issues of the day. Reproductive choice or equal rights for same gender couples. I want at the pico national training this past summer which was. Fortunately hound in california. And for those of you not familiar with kiko the nipples originally sued for pacific institute of community organizing now they're doing lots of organizing in florida louisiana and many other places so they sorted in their name to peco. And there are multiple congregational network in california who are part of the pico network including the one here in san diego the san diego organized organizing project or scop of which your congregation is a part. Do i have the chance to go to the seco national training. And i found the experience both inspiring and exhilarating and a bit disheartening. It was inspiring in the sense that. They're doing great work and is very effective techniques including the listing campaign that you all are embarking on right now. In order to identify and train local leaders in the arc of civic engagement. And it's inspiring with the examples of accomplishments that they have. Collectively put together increasing funding for affordable housing in many communities. Working on a sable same children's health insurance in many local counties in california and we've been working on it together trying to get this in place at the state level unfortunately the governor vetoed it on friday but we're going to give it one more try is coming legislative session. But in spite of all the inspiring techniques and accomplishments i also was. Departing then i found it. Painful. Set a timer in a progressive religious voice is desperately needed to stand up for the gay lesbian bisexual and transgender families who are being attacked by initiatives all across the country. Another time when in our own state of california we will be facing a vote on the june 2006 ballot to amend the state constitution. 2 take away all domestic partnership rights and responsibilities. And to make it against the constitution to allow same-gender marriage. I found it disheartening that at such a time of pointed attack. Dialogue about that issue which resides within religious communities was essentially off-limits in that interface settings. And it was a reminder to me. Definitely important. To be a part of the congregation bais organizing network like pico or gamaliel or the industrial areas foundation it is important to show up and do that work it's also important to organize ourselves. Define other progressive religious voices with whom we can link. As you know the unitarian universalist. Have long had a tradition of recognizing. Same-gender couples who would like to get married we've been marrying things in a couples in california for about. 30 or more years. That is one of the areas that the new legislative ministry decided to take on as a priority. And i want to thank all of you who helped us in february around valentine's day of this last year make handmade valentine. Which we collected in our office in sacramento and 22 governor's office we had 3800 handmade valentine from useless all across our state. Moment. And they gave us an entree into the governor's office to talk with. Is the director of external affairs. And then later. About a week and a half or so ago i got a call just out of the blue from the governor's scheduling secretary saying we were wondering if you would consent to come to a meeting with the chief of staff. Of the governor and the governor's senior staff members to join with accuweather. Statewide leaders who are allies and supporters. The gay and lesbian community. And. Sure i will be happy to go to that meeting and we did have a very interesting two-hour-long meeting. At the end of which. The governor's scheduling secretary said to me and threw the head of the council of churches who have joined me at that meeting. It is so important that the religious community stand up on this issue. Because we hear very very strongly from religious communities who did not. Support this issue. Thank you so much for being here and thank you for all the work you were doing. I want to offer that thank-you back out to all of you and all the other uu congregation said have helped. To allow us to create a space to bring our values to the table in sacramento. I'm here in a sense to suggest bed. In addition to participating in local interfaith relationships. We need when we ask eritrean universalist can join hands and jump in the pool together we make a much bigger splash. When we collaborate. We have a better chance of empowering and leveraging the principles that we hold so dear. God knows that there is much in the state and nation that cries out. For healing. In some ways it's an auspicious time to be organizing a legislative ministry. If you were watching the tv. Probably had your own heart cheered by the images that were coming out after hurricane katrina it was like. Closet door of the country was blown open with profound lee disturbing images of structural racism and grinding poverty thrust into the public eye. Reminded me a bit of the images that we saw during the civil rights movement. When will conor and police were attacking peaceful protesters with fire hoses and dog cesar images that no amount of official rhetoric can sanitize. So it is with hurricane katrina as well. To quote the conservative columnist david brooks. Flood washing away the surface of society settles way things have been done. Tickles the underlying power structures the injustice has the patterns of corruption and the unacknowledged inequalities. Conditioning in addition to opening wallet all over the country and reacquainting us with the energy of compassion. Katrina can help us to have a conversation about the function in the role of government. Chicken reawakened dialogue in a sense of shared responsibility for eradicating with structural under underpinnings of persistent poverty. Then we will have taken a tragedy and use it to move our nation forward. Indeed the impulse to take on country back is definitely not dead cornel west. Wrote and i quote just doesn't look as if we were about to lose the american democratic experiment in the face of the civil war in the 1860s. Imperial greed in the 1890s. Economic depression in the 1930s. And racial upheaval in the 1960s. In each of these. the democratic awakening and activist energy emerged to keep our democratic project afloat. We must work and hope. Perception awakening once again. But we know that. Systemic change does not happen by accident. It's a result of effective organizing. Shuffle was a reminder of how effectively religious conservatives have organized to influence the values of the community. The electorate and those defense office. Robert reich who was the former secretary under clinton and an economics professor back in brandeis. I've been out teaching at the university of california and berkeley this past year. And one of his public policy students is a member of the you church in san mateo. And she came up to me on the sunday after i had spoken in their congregation and she said you know what robert reich had to stay in our class last week. Unless it was what that what did he say. She said. You look out of the class and he said. What happened to the religious left. We are welcome the religious right what happened to the religious what happened to the coalition that led the civil rights movement. Could pick up the mantle of clergy and laity concerned. Those which led the religious opposition to the war in vietnam. What happened to church leadership that created a moral platform from which to fight a war on poverty. Indeed any effort to address long-term systemic injustice faith has always been a critical and i would say necessary components. From universal has to work to abolish slavery because it was inconsistent with the love of god for every person. The reverend thomas starting kings don't work to keep california on the side of the union during the civil war when the confederate flag was flying over los angeles. Struggle to obtain minimal protection for industrial workers. In the early 1900s. To doctor king's spiritual leadership of the civil rights movement and his opposition to vietnam war. The impact of the progressive religious community has been profound. What happened. Perhaps repelled by the tactics of the so-called moral majority. Or perhaps drained by the secular left. Dial organizing that ignores the underlying need for meaning and spiritual health. Personal family time and balance in one's life. During the 80s and the 90s those of liberal and moderate religious persuasion. More private terms of spirituality. Turning inward. 40%. What kind of. Spontaneous. Reactive protest response. Do the issues of the day. Rather than investing in ongoing organizing. Innocents the absence of the more progressive and moderate religious communities. Beaded the currency and language of morality and religious values in the public square to the religious right. In the past 10 years that's how it has been turning. Largely driven by labor and community organizers to spa untapped potential and congregations and reached out to make common cause. And more recently by religious communities and leaders themselves. Who have begun to bring a progressive morality back into the public square. What would it mean. To respect the inherent worth and dignity to foster justice and equity to reinvent true democratic access. How much weed is in a train universalist strengthen the voice. Of our uu principles in the world of public policy. Interface with members of all political parties. There are good new year's who are part of the green republican democrat libertarian. Socialist communist. Go to decline to sing. Those who are changing every election. We have every party among us and this is a good thing. But how do we find that authentic unitarian universalist voice that's beneath party affiliation stats in the bedrock of a shared moral principle. For starters we refused to separate activism from our religious grounding. The phrase that has been most helpful to me is the one that describes unitarian-universalism as a religion with a spiritual center and a civic circumference. Justice circle cannot exist without a center in a circumference with something about her face. That leads us into the public square that invites us out into civic engagement. Because when you use faith deepens develops and matures when it's put into action. Image of center and circumference of the reminder. Spirituality and action need and develop and depend on one another. Without that centurion grounding of religious ritual artistry music. And worshipping community are social justice effort into easily degenerate into becoming a purely political exercise. Enough. Makes it vulnerable to the dangers of cynicism. Despair. In a sense of being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work to be done. When we lose our spiritual center. Social justice work of a congregation. Can get marginalized. To a few individuals who will religiously come after you on sunday. With a clipboard. Asking you to find something. It becomes put out on the porch. Social justice agenda needs to be in the heart it needs to be in the living room and needs to be in the center. But if the process of our fees. Never engages that the victor conference if we. Only focus on the more private. Personal spiritual dimension without any larger commitment to or sense of responsibility for helping to shape the character of institutions be on home and family. It's an institution and a face that's becomes a kind of organized form of irresponsibility. Avoiding active engagement in the struggle. Otherworld is immoral. Brooklyn relations notice they feel complete if they're not engaged in some manner and serving the needs of others. The teachings of jesus certainly remind us that the way we welcome and treat the most vulnerable in our midst is the manner in which we welcome and treat the divine. Charitable activity is a very familiar part of religious life we know something about feeding the hungry. Housing the homeless ending aid following disaster these are all very important act because both on the giving and on the receiving end they remind us that we are interconnected. Growing poverty. Environmental degradation when inequitable access to healthcare in quality education. When inequitable access to human and civil rights when these are part of the structure that society rather than unforeseen exceptions then we know charities it's not enough it's good it's a place to start but it's not enough. We know that our state would teachers that were part of an interdependent web requires us to work for changing the policies and the structures that actually shape society. There's a classic story which i'm sure many of you know about the fellow who goes down to the river at lunch time and he's minding his own business eating a sandwich. And all the sudden he hear something funny and lo and behold. Struggling. Flashing and there's a babies. Almost drowning out there in the river and he ripped off his shoes and goes out and. Refuse the baby in. He's the hero in the town. 60 brings his friend from the office down to see where all this happened and they're sitting there minding their business and eating their lunch and. Long beholder for babies thrashing around out there in the river and they rip off their shoes and they go out and save the babies and. They come back and they're the heroes into town. Spectator hall offices down there. See what's going on. And there's 100 babies in the river and they're ripping off your shoes and saving the babies but they don't save all of them. And they are heartbroken. Said they've not been able. To keep kids. From drowning. And in the middle of that grief and confusion. Somebody asks what. The known is a bfo a blinding flash of the obvious. And maybe we ought to go upstream. Maybe we should go see why these kids are in the river. Pushing them in. What feeling. But they're falling in what's going on. And so they decided to organize. Stop. What's happening upstream. Never cursed me when i first started telling the story to carnations interstate but it could be so literal. From what we recently saw. In louisiana and mississippi. Karen gunderson hisle a leader in our sacramento community church. What you begin to think about what's a social justice ministry calling really should be at her congregation. The newer of the two congregations in sacramento and the smaller congregation. They had a ritual collecting canned goods every sunday and the kids are really involved. Which was all great that you thought you know we should be doing something more than collecting canned goods here we are wearing the 5th. Where the capital of the fifth-largest economy of california were and nathan. Commuter world. And there are policies being passed here. The impact. Who's eating and who's not. Rippling out all across our state and across the entire nation. And she thought you know. Other religious communities have our presence here at the capital there are religious conservatives holding regular bible studies for legislators. The california catholic conference the lutheran office of public policy the council of churches the friends committee on legislation they're all they're all there but where are the unitarian universalist. It seems like it's been harder for our congregations to sustained efforts and civic engagement and it has been to sustain charitable activity. Most of our congregations are involved in some manner and feeding her housing the homeless but far fewer have been organized to try and change those systems. Same with the protest in iraq. It's hard to sustain those efforts to build. Capacity for peaceful conflict resolution in between wars. Most of our congregations are involved in caring for the elderly in the ill. Visiting those in prison but far fewer are organized to influence who's in prison. Who has access to healthcare. The doctor king. So eloquently wrote love without power. Is sentimental and anemic. Love without power is sentimental and anemic. None of us want to be part of a religious faith that sentimental and anemic. We want to be able to. Figure out how to take that deep spiritual impulse to love one's neighbor. It's a bring that into more powerful position in the public arena. How did that we face is a hazard of. Worship of the individual whether it's individual person. Or the congregation in the work of social justice changed. Delete that image about rosa parks to get that tired one day and decided not to sit in the back of the bus and the civil rights movement happen. When actually you know she was a secretary nwacp she's gone to training in the highlander center they had strategically chosen her as a good person to do this. Do this action. There was a lot of work there were a lot of committee meetings and committee meetings just don't have that power of a drama in the telling of the story later on. Same thing happens with individual churches in san jose. Our church had is it part of its story in our sense of identity we were one of the congregations that refused to sign the loyalty oath during the mccarthy era took it all the way to the supreme court. Aren't we good. Motrin. it was a lot more complicated than that. Turns out there were you you ministers. Talking to one another. Collaborating and strategizing about which congregations would refuse to sign. And which congregations would sign so as to protect the livelihood in the asset. Of many of the people who is very job would have been put in jeopardy had their congregations. Refuse to sign. It was a larger collaborative strategic endeavor. Eventually helped to overturn. That unjust law. Elevate the individual whether to congregation or a person. Real change happens because that civic circumference reaches out. Beyond individual it reaches out beyond and individual congregation. The reality is that it takes. Sustained commitment. The build capacity to make change it learned its. It also depends on us learning how to take losses. And luke forwarded evan wilson says in the freedom to marry coalition. Cenotes the capacity we've built. The governor just veto two things we are working on hard. Unfortunate. And we wish you had signed the legislation for children's healthcare into the marriage bill so we have built from municipality and you have done a great job of helping to build capacity through your peacoat philly it on that children's healthcare and if it is. The legislative ministry board. Decided that he didn't want to try and be a mile wide and an inch deep. To work on everything and still not get anything accomplished. The question then becomes. What is the most important thing for unitarian universalist to work on together. You will find in your orders with service little pamphlet about our organization that including them issue surveys and we hope you'll take them home and fill them out and send them to us or go online and save us the paperwork and fill it out online. The legislative ministry board shows three areas to work in during this legislative session marriage-equality where we can provide religious leadership. Healthcare reform we can encourage multi-ethnic interfaith collaboration. And water justice an area that got very few votes in our congregation so far but they felt was an emerging issue that they wanted us to investigate. And we are in the process of organizing a curriculum to make available to congregation starting in january. By using the 34 justice work coming out of the environmental justice coalition for water. I want to invite you. At the congregation to become formally affiliated with this movement. I'd like to invite you as individual to formally join with us. I believe that together. We can make a bigger splash. When we jump in. I believe that together we will be able to leverage our talent and our capacity in ways that we have yet to even realize. It was absolutely thrilling to have fed and other young adults and older high school you joining us for a lobby day in sacramento over the spring. To have that combination of clergy and young people was a dream come true for me because it was about building an organization that can help our young people grow up to be truly engaged citizens who feel like they belong at the table and not just being raised to be sophisticated consumers. The legislative session. Came through close. In early september. And it happened. Just as that was going on.. The full moon was rising up. Hanging low and orange and kind of quizzical on horizon. It was as if it was testing line across the landscape like a celestial photographer illuminating all of california in obligingly we pause for a moment the pros for the annual portrayed. Simi valley and you don't come in a little closer there to salinas porterville okay you're hiding behind fresno. Malibu could you could you like step aside a little so we can see what. That's good ready. hold hold that person reading 123 take sheets and. Another photo. Another snapshot of california. Is added to the album 2005 photo going to show. It'll show those being given shelter from the hurricanes and those who are huge who have been homeless for decades. It will show public hospitals on the edge. And the general public increasingly uninsured. It shows those with great jobs and those without jobs and those working two jobs because one isn't enough to survive. And the legislation to raise the wage was vetoed once again. And then there are those who are simply missing from the picture. And i wonder what stories will be told to the great-great grandkids when this staff.. Is brought out of the attic how will history interpret this time in our lives. We gather in religious community that our lives may be informed by a deep and powerful love. I love that challenges us to be faithful. To our principal. That one next fall fullmoon tears are with horizon. Humate and luminate a world. In which more people will be included in the picture. Visible. And value. Healthy. Whole and holy. May the spirit of love. Be with us and among us. May the spirit of that love guide our work. In our lives in a week. Anime. And the year to come. Common.

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arvid3_19_06.mp3

Well i certainly enjoyed researching the topic of this morning's sermon. Because human sexuality is a complex. And endlessly fascinating. Topic. And i am amazed. At the many ways that human beings use their sexual energy. It's a pleasure that. Couples give to each other to. Cement the bond they have. Sometimes. It's what gets them through the hard times. And sometimes. Sax's what breaks up. Sometimes sex is about the selfish pursuit of pleasure. Not worrying about. What expands. That might have on the other person. Sometimes it's about. Self gratification. You don't have to have a partner to have sex. Or i can be a gift to your partner when. When you're not in the mood. It can be wholesome recreation. It can be an elaborate game of power and surrender. It can be an act. Intended. To make a baby. It can be an act engaged in. With great fear. But making a baby. The specter of death hangs over the app. Sometimes. In this age of aids. Some people naturally have very little interest. Insects. And then on the other end of the spectrum there are those who agree with this statement there is no such thing as bad sex or bad pizza. It represents. Unimaginable pain. An anguish for victims of sexual assault or sexual abuse. It is among human activities. That would skizz. The greatest pleasure. And the greatest. Pain. So this is another of our series of sermons on. Living with integrity the 7th. And of course. As important. And powerful. As the sexual part of our being is. The way that we handle our sexual energy. Is an important part of living with integrity it can't be ignored. If we're to live a life of integrity. Now those of you who have. Call spraggins that you trust. And i've had. Candid conversations with them. And certainly some of the conversations that i've had with people. In. The. Privacy of my study. It's very clear that. There may not be anyone. Or certainly there are very few. People. Cool. Have not had some chagrin. And or regret. And or embarrassment. About how they have expressed their sexual being. At sometime. Or other. In their past. It is a powerful. And a complicated. Human energy. People experience. Rejection or embarrassment or frustration. Or jealousy or insecurity. A remorse are loneliness. Around. Their sexual lives. Intersexual path. And no wonder. The title. While i hope you found it amusing describes. The confusion. That our culture has. About sex. We have the victoria's secret culture war everything is sexualized. Texas everywhere in the media sexual images sexual park. Victoria's secret. To the point where even prepubescent girl. Draft. Embury sexualized way. It's not good. And then. You have. People getting. Way more upset when a breath happens to pop out at the super bowl. They seem to get upset about this monstrous war in iraq. What is going on. There's advantages sex is dirty and here it is. Sex is dirty and here it is isn't it. Alluring. Well texas dirty. It isn't just our young people. Go get confused. With this kind of a message. And one of the most tragic examples of this confusion. Is the priest. Sex abuse scandal. We just happening all over the world. In the catholic church. Now let's be let's be clear about something. There are 70 priests in the boston diocese alone. That molested children. And that means thousands of children. Justin that diocese and then multiply that. And not just in america but poland ireland austria. The list goes on and on central america. Let's be clear. What the bishops did. What's a felony. A felony. Not reporting. Those cases of abuse. Talk. About confusion. You don't none of them are in jail. Many of them are still in their posts. Talk about confusion. I just happened to think. If some of the people in that high rocky were parents. This could never have happened. If you look inside your order of service you'll see two of the rules. From great religious traditions about sexuality one is. The seventh commandment you shall not commit adultery. The next one is the third buddhist precepts. You shall not commit sexual immorality. This is. Technology han the vietnamese then masters version. Of that and as with all his mindfulness trainings. It begins with the word. Aware. To be aware. To live with integrity is to be aware. And to live in forgetfulness if the cause ourselves and others suffering. So it's not so much that there are. Rules there are probably too many rules and those rules have been challenged now for at least a generation and everybody's confused. But there are rules. That are built into the way things are. If. We break those rules we're not punished for our sins. We're punished by our sins. If you violate your own commitments and the commitments of others then you risk bringing suffering. To yourself. To the people to whom you are committed and too innocent others. Sex. No sex with children is a very good rule. It's an essential rule don't use for society needs to be protected from people who used for. That's a rule. Now what about. Even using saddle for. Like the seat. Or manipulation. Keeping those rules memes. That you guard your happiness in the happiness of others. It keeps that energy in the sacred context of your integrity. By keeping your own and other people's commitments. By not deceiving others for your own. Gratification. People who have experimented with casual sex have. Learned many of them. That it's difficult for sex. To be casual. The coming together of bodies. Create. Mysterious power and 4th. It's an important. Way of communicating. There may not be casual sex. One of my most important teachers. Was gerald may he just died recently. Gerald may dislike was a psychiatrist and the. A spiritual director. In the christian mystical tradition. In terrell. May said. All desire is finally the desire for god. I'm going to give you a humanist translation so don't panic. All desire is the desire for our intrinsic ability. To feel at home. Deeply at home. With ourselves. With others. I went this beautiful world. So. Sexual energy is one way that we have. Opening ourselves to. Oneness with others. Oneness. To the world it's a. Erotic energy that doesn't just flow. Through bodies in sexual encounters. Flows through all the world. All desire is finally. A desire for god. We puts it on front of the order of service at a picture. This is a picture of saint teresa of avila. It's a sculpture by. The famous italian. Sculptor bernini. And it's called. Saint teresa in ecstasy. Saint teresa was a spanish. Saint. Spiritual director of the 16th century. Who wrote books about. Finding. Oneness with god. They're still classic. What do you think she's doing in this picture. She's praying. He is praying. Ecstasy is about. The one that's that's she's experiencing with her god and they didn't teach me how to pray like that in sunday school. But there are people. Many people. Who pray like that. Lupine. That the energy of spirituality. And the energy of sexuality. Is an expression of the same energy the same. Erotic. Light. Force. Now. Think of. The writing. Of medieval mystic sweater you're talking about muslim. Christian or jewish. The only language that they could find. To express their. Ecstasy at one with god. Oneness. With that which makes the most of whom with themselves. Is erotic language love poetry. It's. Language arts full of yearning desire and fulfillment. Now next time valentine's day. Take a little time with your sweetie. You know maybe some flowers. Beverages that you both enjoy. The bible off the shelf. Turn. To the hebrew bible. To the song of solomon. It is some of the most powerful erotic poetry ever written. It's right in the bible. Now the church says that i got in the bible because it describes the relationship. Of the church. With god or the. Call with god. Well maybe. Are those are very fleshy. Powerful. Passionate metaphors. And you know i kind of like thinking about the fact. That. This afternoon there going to be a lot of unitarians getting the bible out of. For the first time. The freudian spot. That. Sex. Is supplement is. That spirituality is sublimated sex. The great wisdom teachers of humanity laugh at that cuz they know. That sex is sublimated spirituality. That that. Erotic energy. To come out and meet and embrace. The world our lives our experience. The lies of others and other beings and the natural world energy. To say yes. Sex. Between human beings and just part of that. In a book. The end of sex. George leonard proclaims at sex. Is an idea whose time has passed. Any talks about the notion of sex as quote and activity. A field of study and entity that somehow seeks to exist almost entirely. Separated from the rest of life. His pal. We need to he says. Reconnect the bedroom with the rest of our lives. With society and nature and perhaps. We need to realize the way we make love influences the way we make our world. And vice versa. We need to appreciate the connection. Between the erotic. And the creative. We need. More than anything else. Terry awaken to the almost endless. Have forgotten. Life-transforming powers. A full-bodied. Fully committed. Erotic. Love. What a beautiful. Summer years ago. We lived in a house. Annie. North carolina countryside. Mile. From the city. I. Just got out of a meeting. Am i other church. It was late. The meeting didn't particularly go very well. I was upset and frustrated. And then my usual route home. Was blocked by an accident. So i had to take the backroads. It was a full moon that night. And i started to notice it. I was listening to the classical music radio station. And beethoven's moonlight sonata. Began to play. And as i. Still remember it. As i crossed. The haw river. That full moon. Was reflected in the river. And it was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. It just pierce my heart. The beauty of the. Moon. And that moon is reflected in the broad river with the trees surrounding it and. White silhouette. The beauty of the music. It was so powerful. That i had to stop the car. I had to pull over. And i looked at that scene and i listen to that music. And i started to cry. I was just so at home so overcome with a beauty of existence with the beauty of my world at that moment. With a beauty of. And the gratefulness for. For that. And i wept. Some of the best sex i ever had. This is our birthright. As human beings this joy. This ecstasy one of the most powerful ways to find it isn't. Merging bodies with a. A beloved other. As a way to merge falls to transcend time and space. But that energy flows through us all the time. It's available to us all the time. It's the divine joy. That the mystics polka from time immemorial. That by paying attention and opening ourselves in love and saying yes. T'life. We can experience. More and more.

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fred4_9_06.mp3

The whole of jerusalem was abuzz. The crowds were throwing cloaks and palm branches. Down before a man riding on a donkey. There were shouts. Of hosannas and hallelujahs. And there were whispers of who is this man. Why. This was jesus. The prophet from nazareth. Who has done great miracles. The whole city was riding high on jesus. And then. Within a week time. Jesus crucified. On the outskirts. Of the city. For over 2000 years christians have been trying to answer the question of how the crowds could turn on jesus so quickly. One answer suggest. The wickedness and sinfulness of the human heart. Another suggestion. The corruptible powers of the evil one. Deceiving the hearts of the people. Other answers suggest that god. In order to fulfill his will. That jesus died for the sins of the world. Hardened the hearts of the people to turn against jesus. Maybe none of these. Are the answers. I suggest that jesus paul from the pedestal of beloved prophet. To scourge of the city has to do with the more basic. Stance of our ability to comprehend. And interpret what we are experiencing. I remember the star trek series deep space nine. There was one episode that i thought was quite stirring. Without you may not remember the show the story takes place on a space station. That is in orbit around a planet called bayshore. There was also a wormhole that would open and close near the planet where an alien race. Lived. Stupid orange. Call them the prophets. In one episode. Captain sisko of the space station was taken inside of the wormhole. Cisco was trying to tell the prophets. That humans lived on a linear plane of existence. Bedtime had a pass. A present. And a future. The prophets did not exist. In linear time and did not understand. The prophets kept asking cisco. If what he was saying was true. Then why was he living at the moment of his wife's tragic death some years before. You see. Captain sisko. Had never moved emotionally from that fixed point in time. The whole of his life was now in relation to this one events. He was not linear. In his living. Of life. Becoming fixated on an advance or a perception of an event. Can be a dangerous thing for us. We do it all the time. Captain sisko being locked in time emotionally and psychologically. To the event of his wife death. Is one example of how we get locked in to our perceptions. How many of us. Know exactly what cisco is experiencing. Because we have had events in our lives that have redefined our experience of the world. Advance. Such as abuse. Combat in war. Or other events. That can lead us to see the world. Enmark your ways than before these events occurred in our lives. We even have self mechanisms self-defense mechanisms. That helped us to repress these memories. In order to help us to survive. These. Are difficult events. For us to examine and heal. And often they had to skew our perception and relationship to the larger world. Have you ever met an individual that you disliked instantly. Because. This person remind you of someone from your past who you felt did you wrong. I have. I know intellectually that this person is not the same person. Yet. No matter how i try. I find myself locked in this perception of this person. Sometimes. We haven't even made the connection as to why we just like this person. And that baffles off. Even more. Or perhaps. It is not being reminded of another person. That purse that something that person did. How long time ago. And i am unable to let go of that event that pains me so very much. Every time i interact with that person. I have a tinge of hesitancy. A feeling of discomfort. That belies the current situation. The person has moved on from that moment. They may even have acknowledged the hurtful thing that caused me pain. And acted in ways that show their repentance. When we are sick. On past events. We are not seeing the person. For who they are now. This is why the practice. Of forgiveness. Is important. Until we're able to forgive. Our worldview is altered. Not only in regards to this person. But other people who remind us. Elvis person in subtle ways. Several years ago i visited seattle. This is a city with artwork everywhere. There are statues. Murals and even brass dance steps on city sidewalks. Well there was one mural that i saw of a descending angel. Underneath the angel were these words. I love. My fault image. Of you. Truer words. Have never been spoken. Because as much as we would like to think we have a realistic view. We simply do not. Images. Our perception. Ennard limited interaction. Do not fully informa. Of the person standing before us. Our perceptions and limited interactions are tinted and shaded by our own in our histories of experiences. If we are locked into a tragic moment in our lives. Play captain sisko was in the deep space nine episode. Then how we view the other standing before us. Will be in relation. To that event. We may be so well accustomed to our living in that tragedy. That we may no longer be aware that the focal points. Is this one event. Or series of events in our past. Imagine being so accustomed. 21 perception. That we have no inkling. That there could be other perceptions. Other ideas. What happened. When that perception accepted as the norm for years. Is suddenly challenged. Whether the false perception is on the personal level. Orana suicidal level 2 reaction can be similar. We have seen history repeat itself. When false images perception. Ark lan to. And a different image is being presented. Strong emotions. Or negative behaviors. Can a rot. We have seen this and gandhi's india. During their quest for home rule. Hayden king search for racial equity here in america. Eminem song comes out as gay. To his parents. This is a struggle. Betty teenager faces with their parents as they begin to see themselves as adults. Capable of making decisions and the parents. Still see them as children. How do i contact. Albuquerque. Or the demand that sexually explicit clothing not be worn. Is the image. Of their little child. I love. My fault image. Love you. The people of jerusalem were in love with their false image of jesus. He was the king of the jews. The son of david promise from old. Who is going to restore israel. To its former glory. Oh glory. That had grown large and it's idealize perfection as the years passed on. From generation. Degeneration. Jesus was elevated. To the stature. Idealized. When you confronted their money changers. In the temple when he confronted the religious leaders hypocrisy. Instead of ushering in the new kingdom of david. Their fault image. Was shattered. They experienced anger and rage that their perception. Of the long-awaited anointed one. Was false. It was. Until after his group. That people began to reinvestigate. The words. The messages. Of this great profit. And began to have glimpse. About. True. Yet even today. We have seen false images of bound. About. Whether our false images are about our children. Our society. Or our religious creed. The larger the false images we hold dear. The harder. They fall. To hold onto a perception of what we believe to be true. It's what the buddha refers to as. Attachment. Being the cause of suffering. The buddha says the world is illusion. Not in the sense of the world does not exist. But in the sun. Permanent. The moment we state something as. Permanent reality. We have placed an attachment. In the moment. Time. We have locked onto a perception that is no longer true. Because all of my life. Constantly falling forward. Changing. There is impermanent. To who we are. I am different now. I am different. Now. I am. Different. Now. When we attach our minds. Our spa. Our hearts to a point in time then we are holding on to a fault image. Of reality. It is his fault image. If the if the false images about a person then we are not seeing the fullness of the person now. We are not able to meet the person in the now because everything that is sad. Or done. It's filtered through that perception that we are holding deer. A colleague of mine. Is excited to be entering. The ministry. Yes she is quite aware that her home congregation. Sees her as the five-year-old running around in the sanctuary. She has matriarchs of the church. Squeezing her cheeks thing you're still my little girl. She is trying. To establish. Authority as minister. Within a congregation. That is holding onto their image of a little girl that brought them joy. This. Is attachment. 2 illusion. This. Is loving the false image. When you become so attached to our false images to our perceptions of what once might have been. Or hope to be true. And we are salted. Interesting the present moment. Send anger is often a result. I have not told my colleague that when she finally breaks through that little girl image. But they hold so dear and establishes her authority as a minister. Those matriarchs mike's response in anger. Anger is often one of the phases we go through. When we grieve the loss of what was. Hopefully. The matrix will not be as angry as the crowd who adored jesus on sunday. And crucified him on friday. The buddhist helga. That one of the illusions that we often find attachment to. Is the south. How do we let go of false images we hold dear of the other person. How do we begin to see the person before us as she truly is in this moment. And not as we perceived her from some previous. Moment. The buddha i would suggest. Practicing non-attachment. Non-attachment might be defined as owning the feeling but not making an evaluation of the feeling as to who caused it to surface. For the matriarchs of my friends congregation. To practice non-attachment. Might be. To acknowledge knowing her as a child. And to honor the person standing before them. But not to fit the child they once knew. Into the person. They now see. Another way to stasis. Is to learn to listen in the now. And set aside our evaluating mind that is filtering. And categorizing. One of the things that makes the new romantic relationship so exhilarating. Is that a couple is in the now. Each new thought express by the beloved is new and fresh. Igloo quirky thing he does is wonderful and cute. Each joke is funny. Each caress. Is love incarnate. When we stop listening in the now. That quirky thing becomes irritating. That joke become stale. The coronavirus becomes anticipated and all. When a couple ends up in counseling. The successful outcomes are those we're listening in the now has occurred again. Listening to the other person in the now becomes a spiritual practice. Of allowing the impermanence. To flow through us and be honored. We can honor the changes in our lives. We do not need to be locked on the tragic events. But rather allow them to flow as experiences and nothing more. We do not need to be like miss havisham. In dickens great expectations. Who 50 years after being jilted on her wedding day. Still is dry. In her wedding gown. The best parenting skills are those that have incorporated listening in the now with their children. It might not change the curfew time. Or telling them that they cannot wear the latest fashions of britney spears. But it does change the dynamics. It is the recognition of the impermanence in which we live. There is recognition of constantly changing. And evolving. Investing in the now. We extend our acknowledgement. Of their inherent worth and dignity. By practicing non-attachment in the events in my life. I allow new phone. Ideas. And experiences to enter my existence. I'm able to honor you where you are now and not cling to where you were last week. Last year. Or 30 years ago. I increase. My ability to comprehend. My experiences in the present tense. I might even. For the first time. Lay aside some composite image. That i compiled. Ncu. For you. Blessed be.

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arvid10_16_05.mp3

The weeknd slowed by like a river. And we mourn the death by bloodshed of christian muslims and jews. And we are reminded of the words of the sage hillel. Who said. In a world where no one is acting like a human being. You must have like a human being. We have come together. Of they have set of old. To atone. To be at 1. At one with ourselves. At one with our loved one. At 1 with our neighbor. At one with nature. And that one with the unseen eternal. And we asked ourselves the question. Birthstone by hillel. If i am not for myself. Who will be for me. If i am. Only for myself. Who am i. If not now. When. Band. Angelina sue singing number 1044. And we will sing in english. The great religious traditions of the world are unanimous. On this point. That the contraction of the heart. It comes about. Because of resentment. Because of holding grudges because of. The inability to let go of wrong. In our path. That contraction of the heart. Is exceedingly painful. And not only that. Spiritually crippling. Because all of those. Crate and characteristics and potentials. That we have within a salad is the business of religion to bring 4th mi. Open up to others. A lack of self tanner. they're reaching out a connection. With ourselves at our deepest levels with other people at their anthem with this wonderful world. Honorable trade. The best part of our nature. That religion at its best help us. To cultivate. All of those are crippled. My resentment. And so. The great religious traditions of humanity are unanimous. But forgiveness is essential. Practical health. Now the more. The field of mind-body medicine advances. The more we are beginning to understand that forgiveness is. Essential for our. Physical health. As well. Redford william world-renowned. Researcher in mind-body medicine. Has written a book with his wife virginia called. Anger kill. And that's literally true. People who are chronically hospital angry and. Biscuitville. Die young. Abraham maslow who is perhaps. Most important. Psychologist. Of the 20th century. Found out that he had terminal cancer. And so he made it a project. To seek out everyone. And it lie. Crystal around. Cocoon he had had a falling out. And to try to reconcile with them. Juan career and it was. Wong project. What he found out was that. Enrique. In every single case. He had misunderstood. The other person's intention. And they had understood his. That. Their motivation. Was not the dark and evil motivation he had imagined. Nor. Was his. Toward them. Every one of those. Falling out. Blind because of a misunderstanding. Among the great religious traditions of the world. The jewish tradition has a particular. Proctor. That's very important that we celebrate today. Wear a large. And inclusive circle. Here. In this religious community. We have people of christian backgrounds of. No religious backgrounds of jewish backgrounds of buddhist background. And we honor. Now this time of year the highest holy day. I'm judaism. The days of awe. Culminate. And the yom kippur kol nidre rich. We'll have our own. Version of that ritual. At the service. But before that climax of those. Highest of holy day. Jews around the world think about who it is that they had harmed. And may need then to go and to seek forgiveness. From those people. And see if they can make a man. I want to see to forget somebody. All of us need to be forgiven. We're going to be successful in our relationship if we're going to be fulfilled and. Have intimacy. With other people with our partners our children are relative. We have to have. Forgiveness muscle. Jesus said you remember. When he was asked how many times should we forgive somebody. 7 time. Surely the personal out that question expected jesus the same. And jesus said. No not seven-time right. 70 * 7 *. What i think was man here. Was that. Human beings are flawed and. We we like to. Because other. Inner quad humanity. Forgiveness letting go. Understanding. Correcting this understanding. Closing our hearts and then finding a way to open them again is just part of life. And part of her life. I think people have a. Common misunderstanding about. Who forgiveness is for. We think that forgiveness is something that we do for the other person because. We are so much more superior to them. They have done a parm. But we being the morally superior ones. Spirit airline. We in our. Generosity. Forgive them. That's us. Fundamental misunderstanding of forgiveness. Forgiveness is something we. Do not so much for the other person. But for us now. We can find the truth of this in the very meaning of the word resentment. Resentment mean. Appeal. Again. Feel again. Long as we hold resentment. We are feeling that original hurt again. And again. And again. Anakeesta from living. Growing. An understanding. I put the break. On our live it sound. Our energy. The first time somebody hurts. that's their fault. But every time we allow that hurt to. Pierre is playing for cold after that then we bury pump ability for it. Hatred as is a nice that we will buy the blade. Forgiveness is something that we do for ourselves. A way for us to go on with our lives to not have that other person. Rock-a-bye rock-a-bye. Pickover online. Robert the banerjee. Robert of happiness. And continue to hurt us over and over again. Another misunderstanding of forgiveness is that forgiveness. And reconciliation can can happen. At the same time. And it's great when they do. But they're not the same thing. You can forgive someone that is. You can let them back into your heart you can understand. That's the deer herd of you with not the whole of their personality and their personhood. You can. Try to understand what happens. See the misunderstandings that may have been there. Another word for forgiveness is opening your heart to that person. But not necessarily your home. Doesn't mean you have to again have coffee with them all the time. It just means. That the heard that was inflicted. On you. His heels that is no longer hijacking your happiness. And you've allowed. Yourself to take back. Your power. My understanding the flawed humanity of the other person. And letting them go. From your heart. An opening yourself up. To wishing them well. And if you don't feel safe having them back in your life. You can still forgive them. Forgiveness is not condoning. I'm skillful or hurtful. And other people. Often in pastoral situations people are struggling. To forgive someone. When the hurt is still happening. Repeatedly. I think it's pretty difficult for human beings to forgive someone if they're continually hurting. And then. There's a different path. It's a task of getting that hurting to stop changing the situation.. I hear about people who have forgiven and established a friendship in prison. With people who have killed their children. There's even an organization of people like that. The news is that you don't have to go to those. Extreme. Forgets. I also think that forgiveness is not something that can be for. It isn't an act of will. Forgets. You can't just say. I forgive you. In your mind. About another person. When the time is not yet right. I think forgiveness is more and act of grace. Then an active will and it happens a little bit at a time but the hurt is great. But we cannot will ourselves to forgive. But we can be willing to forgive. Benetton important distinction. We can be. Willing to forgive. And then forgiveness will come. A little at a time. A bit-by-bit. Letting go. Allowing. Understanding. Carhartt. Often. And open. Because keeping them close. Curse. Stall. A little little bit at a time. Install the. Sincere intention to forgive. Is the first. We're going to hear a beautiful piece of music. In preparation for our own kol nidre meditation. And ritual. Call nidre. Is the renunciation of valves that we made to god in the past year. And our understanding some jewish understandings and our own understanding here and unitarian universalism is that. Bivalves the god we mean those secrets valves that hinder us that our dysfunctional for our happiness and our fulfillment in our. Reaching out to others. Vows of. Bitterness. Vows of hatred. Vows of. Inadequacy. Tell secret promises we made to ourselves saying i'm not. Worthy. Or i cannot. Do this. It is those. Secret files that we pronounce to start afresh. And it's ritual with apollo. But remember before that come. The act of forgiveness or seeking forgiveness for the harms that we have created. And the vows that we have made two other people god cannot forgive. According to the jewish tradition. They. Not forget. So as we prepare. For our special time of. Kol nidre. As we listen to this beautiful music. Think about who. Need to forgive you. And who. You need. To let back into your heart. Please turn to number 637 in your hymnal. Please read back to me the part in italics. For remaining silent when a single voice would have made a difference. For each time. That are fears that made us rigid and inaccessible. For each time that we have struck out in anger without just cause. For each time that our greed has blinded us to the needs of others. For the selfishness. Which step of a park. And alone. For falling short. Of the admonition of the theorists. For losing sight of our unity. And for so many acts both evidence and subtle. Which of fueled the illusion of separateness. I invite you to close your eyes and meditation as you reflect on the year just passed. What inner sacred promises have you made to yourself. What intervals of laziness or indulging or fear have kept you from being. At 1. With yourself. What intervals of fear and greed have kept you from being at one with your family and your loved ones. What. Laziness have kept you from being at one with your neighbors. Coworker. But illusion. Adequate. Or what grips. Of addiction. Have made you unable to be at 1. With god. With the eternal. Spirit. What path have you walked without critique. Better kept you from acting in ways that are better. If more difficult. If you're able please stand and i'd like everyone to join han. As we look forward to the year to come. All valves that you have made all pads that you have chosen without critique. Call promises of unswerving thought our behavior are now cancelled mellified and made as not. All vows you have made. All has that you have chosen to walk without critique all promises of unswerving thought and behavior. Are now cancelled nullified and made have not. Now we are free and cleanse. Free to walk the way of truth and love. For all doubt that we have made all commitments to unswerving thought and behavior are now cancelled mellified and made have not. Now the heavy hand of the path. Need not keep us from choosing the better more difficult path. For all valve. Commitments to unswerving thought and behavior are now cancelled nullified and made as not. Please remain standing. As we. Saying our. Cottonwood farm. Number 217. We wish phillippi creek. Aminu market. Our father and mother. Garage. Buy a truck. Turn to number 200. Rei. Aurora. Blessed art thou eternal who have put these words in the mouths of thy servants. Hillel. If i'm not for myself. Who will be for me. If i am only for myself. Who am i. If not now. When.

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arvid9_25_05.mp3

What would jesus do. Wwe. Another item. Unitarian universalist. At all. I have a question. Consciously. As opposed to unconsciously. And i also think. And if you've ever try to change behavior you know how powerful. Robot. Integrity. Nearest at practice. Under any circumstances. Could benefit from cultivating. Attitude. Saw the world. What would jesus do. To create justice. For our poor citizen. What would. Encountering. From the religious establishment. Nascar cell. Clemson. The privilege of power. Mantle of religious hypocrisy. Importance of forgiving others. And to love the world and the people in it. If we were to live. What would jesus do. Samantha. Evangelical christian. Seriously. From national public radio. A professor at the university of alabama. Specialist. Legal research. Evangelical seminary. And the prophets in the bible. And she came to the conclusion. Alabama. By the way the most. Biblical. Heavily. In terms of percentage. Of their income. In the states constitution. Change the tax laws of alabama. Call themselves christian. And one of the people. Alabama republican. The professor. A constitutional amendment. Taking away the regressive tax. Of course. The real world. The constitutional amendments. But it's important. Ford. Creating the kind of. Questions. Is the answer. Almost. Unitarian universalist. Reminder. What transform. There is a question. Daily confusion. Consistently. Keep us grounded. At the deepest level. Single question. Tell you what it is. Universal. For all of us. But there's not a single question for all of us. Marge. Experian. The conversation. A different question. What i would like to invite you to do now. Questions out for yourself. As you make your choices. And live your day. Very comfortable. Question. Repeatedly. Open up your life. Are you ready. Where is compassion. Where is god. What would jesus do. What choice is the grill choice in this moment. Where is tpindell. My favorite question is. How do i know. How. Is what i'm about to do going to affect. Take a moment now to see if there is a completely. That might be a rising from the depths of your being. Maybe start. Abruzzo reflection. I'll be publishing. Some of these questions in my newsletter column. Kenny said he asked himself the question. How is the poorest. Of the poor. In the councils of the iroquois federation. Of american indians. The question was always ask. Decision. Going. To effect. Generation. Into the future. I have a friend. She never goes wrong. What would my mother think. It's hard to find a more profound practice than beth. Simplepractice repeated. Will transform your life. Consciously. 4x circumstances for us. Of our own. Steph cell. There are. To unconsciously. Not for our benefit. Conscious is also. Powerful. It's an ongoing transformative. Practice. Of a simple question. If we do it. It can mean the difference between living. With integrity. Unconscious. Blessed be.

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kurt11_13_05.mp3

Good morning. It was indeed a pleasure to me this morning to realize that i still knew the song in the affirmation that you do here. So good to be back in this cancel after so many years. I was remarking to arvada a couple of weeks ago that i believe it's been 12 years since i've stood in this. Pulpit. In front of this congregation anyway. The pulpit seems to have changed the. Chancel seems to have changed. It's all rather bigger now. But it is good to be among the people that. Where am i. First unitarian universalist family and where i was inspired to go into unitarian universalist ministry. My discovery of this congregation and divisive church. And if unitarian-universalism was one of most expensive nipigon events of my life. I had in some indescribable way. Come home. Perhaps you had that experience. I had come home and a sense of the words of writer kathleen norris who wrote. Peace. That was the other name for home. Peace. That was the other name. The other name. For home. Little did i realize that. Hidden. Within that piece. Was another equally compelling power. It was a holy unrest. Little did i know that the example of your ministers amerithai tommen. Carolyn owens whole woodster me to begin a journey. Into that life giving but very. Frightening benediction. Go in peace. And going on rest. But it was that benediction. Given to me after 47 years of life in san diego county. Go in peace. And go in unrest that led me to. Leave here in the middle of my 50th year. To complete. Seminary in berkeley at the pacific school of religion. I left this congregation after nine years of volunteering on just about every committee except the board. After teaching both children's and adult religious education after sharing in the creation of the men's fellowship. It was going as an enterprise but we. Made it flower together in those early years. And also the anti-racism committee. Richard that time was called beyond racism. A name that i disagreed with. I left here because in this community and volunteering and all those ways raised in me and unrest that i could not deny. What i didn't realize that i was being cold. Not just into ministry and into the immediate unknown that it presented. Would i actually find work as a minister. Was i taking too great a financial risk. Would leaving my daughter proved to be a terrible mistake. A wound from which neither of us would ever recover. Good living as a graduate student in student housing at 50 years of age cause me to regress. Or drive me nuts. I was being called not just into an unknown about the immediate next steps of becoming a minister i was being called to face the unknown as a way of life. To face the unknown. As a way. Apply. Fortunately i didn't know it at the time. I have no way of knowing you see that a fool's hat was waiting for me down the road. At this point. The hat comes on. Now you have to be able to carry both of these things at the same time. The words i'm going to deliver in the hat it just doesn't sound. Good. I had no way of knowing that responding to the peace within myself. As i stepped onto a path of a new vocation. I was really being asked to strip away who i thought i was. I was being asked to strip away cool i thought i was. Not so that i could adopt another identity. Minister. With all the dangerous baggage. The comes from naming oneself in words. Words that can never ever capture the essence of who we are but can only describe a role we are undertaking. I was not being cold to put yet another label on myself but yet but rather. To let labels go. It took a number of years. And service as a minister in for congregations. Across the united states. Well that's who finally gained a purchase in my heart. To finally claim a cliff edge. In my spirit. So that. Paradoxically letting go. Became the only authentic. I had no way of knowing that i was. Not being called to the middle of the road. Put onto alternate pathways to go as it has been said. Where even angels fear to tread. Those other pathways. That always seemed to be leading directly into the fog. The rain cloud. The unmapped territory. That require that we let go of how we normally do thing. Let go of who we believe ourselves to be. So i did leave here. I left my special education teaching career of 23 years and my psychotherapy practice with. People living on low incomes. I completed seminary in berkeley. Was hired for a year as interim minister in chicago. And then i was called to serve the uu church in boulder colorado. After 4 years. I left there to return to the pacific coast that's a short time. But it was calling me this coast. B ocean. See. Was calling me in another but equally compelling way that was undeniable. I did this however circuitously by way of a year of interim in atlanta georgia. I'd always wanted to go to the south i was scared of the south. Just folks. I also did hoping to create a team ministry with the reverend chester mccall. Some of you may remember him. I finally landed back in california in the late summer of 2001. At the uu church in palo alto. Back in the area of the pacific coast that i had always known. Was my geographical home. Northern california. In the summer. After the first year of a two-year interment palo alto and chester and i realizing that that t ministry wasn't going to work for us. I took. The time to travel to oaxaca mexico to study spanish. I'd always wanted to do an immersion program. And it was there. Set the experience recounted in today is call to worship read to you by alex star broke me open. It was there that. Strips of my primary language. But my usual culture. And if my identity as minister. Did i encountered poverty. And marginalization in the indigenous people of oaxaca that challenged my middle liberal middle-class identity. I want to read to you the words again. From our call to worship that i have adapted from parker palmer. Neither truth. Nor love. Tim's to flow freely. When we are comfortably in the middle of society. Successful in societies turn. Profiting from the way things are arranged. Certain crucial truth. About our lives are more easily seen when we are on the edge. And we are poor. Or sick. Hungry. In prison. Or targeted by those with power. These truths. Can break the heart open. To compassion. Zeze. Break the heart open. To compassion. Today i might say i was touched. By the pool. I was touched by the fool who is willing to locate her or himself outside the center. On the margins in the territory that makes up the bound the borders of society and i was called to intentionally walk with those who are most marginalized in our society here in the us. That call finally came. Finally broke through my encrusted safety when living in oaxaca in the midst of enormous poverty and oppression. I read an article on the virgin of guadalupe. Written by clarissa pinkola estes. The author of women who run with the wolves. Not article. Estes recounted her experience at 7 years old. When she reached seven. Her family told her. You have reached the age of reason. Psychologically a reality. And so for the next two weeks. We're going to celebrate. And then ran to whispered in her ear and told her. Pay. Close attention. To this two-week. You will see and hear things that will tell you where your life is. She recounted in this article this experience is 7 years old when she witnessed. To sheriff. Assaulting a hobo couple in camped in the woods. Today we call them homeless. Former hiding place in the weeds at the side of the road by that encampment as she witnessed. The beatings and the arrests. She claims. That she heard a voice in her ear. Remember she was 7 years old. She heard a voice in her ear asking her. Do you love me. Do you love me. When she finally realized that she had to. Listen to the words. It gave her a command. And it said if you love me. Help them. Meaning the whole world. Homeless. What could she do it 7 years old. Except. Repop. Incharge the sheriff's. Leap onto the trunk. Scroll the sign of the cross in the dust on the rear view mirror she was catholic church. And shout. These people are under my protection. Do them no harm. Fleeing into the woods after her breath maneuver. Falling exhausted upon the healing earth. Of the forest. From the amazing exertion of it all. The adult sts reports. It's from that point at 7 years old. From that point forward. In her life. She would feel here. Since a voice the voice of the virgin of guadalupe. Directing her to help those most in need. Do you love me. Yes i love you. If you love me. Go to the city and help the home. Do you love me yes i love. If you love me then build a shelter for battered women. Do you love me yes i love you if you love me then go and work with those most mo. And that's what she's done all their life. Well. I'm reading this. I. Felt that guadalupe the indian presents you know of the virgin mary. The protectress of the indians. From the conquistadores. I felt that that guadalupe came alive in that bookstore. And i felt she was calling. Me. And i realized that night life of comfort in the middle of society my life that was quite successful aldi it a little too liberal. In societies terms. Where i was profiting daily from the way things are arranged. I realize that that life was over. And i needed to step outside of it. Leon did into a new way of living. I realized. I needed to give up my safety. And in the words of roshe bonnie yoshi. New york city. I needed to learn. Two-face. The unknown. Other way. So am i return to from oaxaca to the united states. I made an appointment to talk with the reverend k jorgensen the unitarian universalist minister and co-founder of the faithful fools with carmen. Disregard regrettably not with us this morning. And in her quiet and yet profound way. K listen to my story and suggested that i take a street retreat with the fools. Sweet retreats. Are quite a unique form of retreat. They take place not in the quiet solitude of the forest. More on the grounds of well-manicured and aesthetically pleasing retreat centers. But it take place on the gritty. Streets of our marginal urban neighborhood. Full street retreats ask participant. To walk the street with a dual conscious. Focusing on our inner talk. The stories we hear as we walk down the street. That voice that never stops. The buddhist called monkey mind. Focus on that on our interest sponsors on our judgments on our reactions. And also to pay close attention. To the streets surrounding us. To their life. To their suffering. To their joy. Their violence. Centerpiece. So i followed his suggestion. I took a retreat with the fools. Into the heart of the tenderloin in san francisco. 15 minutes out onto the street i realized that i come home. I want to tell you a little bit about the faithful fools. Street ministry that has become a major part of my community ministry. The fools were born from the passion of reverend k jorgensen uu minister and carmen varsity franciscan sister. Who believed that the most direct path into healing and transformation of homelessness and debilitating poverty. And also of being too comfortable and to secure. Is into and through the human heart. They came to believe with paulo freire e. Radical south american educator. The transformation happens person by person. And is mediated by the world itself. The company people. Struggling with poverty and leading street retreats. For people who are home and comfy comfortably secure in the middle of society. Kay and carmen have opened the door to the fools. For a flow of people who also feel a deep unrest. With living separated from those we call the other. The fools mission that was developed as you. Heard is to bring a ministry of presence to the street. The work that has evolved. Follows both of path of unknowing. End of intimate. Committed relationship. The fools work is really quite simple. The closet is based on a few fundamental truths about existence number one we do not know what will happen next. We do not know. What. Will happen. Number two. We do not know where we are going. And we don't know when we're going to get there. And we don't know what it's going to be like once we do get there. We do not know where we are going. Not a bad thing. We do not we do know however number three. We do know that relationships are essential for survival. And for transformation. And we do know. Set the quality and authenticity of our lives depends on living from the inside out. From the inside. What should i do. Which school should i go to. From the inside. So that is where our worth resides. And that is where trustworthy decision-making. Must first and foremost be grounded inside ourselves where what we are asked to give has already been given to. So at schools. We walk the streets of the tenderloin of san francisco. The barrios of managua nicaragua. And the downtown eastside of vancouver canada with a people who live there. We've also walked with every. But the last two general assembly. Long beach in fort worth. Schools walk the streets of clinics. A city hall of sros of the thousand urban bureaucracies that control and dispense services. To those who live in poverty. Two fools walk the complex and entangled pairs of human relationships. Striving to keep our hearts open. To pay attention to our judgments as they arise. And arise they do. And to realize the fundamental connection that we have with all others. Fundamental. Connection so complete. When we realize it even for a moment. We know beyond any doubt. Sitar survival especially in these difficult. Our survival depends upon. The degree to which we can dissolve the boundaries that keep us. And keep us labeling. Them. As them. At the food court. The building that we are buying located in the heart of the tenderloin. We host art shows in our foyer gallery. We offer poetry readings. Musical and dance and spoken word performances. Publish poetry anthologies we have some for sale out of. Patio. And recently republic to you you religious. Workbook on. Dealing with mental illness within our congregation. One of our bay area. Community ministries. Barbara myers is also a member of the faith. We hold. Daily meditation in the primals in tradition. And put on ccent celebrations galore. We do help people with food and clothing and financial support. But the fundamental work of the fools. How to do with what you use the illusion. Conrad right called. Walking. Together. To take that walk. Together. It's necessary to turn toward one another. To walk in solidarity we must turn. Toward. Turning toward one another incidentally is the. Theme of a major convocation that will be cool facilitated by the faithful fools. On you you urban ministries you are an urban ministry. That's going to be the first weekend in january in san jose and we're going to invite this congregation to send a team of. I will tell you to brief stories to end. I actually learned them from. , lintel. The first story is about a little boy named nick. His parents were struggling with their relationship. And so he was. Staying with his grandfather for an overnight. Scared of the dark and the thunderstorm raging over the house. And despite the fact that his grandfather was sleeping in the same room. The little boy called out. Grandpa. Grandpa. Yes nick. I'm here. His grandfather responded reassuringly. Then there was a long silence. And nick said. And a very. Small voice. I know you're here grandpa. What is your face turn. Turning toward one another. Including all who we deem as other. Is a call to healing. To reconciliation. And to justice. What it requires can be understood in another story that i want to end. S stories about a little girl. Whose mother sent her out on some. Smaller and in the neighborhood. She was gone quite a long time and when she finally returned or the mother esther would have taken her so long. She said that she had stopped to help a friend. Pics. His bicycle because it had broken. Her mother left and she said but honey you don't know anything about fixing bicycles. Little girl sad i know. I stopped to help him cry. I stopped to help him cry. See i stopped to help him realize and release his frustration. I stopped to help him realize and release his humanity. I stopped to help him. I stopped to offer him my present. She didn't know anything about repairing bicek. She had the wisdom. To offer her presence as another. Vulnerable human being. I stopped. I did not allow my lack of expertise. To stop me from stopping. I did not allow a sense of helplessness. To overwhelm me. I stopped any believing that my presence would not make a differ. I am so glad to have had this opportunity. 2. Speak to you today after all of these years. I'm especially honored to bring to you a little. Picture of the important work of the faithful fools. They all of you. Here. Stop not only with each other. But with all the others beyond these walls who are targeted and forcefully marginalized as well as with those who ride comfortably in the security of the societal middle ground. We all are in. And may you all turn toward one another. With openness and respect. And care. Not only to each other here. But to all. Say i'm in a mean.

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arvid12_25_05.mp3

This reading is from my colleague in the unitarian universalist ministry clark dewey well. Call the nicest gift i ever got. During this. Season of gift-giving a good exercises to make a list. Of the best gifts we ever got. That will tell us what's important. For ourselves. And for the people we want to give gifts to. While i remember a daniel boone hat and a magician set with special effects. The nicest gift i ever got are in quite another category. The carolina at rockefeller chapel. Who let me strike one of the largest tuned bells in the world. During his playing of i'm festive org. My mother. Giving me a complete shakespeare for my 14th birthday. Coach altairi saying little wells. Grab your bonnet. And permitting me to enter as a freshman. Into my first varsity football game. A beautiful. On a ship. Still and acne teenager. Kiss my face all over and told me i was handsome. Dr. henry nelson wyman. The world-renowned. Theologian. Telling me he had thought for several hours about a question i had raised. I'm responding with a written answer. The next day. In front of the whole class. Night after night. My father playing catch with me in the backyard until it was too dark. A unitarian minister in kalamazoo. Who put his arm around me. After my father died. And kept it there. For a long time. A friend. Who flew several hundred miles to visit me when i was sick. A buddy who went to see three movies with me in one day. The nicest gifts people have given me have been enabling. Confirming gif. Bestowing understanding. Self-esteem. Help in time of trouble. And the light for ordinary days. May i suggest that you to drop your list of the nicest gifts you've ever received. I think it will give you some perspective. To the kind of gifts we really want. To give to others. This christmas. Or anytime. While i gift-giving customs around this time of year. Very a lot around the world. They are everywhere. At different times. In the season to be sure. The origin of that of course is the fact that the wise man. Coming to see the messiah the king. That have been born in bethlehem. Says matthew. Open their treasure chest. And present to the baby. Who is to save humanity. Precious gifts of gold. Frankincense. And myrrh. And so that's how we got. All the. Shopping days till christmas. That's how we got. Christmas decorations. Ihop in the middle of october. That's how we got. The front page of the business section saying how. What a terrible christmas season it is for merchants. Seems like it's that way every year. Now that i'm ugly. Your christmas. The shopping is over because the book room is closed today so it's. If you were counting on that i'm sorry. Now that presumably. Your christmas shopping is over. You can maybe identify with me. About a profound ambivalence that i have about. The way our gift-giving customs. And this country. Has evolved. There are a lot of negative. For one thing our advertising industry spends a lot of money and a lot of. Very good. Psychological. Ortiz. Two i got us two. Spend more than we have. And while we do not necessarily to feel joyful. In the giving guilt works better. It makes us. Spend more money. And so. Whatever works. And it's very difficult as sophisticated as we might think we are to resist. The lure of that advertisement. Some people frankly are hard to get. Gifts for. Give out we want to we want to please them and we buy the gift and then. President and they open it and you. You can tell whether they like it it it doesn't matter. Get out what they say. I think our gift-giving customs in this country really encouraged. Agreed. Especially among. Children. I think it's a waste a lot of resources. A lot of our natural resources on on gifts. Inexpensive gifts not well-made gifts that people don't really want. That they end up throwing away or giving. Somebody else. I know. You don't do that. Buying material gifts. Also. Get a lot of families confused about what the most important. He gets our. At this time of year. Those material gifts and shopping for them and working two. Get the money for them. Often take precedence over the things that. Children. Most won from their parents. And their families which is time and a 10. That's what kids. Crave the most that's not what they're going to put on their list to santa claus. But. You know. That's what they crave. And it's kind of counterproductive. To be so busy. With gift. And shopping. To not have. The time. Thai minute. Positive park. This holiday. On the other hand there's a good stuff about that. Getting gas getting a life i made out pretty well this year. We we like didn't give you no it's it's wonderful especially if it's a well-chosen gift. I guess that shows that somebody knows who you are or what you like what you care about. Especially of kind of unexpected. Those kind. Thoughtful unexpected. Particularly wonderful. And. Let's face it in our consumerist. Greedy society. It is one of the few customs. That actually cultivates what every single spiritual tradition on the face of the earth. Says is indispensable for spiritual growth. Our custom of gift-giving at this time of year. Helps us to cultivate. A heart of generosity. A stingy heart. Will not grow spiritually. Because we live in a universe full of wonder. Anna in abundance. A feeling of scarcity shut. Down our humanity. And. Sometimes. Resources are scarce. But in our society particularly. The feeling of. Carefully cultivated. By our advertising industry. Is more real. Then the actual. Scarcity. And. Custom. Teaches us. A heart of generosity particularly kids. It gets them in touch. With her natural desire to give and. To feel the joy of giving. Think about somebody you know in your life who is. Stingy. And notice. Feelings that arise as their image. And think about somebody in your life who is generous. With the material gets a timer. Love. Or tension. I noticed how you feel. That should demonstrate my. My colleague peter heinrichs. Tell the story of a discovery he made. As a grown man. Just after his grandmother died. Her favorite room was a sunny breakfast room. And. He found in that room after she died. A candy did that didn't seem to fit their with all the taste fall. Items in that room. It was hot pink. It had three skinny legs. And captains like bumps. Reason unknown. It's something that he had made for her and given to her. When he was a child. And this is how he tells it. Now if i have been my grandmother receiving such a present. I probably would have conspicuously display the thing on the living room mantel for the holidays. But she kept it among her cherished things. Perhaps she did this precisely because of the awkwardness of the gift. Perhaps she kept it as a sign that our oldest grandchild was growing up. Perhaps and reminded her of her own childhood. Perhaps. It's simply warmed her heart. For love. Seldom. It's not the gift. It's the thought that counts. I know. It's really not together. It's the thought that counts. It's the opening of the heart. It's the free. Giving and sharing. And. In the right. Spirit of christmas. sharing of. Giving of material gift is symbolic of the giving. Of those gifts that clark wells talks about. Has more. Important. The nights. Gif. We ever got. Those that empower us. Those that created up. Confidence. That builds. Love. And relationship. That recognize our own gifts one of the best gifts that we can give to others is to. Seeds. The gift of their being and their personality. And call them out. It's. It's the thought. And the most important gifts. Heart material. Anyway. Please rise in body or spirit. Find we three kings in your order of service as we sing our final carol. When the song of the angels is stilled. What does. Star in the sky is gone. When the kings and princes are home. When the shepherds are back with their flock. The work of christmas begins. Define the lost. So he'll the broken. The feed the hungry. To release the prisoner. To rebuild the nation's. To bring peace among brothers and sisters. To make music. In the heart. Amman. And can is about to play fabulous and joyful prelude but there's a surprise now you can be seated. We have a special guest. I guess who is even older than santa claus. And in that gas is father christmas. Father christmas. Started the franchise. And he took. Santa claus in and made him a junior partner. And father christmas. Is mostly retired now. He's very old but we got we got it we got him to come here today. He just asked us as our special guest so well can you better sit down father christmas. But why can't plays the prelude we're asking the children to come forward. Because. The postlude yes. That we're asking the children to come for where does a. Father christmas has a special gift for them. And when the children are finished we also has a special gift for. For the grown-ups. So please come forward.

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arvid4_16_06.mp3

Look to this day for it is life the very life of life. It is brief course fly all the verities and realities of your existence. The bliss of gross the glory of action the splendor of beauty. For yesterday is but a dream. And tomorrow is only a vision. But today well lived. Makes every yesterday a dream of happiness. And every tomorrow a vision of hope. Lookwell therefore. To this day. You know i'm not. Really interested. In the question of whether. The events described in the easter story. Happened literally. In time and history. Now i'm fascinated by the debate that's going on about what it is that's jesus's disciples. Might have experience. After that easter sunday whether the corpse was resurrected to walk again. For another 40 days. Or whether it was simply jesus as. Spirit. A spiritual being. That to me is not the point. Of the story of easter. Tumi. Easter is not so much about what might have happened. Long ago. Tell me the story of easter is about what is always happening. Everyday. In every season of the year. 4 million. People. As human beings we all find ourselves that many times in our lives. To be in the place of the women. Who looked into that empty tomb and wondered. What it meant. One part of our lies. Has ended. Our lives. Will never be the same. It is dad. It is gone. And we grieve. At times like this when were overcome. By the impermanence of our existence. By the losses that we have to face. It's difficult to look into that empty. Tomb and see that it is fraud. With possibilities. For our future. We sense the promise of a new life. But we may be so overwhelmed. Bye. Are disorientation. Our longing for what was. That we dare not feel it. That we dare not. Believe it. That we don't know what to expect. We don't know whether we can trust. Our hope. We're not yet ready to let go of the old. M to look forward. To the new. The fact is. Set our spiritual growth. Tends to be accelerated. During times. A personal. Conflict. That's when we know that face is not. About what we might believe as an intellectual proposition. But it is our sense of the basic trust. In life. And love. In community. And during times of loss and crisis. We have the choice. Giraffe. In that trust it is a choice those women could have fled. That tomb. And had nothing more to do. With that story. I know that people don't change their sunday morning routines of reading the paper or going out to brunch. Or sleeping in. On a whim. At least not very often. When somebody decides to brave a new religious community. Where they don't know anybody or very many people. To see what it might be like to try a church. As many of you have this morning. It's because. In the vast majority of cases. Something has changed. For you. You've left some part of your life behind. And you're wondering what the future will hold for you. Perhaps. You've lost a relationship. Perhaps. You moved to a new city. Perhaps. Your children have left the home. To pursue their own lives. Perhaps it's an internal crisis. Where the faith structure that you have inherited. No longer answers your deepest yearning for meaning. And so you are like those women. Looking into that tomb. And wondering. What the future. Will hold wondering if you dare hope. That this community. Can help you. Fulfilled your longing. 4 meaning. And connection. Or perhaps. Our relationship has ended for you. Year. Perhaps you chose to end it or perhaps the other person chose to end it. But it's hard to let that go. And begin to sand what the new possibilities for you might be. There are. Brash. Plaques. On our memorial wall this easter. And those of you. Cool of those people. And have lost. Involved. In the healing. Agreed. And that healing hertz. Sometimes. And a loss of having a loved one. Horn from your life. Can be over. Whelming. And the regret. Is huge. But know that even if you cannot feel it now. The healing is happening. And your grief will move from each memory being a goodbye. 2 with a passage of time. Each memory becoming a hello. Has the healing power of grief. Has its way. Perhaps you've lost a job. What will the future mean for you. Some of you. Have been here in this congregation for a long time. And you yearn for the church of the way it used to be. With the beloved ministers who are here for a long time. And are not no longer your minister. And while you see. Some exciting possibilities. It's not the same. And as you look into that future. You wonder. What will happen. And where you will fit. What does the empty tomb mean. Are you. What future are you looking at. Withhold. And read at once. Where is easter for you. This year. The death and decay we thought we would find. Is not there. That's the good news. We want to believe. In the promise. Of a new life. But we don't see its shape yet. We have to trust. Our lives. Life itself. Human. Dignity human courage human compassion human community. What does it mean. Do we dare to hope. Easter is about the promises of new surprises. Despite the loss of the old. It's understanding that life. Is impermanence. Emmett to be happy. Is the open ourselves. To the constant change and impermanence of life. And understand that they're in life itself. Is the gift we need. Tahil. And to hope. Out of the manifold forms of death. Which surround us. Comes new life. And the resurrection of hope. Is your human birthright. Amman. We're about to begin a ritual which is dear to unitarians and unitarian universalist. All over the world it's our. Flower communion. Let me tell you how this ritual got started it was in czechoslovakia. Before wwii when norbert capek the minister of the prague church. Decided.. His people who are wild like unitarian universalist today they they let go of all the rituals from the churches they came from but he thought they needed a ritual to show the beauty of their new faith. And so he invented the flower communion where people would bring a flowering branch or a flower to represent their spirit and people would come forward to music. To take a flower representing somebody else's spirit in the way that community means giving and taking it's a beautiful ceremony. If we were to stop there but we don't stop there that ceremony has become even more meaningful because of what happened next. Soon after that the nazis invaded czechoslovakia. And norbert capac as a religious and civic leader. Saw what was happening in the occupation of his beloved country. The persecutions the disappearances the loss of political and human rights. And he spoke out. Time and again. He was dragged for questioning into gestapo headquarters. Until finally the occupying power had had it. And he died. In buchenwald concentration camp. As a result of medical experiments. But today. The czech republic is free. And the sacrifices that he and thousands and millions of others made for that freedom. Continues and lives in the hearts. A man and women everywhere so it's not only the beauty. Of our community that we celebrate with us. Flower communion. But the beauty of hope. For human freedom. And human liberation. So as we will be singing a hymn written by norbert apac. Wall are used bring our flowers. To the front. And what we're going to ask is that you come down this aisle. And this aisle. To pick the flower and then go down back through the other aisles. It will make it easier and also make it easier if we start from the front and go to the back. Please rise as you're able as we sing hymn number eight.

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arvid3_12_06.mp3

Doesn't matter what language. You use. Whether it's the language of the great monotheistic traditions. Judaism. Christianity. Islam. Whether it's the language of. Epic. Weatherby the epic. Of. Humanism or the ethics. Of the ecology movement. Whatever language. You use to talk about right and wrong. The war in iraq is wrong. The war in iraq is. Simple. The war in iraq is a great evil. It is unjust. At is idolatrous. It is harmful. The humans and other forms of life. It is harmful to the earth. And it is doing dreadful harm. To the human community. That we all. Depend on. Fart survival. As of 7 this morning. The latest american casualty in the war in iraq. Was. Us marine corps lance corporal. Bunny long. Age 22. Modesto california. I don't know whether corporal long. Was a man. Or a woman. I don't know. Weather corporal long. Hada spouse. A fiance. I know the corporal long had friends. And a family. Who's live. Have been shattered. By this death. As of this morning. They were 2307. Corporal lawn. 2307. Of our troops. Have been killed. Leaving behind widows. Orphans. Brands. And families. Shattered. And devastated by their sacrifice. And let us not forget. That since the beginning of the war that have been 16,000. 653 americans. Wounded. And we haven't been keeping count of this.. But that story. Is repeated. Under your rockies side. By 10. Thousand. As of. 7:08 a.m.. This morning that's been a while ago now. We have spent. 246. Billion. 41. 1792 dollars. On the war in iraq. That is more than $1,000 per second that is $1,000 $1,000 1000 dollars $1,000. That is more than $67,000. Per minute. Just adding up that fast. If you go to cost of war. or you can watch it at up. This is the future of our children and grandchildren. This is the healthcare. That our people need this is the infrastructure that is crumbling and won't be fixed. This is. The humanitarian needs. Otherworld crying and suffering. This is a monstrous. It's a great evil. It's an unjust war because. Iraq. Before the war was not a threat to us there were no weapons of mass. There was no al-qaeda activity. And whether it is. Deliberate lies. Or a criminally. Willful. Dismissal of intelligence that didn't fit a preconceived. Notion. There was no threat. This is not i just wore. And the justifications that war. Keep. Changing. And we went into that war. Sacrificing our troops. Not prepared. With not enough armored vehicle not enough body armor. With no. Plan. For what so many. New what happened. An insurgency. Creating more terrorists. Not laugh. Mortgaging our children and our grandchildren's futures. This is an administration. That has refused to change course. In the face of reality refuse to look at reality. With a callous disregard for the sacrifice. Doberman. And women in the armed forces with borne the brunt of this conflict. We've actually cut. Veterans benefits. We've actually cut. Veterans benefits. I spoke. To a veterans administration chapel. Recently. Who says that after. 123. Four deployments. R-truth. Are mentally and spiritually exhausted. Deeply wounded. And these wounds. Will have negative effects. Enter many. Generations. This is monstrous. Back in november. We were having a strategic planning meeting for a social justice program. Bartle hall. And of course the war came up. And somebody said. During vietnam the clergy through groups like fellowship of reconciliation and clergy and laity four-piece the clergy were over all those years of the vietnam war in the forefront. Of the anti-war movement holding out the religious vision. Against an unjust war. Amaya. Where. Is the clergy now. I grew up a fundamentalist. And we used to talk about. Being convicted by the spirit. That is when you hear something. And it feels as if the spirit is reached down and said. Gotcha. I was convicted by the faithful people of this congregation. Of timidity. I have a faith leader. I'm expected to lead. To do more than just yell at the television. And i had all kinds of excuses. I didn't have time. To do anything more than what i was already doing i'm overloaded now. And i'm new in town i don't know the clergy around here only know a few. Well i did contact a few. Who were eager. Courgette the waiting. For this opportunity and they contacted a few and they contacted a few. And soul faith leaders for peace. What's formed. In january we met in barrhall are only fifteen of us fan. Turn out 50 who signed onto our platform statements representing the whole religious spectrum of san diego county. Jewish aslam. Protestant-catholic unitarian universalist quaker. Oh there. That first meeting. We confessed to each other. Our despair. In our timidity. And our fear. A power congregations would react. I am in awe of the. Courage of my fellow clergy because i received nothing but support from this congregation in this after. But some of those people are really sticking their necks out because that is what their religion is teaching them. Is important. I'm in awe of their courage. And we emboldened each other. So we invited our congressional representatives. To come talk to us. So that they could hear our determination. To come to a solution. And stop the killing. It's a not go along on this. That we're on. We had. Several members of our congressional delegation send us. Position state. Some didn't bother. And one representative. Did come in person. And that was a sobering experience. Because this congressperson said. Look. Don't let the congress to change this. Everybody is too complacent. And too timid. He said if you want to do something to change this you're going to need to get out in front of people to use your position. And to get out in front of people to do something to shake people up. To change public opinion. And start a parade and if you started parade he said. We'll go to the front of it. Now this is sobering. But the fact is that we do still live in a democracy. We are so fast to claim the rights. That our democracy gives us. And so slow. And so timid. And taking responsibility. Even the responsibility to change such a monstrous evil as this war. Some of you are in leadership positions where you can make a difference i'm challenging youtube. Now. We did come up with a platform statement. You can read it and flf peace.org. Basically it says. That we begin now to withdraw our troops from iraq. That we make a solemn pledge. To not keep any future military presence in iraq because that a big cause of fueling the insurgency and finally. To not leave the araki people without security. But to internationalize that security other people in the world have an interest there. So our first event not our last. Are perceive and is next sunday. At 2. We will be gathering and you are all invited. St paul's episcopal cathedral. Where we will have a service of prayer and repentance. From all the traditions that are represented. And then there will be a silent. And prayerful walk. To the house of nations area balboa park. Where more will be spoken. And more will be witness. And those of you who want to come. Will be carpooling at 1:15 from the church. Yes this is a series on living with integrity so. Where is the sermon on the personal morality that i promise. It's here. One of the ten commandment says thou shalt not kill. And if you know i've been loosely following the ten commandments as a way to think about these as luck as well as bringing in other precepts and moral codes from other religious and philosophical. Prediction. As commandant was originally conceived and really just meant. Thou shalt not murder. It really meant. Thou shalt not murder any other hebrews. Other tribes well that's okay. Wars okay capital punishment is okay. But it was jesus. Who took it. Deeper. It was jesus who recognized. That murder and killing has. Internal routes. And that's a stop killing. We have to stop. Those internal habits of thought that eventually lead to killing. In the sermon on the mount. Jesus ad. You have heard it was said to those of ancient time you shall not murder. And whoever murder shall be liable to judgement. But i say to you. That if you are nursing anger toward a brother or sister you will be liable to judgment. And if you insult a brother or sister you will be liable to the council. And if you say you fool. You will be liable to the hell of fire he is speaking metaphorically here. So when you are offering your gift at the altar of god. If you remember. That your brother or sister has something against you. Leave your gift there before the altar. First. Be reconciled to your brother or sister. And then, offer your gift. So jesus is saying. That. What god wants. More than anything is harmony and peas. In the human community between individuals. And not some. Ritual or sacrifice. He went to the heart of the matter. Because we need to stop the war in iraq. As i hope. I convinced you. But. New wars will continue to happen. Unless something else happens. And that is. That the hearts and minds of enough individuals on this planet have to change. The hearts and minds of enough individuals must practice. Unilateral. Internal. Disarmament. Unilateral. Internal. Disarmament. And that's a tough job. What that means is. Day by day. Little. By the little. In faltering steps. But with great intent. And purpose. We need to uproot. What the buddha called. The three poisons the mind and those are. Self-centeredness. Ill-will and willful ignorance. The buddhist version of the ten commandments is called the five precepts. And the first precept. Is. Do not kill any living being. Do not kill any living being. More comprehensive than the ten commandments. Now. Tick not han who is a vietnamese. Zen master. Realizes that it's impossible to keep this. Or any of the other precepts perfectly. So he called his version of this precept. A mindfulness training. It is something to hold up as a mirror. So that we can day-by-day come more closely to this ideal. The metaphor he likes to use is. If you walk towards the north star you will never ever reach it. But you will make great progress in a northerly direction. And we can make progress in a non harming direction. Disarming. Our internal tendencies that lead to war. According to tick not han here is that mindfulness training. Aware. That word is not an accident. That's where it starts. Aware. Bring awareness. Into what you're doing. Aware. Of the suffering caused by the destruction of life. I vow to cultivate compassion. And learn ways to protect the lies of people. Animals plants and minerals. I'm determined not to kill. Not to let others kill. And not to condone killing in the world. In my thinking. Or in my way of life. So. What. Personal decisions. Will you make today and what personal decisions. Will you make tomorrow to walk toward this ideal. It is truly impossible. To keep because. Life. Is so intertwined with life. The death of some beings leads to the life of other beings. I just. Killed. Millions. Of microscopic creatures by taking those steps. The fact is. How do we live. Recognizing that interdependence. How do we live. Doing less harm today than we did yesterday. I really applaud and admire and support those of you who have made the decision to become vegetarians. Brett. I. Have not been able to make that decision. Neither has the dalai lama but that's no excuse. How do i live today. In a way that causes less harm. The other people. Another being. To this planet. Which is a living being. Mass of life and consciousness. Of which we are apart. It's a move really from. Self-centeredness. The connectedness. To awareness. Understanding. How we are part of one communion of life. So our times. Call for a lot. We can't just watch tv. Even yell at the tv. And hope it goes away. We needed each do what thing we can. To stop the civil war. And we need to disarm. Sobeit.

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arvid5_7_06.mp3

These are the promises. From the big book of alcoholics anonymous. We are going to find a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity. And we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone. We will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize. That god is doing for us. What we could not do for ourselves. Are these extravagant promises we think not. They are being fulfilled among us. Sometimes quickly sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them. This is the final sermon on a series entitled living. With integrity. Today i want to talk about. How we. Use intoxicants in our lives if we want to. Live with integrity. I've been using. The great moral codes of humanity. As a signpost. For the series. And especially the ten commandments and the five precepts of buddhism. There is not a ten commandment about intoxica. But there is a buddhist precept. About the avoidance. Oven toxica. It's the fifth. Buddhist precepts. Buy some. Teachers. It means avoiding all. Substances that are intoxicating. All alcohol. Another buddhist culture that means to avoid. Alcohol to the point of heedlessness. The. Vietnamese that master tick not han has taken these simple precepts and expanded them. Into what he calls. Mindfulness. Training. And his fifth mindfulness training as all. 5 do. Begins with the word aware. Because living with integrity. Tegridy memes living. With awareness. And it's not possible to live with integrity. Without living with awareness. Here is. The fifth precept according to tick not han the fifth mindfulness training. Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption. Hi val to cultivate good health both physical and mental. For my cell. My family and my society by practicing mindful eating. Drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace well-being and joy. In my body. In my consciousness. And in the collective body and consciousness. Of my family and society. I'm determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant. Or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins. Such as. Certain tv programs. Magazines. Books. Films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these poisons. Is to betray my ancestors. My parents. By society and future generations. I will work to transform. Violence. Fear. Anger and confusion in myself. Indian society. By practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial. For self-transformation. And for the transformation. Society. That really. Brings a different perspective. On the whole issue of intoxicants when we realize. That intoxicants need not only be substances. Technology khan is interested in. What it is that creates. And it lumens mind a clear mind. A wise and compassionate mind. And. The things. That cloud the mind. That pushed the mine to heedlessness or that train the mind. In violence and fear. And it is certainly true. That a lot of our entertainment. From many media. Cultivate. Violence. And fear in our minds. So we want to be. Mindful. Of all the intoxicants. In our environment. And in our lives and how they are affecting us. Are they creating minds filled with fear. Or feel the piece. I grew up in a dry household. Because of the fundamentalist religion. That my family espoused. But i also observed my parents violating that precept a few times a year. By having a glass of liquor. With. Ascertain. Heathen friend of ours. It was a latvian thing i was told. Those kind of a nostalgia trip for my dad. And that's true for some parts of christianity but as we know from the hebrew christian. Bible there isn't. And explicit. Prohibition against the use of alcohol. And in fact in some christian of civilizations. There is a more positive view of alcohol in the role of alcohol. Then in the buddhist tradition. St. thomas aquinas the great scholastic. I said that drinking becomes a saint if you take it past the point of mirth. If you've ever experimenting with that you know it's pretty hard to find where that point is. I was when i was in on a trip to germany i made a pilgrimage to. The abbey that was founded. In the middle ages by that gray. Mind and soul of christian history hildegard of bingen. And it was it was wonderful. Taking part in the noon service which was sung in latin. By the nuns there. They made their living by growing grapes for some very good rhine wine. And while i was there i got a postcard. That was a quote from saint augustine about the the virtues of moderate drinking. Of wine. So. As with any drinker. I can. Quote you all the health benefits of of wine. Because i do enjoy fine wine. And i noticed that that the amount that is considered moderate depends on who you're talking to and how much they drink. But we do need to keep this in perspective. Aware again there's that word and what i am aware of in my work. Anian. Experiences in my own immediate family. Is that the alcohol. Canby. And is. An extremely addictive substance. And that you yourself might not be the best judge. I whether you are drinking moderately or not. Are you yourself. I might not be the best judge. Whether you're harming yourself or others in your use of alcohol or other intoxicants. Alcohol doesn't get enough respect its addictive power doesn't. Get enough respect. In our culture. It causes. More suffering and. Much more cost much more money to our society than any of the illegal drugs that are under the so-called war of drugs that lands. Thousands of people in prison. Every year. The abuse of those drugs does not cause nearly as much harm to society. Despite how harshly we punished. Sam. As alcohol. Princess marijuana is while addictive is much less addictive. Then alcohol. And the war on drugs is a is a feudal. Fight. We know that. It isn't only substances that people can get addicted to but. Experiences like. Gambling overeating. Saks. Spending. So i want to look at a substance abuse and other addictions. From a spiritual perspective today. The buddha teaches. That the cause of all suffering all of it. Is attachment. Not just the substances but to behavior. Two ideas. Two attitudes. It finally. The addictive behavior that causes the most suffering of all. Says the buddha. Is the belief. That we are a separate. Cell. That we are not part of everything that is that we are not. Fart. Of every experience that we are somehow isolated and alone that causes. The greatest suffering of all that's the deepest addiction of all. According to the buddha. The fact is that all of us have addictive behavior. And even the mildest addictive behaviors even the so-called. Positive addictions. Rob us of some of our freedom. And so if you want to think about addictive behaviors in your life you might want to think about how much freedom is this robbing you of. If you don't believe that. All of us have addictive behaviors and that. How easy it is for us to get addicted to things. Try an experiment. I think this might be a positive addiction so i'm going to go ahead and offer it. Take a hot bath every night before you go to bed. And then on the 8th night don't do it. Debbie suffering. Truly you'll be looking forward to that pleasurable experience. And not having it having it taken away. Your mind having me come a bichoo ated to it then will be suffering. Who does now it works with us. The great psychologist william james said that quote the sway of alcohol over mankind and unquestionably do. Switch power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature. Usually crushed to earth. By the colfax. And dry criticisms. Of the sober hour. This. Ease with which we get addicted is really part of a wholesome attempt to transcend. What we think of his ordinary life. What word transcending or wanting to transcendence. Lie. It's our habits of thought would cause us to miss perceive life. Because the world is always open and new and fresh. If we pay attention. But we don't see the world that way because of our habits of thought and so we use addictions as a way to transcend. So you could say that addictions. Come out of a spiritual impulse for wholeness. One of my teachers. Gerald may said in his book addiction and grace. That the problem with addiction is that it takes away our freedom. And it leaves traces in our brain that actually changes our brain chemistry. It creates new neural connections. And it also creates. Habits of thought. No matter what the addiction is it causes the brain to change. And compulsions. If our addictions get to the point of compulsion it robs us of tremendous energy. May says that all desire is finally. A desire for god. Which is good. How to put that in human is language. There are so many. Definitions of god. All desire. Is really a desire to. Know that place where we are most at home. To be at one with the creative processes that go beyond the limited concerns. Of the small self. Substance abusers are often those people who are looking for spiritual growth in all the wrong places. And that's why alcoholics anonymous. Is the only progress and programs like it. Are the only programs that have worked for large numbers of people. To help them. With alcoholism and substance abuse. The psychologist carl jung noticed this. He. Was. A patient came to him with a severe alcoholism. And that man. Just tried everything and him couldn't shake. His compulsion to drink and it was and have wrecked his life for the director's relationship. And was threatening his survival. With great reluctance carl jung one of the most brilliant. Psychoanalyst psychotherapist. All time. Refuse the patient. I can't help you. All my methods and all my. Healing talents can't help you. Because i know that the only. Thing that will help you. Is. A spiritual conversion and i don't know how to make you have one. A spiritual conversion because. Appearance. Ar. False ways. To feed the hunger of the spirit. Spirit. And other. Diction dictive substances are false ways. To feed the hunger of the spirits. Of the spirit. This man was. Help with his addiction. Because. He joined a. Group. Sinking deep spirituality call the oxford movement in england and he was did have a spiritual conversion. And he was help. And he became one of the founders of alcoholics anonymous. To live with integrity. Is to be very mindful of our use of intoxicants. And as i said you might not be the best person. Whether you are drinking too much. Any illegal drugs. Add a whole nother. Dimension. To the problem. There's a continuum between abuse. And addiction. But the point is. What are you living for. Is your use of intoxicants. Getting in the way of your freedom. To live with integrity does it keep you from knowing what you're doing does it keep you from being aware. Or do you use those substances. To the point of heedlessness. Many times to addicts need to hit bottom. All their illusions need to fall away in the cold reality of the moment and sometime a confrontation of family and friends. Facilitated by a substance abuse counselor can help with that. And of course then there are. The 12-step groups like alcoholics anonymous narcotics anonymous. Now a lot of unitarian universalist have problems. With some of the language. Of the 12 steps of particularly god as i understand him. Well who says godzilla him and. I don't believe in god and. The fact is. That these groups allow each individual to. Define. And evolve in their relationship with their higher power. And sometimes the higher power needs only be the group. At first. It need only be the group. There needs only to be an understanding. That by yourself. In your lonely closed-off mind. You have really screwed up. And that you are powerless over that compulsion by yourself. And you need to reach out to others and to the world. And then healing can they promised you. This is a powerful spirituality. Working the 12-step programs. I know that there had been non-theistic alternatives out of been tried i'm not aware of them here i'm hoping. That they might help for people who just cannot get over. That hurdle. And of course there are different. Aa and na group and some of them if one of them is to traditionally christian into fundamentalist there is another group that is not. Where you can feel at home. Bill wilson. Was. One of the founders of. Alcoholics anonymous. He was in the hospital countless times because of his drinking. It wasn't anything he could do about it. He knew that the end of his life would be. Soon. And it would end in either death or madness. And in desperation. He called out. I'll do anything. Anything at all. If there is a god let him show himself. And then he described as experience like this. Suddenly. My room blaze with an indescribably white light. I was seized with an ecstasy beyond description. I stood upon the summit of a mountain. We're great win the blue. A wind knot of air. Spirit. Ingrate clean string. It blew through me. Then came the blazing thought. You are a free man. A great piece stole over me and i became acutely conscious of a presence. Which seemed like a veritable sea of living spirit. I lay on the shores of the new world. For the first time. I felt i really belong. I knew that i would love. And could love in return. Bill wilson. Never drank again. We're going to have a moment of quiet now. A moment of silent witness. And i'm going to ask. Those of you who with. Who have been blighted whose lives have been blighted. Buy your own substance abuse or substance abuse of others in your immediate family. In your immediate family. To come forward if you wish and light a taper. And put it in the trencher. With the fans. And will allow. Time for that to happen if we were to. Say all of you who might have been. Blighted by substance-abuse beyond your immediate family everybody in this room. Would qualify but if. You have been your lives have been blighted. Buy substance abuse of your own or. In your immediate family you are invited if you wish. To come forward in until i text a taper. In silence.

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Looking%20Back,%20Looking%20Forward.mp3

How many of you know that i'm. Getting ready for a big move across the country. Start. As a minister in the church in pensacola florida. And. I am in the process of packing and i want to take just a moment to show you a few things that i brought from home this morning. The top of the box says no peeking. Target and i talked about this last service that we are leading together. We decided to approach it with. A sharing of gifts. A celebration of the time we've all had together. Hear it first church these past two years. And our deep wishes for one another as we continue on into the future. I will begin with a few words for you that i hope you will receive as gifts. From me. I remember a conversation that took place many years ago now. When ours it was feeling a bit overwhelmed. By the growth in numbers of members in his previous church. Where i became a unitarian universalist. At one time. Before onions sanctuary was built. Similar to here we actually went to three worship services on sunday morning. Because it had become standing-room-only. When we just had two services. Remember that. Of course it does require a lot of thought and preparation when you have a church. That is growing literally at a team. Our staff here at first church and tell you a little bit about that too. At the time of this conversation i was a dining room manager for a large italian restaurant. And we often had banquets there. Everything we did at the restaurant was to maximize the use of space. And to aspire to provide a consistently high-quality. Expose homemade food from a large menu and professional personable service. You get however the harder it can be to achieve the. But we always kept it as our goal. And so at that time it was. Easy for me to respond to arvid by saying but more is better it's a great problem to have. I was delighted to find. More than 10 years later when i arrived in san diego to begin a t ministry with arvest. Over the course of those years. His attitude toward the growth of the church had significantly shifted. Kinau as you well know exude enthusiasm and optimism. For always reaching out to more people. True more church program. Citrus 21 and fred have lost this year. Unintentional ministry for young adults. Are young adult mystery squad meets once a week. And next year we'll have assassination to help that program girls. The loyalty that i have. Unitarian universalism. Was initially fostered by arvest church. And his. Ministerial leadership. And i must say it has been. A genuine pleasure. To express my personal loyalty. To him. As lead minister. First church. These last two years. First church is growing. And it will continue to grow. Unitarian universalism in san diego county. Is growing. And it will continue to grow. Despite all the natural growing pains. This is a very good thing the big picture fox is that. We are here to have. Our lives. Transformed. And it happens. It doesn't always happen all at once. Orion perceptible and tangible ways. I have a been a witness. In this community. And i have seen with my own eyes and my own heart. The many transformations. Tattoo indeed take place. Here. So i say to you. Keep up the good work. One gift i leave with you. As you continue to grow. Remember this. As you move forward with arvid's expansionists vision for and with. Listen. Listen to each other and listen deeply. We are setting a welcome table. So it is vital. Tonight space for every voice. To be heard. Not just allowed one. Or the squeaky wheels or the deep pockets. But everyone. That's what we mean. Beloved community. This is not a talking stick. , native american tradition. It is a medicine wand. It's to remind us that every person brings their own kind of medicine into this world. And when we create a sacred space together. Our individual and collective wisdom. Maybe released to its fullest. That medicine can heal the world. This is what. Covenant groups are about. This is what. Is about. This is what we mean. My beloved. Community. Another gift i leave for you is an invitation. Collaborate in the shared ministry of this church. Which is at the very heart. Of the empowered organization model. Upchurch structure that we are experimenting with now this goes much further beyond the business of running a religious institution. Into. The spiritual practice. I'm just turning the call of a prophetic church. Are liberal tradition asked us to respond to the world. With actions. Healing and justice making. In order to listen to that call that first church is being asked to take up. Has to be time set aside. Supreme. Now i don't just mean the dreaming that happens when we're sweet all those those are good to listen to as well. Kind of meaning. The kind of dreaming that i mean happens. When we are not necessarily seeing with our eyes. But with our hearts. We look into the future and see a better world. A better community. Then the one we know now. And once you have your dream of a better future. Don't forget. Send it. Do it. Afghani says. We must be the change we wish to see in the world. And when we put on or metaphorical work gloves. And get to work. Making our dreams of a better world comes through. I invite you to send the song every once in awhile it's a good you use some. Don't be afraid change don't be afraid of something today will be. And the last guess i leave to you is a very serious. To each of you individually into the congregation. As a whole. Beaches. Whatever you do. Not to forget to. Have some fun along the way. That is a really hard to follow. I'm sad today today because even though julie will be here next month this is the last time we'll be up here together. Leading worship with you and it's it's really hard to say goodbye julie. You're the one i chose to be. Part of my team win. The board of trustees of this congregation. Ask who i wanted to work with and you're the one i chose. And i haven't regretted that for one minute. And this is important for everyone here to realize. That we have been 18. New year. Now i've been a little more upfront. It has to do with my role and i have to do with my personality. And we've accomplished a lot in these two years. It's important for everyone here to realize. Just how much about accomplishments. Is juuling. Excellent. Ireland. War. Behind the scenes. We've been. A really good team. We really enjoyed working with each other we. Melded well meshed well complemented each other. With a lot of fun and very little friction. And. Accomplishments out of happen at first church in the last few years are. Or part of that. What has the mutual respect from a long acquaintance here. That's turned into a deep friendship. They're good times and in bad julie i love you. The buddha said that the truth of impermanence has. The most important truth. Everything changes. That sounds so cliche but. We have all the time as if that's not true. Until things happen. Lawson. Many of us think. Is that. Lead us. No longer be able to ignore that fact. Like a goodbye. Congregation. In the past few years have been very aware. Impermanent. Of the fact that. Pain. Life is life. In the tibetan book of the dead. Buddhist religion. There's a description of something called the bardo state. Patterns of course believe in reincarnation and in the bardo state is the state between. Onelife in the next linda. It's suddenly cast into a fearful place where. Nothing is familiar with the old. Life is gone. The new life has not yet begun. I'm not sure about the bardo state after. But i know that lying. When. The old has passed. Send the new has not yet. Bogano. And unfortunately times was he needs ability. Are often an illusion. We lose everything identity possessions relationships habits routines. Substantial. Bad news. It's the way it is. And living in the moment. Being with the change. Is the way to meet the challenges of life. Suffering. Comes from holding on. Trying to resist the inevitable. Try to stop the endless river. I'm not saying we shouldn't mourn our losses. That is actually part. Accepting them. Accepting the moment. Moving with the endless flow. We need to remember that without change there can be no growth and there can be no life. It would be a tragedy if a child were to stay in infants forever. Thank you for bringing your input here with us today. It would be horrible if the afflicted emotions that we suffer. Sometimes in our lives where is permanent. And they might seem. When things are going badly for us. It would be awful. If we remain the same person. We are today for the rest of our. Immune from girls. Learning. And healing. The vietnamese zen master. Technohunt. That's about the fall from the tree and die. Stickman hunter that the leaf is not sad. Because she knows i shall fall to the ground. And who she is will be picking up by the tree. And i knew leave. Will grow. Take the sun back into the tree. You see the league has the secret. She is not believe. That's not her essential identity. She's between. In each of our separate lives are not the point. We are like itself. Which is changeling. Incomplete. Mourning our loss is not the same as resisting change. Minecraft in the impermanence of things we are opening ourselves up. All the new things that are constantly being born into this world. Created from what bad which was before. And could not be without that. Which was before. We heard some beautiful box. If. That was not changing music it would be a drone of 190. Music. Why we love it. Learning in spain. Putting aside. Those ideas mountains and convictions are no longer server. Spiritual growth. Is jane and fine spiritual growth. Is accepting. What is. Equanimity ingratitude. We are not separate. Ever. Source of life. Which is growth and change. I got a gift for julie. Jewel you came to the church i served in durham north carolina. With a young daughter and a spiritual hunger. You could you ride in. You served on the worship committee and in many other ways. And the. We got congregation saw your potential for ministry. And encouraged.. I'm so proud of you. One of the. Opening words that i used a lot. Is on this calligraphy. It's called e. Exhortation of the dawn. Been in my office for a number of years a night. I give this to you to take to your new offer. To remember. Art. Connection and our relationship and a partnership in ministry. Because you have truly shown us the whole congregation. The flash. As we had struggled with what it means ivar denomination is struggling what it means to have two ministers. In a congregation. And how we do that and how we choose. Oscar. And it's a matter of day today but you showing us the way. To this day. For it is life. The very life of lice. Within its brief core. Play all the verities and realities of your existence. The bliss of growth. The splendor of beauty. The glory of action. For yesterday is but a dream. And tomorrow is only a vision. But today well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness. And every tomorrow evasion of hole. Lookwell therefore. To this day. Let's all stand up if we can. Our final ham is a reminder of our mission as a congregation. Number 1074 in the supplement turn the world around. Reconfirm. why you're living in a fire go back to the fire turn the world around we come from the water living in the water go back to the water turn the world around we come from the mountain living on the mountain go back to the mountain. We are of the spirit truly up to spirit only kindness. turn the world around. If i were to wish you peace. It would be peace. To rest. To reflect. To make ready for the coming day. So that the full force. Of creativity and love within you. Might be released and shared. With our hurting world. And i do. Wish you. If you are unable to touch this. Please come forward after the postlude and do so.

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The%20Mystery%20&%20Power%20of%20Relationship.mp3

Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being to receive. Care. And give back. Please rise against physical ability and spirit allowed to join in our church him followed by our church aspirations both are found in the inside cover of our hymnals. Melo be the spirit of this church. Westport rupiah tuckerman. And service in prayer. Knowledge and freedom. Another intelligence. Please join me in reading our call to worship responsibly number 439 via gather and reverence. You will read the italicized words. We gather in reverence before the wonder of life. The wonder of being together so close yet so apart. Each listening is trying to speak. We gather in reverence before all intangible thing. That i see not. Nor ears candy tax. Orgasming him this morning is number 1010 rotelle our choir director will lita. I will sing the first verse. And then you'll hear the piano introduction. We'll all stand and join it again on verse 1. And sing the rest of the him together. Morning house calls. Arise and greet the day. Dance with joy and sing a song of gladness. Call keyshawn. May it bring pain. To guide. This must be chalice day at first church. How great. On the same day that we recognize our covenant group program in the facilitators. Our leaders in the religious education program are also being honored with beautiful chalices. If you didn't notice them on your way in i invite you to take a look at it. Corner. Cable. Baidar classroom. It has been a very rewarding time for me personally to have worked in these past two years. With the covenant group program. For those of you who may not be familiar with it the development of covenant group. Which are also sometimes called chalice circles and some uu church. Has become quite popular these last few years. They are only one form of small group ministry. The basic format of covenant groups is to bring together a small group. Somewhere between 6 and 12 people. Who committed meeting on a regular basis here at first church they happen to meet monthly but in other places sometimes they meet every other week. Discussions are based on readings and reflection question. Are provided in a guide sheet. In the groups are facilitated by one or two of its group members. The heart of the covenant group experience. Is a time for uninterrupted sharing. Bass. When one's own thinking and feeling and life experiences. In relation to the topic question. What covenant covenant that is such a unique and fascinating opportunity. Thank you people. A chance to not only focus on their own personal growth but also to get to know other people in our church. At a much deeper level than what is ordinarily possible. It is not unusual to hear a longtime church member say that even though they've known someone for years at church. It wasn't until they were actually in a covenant with them that they learn. So much more about how wonderful they really are. Covenant group. Build new kinds of communication skills between us. And that carries over into the whole life of the congregation. Strengthening or bonds. A caring for each other and supporting each other and living out our values in the world. In covenant groups we learn and practice to really listen to each other and we have a wonderful gift that is offered to us one that we don't have many opportunities in this world today. The opportunity to really be heard. The covenant fruit model also includes. Taking on a couple of service projects over the course of the year and this is a great way for people to come together from their groups and another setting and have a lot of fun while they're doing something good. First church has celebrated these past two years having over 20 covenant group. And it has been my great pleasure. To meet monthly with the facilitators of these groups. Providing them with a space for learning. And for offering mutual support as we prepare to use the monthly materials that i have created. The program. Our greatest challenge in these. Last couple of years has been to respond adequately when people do not attend their groups regularly and we hope that in the future people are able to make this commitment because it makes a big difference. On the level of intimacy in the groups and the group cohesion. Eric karpinski is one of our covenant group facilitators and he's also sudan the coordinating council which is a group i work with closely and designing the program. He will begin in just a moment reading the names. Of all of the covenant group facilitators from these past two years. As your name is being called i want to invite you to come forward. And arrive from this direction. Please take a challenge. As a gift for being a facilitator this year. Eastport commissioned by by myself from laura hershey. Church member and it's a wonderful present to you for honoring your dedication. So at this time i'm going to ask eric to come forward and begin reading the names. Susan perez. Sean bohac. Sid carpenter. Lori creahan. Buddy dowdy. Andrew and liza farrier. Newt ferris. Linda gilligan. Mandarin. Lisa hartman. Measham hoctor. Al hunsaker. Beverly joy. Eric karpinski. George kaufman. Emily keeler. Add law. Nancy jo mackey. Maggie marshall. Northcutt. Ora mae peterson. Larry porter. Erini rallis. Pam rainey. Darcy rodger. Mary rose. Betsy stevens. Rose vanoss. Everett waldo. Rachel williams. And tom winslet. And current council members who are not presently facilitators. Scott craftsman. And swelling sorensen. Before we give this group a big round of applause i'd like to ask everyone who is here today who has. Participated in the covenant group to either stand or if you're not able to stand to raise your hand. Take a look around the room. Let's give ourselves a big hair. Thank you to all of our facilitators for their dedication to their group and in serving first church we're looking forward today to a potluck after the second service and for another successful year of covenant group starting in the hall with our new associate minister. The reverend marjorie bowen sweetly. And if you have an interest in becoming a facilitator please do contact me direct. And we'll arrange for that. Thanks again you maybe see. I'd like to invite that's children and to use that heart to come forward and join us in. Leading us in our children's affirmation. We are. Unitarian. Universalist. Akiko. Open eyes. Loving heart. And welcoming hand. The children will now meet their teachers out on the patio. In appreciation for the countless ways that our lives. Can be touched when we're apart of a church community. In for the countless differences were making. In the world beyond our walls. We will now receive. An offering. If you are a visitor with the. This morning. We'd ask you to let. The offering pouch. Pass you by because we are are thrilled to be able to welcome you as our guest. As we prepare for a time of stealing our minds and opening our heart please turn to number 18 in the hymnal and we will sing together what wondrous love while remaining seated. We'll sing all three verses. Invite you now to settle into your seat. Feeling the support of our precious planet earth bonita. Drawing attention to. A gentle. Breathing. Stop. Going out. Spirit of life and love that lives within and beyond.. May we come together this morning. Not. Strangers. For casual acquaintances. Or even. As friends. But as brothers and sisters in life. Who at least for this brief time. A community. May we be open to the creative power. Which is working between and among us and the scattered community. That we may find ourselves. Not only sustained. Transformed. Middle child among us. May those who are discouraged. Find encourage. For those who feel confused. In their current life. Nils morning bring. Small light. Clarity. For those of us who have experienced. Adeep rejection. May we find acceptance. Here. May those of us who have lost. Essence of faith. For love. Find some sign of those things again. Trudy's small transformations in our lives. May we be strengthened. And our commitment. In life. Renewed. Oann. Thank you so much. I am assuming. Set a good number of you here today have seen. The most recent academy award-winning movie crash. At least once. If not more than that. The movie is provocative in more than one way and because of that it's not. Easy to watch at times. But it does have an amazing interwoven. Storyline. The movie take place over the course of about 24 hours in current-day los angeles. You know just up the road from here. I'm not going to give away very much from the movie but i do want. Point out a couple of. Things about it story. It will help me begin today. Talking about the power and mystery. Of relationship. The movie is an intricately. Interwoven story. With many characters who go through a series of chance encounters with each other. All of the central characters are shown interacting both in the context of familial relationships. Coworkers. Best friends. Husbands and wives. Parents and children. And the movie shows lots of teens wear these same characters are interesting outside of their familial relationship. Imperious encounters. With strangers. The story shows. Start tone. Our best and worst side. Can be revealed in different ways. As we interact. With other. We are capable of such callous and closed-minded behavior. At times patterns we picked up. From society. Maybe our families. We learn to categorize people. And we don't even notice. When in subtle yet undeniable ways. The category we put people. In becomes more important. To us. Then the actual person. It's safe to say that some of the very worst examples of human behavior occur. When this happens. When we are not able to see people. They really are. Complex human beings. With their own struggles. And their own wonderful. Qualities. As well. And it is safe to say that it's human being. To share so many common experiences. Longing. Reaching out and sometimes finding. Deep connection with others. That we are also capable of beautiful at. Of risk-taking. Courage. And even downright selfless compassion towards others on occasion. Hino. Under the right. Now and then. I would be remiss. If i didn't mention that the movie crash. Deeply explores the human dynamics involved. When we allow some kind of racial category. To dominate our perceptions of another person. The frequency of examples of this. Nature in the movie. May or may not be. Exaggerated. But i do believe that the debt. And degree. Lavar rachel misperception. It's not exaggerated with the overall story. Endure. Is an unfortunate. That we must come to terms with. If you stop. Really think about it there is an incredible amount of power and mystery. In the constant phenomenon of our being in relationship with one another. Our words and actions. Create a tremendous impact. On the lives of those surrounding us and beyond. R words. And actions. Can cause real harm. In pain. Or they can offer hoop. And healing. Relationships forum. What kind of web that cools the movement of our entire lives together. Our relationship serve as the crucial strands. Of reference that we have within the web. A special child. Apparent. A grandparents. A teacher. Assembling. A co-worker. Or friends. Haven't you ever noticed. How there is often something truly mysterious. About what draws people together in relationship. Sometimes. We experienced a profound connection as though a bond between ourselves and another was not created by our intentions or effort. But has some kind of element of grace about it a gift beyond our own making. Relationships like these are often a kind of. Sacred adventure. And very much worth exploring. Author. John wellwood has written for many of us today. Intimate relationships have become. The new wilderness. That brings us face-to-face with our god. Demons. When we approach it this way. Intimacy can become. Heathen. A spiritual path. Relationships offer us constant opportunities. For practicing what we say we believe in. Honoring what's most important to us. In practice. Not just in words. We practice list. We practice being present. We practice being seen and being heard. We. Enthusiastic for another. Grateful. Patient. Caring. And when we're lucky we actually practice playing together some. We ask questions and learn from each other we negotiate and sometimes we even redefine or so. Contacts. Open relationship. At the very same time. Relationship. Offer constant opportunities for another kind of spiritual practice. Have you ever noticed how. Particularly some relationships have a way of finding just the right foot. A way of revealing our growing edges. I mean we all have our issues. And magically relationship hathaway bringing them to our attention on a regular basis. We all have. Our vulnerabilities. Limitations. But you know it is as those very places within and between us but there is the greatest. Frick road. For learning. For healing. When relationships. Expose our growing edges. In our shadow side. Fake answer to draw out art. Securities are anger. Even our envy. In many ways. That we have dealt with the. Wounded in our lives. Sorry.. Emerson road. We are not very much to blame for our bad marriages in the worst assorted connections there is ever some. Mixture. Still married. Let's think about that for a moment let's think about how. Relationships in our lives give us so much practice. At being more. Of who we really are. With our own issues. Isn't it. Difficult. To have it come face-to-face with us. As we interact with those closest in our lives we don't like it when it happens. But. It shows. Of who we really. Growing edges. Putting another way is an opportunity for new growth. An opportunity to stretch ourselves in a new direction. Or he'll some part of that world will end with an s. One of the greatest powers and mysteries and relationship is how intimacy can opera. A tremendous opportunity. Transformation. In our lives. I'm using the word infamous here here to reflect. Adeeb and honest sharing. Said it's genuine with are all concerned. Intimacy and its variety of forms. Always. Presents us with something. It always presents us with something precious. Anyways. It reveals our deep connections with other people. It even offers. Pastabilities. For experiencing a redeeming kind of love. In our lives. As. Song in ruu hymnal. Says our spirits long. To be made whole and sometimes other people. Can help us. Experience. Cool math. An author russell hoban said that when people fall in love they interest to each other. The idea of themselves. I mean the essential idea of them that perhaps they don't even know themselves. To the other this. Cure. An unknown saying for the other two. Growing edges as a way of saying we have. Opportunity to stretch beyond. What's the smaller ways that we think of ourselves. When we have this precious opportunity. Experience true intimacy. It helps to create the conditions in which. We grow into the fullness of our being. This other person. Sometimes hold a picture of us. As a beautifully whole person with all our gifts and weakness. Better than we are able. We really do. Need each other. In order to find our. Carolyn kaiser says it this way. I believe in you. I believe that everyday. You are getting better and better. And if the world is saved. It will be saved by the light. Love you. Now i am able. I know that god is in us. So clearly. I believe that the power and mystery of relationship to transform our lives. Is a kind. Divine intervention. Some of the chance encounter. In the movie crash could be seen that way too. The very first time. I attended a unitarian universalist sunday worship service. It wasn't all school celebration. Honoring all those who had died and were born in the past year. Just weeks before i had experienced my first. Someone close to me. It was donald. My surrogate grandfather. My child. Friends who used to take me on what. Down to the duck pond. When i was a little. I talked about donald in my sermon. Crossroads christian. At the time. I have been looking for a church to take my daughter. It actually was a time when i was red. Porta power. Tree of relationship in a community. Buffet. Yes. Mcdonald's. Was like a grandfather to me but the power and mystery of our relationship. With deeper even than that. Not only did i not know any of my biological. I grew up not knowing my father. Haswell. And so donald. Quaid in incredibly important role in my life. It went much further. Beyond the treasured walk. Pond. Kiwi. Before i first walkthrough some uu doors on a sunday morning. It was my mother who had given the eulogy at donald's. Memorial. She talked about donald and his life how he lives. Run an indiana farm in a house that he helped his father to build. The only time he left indiana. What to serve in the first world war. She talked about how he'd been married once when he was young. But after the divorce he remained a bachelor for many years. Until he developed. Achieve and long-lasting friendship. With sadie. The woman who. Care of me. As a small girl. My mother then talked about the special relation. Between donald and me. Nearly the time i was born. She talked about how even though donald had retired from his long career. In an indiana auto plant. The time he spent with me. Was really important to him. He had no children of his own. And his love and devotion to me. What's a special gift. In his life. Not just. In ours. We should never underestimate. Power and mystery. The intimate relations. Whenever we come into genuine communion. It is a power. Seal. And transform. Each of us. Answer more of what we are meant to be. Into what we are longing to be. Cheese fries. As he are willing and able to join in our final cam. Here we have gathered number 306.

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arvid1_8_06.mp3

In islam the mystical tradition is called sufism and. The teachers of that tradition are called shakes. There was a famous sheikh who was. Teaching his special practice two people. And that practice was to constantly repeat one of the sacred. Names of god. He said if people would do that. It. Would have special power. In their lives constantly repeating. One of the sacred. Names of god would calm the mind would. Attract. Positive energy to the person's life. There's a skeptic in the audience then when the shake. Had finished the skeptics says. I don't buy that. Words are words are words there are no sacred words. There are no magic words. And there are no special words. Handshake looked at him and said. You are a complete. Pool. What do you know. And what more would i expect from someone of your undistinguished ancestors. You're an idiot. Well the man started to get rad. And he started to shake and his hands. Formed into 5th and he was about to get up and punch the teacher. And the teacher said seward's do have power. Words have power. At least in the protestant version of the ten commandments the third commandment is. You shall not take the name of the lord your god in vain. Now in my sunday school maybe in yours i was taught that that means you shouldn't use. Bad language. But really if you look at the contacts. Out of which that commandment emerged. Batman not lying. Hitman not lying. It meant not swearing. Something is true that wasn't true or it meant using the name of god as a magical formula to try to manipulate the universe. In your direction. So that's a pretty different and more profound meaning of not taking the name of the lord your god in vain. Then what we mostly think about. Today. So this is. Part of a series of sermons. On living with integrity roughly following. The ten commandments but also i want to talk. About moral precepts. As taught by other great religions of the world and wisdom traditions of humanity. Now here i'm looking mostly at buddhist teachings. And i want to call your attention to one of the teachings by the vietnamese then master. Check not han i put that as a centering thought. In your order of service. And you may well want to take that home and use it. The tool for your own practice. And your own reflection. This is what tick not han says is right. Beach. Aware of the suffering caused. Buy unmindful speech. And the inability to listen to others. I vowed to cultivate loving speech and deep listening. In order to bring happiness and joy to others. And relieve others of their suffering. Knowing. That words can create happiness. Or suffering. I vow to learn to speak truthfully with words. That inspire self confidence. Joy and hope. I'm determined not to spread news that i do not know to be certain. And not to criticize and condemn things. Of which i am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words i can cause division or discord. Or that can cause the family. Our community. To break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts. However small. That is right speech. And that's a tall order. 4. Fallible. Human being. The buddha identify three particular kinds of speech. That he said were unskillful. Kind of speech. The first. Unskillful form of speech is gossip. Gossip is talking about someone else. Who is not present. To a third person. And. All of us engage in gossip. So when. Buddhist meditation teacher joseph goldstein looked at this. Teaching of the buddha. He decided for. One month. That he was not going to talk about. Somebody when they weren't present. Whether what he had to say about them was good. Or bad. He found that. His. Conversational opportunities were quite limited. Now the buddha did say that gossip isn't helpful whether you say good or bad things. But i think maybe it's a lot to ask of us human beings never to say anything. How about other people when they're not there maybe we should just. Remember the admonition of our mothers are grandmothers and just never. Say anything about people if you can't say something good about. The point to pay attention to here. Is that. Even in casual conversation. Words are powerful. If you say something negative. About a person who's not there to a third person. You harm them. I say that again you do them harm. Especially if you're not sure what you're talking about. Is true. You do them harm. Because what you say creates an impression. In the listener's mind. And. Colors the way they perceive. That person. Negative gossip particularly. Is unskillful speech. The 2nd. Type of unskillful speech that the buddha talks about is. Dishonest. Speech. Of course we're talking here about outright lying. But it's not limited to that we're talkin also about. Half-truth. Ben. Innuendo exaggeration. And perhaps the most. Harmful form of dishonest speech. Self-deception. Princeton philosopher harry g frankfurt. Has written a wonderful little book. About. The type of dishonest speech which he feels is most pervasive. And increasing. In our society and i ask you to excuse. The coarse language. But the title of the book is on bulshit. Bulshit and lying are different. The lot although they're both dishonest speech. The liar. Knows the difference between truth. And falsehood. The liar knows that he is telling a lie. And he knows what's true and he's not saying what's true. The b******* artist. Doesn't know or care if she is lying. She'll just say. What suits her purpose. And soon the bullshiter. Starts to lose the difference. Between truth. And untruth. The line is hard. It's a bad habit. It's not an exaggeration i believe to say that we are all. The victims of a lying. Industry. If you have interactions with the media this morning. The newspaper television radio you've heard dozens of lies before breakfast. You look at the commercials if you look at news releases by various. Agencies organizations in government. You've heard half-truths you've heard spin. You pretty graduation. I know honest politicians and honest salespeople i do. But we expect our politicians and our salespeople to lie to us. Cecil abaku is a philosopher at harvard. Talks about. How. Our moral atmosphere. Is polluted. By dishonesty. I think. That is an extremely powerful metaphor. We are choking. On that moral pollution. And we cannot see the line sometimes. Between what is true. And what is not. Because there is. So much added that is not. To live with integrity. Is tonight contribute. Marcel. To that moral pollution. Call being scrupulously honest is not an easy task. It's part of human nature to lie to ourselves. To shade the truth in such a way to benefit us. But even if we could be scrupulously honest the buddha says. We're still not completely realizing. Skillful speech. Because skillful speech. Is not only honest. But it's also kind. And helpful. Wrightspeed. Is not only honest. But it is also kind and helpful. We've all known people who use frankness and honesty. As to diss a sadistic weapons. Has ways to make people feel bad. Less confidence. Let's secured. This society. And so many of our relationship. Are full of contemptuous speech. Of sarcasm which harms. Of. Nitpicking criticism. Which. Deflate our sense of self our confidence. But don't we need to criticize. Don't we need sometimes to give negative feedback. To point out what's wrong. How can relationships. How can institutions thrive. Without the ability to tell the truth. To each other. Even if that truth. Is negative. Well yes. We do. Sometime. Need. Say the truth. To give. Negative. Criticism i don't like the word constructive criticism because. Yeah it's been such a misuse term hits negative criticism. And i have this place. When we need to do. But the buddha gives us advice. As to how to do that. I'm quoting him. Before and monitoring another one should reflect the. In due season will like speak. Not out of season. In truth will i speak. Not in falsehood. Gently would like to be. Not harshly. For his benefit will i speak. Not for his loss. In kindness. Will i see. Not. In anger. Alice miller the famous. Swiss. Psychologist psychiatrist says. If it is hard for you to admonish another. It is safe to do so. If you get the least bit of pleasure out of it you should refrain. Let me tell you it wasn't easy to write this sermon this week. I winced. As i reviewed. The buddha's teachings on right speech. I remembered. Minor episodes. Harshness. About other people. Sad when they were not there or even. Unkind words that directly to people. This is a difficult practice. Integrity of speech. It's not easy. I take comfort. From the words of technican. Who reminds us that if we. Follow the north star. Consistently. And with discipline. We'll never reach it. But we will make progress in a northerly direction. Hela speech. Create. So much suffering. In our relationships. In our institution. In our nation's. And in our world. And mindful kind helpful speed. Could create so much happiness. Encouragement. And self-confidence. Think. How much easier would your life be. If you didn't. Cavalry grant. Anyting. You said. Harmon.

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Desiring%20a%20Refreshing%20Wind.mp3

We are living an interesting time. For some that may be seen as a cur. For others a blessing. I choose to see these times as a blessing because it means that opportunities to make a difference are plentiful. This congregation also seeks to make a difference. To the embodiment of our values on the local state and national level. Your support enables our values to become tangible in the lives of others. If you are visiting with us here today. We ask that you simply allow the offering perth to be passed onto your neighbor. We welcome you as our guest. Good morning offering will now be gratefully received. Is now as we continue to prepare for a time in the service for quiet reflection and prayer please turn to number 1049 in our hymnal supplements and millie melanie will lead us again in the meditation him while we remain seated dna spirits. We will sing our meditation him first. And the italian. Then and the english. Italian again. I invite you now to. Umbridge being fully present here in the moment settle into your seat. Turn your attention lightly to influence and outgoing of your breath allowing it to slow a bit. Invite a time of quiet. Feeling the support of our precious earth beneath our feet. And are gathered community around us. Let us extend. Out beyond. Discounted community. A loving embrace. To all of his family and friends who are not with us today either at church camp or. Predator reasons. Including them. In our time. A gathering and worship. The meditation reading today is by loud sue. The founder of taoism. Who lived in the 5th century before the common era. The reading is entitled beyond word. Existence. Is beyond the power of words. To define. Terms may be used. Are none of them. Absolutely. In the beginning of heaven and earth. There were no words. Word. Come out of the womb of matter. And whether we'd passionately see to the core of life. Or passionately see the surface. The core and the surface. Are essentially the same. Word. Making sense team difference. Only to express. Appearance. Its name be needed. Wonder. Name them both. From wonder into wonder. All existence. Open. How the reading this morning consists of two parts. The first part is from the christian scriptures. And the second is an account from the azusa street revival. For the pain economist. Pentecostal is second to christianity is said to have begun. The first from the book of acts. When the day of pentecost came they were all together in one place. Suddenly it sounds like the blowing of a violent wind. Came from heaven until the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the holy spirit and began to speak another tongue. As a spirit enabled them. Now they were there were staying in jerusalem jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound a crowd came together and bewilderment. Because each one heard them speaking in his own language. Utterly amazed they asked aren't at all these men who are speaking galileans. Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language. And then secondly from the accounts on the azusa street revival. To read the newspapers in 1906 one might have wondered about all the excitement in the old building. On azusa street in the industrial part of the city. According to the los angeles times a bizarre new religious sect had started with people breathing strange utterances. And mouthing a creed which it would seem no saying mortal could understand. Furthermore devotees of the weird doctrine practice and most fanatical ripe. Preach the wildest theories and workman's house into a state of mad excitement. To top it all off they claimed to have received the gift of tongues. And what's more comprehensive babel. African americans latinos white and others prayed and sang together. Creating a dimension of spiritual unity and equality almost unprecedented for the time. It allows men women and children to celebrate their unity in christ. And participate as led by the spirit. Indeed so unusual was a mixture of blacks and whites. That's some enthusiastic leaks claims the color line was washed away. Meaning man in the sanctifying work of the holy spirit. The saint of racial prejudice have been removed. Meanwhile in late summer 1906 charles parham a white man has a gun leading another pentecostal revival in zion city illinois. Parham left for california hoping to consolidate the faithful in los angeles. Within the wider network of apostolic faith. Believers. And second to harness what he considered to be an unbridled religious enthusiasm. As it happened the emotional worshipped in particularly the mingling of whites and blacks together. Deeply offended him. Within just a few years of its beginning the apostolic faith mission on azusa street had become. Predominantly black. When a raindrop stumbles all over. Open so much acclaim. Skyway puzzle rainbow highway 2 before. To place behind the song. Blind. Dream really do come true. Thomas doran wake-up weather clouds behind. What's roubles not like lemon drops. Rainbow. Blue. But why why. And wake up where the clouds. What's rebels not like lemon drops. Bluebirds fly. Beyond the rainbow. 100 years ago on azusa street in los angeles. A group of men and women. Gather to pray and revival. This was an old-fashioned bible-thumping hands up in the air hot glory hallelujah kind of revival. And then something happened. People began to speak and what sounded like strange languages. This event is heralded. At the beginning of the pentecostal movement in the christian church. From this beginning several pentecostal denominations were born. Such as the assemblies of god. Church of god in pentecostal holiness church. Pentecostalism. Is rivaled only by islam. As being the fastest growing faith in the world today. Now there is one major difference. Between what happened on azusa street and what happened in the christian text we just heard. The difference is best. Each one heard them speaking in his or her own language. In pentecostalism. And in the charismatic movement that occurred in the 1960s and 70s. People who heard others speaking in tongue. Could not understand each other. Unless the heroes. We're supernatural grace. To do so. There was only one place that i know of. Where people speak in other tongues and others are able to understand them. That place my friends. Is right here in a unitarian universalist congregation. It is a gift. We often fail to cultivate to its fullest potential. What am i talking about. Did i suddenly say words that seemed incomprehensible. I am going to do what many pentecostal ministers do when preaching and refer back to the text of the day. The tech. Steuben's all of these jews who came from all over the known world to worship. Jerusalem. Heard the disciples speak. They heard them speak. In their own language and we're amazed. The men and women who had gathered still in grief over the death of their teacher. Began to speak in words that others. Here. And understand. And who are we. We are a people who gather together. Who profess no specific creed. Right here in this congregation we have people who profess a christian faith. Hindu faith. Are jewish faith. An atheist pagan or possibly even a new thought faye. We are a diverse people who speak. Many different tongue. Yeah here we are. Covenant thing together to create a community that welcomes. Promote our differences. We have chosen to dialog together about our various creed. So that when we meet a person. Who has a creed that is different than ours. We can be open and affirming with that person. Because we have learned. Some better than others. I hear those beliefs and create. In our own language. And at the same time. Honor the unique differences. Of their face. My spiritual journey include the catholic charismatic movement. I love you member prayer meeting. Square softly and one section a person would begin to sing and tongue. And then another and then another. Suddenly the whole room would be singing. Some would have the metal melody line. And others carried the harmonies. The voices would rise and fall easily like waves on the ocean. And then as it is conducted by an unseen hand. The singing. Woodstock. It was a very beautiful experience of harmony. But one can only have harmony. If different note. Rving song. And here we are. Singing our song together. Are humanists voice. Joining with a hindu voice. A christian voice. A pagan voice. And what is more. We are coming together in understanding. We understand that each of us is needed to make the beloved community. On memorial day. Faith leaders for peace came together to offer a memorial service. Put those who have died in the iraqi war. The service. Was coordinated in park. Buy a unitarian universalist. We know how to do interface services. We know how to include voices that on the surface. Mine seem to have disparity. And find the common thread that weaves.. Together. At the same time. We know how to honor the differences of those threads. Why aren't we doing more of this. Is it because we think the threads aren't strong enough. To form a durable fabric. Ask any weaver and you will hear that silk. Is spawn from the finest of threads. Made by the silkworm. And yet when woven together is strong. Fabric. And so too are the threads of diversity that creates our face of unitarian universalism. Our space. Is poise. In a moment of history. To create great changes. Society. Rv ready to see this opportunity and grab hold of it. There is great desire in this country right now. For something different. For something of value to sweep this nation. People have seen the results. Of narrowly defined faith. To one set of dogmas. They have seen that to do so will increase and tolerance and bigotry. To grab hold of one set of answers. In dogmatically hold faster them has proved disastrous in this country. And in other countries abroad. What is good for me. Is not necessarily good for you. And people in this country. Are also beginning to see this as truth. This is a truth. Unitarian universalist. Have known since the days of william ellery channing. And ralph waldo emerson. Therefore we have honored the diversity of beliefs. Within our hallowed walls. And have discovered the diversity of beliefs. Add to our humanity. An understanding of life. We have discovered. That it is our diversity. That makes us stronger spiritually. And gives us increased insight into the mystery we call life. Recently. In our religious education classes. We were teaching about buddha day. The day when brutus honor. The life of buddha. One of the stories told by the buddha was shared with our children. Blind man where at. Describe an elephant. One blind man felt the legs of the elephant instead. The elephant was like for huge trees. Sturdy and strong. Second man felt the side of the elephant. It said no. The elephant is like a huge wall tall and wide. 1/3 man after feeling the trunk of the elephant said. No. You are mistaken. The elephant is like a snake. Able to coil and strike. The fourth man after feeling the tail said. You are all wrong. Elephant is like a whip. Sabuda dad. So we are like the four men. Only able to see from our perspective. But not able to see the whole. We had our children draw out these various images. Just see what this elephant might look like. And the picture was quite silly. We have this understanding of truth. Set our individual perspectives are valid. Only when we combine them can be even send me an even begin to gain a glimpse of the whole. And we also know that even combining our perspectives. Might still lead to a distorted. Perhaps. Silly picture. About the elephant of truth. Mike looks like. It is b. Spectre. That needs to be heard in our land today. Because we know that in dialogue. In using all of our gifts. Set the hard rock boundaries of these images. Begin to soften. And transform. Allowing the true essence. In-shape of the elephant. To begin. Come in. To focus. There is a hunger. That is sweeping this land for the resurrection of living our values of compassion. Justice making. Alright relationship. The dogmatism that categorizes others into the same. And the not save. The good and the evil is failing in its mission. It is not creating heaven on earth. It is not. Transforming people into living in this society as jesus. Muhammad. Or even as the buddha taught and lived. Instead. America has seen. Increase. Intolerance. And increase of i will treat you with compassion and respect if. And only if you accept my values. My belief. My ideology. The dogmatism. Is being seen for what it is in america today. And people are seeking for a realization of the american values of liberty and justice for all. This resurgence for values that honor our nation's diversity is seen in the recent marches for immigration rights. This resurgence for values that honor civil liberties. 15 and the allegations of illegal activities. Of governmental wiretapping a phone conversation. An intranet email. This resurgence for values that honor. The dignity and worth of all of our citizens. Is seeing. In the uproar. Over racial inequity in the response to provide aid in the wake of. Katrina. This resurgence for values that honor. Ethical inhumane treatment of all people. In the exposing of the brutal behavior of gitana mobay and a slaughter of innocent. In iraq. We stan. At a precipice of a new day in america. And how we as unitarian universalist enter that new jay. Will define us as a people of faith. There is an our nation of desiring. For a refreshing. When. Unitarian universalist. Have an opportunity to be a part of that wind of change. That blows across this nation. If we are not willing to seize this opportunity i can guarantee you that it will be seized by others. Recently. I received a pamphlet from a church describing itself as progressive theology. They define this biology as a life live. Add a quote mahatma gandhi. My life is my message. To further illustrate. This message. 60 ology. This progressive-minded church is poised to grow and make an impact on san diego. Their outreach and social action programs are spiritual and personal. Where people live. That congregation. Is offering an appeal. Two people who want to make a difference in healing and intolerance be oppressed. And broken hearted. They're offering social justice programs encompassing the broad picture of justice making. Not.. Political advocacy. How do we as unitarian universalist. Live our message. Or do we. If we are not living our message then how will people know that our liberal faith is central in our lives. If we are not living our message. Then how will society benefits from our presence. This. Our challenge. One of the things that excites me about the young-adult mysteries squad. The group of young adults that needs weekly on thursdays. Is that inevitably the conversation gets tied back. To living as unitarian universalist. They struggle with living but you you values while working in an office. Setting or in living with roommates. That have very different space backgrounds. It excites me. Because faith. Is to be lived. Turn the fast way to live that faith is in dialogue. With our surrounding. And with others. This congregation is very good at social action advocacy. We love a good protest rally or letter campaign. Important work. Vital work. We need. To be willing to. The nitty-gritty work. Of soothing and healing the victim. Other social injustice has. As a congregation we do some of this. But not as much. Once a year we are asked to host and staff overflow shelter. Stars who have volunteered comments on the relationships they have built. The people. Volunteer year-after-year to share in the story of these relationships. Advocacy work. Combined with relationship-building with those victimized. By the social injustice. Will be more than just a voice in the wilderness. It will be a shout. A declaration loud and clear to san diego in the world beyond. That here are people who live their faith. Here are a people who represent values that can change american society towards its full potential. Because we love diversity. We thrive on diversity. And when you make relationships with people who are experiencing oppression in our society. And you find ways and that relationship to lesson. Or even free them from their oppression. You will discover that they will want to be apart. This congregation. And the work we unitarian universalist are about. In this congregation. Will grow even more to her. Cuz of this type. Of work. Reverend bill sinkford in a recent you uworld discusses what he sees. In unitarian-universalism across this country. He comments withdraws the willingness. Of our congregations to tackle the real day-to-day life challenges from our pulpit. He is thrilled with what he describes as a resurgence of reverence. Ingratitude for life. As being markers. For us towards becoming more of who we are meant to be. I believe. It will take more than reverence ingratitude. To make us more of who we can be. Yes. These are powerful developments for us unitarian universalist. However. Icr potential. As being a powerful bridge. Over the great chasm that has cut across this nation. We have an ability to offer but no other religion can offer. And that is our covenant ulm honor of being with each other. Honoring our diversity. We can do what the revival's on azusa street began to do. But were unable to. Complete. And that is for healing of the racism in our land. The healing of racism that was mentioned in the reading. On azusa street. Was only the temporary feel-good kind of emotionalism. We know from our own work. Journey toward wholeness. And the charts change consultancy. Status change from a racist point of view to living in racial equity. With our neighbors. Total transformation of the whole. Person. Sientelo. Emotions. And spirit of the person. Have to be transformed. And we know that you're reinforce the transformation of the person. The institution. Have to be transformed. The only touch the emotions. Does not make for last. Change. Unitarian universalist. Have at our fingertips. And understanding and appreciation. Of the world religions. We need to become conversant. In world religions. So we can share our faith of strength and diversity. With others. We need to have a better understanding. Auburn multicultural and religiously pluralistic society. We unitarian-universalist are better at this than most other religious groups. We recognize the vast wisdom of the world's religions. Stores of our living tradition that nurtures our face. But to make an impact on society. In the 21st century. We as a people of faith. Must be willing to commit. To a better understanding of these living tradition. That feed our spirits. Recently. We had the imam from the islamic centre here to speak on islam. Pizza chains with the imam were powerful and insightful. They help break down barriers between unitarian universalist. In our islamic neighbors. Those who attended the session. Are now able to counteract. Anti-islamic slurs that they might hear. With some fat based on their experiences. This is one way. We unitarian universalist. Can be a bridge. Shaquille racism. And prejudice. In our. I believe that it's time. We unitarian-universalist reclaimed the word evangelical from our history. In the mid-nineteenth century unitarian and universalist. We're known as evan jellicle rationalist. Azumah nelson began to inform our face. The evangelico part of our heritage drop from you. Primarily because of its association with christianity. However this word does not stoli kenosha. Christianity or the preaching of the gospel. It also refers to the style. In which we promote our point of view. With fervency. And zeal. If microsoft can employ evangelist. To market their products to customers. Then we certainly. Canby evan jellicle in our face. The community-at-large. And i believe it it's time. That we do so. Please rise as you are able in joining us. In our final him. 1049. Directions 48. 1028. 5 commandment and melanie and will lie..