The worship Service this week at the Tree of Life UU Congregation in McHenry. I was asked to do the Chalice Lighting this Sunday morning at the Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation in McHenry, Illinois.  If you are not familiar with a Chalice Lighting, it is one of the few U.U. worship rituals.  A short reading usually accompanies ignitinga flame in a chalice, the symbol of our faith, which help set the tone of the service.  At our congregation we have monthly themes for worship.  This month that theme is Beauty.  Instead of searching out an apt quotation from literature or by some minister, I undertook a short original poem. Rev. Jenn Gracen with her wife Virginia and daughter Adalee at a protest of the upcoming Supreme...

Please join us on Sunday (8 May 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Bearers and Forebearers” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join us in person at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 9449 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport LA  71106 if you are able to do so. Our service … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (8 May 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (8 May 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday we continue our work through the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. As the author says, “This is not a book you read, this is a book you do” and we … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 8 May 2022"

On this Sunday (8 May 2022), children and youth religious education classes will continue to meet in person during our 11:00 AM worship service. We have resumed our pre-COVID practice where the children and youth will join us in the sanctuary for the first 15-20 minutes and then we will sing them out to their … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education (8 May 2022)"

Please join us next Tuesday (10 May 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Despite the commercialization of Mother's Day, some of the best tributes however are a sincere understanding of what mothers sacrifice for their children. Mothers often changed the course of history just through their choices although history might not acknowledge it until years later. Continue reading Column: Mamie Till-Mobley’s Choice at The Wild Hunt.

Now that Roe v. Wade is likely to fall, we all have to think carefully about electronic privacy and abortion. Big Tech is already tracking everything you do. The data they steal from you can easily be used to find out whether you (for biological females) or your partner (for biological males) is pregnant. The … Continue reading "Phone privacy and abortions"

When: Saturday May 7, 2022 Time: 9 AM to Noon Where: Unitarian Church of Los Alamos Patio, 1738 N. Sage St. MASK OPTIONAL Please bring plants you wish to give away, and take home any you can use. All unclaimed plants after the swap will be donated to the Master Gardeners’ Plant Sale on June …<p> 2022 Community Plant Swap Read More »

This review came out yesterday. https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2022/05/your-brains-are-in-your-hands-doug-stowe-on-forming-mind-hand-and-culture/ It is written by fellow woodworker Josh Pauling. Make, fix and create...

The birth of Siddhartha Gautama, known to most as the Buddha, is celebrated at this time of year throughout East and South Asia, but the exact date of the celebration varies from country to country. The Southeast Asian festival of Vesak, which includes this day, starts tomorrow. One of the central rituals of Vesak is … Continue reading Buddha’s Birthday

The highlight of a trip to Ano Nuevo State Park is supposed to be the sight of hundreds of Elephant Seals. But when Carol and I visited the park today, what I enjoyed most was seeing Bank Swallows building nests in a bluff high above the beach. I watched through binoculars as the swallows whizzed … Continue reading "Bank Swallows"

Please join us on Saturday (7 May 2022) at 10:30 AM for our weekly meditation group with Larry Androes. This is a sitting Buddhist meditation including a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation, 20 minutes of sitting, and followed by a weekly teaching. The group is free and open to all. For more information, contact Larry … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (7 May 2022)"

Lyonel Perabo reviews the new film "The Northman," directed by Robert Eggers, which features striking historical fidelity in its story of Viking Age revenge. Continue reading Review: “The Northman” – What evil steals the hearts of brave young men? at The Wild Hunt.

Bring out your flower bouquets and your brunch reservations! This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and we’re bringing the books to take you into the weekend and beyond. These books show how every kind of mother needs to be valued and supported in the catch-all societal stew we call the US. Mothers of color. Immigrant mothers. Mothers who become parents at a young age. Mothers separated from their families because of incarceration. Mothers challenging the medical establishment about misconceived notions of disability.

Please join us as we join our friends at UUCSW, 64 Main Street in Westborough, where we’ll explore together the ways in which Nurturing Laughter can help us to not only survive but thrive in an uncertain and sometimes less-than-lovely world. Online option is also available; please visit www.uucsw.org for more information. Next week: Join us   [ … ] The post Sunday, May 8 ~ Visiting Westborough appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

Beloved,  Are you tired? I am. Are you mad as hell? Me too. Are you figuring out how to get out of bed, go to work, and carry on while day after day you are stunned by the cruelty of our leaders and our laws? If I am honest, I too have chosen a nap instead of a meeting. I have reached out to connect with friends, instead of taking every action that falls into my inbox.  And that’s ok. We are a movement, not a machine. Caring for ourselves, our communities, and our spirits are essential to sustaining our movements.  Our work is as complex as our movements. But there is nothing complicated about injustice. We are clear that Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and extractive capitalism are the forces that threaten our democracy, ou...

    I missed it as it passed, but, yesterday, the 5th of May was a signal moment in the history of liberal religion in the United States. And, I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on it. To this moment I have a vivid memory. I was working at Wahrenbrock’s Book […]

Prayer for Possibility, Change, and Transformation May 8, 2022 Lover of Possibilities, Change, and Transformation blow through our lives more gently, please. Or at least give us a reminder to have a go bag and a charged phone and the contacts of this four-times-removed-friend’s-seventeenth-cousin. Lover of Possibilities, Change, and Transformation...

Two people I know affectionately refer to each other as their “movie spouse.” Each of them has a partner who does not share their taste in movies–so they go to the movies together. -Michael Tino (CLF) Do something fun with a friend today.

I was just on retreat at Villa Maria del Mar for two days. It is in Santa Cruz, on a cliff right on the beach. When I texted my daughter to say that I had gone tidepooling that morning before breakfast, she asked if I had drawn any critters from the tidepools for her. I […]

First published on 6th June 2021 but republished on May 6th 2022 because, a) it is still relevant and, b) it stands as a good holding post while I take two weeks of leave. I return to work/blogging/podcasting on Wednesday 18th May. Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and, from time to time, corresponds with me or turns up on a Sunday morning. I hugely appreciate the engagement. Thank you.  Right, I ’m off to have a rest . . . Adieu. —o0o— Back in 1983/84 in Bury St Edmunds, I bought a secondhand copy of the “Selected poems and prose of Michael Roberts” (ed. Frederick Grubb, Carcanet Press,1980). Michael Roberts (1902–1948) was an English poet, writer, critic and broadcaster who made his living as a teacher. He is most we...

Focus talk: Susan Nulsen. Click here to listen. Susan Nulsen’s Bio Both of Susan Nulsen's parents were born in the Depression and had been brought up in country Western Australia. Her mother's parents were farmers. Her father's father had drowned when her father was a baby and her father's mother had become a hairdresser in a country town (where she had little competition) to support them both. Neither of Susan's parents families had been particularly well-off. Although the Depression hadn't hit the farmers too badly, subsequent droughts had had more of an effect . Her mother's family had been forced to move to the city where her grandfather had worked as a dustman for some time. Susan's parents were both twenty-two when she was born. ...

On my way home from a ministers’ retreat this afternoon, I stopped at Ano Nuevo State Park. The reason most people visit the park is to view the Elephant Seals that live there. And what’s not to like about these charismatic megafauna? Today’s visit was too short. I’ve already convinced Carol to accompany back to … Continue reading "The obligatory Ano Nuevo State Park Elephant Seal photo"

Yes! The robin has been sitting on the nest more consistently and today I confirmed that she has laid three eggs! She stays in place when we go out the back door, as long as we go down the steps near the driveway, which is on the opposite side of where she is nesting. But […]

Truthfully, I didn’t learn much from being locked down for two years.  I suspect that I had the virus early on, before it was even on people’s radar back in January of 2020.  After flying through Las Vegas and the Guadalajara airports, we were in Chapala, Mexico, enjoying the warmth and a bit of street food. The symptoms appeared one night in the form of spiking fevers, violent chills and joints aching so terribly that I simply wept with no relief.  I was sick for two days and then it was over.  What did I learn from that?   Not everything bad that happens occurs for a reason or to teach us a lesson.  I know some people think otherwise.  But I am of the opinion that random stuff messes with us mercilessly, and the evolving mu...

The nation's wetlands while providing a large range of benefits and resources continue to be threatened by development, pollution, and the erosion of environmental protections. Continue reading American Wetlands Month is underway at The Wild Hunt.

UU Women’s Retreat on May 7th! Registration is now OPEN! Young Women Welcome! 13 years and up! When: Saturday, May 7th – 9am-3pm Where: UU Church of Los Alamos Registration Fee to pay for lunch and supplies: $20. (If you are in need of a scholarship, please let Tina DeYoe know!) Registration link: https://forms.gle/mQrUHS3EatqcC5tDA Retreat …<p> UU Women’s Retreat on May 7th! Read More »

Another request. I’m looking for lovely samples of orders of service. Necessarily available in a downloadable format online, and preferably from a small church (of whatever stripe) or one that works with a tight budget. Feel free to chime in, even years from now. There’s something dispiriting to visit a church and find something that … Continue reading "Lovely examples of order of service?"

        Today is Cinco de Mayo. I usually offer a reflection on this day about why I think it is in fact a holiday we in the United States should be observing. With, I quickly add, some serious caveats. I acknowledge a pretty good measure of discomfort at how the holiday has […]

A few years ago I experienced the abrupt end of two unrelated long term friendships.  I felt such acute pain and loss. It was difficult to work through that pain when other folks in my life thought I was overreacting because it was not romantic love. I wish for us to be comfortable recognizing the … Continue reading Losing a Friend

A typically culturally sensitive promotion for American Cinco de Mayo revelry. Note:  This is at least tenth year I have run essentially the same post with a little tinkering on the margins. I keep running it because the same shit happens again every year and my Mexican and Chicano friends keeps asking me to bring it back. Today is, as every hearty partyer will tell you, is Cinco de Mayo.  In the U.S. in recent years it has become kind of second St. Patrick’s Day decked out in sombrerosand serapes instead of emerald green, toasted to with Coronas with lime and shots of tequila instead of Guinness and Jamison’s,and laid out with two-for-one taco deals instead of corn beef and cabbage plates.  It is celebrated without apparent irony...

I’ve started reading Michelle Huneven’s church memoir Search, about her experience with a ministerial search in a California Unitarian Universalist congregation. The details are altered to create a cloak of anonymity, though it doesn’t take much effort to pull back the veil. (I don’t know how much is fiction; the author and the protagonist have … Continue reading "Reading “Search”"

Yesterday I had a visiting woodworking teacher from Indiana who had come to observe classes at the Clear Spring School. Glenn Smith teaches wood shop and Chess at Forest Ridge Academy in northern Indiana up near the great lakes. I put him to work assisting students while he was here. It is always rewarding to commune with other woodworkers, and with other teachers, and when with both, it's a special treat. Today my Kindergarten students, (the Rainbow Group) began making Froebel gifts number 4. When the blocks are cut they will have both sets 3 and 4 in their collections. It is obvious when playing with gift number 4 that it was the one most useful in developing Frank Lloyd Wright's love of architecture. I could show you a picture, but it...

The camphor tree was introduced to California (and numerous other states) from East Asia, where some of us have encountered it in the movie My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Satsuki and Mei’s father says he decided to buy the house when he saw the enormous camphor tree close by, and when Mei investigates the […]

By James Baldwin | Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a dangerous time. Everyone in this room is in one way or another aware of that. We are in a revolutionary situation, no matter how unpopular that word has become in this country. The society in which we live is desperately menaced, not by Khrushchev, but from within. So any citizen of this country who figures himself as responsible—and particularly those of you who deal with the minds and hearts of young people—must be prepared to “go for broke.”

Tania Márquez Blessing something or someone is a way of expressing my gratitude and reverence for them. Continue reading "To Bless and Be Blessed"

The love we have for friends is philia. It requires trust and vulnerability, shared concern and memories. How do you make a friend?

I knew this was coming. I’ve thought about what I’d say when it did, but I can’t write any of those words right now. I’ll try to be reasonable tomorrow. Today I’m too angry.

The poverty stricken Black and Irish neighborhood of Five Points in New York City in 1827 by painter George Catlin, later famous for his authentic American Indian paintings. In 1835 the New York neighborhood known as Five Points was centered on an intersectioncreated by Orange Street, now Baxter Street; Cross Street, now Mosco Street, and Anthony Street, now Worth Street which ran northwest direction, dividing one of the four corners into two triangular blocks. After London’s East Endit was the most densely populated , disease ridden , and squalid slum in the Western World.   Built around 1811on reclaimed land where the Lenape Indians once had a fishing village, it began to sink back into the mire and was plagued by disease carrying...

Part of me wants to start blogging again. Part of me says that the blogging age is over and that almost nobody would care. I’m putting this out there not to cultivate sympathy, but to get a sense of whether anyone would read anything I write, and if so (and this is the important part) … Continue reading "What would you want to see?"

The recent leak of a first draft of the possible overruling of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court has ominous implications for the future. Continue reading A future without Roe at The Wild Hunt.

It has not gotten any easier for educators. If the pandemic was not enough, many are picking up the slack for unfilled job openings, riding on the fumes of burnout, and consequently, leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of COVID. Which goes to show how much they are unthanked and undervalued for all they do to nurture wisdom, curiosity, and critical thinking in students at a time when societal consensus at large would rather shepherd us toward an uneducated nation. We need to show up for them!

In a statement, UUA President Susan Frederick Gray promises we "will continue to fight for abortion access."

Heather Beasley Doyle Important for people to ‘feel a sense of agency, empowerment, and choice.’

Elaine McArdle Unitarian Universalist programs seek not only social justice in the wider society, but cultural transformation within.

“Civil liberties are under attack! What do we do? Rise up fight back!” These words and other variations of them are often shouted, call and response style, at marches, vigils, protests, and other events calling for some form of justice. The nation is so divided that ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – May 3rd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Though we often think of the masters, what is actually true is that everyone is creative. Any one of us can create (or destroy) using our imagination, our resources, our will, and our connections. What we do with our creative impulses can inspire, transform, offer ... read more . The post May Theme: Creativity appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Join UU Schenectady member and mindfulness Buddhist practitioner, Tamara Geveci, and our co-ministers, for four sessions of shared in-person meditation. All are welcome for any or all of the spring sessions, May 9th, 16th, 23rd, and June 6th – 2:45-3:30pm in the Emerson Room (or ... read more . The post Mid-day Monday Meditations – May 9, 16, 23, & June 6 appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Vote in every election: local School Board elections are May 17. Contact the Board of Elections to check your registration status, find your polling location, or apply to be a poll worker. Share what you are doing with us! Whatever your interest in participating in UU ... read more . The post UUTheVote FYI: School Board Elections are May 17th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Elaine McArdle Bylaws as a whole, Article II, and governance top the list of priorities.

Out of the Office…</p> Director of Lifespan Religious Education Robin Ahearn will be on vacation 4/29-5/11.  If you have any urgent RE concerns in her absence, please contact Congregational Life Coordinator Kristin Cleveland at clc@uuschenectady.org.  Robin will resume checking emails 5/12. ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ Happy Mother’s Day! ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞ UPCOMING RE CLASSES: K/1st/2nd ... read more . The post Upcoming RE programming – May 3rd appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Since well before Roe v. Wade, Unitarian Universalists have declared unequivocally that we support every person’s right to make decisions about their own bodies and reproductive health, including the choice to seek abortion care. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, UUs have supported movements working to make abortion accessible and affordable and to destigmatize abortion within our society. Given that legacy, today is a heartbreaking day for all of us who believe that our bodies, and the choices we make about them, are sacred.  Yesterday afternoon, Politico broke the news that through an unprecedented breach in Supreme Court security, they had obtained an early draft of the SCOTUS majority opinion in Dobbs v Jackson–a case in w...

Sometimes another blogger says what you want to say, but better, and more concisely. Earlier today, Scottish blogger and science fiction author Charles Stross wrote about how the Supreme Court of the United States intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, saying in part: “It is unwise to underestimate the degree to which extreme white supremacism … Continue reading "Out of the mouths of Scots"

In response to a leaked draft Supreme Court decision apparently upending nearly 50 years of abortion access, the UUA reaffirms its commitment to reproductive justice. Continue reading "UUs Remain Committed to Supporting Reproductive Justice, Will Continue to Fight for Abortion Access"

      Peter Seeger was born on this day, the 3rd of May, in Manhattan, in 1919. He would become a fixture of the Folk scene through the larger part of the twentieth century, and a stalwart of the social justice movement. Looking through my files I see I wrote about him a dozen […]

  A Civil War era illustration of Winfield Scott's  Anaconda Plan to win the war against the Confederacy. On May 3, 1861 aged Lt. General Winfield Scott , Commanding General of the United States Army, presented President Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet, with his Anaconda Plan to conduct the war against secessionist rebel states.    The plan was widely derided by the press and public, which believed that a quick , decisive battle with the main Confederatearmy in Virginia would win the War of Rebellion.  Scott knew better .  He anticipated a long and bloody conflict.   Lincoln may have wished for a short , glorious war, but the former Black Hawk War militia Captain had read everything on military strategy and tacticsthat he could ...

It’s always interesting to me when one word can be used for so many different feelings. Love is one of them. I love my husband, I love pollo fricase, I love my children, I love Dr. Pepper, I love my friends, and I love churros. So what is the abiding connection? They all touch a … Continue reading Many Kinds of Love

You were called for a reason. You said yes for a reason. The world has changed in the past five years, but the essence of the human condition and the essence of the Gods have not. If you wait for things to get “back to normal” you’ll be waiting forever.

Also known as California bay, Oregon myrtle, or pepperwood. Broadleaved trees tend to be deciduous, but the laurel is evergreen.

In this week's Pagan Community Notes, US Supreme Court says the City of Boston must allow a Christian group's flag, a round-up of Beltaine events, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of May 2, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

I saw the first frog in the pond this morning! I came to sit quietly earlier, saw nothing, and then when I came back a while later, there she was, sunning herself on a stone. I almost missed seeing her. She’s a darker color than the ones from last year, but still in the green […]

Rev. Lewis's extended presence will facilitate a transition in our ministry team. Rev. Barbara Prose, our Executive Minister, will be moving to the Pacific Northwest next year. She will continue with All Souls through the 2022-2023 church year. The post Transitions in our Ministry Team appeared first on BeyondBelief.

        King James (the sixth of Scotland and first of England) not long crowned planned a conference for November, 1603, to discuss sundry matters involving the church of which he was now head. Due to an outbreak of plague the Hampton Court Conference in fact met in February, 1604. The king and […]

Eid al-Fitr is the Muslim celebration of the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It is a feast of gratitude and reverence to the holy. How can you show gratitude today?

BOAC passengers celebrate as they board the Comet's first Transatlantic service in front of a large crowd of dignitaries, DeHavilland and BOAC executives, and the press. The modern era of passenger jet travel was inaugurated with great celebration on May 2, 1952 by British Overseas Airway Corporation (BOAC) on its long London to Johannesburg route.  They were flying the De Havilland DH 106 Comet.  It was an aerodynamically sleek aircraft with four powerful turbojet engines buried in the root of its swept back wings near the commodious fuselage.  It carried 36 passengerswith plenty of leg room and reclining seats for the long flights arranged four abreast with a center aisle.  The lucky passenger could view the world far below them th...

“As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art.” — Albrecht Dürer I came upon this quote courtesy of the acrostic puzzles I frequently solve online. I shy away from any absolutes such as “the greatest,” but […]

A review of my Guide to Woodworking with Kids should be arriving to subscribers of Woodcarving Illustrated any day now. Watch for the Summer issue, or subscribe at this address: http://woodcarvingillustrated.com Supplies of the book are in short supply as the publisher awaits another printing that's due for distribution in June. In the meantime Amazon has it for sale at above list price. We're working on an article about kids whittling in school to be published in the Fall edition of Woodcarving Illustrated . Make, fix and create...

Happy Beltaine, Blessed Samhain, and Merry May Day! Continue reading Merry May 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, May 1, 2022 I want to begin by thanking everyone who contributed to last night’s fundraiser. It was a wonderful celebration of First Houston and our musical program. Thanks to Dr. Rocke and Chelsea, the choir, the string band, Paige Powell, Jim McGehee, Karoline Mueller, […]

Theresa will talk about how labeling individuals or groups can lead to assumptions, based on one's past experience or knowledge, that may not be true. Theresa has been a member of the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos for about 25 years and is currently a youth leader and serving on the Board of Directors.

Some might say that an easy life is like a long walk on the beach. But I have to say that walks on the beach are not always like “a walk in a park.” Beautiful yes, and if you look I think you can find beauty most anywhere. But on a pristine beach on a […]

  There are so many things that could be noted about May 1st. But, me, as usual, I’m going whole hog for Beltane! It’s a holiday in the calendar of my ancestors, or, some of them, anyway. In ancient Celtic cultures it’s the beginning of summer. And so its the time cattle were taken to […]

Elaine McArdle On our theology’s leading edge (+video) Continue reading "Q&A: Public Theologian Jé Exodus Hooper"

Back in the 1980’s in Eureka Springs, local artists Louis Freund and Don Kennett regularly attended Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce meetings, attempting to give voice to the artists of our community in the shaping of our local economy. Their point was that the arts might become recognized as the driving force for a more prosperous future. Their vision fell upon rather stony ground, while in the meantime, Eureka Springs artists, selling their wares at craft shows throughout the US and in galleries downtown were busily promoting an understanding in the world at large that we are first and foremost, an arts community.  We do, after-all, have far more professional artists and serious non-professional artists per capita than almost any ...

Beltane is the Celtic name for the holiday midway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, in some cultures celebrated as the beginning of summer. The rituals of the day are meant to celebrate and bring forth growth, fertility, vitality, joy, and passion. How can you encourage growth around you today?

Arizona madrone, to be precise: Arbutus arizonica. The colors, which ranged through magenta, orange, and green, were tempting, but I’ll have many other days for drawing leaves with this coloration.

It May Day!   This year I will forego the detailed history of the day.   Those who have been around this joint for a while have seen it.   If not check this out.   Suffice it to say that this is officially celebrated as Labor Day in almost every country except the United States, where the whole thing began in commemoration of the of a Chicago eight hour day strike which led to a police attack on a protest rally on May 4 where a bomb was thrown, probably by an agent provocateur in 1886.   That led to the trial of eight labor leaders, mostly immigrant German anarchists .   Four were hung, one committed suicide in his jail cell during the trial, and the other four were sentenced to prison and were ultimately pardoned by Illinois Gover...

Please join us on Sunday (1 May 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Survival Within You and Without You” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. We will also hear a guest presentation on Ramadan and the celebration of Eid al Fitr which happens this week. We will be meeting in the sanctuary for this worship service.  Please join … Continue reading "All-Ages Worship (1 May 2022)"

The 39th Annual Holocaust Remembrance Service of Northwest Louisiana will happen on Sunday (1 May 2022) from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM at Broadmoor United Methodist Church.  This service will also be livestreamed on the Broadmoor UMC web site. This service is a multifaith service in remembrance of the Holocaust in honor and memory of … Continue reading "Holocaust Remembrance Service of Northwest Louisiana (1 May 2022)"

It’s the first Sunday of the month and Melissa Lewis will be in the grove  in front of the church from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday (1 May 2022) collecting food for the Noel United Methodist Food Pantry. This month’s requests: Spaghetti sauce Canned tuna Canned chicken Saltine crackers You can either bring your … Continue reading "Noel Food Pantry Donation Drive This Week (1 May 2021)"

Please join us on Sunday (1 May 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. This Sunday we begin our work through the book Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad. As the author says, “This is not a book you read, this is a book you do” and we … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 1 May 2022"

On this Sunday (1 May 2022), children and youth religious education classes will resume in person and will happen during our 11:00 AM worship service. We will resume our pre-COVID practice where the children and youth will join us in the sanctuary for the first 15-20 minutes and then we will sing them out to … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education (1 May 2022)"

Please join us next Tuesday (3 May 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch. Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Our give-away-the-plate recipient for May 2022 is the United Way of Northwest Louisiana. Each month we dedicate all of our non-pledge income to an organization doing the work that best embodies our Unitarian Universalist principles and values. This time-honored national organization works locally to help children succeed in school, beginning with their participation in Dolly … Continue reading "United Way of Northwest Louisiana — May 2022 Give-Away-The-Plate Recipient"

I’ll be drawing numerous members of the genus Quercus, I think, and this is the first. It looks more like a willow leaf to my layperson’s eye: untoothed, long and ovoid and slender. But it’s an oak. This is the underside, and that’s what the name refers to; the tops of the leaves are a […]

After several chilly windy days, we finally had a sunny warmer day today, and I worked on tending the pond. I rinsed off the soil from the two potted Marsh Marigolds I purchased last weekend, and “planted” them in the stones of the plant shelf in the pond. The blue flag irises nearby are shooting […]

Does the value of religiosity as response end at the line of the sacred circle drawn by practitioners, or does it truly make a difference outside of that circle? Beyond therapeutic effects for the practitioners themselves, are we just doing a form of that most ineffective and overly online form of religiosity in the face of violence and horror, the sending of “thoughts and prayers”? Continue reading Column: Will Anything Happen? at The Wild Hunt.

My publisher placed an ad for my new book in Fine Woodworking as you see here.  In my wood shop I've been inlaying box lids, a thing I expect I'll be doing even in my 80s.  Make, fix and create...

Red Wheel/Weiser has dropped plans to publish a book by Thelemite social media star Georgina Rose after a controversial tweet followed allegations of ties to far-right groups. Continue reading Weiser drops Georgina Rose after allegations of far-right connections at The Wild Hunt.

Prayer for the Week of May 1, 2022 Lover of Being thank you for waiting while I catch my breath, resting with me amid the hustle, the restlessness, the fearfulness that keeps us from slowing down, pausing to savor the day, pausing to greet and find out more about one...

Mother’s Day 2022 Prayer Nourisher of Being, may we pause to consider those who mother, regardless of their gender, Mothers of communities and in community, Mothers of courage who are also mothers who fear, Mothers who glitter and skinned-knee mud-splattered mothers, Mothers who know what they’re doing some of the...

“In honor of the risk takers, those that hold the vision with clarity and charge forward with optimism even in the face of others’ doubts. You are our lamp lighters and our guides; may we never forget the courage it takes to lead the way forward.” -Amanda Schuber Who are the risk-takers who inspire you … Continue reading Risk

  So called Open Up America protestors had taken to the streets to claim their time in the lime light while progressives and true patriots others wouldn't or couldn't out of respect for pandemic protocols.  It was just the beginning of a movement that now terrorizes school boards and health care workers in the name of some kind of freedom to spit in everyone else's face. I was preparing a final post for National Poetry Month when I rediscoveredthis ultimate post from 2000.   The Coronavirus was new, the whole nation was hunkered down.   We had no idea that would still be going on or that we would be so weary and jaded by the whole thing and we pretendit is over.   And we were still reeling from the aftermath of attempted coup d’et...

View from Raddon Top, Devon A short  “ thought for the day” offered to the Cambridge Unitarian Church as part of the Sunday Service of Mindful   Meditation  (Click on this link to hear a recorded version of the following piece) —o0o— In 2015, one of the key texts which guided me as I put together the current liturgy which surrounds our time of mindful meditation was Mary Oliver’s short poem, “What I have learned so far” and, in a moment, I’ll read that for you. It stands as a powerful aide-memoire of what it is we are doing together each week; namely, practising a liberal religious discipline that is designed to help us grow ever more fully into what the Unitarian minister Tom Owen Towle described as “freethinking...