We have been witnessing Spring blooming, growing, and unfolding all around us! This is such a wonderful time to be able to celebrate the centennial of the Flower Ceremony, which was created by Rev. Norbert Čapek in June of 1923, for the congregation he served ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – May 30th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Children and youth will be attending the multigenerational Flower Service. It’s the 100th anniversary of this ceremony. If you can, bring a flower (or 2 or 3) to contribute to the ceremony. Childcare for children 5 and under is available from 10:15 – 11:45 in the Nursery. The post Religious Education on Sunday June 4th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

There won’t be a book read and discussion in June due to busy, busy schedules. However, we continue in July with The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Daré, a novel set in Nigeria with a girl determined to get an education. We welcome all ... read more . The post July’s BIPOC Book Group Discussion: The Girl With the Louding Voice, by Abi Daré appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Imagine you could have a conversation with a piece of art or architecture. Which would you choose? What would you ask it? What would you imagine it would reply?

  “Evidence proves background checks are highly effective. States that require background checks on all handgun sales suffer less than half as many mass shooting incidents as those without the requirement, as well as 35 percent fewer gun deaths per capita. Among the 21 states and the District of Columbia that have built upon and expanded background checks, 53 percent fewer law enforcement officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty, and 47 percent fewer women have read more... The post May Action Alert: Expand Brady Background Checks appeared first on Promise the Children.

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Nazi symbols near Pagan festival, Connecticut exonerates witches, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, the Irish crow, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of May 29, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

I have a 5 day class starting on June 5 in the wood shop at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts. There is currently an opening for one additional student, so if interested please call ESSA 479-253-5384 or sign up on-line. Students of all skill levels will learn and have fun in this class. Usually, each student will make several boxes. Make, fix and create...

                The novelist Lidia Yuknavitch tells how once in her youth, “Joan of Arc visited me in a dream—in the dream, I was standing in our front yard and our house was on fire. She stepped out of the burning house and said ‘No one is coming to […]

It’s official. We’ve been designated by the National Wildlife Federation as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. This means that our garden “provides natural sources of food, water, cover, and places to raise young, and is maintained in a sustainable way that incorporates native plants, conserves water and doesn’t rely on pesticides.” We posted our sign in […]

Lifting up a shelter providing life-saving support and resources for people in migration.

Cross-posted at Hold My Chalice A couple of years ago, I led a retreat for religious professionals that was intended to make some space for our souls and learn some creative habits for our work. My initial title, and the one I started marketing with used the word “mojo.” Now that seems innocent enough, and […]

Phineas T. Barnum's Roman Hippodrome.  Note tent covering the open roof. When William Kissam Vanderbilt finally got control of a chunk of grandpa Cornelius Vanderbilt’s estate in 1879, he knew just what he wanted to do with one of the assets .  The old Commodore owned the property where a half-derelict hulk of a building sat on prime Manhattan real estate.  The large structure had originally been the New York & Harlem Railroad depot, which the Commodore bought and incorporated into what became the New York Central.  In 1871 station operations moved to the shiny new Grand Central Depot.  Phineas T. Barnum then stepped in and leased the building.  He took the roof off, gutted it, and converted it into an oval arena 270 feet long, ...

We came to Georgia just before the Olympics in 1996, where spring can start on Valentine’s Day and winter is the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, where the soil never freezes and you can have homegrown tomatoes by July … Continue reading →

We all know about the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic church. It continues to get a lot of press, to the point where if you say “child sexual abuse” a lot of people immediately think “Catholic church.” Which isn’t all that fair. While the Catholic sex abuse crisis has gotten the most publicity (and … Continue reading "The next frontier"

When I first heard the term, "astrotheology" a couple weeks ago, I knew I had to jump in and find out some more about that -- I also knew, without knowing more than the word itself, that there had to be something there that I'd want to share with you! "Astrotheology," it turns out, is an interpretation of astrobiology. It's theology about astrobiology. The term astrobiology was first proposed in 1953. In the 1990s, when microbial life was discovered in extreme environments on Earth, astrobiology got a boost from the idea that harsh conditions on other planets might not prevent life. We began to develop new methods to detect biosignatures. The contemporary form of astrobiology emerged early this century -- and I first heard of it some 6 o...

Did you ever see a marvelous magician whose illusions kept you wondering? How did they do that? Where did that card go? Have you ever enjoyed the feeling of just not knowing–of experiencing those illusions as magic? What is it like for you not to know?

(updated September 23, 2022; December 21, 2022) Friends, As we continue to monitor the fluctuations in the Los Alamos County Covid-19 case rate, our Covid Committee has approved an adjustable approach to the church’s masking policy.  Masking requirements will be based on the current CDC risk level assessment and means: When the level is green …<p> Live In-person Worship Read More »

The  first wide spread Decoration Day was observed in Northern states and at Union cemeteries in the former Confederacy by order of General John A. Logan, Commander of the the Grand Army of the Republic in 1868. Note— This is a regular Memorial Day history post.   It’s good to be reminded. Today is official Memorial Day in the United States.   The Uniform Holiday Act, passed in 1968, set 1971 as the year the Federal government would begin observing the holiday on the last Monday of May giving Americans a three day holiday weekend to start the summer season, to be balanced by a three day Labor Day weekend in September.     Wednesday, May 31is the traditional last-day-of-May celebration Veteran ’ s groups were nearly unanimous i...

I was taking Millie out in the backyard before our usual Thursday run to Funnybones for Big Dogs for her weekly playday. I noticed her rubbing her ear in the ground repeatedly even after being redirected. I thought perhaps she … Continue reading →

Another way to look at the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is as two separate events. Carlos Moreno examines events from 99 years ago. The post Examining Tulsa’s Greater Sin: From the Massacre Through Today. appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I learned as a child in an observant Jewish family that the most important holidays in Judaism are: Ah, Shavuot. Least-known and most boring of the major holidays. Far outstripped by its trivial younger siblings, PHanukah (as are most of the others). I always liked it, as a kid–I liked all of the holidays–but it […]

A coin marks a point in time in a way few other artifacts do. My bronze coin isn’t just a piece of metal with a Roman emperor’s face on it – it’s an artifact of his reign, a holdover from that era which testifies to what happened to that point and what might have happened if the contingencies of history had turned out differently. Continue reading An Emperor in Bronze and a Satyr in Gold at The Wild Hunt.

Worlds of wonder open when one is committed to learning. There are so many different ways to learn about the world–through reading, experiences, nature, art, and more–all of which open our being to something new. How do you learn best about the wonderful things in our world?

Sunday, May 28 @ 11:45 am. Join UUs and James Carroll for our Biblical Scholarship Class the 4th Sunday of the month.

SERVICE PARTICIPANTS Andrea Determan, Guest Speaker Rebecca Howard, Worship Associate Nylea Butler-Moore, Director of Music Patrick Webb and Renae Mitchell, fiddles Patrick Webb, Renae Mitchell, Mike Begnaud, Galen Gisler, and Rick Bolton, AV techs WELCOME! New to our church community?  Sign our guestbook and let us know if you’d like to get more connected. If …<p> Unitarian Universalist Women Who Made a Difference Read More »

I guess I really was tired last week. I mis-numbered the post as 220 when it should have been 223. It might have been because my brain was weary too, and not just my body. I guess I have mostly recovered physically, though, as I did two harder than average hikes this week. One I […]

    Today is the fiftieth day after Easter Sunday. In the Western church it marks the fable of the holy spirit coming to rest upon a throng of Jesus’ followers who had gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of weeks. While I might argue the point, Pentecost is usually called the birthday of the […]

On Memorial Day can we honor fallen soldiers and all of the others on every side of all wars? This is the Sunday before Memorial Day.   For a lot of folks, it’s just the middle of a long weekend and the start of summer.   And that’s ok.   You can go elsewhere to be scolded for forgetting the sacrifices of the war dead.   Just about every newspaper in the country will serve up an editorial on the subject plus letters from the VFW.   But a lot of us do hold it in our hearts for very compelling and complex reasons.   And many of us who go to church services this morning will hear various reflections on the meaning. My Unitarian Universalists, who tend to be, on the whole, anti-war folks, often find themselves conflicted.   How do...

Composer Elaine Fine found a children’s song by composer Florence Price. This is kind of cool because Florence Price has recently been rediscovered by the classical music cognescenti as an exceedingly talented mid-twentieth century American composer who got forgotten because she was both Black and female. Now I wonder if Price wrote other children’s songs. … Continue reading "Florence Price children’s song"

My article about teaching kids to whittle and carve came out in Woodcarving Illustrated this month, Summer 2023 Issue number 103. The article is based on my teaching at the Clear Spring School. All children will at some point, whether in cooking or crafts will need to acquire skills in the safe use of a knife. It is an activity kids love and it develops the mind as well as the hands. You cannot whittle a stick without observing and forming simple hypotheses building the kind of understanding of basic reality fundamental to science. Make, fix and create...

Karl E.H. Seigfried reviews "RökFlöte," the new Jethro Tull album whose songs are inspired by Norse mythology. Continue reading Jethro Tull’s Regressive Rock Raganarök at The Wild Hunt.

I have always found it curious that people make lists of the “seven wonders of the world.” There are lists for the ancient world, the modern world, the natural world, and more. As if there are only seven amazing things worthy of our wonder and admiration. -Michael Tino (CLF) Find a wonder in the world … Continue reading Seven Wonders?

Christianity has a twisted relationship with government since Jesus was killed by the state for being associated with religiously fueled divisions, and three hundred years later the state asserted its power to enforce divisive Christian doctrine. I thought of this after reading the NYTimes today: “As other Times Opinion writers, including most recently the columnist […]

Join us on Sunday (28 May 2023) at 11:00 AM for “The Alternatives to Violence Project:  An Experiential Worship Service” by Kathy Osuch, Bob Jordan, and Susan Yellott. Join Kathy Osuch, Bob Jordan, and Susan Yellott for an opportunity to learn more about the Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) and experience a sample of an … Continue reading "All Ages Worship (28 May 2023)"

Spring Congregational Meeting — Sunday, 28 May 2023 2023 Pledge Drive — We Need Your Pledge Now June 2023 Building and Grounds Work Day — 10 June 2023

Children and youth will attend the worship service for the first 15-20 minutes and then are dismissed to their classes. We are now discussing personal spiritual growth and how these ideas connect to our Unitarian Universalist faith. Elementary Class — They will continue work on the banner they are designing as a group and will … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Classes — 28 May 2023"

The last couple days I have been sprucing up the roadside strip in front of our house. I had left all the leaves and old dead plant droppings all spring, better for soil enrichment and habitat for insects. The hardy perennials have been greening up, and the turkish rocket is flowering now. I think of […]

Please join us on Sunday (28 May 2023) for our adult religious education class at 9:00 AM. Our adult religious education class is now a dual-platform class — meeting in person in the church social hall and also on Zoom. This week, we will continue our discussion of Patrice Cullor’s An Abolitionist’s Handbook.  We will … Continue reading "Online and In-Person Adult Religious Education — 28 May 2023"

Our monthly building and grounds work day will happen on Saturday, 10 June 2023 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. We will have tasks available for all ages and abilities — inside and out. This is a great way to get to know others in your All Souls community while working side by side.  Please … Continue reading "Building and Grounds Work Day (Saturday, 10 June 2023)"

Al Jolson's signature pose from The Jazz Singer. Record keeping was hit and miss and life perilous in Jewish village of Srednik near Kaunas in Lithuania, then part of Tsarist Russia around 1886 so Asa Yoelson was never sure about his birthday.   Years later he would pick May 26 out of a hat to serve, and it has been dutifully reported by biographers ever since. He was the son of a Rabbi and Canter and had three surviving siblings including a brother Hirsh .   His father Moses immigrated to the United States in 1891 and was able to send for his family when he found employment at Washington , D.C.’s Talmud Torah Synagogue in 1894. Asa and Hirsh became fascinated with American music and show business hanging out on streets outside taver...

Please join us on Saturday (27 May 2023) 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. Please note that this group is still meeting via Zoom.  You will need … Continue reading "Meditation with Larry Androes (27 May 2023)"

Who knows how long this land has been yearning for the return of plants that feel just right in her soil? I do not have the answer to that question, but I know she has been whispering to me about it since I met her. Continue reading Healing the Land at The Wild Hunt.

Each new generation of technology is a wonder to people used to older ways of doing things. Advances in technology come so rapidly now that we can barely stop to wonder about it. What technology is a wonder to you?

  An interfaith, Buddhisto-Christian, consequence of Pentecost 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— “And, when the day arrived that completed the fifty after Passover [hence pente-cost], [Matthias and the eleven Apostles] were all gathered together in one place; And suddenly there came a noise like a turbulent wind borne out of the sky, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, And there appeared before them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest, one each upon each one of them, And they were all filled with a Holy Spirit, and t...

  The official seal of the re-chartered Civil Air Patrol in 1948. On May 26, 1948 Congress passed a bill re-chartering and organizing the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) as a voluntary civilian auxiliary to the United State Air Force .    The organization had its roots in ramp up for Civil Defense on the eve of the U . S . entry into World War II.   New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was acting in his capacity as national Director of Civilian Defense when he signed an Administrative Order creating CAP on December 1, 1941.   The idea was to engage the large body of civilian general aviation pilots and planes in support of the war effort.   The pilots were mainly over-aged, disqualified for medical reasons, or exempt from military service...

Writing is the most rewarding and hardest creative process that I have done. Combining monthly topics, my faith and my life into words is no easy task. I wrote this reflection at five in the morning.  I never thought that … Continue reading →

A Prayer for Courage to Remember and Witness Liberator and Lover of Freedom to Be Whole and Enough, may we learn and lean into the courage to remember history as it happened, to bear witness to the harm and to the hopes, to the imperfect people making sometimes, often, horrific...

Target moves Pride Month items and removes others with Pagan motifs caving to conservative pressure and false claims on social media. Continue reading Target moves Pride Collection and removes “Satanic” items after backlash at The Wild Hunt.

A series on UUSC’s partners in Eastern Europe.

Wonder can lead us to excitement sometimes. Natural curiosity bubbles up and leads us in interesting directions. What is exciting in your life today?

Cow-parsley on Ditton Meadows, Fen Ditton, Cambridgeshire I repost here a short piece I wrote on the 12th May, 2017 because, just a moment ago, I re-read the poem it contains, and thought that a few new/current readers of this blog might find it helpful . . . A couple of days ago I walked over to Fen Ditton and took the photo here (just click on it to enlarge it) showing Ditton Meadows looking wonderful in the sun with its refulgent late-spring, May-mess of cow-parsley. Sitting in my study today working through the many emails in my inbox following a couple of weeks leave, my mind wistfully wandered back to the meadows and I reflected on how easy it can sometimes be to miss the beauties of spring entirely. That salutary thought, in turn,...

Earlier this week, I wrote about practical magic. One aspect of practical magic is the simple act of reaching out toward another being in generosity. The versions of this are as many as there are human beings, I suspect. Reaching … Continue reading →

          For most of America, Transcendentalism was a literary movement. However, in fact it was a theological and spiritual revolution within American Unitarianism and only incidentally a literary phenomenon. As it is with movements of various sorts there are any number of moments that could be named the “beginning” of Transcendentalism. […]

  Jesse Owens running for Ohio State University breaks a record at the 1935 Big Ten Track Meet. On May 25, 1935, James Cleveland Owens , an athlete on the Ohio State University (OSU) track team, demolished three World Records and tied a fourth in 45 minutes at a Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor .   The jaw dropping accomplishment did not go unnoticed. Jesse Owens was born in Alabama in 1913, one of eleven children.   He was 9 years old when his family moved to Cleveland , Ohio , where he was recruited to run track by a junior high school coach while working part time jobs to support his family.  Owens set his first records in the high jump and long jump at Fairmount Junior High School under coach and life-long mentor, Charles Riley. O...

For many years, the tagline of this blog read: “A post-modern heretic’s spiritual journey.” I finally decided a more accurate tagline is: “A post-modern heretic’s journey through ecological spirituality.” Maybe that’s too specific… but for now it feels like “ecological spirituality” is a better descriptor.

This lovely example of a Pink Lady’s Slipper (Cypripedium acaule) was just off the trail in some conservation land near our apartment. This is one of the flowers I missed most during out thirteen year stay in California, so it was especially good to see one my first spring living back in Massachusetts.

Want a box that has a lid that opens as though it's hinged, but in which no hinges are required?  This simple prototype is the key. The first time I used this technique was in my book Simply Beautiful Boxes, my second book. The piece of plywood is a stand-in as I finish making the real lid. At this point the box and others are ready to glue up, and  lids will be fitted later. The way this lid works is that as the lid is raised at the front, it is confined by the back edge falls into a deeper groove at the back where it stands in place with no lid support needed. When closed, it simply falls into place where it is confined within the four sides. I think readers of my new book, Designing Boxes , will like this box. Make, fix and create.

The green frogs are back in the pond. I saw one about a week ago, but yesterday I managed to get a photo. As I got near, another frog dove down to the bottom–so there are two. Once again it is lovely to sit by the pond quietly, watching them sit quietly. And we now […]

Archeologists in Sweden announce a new find of petroglyphs in the Bohuslän countryside near Tanum. Continue reading Stunning find of petroglyphs in Sweden at The Wild Hunt.

“It isn’t all over; everything has not been invented; the human adventure is just beginning.” ~ Gene Roddenberry Sunday, May 28 ~ To Boldly Go: Lessons from Star Trek Led by Lay Preacher Dan Stack Dreaming of – and trying to build – a better future is common activity for Unitarian Universalists. This week, Lay Preacher   [ … ] The post Sunday, May 28 ~ To Boldly Go: Lessons from Star Trek ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

“All the world is waiting for youAnd the power you possess” -Wonder Woman theme song What are the powers you possess that the world is waiting for?

A Tennessee UU congregation welcomes the radical action of a state representative passionate about gun control.

I’m writing a series of blog posts with TV recommendations for church because sometimes church is about joy for joy’s sake. For the first post, we’re staying right with the joy with a list of shows that are accessible, easy … Continue reading →

As local governments are wielding extreme power over weak and vulnerable people, we need to be efficient and precise in our efforts to fight back and protect at-risk communities. Oftentimes, those who are in a position to support those who are at risk are not directly impacted by the harms that put them at risk. This can result in wasted energy, time, and resources. In this Skill Up, we will explore how we might ensure that our organizing/strategy efforts are rightly aligned so that impacted communities get what they need and that our energy, time, and resources are most effective. Skill Ups are our monthly series of trainings on organizing skills to help build our UU the Vote and Side with Love Volunteer Squads and help YOU build strong...

First, An Announcement. Like every June, soon All Souls will gather everything we own with rainbows and plaster it all over our bodies and parade float to march, dance, sing, and sweat our way down Boston Avenue.  Please come join us for float building and parade time! Watch future church communications for more details. Tulsa Pride Festival organized by Oklahomans for Equality will be from Friday, June 23rd to Sunday, June 25th with events at Guthrie Green and Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. More information on the festival can be found at Oklahomans for Equality website. Pride Comes Before a […] The post Pride appeared first on BeyondBelief.

Have you ever noticed how extraordinarily messy creativity can be? Think finger painting in a preschool class, and you’ll get there. My children were all creative and artistic, and my home was filled with crayons, coloring books, pencils, drawing and … Continue reading →

I was a guest at the Berryville Rotary meeting yesterday where I was invited to speak. All were respectful as I went on a bit beyond the normally allotted time. Education is a matter that is of interest to all. In my news each and nearly every day I've read of gun violence in schools and about the epidemic of anxiety and depression among  our teens. Our children are overwhelmed by their engagement in social media and they are not being offered means through which to attain and maintain the better mental health offered through the arts.  Schools have become places where students are constantly controlled while being measured in reading and math and the pressure is on. The pressure is on. The pressure is on. And we really need to pull th...

Sue Ferguson If I’m not cultivating an open heart and watching for the helpers, the teachers, and the angels, I may miss them when I need them the most. Continue reading "Helpers, Teachers, Angels"

Is it any wonder many witches are inspired by the story of Lucifer and his cry of non serviam? But is he the best ally in a society where Christianity is already in steep decline? How can we understand the devil in a polytheist context?

Shoe making in 1805 was still very much a hand craft but in busy cities like Philadelphia many shops had grown beyond a master and maybe a single journeyman and apprentice to shops employing up to a dozen deeply changing traditional relationships and encouraging journeymen to organize to deal with their employers who were now more like bosses than craftsmen sharing a bench. On May 25, 1805 the officers of a local union of shoemakers were arrested in Philadelphia for leading a strike, one of the first such organized work stoppages in American history.   Local employers brought charges against them for criminal conspiracy to violate English Common Law that banned schemes to force wage increases.   The strike was broken. In the post-Revol...

 Taken with a Fuji X100V using Anders Lindborg and John Sevigny’s Kodak T-Max P3200 recipe Just click on the photo to enlarge it

Faithful Funday – Bring your child to the K-3rd grade classroom before the service to sign them into this multi-age RE session. (There will not be a “Time for All Ages” during the service this week.) Leah Purcell and Courtney Berber will be leading this ... read more . The post Religious Education programming this Sunday, May 28th: Faithful Funday! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

For RE programming in the summer we invite adults from the congregation to present activities on a topic they are interested in. This could be gardening, star gazing, history, art, games, engineering, or almost anything else. Leah Purcell can help anyone prepare a session. We’ll ... read more . The post Volunteers Needed for “Summer Stars” (Sundays in July and August) appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

From Leah Purcell, Interim DLRE We’re planning a more robust RE program for 2023-24, with plans for each grade level. We’ll run sessions of Our Whole Lives (OWL) at the Junior High, the 4th /5th and the K/1 level. The Junior High level runs the entire ... read more . The post Plans for Our RE Program Next Year: This Could Be Your Time to Volunteer! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Periodically, we will have a message from a member of the UUSS Staff Team. This week, Kristin Cleveland, our Congregational Life Coordinator, shared the following message:  A month from today I’ll be attending the annual gathering of UU membership and congregational life professionals, held this year ... read more . The post Reflections on Connections appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Research published last week reports that species loss may be more alarming than previously thought. Continue reading Research say species loss is “considerably more alarming” at The Wild Hunt.

The Pew Research Center studied a group of over 17,000 women to see what emotions were connected with spiritual well-being, and found that experiencing a sense of wonder on a regular basis was directly connected to a sense of wholeness and balance. How have you experienced wonder contributing to your spiritual well-being?

I love a good post-apocalyptic story.  I grew up on movies like Mad Max,  BladeRunner, and Soylent Green.  When Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction) became a named genre, I was elated to find a host of books curated for my particular weirdness like N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, Tatterdemalion by Sylvia Linsteadt, and of course, the life-changing Earthseed series by Octavia Butler.  (I confess, I don’t know if this prepares me for a lifetime working on climate justice or if it just gives me a reference point of “Whew, it’s not that bad, yet.”)   Our society loves a good story of survival after collapse, but what about a vision where all beings thrive? It seems easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine a world withou...

RELIGION FOR THE WORLD OF TOMORROW Imaoka Shin’ichirō, President, Japan Free Religious Association (In “News Digest of the IARF”, No. 54, July 1964, pp. 10-11) —o0o— Religion of tomorrow is not necessarily a new religion. Almost all established religions will survive as a religion of to-morrow if they only follow the footsteps of Jesus who was himself a man of religion of to-morrow in his own days. Jesus had no idea of withdrawing from Judaism and remained a faithful Jew for life. He said: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Jesus was not, however, satisfied with Judaism as it was. He reformed and even revolutionized Judaism in many respects and that was ...

                              Rev. Norvel I. Brown, lead pastor of the Cary United Methodist Church in Cary Organizers of the Junteenth—Freedom Day Festival to be held on held on Saturday, June 17 from 3 to 5:30 pm on the historic Woodstock Square are proud to announce that the Rev. Norvel I. Brown, lead pastor of the Cary United Methodist Church in Cary, will bless the proceedings with an invocation and benediction. Rev. Brown is a powerful speaker who recently stirred attendees at the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Day Breakfast sponsored by Faithbridge.   Norval I. Brown was born on June 17, 1954, the 251st anniversary of the birth of John Wesley.   He was raised in the farming community of Brandywine, Maryland, ne...

When we talk about “magic” a few things typically come to mind: a stage act that involves sleight of hand or smoke and mirrors; antiquated thinking that has been replaced with science; or mental delusion (sometimes referred to as woo … Continue reading →

Thank you to everyone who attended All Souls Fills Empty Bowls, the annual fundraiser for the All Souls Community Resource Bank! We raised over $2700 to serve our community partners with staple groceries, fresh produce, frozen meat, and breads. Through the year we work with Vernon AME, Lindsay House, Empower Families, Women in Recovery, the Day Center, and our Partners in Education school Unity Learning Academy. If you were unable to attend and would like to support the Community Resource Bank, go to AllSoulsChurch.org – click Donate, and choose Community Resource Bank in the dropdown menu. Here’s how we enjoyed this lovely evening! […] The post All Souls Fills Empty Bowls: Photos appeared first on BeyondBelief.

    After I shared my ChatGPT “homily on love” in the style of “James Ishmael Ford” one of my kinder friends assured me the voice was no where near like mine. Way too saccharine. Which I appreciated until I realized the object of saccharine was not actually clear. Another agreed that it wasn’t my […]

Today Hunnicutt Tree Service (Aaron and Kyle) cut dead white oaks on our property that will be milled into lumber for future use. The logs are large and will make great lumber once dry.  I expect to be able to make a number of pieces of fine furniture from this wood harvested in my own woods. One of my blog readers reminded me of one of my earlier blog posts from March 14, 2016. It is about poet William Carlos Williams and his line, "no ideas but in things." You may  find it to be a useful read. https://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/2016/03/no-ideas-but-in-things.html Make, fix and create... Assist others in living likewise.

A French peasant in his smock and wooden sabots dances with his wife at village café in this early post card. I’ve heard it called the second most dreaded instrument in the world, after the banjo.   But I am partial to the banjo.   I admit to having a harder time warming up to the accordion which I associate mostly with amateur musicians in local talent contests, and Polka , a popular form of dance music to which I never took a shrine to even though my wife’s father Art Brady and her uncle Al Wilczynski played on Chicago radio in successful Polka bands after World War II . But I may have been harsh in my judgment.   It turns out that the instrument can be versatile and applied to a wide range of musical styles.   It also made ma...

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Update on Ivo Dominguez, Jr., Tucson bookstore creates safe space, Jason Mankey needs our help for Angus McMahan, Tokyo's litter samurais and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of May 22, 2023 at The Wild Hunt.

During the night the two baby robins were back cozy in the nest. This morning, they came back out on the beam, one of them perching boldly on the edge. I was sitting at the kitchen table watching through the window, and then a few minutes passed by and suddenly they were gone! I went […]

One of the definitions of “wonder” is “the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration.” (Dictionary.com) Find something strange and surprising today.

Are you wondering if Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds can transform your congregation? They can! With 30% direct pay options for churches and nonprofits, IRA funds present a great opportunity for UUs to reduce our carbon footprint while cultivating communities of care and prioritizing climate justice. Even better, the UUA has funding options to help you maximize IRA funds! In this webinar, join Carey McDonald, UUA Executive Vice President, to learn about how you can leverage UUA funding options with IRA funds for an even bigger impact. Watch the presentation on Vimeo View the slides Federal Funding for Energy at Houses of Worship resource hub from Interfaith Power & Light Google Drive folder with resources shared at the meeting Upcomi...

Someone left a comment asking me to ordain them as a minister in their own made-up religion. Uh, yeah, no. An easy web search would have revealed that only Unitarian Universalist congregations (not individuals) can ordain. Another easy web search would have revealed lots of websites that will ordain you upon request. So I deleted … Continue reading "Ordination"

Orcas off the Iberian Peninsula have been ramming sailboats, and have even managed to sink three boats, according to Live Science. Humans who claim to be experts on orcas think they know the reason why: “Experts suspect that a female orca they call White Gladis suffered a ‘critical moment of agony’ — a collision with … Continue reading "Orcas having fun"

I sit in my living room and look at everything that is all around and  I see that creativity is all around me. Everything was created by someone. The glass that I drink from was made by the creativity of … Continue reading →

      I asked ChatGPT to “write a homily on love in the style of James Ishmael Ford. It did. Sort of… Beloved friends, Today, gathered here in the sanctuary of our shared hearts, we come together to contemplate the radiant mystery of love. Love, that great and boundless force that flows through the […]

This afternoon, Eco Fest took place on Cohasset Common, right across the street from First Parish in Cohasset. Four of us — Ngoc, Matt, Carol, and I — staffed a table where kids could make seed bombs. (What’s a seed bomb, you ask? Make a thin wafer, maybe two inches in diameter, out of some … Continue reading "Eco Fest"

SianLuc Heart surveys the different forms of personal altars found in a variety of religious traditions, with a focus on ancient paganisms. Continue reading How were personal altars used in ancient Pagan traditions? at The Wild Hunt.