Chicago Seed cover--imagining ourselves as revolutionaries.    A few days after last year’s Capitol insurrection I wrote this. From the Sidelines of a Coup Time was long ago             that I imagined myself sometimes             on the barricades of some great General Strike             turning the world upside down             gleefully building that new society             on the ashes of the old. It was easy then to be a romantic revolutionary             to imagine portrayal on some heroic poster                splashed in red and black. Yet in fact I only marched, chanted     

It is a powerful thing to invite someone else to join you in community, in relationship. It is a powerful thing to be invited to join others. Reflect on your experiences of being asked to be a part of something. What did it feel like to be included?

As we write to you on this frigid January day, we are grateful for a heated home and bright sparkling sunshine. It is 9 degrees here, the warmest it has been all day. We know that not everyone in the capital region has a warm ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Jan. 11th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR, HOLIDAY:  On January 17, 2022, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday will mark the 27th anniversary of the National Day of Service. This day was established to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans ... read more . The post RE This Week – Jan. 11th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The recent surge in cases of the COVID-19 from the Omicron variant creates new challenges for Pagan in NYC. Continue reading For New York’s Magical Community, Omicron a Mixed Bag at The Wild Hunt.

The Rev. Francis Allison, founder of the Corporation for Relief of Poor Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers. On January 11, 1759 the first life insurance company in the Colonies was founded in Philadelphia.  It was one of the few innovations in the City of Brotherly Love that Benjamin Franklin did not have his fingerprints on, probably because he was in London at the time serving as Pennsylvania’s Colonial agent.  It was left up to the Presbyterian Synod to create the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of Presbyterian Ministers.  It was what became known as a benevolent society—a corporation for the benefit of a specific group, usually religious, ethnic, or membership of fraternal organizat...

In no human culture is 60 considered young. At the same time, I feel kinda like I did when I was in my 30s and everyone was complaining about getting old: what’s the big deal?

How do we stay open to new experiences, especially when the world has made us weary? We are invited today to try something new–maybe a new book, or a new food, or maybe something more adventurous even. Try something new today.

Rev. Dr. Michael Tino preached this Sermon on December 5, 2021 in the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Online Sanctuary Our Universalist ancestors believed that a powerful, radical love awaited them at death, a love so powerful as to be able to cleanse them of even their most vile sins, a love so radical as […]

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: "Nazi Druid" goes on trial, US DoD releases extremism guidelines, Vandals destroy petroglyph, Dogs may be the first nonhuman to detect language, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of January 10, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Valley Nebraska where my dad's store was located was typical of the situation all across the US as small towns were gradually being gobbled up by the expansion of larger cities. Shopping in Omaha offered a much wider variety of goods than what my father could offer in his store. He did take a lower than normal markup on many things and gave credit to many folks who could not have been afforded credit at the time.  Working in my dad's store put me in touch with people from all walks of life. Louis Siebenaler for example, operated an auto salvage at King Lake, Nebraska, an unincorporated town nearby. He and his son-in-law Coy would come in covered with grease from head to toe. Louis was a large man and Coy small, and it was always apparen...

(Or a depression pit, As my wife half-jokingly calls it, Hoping to remind me Not to get to comfortable, that I can’t stay too long) But the nice thing is If you tuck yourself in just right, If your toes are all covered and you’re properly warm and cozy and finally starting to calm down […]

 In 1963 my father and mother bought a small store in Valley Nebraska. My father, having worked for various corporations and as manager of a large hardware and sporting goods store in Omaha wanted a business of his own and a small inheritance from my great aunt Allene, gave my parents some funds to invest.  Valley Home Furnishings, as the store was called featured hardware on one side and a variety of other goods on the other, and I worked in the store with my dad on weekends and summers when I was in high school and summers during my 4 years of college. My mother was teaching kindergarten in Omaha, so my parents kept their home there and my father commuted each day for the 30 mile trip to and from Valley. Valley was sandwiched between...

Dr. Gregory Mobley, an ordained American Baptist minister and author, will be the guest speaker at the 35th annual Knippa Interfaith/Ecumenical Lecture Series at All Souls Unitarian Church, on Sunday, January 30 at 4 p.m. His talk, What the Baptist Minister Learned from the Rabbi: Reflection on Two Decades of Interfaith Dialogue, will be an in person event and will be streamed on All Souls' YouTube and Facebook channels. The post All Souls hosting the Knippa Lecture featuring Dr. Gregory Mobley. appeared first on BeyondBelief.

In January, I try to make two blog posts: one compiling the list of books I read over the previous year and the other listing my most popular blog posts. I usually start with the list of most popular blog posts. Here it is: Most Read Blog Posts of 2021 A Prayer for Democracy The […]

  THE COURAGE TO BE HUMAN January 9, 2022 Rev. Kit Ketcham In 1944, American soldier Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds found himself the senior officer at a Nazi prisoner of war camp.   He was ordered by the Nazi camp commander to identify all the Jewish soldiers in the camp.    Edmonds told his men “We’re not going to do that”. And 1275 American soldiers stood with him, refusing to identify the Jews among them.   The Nazi commander was furious.   “All of you can’t be Jewish!”   he screamed.   “We are all Jews here” Edmonds responded. “I’m commanding you to have your Jewish men step forward.   You will have your Jewish men step forward or I will shoot you on the spot.” Edmonds replied, “If you shoot, you’ll ha...

    The Five Remembrances & the Path of Heart Maurine Weinhardt Empty Moon Zen I am of the nature to grow old; there is no way to escape growing old.I am of the nature to have ill health; there is no way to escape having ill health. I am of the nature to die; […]

                                      Linda Lovelace in Deep Throat. Linda Lovelace was the first superstar of pornographic films who took them from tawdry peep shoes and dirty bookstores to feature films that played in movie houses across the country.   Her breakthrough Deep Throat showcased her mastery of the title maneuverand went on to be the first mass market video release launching the billion dollar industry of today.   Later she became an anti-porn crusader and Born Again Christian who exposed her exploitation in a memoir. Born as Linda Boreman on January 10, 1949 in The Bronx, New York her life was a template for the lives of all the abused and exploited young women trapped in prostitution , drug abuse ,...

This one has a sweet

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what it is to invite others fully into my experience (and to accept invitations into others’ experiences). Extending that kind of invitation can be a huge source of connection and witnessing — but also can feel really hard and vulnerable. How can you create safer containers for each … Continue reading Vulnerability

New research takes a turn and finds what archeologists suggest is the famous lost Temple of Hercules. Continue reading Archeologists claim they discovered the famed lost Temple of Hercules at The Wild Hunt.

      MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMESA Meditation on Olympia Brown & Navigating Hard Times James Ishmael Ford A Sermon delivered at theFirst Unitarian Church of Los Angeles 9 January 2022 I come to you today with some bad news. But, not to worry unduly. I also have good news to share. And […]

As well as doing my usual hikes this week I also went on several strolls down memory lane. One of those strolls I take every year. This one was for our 47th anniversary. 47 is a lot of years. We experienced some challenging uphills and some scary downhills along the way, but most of our […]

A quick drive-by update: Not dead, still serving as a health care chaplain. I always wondered what happened to bloggers. Just when things got interesting, people seemed to fall off the internet. Now I know: things got interesting, and the … Continue reading →

We kick off the new year with an exploration on living into intention, as a person and as a community.

  Joan Baez at the 1963 March for Jobs and Justice in Washington, D.C. headlined by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I once sat at Joan Baez’s feet.   Quite literally.   And it was not my finest hour.   It must have been the summer of 1970.   I was on the staff of the old Chicago underground newspaper, the Seed .   Baez was in town for a benefit for the outfitknown as Another Mother for Peace—nice middle class ladies, many of them budding feminists who gave the shaggy, scruffy anti-Vietnam War movement a respectable face.   After all, what cop would split the skulls of the PTA?   We received an unusually elegant invitation to a press open house with Ms. Baez in the lofty digs of some very rich person occupying an aerie in the new ...

The sacred must remain sacred. If it becomes ordinary, it will lose its power to inspire us and to transform our lives. But our Gods can be with us at all times, if we welcome Them and cultivate Their presence.

According to the Audobon guide, “Unlike most pines, this species often produces new shoots or sprouts from cut stumps.” The less typical variety, var. chihuahuana, is the one native to California. I think that must be the one pictured here, because it has three needles in each bundle, whereas the variety found in Mexico has […]

I just uploaded another batch of 26 copyright-free hymns onto Google Drive. This collection of copyright-free hymns now includes a total of 62 hymns, with 38 copyright-free versions of hymns in the two current Unitarian Universalist hymnals, along with 24 other hymns and songs (including classics like “Swing Low Sweet Chariot” and “Michael Row Your … Continue reading "More copyright-free hymns"

I love invitations that feel genuine. What a wonderful sensation it is when someone wants me to be there, valuing my presence. I feel intensely welcomed. When was the last time you invited someone into a space of appreciation?

Please join us on Sunday (9 January 2022) at 11:00 AM for “Friend Me” by Rev. Barbara Jarrell. Our service will be livestreamed on Facebook Live here. We will not be open for in-person worship service during the month of January 2022. Due to how transmissible the Omicron COVID variant is along with breakthrough COVID … Continue reading "Online All-Ages Worship (9 January 2022)"

Several of us are looking into the possibility of forming a group that would sponsor an Afghan refugee family through Sponsor Circles. This is a big responsibility that would take a very intentional group of people and a number of us will be attending a meeting via Zoom this Monday evening (10 January 2022) at … Continue reading "Sponsor Circles Meeting (10 January 2022)"

Please join us on Sunday (9 January 2022) at 9:00 AM for our adult religious education class via Zoom. We are discussing episodes of the podcast Learning How to See with Rev. Brian McLaren, Father Richard Rohr, and Rev. Jacqui Lewis. They are discussing the 13 kinds of bias that Rev. Barbara mentioned recently in … Continue reading "Online Adult Religious Education — 9 January 2022"

We will continue to watch the local COVID numbers.  We feel encouraged by the cooling weather and the possibility of comfortable outdoor activities. We are not resuming regular classes for children and youth at this time because our classrooms are too small to be safe for unvaccinated children, and because we want some time to … Continue reading "Children and Youth Religious Education Updates"

Please join us next Tuesday (11 January 2022) at 12 noon for our weekly Zoom lunch (please note the new day of the week for Zoom lunch). Bring your lunch and meet up with your All Souls friends, have lunch, and just catch up.

Clio Ajana greets the first month of the year as a time to take a pause and recalibrate, enjoying the gifts of Janus. Continue reading Column: The Gift of Janus at The Wild Hunt.

This early anti-Jackson cartoon lampooning his anti-bank policies shows a loyal Martin Van Buren cleaning up after Old Hickory's jackass.  It was one of the earliest, if not the earliest, uses of the donkey as the symbol for the Democratic Party.  But it didn't take immediately.  Anti-Democrat cartoonist Thomas Nash used the Tammany tiger as the party mascot at first.  The Democrats did not embrace the donkey until well into the 20th Century, long after the GOP had adopted the elephant. The Democratic Party was founded at a Baltimore convention 195 years ago on January 8, 1827.  You may celebrate or lament the occasion depending on your viewpoint.  It was cobbled together from elements of the shattered Democratic Republican Party f...

“The Dustman” (1934) by Stanley Spencer (1891–1959)  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— Last week saw the feast of the Epiphany, a name which derives from the Greek word ( epiphainein ) meaning “to manifest”, or “to display.” In the Western Christian tradition, it is a celebration of the belief that on this day some two millennia ago Jesus’ status as the incarnation of God was first made manifest to the Gentiles (i.e. those who were not Jews) in the form of the Persian, Zoroastrian astrologer priests, the Magi, who brought to Jesus gifts of ...

To extend an invitation to someone else takes courage. After all, what if a person rejects your invitation? I once knew a person who was a member of a barbershop quartet for several years. Although being UU was a big part of his life, he seldom talked about it with others. Eventually, he ran into … Continue reading Courage

Trying a very simple outline. It is not easy. This time the name is not a slur. The range of this species does coincide with a lot of Apache territory. Vence the common name. Its scientific name is Pinus engelmannii.

Please join us on Saturday (8 January 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 (8 January 2022)"

Lyonel Perabo explores his own lack of experience of a numinous or supernatural aspect to Paganism, and raises the question of Paganism, and religion in general, as being based within human need and experience rather than the divine. Continue reading Column: What If it’s All B.S.? at The Wild Hunt.

      About twice a month I visit an old ministerial colleague. He lives in an assisted living house across the Los Angeles metroplex from where we live, so about an hour’s drive away. More if we push close to LA’s rush hour. He suffers from two things. One is macular degeneration, a disorder […]

Sunday, January 9, 10:30 a.m. Practicing Intention:  An Online Multigenerational Service with Rev. Alice Anacheka Nasemann and Circle RE Director Cynthia Menard   What are your intentions for 2022? Join Rev. Alice and Cynthia this Sunday, January 9, for an interactive and participatory worship service introducing our January monthly theme: Intention. Together we will experience and   [ … ] The post Sunday, January 9 ~ Practicing Intention ~ 10:30 a.m. appeared first on Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson.

I have been trying to wrap my head around making some sort of cogent commentary on the grim anniversary of the treasonous Capitol insurrection.   Pontification seems to be the order of the day followed closely by fuzzy prognostication.   Barrels of ink have been spilled, the talking heads of all stripes exhausted, and the internet has been burning up.   Plenty of stupid, more than a dash of naivety, some calculated misdirection, and more than anything emotional catharsis.   But there has also been wisdom and resoluteness.   Take for example President Joe Biden’s strong and forthright speech yesterday morning—the best of his career and the forthright call to justice we have been longing to hear. But I find myself with nothing new...

A Christmas Meditation           In old Depression times the above could have two meanings: for being so poor that a lump of coal (a precious commodity then) was all a kid could expect in a holiday stocking; or punishment for being bad before Christmas—both harsh lessons in life for youngsters.           Today we’re putting it […]

Like a star . . .

Since I’m at the center of multiple marginalized identities, I often think a lot about the how I will be perceived in spaces. Is only one part of my self invited? Like blackness is welcomed, but not my queer identity. I often experience breaking myself into pieces in order to feel comfortable accepting the invitation. … Continue reading Identities

Have you been watching the Station Eleven tv series on HBO? Or did you read the novel Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel? I read the book when it was published in 2014 because so many people were recommending it. And the tv series, which is a little over halfway through at this point, […]

New research sheds more light on ancient Egyptian mummification rituals and practices. Continue reading CT Scan of Amenhotep I reveals ancient Egyptian funerary practices at The Wild Hunt.

The events of January 6, 2021 reinforce the need to fully support the democratic process.

The New Year has brought snow and frigid temperatures to the unhoused population of McHenry County.  Compassion for Campers, the program that provides camping gear and equipment to the homeless, will have what is needed by those who are sleeping outdoors including warm clothing at the Community Empower Shower event this Friday, January 7 at Willow Crystal Lake, 100 S. Main Street from 10 am to 2 pm.  The following distribution will be held there on Friday, January 21 during the same hour. As winter has closed in they have been serving record numbers of clients at each event. Community Empower Shower which provides wide ranging services for the homeless and those who are facing housing crisis, are held on the first and third Fridays of ...

Statement by the Unitarian Universalist Association on the anniversary of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the United States Capitol

On the one year anniversary of the failed attempted coup on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, the UUA issues a statement outlining the continued and growing threats to our democracy and the need for individuals to take action. Continue reading "The Riot Concluded, the Threats to Democracy Grow"

Diana Rajchel’s new book on curse breaking and other countermeasures is suitable for both beginners and experienced practitioners. It’s a very good resource for dealing with curses and hexes in an effective manner.

    Today is many things. For one thing it’s the anniversary of Mr Trump’s little attempted putsch. Lots about that going on. And attention does need to be paid. But in the Western Christian tradition today, the 6th of January is the feast of the Epiphany. And that is what has most captured my […]

                                                       We Three Kings performed by  Mediaeval Baebes.   The Christmas season officially ends today as the Catholic Church and Western Christian denominations that borrow its liturgical calendar observe the Feast of the Epiphany. In the United States and some other countries, the feast is now celebrated on the First Sunday after New Year’s Day which would have been January 2 this year.   Theologically it is a celebration of the revelation to the world of Jesus as the fully human God the Son.   As such it celebrates a facet of the Trinity.   Little wonder that my Unitarian Universalists, who deny the whole Three-in-one God deal, don’t make much of the...

Torrey pine needles are very long–typically 8 to 13 inches–and they are frequently used in woven baskets. With that in mind, as I looked for a large close-up photo of the needles, this one by Susan Beauchemin caught my attention because of the subtle weaving in and out of some of the needles as they […]

Invitation has a connection to hospitality for me. My second job was at the Olive Garden and I had a really good server manager. She talked a lot about “hospitaliano” and how we welcome in people with

In our Spotlight of Traditions, we look at La Befana and some traditions associated with the "Christmas Witch" in Stregheria. Continue reading La Befana – More than just Italian Santa at The Wild Hunt

As we prepare to “grade” President Biden’s first year in office, we see that he still has several key assignments missing.

Where do the words for the hymn “We Sing of Golden Mornings” come from? This hymn appears in the 1955 American Ethical Union hymnal We Sing of Life, and in the 1993 Unitarian Universalist hymnal Singing the Living Tradition. In the latter hymanl, the words are attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, “recast 1925, 1950, 1990.” … Continue reading "Another not-Emerson hymn?"

Tim Atkins What word might you use as your centering lodestar for 2022? Continue reading "Blossoming into the New Year"

On our travels to and from Worcester MA, I compared the huge Amazon warehouses along the way, with the modest homes on the hillsides in the small towns of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.  Compared to the mac mansions folks build around here now, those smaller homes seem most reasonable and conservative. If people lived in such small homes and at one time raised large families within them we have to wonder where they had put all their stuff. We must also wonder how we've become such willing participants in planetary destruction. We live in immodest times and if we want to save the planet and ourselves, we must reconsider our reliance on cheap, imported, meaningless stuff and return to a simpler relationship to our planet and to each othe...

                                           Hey, Ho, the Wind and the Rain from Shakespeare's Twelfth Night performed by Alfred Decker.   Tonight is the final night of the Twelve Days of Christmas as celebrated in William Shakespeare’s comedy Twelfth Night .   The fantasy romance included a shipwreck , star-crossed lovers , cross dressing , and ultimately a happy ending —an Elizabethan rom-com .   It was first produced on February 2, 1602— Candlemas , the Anglican end of the extended Christmas season —at the hall of the Middle Temple but was set on Twelfth Night , January 5. The play included five songs with lyrics by the Bard .   Although the original melodies were not preserved when the play was fin...

    Mukunda Lal Ghosh was born in Forakhpur, in Uttar Pradesh, on this day, the 5th of January, in 1893. The fourth of eight children. His parents were well to do, his father a vice president of the Bengal Nagpur Railway. Because of his father’s work the family relocated several times, giving young Mukunda […]

Invite others to be part of your world, part of your existence.  Humans are social creatures, we need and depend on interaction with others.  Show concern and compassion for others with an invitation to be part of your daily life.  This can be to a big life event–or just a chance to connect with another … Continue reading Compassion

“The odor of crushed twigs defies exact description,” the Audobon guide says. “The scent has been likened not only to lemons and vanilla, but also to violets, pineapples, and apples.” I sympathize with those who have tried to identify the equivalent scents, as I imagine it is a task comparable to trying to identify the […]

Dr. Margo Wolfe joins Cherry Hill Seminary as the new Academic Dean. Continue reading Cherry Hill Seminary welcomes new Academic Dean at The Wild Hunt.

I post below a link to a representative recording of the Sunday Morning Service of Mindful Meditation used by the Cambridge Unitarian Church which, until the beginning of lockdown in March 2020 was the regular evening service of the church where I am the minister. You can listen to and or/download it by clicking on the following link: Sunday Morning Service of Mindful Meditation To get the most from the meditation, you will find it helpful to either print out the order of service or display it in a second window. Here is the link:  Order of Service for the Mindful Meditation   The expanded Order of Service for the use in the church  Should you wish to have a copy of the text of the Mindful Meditation itself you can find that at the...

January greetings~ 2022 arrived in Schenectady with a quiet, misty morning. On a morning walk, there was a thin layer of ice on the pond at Steinmetz Park, and a small, artificial Christmas tree had been set up on a picnic table, decorated with lights and ... read more . The post Co-Ministers’ Colloquy – Jan. 4th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Virtual RE will resume this Sunday, 1/9/22. Sending love and care to our children and adults, our parents and caregivers, and our teachers during these continuing extraordinary times, and always. A Happy and Healthy New Year to All! UPCOMING RE CLASSES: K-6 EXPERIENCES WITH THE WEB OF LIFE:  These ... read more . The post RE This Week – Jan. 4th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Courage is derived from the Latin word for heart. To be courageous is to speak and act and feel from one’s heart, particularly when afraid. How might you live with courage as 2022 begins? What would it mean for UU Schenectady to make courageous choices ... read more . The post January Theme – Courage appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

The UUSS Board of Trustees will be hosting two Congregational Conversations at the beginning of the new year. The first will be via Zoom on Tuesday January 11th at 7pm. The second will (hopefully) be in person after church on Sunday February 13th at 12pm. There is ... read more . The post Upcoming Congregational Conversations January 11th and February 13th appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

Would you like to have your words or art woven through worship and other UUSS activities? Using the theme, “Connected Through Love, We Nurture the Flame,” as inspiration, you are invited to write a poem, chalice lighting, chalice flame releasing, prayer, meditation, create visual art, ... read more . The post Calling all Poets, Writers, and Artists! appeared first on Unitarian Universalist Society of Schenectady.

By Jonathan Rosenblum | Once again, Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant and her Socialist Alternative organization have beaten the political odds. Last month, she defeated a million-dollar recall campaign by real estate developers and landlords, Democratic Party leaders, big Trump donors, and newspaper editorialists, who all teamed up to evict the eight-year councilor from City Hall.

A new year brings fresh possibilities and is often a time when our spirits rise. And yet a year ago as we prepared for progress we were confronted with a deadly insurrection where armed right-wing militants attacked our Capitol and tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election. We have worked hard all this past year to build a multi-racial democracy and combat the attack on voting rights and democracy waged on our Black, Indigenous and people of color communities. Finally, the Freedom to Vote Act, and other democracy legislation may be taken up by the Senate. Yesterday, Majority Leader Senator Schumer called for a rules change in the Senate to keep the filibuster from blocking democracy. At the same time, the same faction that led t...

An article in the New York Times describes those who live their lives surrounded by real books as being "Book-wrapt." https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/24/realestate/why-do-people-keep-books.html   Books that have brought changes in our lives can feel like friends and are held close. I had a book that I kept at bedside for years until I recently decided to loan it to a friend. It was about the Battle of the Hurtgen Forest during WWII. I kept it at bedside because my father was there, had described to me how beautiful the forest was, and neglected to tell me of its horrors. His 104th Infantry Division, the fighting Timberwolves, had played an important role there in the attempt to end the Nazi regime. There are things that happen in wars t...

                                                       Here We Come A-Wassailing  sung by Jean Ritchie.      Note — As we close in on the end of our Winter Holidays Music Festival we will spend two days on the close of the Twelve Days of Christmas as observed in British tradition and the Anglican liturgic calendar on January 5.   The next day, the Feast of the Epiphany or Day of the Three Kings will wrap things up. Twelfth Night is the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany (and the end of the Christmas Season.   In Englandespecially it was one last eruption of gaiety and mirth before the more somber and sacred reflection of the Epiphany—somewhat analogous to Mardis Gras or Carnival before Lent . A ra...

      When I was a child I was fascinated with a Bible my grandmother owned, which had in addition to the text a commentarial column which included a chronology of the events recorded. At the very beginning was the date 23 October, 4004, before the common era. That’s when God created the world. […]

Living in interesting times is no fun. We don’t have to like it, but we do have to deal with it. That’s best done by observing the evidence, drawing reasonable conclusions, and making good plans. And then by acting with wisdom and persistence.

I always appreciate invitations to new ways of thinking.  At 17 years old, I heard a Catholic clergy person say that there are “many paths to God.” As a strict Muslim at the time that way of thinking was unimaginable. I invited myself to consider this idea over the next few years and eventually landed … Continue reading Open Mind

In this week's Pagan Community Notes: Sacred Space Between the Worlds conference reschedule because of Omicron, Pagan police in the UK join the fight against extremism, crossings of the veil, and more news. Continue reading Pagan Community Notes: Week of January 3, 2022 at The Wild Hunt.

Today’s needles are those of Pinus sabiniana. The Audobon guide calls it “digger pine,” but when I looked it up online in search of a larger photo to work from, the common names that kept coming up were foothill pine, towani pine, or most often, gray pine. I thought the clue to the change was […]

                                        Go Tell it On the Mountain sung by Billy Porter and the Howard University Gospel Choir. Of all the announcement carols Go Tell It On the Mountain is unusualfor a number of reasons.   It is not European but rooted in the American Black Community and dated to the era when the end of slavery was being celebrated.   It is not an announcement by the Heavenly Hosts, but an instruction to a whole people to spread the good word.   And because of its connections to the Civil Rights Movement , it doubles as a Christmas carol and a liberation anthem . Go Tell it on the Mountain. It has been dated to 1865 and may reflect the widely celebrated moment when the 13th Amendment to the Con...

Originally published in December 2018. You have heard the expression, “There, but for the grace of God…” As a boy, I often wondered about that expression because it seemed to paint God as having preferences. Does that mean that God didn’t like me because I was legally discriminated against? Does that mean God prefers people with a lighter shade of color? Does that mean God is white? For a young mind, these ponderous questions brought with it an anxiety and a search for reassurance. That’s when I began to feel this thing called grace. Grace is not about preference. Grace […] The post The Goodness of God is Grace appeared first on BeyondBelief.

I love giving invitations to my home. I love sharing my space, always including food, with friends and family both new and old. However early on in my marriage I realized my partner didn’t share that interest. Their invitation was based on other dynamics and we had to come to compromise about the how and … Continue reading Giving

Introduced in the US, invasive in Australia, and a real pain to draw the way I tried it. I really wanted to get the tangle of needles and their contrast against the dark shadows, but whoo is that tough with pencil on white paper. For similar trees over the next few days, I may try […]

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "2 January 2022 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "26 December 2021 Worship Livestreaming Video"

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, we have begun to broadcast a livestream video of our Sunday morning worship services. This worship video will be available live and in recorded formats. For our livestream video of our worship services, we are using Facebook Live.  One does not have to log into Facebook … Continue reading "24 December 2021 Christmas Eve Worship Livestreaming Video"