August was a busy month, and I attended retreats with the Board of Trustees, the Worship Committee, and the Religious Education Committee. It is always useful to take a step back from our work, to reflect together, and to view with fresh eyes the vision of what we hope to …
Hello! I’m so joyous and grateful to finally be present with you as your settled and full-time minister! July felt like I had one foot in the door and one foot out, as I set up meeting times for August, followed email discussions, and did some worship planning and sermon …
This past Sunday, Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Escondido, CA voted unanimously to call me as their settled minister. As I shared with them in my May 6 sermon, my candidating week was extraordinary. I found the congregation warm and welcoming, generous with their personal sharing and with their honesty. …
I am thrilled to announce that I am the candidate for settled minister at Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation (aka “Chalice”) in Escondido, CA. The congregation will vote to call me as their minister the first Sunday in May. Escondido is located in beautiful San Diego County, where I was born …
My internship year with Starr King Church ends on June 12, and my ten months with you come to a close. This has been a truly joyous time for me, getting to know many of you, serving as your minister. I have learned so much and have come into a …
I have moved my household three times in the past three years, and I am reminded each time afresh how much I hate moving. I am fundamentally a homebody, someone who likes to stay put. I like to put down roots, get to know a place, and build a routine. …
The recent devastation in Japan was followed, for me, by some difficult news from a dear friend whose family is experiencing a variety of losses. Whether bad news comes from the other side of the globe or from the neighbor next door, there are times when we are face-to-face with …
The second week of February, the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association gathered for a week in Pacific Grove for the Excellence in Ministry Institute. This event is the first of what will hopefully be an ongoing series of continuing education opportunities for Unitarian Universalist ministers. Katie and I were both fortunate …
After my sermon for Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, many of you spoke to me about how hard it is to feel love or even compassion for people who have hurt you (or people who are hurting the world, or both). Some of those conversations got me thinking about the …
It’s a new year, and there’s lots of talk (as usual) about fresh starts, clean slates, and starting over. The past, it seems, is just luggage weighing us down, and if we can leave it behind, we can move forward faster, lighter, and unencumbered. My experience is that this is …
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