This is the letter I shared with my congregation when I returned from sabbatical in November 2016. Beloved community, The first two months of sabbatical, I found myself processing a lot of grief. I have been present to quite a bit of suffering and death in my first few years …
The following sermon was shared at the August 2, 2015 worship service at Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Thought for the day: “As Unitarian Universalists, we believe there is no ‘one right way’ for everyone. We also believe that everyone should believe there is no ‘one right way’ for everyone. This …
Beloved community, Because we are such a community of readers, I thought some of you might be interested in knowing what’s on my reading list for the coming year. Reclaiming Prophetic Witness: Liberal Religion in the Public Square by Paul Rasor. This is the UUA’s “Common Read” title for 2014-15. …
Beloved community, As part of my recent time off for vacation, I participated in a five-day silent retreat at Mary and Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes. Except for one hour each day with my spiritual director, I was silent from 7 p.m. Sunday evening until Friday morning (I …
I want us to talk this morning about the spiritual practice of prayer. I want us to think about what it might mean to us to pray. And I want to invite us to pray together. When it comes to spiritual practice, prayer and meditation are the two big ones, …
Stop talking. Find a quiet place. Quiet your body. Slow your thoughts. Listen. The following excerpt is from a sermon shared at the December 9, 2012 worship service at Chalice Unitarian Universalist Congregation. There are many components to finding silence, yes? First is to stop talking yourself. I want to …
Christmas is one of the most complicated holidays of the year for me. When I was a young, I liked all the trappings of my family’s traditional celebration. This included a gathering of 20 or more people, an extravagant meal, an excess of desserts, and many, many presents. As a …
This group led by Sharon Wylie met from November 2011-April 2012 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley, CA. We engaged in the spiritual practice of listening to a text, meditating and reflecting on its imagery and meaning, engaging in a creative response (drawing, journaling, praying), and then sharing our responses within …
The Center for the New American Dream is issuing a 2011 “Simplify the Holidays” challenge, noting “too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather than uplift us.” The challenge invites us to commit to taking five actions in support of a simpler holiday season. I’m in! Won’t you join me? …
After leading a worship service about prayer, I was inspired by a congregant to think about developing a UU prayer bead practice. A quick google search reveals we are not the first to think about such things: Erik Walker Wikstrom describes a UU prayer bead practice in his “Spirit in …
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