Birds
Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings. – Victor Hugo God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages. – Jacques Deval Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. – Henry Van Dyke My theme this month is birds for several reasons.…
Can We Fail?
“You can’t fail if you don’t quit. You can’t succeed if you don’t start.” – Michael Hyatt “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” –Harriet Beecher Stowe “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good…
With Deep Gratitude
With deep gratitude to Rev. Sian, the Board, and all the volunteers who will help make this happen, I will be taking a medical leave through mid-June. I’ve been struggling with pericarditis (inflammation of the lining of my heart) for over a month, and I’m still not feeling better. I suspect the doctors haven’t unlocked the true diagnosis yet. So I’m taking a break from all of my jobs (church, lessons, college jobs) to focus on getting healthy again. In…
Random Kindness
“a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” begins the movie Star Wars. This summer, children will be welcomed as padawans—new initiates—into Jedi Master training in the Jedi Temple. They will learn, as Master Obiwan Kenobi once said that, “The Force is what gives a Jedi his (her) power. It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Our multi-age summer Jedi Temple school will teach children…
Wisdom
Wisdom is a fascinating notion. Who gets to determine what is or is not wisdom? If you look at the six sources of Unitarian Universalism you’ll note that we’ve thrown everything in there but the kitchen sink! But if we are going to be inclusive, we have to recognize that all these sources do have wisdom in them. And they also have some really bad stuff in them. How do we tell what is wisdom? Well, that’s what we have…
DÉJÀ VU All Over Again
“It’s déjà vu all over again.” Yogi Berra “If you don’t know where you’re going, you might not get there” Yogi Berra “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” also Yogi I must confess, I was only a baseball fan while I was a teenager and, somehow, didn’t get infected with the zeal that a true fan needs. I was, however, fascinated by all the sayings attributed to Yogi Berra, the erstwhile catcher for the New…
Everyone
In February, I attended our NMI Interfaith Council’s monthly luncheon at the AME church and the topic was “The Black Church in OC.” We had a wonderful presentation by Dr. Richard Rose on the subject of “Liberation Theology” which is the foundational theology of the Black church. He said: “When salvation/liberation is realized in a person’s personal life, that individual works diligently to make sure the larger society, of which he/she is a part, provides fair and equal access to…
Balance and Harmony
Balance in our lives is something that everyone struggles with. We balance obligations and freedom; we balance work and play; we balance individual needs and the community. Life seems like a balancing act. Someone once described my job as Minister as one of those circus performers who tries to keep the plates up on the sticks – constantly needing to keep the stick and plate spinning or it all comes crashing down. I’m not sure it so much describes my…
Pledge Campaign
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” Kalu Ndukwe Kalu Our Pledge Campaign kickoff is underway beginning with the Canvass Luncheon on March 3 at the Costa Mesa Country Club after church. We hope and expect to see a huge number of OCUUCers there…
Our Love for Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church
“If it excites you and scares you at the same time, you should probably just do it.” Unknown “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” — Suzy Kassem February, and especially the 14th, Valentine’s Day, brings us thoughts of love on an annual basis. But, as Tina Turner sang, “What’s love got to do with it?” The feast day was originally an honoring of one or more Saints named Valentine and had more to do with their holy works…
Love
Gary Chapman believes that there are 5 love languages: Words of affirmation, quality time, receiving of gifts, acts of service and physical touch. Each of us has one or two ways that we prefer to be “loved” and there are ways that our loved ones prefer it too. And each of these types of love can be applied whether it’s romantic, filial or a beloved community. I’ve seen all of these forms of love in this congregation. I see love…
January 2018
There are all kinds of power in the world – there is influence or authority. Those are types of personal and corporate power. And then there is the “higher” power, aka God which is a kind of omniscient power. The month we are going to be exploring all types of power – personal, corporate and divine. As religious liberals, we have a kind of dysfunctional relationship with power. On the one hand, we come from fairly privileged households. Privilege is…