“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is,” wrote mathematician John Allen Paulos. “Knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security.” Though evolution might have rigged our brains to resist uncertainty, we can never really know what the future will bring. In improbable situations like the pandemic, which has massively disrupted our routines and … Continue reading Ambiguity/Paradox
Joy is a life-line to hope, to the conviction that tomorrow can be better than today, and to the belief that the struggle is worth it. The rebirth of joy is a process that often begins where evidence of possibility is not obvious. Yet the winds of change signal a change in direction, breathing new … Continue reading Joy and Regeneration
As Chief Black Elk said, “Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle.” Yin and yang, these complementary opposites are expressed in a circle. We live in circles within circles. The rotation of the Milky Way, the solar year, the seasons, solstice and equinox, the waxing and waning of the moon, … Continue reading Circle of Life
In 1857, Frederick Douglass said, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Thus, a struggle will be required by each generation to renew, repair, and/or reclaim things like democracy, equality, liberty, freedom, and other rights that can be denied or undermined. Our tools of power include reason, non-violence, and … Continue reading Power
The root of courage is corage, the Old French word for heart (as the seat of emotions). In middle English, uses included bold corage meaning “brave heart.” As Aristotle said, “Courage is the first of human virtues because it makes all others possible.” Courage is essential to wield power non-violently in opposition to all that … Continue reading Courage
Most of the founding fathers were Deists, Unitarians, or similar faiths that believed that God does not directly influence the world or order its events. They believed in rational thought, in personal responsibility for actions, and the need to protect the innocent. On the anniversary eve of our Declaration of Independence, we explore the faith of … Continue reading Faith
Midsummer, when the sun is at its highest point in the northern hemisphere, has been the occasion of celebration since ancient times. Members of the worship committee welcome the sun and the cycle of seasons on our earth.
from the Touchstones Project , presented by Worship Committee Members After the Civil War, both Northerners and Southerners flocked to Memorial Day celebrations that urged peace, forgiveness, and honoring the heroism of all soldiers. Memorial Day in its earliest forms met the psychological and social need for a holiday naming, marking, and celebrating the African-American … Continue reading Memorial Day
Theological reflection is a life-long endeavor, an essential process to identify principles, clarify values, take seriously that which we do not believe, explore those ideas that make us uncomfortable and/or challenge us, and ensure that our beliefs are life-enhancing. Please join us for theological reflection.
Life depends on balance. It is the principle of yin and yang. Dark and light, hot and cold, wet and dry. Sometimes balance is easy, like being on a seesaw. At other times, it is a high-wire act with all the risk that entails when things have gone dangerously out of balance. Repair of the … Continue reading Balance
