As shared in the email that went out Christmas Eve, Live Oak had significant water damage after a pipe upstairs became uncoupled, flooding both the second and first floors. We currently have a Restoration company removing ruined wallboard and insulation, running fans, and doing all of the work necessary after...
First, a huge thank you to our Intern Minister, Carrie Holley-Hurt, for – with very little notice — delivering my sermon “How the UUs Saved Christmas” this past Sunday. Fabulous job! I am feeling better (it was a cold, not covid) and look forward to seeing everyone this Saturday night...
In 2017, when the stories began coming out about the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance” immigration policy in which children were separated from their parents at the border, people began realizing that our horror was actually the desired outcome. The cruelty of children being torn away from their parents was something...
On Tuesday, Senator Raphael Warnock won re-election as senator from Georgia. In his victory speech, Senator Warnock referenced two Unitarian Universalists, Viola Liuzzo and Rev. James Reeb. What we call the “Sources” of our liberal religious faith include “Words and deeds of prophetic people which challenge us to confront powers...
One of the most surprising things to me since I began creating TikTok videos introducing people to Unitarian Universalism was how many people are completely intimidated at the idea of walking into a church. I mean, I knew there were some … but over and over, I receive comments that...
We hear often about the “War on Christmas,” but the Washington Post describes Thanksgiving as “the most politicized American holiday of the 19th century.” We can thank our Unitarian and Universalist forebears for some of that (sincerely). Many of them were abolitionists, and though there was not yet an agreed...
This Sunday, I have been told, is one of our most popular services for our kids and youth – the Feast of Bread and Cider! I mean, a double-long table filled with all different kinds of bread…what’s not to like? (There will also be gluten-free offerings.) This is an annual...
So … how are you feeling about the election? I have a friend who noted recent political history (there is usually a congressional “flip” at midterms when the president’s party has been in the majority) and that the predicted “wave” didn’t occur. He wondered why liberals/progressives were feeling disappointed. He...
Last Sunday, I talked about people who are operating under a mental model of “fear as motivation.” I think we can see right in our own geographical community people whose core values are shaped by a fear of going to hell. No surprise, then, that when they attempt to motivate...
Halloween has become one of the best opportunities for gaining intercultural competence. But it has often included a steep learning curve, especially if you grew up – as I did – when conversations about misappropriation were not common. As a child, it was not uncommon to see other kids dressed...
