Christmas Eve and the Ghost of Christmas Past

It was the “Candlelighting” video that broke me. Since we’re not going to have a morning worship service this Sunday (our Christmas Eve service will be that evening at 6:00 pm), I put together an online “best of Live Oak Christmas” videos from the past few years. Just a little...

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A Full and Joyful Week at Live Oak

Whew, what a wonderful week! Last week, Live Oak celebrated the holidays in all its diversity and complexity. Last Thursday was our annual Blue Christmas Vespers service. It’s a time for slowing down, and being real about the sorrows or challenges we are carrying at this time. We always have...

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ALL THE HOLIDAY THINGS!

This week, there is SO much holiday magic happening at Live Oak, and I’d hate for you to miss anything that interests you. First, on Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 pm, we’ll attend to the somber side of the season with our “Blue Christmas Vespers.” This is a small, fairly...

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A Season for Renewal

One of the most helpful things I’ve heard in recent years is that “numbing” behaviors and actual rest are two different things. Sometimes, we need that numbing – to just zone out mindlessly into a tv series or on social media. But much of the time, it doesn’t do for...

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Feast of Breads (and Cider)

This Sunday is one of our most popular services … I mean, bread (literal bread) is at the center of the ritual. How can you go wrong, right? At Live Oak, we have 4 annual worship services that focus on an aspect of being an intentional community. They are: Flower...

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Live Oak Showing Up for Justice

Rev. Joanna and members of Live Oak participated in the Interfaith “Move the Monument” rally in front of the Williamson County courthouse this past Sunday. The purpose of the rally was to call for the statue of a Confederate soldier to be moved from its present position in front of...

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What Does “Community” Mean in 2023?

Last Sunday, I told the story about the “Dedham Decision” – a pivotal story in Unitarianism. In a very concrete way, the Dedham decision was about defining what it means to be a community. This is a question that we think about at Live Oak – how do we reach...

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Two Months of Holiday Events at Live Oak

November is here, as are the preparations for all the fun things happening at Live Oak. If you haven’t been here before at this time, let me tell you that this is a congregation that really gets the most out of the holidays. (It’s a great time to invite that...

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“A Great Ministry for the Neighborhood”

We have been having some great conversations this week, thanks to our pumpkin patch. People in the area are stopping by to check out the pumpkins, and are staying to chat about the church, Unitarian Universalism, and more. One person on Monday remarked that this was a great ministry for...

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