“Be true to your own act, and congratulate yourself if you have done something strange and extravagant.” — Unitarian minister, Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.” — Dolly Parton

It’s that time of year for fresh starts, making resolutions, and daydreaming about doing things differently. In Unitarian Universalism, one of the values we champion is authenticity. Being who we truly are. Now, on this, I agree with author Rob Brezsney who writes, “When I say, ‘Be yourself,’ I don’t mean you should be the self that wants to win every game and use up every resource and stand alone at the end of time on top of a Mt. Everest-sized pile of pretty garbage.”

Who is your authentic self, the person who uses all of your best gifts, follows the guiding principles you have chosen for yourself, and feels fulfilled? What would it look like, if your goal for 2024 were to be more YOU?

And can Live Oak help you with that?

Part of our mission, we say, is to “empower dreams.” What are your dreams, and what do you need to move toward them? I know that this church is a place for experimentation, for taking wild ideas and turning them into reality. Just talk to our President, Joel Bercu, who started with the germ of an idea about inviting people to Live Oak to have fun — a bouncy house was part of his vision, I recall — and found other members with visions of their own about a big community event, and they created Family Fun Day, complete with games, a petting zoo, food trucks, entertainers, over 500 visitors … and yes, a bouncy house. Two of them, to be precise.

Dreams take many forms. For some members, it’s the sense of purpose that comes with doing meaningful social justice work or feeding our neighbors. For others, it’s making music in our choir or church band, teaching a class, being a public speaker in our worship services. And I imagine that most of us have the dream of creating close relationships and being part of a tight-knit community – and that’s why we’re here.

“What’s your dream?” Character “Happy Man,” from the movie Pretty Woman

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From Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You with Blessings by Rob Brezsny

Thank you for finally confessing the truth. It’s about time you admitted that you are a miraculous work of art. You came into this world as a radiant bundle of exuberant riddles. You slipped into this dimension as a shimmering burst of spiral hallelujahs. You blasted into this realm as a lush explosion of ecstatic gratitude. And it is your birthright to fulfill those promises. I’m not pandering to your egotism by telling you these things. When I say, “Be yourself,” I don’t mean you should be the self that wants to win every game and use up every resource and stand alone at the end of time on top of a Mt. Everest-sized pile of pretty garbage. When I say, “Be yourself,” I mean the self that says “Thank you!” to the wild irises and the windy rain and the people who grow your food. I mean the rebel creator who’s longing to make the whole universe your home and sanctuary. I mean the dissident bodhisattva who’s joyfully struggling to germinate the seeds of divine love that are packed inside every moment. When I say, “Be yourself,” I mean the spiritual freedom fighter who’s scrambling and finagling and conspiring to relieve your fellow messiahs from their suffering and shower them with rowdy blessings.