At the bonfire/s’mores feast last Friday night at Live Oak, we had a good crowd. And what I heard over and over again was, “I just needed to be with my people.” Significantly, we had several people new to Live Oak at the bonfire. I have shared before about an...
It is time for our annual “Feast of Breads” worship service, sometimes called in our tradition “the bread communion.” There are four annual ceremonial services at Live Oak, and you’ll find these at other UU congregations, too. Each one honors an aspect of community life: Water Communion (end of summer):...
On Friday, I wanted to show up … well, mean. Mad. Not with anyone I know, mind you. But out in public. At the grocery store, at the gym. I relaxed into a scowl that didn’t move. Especially toward those who I suspected voted against the rights of my loved...
When I was in London, we were in a beautiful park on our last day when we stumbled upon on sign. There are directional signs all over the city, pointing to museums, the zoo, the subway. This one was just like it, except that the word on every direction was...
Every year, on the second Saturday of December, Live Oak hosts a festival for our larger community – the Selfies with Santa Holiday Festival. Santa Claus arrives at Live Oak and families get to bring their children for a no-stress, no-waiting-in-lines visit with St. Nick. Volunteers are on hand to...
I left on a long-planned vacation to London after our anniversary party, so I didn’t get the chance to say “thank you” for the wonderful anniversary party. 10 years we’ve been together! Thank you to the Ministerial Search Team that brought me here 10 years ago, and organized this year’s...
There is new energy, enthusiasm, and excitement at Live Oak, and we need help spreading the invitation for others to come check us out. We need some very specific people to join the Marketing Team. Please let Becky Gregory – president@liveoakuu.org – know if you can help: Management: We need...
Every September, we change the liturgy. I like that it keeps things fresh and is a guard against certain things becoming tin gods that we can never change. But even more than that, it allows us to use more materials – e.g. last year we used the historic UU “Blake...
Many people chuckled in amazement at the presidential debate when one candidate repeated a couple of conspiracy theories considered by most experts to be “really out there.” But in this time of artificial intelligence, deep fakes, hired “trolls,” and news media being directed by adversarial foreign governments, what are some...
“I don’t even know who I AM anymore!” I laughed to my best friend. She’s known me for more than twenty years. There’s a conversation I’ve seen on Facebook before where people ask, “What could I say that would indicate someone was trying to impersonate me?” and then you answer...