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Spirit of Life, help us to be still and see what comes forth in the silence. We are taught in many ways to be in constant motion; help us to learn the art of waiting.

[Image by Ruthanne Reid / Creative Commons]

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When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat. When they came for the trade unionists, I did not speak out; I was not a trade unionist. When they came for the Jews, I remained silent; I wasn’t a Jew. When they came for me, there was no one left to speak out.

Martin Niemöller

#Or why you should care about Ferguson and Mike Brown even if you are not black#Mike Brown#Ferguson#Stay Woke#No Justice No Peace  (via tcfkag)

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Local friends, join us from 3pm to 4:30 as we prepare for joining the march downtown at City Hall at 5pm. We will gather, make signs, and share a moment of prayer before we walk to City Hall together. (514 N. Charles St., Baltimore, 21201)

(facebook event)

#baltimore #ferguson #blacklivesmatter

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We know that racism wears many faces in today’s society, some of them subtle and some of them blatant. We know that whatever happened in Ferguson is but symptomatic of larger stresses that face all of our communities. And we know that good people of any race who are prepared to recognize the fragility of all life; the common woe of all injustice; and the need to reach out loving hands to all who suffer that good people like that can eventually change the world. As we react to the decision of the grand jury not to indict officer Darren Wilson, may we remember these eternal truths and stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Ferguson and across this country who seek to dissolve the boundaries that divide our hearts.

Rev. Dr. Bill Schulz, president and CEO of UUSC (via uusc)

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Prayer for the People of Ferguson

Dear God of Oneness, Source of Life, Known by a Thousand Names,

We pray for the people of Ferguson today. We especially hold in our hearts the family of Michael Brown who must live their loss over and over again.

No Justice No Peace! Hands Up Don't Shoot!

Our cries rise up from the troubled burial grounds

To the courts of law and the barricaded police stations

Our prayers flutter on the cold winds of November,

Our hearts made strong by the ones who stand in the streets and hold hands in the churches and sing and shout for a changed world. 

May we continue to believe in hope, may we act for the good, may the children of Ferguson sleep safely tonight.

Dear One, give us the courage to stay in the fight,

May the long arc of Love ever be our guide.

Amen. 

—Rev. Sarah Lammert

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“Up to our necks" (UU World - Winter 2014)

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can the October 2014 common conversations guide be posted?

I'm afraid there was no common conversations guide for October. Sadly, we've stopped updating common conversations. November's guide is our last. It can be downloaded here.

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Spirit of Love, we give thanks for the care that surrounds us, the beings that nurture us and the world that holds us. May we give back our care in return, striving always to be kind.

[Image by Nattu on Flickr / Creative Commons]

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"We have religion when we look upon people with all their failings, and still find in them good."

~Ralph N. Helverson, Unitarian Universalist Minister

Learn more about Unitarian Universalism

Design by Jessica Ferguson

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Great resource!

Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, author of Serving with Grace, on lay leadership as a spiritual practice.

You can buy your copy of Serving with Grace at http://tinyurl.com/ojtf5l9

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Wild Geese by Mary Oliver is one of those poems which has become more and more a part of my soul over the years. When I first read it, it was “no matter how lonely” that I needed; today, it’s “You do not have to be good.”

I imagine, one day, it’ll be “Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.”

Anyhow, here’s Mary Oliver reading Wild Geese, found via brainpickings.

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"Unitarian Universalism welcomes questions; welcomes doubts; welcomes you." What is your favorite UU slogan? “Faith Beyond Belief” or “Deeds, not Creeds”? Maybe you like to think of us as “The Uncommon Denomination”. Tell us your favorite, because we need more words of welcome to share with the world.

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Why "Drive Like a Minister"?

I was recently asked why the title of my blog is “How to Drive Like a Minister”.  Is there some commonly held view of how ministers drive, a stereotype which I am referencing?  Nope.  As far as I know, there is no stereotype about ministers and how they drive.  There are plenty of other groups which are presumed to drive one way or another based on gender, racial identity, hair color, age… but not minsters - or yet at least.

The point of the title is about how faith informs the way we live.  Driving is something nearly universal in our culture, so the question is: How does your faith inform how you drive?  And more broadly, how do your personal and communally held religious or spiritual beliefs inform how you live in the world?

How do your beliefs as a Christian edit the way you interact with people at a coffee shop? What does your Buddhist identity mean for where you shop? How does being a Pagan inform your choice of gym? Do your Jewish beliefs come into play when you use social media? What does it mean to leave tips like a Muslim? Does being Sikh inform where you volunteer? What does a Hindu-based investment portfolio look like? Do your Unitarian Universalist beliefs inform what you eat for breakfast?

I care what your beliefs are, and I enjoy hearing about different faiths.  But more important than if you believe in God(s) is what that belief in God(s) means for how you live!  Don’t tell me you live for Jesus, tell me how that conviction informs how you act!

It’s important what we believe.  It is important since it aught to inform how we live.

We all have two religions: the religion we talk about and the religion we live. It is our task to make the difference between the two as small as possible.

- Rev. Bill Gardner

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‘Yellow shirts for climate action’

More than 1,500 Unitarian Universalists took part in the People’s Climate March. I was one of them. (uuworld.org - 9.29.14)