When our carefully held identities, plans, or hopes fall apart, what remains? Guest preacher Dr. Emma Farrell explores ego, grief, leadership, love, and the courage it takes to meet reality as it is. Drawing from lived experience and wisdom from contemporary thought leaders, this service … read more.
We are often told to be “realistic,” a word that frequently serves as a boundary for our spirits and our justice work. But what if the “possible” is something we must actively practice, like an instrument or a muscle? Join me this Sunday as we … read more.
Each year at our annual auction I let one lucky winner pick the topic for one Sunday in the spring. This year, David Black chose, “The Concept of God for UUs,” in which we will explore theologies, from Transcendentalism to Process Theology, that many UUs … read more.
What happens when 30+ congregations speak with one moral voice? We are delighted to welcome Natasha Walker, our new leader at the UU Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI), to the pulpit. Natasha brings a unique perspective to our movement, combining two decades of strategic work … read more.
Easter can be complicated for UUs. As an amagam of ancient Earth-centered and Christian practices celebrating rebirth, resurrection, and renewal, it was designed to be a mash-up by the expanding Holy Roman church as it encountered non-Christian cultures. Add in some of the personal and … read more.
This Sunday we are invited to notice how easily we miss our own lives while dreaming of someplace more dramatic. Using Walter Mitty as a mirror, we’ll consider how paying attention can reveal meaning and wonder in the ordinary. What might change if the real … read more.
For this service, we’ll spend some time thinking about what Parker Palmer and others have called our Inner Teacher. Where does it come from? How do we come to pay attention to it and, ultimately, to trust its guidance? Once we do, how do we encourage its … read more.
The idea that every gift counts is counter cultural. We live in a culture that promotes a myth of scarcity and isolation. It claims: “We may not have enough.” It lies: “There’s nothing you can do to change the way things are.” It spews: “We … read more.
International Women’s Day means different things in different countries. In the United States, being a woman is super complicated! Emotional, physical and other kinds of labor sometimes define the parameters of what women can accomplish. All the labor that goes into womanhood can lead to … read more.
Appreciative Inquiry is a process of organizational development and change developed by a man named David Cooperider, a Professor at Case Western Reserve Business School in Cleveland, Ohio. The basic idea is that humans—and importantly the organizations and systems they create—respond more actively and forcefully … read more.
