“Simplify, simplify,” said Henry David Thoreau in Walden. “Our life is frittered away in detail, simplify, simplify.” What would church look like if we aligned our programs to a clear vision, and then focused everything on accomplishing our mission? I suspect it would look … read more.
I put on an Air Force uniform when I was 18 years old to work as an airplane mechanic, took it off and put it on again to play trombone with the Air National Guard, and took it off and put it on yet again … read more.
Artists have discovered a truth: That the intersection between imagination, art, and religion is being attentive to the world. In that space, boundaries vanish and the secular becomes sacred, the ordinary becomes sublime. Poet Mary Oliver writes, “This is the first, wildest, and wisest thing … 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.
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.
In a world that seems to be coming down around us, how do we maintain a disposition of forgiveness amidst age-old angers and wrongs? Maybe with forgiveness, we have to start small and work our way up. We may never learn to forgive the world … read more.
“Building Cathedrals: 185 years of Progressive Religion in Rockford.” The morning’s anthem plays with the idea “we may be informed by our past, but it doesn’t own us”! Our church’s historical timeline in Deale Hall just came down after more than a month, and using … read more.
Whose are we? We know something of who we are: A people who care less about what someone believes and more about how we live lovingly into our values. Beyond our individual spiritual paths, however, we often speak of the transcendent–something larger than our individual … read more.
In times of empire, the journey of Christmas isn’t over until we find our way home “by another way.” SPECIAL RITUAL: Burning Bowl
Soul Matters program minister Gretchen Haley reminds us that a covenant holds a whole vision for how to live in this complicated, beautiful, and broken world. It says we are most human when we bind ourselves in relationship of trust, accountability, and return to each … read more.
