We are at the edge of the map, facing uncharted territory. How do we find spiritual resilience to respond to the disorientation, uncertainty, and anxieties of our times? The Rev. Carmen TenEyck-McDowell, a chaplain for staff support at Seattle Children’s Hospital, explores faithful responses grounded in brain science and community. Carmen is a community minister affiliated with Shoreline UUC, and was a ministry student at Westside ten years ago.
Continue readingPeople long for humanity and inclusion at work, even across all of our differences. How can stories of humanization and social change at work inform us? What can they inspire us to be able to do in our own places of work or avocation?
Continue readingThis service will feature several members of the congregation reading poems of their choosing – written by them or another author – related to the overall theme of Detours. It is said that “Life is what happens to us while we’re busy making plans.” Just like on a road trip, life can abruptly send us off onto unexpected routes.
Continue readingAppalachia’s culture, history, peoples, legends and reality have been shaped by powerful, often extreme factors, from its rugged landscape to centuries of violent conflict and forced industrialization. Yet Appalachian culture endures. We’ll enjoy music, stories, and perspectives from these mountains
Continue readingMany years ago I read the story of the Zong Massacre and how the insurance carrier for that ship denied a “cargo” claim for the jettison (murder) of 132 slaves in 1781. The shipowner’s claim was not turned down for moral but for coverage reasons. Reparation is a moral and legal cause, which should be embraced by Unitarians.
Continue readingKnowing that our lives are finite, how do we choose to spend our energy, love and time? And what gift do we want to give to our earth family?
Continue readingWhat happens when we choose hope over reason? How do we navigate mid-life when everything feels like it’s a jello salad that just won’t set? I’ll share my story of finding hope on an unexpected path.
Continue readingWhat do we mean by beliefs? How do we form them? Why do we form them? I propose that beliefs are our mechanism for making sense of the world – from the everyday to the cosmic. Beliefs are simply models we use to explain or to deal with a tiny or an enormous aspect of the world. We must have beliefs, but believing is a perilous act and I assert that we should do so carefully.
Continue readingMemorial Day is most often about death, memorials, and remembering those who have died. There are creatures who help us recover from such tragic times and give us unconditional love. Why are our animal companions so important for our lives?
Continue readingRespect for the interdependent web of all existence compels us to fix the climate crisis – easier said than done. How can we move against the powerful systems fossil fuels have established globally? And how can we not lose hope?
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