Month: April 2012

Inspiration:

 

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.

–Charles Darwin

 

Reaching Beyond

Freedom begets vision. Vision leads to change. To embrace change means welcoming someone with an open mind and responding with interest to different behavior or beliefs rather than with a raised eyebrow, frozen smile, and silence. See that reaction for what it is—a sophisticated way of masking fear. Hold that fear at bay and let your heart lead the way. Change means discomfort, and because of that discomfort, some people will leave.

They have in the past and will again. Let them go. For those who remain and commit, the discomfort becomes bearable when we recognize that it is for our benefit, that transformation is its result.

by Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed. TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

Spirit of Wholeness, help me to nurture what is whole and what is holy, making room for those seeds of health to grow. 

 

 

 

Born Again… and Again… and Again

You’ve all heard the expression “born again.” “Born again” is one way that religious people describe this experience of transformation…On this issue of being born again, I come down on the side of ee cummings, who once wrote: “We can never be born enough.” We can never be born enough. The soul—the curious soul, at least, the alive soul—always longs to be made new. To be ever-more whole. To be reborn. Not because we were born wrong the first time, but because we grow and learn and change. And so my wish for us is that we be born again…and again…and again. 

by Robert Hardies, Senior Minister, All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, D.C. TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

 

Why is it harder to change your mind than change your clothes?

 

 

 

On Pilgrimage

Most of them were barefoot,
having walked dozens, if not hundreds, of miles
through forests and towns
with nothing but a small bundle carried on their heads:
a sheet, toothbrush, book of teachings,
a change of underwear, a little food and water.
Their robes were black or orange or red,
pilgrims coming from all over southern India
throughout the warm winter season.
For me it was Christmas Day, 1990.
For them it was a journey of epic proportions,
soliciting the blessing of Lord Ayappa.
Many chanted, some meditated quietly;
all were on pilgrimage to Sabarimala.
Never were Indian men so exuberant,
having left the routines of their lives.
Their eyes shined with anticipation
as they cheerfully greeted others.
This was a luminous time in their lives.
On pilgrimage, they were open to change.

by Alan Taylor, Senior Minister, Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Oak Park, Illinois TO READ MORE

Inspiration:

 

 

I open my heart to the possibilities unfolding within and around me.

 

 

Welcoming the Stranger

Our lives are changing, and I’m sure they will continue to do so for quite some time. Opening up your home to someone can be challenging, and I’m more aware than ever before how true that is when it comes to preparing for a new baby. Our second bedroom is slowly (very slowly) becoming a nursery, and friends have already given us some items we will need. We will soon, even more than we have already, open our lives up to this little person who is coming.

It’s in that openness that we are transformed. That’s the thing; so often we think of hospitality as being about the guest. It is. But it’s also about the host and how the practice can change us. I know we will be changed in ways we can’t even imagine by our coming child. I hope it changes us for the better, even as we struggle with little sleep, even less money, and a presence in our lives that will radically change so much.

I hope that change is for the better; that our little one, not just a guest we are welcoming but a new person in our house and our hearts, will open us up to new possibilities and awaken new realities.

By Christian Schmidt, Intern Minister at the First Parish in Needham TO READ MORE

Join us at 1:30 pm ET tonight for our service of Reflection & Connection: http://www.livestream.com/questformeaning

Inspiration:

 

Do something foolish today. Then think about how habitually giving yourself permission to be foolish might change you.

April Fools Day Jokes and Pranks

 

The Story of Uncle Ben

Dear Dr. Science,
What was Uncle Ben’s rice before it was converted?
from Marlene of Zionsville, IN

Uncle Ben was one of the first Unitarians, a dogma-free religion that pretty much lets you believe whatever you want, and will defend your right to believe it. Before he adopted this remarkably even-handed approach to matters of faith, Uncle Ben was an elder in the Church of the Practically Insane, a mind-control cult that ran a string of Nudist camps in Northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri. The rice connection came from a bet he once made with an agnostic. Uncle Ben claimed he was such a good preacher that he could even convert rice. His attempts to convert a bowl of white basmati rice caused the personal epiphany that led Uncle Ben to abandon his current belief system and embrace the relative tolerance of Unitarianism.

For MORE

Happy April Fool’s Day from the Church of the Larger Fellowship!

Join us at 7 pm ET tonight for our service of Reflection & Connection: http://www.livestream.com/questformeaning