Back Roads to Heaven Getting to heaven…. As with all the places we seek, there seems a drive to find an ever simpler road to a well-publicized destination, with more billboards and road signs than ever.  However, anything we know of an afterlife comes through the eyes, ears, touch, and...

WHAT DARE I WISH THAT THIS YEAR MAY BRING? At the turning of the year, let us be in rhythm with the season.  What are our takeaways for 2014?  How can we live most fully in 2015?   Let us be inspired by a Unitarian minister you’ve probably never met: Dr....

THE CALL TO RENEWAL In the UU hymnal is a hymn that begins: “A fierce unrest seethes at the core of all existing things”. Every morning we wake to face the unknown. Mary Oliver in Morning Poem says “Every morning the world is created” and in her poem Blue Pastures,...

SEARCHING FOR OUR OWN TRUTH: EXPLORING OUR FOURTH PRINCIPLE Our fourth principle calls for “respect and dignity for all”. Funny how that works when it is for folks who think like us, but what about those who do not? If we truly hold to this UU principle, then we also...

BE PREPARED “Be Prepared.” That’s motto of the Boy Scouts. Someone once asked Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, “Be prepared for what?” He replied, “Why, for any old thing!” The Reverend Joan Shiels is a long-time friend and frequent speaker at our Fellowship. She was both a Brownie and...

BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE PART IV: RAHAB Along with the names of forty-four men in the Biblical genealogy of Jesus are four extraordinary women: Ruth, Bathsheba, Tamar and Rahab. This week concludes Joan’s four-part series on these surprisingly lurid females.  Rahab’s story shows us the God of Abraham, Isaac...

AND THEY WERE SURE AFRAID… Advent is a season of reflection about living in a period of waiting, resting in an in-between place, yearning for the future to unfold.  Let’s re-imagine THE Christmas Story in terms of its cast of characters being afraid at different points in their stories. What...

CHRISTMAS AND THE DIVINE CHILD Santa Claus lives at the North Pole. He’s been busy all year working and thinking about you. But how can he find you with all the houses in the world, and yet he does, and somehow he knows what you’ve been hoping for. How can he...

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS [important]December 21 at 4 pm[/important] This is the time of year when we long for community.  Four members share what it means to them to be “home” at UUFDC.  Celebrate with our speakers and Choir, and then join in our annual holiday potluck following the service. Music:...

SELF-COMPASSION REVISITED Research shows that self-compassion, a core idea of Buddhist practice, is a better predictor of mental health than self-esteem. Last December Doc presented an overview of self-compassion. This time, we’ll take another look at this powerful concept and how it can help us in the coming year. Frederick...