HOLDING ON TO HOPE Victor Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist, wrote a book entitled “From Death Camp to Existentialism”, a reflection of his experiences in the Nazi death camps during the Second World War. Frankl was a modern Job, except for his sister and himself, the entire family perished in the...

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS This is the time of year when we long for community.  Three 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: Donna Russell and the...

OUR INVISIBLE MINORITY Who are these people? They comprise less than 1% of our population. Their average annual income is less than one-half the poverty level. Male life expectancy is 44 years. Female life expectancy is 47 years. What might they teach us? What might we learn about ourselves if...

MEDIATION: A MEDITATION ON A MEANINGFUL PRACTICE Mediation is a term and a process that is increasingly being utilized in a variety of contexts and yet it remains poorly understood by many.  What is it? How does it work?  Who uses it?  When does it make sense to try it? ...

THE HEART OF RELIGION In the summer of 1955, the year I graduated from high school, there appeared in the New York Times an extraordinary picture on the front page. It was the picture of a man and a woman standing facing each other. The man was Sergeant Matthew Mckeon,...

CHILDREN WILL BREAK YOUR HEART A few commiserations and recommendations now that we’re thinking about being with the children over the holidays. The Reverend Joan Shiels has children. So do most of her friends. And she knows that having children is not all coos and cuddles and sweet things. Not...

DANCING WITH THE STARS For generations, human beings have pondered, prayed to, and personified stars. If those stars could speak in return, what wisdom might they have for us in return? I suggest that their message might well be welcome to those on both sides of science/spirit divide. Dr. Sharon Whitehill...

TEN BILLION MOMENTS…AND EACH AN OPPORTUNITY As a voracious reader, I inhale words that tell me about the real and imagined world. Daily I am reminded of what I know and what I don’t know. Recently I learned more about my genomes from the National Geographic project of analyzing my cheek swab, including what...

LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP There’s a lot of talk these days about Leadership in the fellowship -–and everywhere in the world as nations, including our own, grapple with the proper way to lead in a postmodern age.  Do the leadership principles of the past still work? If new leadership styles are...

THE PROMISE AND PRACTICE OF COMMUNITY At the heart of our Unitarian Universalist tradition is the intention to create and sustain caring communities in which participants are supported and encouraged to live lives of principle and service and care for one another. What does this look like? What are the...