A Chinese proverb says “You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” This is Part Two of a message about what the world’s wisdom traditions say about how to be happy. Joan Shiels is a long-time friend, and frequent speaker […]
The goal of philosophical inquiry is to find Truth. The goal of spiritual inquiry is to find Peace. A peaceful heart makes for a happy person. A short, and quirky, look at what the great wisdom traditions tell us is required to be happy. (Part II follows next Sunday.) Joan Shiels is a long-time friend, […]
On many a Sunday morning Joan drives by the Lutheran and Catholic churches and notes that their parking lots are large – and full. When she arrives at UUFDC she notes that their parking lot is small and seldom crowded. She wonders at this. Most churches, she concludes, do a very good job of recounting […]
In our enlightened age, science and technology explain almost everything to us. But still, there are some mysteries in the world— some things that defy rational explanation. What do we make of those? Rev Joan Shiels is a long-time friend and frequent speaker at UU. She has graduate degrees in Religion, Theology and Divinity but […]
Thoreau said “Every time something is gained, something is lost.” When it comes to growing old, it’s easy to see what is lost but sometimes hard to realize what is gained: a meditation on the good, the bad and the fabulous. Joan Shiels is an old friend and frequent speaker at our Fellowship. She has […]
It has been said that Unitarian Universalism suffers from lack of a “Great Story”. While this may be true concerning its origin, many “saints” (an informal assignment in UU-ism) have lived extraordinary lives in our liberal faith. On Thoreau’s 198th birthday, Joan offers a very personal appreciation for the remarkable philosopher, conservationist, inventor and civil […]
“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 a Girl Scout.
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 Jacob not only condones —but blesses— thieves, liars and traitors. It’s what […]
Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, a quiet man in ancient China dictated 81 verses, which are regarded by many as the ultimate commentary on the nature of our existence. The classic text of these verses, called the Tao Te Ching, or The Great Way, offers advice and guidance that is balanced, moral, practical and spiritual. […]
The Bible is littered with the scandalous acts, beliefs and behaviors that come as a shock to anyone who has been taught to regard the Bible as a single-minded manifesto of virtuous heroes. No biblical literature is more scandalous than the story of this “harlot by the side of the road.” When we finish hearing […]