Featured Ministers

Beginning Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and culminating with Valentine’s Day, “30 Days of Love ” is an association-wide Standing on the Side of Love visioning process about making sense... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Choosing Your Obsession with Our Annual Fire Communion with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Emerson wrote that a “person will worship something, have no doubt about that…That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. ” In ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Occupy Advent with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Bodhi Day with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

This New Thing Called Universalism with Marisol Caballero, UU Ministerial Candidate

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Compassionate Conversations with the Rev. Phil Schulman

The Rev. Phil Schulman shares some principles of “Nonviolent Communication” that can help us claim our peace and have more joy with family gatherings through the holiday season. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Truth in Silence with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Heart of Democracy with the Rev. Bret Lortie

I was downtown riding my bike near the Federal Reserve building when I saw the protest. It was a small group of scruffy looking people, led by a woman with a megaphone. She was yelling a series of ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Joyful Noise with The Tim and Bob Show

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Future of Our Faith with the Rev. Bret Lortie

In a national climate where liberal and mainline religion are becoming less relevant, the unique message of Unitarian Universalism becomes more valuable for what it has to teach the world about acc... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Association Sunday with Donna Harrison

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Solidarity Sunday with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

You and Your Work

This Sunday we will explore what Buddhists call “right livelihood,” Christians call “vocation,” and others might call “calling. ” To what vocation (this month... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Our UU Roots: Considering the High Holy Days with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Clearer Vision with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Moving away from tragedy doesn’t just take strength or brute determination. It takes vision — the ability to see clearly. In the practice of “insight meditation,” also called Vi... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Moving Beyond 9/11 with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Moving away from tragedy doesn’t just take strength or brute determination. It takes vision — the ability to see clearly… It is clarity of vision that will heal the wounds that have feste... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Pilgrim Passages with the Rev. Bret Lortie

A pilgrimage is a journey of some spiritual significance, great or small. Sometime you know what you seek (or think you seek); other times you have only a destination and the quest is unknown. In a... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

How Unitarian Universalism Changed My Life with the Rev. Bret Lortie

I was asked to share my thoughts on “how UU has changed my life” at the Southwestern Conference’s Summer Institute last month. It was part of a series of sunset talks given by the... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Superheroes of Small Group Ministry with the Rev. Bret Lortie

At the end of the first season of NBC’s hit show Heroes, the narrator asks, “Where does it come from, this quest, this need to solve life’s mysteries when the simplest of question... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Water Communion

Instead of speaking aloud the places we visited, we will enjoy seeing our travels projected on the sanctuary screen. Also, we will have a baby dedication this Sunday during worship. If you have a c... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Lammas Day with the Celestial Celebrations Circle

The spirit of Lammas is about sharing the early harvest bounty. Likewise, when we come together as ambassadors of our beliefs instead of as missionaries for them, we can share the bounty of our div... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Coming Home with Ministerial Candidate Marisol Caballero

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Mark Ackerman speaks on Anger

Does it have to arise? If it does, what do I do with it? [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Light Shines through Us with the Rev. Peter Bauer

How are we able to experience faith in our lives through our interactions with others? The Rev. Bauer notes experiences of being “deployed” for four and a half years, providing ministry... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Thriving in a Challenging Environment with the Rev. Phil Schulman

Is it possible to embrace, enjoy and appreciate life during a time of nuclear meltdowns, gulf oil spills, and climate change? Besides denial and martyrdom, what choices are there? Come fill your ta... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

All the World’s a Stage: Faith Formation with Dr. Sheri Phillabaum

What does it take to be a UU saint? From James Fowler’s “Stages of Faith” to Thandeka’s insights based on affective neuroscience, we will consider some issues in Adult Faith Formation. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

My Life as a Father with the Rev. Bret Lortie

My son graduated from college two weeks ago and I’m going to use this Father’s Day to reflect on some of what I learned about parenting and life. Our culture is filled with cries for ex... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

When the Well Runs Dry with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Toxic Myths and a Surpassing Truth with the Rev. Chuck Freeman

There’s not enough. More is better. That’s just the way it is. How do you conceive of your financial resources? Is this a you or me world or a you and me world? Is enough a place you ca... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Questions Left Unanswered with the Rev. Bret Lortie

This Sunday I will talk about my experiences in Tuscaloosa following the tornado that went through earlier this month. I heard many questions about why it might have happened and caused so much dam... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Luther Burbank: Infidel and Friend of Nature with Debra Loya

“Partner of Nature,” scientist, and inventor, Luther Burbank shocked the world when he self-identified as an “infidel” in his 1926 interview in The San Francisco Bulletin. H... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Who Shall Be Spared, Who Saved? with the Rev. Bret Lortie

The Easter story can a puzzling one when taken literally, and while many (of one particular religious sect or another) have found great comfort in its promise of eternal life, the question has long... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Hunger for Wholeness with the Rev. Bret Lortie

The question for this Sunday, as we consider the spiritual practice of fasting, is not how to make ourselves hungry, but how do we stay hungry? In our culture that is, as Richard Foster describes i... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

50 Years of Unitarian Universalism; 50 Years, a Beacon on the Hill

(This podcast is part three of three. ) Immediately following the service, our congregation’s President, Donna Harrison, and our President-Elect, Dorothy Wallace, speak on the history of our ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

50 Years of Unitarian Universalism; 50 Years, a Beacon on the Hill

(This podcast is part two of three. ) To celebrate 50 years on our campus and the 50 year anniversary of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I share worship with two special guests: the Rev. Ar... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

50 Years of Unitarian Universalism; 50 Years, a Beacon on the Hill

(This podcast is part one of three. ) To celebrate 50 years on our campus and the 50 year anniversary of the Unitarian Universalist Association, I share worship with two special guests: the Rev. Ar... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Star Trek: The Sermon with the Rev. Bret Lortie and Steve Stechschulte

Star Trek? Spirituality? In a future world where cash economics and nationalism no longer exist, what keeps humanity aiming for the stars, and what remains to explore of the human condition? Gene R... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Tales of the Tribe with the Rev. Meg Barnhouse

Every religion is full of stories. They tell the faithful who they are, where they come from and what is expected of them. Most of our families, too, have stories that tell us who we are, where we ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Humility: It’s Good for You, too with the Rev. Bret Lortie

An often overlooked virtue within our faith, humility provides the necessary perspective to keep our egos in check as we go about our work of helping change the world for the better. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Universalism is Dead, Long Live Universalism? with the Rev. Brian Fergusson

The Universalist side of our Liberal Religious tradition was highly influential on the Liberal Christian tradition of 19th Century in North America. Universalism was the fifth largest denomination ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Economy of Generosity with the Rev. Bret Lortie

We live in a culture that promotes a myth of scarcity. “You do not have enough. ” “You are not good enough. ” “There’s nothing you can do to change the way thing... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Vision of Hildegard with the Rev. Bret Lortie

For those of you who haven’t seen the film, “Vision: The Life of Hildegard of Bingen,” I recommend it, even though the first part ends right when her life starts to get really int... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Living Small! with the Rev. Bret Lortie

I’ve done it again: changed the sermon title. As often happens I get into the discernment and writing process and a new focus emerges. But don’t worry, I will be talking about the stuff... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Stop Talking to God with the Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett

Prayer and Meditation for the Evolving Soul Pulpit swaps are a longstanding practice in our tradition, and this Sunday I will be preaching at Unity Church, and the Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett will... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Whose Are We? with the Rev. Bret Lortie

If not God, to whom are we held accountable? What is it that holds us in a grasp of longing for wholeness and connection? In a non-creedal, free faith this question is particularly challenging. It... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Fire Communion with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Los Reyes Magos with Marisol Caballero, UU Ministerial Candidate

When most of us think about “having an epiphany,” we think of the proverbial lightbulb going off in our head as we’ve just understood something in a whole new way. Many of us do... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Healing World Music with Rick Henderson and Tim Keene

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Starr is Born with the Rev. Bret Lortie

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Bells Everywhere with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Reminders to be mindful are all around us, but two things must happen first: We need to have the intention to cultivate mindfulness in our lives and we need to practice. With mindfulness arises the... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Death by Happiness with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Our culture’s relentless pursuit of happiness is fostering a sort of widespread spiritual death. Western concepts of happiness are often based on external circumstances: If I live in a certai... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Thanksgiving chancel drama

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

What Comes After the Beer, Pizza, and Sex with the Rev. Peter Bauer

What do returning military personnel who are faced with the reality of war, of witnessing suffering and death and the killing of those who are culpable of violence and of those who are innocent, w... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

God’s Politics with the Rev. Bret Lortie

The separation of church and state is one of the most widely misunderstood concepts in civic life. While addressing partisanpolitics violates this sacred separation, within the realm of moralpolit... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Call of the Wild with Celestial Celebration Circle

Halloween in our culture is often about a kind of fake scariness that doesn’t really scare us much and perhaps distracts us from the things we are really scared of—such as death, and difference... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Living Covenant with the Rev. Bret Lortie

The prophet Amos asks “Can two walk together except they be agreed? ” This Sunday we will explore what it means to walk together in this third of a four-part series on living in covena... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Fear and Loathing in San Antonio with the Rev. Bret Lortie

A sermon in which the minister ponders the gift of a free handgun license course, decides to walk a day in another’s shoes, and notices a few things about the nature of fear and evil in the m... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

You’ve Got a Friend in Me (aka the Toy Story Sermon) with the Rev. Bret Lortie

There are many kinds of friends: beer buddies, childhood connections, college roomies. What does it take to be a “spiritual friend,” as a Buddhist teacher once called those friendships ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Art of Forgiveness for Yom Kippur with the Rev. Bret Lortie

The Jewish observance of Yom Kippur has much to teach us about forgiveness as well as our Unitarian Universalist tradition of covenental beloved community. Plus, an update from the future. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

As If Your Life Depended on It with the Rev. Bret Lortie

A common phrase for spiritual seekers today is that “I’m spiritual but not religious. ” Prayer for many Unitarians feels too religious for us, so much so that we might dismiss it... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Ethical Eating with Social Action and the Chesnut family

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Yoga and Meditation with Mark Ackerman

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Five Smooth Stones of a Liberated Faith with the Rev. Bret Lortie

What is it that grounds our Unitarian Universalist faith? In his essay “The Guiding Principles of a Free Faith,” James Luther Adams (known as JLA) asks this question. If faith is to have conf... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Faith in the Marvels with the Rev. Bret Lortie

Having faith in supernatural miracles isn’t a tenet today of our commonly held faith. Yet, the word “faith” is still used by religious orthodoxy as a bludgeon against those who se... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Vision of the Holy with the Rev. Bret Lortie

This summer my head has been buzzing with some of the big questions: What is it that holds me in a grasp of longing to connect with something larger than myself? What is the origin of the call I fe... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

We Are Not Alone with Church President Donna Harrison

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Hope Only Needs Hands and Hearts with the Rev. Mark Adams

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Does Our Name Mean Anything? with Brian Fergusson

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Prodigal Side of the Story with Lora Brandeis

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Beyond Boston with the Rev. Bret Lortie

In June I went to Boston with your church youth group. We visited historic sites and made a pilgrimage to Walden Pond. It’s important to look at the pillars of our faith and examine what has ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Power of Music with Susan Bruenger

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

What They Died For, A Memorial Day Reflection

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Listen Listen Listen with Sheri Philabaum

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Happy Birthday Margaret Fuller: A Chancel Drama

This week is the bicentennial of Margaret Fuller’s birth and UU churches throughout the country are celebrating her life and contributions that helped set the stage for women’s rights i... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Falling Back in Love with the Bible

Many of us have complicated relationships with the Bible. We see how fundamentalists have used it to justify discrimination, and worse. We remember being told it was the “word of God,” ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

YRUU Service

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Fast Day: An American Tradition

Fast Day is a lapsed American tradition which sets aside one day in the spring for fasting, humility and reflection. A fast may be going a day without one, two or three meals. It may mean giving ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

An Epic of Creation

We often tell our children that we are a religion of the head, heart, and hands. Put another way, we choose to plug into Creation’s story through reason, feeling, and action in the world. Thi... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Postmodern Compassion with Rudolf Harst

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Marriage That Works

I was once challenged to preach on “something really useful, like marriage”! It’s not romance or fairy tales that makes a “Marriage That Works,” but there’s p... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Marriage That Works

When we mature beyond “happily ever after” and learn to recognize the reality and gritty humanity present in our most intimate human relationships, our domestic partnerships, then we se... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

A Liberating Love with Rev. Brent Smith

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Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

The Theology of the Matrix

From Star Trek and Star Wars to the Matrix and Avatar, science fiction often serves as a barometer of human hopes and desires for the future. The Matrix is a film about choice, fate, and commitment... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Bring on the New Year

This is a time when hope is in the air, yet significant things need to be done. Our country is facing immigration reform, health care reform, the upswing in the economy, rebounding markets, and so ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Unitarian Christianity

Like a good “poker name,” our Unitarian faith did not choose its moniker. At the turn of the nineteenth century, there was no organized group called the Unitarians in America, and the... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Skating to Where the Puck Will Be

While saying more about the title will give away the punch line, I will say I will talk about “noble” friendship. It is written that Ananda, a senior disciple of the Buddha, spoke of noble frie... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Standing on the Side of Love

Love encompasses all things, the Bible tells us, but it’s up to us to step out of its way. In this age when civil rights are still denied to large numbers of U. S. citizens (especially those ... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Days of Wonder and Awe

This service celebrates the beginning of Yom Kippur. It is the culmination of the Jewish High Holy Days begun 10 days before with Rosh Hashanah. Words like atonement, reconciliation, and repenta... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

From Personal to Shared Values

As our congregation begins a church-wide process of “Appreciative Inquiry” we ask questions: What’s special about OUR Unitarian Universalist community? What touches our hearts? Wh... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Here We Gather by the River

As the river of life flows through and around us, it is in beloved community that we gather to shares its joys and sorrows, triumphs and defeats. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Sharing the Care

A special service to commission our congregation’s new Pastoral Associate team. [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie

Jefferson’s Bible

Thomas Jefferson once said the day would come when all Americans would be Unitarians. Although Jefferson’s prediction may not have come true (yet), his legacy contains much that we value to... [read more]

Bytes of Grass

Rev. Bret Lortie