Monday, 26 March 2012, 10:25 pm PDT
Featured Ministers
Amazing! Grace
These are the explorations offered during worship at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist in Charlottesville, Virginia this past Sunday. [Listen to the sermons] ... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
What Does It Mean to Be Who We Are? (3)
In my last post I promised to offer another lens through which to look at the programs and projects of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist to help us see how well who we sa... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
What Does It Mean To Be Who We Are? (2)
In a recent post I wrote about the importance of "knowing thyself," of not only living our lives but also of looking at our lives to understand who we really are. Dom Helder Cama... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Will & Grace
These are the sermonic explorations shared on March 5, 2012 at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist in Charlottesville, Virginia. [To listen] Thomas Collier... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Are We Having an IMPACT?
Here is the tripartate sermon/exploration from this past Sunday: [Listen to the sermons] Bob Gross: Good morning! I have some very good news to report. The people of Thomas Jefferson M... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
What does it mean to be who we are?
This is the column I've written for the March issue of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church's monthly bulletin. I promised that I would use this blog throughout the month as a place to explo... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
110%
This is the twin exploration that Thomas Collier and I shared at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church this past Sunday. It was our Canvass Kick-Off, and it was the second week of the month in whic... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Through The Door
I've gotten a bit behind in my practice of posting my sermons from TJMC here on the blog. In part that's because for a couple of weeks I was preaching extemporaneously from notes. Nothing... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Of Meetings and Meaning, part 3
And so the question -- did the "experiment" work? I think that there are several ways of answering this. I've heard many people say that they really appreciated the way the m... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Of Meetings and Meaning, part 2
Note: what follows is the Order of Service for our Congregational Meeting/Communal Worship service. The full text of certain sections have been included as end-notes to help give some of t... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Of Meetings and Meaning, part 1
On Sunday, January 29th, 2012, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church -- Unitarian Universalist engaged in an experiment. It was the day of our Congregational Meeting, and the Executive Committ... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
10 Questions
Recently a high school student from Christchurch School in Middlesex, Virginia contacted me for help with a school project. She was arguing in favor of marriage equality and, as one of the req... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
The Speech of Angels
A week or so ago I heard an interview on National Public Radio with the theoretical phsycist Michio Kaku. Beyond his many television appearances and published works, Kaku’s real claim to fam... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Laid in a Manger
A while ago I was reading the book Francis: the journey and the dream, a beautiful blending of biography and meditation on the life of St. Francis of Assisi by the Franciscan priest and poet, F... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
How Large Is The Circle
Yesterday after a couple of moving services at church I received an e-mail from a congregant. He'd brought a friend with him and something had happened during the service that had made his f... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Gratitude – What Comes Next?
Preparation for the Sermon: “From you I receive, to you I give, together we share, and from this we live. ” It’s true. We’ve been sharing thoughts on gratitude this month. Today w... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Gratitude in a Complex Context
Preparation for the Sermon: Can you feel it in the air? The Holiday season is just around the corner. For some this is a time filled with stress, maybe with loneliness or with sorrow. ... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
The Weight of Our History
Ten years ago, while I was serving the First Universalist Church of Yarmouth, Maine, I wrote a sermon on "craving" which ended with the following story: A few days into his jo... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
But What If Life's Hard?
If it were up to me, I might just leave our TV on the Discovery Channel. After all, that’s where you can find Myth Busters, and Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe; Cash Cab and Dual Survival. It’... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Crying for Community
I've recently heard that in the congregation I serve (Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist in Charlottesville, Virginia) an age-old battle is still being waged -- what to ... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
The Practice of Gratitude
“For what we are about to receive, may we be truly thankful. ” This month we begin our exploration of the theme of gratitude. Of giving thanks. And I’d like to begin with that well... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Let Justice Roll
Last night I was honored to have the opportunity to offer some words of reflection, hopefully inspirational, at the IMPACT Annual Meeting. According to its website IMPACT is "a grassroo... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Strangers in a Strange Land
Preparation for the Sermon (by Pam Phillips): I grew up in southern Oregon, in a valley known for its pear orchards. Migrant workers picked the pears. That was my first encounter with immigrants... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
Of Gratitude and Grace
Last evening a group of us gathered at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist to explore the topic of "gratitude. " We've recently begun organizing our lifespan ... [read more]
A Minister’s Musings
What's In A Name?
[Listen to the Sermon] One morning a week or so ago I came to work and really noticed the front of our building – the way it echoes the Rotunda at UVA – and I was struck how, from the outside... [read more]