The internet world is buzzing over an “America’s Got Talent” performance, where Jane Marczewski performs an original song:
Maczewski, who goes by “Nightbirde” as a performer, shared with the judges and audience the significant health challenges she’s experiencing, but concluded, “You can’t wait until life … read more.
I envy the trees,
The ones that seemingly went dead in the freeze
Dropping all their leaves leaving their branches bare
But now they’re back,
Lush and lusty, “uttering joyous leaves of green”
Like I’ve never seen before.
I envy them. Wouldn’t it have been great to take … read more.
By about May every year, schoolteachers, ministers, and religious professionals will often talk about feeling “crispy.” What we mean is that we’re less patient, less creative. We know that we are quicker to feel irritable, so we try to give each other more grace. We … read more.
I love songs about summer. It started at a young age, with my LP of John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High and the song Summer:
Silently the morning mist is lying on the water
Captive moonlight waiting for the dawn
Softly like a baby’s breath a … read more.
At last week’s May congregational meeting, Vice-President Amy Dark invited me to do the chalice lighting and extinguishing. Here were my words:
Chalice Lighting:
We knew this year that we were writing a new story
An historic story of a church going through the unimaginable
A global pandemic … read more.
Dear Live Oak,
I’m going to get real, and blunt. I’m worried about the parents in our congregation.
I mean, we’re in month 14 of a global pandemic, and on one level, I’m worried about everyone. Of course. This isn’t something any of us have ever gone … read more.
Last Sunday, I talked about the whole concept of tolerance, and clarified that it does NOT mean acceptance nor agreement. It’s an alternative to intolerance, very simply.
Right now, it can feel like our society has tossed away the entire idea of tolerance … which … read more.
My twitter handle is TheMissionalist, set up back when I was a part of a group of UUs who were following along with the missional movement in Christianity and knew that many of its goals matched ours. (Live Oak’s former minister, Rev. Chuck … read more.
What is our “guinea worm straw”?
After being president, Jimmy Carter wanted to focus much of his time and resources. He spoke to experts around the world, asking them what was one problem that with time and attention could actually be solved? Not minimized, but solved? … read more.
Many of us have seen the values of our homes go up dramatically over the past year. If you own your own home, this can be a very good thing, even with the tax liability, because your asset is growing.
For those who are renting, … read more.
