I’ve posted about hope, and then most recently about gratitude. So today we deal with something more difficult – our times of despair. The word despair comes from the French word “desespoir” meaning no hope or lack of hope. Despair is the lack of hope. I go through times when my heart is heavy. The…
Dr. Sharon Welch writes: “The ground of challenging injustice is gratitude, the heartfelt desire to honor the wonder of that which is; to cherish, to celebrate, to delight in the many gifts and joys of life.” I agree with her. And I go beyond this. The cherishing, celebrating, and delighting she speaks of are an…
In my work with folks in my congregation, and in talking with friends, I’ve heard worried questions about how we find hope in the face of our climate predicament and current politics. I believe we can have radical hope for “a world made fair and all her people free.” This document on radical hope explains…
Our feelings are central to the process of religious growth – changes of heart. In my liberal Unitarian Universalist tradition, sometimes in the past we’ve lost sight of this. At times we’ve given the impression that persons more advanced in their religious growth are somehow escaping from feelings and emotions. This is just not so. …
In considering what it means for our hearts to change, I believe it’s vital to remember that we do not control our changes of heart. We do not lead and direct our hearts; our hearts lead us. Consider, for example, what it means to “fall in love” – that is, fall into romantic love with…
This website focuses on two essential purposes of an effective religious congregation: help us understand our changes of heart help cultivate positive, integrating changes of heart. Of course religious congregations have other essential purposes as well, including the work of moving our world closer to the Beloved Community. My denomination, the Unitarian Universalist Association, offers…
I believe Unitarian Universalist congregations are more effective to the extent they provide seven types of experience for their members of all ages. These seven types of experience help in the two essential roles of a religious congregation. First, cultivate positive, integrating changes of heart. Second, help members understand and appreciate these changes of heart. …
Seven Experiences 