Times of transition often lead me to reflection. Our congregation is about to transition from Rev. Seth being on sabbatical and Joel Tishken being our sabbatical minister, to having Rev. Seth back with us. But this will not be simply “business as usual.” We will not be going back to how things were before Rev. …..
by Joel Tishken, Sabbatical Minister “According to psychologists, a crush lasts on average for four months, if feelings persist beyond that, one is considered to be ‘in love’.” This quote is from the website factualfacts.com. If it’s not just a fact, but a factual fact, it must be true, yes? Well, despite the website’s claim …..
When I think of curiosity, the first images that come to my mind are kittens and puppies poking their little button noses into absolutely everything, and my four-year-old grandson constantly asking “why?” For both the pups and kittens, and Roland, nothing is off limits to be sniffed, tasted or asked about. That’s how young beings …..
[People] go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. ~St. Augustine This quote by St. Augustine brought to mind …..
Oftentimes, we tend to assume that wholeness is a good thing. It seems pretty intuitive that wholeness should be something we strive for, and that it’s better than whatever alternatives we might propose. Fragmentation? Brokenness? But wait—let’s ask a Buddhist what they can contribute to this discussion. The Four Noble Truths that are often used …..
I trust everyone is familiar with the nursery rhyme of Humpty Dumpty from 17th-century England. It is among the most common nursery rhymes in the English-speaking world. Like Humpty Dumpty, we too sometimes feel shattered. Thankfully, however, we’re not eggpeople with a fragile exoskeleton. Once an egg is broken it cannot go back together again. …..
Our February theme was trust, and our March theme is journey. My February column revolved around the journeys Rev. Seth and the congregation have embarked on, although the theme of trust was there too. So, in March, I’m addressing trust more directly. In the UU Ministers Association weekly newsletter for February 8 Darrick Jackson, Director …..
This month’s Soul Matters small group packet contains the etymology of the word journey. From page 8, “Journey has its roots in the Old French journée, a day’s length; a day’s work, a day’s travel. For instance, a day laborer was called a [journeyperson]; we write our daily adventures in a journal. Looking at life …..
There are certain books and ideas I return to time and time again because they have proven to be reliable guides and trusted advisors in my own life. I also recommend them to others for the same reason. One of these is Joseph Campbell’s epic work on the heroic journey, Hero with a Thousand Faces. …..
Some of you have probably heard me tell this story before. When I was in grad school, I needed a desk that was large enough to accommodate my way of working, which usually entailed spreading a lot of resources out on a surface, having a good spot for my shiny new electric typewriter (!), all …..