On the three-hour journey to travel four miles home yesterday amidst the chaos of the second-largest snowfall on record in Portland, on the first day of the Lenten Season, I was reminded that Lent is a journey of surrender. The three leading practices of this season – prayer, fasting, and charity – are meant to open space to experience the divine and to follow where that leads us. Instead, we too often practice the journey of Lent as an exercise in willpower This may be in part because of the tendency to focus on fasting over prayer and charity. Prayer…

In their meeting this week, our lay ministers reflected on the challenges of the last several years of our lives. Holding the “stew of anger” that surrounds us in our national and world politics, the hate directed at some of the most vulnerable among us, and the global warming crisis, among other things. All of that happened before the Covid pandemic and how Covid has added a whole new layer to things. I’ve come to understand it as a time of existential angst. There is a lot of hold these days. The lay ministers offered ways that they have navigated…

Dear Beloveds, So today, we’re going to be talking about the “Tea” in the Trans community, specifically regarding Unitarian Universalism (if you’re unsure of the meaning of “tea” in this context, sit tight!). First, I want to talk a little about the language I will use because the words we say are important and powerful. I use the term “queer” as a catch-all for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I also want to acknowledge that there are many, particularly for our gay, lesbian, two-spirit, and trans elders, for whom this word carries hurt, and I want to acknowledge that this is real…

It has been so meaningful to begin to grow roots here with you in Portland during our first six months together. It is a blessing and a privilege to lead and serve alongside you as we re-imagine and rebuild our community in this time of uncertainty and possibility. We have a long history – 157 years – of rising to meet the changes in the landscape of our city and religion. My heart is filling with a sense of purpose and hopes for the future as we move towards the Installation Service on Sunday, April 16, at 4 p.m., to…

This month we are reflecting on creation and creativity as a way into our spiritual theme of the 2022-2023 year: Rooted in Relationship. From the origins of our earth up until this day, we can see that everything and everyone and every action ripples out and is related in some way.   We exist because of those who came before us, and our actions bear an impact on those who will come after us. An awareness of this truth is one of the many reasons that we are so committed to environmental justice with a generational ethic.   All of us alive…

I have come to appreciate January in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Wisconsin and signs of Spring are hard to come by this time of year. Brown and gray are the dominant colors in the earthly palate there. But it is different in our part of the world.  Yesterday I took a walk through my neighborhood and I was amazed, as I always am this time of year, to see all the signs of life around me. The buds showing their faces. The green things showing up through the earth. A quiet and subtle awareness of something emerging.…

We currently use the words “Learning Community” to signify our programs for our children and youth. However, we are really a lifelong learning community. We don’t just learn about spiritual practices, world religions, ethics, and life’s big questions up through high school and then graduate from these topics. Rather, religious exploration is a learning journey of a lifetime.   When I returned to New York City after college, I immediately showed up ready to volunteer as a Sunday school teacher. I did this to give back, and, in part, because I couldn’t imagine participating in Unitarian Universalism without the excitement of…

We’re just a few days into the new year. And if you are a resolution-making person, I expect some of those resolutions may already be slipping away. I have to say for me, that sense of back-to-it has come incredibly quickly this year. Whatever energy comes with a new beginning… well, in many ways it feels as if it has come and gone. And looking out at our world, I’m not surprised. Just look at the dysfunction in Washington as Congress struggles to elect a new Speaker of the House. I assume someone will eventually be elected, but the last…

What a joyous week this is in our congregation! I am grateful to be experiencing the winter holidays with you for the first time. Although, the temperatures are dipping low outside, the spirit of warmth and community are alive and bright in this place. We lit the first candle of Hanukkah together last Sunday, we celebrated the dark of Winter Solstice and the coming of the light on Wednesday, and soon we will celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this weekend.   There is a lot to look forward to… just yesterday, a number of our families held a pizza, ice…

Some Images I'm Carrying From This Season at the Church: Last Sunday we were back in Eliot Chapel for Sunday worship. Not exactly by plan but because the elevator in our Sanctuary was not working. I was taken back to a time when the Chapel was our main worship place, when most Sundays we were invited to squeeze together to make room for more people. It was a kind of ritual that happened most every week. That was not a sustainable plan for the church with three worship services and three religious education programs every Sunday. Our present Sanctuary building…