“International Plum Village Community of Engaged Buddhism announces that our beloved teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs on 22nd January, 2022, at the age of 95. We invite our global spiritual family to take a few moments to be still, to come back to … Continue reading Celebrating the Life of Thich Nhat Hanh
SERVICE ONLY BY ZOOMSo much has happened since Dr. King’s sermon from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. Much has been accomplished yet there are still many parts of his dream that are yet to be realized. How might we live our lives in a way that further manifests the dream without surrendering to cynicism? With music, readings, meditations … Continue reading Living the Dream of MLK in 2022
Hope is ancient and eternal. In the darkest time of the year, in the hardest times of our lives, we turn to hope… not false hope, or irrational hope, but hope that is real, deep and true, and which strengthens when we share it. In what do you find your hope, this crazy new year? … Continue reading The Fragile Wonder of Hope This Crazy New Year
Service in our sanctuary and on Zoom This is a time in history of complicated feelings and events for many of us and Christmas may just further complicate things right now. The events of the first Christmas Story took place in an era of great suffering and oppression and yet stand as a declaration that … Continue reading Joy to the World, Y’all, Like It Or Not!
Whadya mean “love?” Who do you think I am, John Lennon? What does this motley, confused, yet defiantly courageous band of free thinkers in the woods of Lacombe have to do with love in this age of despair? Is love really all you need? With lots of Beatles music (yes!) and prose and poetry of … Continue reading All You Need Is Love… Or Is It?
Long time church members Patricia and Johnny Stout have moved to Texas, but they will be back with us this Sunday morning to help us recognize, celebrate and integrate the transitions that are so much part of our lives. As we move from light to dark this season, throughout our lives we also move through … Continue reading Circling Around, Letting Go, Moving On, Entering Once More
A recent conversation with a newcomer to our church reminded me that the deep spirituality of naturalist and author Loren Eiseley might offer us some insight and help during these troubled times. With poetry and stories from Eiseley, we’ll explore his insistence that, with courage, integrity and wonder, it is possible to live in two … Continue reading Squat, Warty, and Wondrous: A Celebration of Loren Eiseley
On this Halloween day, and on the occasion of the release of a new movie adaptation of the novel Dune, let’s look at fear. What are you afraid of? Skeletons and vampires, or something altogether more sinister? How does your fear affect you? Are you able, like the hero of Dune, to let your fear “pass over … Continue reading Devils, Demons, and Dragons in the Dark: A Halloween Sermon
Service will be In Person in our Sanctuary and available by Zoom! Life will likely never be as it was in the “before times.” However, claiming and living compassion, companionship, and community are all possible if we dare to imagine new ways of living and being together. We are living in strange times, but the … Continue reading Living Compassion, Companionship, and Community in These Strange Times
In Afghanistan, in our nation, and in many nations around the globe, diverse thriving communities are disintegrating into quarreling camps and even war, as loyalties to theological and political factions win out over loyalties to wider visions and broader hopes. How are we to make sense of what is happening right now in Afghanistan and … Continue reading The Siren Call of Tribalism in Our Time
