Our lives — all of life is poetry in motion. When we reflect on the ways we move through our days and the ways in which life moves all around us, we can’t help but be caught up in the beauty and miracle of it all. How might we better connect with the rhythm of … Continue reading Poetry in Motion – Amy Carlson and Ann Johnson

Centuries ago the Buddha taught that we can experience moments of being fully awake to the miracle of our existence. His teachings can help us to find moments of calm in a troubled and turbulent world.  

Join us for stories of the season, carols, and candlelight. Please bring a plate of cookies to share.  

To read a transcript of the sermon for this service please click on this link: The Promise of Joy. A multitude of ancient observances – both sacred and secular – cluster around the winter solstice. Holidays and holy days are celebrated by young and old to mark a celestial turning point: the rebirth of the sun. For … Continue reading The Promise of Joy – Rev. Axel Gehrmann & Bob Sadler

Our annual pre-Christmas music service this year will feature Benjamin Britten’s wonderful choral piece “A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28,” performed by our own UUCMP choir.  Don’t miss this lovely and moving opportunity for beautiful music, reflection and celebration.  

This multigenerational holiday service will incorporate a number of songs and stories illustrating the values of generosity, diversity, affirmation, and making a joyful noise unto the world!  Please bring a drum of your own (or other instrument) if you wish and be prepared to participate in a rhythmic celebration of the season!

Part of being human is having what the Buddha called a monkey mind. We constantly have thoughts running through our head. Thoughts of loss, thoughts of hope, thoughts of fear, thoughts of self-judgment, and the list goes on and on. What are some different tools and exercises we can try to help calm and tame … Continue reading Mindfulness for the Monkey Mind – Amy Carlson & Chris Kage

The ancient Greek as well as the eastern philosophies of Japanese Buddhism and Hinduism referred to concepts of the elements of earth, water, air/wind, and fire, as well as the void or aether. The elements were used to explain the nature and complexity of all matter, and how they related to observable phenomena as well … Continue reading “Earth, Air, Fire, Water and the Void” – Sarah Hardgrave & Sue Ellen Stringer

We have done much damage to our land, and to its original inhabitants.  As we contemplate our annual celebration of gratitude, let us consider some practical and spiritual guidance offered by indigenous peoples, and how we might work to repair our relationships with them and with nature.  

Charles Darwin, Thomas Starr King, John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Annie Dillard—naturalists from the same mold, and I identify with them.  Not only did they dwell in profound respect and affection with the natural world, but they found religious inspiration there.  My own journey has always been as an anthropologist.  My theology is grounded in … Continue reading Nature is My Religion – Rev. Dennis Hamilton & Robin Jensen