This past Sunday, after passing all of the necessary inspections, we cut the ribbon and officially announced that our elevator was ready for use. For long-term members, this day took so long to get here. When Live Oak first took ownership of this building, they began talking about how important...
Stirring the Oatmeal, excerpted from the book We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love by Robert A. Johnson. “Whether in our birth family or one of our own creation, we find a connection there that makes even ordinary occurrences meaningful. “Many years ago, a wise friend gave me a name for human love....
Seven years ago, I gave an oddly-titled sermon: “The Guinea Worm Straw.” I am thinking about that today, as the news is spreading that President Jimmy Carter has opted to go into hospice care. The story of the Guinea Worm Straw is still one that fascinates me, and fills me...
content warning: school shootings My middle daughter, Lily, called me Monday night. “Have you seen what’s happening at Michigan State?” “No, what?” Lily goes to Michigan State. Someone yelled into her workplace that there was a shooter nearby. Her school sent out an email: Run, Hide, Fight. In that brief...
In my sermon on Sunday, I talked about how we are a Big Tent religion, drawing wisdom and inspiration from all the world’s faiths, but we’ve learned about how to do this in a respectful and responsible way. I received a few questions about why, for example, it wouldn’t be...
Our Fed & Informed Potluck luncheon on Sunday was wonderful. Our Fellowship Hall was full, our tables were filled with delicious food, and I know that I was not the only person to feel a little emotional at the normalcy of it all. Committees, teams, and groups shared about what...
Some members have asked for some of the quotes and timeline points from this past Sunday’s service, about Unitarian Universalism’s evolution from two Christian denominations to the open, pluralist faith we are today. Here you go! 1777 Universalist George deBenneville writes: “As no church is pure in all things, so none...
The ability to be nimble should never take the place of careful planning and organization, but part of being a congregation is the role of “the unexpected.” It can be serious and unfortunate, such as when one of our pipes became uncoupled January 23rd, causing a flood in our education...
I heard an interesting footnote to the timeline of our recent “flood”: The Story of Four Coffee Cups Over the holiday, a teacher had taken four coffee cups home from the STEM School. She wanted to give them a good scrubbing because we all know how coffee cups need a...
As shared in the email that went out Christmas Eve, Live Oak had significant water damage after a pipe upstairs became uncoupled, flooding both the second and first floors. We currently have a Restoration company removing ruined wallboard and insulation, running fans, and doing all of the work necessary after...
