Prayer and Meditation | Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | March 7, 2020

March 8, 2021

Rev. Sean offers a prayer for integrating courageous love and Beloved Community into our daily lives.

Meditation on Waiting | Rev. Gretchen Haley | February 7, 2021

February 8, 2021

Inspired by Imbolc, which marks the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, Rev. Gretchen offers a guided meditation to help us tune into the experience of waiting.

Homily Part 2: Complex Lives, Simple Rules | Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | January 31, 2021

February 1, 2021

Rev. Sean vibrantly illustrates the power of simple rules and explores why simple rules are so effective at empowering individual actions and forging strong communities.

The concept of emergence that is explored in this piece, is influenced by the phenomenal work of adrienne marie brown (http://adriennemareebrown.net/) and her book Emergent Strategy.

Homily Part 1: Just Breathe | Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | January 31, 2021

February 1, 2021

Rev. Sean Neil-Barron offers a poetic homily honoring the power and breadth of the simple “just breathe.”

Meditation & Writing Exercise: Our Few Worthy Things | Rev. Gretchen Haley | January 24, 2021

January 25, 2021

Rev. Gretchen guides us in a meditation and writing exercise to notice the things that receive our attention, discern our values, and explore the intersection of the two.

Homily: Lower the Bar | Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink | January 24, 2021

January 25, 2021

Rev. Elaine shares how lowering the bar has helped her cope during the pandemic and explores how lowering expectations in general helps one value things other than societal expectations of productivity. Rev. Elaine suggests that, at the very least, our expectations of ourselves merit some scrutiny, particularly when we’re under stress. She teaches that, “Our real value lies not in what we do, but in who we are.”

Centering and Prayer | Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink | January 10, 2021

January 11, 2021

Rev. Elaine offers a meditation and prayer to remind us that our deepest allegiance is to Love, to each other, and to the earth.

Meditation | Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink | January 3, 2021

January 4, 2021

Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink offers a metta meditation to cultivate compassion and loving-kindness in the wake of a difficult year.

Winter Solstice Audio Guide

December 20, 2020

Many of us find meaning in marking the winter solstice - the longest, darkest night of the year that also marks the beginning of the return of light.

Since we can't all gather for a big ceremony or bonfire this year, we've instead put together an audio guide and video to help you celebrate the solstice on your own or with members of your household.

Made possible by the Foothills Unitarian Earth Based Path Ministry, the Family Ministry team, and the Music team.

Homily: How We Tell the Story | Rev. Gretchen Haley | December 13, 2020

December 14, 2020

Rev. Gretchen Haley explores how the way we tell a story shapes the meaning we make from it, and, in turn, how we come to understand ourselves and life.

Additional Resources:

From the BBC: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190523-the-way-you-tell-your-life-story-shapes-your-personality

Reform Judaism article on Hanukkah: https://reformjudaism.org/jewish-holidays/hanukkah/history-hanukkah-story

NPR interview about Hanukkah: https://www.npr.org/2020/12/12/945788794/celebrating-hanukkah-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

Inspiration: Rev. Gretchen drew inspiration for this homily from Long conversations with Professors Pam Eisenbaum and Mark George at the Iliff School of Theology, as well as with Rabbi Shoshana Leis formerly of Congregation Har Shalom in Fort Collins.

Rev. Gretchen's notes and memory of the awesome book, From the Maccabees to the Mishnah by Shaya Cohen, also shaped this Homily. Find "From the Maccabees to the Mishnah" here: https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/From-the-Maccabees-to-the-Mishnah-9780664227432