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An unexpected journey
May we remember our power to bless, ourselves, and others.
By Lee Devoe 4.13.15 SPIRIT

The next Selma
How the Black Lives Matter movement challenges Unitarian Universalists.
By Kenny Wiley 3.30.15 SPIRIT

Letter from a hoped-for future
What Unitarian Universalism looks like, twenty years from now.
By Rosemary Bray McNatt 3.9.15 SPIRIT

Grief and weariness
Grief has often worn me out, while restoring me to myself at the same time.
By Mark Belletini 3.2.15 SPIRIT

Rise in body or in spirit
Truth be told, I don't think I ever took aging seriously or personally, until recent years.
By William G. Sinkford 3.1.15 SPIRIT

Tarantula
I faced my fears and they faced me. It wasn't that big a deal.
By Meg Barnhouse 1.12.15 SPIRIT

What can you see from your back porch?
I used to think my grandfather's worldview was limited and small-minded.
By Travis Tennessen 12.29.14 SPIRIT

O gremlins, O St. Anthony!
My faith is in science, but I try to keep an open mind.
By Meg Barnhouse 10.20.14 SPIRIT

Yellow shirts for climate action
More than 1,500 Unitarian Universalists took part in the People's Climate March.
By Sonja L. Cohen 9.29.14 SPIRIT

Zentangle chalices, doodling, and meditation
Meditative doodling as a Unitarian Universalist spiritual practice.
By Cynthia Landrum 9.22.14 SPIRIT

In hopes of traveling light
Some people seek balance and stability, but I like to be off-kilter.
By Jane Rzepka 9.8.14 SPIRIT

Hearing others' stories reveals their humanity
We affirm women's dignity, yet UUs still wrestle with the systemic undercurrents of misogyny.
By Kimberley Debus 8.15.14 SPIRIT

A kind of mirror
I never considered myself a visual artist, but then, I never expected to have cancer.
By Jonah Eller-Isaacs 8.11.14 SPIRIT

When pigs fly
Do we try too hard to grasp joy when it comes?
By Meg Barnhouse 8.4.14 SPIRIT

Remembering Pete Seeger
To be honest, I still want to grow up to be like Pete Seeger.
By Dan Schatz 7.14.14 SPIRIT

Our visit to Chernobyl
Sabbatical travel allowed us to see history with our own eyes.
By Larry Stritof 6.9.14 SPIRIT

Room to be both Jewish and UU
Religious pluralism was as much a part of our lives as the Southern drawl that flavored our interactions.
By Jaclyn Kottman 6.9.14 SPIRIT

Growing up on Star Island
Looking back on my summers spent at a beloved UU retreat.
By Emma Whitford 4.28.14 SPIRIT

War zone sabbatical
I went to Afghanistan and Iraq to learn something about hope.
By Tim Kutzmark 4.14.14 SPIRIT

Beyond comprehension
Visiting Auschwitz, the imagination can only handle so much.
By Sonja L. Cohen 3.31.14 SPIRIT

Fellowship days
I remember the truth and the love and the social justice, but also the cartwheels and the donuts.
By Jane Rzepka 3.24.14 SPIRIT

Sankofa Ghana: A spiritual journey home
What did I need to retrieve from a visit to the slave ships' point of departure?
By James Gray and Jeff Riedler 3.10.14 SPIRIT

Following my moral compass
We all navigate through circumstances at the limits of human experience.
By Erika Nonken 3.3.14 SPIRIT

Breaking on through
Language helps us make meaning of what is happening to us, when it isn’t a barrier.
By Meg Barnhouse 2.3.14 SPIRIT

The only time I was called by my first name
When I was in the Army, the Sunday service was the only hour of my week when I could be my true and whole self.
By Kimberly Paquette 11.11.13 SPIRIT

The necessity of religion
We need a way to pull everything together and celebrate wholeness.
By Galen Guengerich 11.4.13 SPIRIT

Birth, breath, and death
Doulas are called to care, to encourage, and to leave the world better than we found it.
By Amy Wright Glenn 9.30.13 SPIRIT

A pond behind the church?
In my experience, no one improves by way of a scolding.
By Meg Barnhouse 9.2.13 SPIRIT

I'll stand her ground
What I'm telling my daughter, an African-American teenager, about Trayvon Martin's death.
By Lynn Ungar 8.5.13 SPIRIT

May you have ease of well-being
Do I really want to spend this entire day with whatever might come up about my mother?
By Kim K. Crawford Harvie 7.22.13 SPIRIT

Magic Mondays
Three decades later, a weekly women's group is still going strong.
By Cathy Callen 7.15.13 SPIRIT

The Honey Springs worship committee ponders joys and sorrows
‘I’m just a fool for church people and the things that happen in church.’
By Meg Barnhouse 7.8.13 SPIRIT

Meaning in the midst of war
Easy answers lead to difficult questions. So why not just start with the questions?
By George Tyger 5.27.13 SPIRIT

I'm going to have to let me go
Who is really in control here?
By Meg Barnhouse 5.6.13 SPIRIT

Writing to the general
Or, how I realized that copying letters for Amnesty International was a spiritual discipline.
By James Ishmael Ford 4.8.13 SPIRIT

Kite mother
I kept hoping that one day I would up and be the mother from the greeting card picture.
By Meg Barnhouse 3.4.13 SPIRIT

Golden hours
Time is the most volatile and elusive element in our lives.
By Jeane Knapp 2.15.13 SPIRIT

The lesson of Clive
I am a rock person; my husband is a cloud person.
By Kelly Wigmore 2.11.13 SPIRIT

Workshop of being
Where was I to find a liberal religious community in the middle of Kansas farm country?
By Jackie Magnuson Ash 2.11.13 SPIRIT

The spirituality of the body
People watch the Super Bowl for reasons not usually recognized as spiritual, though they are.
By Frank Casper 1.28.13 SPIRIT

The next Jesus to come through the door
When I meet a Jesus, I like to keep an open mind.
By Meg Barnhouse 12.24.12 SPIRIT

The gravity of family
All my adult life, I have valued my chosen relationships over the ones I was born into.
By Doug Muder 11.5.12 SPIRIT

The green after
'When I die, I want to have my ashes buried under this tree.'
By Meg Barnhouse 10.1.12 SPIRIT

A passion for reason
Reason needs the energy of passion in order to inspire others.
By Doug Muder 9.17.12 SPIRIT

A different church
They would embrace me in my full Amazon glory, or they could fry ice.
By Gail R. Geisenhainer 9.10.12 SPIRIT

Heroes with feet of clay
Where did I get this idea that the people in my shrine should be perfect?
By Meg Barnhouse 8.20.12 SPIRIT

Making sure General Assembly has something for everyone
General Assembly needs good social action, but in our diverse faith it needs other things, too.
By Doug Muder 7.30.12 SPIRIT

A recipe for connection
An hour spent looking through old recipes is like a visit with old friends.
By Nancy Bentley 7.30.12 SPIRIT

Me, Jewish?
An odyssey into my family's religious past.
By Lenore Hirsch 4.23.12 SPIRIT

At my mother's funeral
Unitarian Universalists are precisely the people who can't believe whatever they want.
By Doug Muder 1.23.12 SPIRIT

A little change
Pretending I'm self-sufficient at the Family Dollar store.
By Meg Barnhouse 10.17.11 SPIRIT

The raucous gardening fairy
So much for a tranquil ten minutes in the garden.
By Tracy Springberry 8.8.11 SPIRIT

My patient's faith
Before I began the operation, my patient asked, 'Could I say a prayer first?'
By Cullen Ruff 6.13.11 SPIRIT

Love, freedom, and wonder
Recalling a childhood in a Unitarian Universalist fellowship.
By Jane Rzepka 5.30.11 SPIRIT

Sing me to sleep
I wanted things to go back to normal. I wanted none of this to be happening.
By Meg Barnhouse 5.9.11 SPIRIT

A nation of immigrants
I couldn't help but connect the plight of these migrants to my own family history.
By Margaret Regan 1.3.11 SPIRIT

Stop the elevator; I'm not done
If someone on an elevator asked you what Unitarian Universalism is, could you answer before one of you reached your destination?
By Doug Muder 12.27.10 SPIRIT

Responding to holiday depression with compassion
She stomped up and down the aisles until she saw her Christmas tree.
By Meg Barnhouse 12.20.10 SPIRIT

Stirring up gratitude
In a flash, memories of joy and sorrow mingle in thanksgiving.
By James Ishmael Ford 11.22.10 SPIRIT

Surviving, without a memorial
Where are the tangible memorials to what survivors have lost?
By Cynthia Orange 11.1.10 SPIRIT

Sudden death
The real sting of death is the thought that all life’s possibilities were supposed to wait until I got around to paying attention.
By Doug Muder 10.18.10 SPIRIT

Protesting Arizona's new immigration law
We must respond with love to the fear that drives the debate about immigration.
By James Ishmael Ford 6.1.10 SPIRIT

Finding spirit in the sundown
The only way to prepare for facing Alzheimer's is to remain attentive to the present moment.
By Laura Randall 3.22.10 SPIRIT

Mary Daly changed my life
I am not sorry that I used to be ‘one of those angry women.’
By Meg Barnhouse 2.15.10 SPIRIT

Holy family
A family holy enough to merit the highest forms of reverence.
By Nancy McDonald Ladd 12.14.09 SPIRIT

Jesus, peasant revolutionary
A paradoxical power is revealed in people the world despises, in people the world deems weak.
By Wendy Fitting 11.9.09 SPIRIT

What do you need a potion for?
Maybe I went too far mixing V8 and Pop Rocks, but life isn't always sweet.
By Meg Barnhouse 10.26.09 SPIRIT

Cricket's song shows life's fragility
There is a cricket playing the violin in my bathroom.
By Elizabeth Lerner Maclay 10.19.09 SPIRIT

A spark of understanding
My first encounter with Unitarianism.
By Bernadette Siegel 9.14.09 SPIRIT

From mother to gypsy
Saying goodbye to the home where I raised my children.
By Meg Barnhouse 8.10.09 SPIRIT

Growing up in a UU family
People probably thought my parents were hippies because we were out-of-the-closet Unitarian Universalists.
By Laura Pedersen 7.20.09 SPIRIT

Prayer for the people of Iran
An Iranian-American holds her breath as hundreds of thousands march for democracy in Iran.
By Parisa Parsa 6.22.09 SPIRIT

Finding relief in the storm
The complexity of asking for, and offering, help.
By Mary J. Harrington 6.15.09 SPIRIT

Lessons from an elephant sage
Speak from a place of distraction, and the elephant will not move.
By Rain T. Van Den Berg 5.25.09 SPIRIT

Graduation day
Parenthood makes life serious and challenges you to push past limitations you have accepted too easily. But those issues don't go away when you decide not to have children.
By Doug Muder 5.11.09 SPIRIT

The love truck
The Karma Fairy is laughing her head off at the SUV in my driveway.
By Meg Barnhouse 4.13.09 SPIRIT

Serving Dionysus
I worshiped the gods of comedy and tragedy long before I worshiped Jesus's God.
By Victoria Weinstein 3.23.09 SPIRIT

Reclaiming my space in the sisterhood
The International Convocation of Unitarian Universalist Women revived me.
By Joanna Fontaine Crawford 3.16.09 SPIRIT

An African pilgrimage
Coming face to face and heart to heart with the reality of slavery.
By William G. Sinkford 3.2.09 SPIRIT

Flat tire and a beating heart
A heartbeat is one thing you want to do like everyone else.
By Meg Barnhouse 2.9.09 SPIRIT

That elusive more
What do Unitarian Universalists need to go deeper?
By Doug Muder 1.12.09 SPIRIT

It's all about family
There's no better context than a family reunion to get over your fears.
By Meg Barnhouse 11.24.08 SPIRIT

The church and the unicorn
One of them is a mythical creature worth believing in.
By Meg Barnhouse 10.13.08 SPIRIT

How it feels to be 80
The only really upsetting thing about being old is realizing that I'm not going to see how everything comes out.
By Richard D. Leonard 9.15.08 SPIRIT

Love can't fix everything
I knew the gunman who killed two in a Knoxville church, but I can't fathom his choice.
By Meg Barnhouse 8.25.08 SPIRIT

Biggest coffee hour imaginable
First impressions of a first-time General Assembly goer.
By Kimberly French 8.18.08 SPIRIT

PostSecret Project reveals our common humanity
People keep secrets for all kinds of reasons.
By Doug Muder 7.21.08 SPIRIT

The call of self
Finding my path when the choices I made in my twenties didn't work out.
By Manish Mishra 7.7.08 SPIRIT

Letter to a new parent
Your heart will be worn and joyous, wise and beat up, and full of sorrow and amazement.
By Meg Barnhouse 6.30.08 SPIRIT

Love and death
Facing cancer with lessons learned from my parishioners.
By Forrest Church 5.26.08 SPIRIT

The daffodil rescue mission
People say, ‘Bloom where you’re planted,’ but things happen.
By Meg Barnhouse 5.5.08 SPIRIT

Universal love
'And what church did you say you attend?'
By Esther Hurlburt 4.28.08 SPIRIT

Do you feel loved?
On alternating days, a resolution to stop beating myself up.
By Meg Barnhouse 2.11.08 SPIRIT

One thing I am sure of
A chaplain's counsel to a grieving brother.
By Kate Braestrup 1.14.08 SPIRIT

Rekindling the flame
Tickets to the Keith Urban concert weren't just a gift. They were a miracle.
By Meg Barnhouse 12.24.07 SPIRIT

The floating life
Going with the flow sounds nice, until the river tries to kill you.
By Meg Barnhouse 9.17.07 SPIRIT

Confessions of a prodigal volunteer
Life after burning out at church.
By Elizabeth Weber 9.10.07 SPIRIT

Once and for all
Watching a loved one fade into dementia.
By Kathleen McTigue 8.20.07 SPIRIT

The death of li'l Anthrax
A more vicious little creature you could hardly imagine.
By Barbara Merritt 8.18.07 SPIRIT

Fireworks at the wedding
Fireworks and church may not seem to go together, but in my family they do.
By Meg Barnhouse 7.2.07 SPIRIT

How Jesus claimed me
One Unitarian Universalist's religious journey.
By Victoria Weinstein 4.9.07 SPIRIT

Great art and the gods
Five-year-olds in a fine art museum.
By Elaine Greensmith Jordan 3.12.07 SPIRIT

From fear to eternity
Learning to walk backward down a cliff.
By Lyla D. Hamilton 2.26.07 SPIRIT

Religious reality in a virtual world
Second Life, the much-hyped online virtual reality world, is home to a growing Unitarian Universalist congregation.
By Kenneth Sutton 2.19.07 SPIRIT

Finding a talisman
A gift brings healing and unexpected loss.
By Kimberly French 1.29.07 SPIRIT

Mayhem and the manger
Why didn't you warn me about Christmas pageants?
By Carl Scovel 12.25.06 SPIRIT

Can Unitarian Universalists talk about failure?
Original Sin isn't a good idea. Expecting perfection isn't, either.
By David Hubner 9.25.06 SPIRIT

Miracle flowers
The persistence of beauty in New Orleans.
By Marta I. Valentin 8.28.06 SPIRIT

From Islam to Unitarian Universalism
One woman's religious odyssey.
By Hafidha Acuay 6.12.06 SPIRIT

Of hummingbirds and immigrants
'Hummingbirds migrate north and south just like we do.'
By Enrique Gomez 5.29.06 SPIRIT

Military chaplain's tribute for Memorial Day
A Unitarian Universalist military chaplain can't fight but honors those who do.
By Cynthia Kane 5.29.06 SPIRIT

What's spiritual about parenting young children?
A passage from Bless This Child.
By Kathleen McTigue 2.27.06 SPIRIT

Three ways husbands express love
A new book surveys men in heterosexual marriages.
By Neil Chethik 2.13.06 SPIRIT

One event, two perspectives
A racially-charged encounter reveals worlds of difference.
By Special Review Commission 2.6.06 SPIRIT

Repression of the sublime
To realize your potential you must recognize your gifts.
By Marilyn Sewell 8.29.05 SPIRIT

Hope in an unmarked envelope
A request for liberal religious contraband.
By Stefan M. Jonasson 8.22.05 SPIRIT

Meditations on our cosmic significance
Who hasn't felt tiny and insignificant?
By Julie Parker Amery 8.15.05 SPIRIT

Spiritual lessons from running
Ten spiritual lessons that running has taught me.
By Lisa Watts 8.8.05 SPIRIT

Midlife spirituality for women
Drawing closer to the sacred at middle age.
By Marilyn Sewell 8.1.05 SPIRIT

Why I go to General Assembly
Denominational diversity in all its splendor.
By Greg Hines 5.9.05 SPIRIT

Ric Masten, dancing through life
A poet responds to cancer the way he knows best.
By Frances Cerra Whittelsey 11.1.04 SPIRIT

Was Thomas Jefferson really a Unitarian?
What makes someone 'one of us'?
By Peg Duthie 11.1.04 SPIRIT

Playing with the Italians
Despite my father's fears, those men were not the enemy.
By Edward Frost 9.1.04 SPIRIT

A mother's bond
Grief and recovery transform the author's relationship with her mother.
By Barbara Hamilton-Holway 5.1.04 SPIRIT

Jesus and the modern seeker
It may take an act of great will to see past the relics of tradition to something new.
By Erik Walker Wikstrom 1.1.04 SPIRIT

The middle of everywhere
How Lincoln, Nebraska, came to be the picture of America's multicultural future.
By Mary Pipher 7.1.02 SPIRIT

In praise of the imperfect life
Spring enlivens us, yet from our human vantage not all resurrections are equally welcome.
By Philip Simmons 5.1.02 SPIRIT

'His rightful place'
The Rev. W.H.G. Carter's great-granddaughter shares a family's living tradition.
By Starita Smith 5.1.02 SPIRIT

9-11 postcard from Brooklyn
One minister describes a day of shock and mourning.
By W. Frederick Wooden 1.1.02 SPIRIT

Unfinished houses
Life as a work in progress.
By Philip Simmons 11.1.01 SPIRIT

Memoir of King's eulogy for James Reeb
A witness's diary captures the torment and magic of James Reeb’s eulogy.
By Richard D. Leonard 5.1.01 SPIRIT

Witness to Reeb's death looks back
A witness to Selma's tragedies revisits the path of tears and learns to dry his own.
By Clark Olsen 5.1.01 SPIRIT

Bearing witness to human diversity
A visit to Auschwitz.
By Barbara Hoag Gadon 5.1.01 SPIRIT

What do sons really need from their dads?
What losing a father teaches men about fatherhood.
By Neil Chethik 1.1.01 SPIRIT

Living at the edge
By living in the present moment, we can find ourselves at the gateway to eternity.
By Philip Simmons 9.1.00 SPIRIT

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