Did You Know?
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…that congregations and individuals are welcome to share material from Quest Monthly, provided credit is given? Read more →
I Began to Ask Each Time
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I began to ask each time: “What’s the worst that could happen to me if I tell this truth?” Read more →
Resilience
September 2017
If your heart is broken, make art with the pieces. ―Shane L. Koyczan
Articles
Riding the Waves
Ten adults face a layoff, a messy divorce, a big mistake, serious health problems, etc. You know, all the stuff of life that launches any of us into unwelcome, uncomfortable, inevitable change. Read more »
A Community of Support
One of the elements that creates resilience in our lives is knowing that we can count on a community that will both support us throughout our spiritual journey and call us toward a vision of who we can become. Read more »
Resilience as a Spiritual Strength
One thing I’ve learned about the word “resilience” is that it initially came from the field of metallurgy, describing how certain metals when heated will lose their shape, but when cooled can amazingly recover their original form, resiliently. Read more »
Stronger in the Broken Places
A famous rabbi once said the truth will set you free. Trouble is, the truth is truth, whether we like it or not. The truth is that we will all break in this life. That’s how we learn to recover. Read more »
Observations at Southwest Atlanta Nature Preserves
Stunning in their endurance, despite chain saws and sewage spills, mounds of old tires, garbage, plastic bottles that blanket creek banks… Read more »
From Your Minister
Times that are hard require more spiritual practice for me. This past year, I’ve been hard at work strengthening my spiritual systems to create more resilience. For me, stronger resilience requires building flexibility, love, agility, and willingness. Read more »
REsources for Living
You know those little, colorful, ultra-bouncy Super Balls? That’s what comes to mind when I think of the word “resilience.” People and other beings who are resilient bounce back when they get dropped. Read more »
Did You Know?
…that congregations and individuals are welcome to share material from Quest Monthly, provided credit is given? Read more »
I Began to Ask Each Time
I began to ask each time: “What’s the worst that could happen to me if I tell this truth?” Read more »
31 Archive: The Muslim-UU Connection with Ibrahim Farraje
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by Dr. Ibrahim Farraje to talk about the connections between Islam and Unitarian Universalism, especially with the foundational understanding that oneness is at the heart of all of creation. At the time of this broadcast, Ibrahim was Starr King School for the Ministry’s Provost and Professor of Islamic and Cultural Studies. He died on February 9, 2016.
Original air date: October 10, 2013
Episode Notes:
- The Taqwacores by Michael Muhammad Knight (GoodReads) (Film)
- The Inclusive Mosque Initiative (Facebook) (Twitter)
- Yunus Emre is a 13 century Turkish poet and Sufi mystic. An English translation of some of his work is The Drop That Became the Sea (Amazon)
- A contemporary Sufi mystic is Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (died 1986)
- Queen of Months: An Eco-Halal Sufi Vegan/Vegetarian Cookbook for Ramadan and Beyond by Ibrahim Farajaje and Katherin George Golitzen (Amazon Kindle)
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Tom Schade, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Patrice Curtis, and Hank Peirce.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
73 Archive: The Tea Party is a Confederate Party with Doug Muder
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We are joined by Doug Muder who writes about politics and current events on the The Weekly Sift. Doug is also a contributing editor and columnist for UU World. On this episode of The VUU, we talk about one of Doug’s most popular articles where he calls out the tea party as a successor to the confederacy. We also explore how our knowledge of history can move us forward and be useful in examining current events, like the actions in Charlottesville in 2017.
Original air date: October 2, 2014
Episode Notes:
- “Not a Tea Party, a Confederate Party” by Doug Muder
- “A Few Points About Confederate Monuments” by Doug Muder
- Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
- “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates published in The Atlantic
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Tom Schade, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Patrice Curtis, and Hank Peirce.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
105 Archive: Collective Liberation with Chris Crass
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by Chris Crass, author, educator and father dedicated to building powerful movements for collective liberation. We talk about the tenacity of white supremacy and the positive and powerful ways to bring white people into movement that overcomes shame and the need for perfection.
Original air date: June 4, 2015
Notes:
- “Love is the Practice of Freedom” by bell hooks
- Chris’ interview with the Rev. Ashley Horan, executive director of the Minnesota Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA)
- Books and essays by Chris
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Patrice Curtis, Aisha Hauser, and Hank Peirce.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
99 Archive: Religious Freedom with Nate Walker
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by the Rev. Nate Walker, executive director for the Religious Freedom Center of the Newseum Institute in Washington, D.C. We talk about federal and state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts and issues of religion in public life.
Original air date: January 22, 2015
Notes:
- Walker is the co-editor with Edwin J. Greenlee of Whose God Rules? Is the United States a Secular Nation or a Theolegal Democracy?.
- Walker’s most recent book is Cultivating Empathy: The Worth and Dignity of Every Person—Without Exception (in progress during this episode and published in 2016 by Skinner House). In it he explores the concept of the moral imagination—a way we can project ourselves into a conflict and understand all perspectives, aware that understanding need not imply agreement.
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Tom Schade, Patrice Curtis, Aisha Hauser, and Hank Peirce.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
78 Archive: Military Chaplaincy with Rebekah Montgomery
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by the Rev. Rebekah Montgomery, a US Army Chaplain and staff officer. We discuss the gifts Unitarian Universalists bring to the interfaith work of military chaplaincy. Both Rebekah and one of the hosts, Bob LaVallee, share stories from their deployments to the middle east.
Original air date: November 6, 2014
Show notes:
- At the 2014 UUA General Assembly’s Service of the Living Tradition, Rev. Montgomery delivered the sermon, “Walking with the Other”
- UU Military Manual, Bless All Who Serve
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Aisha Hauser, Patrice Curtis, Tom Schade, and Bob LaVallee.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. The content has been edited for a better podcast experience; unfortunately there are some audio issues we were not able to fix. View the original live recording on YouTube.
77 Archive: How to Die Well with Danielle Di Bona
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by the Rev. Danielle Di Bona, a hospice chaplain and UU minister who has accompanied hundreds of people through death. In Danielle’s experience, coming to terms with our mortality is the biggest element in how to die well. Our conversation also touches upon the right to die movement, the importance of making one’s wishes known, and the role of religious communities in creating space for grief.
Original air date: October 30, 2014
Episode hosts: Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Aisha Hauser, Hank Peirce, and Bob LaVallee.
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
48 Archive: Caregiving and Alzheimer’s with Jade Angelica
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On this episode of The VUU, we are joined by the Rev. Dr. Jade Angelica, director of Healing Moments Alzheimer’s Ministry. Our conversation explores the realities of Alzheimer’s and how caregivers are helped by adopting an attitude of affirmation and acceptance. Her organization teaches people to use improv, which brings authenticity and attention to the present moment.
Original air date: February 27, 2014
Show notes:
- Where Two Worlds Touch: A Spiritual Journey Through Alzheimer’s Disease – book by Jade Angelica
- Meeting Alzheimer’s CD
- Hosts: Meg Riley, Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Patrice Curtis, Tom Schade, and Hank Peirce
Note: This audio is from one of our favorite archived episodes that had previously been available by video only. It has been edited for a better podcast listening experience. View the original live recording on YouTube.
