 Greetings fellow UUs and supporters! We are meeting IN PERSON and on Zoom until further notice. Our theme for September is Awakening. "Some are born with spiritual immune systems that sooner or later give rejection to the illusory worldview grafted upon them from birth through social conditioning. They begin sensing that something is amiss, and start looking for answers. Inner knowledge and anomalous outer experiences show them a side of reality others are oblivious to, and so begins their journey of awakening. Each step of the journey is made by following the heart instead of following the crowd and by choosing knowledge over the veils of ignorance.” Henri Bergson "What are the signs of spiritual awakening? Feelings of being connected with others and nature. Frequent overwhelming episodes of appreciation. A tendency to think and act spontaneously rather than from fears based on past experience. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment." --- Sunday, September 4th Service:  This Sunday's sermon is by Rev. Scott Alexander and read by Mary Guirard. There are ongoing battles over whose worldview will determine the shape of American life. Conservatives battle over their perceived evils of liberalism. Fundamentalist Christians are convinced the old standards of American life are in danger. Our church is founded in part on the heresy of Universalism which claimed that all are saved and worthy of heaven. While we have moved on to include those with different spiritual beliefs, our principles and spiritual perspectives support the goodness in all persons and require that we be messengers of a larger hope for the whole of the human family. Failing that, the 'Right' will carry the day, and have their way with both us and the world and that -- neither we nor humanity can afford. Service Outline Service slides Sermon text Facebook Event Please visit us either in person at 1119 Johnston St. or on Zoom: tinyurl.com/zoomuulala or via the link at uulala.org. We visit with coffee and snacks from 10:30-11 am. The service runs from 11 am until 12 noon. After the service every second Sunday of the month we have a potluck dinner. On other Sundays we go out to eat at a local restaurant. Everyone is invited! --- Last Sunday's service recap: 'The Paradox of choice' by Barry Schwartz The official dogma to maximize welfare of citizens on western countries is to maximize individual freedoms. The idea that the way to maximize freedom is to maximize choice is deeply embedded in our lives. There are often many choices available for many products. But too many choices can cause paralysis. With many choices, you may be less satisfied with a choice you made due to the knowledge that there may have been better alternatives than what you chose. Also, with so many choices, there is an elevated expectation that you can get a perfect item, which insures disappointment. With fewer choices, if you are disappointed, then you are not responsible as choices are limited by outside forces. But if there are many choices, you may blame yourself for being disappointed because you think that you just selected wrong. It is suggested that societies with too few choices would benefit from more and societies with too many choices would benefit from fewer. --- 
---  --- Touchstones Journal for September  --- |