The Six Values that now express Unitarian Universalist are for real. It’s taking time to make the transition from a narrative-based description (the Seven Principles, circa 1985) to a distilled list of core values, but it’s happening. The struggle surrounding the change is also real. Not so long ago your congregation mirrored that struggle, as … Continue reading From the Interim

Thanks so much to those who were able to be with us for Rev. Sarah Millspaugh’s workshop and service last weekend. Facilitated by our UU Association’s Pacific Northwest Region staff, Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, we took a deep dive into this unique form of ministry. And more. The takeaways were many, none more important than … Continue reading From the Interim

It’s become a very busy January at QUUF. See the long list of events elsewhere in this edition of the Weekly Update, sure signs of an active and engaged congregation. (And by the way, thanks as always to Holly for making the Weekly Update happen!) But it’s a good busy, from family ministries to covenant … Continue reading From the Interim

Well, we’ve finally moved from online to in-person ministry! Mary and I are here, in Port Townsend. We’re going to do this – we really are. I’ll be leading my first hybrid service with you this Sunday, and we’re going to talk about the place of stories in all that we do. Including the stories … Continue reading In the Interim

“Simplicity…I know that nothing flows from where I think too much.” Canadian singer/songwriter Corey Hart wants us to simplify. Focus on the essential, make a spiritual practice of letting go of the rest. Trust in the basics. Many years ago, I attended an interim ministry training in leading from simplicity. Great concept, but we weren’t … Continue reading From the Interim

Early holiday greetings, everyone! This week’s blog is one of those two-parters: one blog on two subjects. The first has to do with my schedule for the rest of our virtual, half-time ministry. Through no fault on your end, my weekly hours have far exceeded the contracted twenty. The idea was to get to know … Continue reading From the Interim

Many years ago, my then wife and I left southeastern Ohio for northern California. Enough with the conservatism and humid summers. So, we sold everything but two guitars and two Army duffle bags, and hopped on a Greyhound to San Francisco…just in time for the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade. We’d known a few friends … Continue reading From the Interim

Some people are funny. They just are. They carry the same burdens, feel the same pain, and regret the same decisions. And yet they make us laugh. It’s as though they’re watching a different movie. They go through their days seemingly unfazed by lower back pain, or who’s in the White House. They have a … Continue reading From the Interim

Season Affective Disorder (SAD) is a thing. It’s when body, mind, and spirit are burdened by a sun that’s left town, only to return at a later date. SAD isn’t a bad week, it’s the brain telling us the light is slipping away. That gray is not its favorite color. As Mary and I make … Continue reading From the Interim

There is a fearless Zen saying for these chaotic, brutal times: “Fall down seven times, rise up eight.” When we think about it, the current administration thrives on our staying down for the count. On our awe that in less than a year, the nation it took centuries to build is being dismantled, right down … Continue reading From the Interim