“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 there to talk about conceptual things. Quite the opposite, beginning not with our leadership, but ourselves.

It was a tough four days. We began with an exercise in what was keeping us alive, starting with the oxygen we were breathing. Then we branched out to what was making our lives worth living: Friends, music, exercise, reading, writing, work we love.

Our lists were as diverse as the group itself, but one response was somewhere on everyone’s tally: Simplicity.

From there is was about how to be a UU professional, yet resist what one colleague called “our addiction to complexity.”

Ouch…

Later this month (Sunday, December 14 at 1pm) I’ll be facilitating the third installment of Congregations 101, a series focused on how strong congregations become even stronger. This time we’ll talk about what it looks like (and feels like) to ask ourselves and one another what’s of ultimate importance in our lives, and QUUF itself.

This is my shameless plug for you to join us as we explore deconstruction theory, a particular view of human history that challenges our assumptions about…well, our assumptions. Right down to how we “do church”.

So, come join in. I’ll set the stage, then invite folx to share in small groups – always a rich experience.