Topic: Personal Growth

Quiet Courage

We often think of courage as those big actions that make front page headlines.  But what about the moments in our lives that require us to quietly show up courageously?

The Porous Self

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM The philosopher Charles Taylor talks about living a ”porous” life – open to experience and change – and living a “buffered” life – trying to be protected. We will examine what might help us lead a porous life.

The Work of Rest

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM We take some time to consider “Rest” in its many forms and to review its surprising benefits. Author Tricia Hersey reminds us taking care of ourselves can even be a form of resistance!

A Personal Reckoning

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM I try assiduously to live my life as an anti-racist and I am far from perfect at it. I will tell some of the twists and turns in my anti-racist journey and hope you will find some of your own story reflected in mine.

In Sickness and in Health

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM We tend to see sickeness and health as opposites, but I think they are two ends of a long and complicated spectrum. What does that mean for us?

Whose Am I?

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM Together we will ponder the words of Douglas Steere, a Quaker teacher who pondered the connection between our identity and our relationships.

Why Do Stories Survive?

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM . Some stories comfort us.  Others challenge us.  Still others carry both wisdom and wounds.  A single story can bring hope to one person and anguish to another.  In this service, Luke Rouker reflects on curiosity, testimony, and why human communities continue to preserve even the … Continue reading Why Do Stories Survive?

Let Them

NOTE: Summer Services Hours – ONE SERVICE AT 10AM . Mel Robbins has recently published a best-selling book called “Let Them” which promotes the idea that we can’t necessarily control other people or their thoughts. A good concept! And yet we do need to be aware of our effect upon others. How do we find … Continue reading Let Them

Attention as a Gift

“Our attention is a gift because it reminds us, every waking second, that we are in the presence of so many somethings that exist without our permission and to the benefit of our curiosity, our imagination, and our understanding of beauty.  Our attention reminds us that we are here, that we should look around. It … Continue reading Attention as a Gift