June 2005 Worship Services

Ministerial Cognitions

Gentle me,
Holy One,
Into an unclenched moment,
A deep breath,
A letting go
Of heavy experiences,
Of shriveling anxieties,
Of dead certainties,
That, softened by the silence,
Surrounded by the light,
I may be found by the wholeness,
Upheld by the unfathomable,
Entranced by the simple,
And filled with the joy,
That is you.

---Ted Loder

Well, the summer is here. I will soon be off to General Assembly, our yearly denominational meeting, in Fort Worth (GA may not be this far south again for a number of years). I am really excited about going. I will be attending Ministry Days before GA begins—communing with my colleagues from all over the US and Canada.

I will be attending workshops, worship services, business meetings, and wandering around the UU bazaar. The bazaar contains booths from all the affiliated groups within the Unitarian Universalist Association—from the Humanist Group, to the Covenant of UU Pagans, to UU Buddhist Fellowship, and so many more.

I will spend a lot of time in the various UU bookstores, and I will try not to buy too many books—I don’t any room in my bookshelves. I will go out to meals with old friends and new acquaintances. I can’t wait.

Summer, for me, is an opportunity to gather with other UUs—like at GA or the Southwest UU Summer Institute (SWUUSI)--as well as a time to study and prepare for the next church year. This summer I plan to do some spiritual formation work. This means I plan to work on exploring my beliefs and my faith. I plan to work with a spiritual mentor to keep me on this path. My hope is that this process will help me grow my faith and live my beliefs more consistently, as well as to be more disciplined about my spiritual practices and more articulate about what I believe.

I am really excited about this summer. I hope each of you has an exciting summer as well. See you soon.

Rev. Tom

Worship Services:

June 5

The Red Hat Society by Lynn Delage, member

June 12

Who Am I and Other Questions of Identity by Donna Birdwell, member

June 19

Kierkegaard and Existentialism by Dr. Mike Matthis, Lamar University

June 26

Developing our Spiritual Potential by Autumn Lempia, member