On Care for Our Common Home

Robert

“Beginning in the middle of the last century and overcoming many difficulties, there has been a growing conviction that our planet is a homeland and that humanity is one people living in a common home. An interdependent world not only makes us more conscious of the negative effects of certain lifestyles and models of production and consumption which affect us all; more importantly, it motivates us to ensure that solutions are proposed from a global perspective, and not simply to defend the interests of a few countries. Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan.”

Encyclical Letter Laudato si’ of the Holy Father Francis, On Care for Our Common Home

A Terrible and Beautiful Presence

LdeG

UU minister James Ishmael Ford on his belief

In my youth I prayed to know God. I prayed with complete earnestness, with the fullness perhaps only a youth can muster with a deal. Show me your face and after that you can kill me. I meant it. And I was met with silence.

Many years have passed. Today, by most conventions I’m an atheist. That is I do not believe in a human-like consciousness that directs things. In a universe of uncertainty I come as close as a human mind can to certainty that there is no deity that acts within history.

And, within my experience there is something. Sometimes I call it presence. Sometimes I call it love. I suspect I know the grubby roots of that love, how it arises within my mammalian consciousness. But, it seems to have a larger existence, as well.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2015/09/a-terrible-beautiful-presence.html

Sunday September 19, 2015

CZ

This Sunday September 19th, we will be having a service at 11am. It is entitled “Fail Like a Guru”.

We would love your company.

We will be at the PWA Uptown Event Center in Clarksburg. It is 305 Washington Ave, Clarksburg, WV 26301.

Thoughts about Stress

CZ

I have been struggling with stress a lot lately. The truth of this picture is both unsettling and motivating. It is important for more than just our bodies to work on stress.

image

So, then the question becomes, “how do we do this?” Or “what can I do to lower my stress levels?” The answer is “There are many ways.”

One way to do this is to meditate. Take time to breathe. Color a picture. Build something with stones, like this:

image

Or say a prayer or chant like this one:

image

Take a few moments to talk to a friend. Hold and pet an animal. Go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. Drink a cup of tea. Sing a song.

There are many ways to relax and reduce stress. The most important thing to do is to learn that you are important enough to take the time for yourself and remember:

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~Namaste
Cricket

Morning Illumination

CZ

Take Courage
       by Wayne B. Arnaz on

Take courage friends.
The way is often hard, the path is never clear,
and the stakes are very high.
Take courage.
For deep down, there is another truth:
you are not alone.

image

Hope you all have a blessed day.

Namaste,
Cricket

The Dangers of a Single Story

CZ

The Nigerian story teller, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, explains in this video how stories give us different views of the world. With humor, grace, and personal anecdotes, she illustrates that the single story creates incomplete stereotypes which makes people lives a flat experience.

I believe that listening to multiple stories we are able to increase the dignity of others.

Namaste,

Cricket