3rd Principle

Holding Reality and Possibility Together

CZ

I invite you now into a time of gratitude, reflection, renewal and hope.

What an unearned blessing to delight in the calming peace of this space;
to hear the robin’s song again at daybreak;
to feel the warmth in this room,
and to enjoy the promise of summer almost upon us.
Each moment of wakefulness has so many gifts that offer energy and delight.

Yet, too often they seem unavailable
as the weight of our troubles press down on us.
The threats to our well being, real or exaggerated,
feel like mosquitoes in the night looking for a place to land.
Minds become captive to rising flood waters: forceful, murky, threatening and ominous.

Even in moments of great danger, the direction of attention is a choice.
Fear can dominate the mind, binding it like a straitjacket.
Or love can unbind it and open it to resource and opportunity.
The soil of the mind can be watered with kindness.
The thorns can be removed one by one to appreciate the buds ready to flower.

Great possibilities await us even if all we can see is the cliff before us.
The grandeur of life, of which we are a part,
scatters rainbows in every direction, even as the deluge approaches.
Holding reality and possibility together is the holy, hope-filled work of humanity

If…we choose it, again and again, in love.

About the Author

Sunday January 8, 2017

CZ

Prelude:  Willow by Heather Jinmaku

Welcome: Do Not Be Alone Right Now By Karen G. Johnston

Do not be alone right now. Gather together.

Gathering together grows courage: in ourselves and in others who see the numbers swelling. It is a small thing, but right now it is an important thing.

Great sources of wisdom remind us: just because you cannot stem the tide of all hate, it is still right to do the thing you can do. These things add up: your one thing & my one thing; his one thing & their one thing & her one thing. Together it becomes a BIG thing.

Do not be alone right now. Any liberation—all liberation—is collective liberation. My freedom is bound with yours and yours with mine. Inextricably.

Let us together cast our lots doing this BIG thing: bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice.

Chalice Lighting:  Global Chalice Lighting for November 2016 from
Chapter 1, Tao Te Ching, written by Lao-tzu
Modified from a translation by S. Mitchell
Unitarian Universalists Hong Kong (www.uuhk.org)

The tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao;
The name that can be named is not the eternal Name.
The unnamable is the eternally real.
Naming is the origin of all particular things.
Free from desire, you realize the mystery.
Caught in desire, you see only the manifestations.
Yet mystery and manifestations arise from the same source.
This source is called Mystery.
Mystery within Mystery,
The gateway to all understanding.

Continue reading →

Activities for Day 3

CZ

The Third Principle is Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations or We’re free to learn together.

Here are some activities to help you celebrate:

As a family
Pick up a game no one in your family has ever played before. Learn how to play it together.

Talk about your beliefs with each other and how they have changed and grown through the years.

As an Individual
Attend a lecture, go to the museum, see a play. Then, strike up a conversation with the people around you. If you go to school, offer assistance to a fellow student, and accept assistance as well.

Color some mandalas to practice mindfulness.

Meditate or pray.

Food
As a family, or with a friend, attempt to cook something you never have before. It might work out, or you might be ordering pizza. It doesn’t matter as long as you make the attempt!

 

The 3rd principle in a post election world

CZ

“Our third UU principle says we will affirm and promote acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. Are there some ways to encourage one another that don’t sound like judgment or advice?” 

These words were a part of the sermon delivered by Rev. Meg Barnhouse this past Sunday.  For me it it was a needed reminder that we have to remain true to ourselves and how we can still do that while upholding out principles. Below are links to the podcast and the transcript of the sermon.

Namaste, 
Cricket 

http://podplayer.net/#/?id=25054421 via @PodcastAddict

Acceptance and encouragement

A Love of Learning and a Social Hall: Where UUism and Homeschoolers Meet

CZ

https://www.uua.org/re/blog/social-hall-homeschoolers-uuism-meet

“We can make this kind of outreach an integral part of our mission, a manifestation of our third and fourth Principles in which we covenant to support one another’s spiritual growth and searches for truth and meaning. The leap here is in seeing families who aren’t necessarily interested in joining our congregation as worthy of this effort, to see our faith grow not in membership numbers but in the dissemination of our ideals and values, and in the friends we make and the service we do in our communities.”

Sunday September 25, 2016

CZ

​Our youth and children will explore journeys in literature and faith. The service will be fun and interactive.

We would love to have you come worship with us.

Our services are Sundays at 11 a.m. at the Progressive Women’s Association Event Center, 305 Washington Ave. in downtown Clarksburg, behind the Courthouse.

Our Religious Education/ Life Long Learning Class will meet at from 10am to 10:45 am with a coffee gathering before the service. More about us.

Children are welcome. There is childcare and an activity for young children during the service.

The building is wheelchair accessible, with an accessible restroom.

Map

The schedule for the current adult religious education class is here.

Email westforkuu@gmail.com or use our contact form for more information

or write to us at PO Box 523, Clarksburg WV 26302

~
Namaste
Cricket

Exciting Program for Middle Schoolers in Fairmont

CZ

We are excited to that Learning Options, Inc. is hosting MIT’s Zero Robotics Middle School Summer Program July 5th through August 15th.  If you know of someone in this age group, please direct them to our website immediately while spaces are still available.   We started with 20 spaces, and they are filling fast.

zr_logo_two_lines.gif

 

Details for ZERO Robotics from MIT

ZERO is designed for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. During the course of the five-week summer program, team members will be introduced to programming, coding, space engineering, and more! Programming of SPHERES
(Synchronized, Position, Hold, Engage, Reorient,Experimental Satellites)

zerorobotics

The program culminates in a tournament where winning teams’ SPHERES compete aboard the International Space Station (ISS). SPHERES will be seen in a live stream from the ISS, in action, based on the codes and programs written by the ZERO team.

The program will include 5 weeks of classes, Monday through Wednesday, 9:00am – 2:00pm, at The Learning Center facility in Fairmont, WV and will include one or more offsite visits to the NASA IV & V facility in Fairmont.

 LOI Robotics team will have two 10-member teams. (Only 20 available slots.)

6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are elligible to join the Learning Options ZERO robotics teams.

PS: Tuition assistance is currently available to residents of Harrison County, WV, through a grant from the Sacred Heart Children’s Charity. Details for applying can be found inside the registration form.

This is a great opportunity to celebrate the 3rd and 4th principle (3rd Principle: We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together. 4th Principle: We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.) and be involved in the community.

Namaste,

Cricket