Uu Fellowship Of San Luis Obispo County

It is said sometimes as an acknowledgment that I cannot fully understand your experience from the inside. And it is sometimes said as…well, what?

An epiphany is an experience of a sudden and striking realization; an awareness beyond what we had previously imagined.

“Fear not,” is a consistent, persistent message brought by angels in the Christmas stories. “Fear is the opposite of faith,” writes Jan Christian. “When we act out of fear, we are in danger of inadvertently creating what we most fear.” How do we let go of fear? Where do we find assurance?

When I was told this as a child, it usually meant, “STOP whatever it is you’re doing and be quiet.” Does it have a different meaning in sacred writings and teachings? How does it take shape in our lives?

The beautiful story of the prophet, Elijah—which gave us the phrase “a still, small voice”—also points out that the Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. In a theology that generally purports that “everything is holy now,” how do we understand the absence of a holy presence.

We are called, as a country, to confront the truth (and the lies) contained in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. For instance: the narratives that surround a favorite holiday to many: Thanksgiving. During this Native American History month, let's find out what there is to be learned about these stories of "the founders."

Election day has come and gone and now...well...what?

A commemoration of loss and a celebration of love.

It's a well-worn phrase, repeated often, I've noticed, by news correspondents, politicians, etc. It means that time, apparently, when priorities are properly ranked and we can see "the truth of the matter." One question: why do we have to wait until the end of the day?

In this service, filmmaker and activist Justice Whitaker uses his own journey to explore how redefining and in turn renewing his relationship with spiritual faith has sustained the emotional roller coaster of 2020. Examining his personal relationship with GOD as a youth in the UU church, and how spirituality has guided his growth as an artist and a Black man, Justice explores how many different faith derivatives have contributed to his renewing his relationship with God in 2020, The Year of Great Clarity.

"...and they lived happily ever after." Ummm, yeah, but what did that look like? What do you do after you have successfully found happiness?

What on earth am I here for? Pastor Rick Warren sought to answer that question with a book entitled "The Purpose-Driven Life." What does it mean to "have a purpose," and is that a question we can answer once and for all?

If asked to say "the opposite of happy," a response that naturally--almost automatically--comes to mind is, "sad." And yet, that doesn't quite fit.

What do we do with our time in a pandemic? How do we wrestle with restlessness?

Pursuing happiness may be a right, but it can sometimes feel like a hopeless endeavor. Is happiness a goal, or a byproduct of other pursuits?

When we hear the word "liberty," we are apt, first, to think of a certain statue. Next, we may remember this line from a speech by Patrick Henry in 1775: "Give me liberty or give me death."

Freedom, reason, and tolerance have been identified as central characteristics of Unitarianism. But...does that sufficiently capture our highest aspirations? How is freedom the same as liberation? And how does it differ?

Is there life after death? How do some of the world's religions and wisdom traditions speak to this question? How do beliefs about life after death affect how we live in this life? "Some beliefs are like walled gardens," writes Sophia Lyon Fahs. "They encourage exclusiveness, and the feeling of being especially privileged...Other beliefs are expansive and lead the way into wider and deeper sympathies."

Puritan John Winthrop told the early colonists that their community would be "as a city upon a hill," hearkening back to some words from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. That phrase has been used throughout American history...what does it mean?

Compassion is often about empathy; feeling with, understanding. But can compassion exist without the benefit of shared experience? What about those things that are beyond our capacity to fully comprehend?