Ryan Terry will be leading a group discussion this week.  The topic will be “how do we decide what to believe?”  How does one determine if a statement is true or false? What makes one augment weak and unbelievable and another argument strong and believable? What role should critical thinking play in our decision to believe various claims?  Is there a correct way to evaluate the philosophical claims and theories made by others, or is it all a matter of opinion?  We will discuss these and other questions at our meeting this Sunday.

Struggling With Adversity

Speaker: Ryan Terry

Please read these four little short stories about struggling with adversity to acquaint you with Ryan’s topic this coming Sunday.

The Farmer and the Donkey

One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway-it just wasn’t worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all of his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer’s neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off, and take a step up.

A Carrot, an Egg, and a Cup of Coffee

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes, she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” the daughter replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, “What does it mean, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity—boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?”

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy. The happiest of people don’t necessarily have the best of everything—they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can’t go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches

The Two Wolves

An old Cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said, “A battle is raging inside me…it is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. The other stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The old man looked at the children with a firm stare. “This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”

They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather,

“Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee replied: “The one you feed.”

A Beautiful Life!

Here Are Some Tips That May Bring You A Beautiful Life!

• Take a 10-30 minute walk every day and while you walk, smile.
• Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
• When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, “My purpose is to … today.”
• Live with the 3 E’s… Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy, and the 3 F’s … Faith, Family, Friends.
• Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
• Dream more while you are awake.
• Try to make at least three people smile each day.
• Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn, pass all your tests. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
• Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
• Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagreements.
• Make peace with your past, so it won’t mess up the present.
• Don’t compare your life with others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• Burn the candles, use the nice sheets. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
• No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
• Forgive everyone for everything.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
• However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
• Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will stay in touch.
• Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
• The best is yet to come… Believe.
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
• Do the right thing!
• Call your family often.
• Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: “I am thankful for…” “Today I accomplished…”
• Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
• Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. Make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

(Authors of these Stories Unknown)

The Interfaith Coalition for Immigration Reform, of which the UUA is a member, has asked congregations of many faiths to lift up the DREAM Act.  This bill, whose full name is the “Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act”, would provide a path to citizenship for undocumented young adults brought to the United States as children and who complete two years of college or military service. This Sunday we will explore what the bill proposes and take a look into the lives of some young people whose futures will be determined by the outcome of the vote on this bill. What is our countries responsibility to these young people? This will be one of several services this year on the topic of immigration, which is a challenging topic for many Unitarian Universalists, as we prepare for the UUA’s “Justice General Assembly” in Phoenix in June 2012.

Worship Leader: Rev. Suzanne Marsh
Worship Associate: Kyi Kyi Whiting

Resistance is to push against an experience; to shout at life that this needs to change now, that we will not put up with or tolerate a condition. Resistance is to put up a block in an attempt to shield or protect ourselves from an experience. Allowance is to lower our shields, put down our weapons of defense and open ourselves to what is.

Speaker: Julie Merrick

Ray will share from the thoughts of Forrest Church, Unitarian Universalist minister, author, and theologian, son of former Senator Frank Church.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_Church

http://www.amazon.com/Cathedral-World-Universalist-Theology/dp/0807073237

http://www.forrestchurch.com/writings/sermons/cathedral-of-the-world.html

Speaker: Ray Cross

September 29th at sundown is the beginning of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, which marks the beginning of the “Days of Awe” which conclude on the holiest of all the Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur.  It is perhaps my favorite religious holiday season.  During the 10 “Days of Awe”, folks are invited to examine their relationships, discern where they have fallen short of the mark, seek forgiveness, forgive others and then move forward. On this Sunday, we will explore what it might be like if we could all forgive each other and truly move on. What might true forgiveness mean to each of us, our community and our world?

“Whenever we forgive, in small ways at home, or in great ways between nations, we free ourselves from the past.”   ~ Jack Kornfield

Speaker: Suzanne Marsh

Meditation – What’s in it for me? … Ever wonder why something that is so easy (just sitting still) can be so hard to do?  Ever wonder why people do it?  Ever wonder what they get out of it?  Let’s explore this together Sunday the 18th….

Speaker: Michael Johnson

Like water flowing to the sea, we have returned from the mountains and rivers and quiet places where we spent some of our days in recent months, returning to this beloved community. As we come together for our first service of the “new” church year we will celebrate both new beginnings and remember together. Members and guests are invited to bring water from their summer adventures, be they from travels far or near. We will be sharing our stories with each other as we participate in the uniquely Unitarian Universalist ritual of water communion, so please be prepared to offer a sentence or two on where the water is from but, perhaps more importantly, what meaning it holds for you. During the service we will also take time to remember and reflect on the events of September 11, 2001, on this 10th anniversary of that tragic day.

Worship Leader: Rev. Suzanne Marsh