Minister's Post, Fri Jan 27

Dear Ones:

Do you know about BLUU? It's Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism -- "committed to expanding the power and capacity of Black UUs within Unitarian Universalism; providing support, information, and resources for Black Unitarian Universalists; and justice-making and liberation for Black people through our faith."

Origin. In 2015, in Cleveland, at the first-ever National Convening of the Movement for Black Lives, a dozen or so Black UUs were in attendance. They began conversations among themselves imagining a cohesive, national, vibrant community of Black Unitarian Universalists. BLUU emerged from those conversations.

The BLUU website explains that:

"In six years, BLUU has transformed from a small, informal gathering of Black UUs into an impactful 501(c)(3) organization that creates life-giving and life-saving opportunities for spiritual community and Black-centered organizing. Since its founding, BLUU has hosted a symposium centering Black UU theology, established a popular virtual worship space for Black people; organized UU congregations to donate and organize for bailout funds; and started a vibrant youth ministry. BLUU also just launched BLUU Havens, which will give Black folks opportunities to socialize, organize with, and spiritually grow with other Black people, especially Black UUs, in their local communities."

I hope you'll be interested to learn more. Start at the BLUU website.

Yours in the faith we share,
Meredith

Join a Journey Group: http://cucwp.org/journey-groups

I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It)

The Jan 22 service, "Participation":



The Jan 15 service, "Only Love":



PRACTICE POINTER

Relax. That’s this week’s practice pointer adapted from “Just One Thing,” by clinical psychologist Rick Hanson: Relax.

It's easy to feel stressed, worried, or frustrated about finances, work, relationships, or the health of a family member. The body tenses up to fight, flee, or freeze. That’s how our ancestors stayed alive to pass on their genes. But we pay a high, long-term price for daily tension: anxiety, irritability, depression, heart disease, backaches, headaches, indigestion.

The number one way to reduce tension is through relaxation. Besides its benefits for physical and mental health, relaxation feels great. Just recall how nice it feels to soak in a tub, curl up in bed, or plop on the couch after the dishes are done. Being able to relax your body at will is a critically important inner skill.

It’s all about the PNS – the parasympathetic nervous system -- one of three divisions of the autonomic nervous system. The PNS is your rest and digest system. It slows the heart rate to conserve energy while increasing intestinal and gland activity.

Activating the PNS calms down the fight-or-flight system. Here are four ways to do that.

One, since it’s connected with digestion, PNS fibers fill the mouth. So relax your tongue and jaw; perhaps touch your lips. Opening your lips slightly can help quiet the stressful subvocalized inner chatter.

Two, take three deep breaths, with long slow exhales.

Three, take a minute calibrating inhale and exhale. Breathe in such a way that your inhalation and exhalation are equally long: five seconds in, five seconds out.

Four, breathe from the diaphragm – that is, let the belly expand with each inhale rather than the chest.

You’ll find more helpful details at the full post: "Relax."

Here it is, your...
MOMENT OF ZEN
#143: Love

Aldous Huxley wrote:

“Of all the worn, smudged, dog’s-eared words in our vocabulary, ‘love’ is surely the grubbiest, smelliest, slimiest. Bawled from a million pulpits, lasciviously crooned through hundreds of millions of loud-speakers, it has become an outrage to good taste and decent feeling, an obscenity which one hesitates to pronounce. And yet it has to be pronounced, for, after all, Love is the last word.”

If you suppose that Mole has not yet learned the last word, look again.

Case

Mole spoke up one evening and asked, "Why don't we ever talk about love in our discussions?"
Raven asked, "What would you like to say about love?"
Mole stared back at Raven and was silent.

PREVIOUS   ☙   NEXT   ☙   INDEX