Rev. Lee begins by talking about the saga of the Maryland zebras on the loose. She then shares a story about a friend's baby learning the words of things in the world - dog, ant, goat, fish - and how naming these things once calmed him down in the middle of a bad crying fit. This is actually a powerful tool for bringing someone out of an anxiety attack. She talks a bit about what it means to heal, and how that process will look different for everyone.

WellSprings Congregation

10-17-2021 God Laughs - "By Name" - Audio

This week, Rev. Ken begins by talking about the concept of "yucking someone else's yum." He also reflects on the meaning of nervous laughter and sarcasm, and shares a story about a time when he laughed nervously while making a 911 call. A concept called "The four horsemen of relationship apocalypse" is shown, as is a story about a man who suffered from OCD as a child.

10-10-2021 God Laughs - "Listening Beyond the Laughs" - Audio

10-3-2021 God Laughs - "Under the Rainbow" - Audio

This week, Rev. Lee shares stories of things that are held together in unconventional ways. She shares stories from a colleague who have a late 90s Suburban - now held together with duct tape as more and more systems fail over the years - and a colleague who keeps what remnants she still has of her baby blanket in a small ceramic container. We find ways of holding things together when they mean something to us.

9-26-2021 God Laughs - "Held Together" - Audio

This week, our Message begins with a story about Beethoven. Rev. Ken remarks on how apropos our new message series, “God Laughs,” is this week, since we are not gathered together in Bell Hall like we were just a week ago. This message seried gets its name from a Yiddish proverb “We plan, God laughs.” He talks about the importance of keeping covenants with one another, even though we realize that plans may fall through. This was demonstrated recently when Steve Burns, host of Blues Clues, made a video to thank his fans years after he abruptly left the beloved TV show.

9-19-2021 - God Laughs, "Chances Are" - Audio

Rev. Lee begins by remembering how much has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, and holding space for the people we’ve lost. She also talks about the song we sang during service, “Hard Times.” It tells us that the answer to hard times is to dance. Rev. Ken also speaks. He shares a post from an Episcopal priest who commented on their own husband’s twitter post thinking he was a “random stranger,” for lack of paying attention. He emphasizes that we are not inherently flawed, but originally blessed. He also explains how we can continue a beloved ritual even during a pandemic.

9-12-2021 WellCome Back Sunday - Audio

Chris begins this week's service by talking about the nature of happiness. He highlights the Kurt Vonnegut quote "If this isn't nice, what is?" He also brings up the concept of tragic optimism, which means being clear-eyed about a situation, while remaining hopeful. He concludes with The Five Remembrances of Buddhism. He goes through each and explains how - even though some of them might seem gloomy on the surface - they can hold the key to happiness.

9-5-2021 Sppiritflix - "Happy" - Audio

This week, Rev. Ken begins by talking about he voices of loved ones on answering machines. Minari is a movie about a Korean family's move to rural Arkansas during the 80s, and Rev. Ken remarks on how poignant it was to watch this movie during the pandemic, when hatred against people of Asian descent is still continuing. Ultimately, this is a movie about connective love in the midst of discouraging circumstances Also shared is a Twitter thread that went viral, full of people encountering lost loved ones on the images in Google Maps.

8-29-2021 SpiritFlix - "Minari" - Audio

Rev. Lee begins with speaking about last week’s in-person service. She also speaks to the times we’re living in right now: parents deciding what to do about school, and all of us watching the scenes in Afghanistan unfold. In talking about this week’s series, The White Lotus, she remarks upon the different ways in which we try to escape. Sometimes they’re healthy and sometimes they’re unhealthy – but all are temporary. She asks us to consider how we react when we are faced with uncomfortable situations.

8-22-2021 Spiritflix - "The White Lotus" - Audio

This week, Carol Breslin, our YouthSpirit Director talks about the themes and meanings in the much-loved Nickelodeon series, Avatar: the Last Airbender. Miss Carol and the YouthSpirit kids have been watching this series together throughout the summer, and linking the 7 UU Principles to lessons learned in each episode.

8-8-2021 Spiritflix - "Avatar: The Last Airbender" - Audio

Lee revisits one of the classics this week by talking about The Wizard of Oz. At its heart, this is a story about a girl who experiences trauma (literal head trauma, in her case) and spends much of the rest of the story trying to determine when and how things will feel safe again. This is very much what we’ve experienced in the pandemic. She also talks about the meaning of the Arabic word “Inshallah” and shares a poem contemplating its meaning.

8-1-2021 Spiritflix - "The Wizard of Oz" - Audio

Rodney talks about the first time he saw the movie Grease on vacation with a friend when he was 14. He mentions that when we are on vacation, we’re almost like different people. We go outside of our comfort zone, and we’re more present and mindful in our day to day because everything is new. Grease is a movie about a romance that began on a vacation. While some parts of the movie may seem silly, especially now, at its heart, it’s a movie about two people working on a relationship. They each discover new aspects of themselves as they build a meaningful partnership.

7-25-2021 SpiritFlix - "Grease" - Audio

This week, Bev Fox talks to us about "The Good Place," which is a show about life after death. Bev talks about how summer is a particularly tough time for her in terms of mental health, but while watching, she remembers the message of the show: “What matters isn’t if people are good or bad, it matters if they’re better today than yesterday." Just like in real life, characters grapple with finding happiness in what feels like pandemonium. To end, Bev leads us through a quick mindfulness exercise

7-18-2021 SpiritFlix - The Good Place - Audio

Rev. Ken begins with a fun explanation about why Die Hard is a Christmas movie. He explains that this isn’t just a cultural Christmas movie about a family trying to come back together to heal, it’s also a theological Christmas movie. Rev. Ken points to songs like “Oh Come Emannuel,” and “Oh Holy Night.” Rev. Ken admits that the darkness and cynicism present in the movie made a little too much sense to him when he watched it in December 2020. But he takes comfort in the fact that what saves the day in the real world isn’t just one guy riding in – it’s lots of people working together.

7-11-2021 SpiritFlix: Die Hard - Audio

Chris talks about the lessons we can learn from the comedy series, Ted Lasso. Beginning with a personal story about joining a soccer team, he goes on to celebrate the idea of a “beginner’s mind” as shown in the series. Have a small snack nearby for this message. There’s a bit of interaction requested.

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WellSprings Congregation

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