Would Good Will Hunting be welcome in your church?

There's a lot bubbling in my head right now, trying to explain the stretch that is authentic diversity. We truly DO want to look at our faith communities and see the proverbial rainbow, to know that a wide variety of opinions and backgrounds are in those minds...but when it comes time for conversation, well, most of us gravitate to those we already know, or those with whom we have easily identified common ground.

I could go on for hours, but then I'd be late to work. So, I'll jump back to the title of this entry--
Would Will Hunting be welcome in your church? He gets a plus for being brilliant and well-read. BUT, he doesn't have a degree and is pretty disdainful of that process, brutally blue color. He could get a plus for being from Boston, but his accent and clothes let you know it's more the Southie Boston than the Brahmin. His abrasiveness...well, it depends on the personalities already in the church and the content of a disruptive behavior policy.

Ok, maybe Will Hunting is a hard one. But consider your favorite character from another movie or a book. One who really stick with you. Is there a place in your congregation for that person?

Cutting Through It All

Shortly after I became a paid religious educator (as opposed to however many years I'd been doing the job instinctively and less formally), I met a minister. He was one of those rare souls with so little ego and yet such charm--it was impossible NOT to open up to him. Within a few minutes, over a simple dinner, he had me on my hopes and dreams. My stress and fears. Mostly he nodded. Asked the occasional question. Questions that gave me more questions.

Our time was limited--we needed to get back to a training we were attending. But as we stood to bus our plates he gave me a blessing that at the time didn't make sense. Indeed, it caught me by surprise. It was a truth I had to grow into, and then it gave me peace.

The specifics of it are not important. What is is the growing realization of the past few years of the magic he wrought with seemingly little effort. In the interim I heard from others with similar tales--how he was able to sense an underlying truth and pull it to the surface. Quietly, and with love.

One of these decades, I hope to cultivate this skill.

Part of the credentialing process for religious educators is a varied reading list. I'm currently studying Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi's _From Aging to Saging_.

...elders refuse to follow the well-trodden path marked "aging." Instead they trail blaze unmarked paths that lead to an exciting and fulfilling future. These pioneers represent a new shoot on the tree of life. As member of humanity's vanguard who devote the afternoon of life to developing their full human potential, they look upon aging as a developmental process whose goal is an ever-widening expansion of consciousness and a growing sense of unity with life...

People don't automatically become sages simply by living to a great age. They become wise by undertaking the inner work that leads in stages to expanded consciousness. The elders I have in mind refute the notion that old people are close-minded, set in their ways, slow and often senile--"old dogs who can't learn new tricks." They can and do undertake new learning by using growth methods from our contemplative traditions and exciting breakthroughs from brain-mind research.

I'm several years from the crone stage myself, but even I am getting quite a bit from this book. And while some of the content is a bit on the New Age side, it has a lot to offer to many in our (s)ageing congregations. A lot of power in these pages.

Poll: Where's the altar?

I'm using the Timeless Themes curriculum, preparing the Abraham and Isaac story for this Sunday. (Can you imagine a spookier tale for Halloween? And no, I'm not really planning to traumatize the children. Well, not too much...)

One of the goals of the lesson is to discuss what an altar is, how your congregation uses an altar, and then the children make an altar for themselves.

I was struck to realize just how out of the way this congregation's altar is--and in speaking with a few other UUs, I realize that apparently this is not at all rare.

So, does your congregation have an altar in the sanctuary?
If so--
Where is it in relationship to the pulpit?
What's on the altar?
Is there anything remarkable about the altar?

Quick Question (esp for UUCA folks)

Anyone know who authored http://uuca.org/special/eiw.asp ?

Mandalas, mindfulness and implementation

One of my happier finds of late has been mandala coloring books--the process is peaceful and there are countless UU lessons to be learned from learning about another culture to impermanence to acknowledging individual differences and similarities.

There are a bunch of free sites online, from general coloring sites
http://www.coloringcastle.com/mandala_coloring_pages.html
to those just for mandala art
http://www.papermandalas.com/

And of course, there are any number of books out there.
http://www.mandali.com/ shows a number of basic books, including the peace book I love.
http://store.doverpublications.com/0486441350.html uses a vellum-like paper, so the final product can be displayed like stained glass.

Anyway, I'm gushing. If you need a way to keep yourself calm when the flight is delayed, a way to center yourself when you're feeling overwhelmed, or a way to keep a bunch of tactile-kinesthetic children occupied on a rainy day, consider finding some mandala patterns and a handful of colored pencils.

Speaking of children and centering, the nytimes has an article on mindfulness in the classroom--
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/us/16mindful.html?em&ex=1182225600&en=e2ac74333942e9c4&ei=5087%0A

I was glad to see that efforts are underway, but perplexed at the way some of these programs have been implemented. It appears that some of the classroom teachers were unclear on the concept--and unconvinced that it would work. Eek! You need the teachers to buy in before you start the program in their classes. If they don't agree, hey, take it to someone else's class and let THAT teacher convert the other!

Hunger Awareness Day

Today is Hunger Awareness Day
http://www.hungerday.org/content/index.php

Sadly, I did not know this ahead of time, though I would like partial credit for shopping yesterday for the supplies for homeless bags.

Perhaps I'll start a calendar of such awareness/service dates so there's some chance of planning activities in years to come. It would most definitely help with that whole idea of a church built around service.