The worship theme for Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County for our January through June of 2020 will be: “Supporting Each Other in Changing Times.” I recently attended an audio/webinar of “Transformational Resilience for Climate Traumas and Toxic Stresses.” I found some jewels in the material. What moved me was the premise that significant … Continue reading Worship Theme for Jan through June 2020
At our Worship Team retreat on 11/14/19, we discussed Sunday services from January through June. We talked about the widespread anxiety and angst in most of the people we know—including ourselves. We decided to “amend” the theme of “Generosity in All Things” to something addressing the confusion and worry about where our country and world … Continue reading Building Resilience
Thoughts from Rev Russ December 2019 I was talking with some friends recently—a therapist and a pediatrician. We were talking about the expanding use of trauma diagnosis—that is, where trauma is being defined well beyond the battlefield (what we often associated with PTSD) to people who have experienced plane crashes or shootings or major surgery. … Continue reading Naming It
— thoughts by Rev Russ Menk November 2019 During the PG&E power shutdowns in late October, I was camping in North Eastern California—exploring small towns. While I did not experience the wildfires directly, I needed to disconnect our camper’s smoke detector because it randomly went off (a startling sound when you are driving). One day, … Continue reading Power Outages
I recently read an article in the latest UU World Magazine titled “Nothing We Do Will Be Perfect.” https://www.uuworld.org/articles/let-perfectionism-go Though the article discusses (with a complex and wordy approach) the struggle that our typical UU congregation and leaders have with dismantling white supremacy and racism—for me the article’s advice addresses a danger for many other … Continue reading Perfection is not our Goal
The Wall — thoughts by Rev Russ Menk February 2019 What if you are a free thinker guided by reason—and you live life in a learning mode? What if you don’t want to live in a world where certainty prevents learning, where labels cause destructive tribalism, where “they” are a threat to “us”, where a … Continue reading The Wall
This was something I wrote in August 2018, but didn’t post until now (Jan 2019): =========================================== I recently had the privilege of seeing a special exhibit at the de Young museum in San Francisco called “Weapons of Mass Seduction: The Art of Propaganda.” The exhibit overview says “…prior to the internet age, the mechanics of … Continue reading The Strategies of Propaganda
In my activities in the community, I get to interact with people and organizations outside of UUFSCC. I enjoy this aspect of my ministry, because I get different perspectives on issues that affect people outside of Unitarian Universalism. These organizations and people sometimes view the world and events differently than UUs do. Amongst the diverse … Continue reading Tipping Point? I hope so
These are trying times. It doesn’t matter if you are liberal or conservative—a Democrat or a Republican—a DACA supporter or a southern border wall builder— our society is deeply divided on most issues. I’ve heard some folks take a historical view and say “it’s been worse.” I take little comfort in that perspective. It feels … Continue reading Apostasy Temptation
The Roman god Janus has two faces. One face is facing the future and the other facing the past. Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, past and future, the god of passages. For me, Janus is the succinct metaphor for being fully present. Only if we are aware of our place in time … Continue reading Looking Backwards, Looking, Forward: It’s Up to Me
