preachergirl

January 5 is the Catholic feast day of St. Simeon Stylites, an early Christian who became well-known after climbing atop a pillar and living there for over 30 years.  In this episode we look at the idea of asceticism that is part of many religious traditions, and we think about the lessons for us in these ancient - and not so ancient - traditions.

The journalist Oliver Burkeman wrote, “Your experience of being alive consists of nothing other than the sum of everything to which you pay attention.”  Join Diane Wright as we consider the ways our attention has become a commodity, and come away with ways to reclaim it.

This is the first of a series of Preachergirl episodes dedicated to the process of planning your wedding ceremony.  Join me as we look at the many ways people approach the planning of the ceremony itself, and the important factors to consider.

This is a recording of the talk given on January 17, 2016 at the Hopedale Unitarian Universalist Community in Oxford, Ohio:

"Shake, Rattle and Roll With It:

A UU Perspective on Suffering"

On the 20th anniversary of the Hanshin Earthquake, a devastating seismic event that killed thousands of people near Kobe, Japan, we considered the causes of suffering, and how our UU traditions call us to respond.

If you take it out, put it back.  If you break it, fix it.  If you make it extinct... what do you do?  The last Quagga, a sub-species of zebra, died in the Amsterdam Zoo 130 years ago.  At the time, people didn't realize it was the last one.  Now, a group in South Africa is trying to "breed back" the Quagga.  We'll consider the story of the Quagga, and issues of culpability and responsibility.

July 14 is the Feast Day of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, a very recently canonized saint.  In this episode we look at the story of Tekakwitha, and think of the lessons inherent in her story.

On the 137th anniversary of Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone, we'll think about the evolution of communication, and the impact of all these new ways to connect with one another.

This talk was first shared on September 23, 2012, at Hopedale Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Oxford, Ohio.  September 23 is Shubun No Hi, a state holiday in Japan, when people visit the shrines of their ancestors and say prayers to comfort those who have died.  Join me as I consider this tradition, and the ways in which we can be mindful of those who went before.

June 24 is St. John's Day.  Like so many Christian holidays, it "piggybacks" on a long-standing pagan celebration.  In this case, the celebration is Midsummer.  But at a Unitarian church, things aren't so clear...

"Lots of Change in Our Lives and Little Change in Our Pockets." First shared 1-29-2012 at St John's Unitarian Church in Cincinnati