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I'm off to New York and Canada at the end of this week. Richard and I are celebrating Thanksgiving with my family and friends and sneaking off to Montreal for a day. I'm not going to make a big deal about the weather there. Though there is snow, ice, and it's 27 degrees Fahrenheit as I write this, but I said I wouldn't make a big deal of it. So, I won't! Like the world around us congregations, too, have seasons. The sunshine of summer, the rain of spring, the crispness of fall, and the cold of winter. Even if we experience seasons in a different way in Florida we can imagine the cycle. There are bright times and grey times in the cycle and in congregations. As we will learn during our Yule service in December, in the grey times there is always hope and anticipation of returning light. I no doubt have caused confusion and some might view my willingness to continue to serve you as a bright time. Others may feel otherwise. We do find common ground in our current ...

Dear Ones, You know how it is when you take on a do-it-yourself project and you sail along pretty well until you reach a part of the job that stumps you? When we find ourselves in this spot we have two choices. First, we can continue the job and risk the whole project.  Second, we can identify our limits and ask another professional to manage the next steps allowing the project to continue smoothly. There is a saying in developmental ministry, "A good minister knows when to leave." A developmental minister arrives to support the congregation to move toward health. The developmental minister knows that while doing that work there will be some peaks and valleys in their relation to the congregation. I'm proud of where the congregation will be in 2017 when I leave, compared to when I arrived in 2013. Many have observed the same. Just as in the do-it-yourself project I mentioned above, I know when my capacity to do the work is done and when it is time for you to inv...

I'm presently in the Adirondacks winding up my time here preparing for my return to Florida.  I always get what some might call the "church itch" this time of year. That is, I am eager and ready to return to congregational life. As your minister I have the privilege of having a birds eye view of congregational life and the year ahead of us. I'm excited by the opportunities that some of our present challenges will bring. Claudia, our Intern Minister joins us this month. Watch your newsletter for Claudia's schedule week to week. We have a hand in Claudia's formation as she moves toward ordination as a Unitarian Universalist minister. I already know that we will be blessed by her presence here. Our board and committees have a lot in store for us. We will go deeper in racial justice, we will have a new website, membership will have a new focus with "200 by 2020" as their guide, there will be a concert series with many local musicians, our focus on financ...

I tend not to follow the rules. Just ask the Catholic nuns who exhaustingly tried to rear me.  There are several unwritten rules of ministry.  I'm afraid I've broken some rules since I joined you in 2013. For example, I once moved all the tables in Ministers Hall. I once moved the pulpit to the floor as an experiment. A new minister should never do that. When a minister arrives at a congregation his or her mantra should be, "Change is undesirable at this time...change is undesirable at this time...."  Sometimes it's necessary to not follow the rules. For me rules are worth breaking if it's for the sake of growth for us as individuals, our spiritual maturity, and if the rule breaking will move us closer to the congregation you dream of.  I'm sure you could share your own instances where not following the rules may be justified. I've led you to an announcement. I have decided, as proposed to the Sanctuary Services Group, to change the format of the ord...

Dear Ones, So much has happened in our country this past week. So much to digest, to consider, and to find our way out of.  I'm sure your heart is as heavy and your confusion and anxiety might have increased like mine has. I hold all that has happened and discern what my response should be as your minister and how I might comfort the Congregation and lead our Congregation to a response worthy of our Unitarian Universalist faith. I have a new hero. His name is David Brown and he is the Chief of Police in Dallas, Texas. He is my hero because I admire his courage, his reproach of conventional wisdom, and his call for all of us to do the right thing no matter what. These attributes might lead us in the right direction in responding to personal, local, and global issues. You may know that Chief Brown encouraged those who have been protesting to get off the protest line and apply for a job. Moving from frustration to community service. “We’re hiring,” he said. “Get out of that protest li...

I gave those assembled a call to action related to advocacy for sensible gun policy during our service on Sunday. I'm grateful the message was well received. I know you're waiting to hear some of what you might do to answer this call. I've listed a few things here for us and others: 1. Watch how your Senator votes today, Monday, June 20th. Go to  http://nyti.ms/28Iglmi or other sites for more information. Advocate accordingly. 2. Lobby County Commissioners for local policy changes. Go to pbcgov.com 3. Join the Palm Beach County Progressive Roundtable. We don't have to reinvent the wheel. This group makes sure all progressive grassroots organizations are collaborative in advocacy. 4. Support organizations with our progressive values. 5.  Volunteer in campaigns that bring the best candidates to the White House, the Senate, and Congress. 6.  Lobby Congressman Patrick Murphy. 2000 PGA Blvd. Suite A3220 Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33408  phone 561.253.8433  Fax 561....

I'm proud of us. I'm proud that we are hosting families this week. Families that are homeless. I can't help thinking, "There but for the grace of what I call God go I." People that have families and jobs but simply do not earn enough to secure housing. Imagine the relief you might feel when you and your children know where there meals are coming from and where they will sleep without needing to move for six days. I'm proud of us. I'm proud that we are practicing what we preach when we name freedom of belief as foundational to our faith. Our Congregation has welcomed the Palm Beach Pagans with open arms and minds. Like UU's, Pagans are misunderstood and it's hard to find allies in this culture. This group has already brought so much to our Congregational life. I hope to see you at the Summer Solstice ritual and BBQ this Saturday at 3pm. I'm grateful for what we have in common and our deliberate community of free thinkers. I'm pr...