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	<title>Best of UU</title>
	<link>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu</link>
	<description>the Good News of Unitarian Universalism</description>
	<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:57:29 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>Temporary Hiatus</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/cbLtQlZjrnU/temporary-hiatus</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/09/temporary-hiatus#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 22:28:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Site News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/09/temporary-hiatus</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Readers,
My plate is too full and my cup runneth over &#8212; therefore this blog will be on hiatus for awhile while I figure out my schedule and list of things to do.  Please browse the archives for all kinds of good things to read &#8212; the Tag Cloud page is a good place [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Temporary Hiatus", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/09/temporary-hiatus" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“an open laboratory for spiritual exploration. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/-PAcD_4yEpY/an-open-laboratory-for-spiritual-exploration</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/an-open-laboratory-for-spiritual-exploration#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:32:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Sermons]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[authority]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[conviction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[covenant]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[leadership]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Michael Schuler]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[responsibility]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/an-open-laboratory-for-spiritual-exploration</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Unitarian Universalist congregations offer unique examples of covenantal communities, where the authority over various aspects of the community is governed by agreements of relationship rather than brokering of power.  In this sermon [PDF], the Rev. Dr. Michael Schuler, senior minister at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin, explores different types of authority in [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;an open laboratory for spiritual exploration. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/an-open-laboratory-for-spiritual-exploration" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“the countless touches of the holy. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/KAXhEZLgfVA/the-countless-touches-of-the-holy</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/the-countless-touches-of-the-holy#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:56:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Creative]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[beginning]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[connection]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[flaming chalice]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Hilary Landau Krivchenia]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[light]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[purpose]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[worship]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/the-countless-touches-of-the-holy</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The vast majority, though not all, of our congregations light a flaming chalice before beginning worship, and it is customary to say some words of intention while doing so, to set the mood for the service.  It is a way to mark the hour of worship as a time out of time, separate from [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;the countless touches of the holy. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/the-countless-touches-of-the-holy" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“or was it out of the everywhere?”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/7PyFKDAFftk/or-was-it-out-of-the-everywhere</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/or-was-it-out-of-the-everywhere#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:05:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Creative]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[beauty]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[beginning]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[creation]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[metaphor]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[religious education]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sophia Lyon Fahs]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/or-was-it-out-of-the-everywhere</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Stories and metaphor are essential to any religious language, but perhaps even more so to Unitarian Universalists who are not bound by creed.  Stories give us an opportunity to speak about larger things, using a broader vocabulary than we might in our every day conversations.
Religious educator Rev. Sophia Lyon Fahs (1876-1978) understood this importance, [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;or was it out of the everywhere?&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/or-was-it-out-of-the-everywhere" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“Love yourself with all your sharp edges. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/iIgn3zHl6I8/love-yourself-with-all-your-sharp-edges</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/love-yourself-with-all-your-sharp-edges#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:28:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Sermons]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[compassion]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[covenant]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[deepening]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[forgiveness]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Melissa Carvill-Ziemer]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/love-yourself-with-all-your-sharp-edges</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Part of the depth of a Unitarian Universalist faith is our reliance on covenant, rather than creed.  As Rev. Melissa Ziemer-Carvill points out in this sermon delivered at the First Unitarian Church of Rochester, New York on August 14, 2003 when she served as their summer minister, a covenant is more than a promise, [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;Love yourself with all your sharp edges. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/love-yourself-with-all-your-sharp-edges" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“we all have the same yearning. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/zJVVnyI33bg/we-all-have-the-same-yearning</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/we-all-have-the-same-yearning#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:36:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Sermons]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[A Powell Davies]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[congregations]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[connection]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[gathering]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/we-all-have-the-same-yearning</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For many Unitarian Universalist congregations, the time of &#8220;In-Gathering,&#8221; or the first Sunday of the regular church year, is fast approaching.  For many, this is a time of re-commitment to their faith community, of &#8220;getting back into the swing of things&#8221; and reconnections.  Many congregations will begin their year with new faces in [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;we all have the same yearning. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/we-all-have-the-same-yearning" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“By faith made strong. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/rlAKqv4X8Us/by-faith-made-strong</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/by-faith-made-strong#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:04:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Creative]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Carolyn McDade]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[deepening]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[faith]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[healing]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[hymns]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Louis Untermeyer]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[poetry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/by-faith-made-strong</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Music can be one of the most healing balms in the face of tragedy and despair.  Today, I bring you two hymn texts from Singing the Living Tradition, the Unitarian Universalist hymnal, both of which were sung at this past Sunday&#8217;s rededication service at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
May Nothing [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;By faith made strong. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/by-faith-made-strong" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“to love one another more deeply. . .”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/5f8G9ZqRiUk/to-love-one-another-more-deeply</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/to-love-one-another-more-deeply#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:32:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Reflections]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[beloved community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[deepening]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[living faith]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/to-love-one-another-more-deeply</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Please forgive me for my seeming indulgence today, but this is something I wrote this past Sunday that seemed to come through me rather than from me, and I want more people to read it.
Living What We Profess
by Jess Cullinan
This very morning, a week after terrible tragedy took two of their number and terrorized the [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;to love one another more deeply. . .&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/08/to-love-one-another-more-deeply" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>“It’s not God’s job to make the world a better place. It’s yours.”</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/S1nB6W07E6I/its-not-gods-job-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-its-yours</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/its-not-gods-job-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-its-yours#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:32:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Reflections]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[conviction]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[darkness]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[fear]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[justice]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[living faith]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[loss]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[values]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/its-not-gods-job-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-its-yours</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This piece was written by Sara Robinson, a journalist and Unitarian Universalist, in response to the events in Knoxville, Tennessee this week.
You can still donate here, and attend a vigil in your area if you feel so moved.
Of Madmen and Martyrs
by Sara Robinson
We are an odd group, we Unitarians.
Conventional wisdom says that we&#8217;re soft in [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "&#8220;It&#8217;s not God&#8217;s job to make the world a better place. It&#8217;s yours.&#8221;", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/its-not-gods-job-to-make-the-world-a-better-place-its-yours" });</script>]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>No Words</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BestOfUU/~3/Or0VwtVkA5Q/no-words</link>
		<comments>http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/no-words#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Jul 2008 23:29:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jess</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[community]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[darkness]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/no-words</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By now, all are aware of the terrible tragedy that befell the people of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Here is a list of resources for ways in which you can help:

Pray.
Donate to the Relief Fund
Leave a message at the Supporting Our Friends in Knoxville blog
Attend a vigil, many will [...]<script type="text/javascript">SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "No Words", url: "http://jesspages.net/bestofuu/07/no-words" });</script>]]></description>
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