Poetry and Meditation Collection: Skinner House

From some of the most prominent voices in Unitarian Universalism today come these 50 poems, prayers, and prose reflections to support and celebrate congregational leaders. These meditations—alternately serious and funny, tender and frank—portray an understanding of congregational leadership as an avenue for spiritual growth rather than an administrative chore. They inspire and affirm the work of all kinds of leaders—professional and volunteer, lay and ordained. Suitable for both private reflection and public worship, this collection holds up the role of leader as vital to healthy congregational life and honors those who serve in this capacity.

This collection of inspirational readings from many cultures and times provides a felt sense of the six Sources of Unitarian Universalism.

Gathered from the more than 1,700 meditations published since the consolidation of the Unitarians and Universalists in 1961, this collection was created with a specific audience in mind: a reader looking for comfort and challenge, perhaps not a Unitarian Universalist but someone open to our values and our theology. For that reason the selections are not about Unitarian Universalism but of it. Each is by a Unitarian Universalist/ each, I think, captures something important embedded in our tradition.

A pocket-sized and durable little book of readings and songs from many faith traditions, ancient and modern, plus reflections by veterans and military chaplains. Speaks to themes of commitment, courage, patriotism, freedom, strength and service. Reflection topics include fear of injury and death, grief, peace and violence, hope and despair, separation from loved ones and honoring the fallen.

Here are opening words, chalice lightings, prayers, table graces, devotions, meditations and more, culled from traditional and modern sources. Expanded and updated, this new edition includes more than 50 added selections, primarily from contemporary UU sources. Designed to help laypersons plan and conduct simple worship services or special ceremonies in families and small-group setting.

Recover the voice of your soul and reclaim your birthright to sing. This book introduces the spiritual practice of singing meditation, which combines repetitive singing of short, simple, interfaith songs with periods of undirected silence. Suitable for beginners as well as experienced singers, singing meditation uses the power of song to connect the heart and mind. This volume includes an overview of the musical and religious roots of singing meditation, instructions for participants and facilitators, and sample songs.

Finding the right words at a time of loss can be frustrating. An experienced Unitarian Universalist minister and the author of In Memoriam: A Guide to Modern Funeral and Memorial Services, Edward Searl has been aiding people through this difficult passage for more than a quarter of a century. In Beyond Absence, he has collected powerful and inspiring writings, both religious and secular, from across the ages and around the world, to help anyone struggling with life's final transition. This extensive volume contains selections from the famous to the obscure and some works are previously uncollected. Contributors as varied as Thich Nhat Hahn, Thomas Wolfe, Vincent Van Gogh and Rabindranath Tagore explore many themes associated with death and dying including death as peace and rest, conflicted feelings about the dead, loss as transformation, healing and letting go, compassion for the bereaved, the joy of remembrance, and celebrating and honoring the dead. Perfect for composing eulogies and readings for memorials and funerals, Beyond Absence is also the ideal resource for creating sympathy and condolence cards, offering comfort to the bereaved, and engaging in personal reflection during mourning and recovery.

An eclectic mix of contributors share their reflections about spiritual practices in their everyday lives. Each of them describes their practice and the ways it opens them up to their hearts and souls. From chopping vegetables to creatively arranging action figures, from taking long walks to playing roller derby, these practices demonstrate the wide range of ways that we can be spiritual, and provide models for those seeking a practice of their own.

One of the often repeated mantras of 12-step and recovery programs is "one day at a time." This Day in Recovery: 365 Meditations offers a short daily experience to help bring readers back to their spiritual center in the moments of struggle and questioning. Editors Lane Campbell and Katie Kandarian-Morris and contributors--each of them speaking from direct personal experience with addiction and recovery--have collected a quote, reflection, and question for readers on their spiritual journey of recovery, with each month focusing on one of the 12 steps. Inclusive and accessible, This Day in Recovery is a thoughtful and powerful spiritual tool for those in recovery and their families.

From lightly humorous to thoughtfully reflective, these meditations on family life, childhood memories, and holiday celebrations offer readers insight, perspective, and a rich appreciation of the human experience.

Includes inspiring observations about the natural world, solitary reflections and celebrations of family and community life, this volume prompts the quiet reflection we need to counter the busy days of our lives. Ranging from solitary reflections to social commentary, from wry humor to poignant memory, these readings urge us to reconnect with our inner selves.

This collection is designed to inspire and sustain activists and others who are working for a better world. Shick draws on his four decades of activist experience to offer motivation and encouragement to those just starting out as well as reflections and insights to veteran justice-seekers. Brimming with poignant and inspirational quotations and verse from Jesus to Shakespeare to Edna St. Vincent Millay, Rachel Carson and Maya Angelou.

It can be difficult to create space for our spiritual lives in a world crowded with distractions. The Pen and the Bell is about how to achieve mindfulness and creative fulfillment in spite of long to-do lists. It's about gaining access to our deeper selves in the workaday world, and bringing forth this authentic self in our writing. With both meditative and writing exercises in each chapter, it will help you awaken your creative soul and find a more rewarding life.

An eloquent chorus of voices from a variety of backgrounds. With unflinching honesty, well-known and emerging poets help us walk in their shoes as they struggle to claim authentic identity in today's culture.

Diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in February 1999, Ric Masten died in May 2008 shortly before this book went to press. For decades, Masten's unique mix of minstrel ministry and poetic philosophy has challenged and inspired audiences in many settings conferences, colleges, schools, and churches across the country. These poems reveal his humorous, unflinching, and edgy take on mortality and living with illness.

Offers fresh answers to the age-old question, "Why pray?" Building from the shared prayer forms of many faiths, Wikstrom offers a modern prayer bead practice that you can make your own. In addition, the author includes practical suggestions for composing prayers to use with the beads. Simply Pray is an excellent guide for anyone seeking a unique spiritual practice that is deeply rooted in the world's great religions. Wikstrom identifies and defines the four major types of prayer that are practiced by all the world's major religions: * Naming the many ways in which the holy is present in daily life and the wider world * Knowing the self introspectively --both in its strengths and weaknesses * Listening to the "voice of quiet stillness" that resides in each individual * Loving by reaching out to the world Simply Pray uses these four core prayer types to develop a modern worship practice, using prayer beads as a frame of reference. The book offers illustrated prayer-bead techniques that can be used directly or customized for personal use. There are also helpful tips on how to make prayer a part of your daily routine, as well as how to to make prayer beads and the benefits of using them: * Prayer beads serve as a focus for meditation. Much more than a mnemonic aid to prayer, prayer beads engage the senses to create a state of mindfulness. * Prayer beads are mobile altars. Simply touching the beads as they rest in a pocket, briefcase, or purse brings a prayerful presence to mundane moments. * Prayer beads serve as reminders of prayer and help keep track of prayers. Simply Pray is for anyone who is seeking a modern prayer practice that is deeply rooted in world tradition.

A collection of daily devotions from various traditions on topics such as forgiveness, suffering, compassion, social justice, prayer & solitude.

One and Universal is a collection of prayers celebrating the rich diversity of worship styles represented in the membership of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists.

Singing in the Night is a collection of more than 50 inspiring prayers, poems, and prose, perfect for nighttime reading, worship, or personal reflection. Each meditation illustrates that faith is not to be taken for granted - it must be attended to, cared for, and practiced. The four writers who contribute to Singing in the Night offer hope, gratitude, and a sense of deep humility at day's end: Gordon McKeeman compares religion to a van that needs regular check-ups, even when it seems to be in good working order. Kaaren Anderson imagines Eve, banished from the Garden of Eden, but thrilled. "I knew it lay before me," Eve exclaims, "my life, my opportunity, my humanness." Jane Ellen Mauldin offers an end-of-day meditation that includes "a silent sigh of gratitude for yet one more chance to do our job again, and go on." David Rankin contributes a poem that celebrates prayer and humility, "I love to pray . . . to peek through a mystic window and look upon the fabric of life . . . and to think how little I know." All four contributors are ministers who don't have all the answers. They have convictions and questions. They uphold faith yet express honest doubt, inspiring readers to trust their own questions. The meditations in Singing in the Night have been selected from meditation manuals published annually by the Unitarian Universalist Association. They reflect the theological diversity of Unitarian Universalism, a non-creedal religion that draws inspiration from many faith traditions around the world. These meditations encourage readers to explore their own religious path, a path traveled by believers everywhere.

Too often in U.S. culture—and notably in faith communities—a culture of white supremacy is reinforced in damaging but unexamined ways. In The Darkness Divine, minister and poet Kristen L. Harper confronts and unpacks the language, imagery, buzzwords, and cultural touchstones that demean and dehumanize Black people but are so commonplace they can easily escape notice.

More importantly, in a brilliant arrangement of essays and poems in the vein of Claudia Rankine, Harper lifts up the strength, beauty, and resilience of Black people and outlines a path forward. She invites readers to explore what they have learned and assimilated so they might de-center whiteness and stretch their understanding and imagination to radically transform perceptions of blackness.

Have you wondered, "How do I integrate my heartfelt beliefs into my daily life?" Nearly 40 contributors address this creative dilemma and share their discoveries. Creating a home altar, practicing martial arts, fasting, quilting -- these are just some of the ways they've found to make every day more meaningful and satisfying.

A wonderful resource for celebration and reflection, this elegant collection of meditations, prayers, and poems honors the importance of ministry in our lives.

A helpful volume for clergy or lay people participating in interfaith worship, and for those who want to be able to write meaningful public prayers of their own. The first three sections focus on addressing the holy, creating sacred space with prayer, and closing a prayer, along with suggestions from many sources on how to craft prayers. Includes nearly 80 prayers by Foerster and others, grouped into helpful sections for easy reference: Unity and Diversity, Peace and Justice, Healing and Remembrance, Gratitude and Praise, Dedications and Ordinations.

Inviting readers to reconsider the small events of daily life, the selections in this anthology express in turn gratitude, grief, celebration, sorrow and acceptance. Gathered from four UUA meditation manuals: In the Holy Quiet of This Hour (Richard S. Gilbert), Blessing the Bread (Lynn Ungar), Evening Tide (Elizabeth Tarbox), and Taking Pictures of God (Bruce T. Marshall). The second volume in our new series of collected meditations that began with Day of Promise.

The journey of love and marriage is filled with many milestones, festivities and celebrations. In We Pledge Our Hearts, Unitarian Universalist minister Edward Searl has collected poetry and prose marking the many stages of love: dating and courtship, marriage and commitment, friendship and companionship. This enduring volume contains selections from ancient and modern sources, from the famous to the obscure, and from many cultures and faith traditions. Some works are previously uncollected. We Pledge Our Hearts is an invaluable resource for engagements and bridal showers, weddings and commitment ceremonies, and anniversaries and vow renewals. It is perfect for crafting memorable wedding toasts, speeches and vows/ adding a personal touch to announcements, invitations and thank-you notes, and finding the ideal inscription for rings. This timeless tribute to love and commitment is also the ideal gift -- a wonderful keepsake for couples of all ages.