Tiny Shifts

Losing (and Finding) Your Religion

For a lot of people these days, the idea of being "religious" feels off-putting. It brings up images of a shaming or judgmental old-fashioned community. More and more people are identifying as spiritual but not religious and will talk about finding God in nature or journeying on their own spiritual path.It's just that sometimes, those same people find themselves loving being at church - for example, the Foothills Unitarian Church. This can cause a little bit of an identity crisis...like, am I a person who is religious? Is this a religion? And...how will I tell my friends? This July and August as we get at some of these foundational questions and help name and articulate a different way of being religious that is grounded in liberation and hope for our world today. Kick off this exploration with a story from Cheryl Hazlitt, a long-time Foothills Unitarian member, about her family's history with religion and what it means to her to be religious. (4:38) Then, we'll dive into Rev. Gretchen's sermon Losing (and Finding) Your Religion. (14:05)

Guided Metta Meditation with Rev. Elaine

Take 10 minutes out of your day to connect, ground, and cultivate love and peace with Rev. Elaine's guided meditation.

The Deal on Those Days

Last Sunday, Rev. Gretchen Haley delivered a sermon to thousands of Unitarian Universalists worldwide at General Assembly 2022 in Portland. She called on us to remember the power of people, of local churches and of our promises to each other. She invited us to remember that it is because of us - the people that make up the church, that form the ministries and the small groups and show up on Sundays - that Unitarian Universalism exists. And most of all, to remember that we are big enough to not only survive but to impact the world. Listen to Rev. Gretchen's sermon (and a bonus conversation with Rev. Elaine!) in this week's episode.

Reproductive Freedom, Sex Education & Liberal Religion

This week is all about reproductive freedom, liberal religion, and sexuality education. Rev. Gretchen Haley, Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink, and Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality educator Kelsey DiAstra talk about how reproductive rights intersect with Unitarian Universalism. What does it mean for a congregation to take a stance on abortion? Why do we teach sexuality at church?

A Meaning-Full Life

Three Foothills members, Joyce Trujillo, Doug Powell, and Nikki Roe Cropp, shared their stories of finding meaning and purpose. We are humbled by these members' vulnerability, spiritual grounding, and strength, and are so grateful you can hear their stories.

We Are Not Fixed Beings

Every person contains contradictions and complexities beyond what you might ever imagine. Even you. There are parts of ourselves that lay dormant or emerge at different stages of our lives and can come as a big surprise when they do. One of the gifts of a diverse, multi-generational community is that through relationship we can better see and know the fullness of our own stories and the fullness in others. Rev. Gretchen explores our ability to grow and shift in a short homily about learning to play pickleball and Rev. Elaine speaks with leaders of the Foothills' Slightly Senior Sisterhood, a long-sustaining and integral group of 50+ women at the church.

Embodied Practices for Resilience with Rev. Kelly Dignan

Special guest Rev. Kelly Dignan offers practical tools for finding our resilience when we get thrown off-kilter.

Living Like Weasels

What is the eagle to your weasel? In this episode, we're talking all about the experience of feeling a call to something new - the experience of taking a big leap into a more authentic life even when saying yes to this new thing feels unbearably awkward or scary.1:12 Excerpt from essay by Annie Dillard called "Living Like Weasels"
2:57 Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink's sermon "Living Like Weasels"
20:50 Conversation with Foothills member Sally Harris about her call and experience to create a safe space at our church for non-binary, trans, gender-expansive kids and their families. Sally also answers questions about our Be More Gay campaign and the pronoun pins our church now offers alongside our nametags.