Aaron Sawyer's DiscoverUU Blog

Glee Unitarian Quote

Aaron Sawyer — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:11:08 +0000

Yeah, we’re being mocked, but sometimes I feel like it’s better to be mocked than to be invisible altogether.

“…making it the zoo’s first unitarian wedding in over six years”- Glee

Screenshot

Filed under: Uncategorized

DiscoverUU offline for a few days

Aaron Sawyer — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:02:25 +0000

Sorry!

I’m in need of a webmaster (and a little bit of cash) to keep this thing going. I’ve been in grad school and it’s taken a toll on my mental, physical, and financial health to be certain.

AND though I’ve gotten better at web design, DiscoverUU uses some pretty high end programming (Mysql) in order to function. It’s beyond me.

If you want to have some fun, check out my RedTheater.org website. It’s been a great passion of mine- a distraction from grad school tedium.

Filed under: Uncategorized

My favorite summer sermon podcast so far

Aaron Sawyer — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 06:06:38 +0000

Vacation Bible School: PG13 by one of my favorite all-time UU ministers, Tennessee Valley’s Rev. Chris Buice. I’ve never met Rev. Buice, but would really like to some day. I was a fan of his ministry before this (and even more so after), but Rev. Buice was most amazing in his courageous love as he led his congregation through the horrific tragedy two summers ago. You may remember hearing about this.

http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/117807.shtml

Here is a link to the sermon podcast:

http://tvuuc.org/audioservices/sermons/2010/07/11/20100711.mp3

Filed under: Uncategorized

Surfing for top UU podcasts- taking recommendations!

Aaron Sawyer — Tue, 25 May 2010 05:11:51 +0000

I’ve got another temp work job doing data entry. I have time to listen to UU blogs. Please send me your recommendations!
My long time favorite is TVUUC’s Rev Chris Buice. [Go to bottom middle of Discoveruu.com] I was a fan before their tragic shooting, and I became even more of one after listening to the courageous way they kept moving forward. I also like Rev Nancy Ladd @ Bull Run (though it’s a low quality feed- poke!) and anything from the NYC All Souls. I miss Rev John T. Crestwell who has been podcasting less lately.

Seriously, send me suggestions. I’ll give them a listen and update DiscoverUU to have the very best. It’s great to see that so many churches are now podcasting!

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Introducing New UU Minister Blog: Rev. Cyn

Aaron Sawyer — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:31:12 +0000

Introducing a new UU Minister blog by Rev. Cyntha Landrm

http://revcyn.blogspot.com

Please check it out. Some nice thoughts from a UU Minister serving a congregation in East Liberty, Michigan, only a couple of hours from the extreme economic situation in Detroit.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Guest Blog Post: Alan G. Greer, “Can We Befriend God?”

Aaron Sawyer — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:50:29 +0000

Over the past several months I’ve been on a virtual book tour appearing on radio talk shows across the country, speaking before church and civic groups, and doing readings at a book fair and book stores to promote my book Choices & Challenges, Lessons In Faith, Hope and Love. In doing so I’ve had conversations with a cross section of our country’s people ranging from radio program hosts, to ministers, to taxi drivers and most of the sorts in between.

In these conversations a number of things have jumped out at me. The one that intrigues me the most, though is how people view their relationship with God. They often wanted to talk about how God acts towards us; how we, as people of faith, act towards each other or those without faith; what we must do to meet God’s will; and whether a deity exists at all.

Not one, however, has asked about or even suggested the possibility of our having a one on one relationship with God based on friendship instead of as servitor or supplicant.

By this I don’t mean dropping in at the local sports bar with God to catch a football game or swap stories. Instead, I mean thinking about God as friends think about each other. That is caring about His well being and feelings even as He cares about ours. Is He content with how things are going? Is He worried about something? What can we do to help Him in a friendly way?

While it may be presumptuous to even dream of being a friend of God as opposed to just His servant, I think we should at least consider the possibility. Or at least consider it as far as it is possible to do so for finite beings such as we are in comparison with an infinite and unlimited God. (I know, I know, putting this in terms we can visualize, it’s like asking if the smallest of milk ants can befriend the largest of elephants without getting stomped – but I’m asking anyway.)

We believe God, as a sentient being, has feelings and emotions. He is not just some cold, calculating thing more akin to a computer than the living vibrant entity He truly is. While His feelings are infinite in nature they are also capable of being segmented and focused down to the pinpoint size needed to interact with each of us individually. And it is this individual locus that I’m concerned with.

If God can feel compassion, love, joy, anger and disgust; if He can be both patient and impatient, glad or sad, shouldn’t we be concerned, as friends are, to not engender the negative sides of that spectrum? Instead of only worrying about how we feel, shouldn’t we also care about how God feels? We should go out of our way to do everything in our power to voluntarily seek to alleviate any disquiet God may feel about us. We should do so not because God can’t absorb, without flinching, all of the negativity we shove at Him. He certainly can and does. Instead, we should do so because that’s what friends do.

-Alan Greer

Author of Choices and Challenges: Lessons in Faith, Hope, and Love

Posted in Uncategorized

Universal Health Care Theatre

Aaron Sawyer — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:40:13 +0000

I’ve updated DiscoverUU.com. It was long past time to take down the UU Presidential Election section.

Unfortunately, there are many things that have been happening which have fallen by the wayside as I pursue great personal growth in an MFA of Direction of Stage and Screen at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

I would love more help with the site for anyone with a desire to help color or steer this useful page.

For a sample of my theatrical work, here is a topical theatrical piece I wrote and starred in entitled, Philip Glass Needs Universal Heath Care.

UU Affirmation

Please modify and use this in every way imaginable. You more than have my permission.

————————————————————————————————–

UU AFFIRMATION

I believe in my right to search for the good, to choose it for myself, and hold it in my heart.

I affirm this right in you as well.

Together we share in the joy of community, the power of reverence, and the responsibilities of freedom.

This is the promise of my heart extended to you, as we walk on separate paths, together.

————————————————————————————————–

Visit DiscoverUU.com for UU News, plus the best minister blog posts and sermon podcasts.

Posted in giving, politics, Unitarian Universalism

Rachell Maddow requests Thomas Starr King statue for her office

Aaron Sawyer — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:42:26 +0000

With California replacing Starr King’s statue with a huge 500 lb. bronze statue of the “Gipper”, Ronald Reagan, Rachel Maddow offered to purchase statue of famous Unitarian minister Thomas Starr King, once credited by Abraham Lincoln “as the man who brought in and kept California in the union during the civil war.”

“He would look great in our office. We would take great care of him,” said Rachel.

Big thanks to Maddow for this otherwise unwarranted publicity for Unitarianism. Rachel has been a big proponent of UU values.

Please EMAIL RACHEL and thank her for the coverage. Let her know we’re watching. Her address: rachel@msnbc.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#30255436

UU Affirmation

Please modify and use this in every way imaginable. You more than have my permission.

————————————————————————————————–

UU AFFIRMATION

I believe in my right to search for the good, to choose it for myself, and hold it in my heart.

I affirm this right in you as well.

Together we share in the joy of community, the power of reverence, and the responsibilities of freedom.

This is the promise of my heart extended to you, as we walk on separate paths, together.

————————————————————————————————–

Visit DiscoverUU.com for UU News, plus the best minister blog posts and sermon podcasts.

Posted in art, Unitarian Universalism

Two New UU Minister Blogs

Aaron Sawyer — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 06:54:43 +0000

Today, DiscoverUU adds two blogs from UU ministers out of the Midwest:

“The Naked Theologian” is written by Rev. Myriam Renaud of Chicago, Illinois has a down-to-earth style that contains a lot of great ideas in an easily digestible format. There are some nice pictures that really help to bring each blog’s message to life.

http://thenakedtheologian.com/

The Naked Theologian is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister who is currently working on a Ph.D. in Theology at a major university in Chicago.

“Faith Talk” by Rev. Tom Capo of Cedar Rapids, Iowa is a brand new blog that can be counted on for poetic and heartfelt entries. I look forward to future posts.

http://revcapo.blogspot.com/

“Reverend Capo is the minister of Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Reverend Capo describes himself as a Unitarian Universalist, Buddhist, Humanist, and Theist. He believes that all existence, including the Divine, is in process. He was a psychotherapist for over 30 years before coming to the ministry.”

Visit DiscoverUU.com for UU News, plus the best minister blog posts and sermon podcasts.

UU Affirmation

Please feel free to modify and use this in every way imaginable. You more than have my permission.

- Aaron Sawyer

(About Aaron)

————————————————————————————————–

UU AFFIRMATION

I believe in my right to search for the good, to choose it for myself, and hold it in my heart.

I affirm this right in you as well.

Together we share in the joy of community, the power of reverence, and the responsibilities of freedom.

This is the promise of my heart extended to you, as we walk on separate paths, together.

————————————————————————————————–

Posted in ministry, Unitarian Universalism

In search of a web master: DiscoverUU

Aaron Sawyer — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:16:51 +0000

DiscoverUU is in search of a new voluntary web master. As time moves forward and blogging technologies improve, we need a steady hand to help maintain the site for an ever-increasing audience. If this person or company could be you, please contact us via the ‘contact’ link at the top of the page.

www.DiscoverUU.com

Sincerely,
Aaron Sawyer

Posted in Uncategorized