Podcasts about American Unitarian Association

In 1961, the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America joined together and became the Unitarian Universalist Association. It was not an impulsive decision. It was a significant moment in our collective history, one event on the historical timeline leading to our current time and place. This Sunday we will consider some of the main threads of belief and values that have remained constant and will carry us forward into the future.

In 1907, Dr. Frank Scott Corey Wicks delivered a sermon “Good Men In Hell”, that was published and reprinted by the American Unitarian Association over thirty times. It was the most widely circulated Unitarian sermon, and posited the idea that the Unitarian mandate was to not to conform to places of personal comfort. Where would we go and whom would we be with if we lived this mandate today? How does our theology speak to this? Rev. Anastassia Zinke preaching, with music by Sara Jones. Delivered on Sunday February 6th, 2022.

As individuals, Unitarian Universalists aspire to keep questioning, growing, changing, and moving. The same is true of our denomination as a whole. Before and since the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America (60 years ago this week), the tradition ... read more.

Each year as I prepare an Easter sermon I have in mind the words of Rev Dr. Frederick May Eliot, president of the American Unitarian Association from 1937 until his death in 1958. “When I go to church on Easter I expect to be reminded of the elemental truth that in this universe of ours with all its hesitancies and timidities and tragedy, the tides of life are flowing fresh, manifold, and free. I expect to find myself swept into […]

Grace Mann Brown (April 16, 1859; Pippin, Wisconsin, – 1925; Denver, Colorado) was an American writer and spiritual leader. Her work was related to the New Thought Movement, Divine Science and Christian Science. Much of her work focused on spirituality, metaphysics, mysticism, esoteric and occult sciences.    Grace Mann Brown was active in the New Thought Movement, writing and lecturing extensively. She also wrote some of her works under the pen name Ione. She was instrumental in creating The Order of the Essenes and was its President. In 1906, Brown was Vice President of the World New Thought Federation. Brown would succeed Fannie B. James as Editor of Fulfillment Magazine. Also, from 1920 to 1921, Brown was Bookkeeper for the American Unitarian Association. She founded the Modern Society of the Essenes: Essene Circle.  "And, While hundreds of years have passed into infinite memories since that sweet sunny day although hundreds of teachers have said again, As you think in your heart, so are you, the day has not yet arrived When men know that it is true and that they truly become Whatever they think in their hearts." - Grace Mann Brown  BUY MY BOOK! https://www.amazon.com/Reality-Revolution-Mind-Blowing-Movement-Hack/dp/154450618X/ Listen my book on audible https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Reality-Revolution-Audiobook/B087LV1R5V   Music By MettaverseA still mind ➤ Listen on Soundcloud: http://bit.ly/2KjGlLI ➤ Follow them on Instagram: http://bit.ly/2JW8BU2 ➤ Join them on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2G1j7G6 ➤ Subscribe to their channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyvjffON2NoUvX5q_TgvVkw All My Neville Goddard Videos In One Playlist - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKv1KCSKwOo8kBZsJpp3xvkRwhbXuhg0M All my videos about Dr. Joseph Murphy - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKv1KCSKwOo_OtBhXg2s85UuZBT-OihF_ For coaching – https://www.advancedsuccessinstitute.com For all episodes of the Reality Revolution – https://www.therealityrevolution.com Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealityRevolutionPodcast/ Join our facebook group The Reality Revolution https://www.facebook.com/groups/403122083826082/ Subscribe to my Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOgXHr5S3oF0qetPfqxJfSw Contact us at media@advancedsuccessinsitute.com#lawofattraction #gracemannbrown #prosperity #TotalHumanOptimization

January 12, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - Over the next few months, Rev. Pat will present a series exploring traditions of spirituality and mysticism across many different traditions. Before looking to other traditions, why not start with Unitarian Universalist Mysticism? In 1937, the President of the American Unitarian Association, Louis Cornish, declared that "We belong among the mystics." Agree? Disagree? Come find out what Rev. Pat has to say.

In 1907, Dr. Frank Scott Corey Wicks, All Souls' longest serving minister, delivered a sermon “Good Men In Hell”, that was reprinted the next day in the Indianapolis Star and published and reprinted by the American Unitarian Association over thirty times. It was among the most widely circulated Unitarian sermons, and posited the idea that the Unitarian mandate was to go to troubled places and be with troubled people. Where would we go and whom would we be with if we lived this mandate today? Rev. Anastassia preaching.

Speaker or Performer: Joyce Conrad Date of Delivery: February 17, 2019 Speaker: Joyce Conrad“To know where you’re going, look at where you’ve been,” as the famous saying goes. Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620, bringing dreams of democracy and liberal religion. In a number of historical ways, Unitarian Universalism has descended from this dream – and the Pilgrims who held it. A founding member of our Bismarck-Mandan congregation, Joyce Conrad will outline the history of the religious movement that culminated in the founding of the American Unitarian Association in 1825. What might this history mean for us today? How might we go forward from here, with clarity about the past and vision for the future?Video version:https://youtu.be/6mGFw-EsvTc

This lecture covers the two main types of criticisms leveled against Christianity during the Enlightenment period: biblical and philosophical.  In addition you’ll see how some Christians dug their heals in and worked hard to defend their faith while others gave ground but reinterpreted Christianity in a way that would not only survive the criticisms but Read more about 129 Losing Faith (Five Hundred 13)[…]

This lecture covers the two main types of criticisms leveled against Christianity during the Enlightenment period: biblical and philosophical.  In addition you’ll see how some Christians dug their heals in and worked hard to defend their faith while others gave ground but reinterpreted Christianity in a way that would not only survive the criticisms but Read more about 129 Losing Faith (Five Hundred 13)[…]

By the end of the eighteenth century there were two religions espousing Liberal Christianity on this side of the Atlantic – the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association. Over 150 years later, when these two religions consolidated in 1960, the statement of union was reached not without some contention around what was to become our fourth source: “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbours as ourselves”. This morning we shall unpack some of the “stuff” that still causes some misunderstanding and confusion concerning this fourth source.

Did you know that in the 1870s the United States government tasked the American Unitarian Association with “civilizing” the Northern Ute Tribe? The effort ended in a massacre. As we mark Indigenous People’s Day, Rev. Rachel will tell the story of this little-known piece of our denominational history and explore what it means to be an organization committed to making the world better that sometimes falls short of our aspirations.

Christmas and Holiday Music from Karen Mal & Will TaylorRead about,  listen to and support our music below.You listened to it free, but it wasn't free to make this music...so in this new world of the "free music, want to help out, do your part to support our continued creation of great acoustic music?Read below or just signup to get all of our music as a patron of Strings AttachedSee more about it here...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1849) – sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – is a poem and Christmas carolwritten by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. Sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "Carol," composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or "Noel," adapted from an English melody. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally!​SPOTIFY - Coming soFree Pick of the WeekOr buy it in AUSTIN texas at Waterloo RecordsBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally! ​SPOTIFYAMAZONThe story behind Austin for ChristmasAll of the songs in this collection were favorites of my mother.  She loved filling the house with Christmas decorations, smells of  many varieties of cookies baking, which she'd arrange in spectacular colorful gift trays, and of course Christmas music draped over the top of everything. She'd play the vinyl records on our massive stereo which was as long as our dining room table,.and she'd be as happy as we'd ever see her all year. Her happiness in itself was the best part of the season. It was contagious and it was fleeting. In our household, Christmas music represented the hope of another year, maybe a better year, and a momentary suspension of all things worrisome or sorrowful.    "Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there." We chose the songs with an underlying theme of togetherness. No matter where you fall on the religious/ spiritual spectrum, holidays are a time of connection.  Of reunion and reflectionand gratitude. And being together as the bustling world mercifully grinds to a halt, creating a glow in the darkness of the long nights of winter.  - KAREN MALThe story behind A Mandolin ChristmasA jazz musician, a folk artist, 20 fingers pulling 14 strings & 19 ancient melodies that time has polished.A Mandolin Christmas       Deep in the throes of the hottest summer on record in Austin,  TX, Karen Mal and Will Taylor decided to make a Christmas album. It was a 112-degree "Silent Night" in their un-airconditioned recording studio in August. Even the cat was sweating.      The couple had collaborated on many musical projects; his, hers, and their ensemble's, but a "Mandolin Christmas" is purely a duet in every sense of the word.  It's a dance between two partners: the mandolin and the classical guitar.  And that's it.  Karen and Will are perhaps better-known as vocalist and violinist, respectively, but as the tracks blossomed, the two instruments just didn't seem to want any company. There's a simple elegance in the combination that makes for a classic record.      "A Mandolin Christmas" is also a duet between traditional folk music and jazz.  The music includes pristine old-style classical arrangements, and also subtle and playful jazz harmonizations, weaving around familiar melodies that sound like home.   You can practically smell the sugar cookies coming out of the oven, see the kitchen windows steaming up.       Even the packaging is a duet. Karen staged the shots in their vegetable garden. That's a real Calabacita squash with the bow on it. (we ate it for Thanksgiving) Will took the photos and fit everything into the artwork templates.      If you like Christmas music even a little, you're going to love this album. You're going to love it again when you dig it out next year, and again and again, every holiday season.Violinist, composer and Austin Music Award winner Will Taylor has performed with Pearl Jam, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, P-Diddy, Willie Nelson, Ronny Cox (Deliverance) and many more.Will and his musical friends from Austin, Texas light up your house with inspiring acoustic music.WASHINGTON POST–“Imaginatively orchestrated… multi-faceted… darting lyricism, and occasionally pensive moods, Taylor makes the grade with his deft touch and improvisatory skills.”ESQUIRE MAGAZINE–”As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.”Learn how you can have Karen Mal & Will Taylor in your home here.~!Anywhere, not just where we live.More fan comments...

Christmas and Holiday Music from Karen Mal & Will TaylorRead about,  listen to and support our music below.You listened to it free, but it wasn't free to make this music...so in this new world of the "free music, want to help out, do your part to support our continued creation of great acoustic music?Read below or just signup to get all of our music as a patron of Strings AttachedSee more about it here...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1849) – sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – is a poem and Christmas carolwritten by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. Sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "Carol," composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or "Noel," adapted from an English melody. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally!​SPOTIFY - Coming soFree Pick of the WeekOr buy it in AUSTIN texas at Waterloo RecordsBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally! ​SPOTIFYAMAZONThe story behind Austin for ChristmasAll of the songs in this collection were favorites of my mother.  She loved filling the house with Christmas decorations, smells of  many varieties of cookies baking, which she'd arrange in spectacular colorful gift trays, and of course Christmas music draped over the top of everything. She'd play the vinyl records on our massive stereo which was as long as our dining room table,.and she'd be as happy as we'd ever see her all year. Her happiness in itself was the best part of the season. It was contagious and it was fleeting. In our household, Christmas music represented the hope of another year, maybe a better year, and a momentary suspension of all things worrisome or sorrowful.    "Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there." We chose the songs with an underlying theme of togetherness. No matter where you fall on the religious/ spiritual spectrum, holidays are a time of connection.  Of reunion and reflectionand gratitude. And being together as the bustling world mercifully grinds to a halt, creating a glow in the darkness of the long nights of winter.  - KAREN MALThe story behind A Mandolin ChristmasA jazz musician, a folk artist, 20 fingers pulling 14 strings & 19 ancient melodies that time has polished.A Mandolin Christmas       Deep in the throes of the hottest summer on record in Austin,  TX, Karen Mal and Will Taylor decided to make a Christmas album. It was a 112-degree "Silent Night" in their un-airconditioned recording studio in August. Even the cat was sweating.      The couple had collaborated on many musical projects; his, hers, and their ensemble's, but a "Mandolin Christmas" is purely a duet in every sense of the word.  It's a dance between two partners: the mandolin and the classical guitar.  And that's it.  Karen and Will are perhaps better-known as vocalist and violinist, respectively, but as the tracks blossomed, the two instruments just didn't seem to want any company. There's a simple elegance in the combination that makes for a classic record.      "A Mandolin Christmas" is also a duet between traditional folk music and jazz.  The music includes pristine old-style classical arrangements, and also subtle and playful jazz harmonizations, weaving around familiar melodies that sound like home.   You can practically smell the sugar cookies coming out of the oven, see the kitchen windows steaming up.       Even the packaging is a duet. Karen staged the shots in their vegetable garden. That's a real Calabacita squash with the bow on it. (we ate it for Thanksgiving) Will took the photos and fit everything into the artwork templates.      If you like Christmas music even a little, you're going to love this album. You're going to love it again when you dig it out next year, and again and again, every holiday season.Violinist, composer and Austin Music Award winner Will Taylor has performed with Pearl Jam, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, P-Diddy, Willie Nelson, Ronny Cox (Deliverance) and many more.Will and his musical friends from Austin, Texas light up your house with inspiring acoustic music.WASHINGTON POST–“Imaginatively orchestrated… multi-faceted… darting lyricism, and occasionally pensive moods, Taylor makes the grade with his deft touch and improvisatory skills.”ESQUIRE MAGAZINE–”As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.”Learn how you can have Karen Mal & Will Taylor in your home here.~!Anywhere, not just where we live.More fan comments...

Christmas and Holiday Music from Karen Mal & Will TaylorRead about,  listen to and support our music below.You listened to it free, but it wasn't free to make this music...so in this new world of the "free music, want to help out, do your part to support our continued creation of great acoustic music?Read below or just signup to get all of our music as a patron of Strings AttachedSee more about it here...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1849) – sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – is a poem and Christmas carolwritten by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. Sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "Carol," composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or "Noel," adapted from an English melody. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally!​SPOTIFY - Coming soFree Pick of the WeekOr buy it in AUSTIN texas at Waterloo RecordsBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally! ​SPOTIFYAMAZONThe story behind Austin for ChristmasAll of the songs in this collection were favorites of my mother.  She loved filling the house with Christmas decorations, smells of  many varieties of cookies baking, which she'd arrange in spectacular colorful gift trays, and of course Christmas music draped over the top of everything. She'd play the vinyl records on our massive stereo which was as long as our dining room table,.and she'd be as happy as we'd ever see her all year. Her happiness in itself was the best part of the season. It was contagious and it was fleeting. In our household, Christmas music represented the hope of another year, maybe a better year, and a momentary suspension of all things worrisome or sorrowful.    "Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there." We chose the songs with an underlying theme of togetherness. No matter where you fall on the religious/ spiritual spectrum, holidays are a time of connection.  Of reunion and reflectionand gratitude. And being together as the bustling world mercifully grinds to a halt, creating a glow in the darkness of the long nights of winter.  - KAREN MALThe story behind A Mandolin ChristmasA jazz musician, a folk artist, 20 fingers pulling 14 strings & 19 ancient melodies that time has polished.A Mandolin Christmas       Deep in the throes of the hottest summer on record in Austin,  TX, Karen Mal and Will Taylor decided to make a Christmas album. It was a 112-degree "Silent Night" in their un-airconditioned recording studio in August. Even the cat was sweating.      The couple had collaborated on many musical projects; his, hers, and their ensemble's, but a "Mandolin Christmas" is purely a duet in every sense of the word.  It's a dance between two partners: the mandolin and the classical guitar.  And that's it.  Karen and Will are perhaps better-known as vocalist and violinist, respectively, but as the tracks blossomed, the two instruments just didn't seem to want any company. There's a simple elegance in the combination that makes for a classic record.      "A Mandolin Christmas" is also a duet between traditional folk music and jazz.  The music includes pristine old-style classical arrangements, and also subtle and playful jazz harmonizations, weaving around familiar melodies that sound like home.   You can practically smell the sugar cookies coming out of the oven, see the kitchen windows steaming up.       Even the packaging is a duet. Karen staged the shots in their vegetable garden. That's a real Calabacita squash with the bow on it. (we ate it for Thanksgiving) Will took the photos and fit everything into the artwork templates.      If you like Christmas music even a little, you're going to love this album. You're going to love it again when you dig it out next year, and again and again, every holiday season.Violinist, composer and Austin Music Award winner Will Taylor has performed with Pearl Jam, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, P-Diddy, Willie Nelson, Ronny Cox (Deliverance) and many more.Will and his musical friends from Austin, Texas light up your house with inspiring acoustic music.WASHINGTON POST–“Imaginatively orchestrated… multi-faceted… darting lyricism, and occasionally pensive moods, Taylor makes the grade with his deft touch and improvisatory skills.”ESQUIRE MAGAZINE–”As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.”Learn how you can have Karen Mal & Will Taylor in your home here.~!Anywhere, not just where we live.More fan comments...

Christmas and Holiday Music from Karen Mal & Will TaylorRead about,  listen to and support our music below.You listened to it free, but it wasn't free to make this music...so in this new world of the "free music, want to help out, do your part to support our continued creation of great acoustic music?Read below or just signup to get all of our music as a patron of Strings AttachedSee more about it here...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1849) – sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – is a poem and Christmas carolwritten by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. Sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "Carol," composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or "Noel," adapted from an English melody. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally!​SPOTIFY - Coming soFree Pick of the WeekOr buy it in AUSTIN texas at Waterloo RecordsBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally! ​SPOTIFYAMAZONThe story behind Austin for ChristmasAll of the songs in this collection were favorites of my mother.  She loved filling the house with Christmas decorations, smells of  many varieties of cookies baking, which she'd arrange in spectacular colorful gift trays, and of course Christmas music draped over the top of everything. She'd play the vinyl records on our massive stereo which was as long as our dining room table,.and she'd be as happy as we'd ever see her all year. Her happiness in itself was the best part of the season. It was contagious and it was fleeting. In our household, Christmas music represented the hope of another year, maybe a better year, and a momentary suspension of all things worrisome or sorrowful.    "Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there." We chose the songs with an underlying theme of togetherness. No matter where you fall on the religious/ spiritual spectrum, holidays are a time of connection.  Of reunion and reflectionand gratitude. And being together as the bustling world mercifully grinds to a halt, creating a glow in the darkness of the long nights of winter.  - KAREN MALThe story behind A Mandolin ChristmasA jazz musician, a folk artist, 20 fingers pulling 14 strings & 19 ancient melodies that time has polished.A Mandolin Christmas       Deep in the throes of the hottest summer on record in Austin,  TX, Karen Mal and Will Taylor decided to make a Christmas album. It was a 112-degree "Silent Night" in their un-airconditioned recording studio in August. Even the cat was sweating.      The couple had collaborated on many musical projects; his, hers, and their ensemble's, but a "Mandolin Christmas" is purely a duet in every sense of the word.  It's a dance between two partners: the mandolin and the classical guitar.  And that's it.  Karen and Will are perhaps better-known as vocalist and violinist, respectively, but as the tracks blossomed, the two instruments just didn't seem to want any company. There's a simple elegance in the combination that makes for a classic record.      "A Mandolin Christmas" is also a duet between traditional folk music and jazz.  The music includes pristine old-style classical arrangements, and also subtle and playful jazz harmonizations, weaving around familiar melodies that sound like home.   You can practically smell the sugar cookies coming out of the oven, see the kitchen windows steaming up.       Even the packaging is a duet. Karen staged the shots in their vegetable garden. That's a real Calabacita squash with the bow on it. (we ate it for Thanksgiving) Will took the photos and fit everything into the artwork templates.      If you like Christmas music even a little, you're going to love this album. You're going to love it again when you dig it out next year, and again and again, every holiday season.Violinist, composer and Austin Music Award winner Will Taylor has performed with Pearl Jam, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, P-Diddy, Willie Nelson, Ronny Cox (Deliverance) and many more.Will and his musical friends from Austin, Texas light up your house with inspiring acoustic music.WASHINGTON POST–“Imaginatively orchestrated… multi-faceted… darting lyricism, and occasionally pensive moods, Taylor makes the grade with his deft touch and improvisatory skills.”ESQUIRE MAGAZINE–”As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.”Learn how you can have Karen Mal & Will Taylor in your home here.~!Anywhere, not just where we live.More fan comments...

Christmas and Holiday Music from Karen Mal & Will TaylorRead about,  listen to and support our music below.You listened to it free, but it wasn't free to make this music...so in this new world of the "free music, want to help out, do your part to support our continued creation of great acoustic music?Read below or just signup to get all of our music as a patron of Strings AttachedSee more about it here...."It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" (1849) – sometimes rendered as "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" – is a poem and Christmas carolwritten by Edmund Sears, pastor of the Unitarian Church in Wayland, Massachusetts. Sears' lyrics are most commonly set to one of two melodies: "Carol," composed by Richard Storrs Willis, or "Noel," adapted from an English melody. - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally!​SPOTIFY - Coming soFree Pick of the WeekOr buy it in AUSTIN texas at Waterloo RecordsBuy the CD with any credit cardITUNESMP3'S or WAV files direct from the artistCall 512-589-8749 to order by phone.Call me and I'll write a note and send it to them personally! ​SPOTIFYAMAZONThe story behind Austin for ChristmasAll of the songs in this collection were favorites of my mother.  She loved filling the house with Christmas decorations, smells of  many varieties of cookies baking, which she'd arrange in spectacular colorful gift trays, and of course Christmas music draped over the top of everything. She'd play the vinyl records on our massive stereo which was as long as our dining room table,.and she'd be as happy as we'd ever see her all year. Her happiness in itself was the best part of the season. It was contagious and it was fleeting. In our household, Christmas music represented the hope of another year, maybe a better year, and a momentary suspension of all things worrisome or sorrowful.    "Yuletide by the fireside and joyful memories there." We chose the songs with an underlying theme of togetherness. No matter where you fall on the religious/ spiritual spectrum, holidays are a time of connection.  Of reunion and reflectionand gratitude. And being together as the bustling world mercifully grinds to a halt, creating a glow in the darkness of the long nights of winter.  - KAREN MALThe story behind A Mandolin ChristmasA jazz musician, a folk artist, 20 fingers pulling 14 strings & 19 ancient melodies that time has polished.A Mandolin Christmas       Deep in the throes of the hottest summer on record in Austin,  TX, Karen Mal and Will Taylor decided to make a Christmas album. It was a 112-degree "Silent Night" in their un-airconditioned recording studio in August. Even the cat was sweating.      The couple had collaborated on many musical projects; his, hers, and their ensemble's, but a "Mandolin Christmas" is purely a duet in every sense of the word.  It's a dance between two partners: the mandolin and the classical guitar.  And that's it.  Karen and Will are perhaps better-known as vocalist and violinist, respectively, but as the tracks blossomed, the two instruments just didn't seem to want any company. There's a simple elegance in the combination that makes for a classic record.      "A Mandolin Christmas" is also a duet between traditional folk music and jazz.  The music includes pristine old-style classical arrangements, and also subtle and playful jazz harmonizations, weaving around familiar melodies that sound like home.   You can practically smell the sugar cookies coming out of the oven, see the kitchen windows steaming up.       Even the packaging is a duet. Karen staged the shots in their vegetable garden. That's a real Calabacita squash with the bow on it. (we ate it for Thanksgiving) Will took the photos and fit everything into the artwork templates.      If you like Christmas music even a little, you're going to love this album. You're going to love it again when you dig it out next year, and again and again, every holiday season.Violinist, composer and Austin Music Award winner Will Taylor has performed with Pearl Jam, Grammy winner Shawn Colvin, P-Diddy, Willie Nelson, Ronny Cox (Deliverance) and many more.Will and his musical friends from Austin, Texas light up your house with inspiring acoustic music.WASHINGTON POST–“Imaginatively orchestrated… multi-faceted… darting lyricism, and occasionally pensive moods, Taylor makes the grade with his deft touch and improvisatory skills.”ESQUIRE MAGAZINE–”As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.”Learn how you can have Karen Mal & Will Taylor in your home here.~!Anywhere, not just where we live.More fan comments...

June 25 (10:00 a.m.) Delivered at www.unityunitarian.org.   "Shaping Unitarian Universalist History: The Ministry of Frederick May Eliot" by Briana Melom.  "In all of us there is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage - to know who we are and where we came from." - Alex Haley. This service helps us to remember the ministry of Dr. Frederick May Eliot, minister of Unity Church from 1917-37 and president of the American Unitarian Association just prior to the merger with the Universalists in 1961. As we make space in our busy lives for what Eliot called a sacred reality, we recall one who illuminated our heritage of faith. Briana Melom will be joined by Worship Associate Sharon Hogenson.

SPRING FORWARD It’s Women’s History Month. Rev. Dr. Florence Buck advocated for education from her early days as a schoolteacher, high school principal, minister, and director of religious education for the American Unitarian Association. One of the first women ministers in America, Flo Buck’s accomplishments would ... read more.