Vista Grande Community Church United Church of Christ

09/15/2026

A necessary reminder.

09/15/2026

Another nice Unity devotion. Not personally on board with every aspect of this tradition, but I'll always share a devotion if it feels inspiring. The final part before the Scripture really touched me.

Healing
I encourage my healing through the power of my thinking.
Tuesday September 15, 2026

Caring for my health means nurturing every aspect of my mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

Scientific research has confirmed a deep connection between mind and body. An optimistic outlook may help with recovery from illness and injury. My positive thoughts lead me to have more energy and discover wonderful opportunities to live fully.

I contribute to my body’s healing by taking care of my physical needs. I help heal my mind by engaging with people who uplift me, music that soothes me, or creative activities such as painting, cooking, or making music.

Perhaps most important, I pray and meditate daily, knowing that through God’s infinite love I am whole.

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.—Romans 12:2

09/15/2026

Today's wisdom is from the artist Frida Kahlo:

"Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light."

Laughter is wonderful. The progressive Christian author Anne Lamott refers to laughter as "carbonated holiness."

But I'm more struck by the final phrase, which can be read in two ways.

To be light = to be peaceful and at ease, to not take oneself too seriously, to rest in trust.

To be light = to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

Different matters, but I think they go together. It is a weighty thing to be the light of the world. We will handle it better if we are peaceful and at ease, don't take ourselves too seriously, and rest in trust.

What do you think?

09/15/2026

Wisdom from Brother David Steindl-Rast:

"Gratefulness is the core of spirituality."

We should expect this from the founder of a major gratefulness organization, but I think there is some real depth to it.

We can't be grateful when we are anxious.

We can't be grateful when we are jealous or envious.

We can't be grateful when we are trying to earn God's love.

(Add your own observations here.)

When we can release anxiety, jealousy, envy, and any other scarcity mindset understandings and emotions, we are clearing the way for gratitude.

When we feel love, we cannot but feel grateful.

When we feel true welcome, we cannot but feel grateful.

When we understand in our bones that our very lives are gifts, we cannot but feel grateful.

I know what I will be working on in the days ahead...

09/15/2026

Here's another good Unity devotional.

Inner Peace
I find peace in the present.
Monday September 14, 2026

If I catch myself worrying about the future or ruminating over a regretted action or failure, I bring my attention back to the present and reclaim my peace.

I cannot change the past, but I can learn from my mistakes. I cannot know what will happen tomorrow, or next month, or in a year. But I can breathe deeply and live fully in this moment.

Accepting myself and others helps me leave the past in the past. I feel grateful for the lessons I have learned. I proactively prepare for my future, taking care of my health, relationships, and finances.

I find peace as I cocreate with God through prayer, listening for divine guidance and using divine wisdom to discern my next best steps.

So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.—Matthew 6:34

09/15/2026

Here's yesterday's sermon, on repentance as a word with baggage but hopefully also as a word with possibilities for us. I bet you have not heard this take on the Prodigal Son parable before!

Words with Baggage: Repentance

09/14/2026

A gentle reminder. And no, it's not actually this simple, but it should be.

Incidentally, Rabbi Hillel the Elder lived slightly before Jesus, and it is possible that Jesus knew the story of Hillel saying the quote attributed to him below. I've actually preached on this, saying that it was very Jesus-like of Jesus to take Hillel's version and take it a step further (from the Torah, interpreted here as the law, to the law and the prophets). But I'm kind of a Golden Rule nerd so maybe that does not surprise you.

09/13/2026

This crossed my feed today. Beautiful.

09/13/2026

Today's wisdom is from the writer Maria Popova:

"It is good, every once in a while, to let ourselves be stupefied by gratitude, to cast upon ourselves a spell against indifference by moving through the world with an inner bow at every littlest thing that prevailed over the odds of otherwise in order to exist."

Allowing ourselves to be stupefied by gratitude.

Casting a spell against indifference.

Bowing to all that exists.

She doesn't use the word, but I'd say this is a master class in humility. Which Jesus, following Micah, thought was a good thing.

May we cultivate humility in ourselves, today and all days.

09/12/2026

Today, we have three pieces of wisdom to connect with one another.

First, Psalm 97, verse 11: Light dawns for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart.

Second, from author Jefferson Bethke: Thankfulness is the quickest path to joy.

Third, from Sikh writer Simran Jeet Singh: Gratitude is the practice that opens up hope.

I love it when my morning feed synchronizes like this. There are many ways to put these three observations together, but I will stick with this one:

Those who are upright in heart are, among other things, thankful or grateful, which opens up the possibility of both joy and hope for them.

"Upright of heart" sounds stern, strict, and strenuous. I don't think it needs to be that. I think it can just refer to us trying to be our best selves, healing our pain, developing spiritually, and cultivating virtue. Yes, that's all work, but it does not need to be misery-inducing. Indeed, anything we do that helps us cultivate joy and hope probably helps us experience some softness, peace, and ease.

Have a joyous weekend. Hope to see some of you at church tomorrow, where the word with baggage will be "repentance" (and no, it does not mean what you think).