Barbara Stevens Ministries

06/04/2023

Creation and Creativity - June 4, 2023 - We tell many stories about life and how it began. It takes a lot of creativity to come up with so many, and we’re not done. Every day, we come up with new ones. Thus, we learn something new about who we are and about what matters. As we come to believe them and to claim them, they create us and the world we inhabit. In some small way, we are like the gods, creating ourselves and the world around us.

Every culture has its own creation story. How we understand the way the universe came to be is related to how we understand and create ourselves.

02/04/2023

Love in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - February 5, 2023 - URC Reflection - There are two magics, and the difference between them matters. The deep magic, for instance, tells us that ethics and justice matter. The traitor cannot act with impunity or the world will devolve into chaos.

On the other hand, the deeper magic, older and wiser even than the deep one, tells us that love will transform the traitor, that forgiveness is a virtue, and that willing sacrifice overturns evil and sets things right again. That we need to do this over and over is simply the inherent nature of matter and time. If we are embodied, we will know pain. If we have life, we will die. But the myths remind us that death is not the end. Even if anti-matter destroys everything we know, there will still be love.

Aslan, the king of Narnia, sacrifices himself out of love. We may think of love and sacrifice together, but Aslan's sarifice doesn't destroy him.

01/28/2023

Living Each Moment Fully - January 29, 2023 - URC Reflection - The trick is to move forth in constant mindfulness, which matters not because it will lower our blood pressure or help us know the mind of God, but because only by living in this moment, do we truly live. Shunryu Suzuki teaches us to enjoy the journey for its own sake, not because it prepares us for something else, like heaven or reincarnation, but simply because we are here. https://mailchi.mp/24f25d5d643e/living-fully-each-moment-january-29-2023-6026478?fbclid=IwAR3qsf7IjsoWD4mv66ShOgduauRBsMtcp3uQjrGrOYPpbFUOcIyliPWJIbM

11/05/2022

Love mends all things. Perhaps not at once. It takes time and repetition, and sometimes only the eternal love of a god can do the job, but that doesn't mean love fails. So embrace it. When wickedness strikes, whether in you or others, try to respond with compassion. Allow the love of the universe, of your god, of your inner spirit, to touch you. A gentle heart is a happy one, and when we are joyful, we live in love. https://mailchi.mp/298e337e78cc/being-prepared-november-6-2022-5893042?fbclid=IwAR05kGm0mzYfYFsox_CkjvKUDd4nWL-ZPzHsnHtPr6wSV2lp8yV7nkLCVng

10/01/2022

The Stuff of Stars - October 2, 2022 - URC Reflection - In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And the light shone amid the darkness, and it was good, the dark and the light, the cold and the warm, the wet and the dry, the sharp and the dull. All good.
Without light, we would not be here. The stars made us. They also made everything else. Perhaps, then, it’s true that we—all existence—are one thing. Perhaps the sacred does live within us all.

https://mailchi.mp/874eb47935d0/stuff-of-stars-october-2-2022-5887502?fbclid=IwAR3vH2ibrF3BFjOjdPi7npii3iRFrrLuzs63qjCMsPrOvZRB_gLnSounDso

09/03/2022

No one can win every time.
How we face that reality says a lot about who we are and what we value. If we value gold and power over everything else, then one day, we will sacrifice our own souls for the prize.
If, on the other hand, we value love, then we live for relationship, for community, for faith, for compassion. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to get that job we apply for or win the race, but we know that if we lose, there will be other opportunities. Failing does not make us a failure, nor does it unmake us. That’s because, with love, we know we are not alone. With love, we can survive setbacks. Perhaps that is really what it means to win.
https://mailchi.mp/50e45f8af299/winning-losing-september-4-2022-5886706?fbclid=IwAR3b90GKFfQ8ZpUUSTfENYWwkUYD0ewbbJgM6f_Rhx9awgnjb8oNskm4clk

08/06/2022

Humor - August 7, 2022 - When we take our religion so seriously that we cannot imagine God playing with Leviathan, disavow any questioning of the Lord, or deny that Scripture can be ironic, we lose the point of faith. Religion doesn't exist so we can flagellate ourselves or condemn others. It exists so we can bond with the divine and with one another, so we can open our hearts to kindness and generosity. Be gentle with yourself, appreciate the gifts of those around you, and enjoy life.
https://mailchi.mp/fa35e9130137/humor-august-7-2022-5882982?fbclid=IwAR3kgPKsL_z0b7e191l-ikk7OOMuwd7Vba28xFTrhfy3Vx35P5o3kd42BzE

07/30/2022

Meaning and Grieving - July 31, 2022 - URC Reflection - As we heal from trauma, we may see ourselves as the loving and sacred beings we are. We have a capacity for wholeness, grace, and love. Those feelings may be so buried we never find it, or we might have to go through horrible losses before we can uncover the kind and joyful person we truly are. Regardless, as the jagged pieces of our soul begin to knit together, we may discover we don’t need to create meaning and purpose, it appears. https://mailchi.mp/609ecb698770/meaning-and-purpose-july-31-2022-5882650?fbclid=IwAR2ftj7vM-E9z9oQMYBoBX_mt12Ers1anoEQPQBbh3HledrFOVHXMbGNvjI

06/25/2022

Creating Ourselves - June 26, 2022 - URC Reflection - It can be hard to find a balance between arrogance and subservience. Shame breeds both tendencies. Only when we heal that embarrassing wound do we find a patient humility that allows us to make true choices in life. We don't have to pretend to be perfect, nor need we accept the blows of life with resignation. We can both command respect and offer it. By reaching out for connection, beauty, and wholeness, we can get our souls back.https://mailchi.mp/a98eaf738950/creating-ourselves-june-26-2022-5851634?fbclid=IwAR3meMdkxZnO9Snv8zUHGma4fHqyMDNZK-cn9I7COmgSGkk3yoG51s9mi7M

06/04/2022

Gratitude and Joy - June 5, 2022 - URC Reflection - We can even be grateful for imperfection, for there is joy in the light that streams from the cracks in our hearts. Flowers grow from the ashes. Every twenty-four hours, night falls, the sun rises. When societies fall apart, new ones arise. One day, there will be no more days. Until then, grieve what must be grieved, be grateful for what is, welcome the heart that is made whole through brokenness and that knows how to feel joy.
https://mailchi.mp/8ec06891db28/gratitude-and-joy-june-5-2022-5851630?fbclid=IwAR1U2C7ELdNvy6zb1FeDPKkCpQFe-fRXFKEW91FfvzuaFk1QwlG7sNqRNxs