Robert Green Ingersoll was born on this day in 1833. Writer Kimberly Winston said of Colonel Robert Ingersoll, that he “was a Victorian-era rock star who packed theaters with people who traveled hundreds of miles to hear his leactures against religion.” Sometimes called “the Great Agnostic,” He himself died just short of the turn into the twentieth, but he was without a doubt the principal figure in the “Golden Age of Freethought” that ran through the last quarter of the... Read more

The Layman was once lying on his couch reading a sutra. A monk saw him and said: “Layman! You must maintain dignity when reading a sutra.” The Layman raised up one leg. The monk had nothing to say. This is an episode from the Ruth Fuller Sasaki, et al translation of the ninth century Zen classic the Record of Layman P’ang (this translation appears, sadly, to be out of print. However, another, which I’ve not read is available). Pangyun (as... Read more

August 2016 The Unitarian Universalist Church 5450 East Atherton Street Long Beach, California 90815 www.uuclb.org (562) 597-8445 Fax: (562) 597-6046 The Reverend Mitra Rahnema, Minister The Reverend James Ford, Community Minister The Reverend Marguerite D. Lovett, Minister Emerita Dear UUCLB Community, Last Spring our Board of Trustees met with and affirmed the congregation’s affiliation with a new community minister, the Reverend James Ishmael Ford, to begin in August. Although we tried to get the word out, we neglected to send... Read more

Reading Wikipedia’s account of things that happen on a given day, it turns out it was on this day in 1930 that Betty Boop dances her way into American hearts and for some, libedo. Okay, she’s a secondary character here. And, a dog, to boot. But, it is officially the first time we see Betty on screen. An amazingly uninteresting little cartoon from today’s perspective, except perhaps for those with the most ironic inclinations… But, with it Betty is launched.... Read more

My most recent post was a list of three bits of sound advice from three guys. To cap that, I add this, the tag end of Mary Oliver’s poem In Blackwater Woods. It is the sum total of my spiritual life. Just about all of it. Nearly the whole thing. I thought you might find it useful, as well… To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it... Read more

Once there was a disciple of a Greek philosopher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over, the Master said to him: Now you can go to Athens and learn wisdom. When the disciple was entering Athens he met a certain wise man who sat at the gate insulting everybody who came and went. He also insulted the disciple who immediately burst out laughing.... Read more

Randall James Hamilton Zwinge was born in Toronto, Ontario, on this day in 1928. In later years as a performer his name was shortened to the more marquee friendly James Randi. Me, I like his magicians’ name best, the Amazing Randi. And he is. After seeing the renowned Harry Blackstone Sr perform, he determined to become a stage magician. At seventeen he dropped out of school to become a full timer performer with a carnival roadshow. Soon he added escapologist... Read more

Lucille Desiree Ball was born on this day in 1911. She was a fixture of my childhood television life. And for me a highlight. And of course she was so much more than that. An amazing woman. She would have been one hundred, and five. I still love Lucy… Read more

I’ve thought long and hard about just what is and what is not a real spiritual practice. I have friends who say their spiritual practice is taking naps, or, perhaps long walks, or maybe cooking. Frankly, when they talk like that I find myself twitching. They seem to mean anything that they do for themselves is a spiritual practice. Sign of the times. And, for me, frankly, these are minor signs of the apocalypse. Last week I was on faculty... Read more

The story has it that it was on this day that the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon was fooling around in the wine cellars when he stumbled upon the formula for making sparkling wine. He is said to have shouted out to his brothers, “Come quickly! I’m tasting the stars!” Lovely. And apparently not a word of it true. The actual inventor appears to have been the English scientist and rough contemporary of the monk, Christopher Merret. A much more boring... Read more