A Consideration of Human Sexuality and the Spiritual Life 24 January 2010 James Ishmael Ford First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text this is the song of mehitabelof mehitabel the alley catas i wrote you before bossmehitabel is a believerin the pythagoreantheory of the transmigrationof the soul and she claimsthat formerly her spiritwas incarnated in the bodyof cleopatrathat was a long time agoand one must not besurprised if mehitabelhas forgotten some of hermore regal manners i have had my ups... Read more

Today in 1836 General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, military dictator of Mexico launched the first wave of an attack on the Alamo mission. His aim was to reclaim Texas which was in full rebellion. If you’re an American you know the story. Well, certainly the myth. And its a pretty good myth. A story of people willing to throw their lives away for the chance that others may experience freedom. And yes, the myth by no means lives up... Read more

Rummaging around for thoughts on sex and religion ahead of Sunday’s sermon, I found this talk by old Alan Watts. There’s no doubt he knew a lot about the subject. Which sadly, means the talk is a bit on the long side… He does wander around, and much of what he says is dated. Still I’m rather taken with his version of a middle way… Also, loved the little shout out to the Unitarians at the very beginning. Read more

Sunday I’m preaching on Sex and Religion. Okay. Maybe with capitals. Maybe not… The exact shape of the sermon is only now forming out of the aethers… However, as I launch into my sermon writing today I see that it is Rasputin’s birthday. The venerable knew something about the subject… So, as sometimes happens when the stars align just right and the truly weird dances into reality, some of the background music for at least some of my sermon writing... Read more

On this day in 1977 Jimmy Carter fulfilled an early and repeated campaign promise. He issued a pardon to all Vietnam war draft resisters. It was the hard emotional end to a long and terrible war… This event was a very important issue for me as my brother had refused induction and had gone underground. Leaving me with regular visits from the FBI. At first they were quite aggressive, threatening various things, including sending my mother to prison. As the... Read more

Robinson Jeffers I guess if you want meaning, show up. Look! How beautiful… Read more

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Well, I have my fingers crossed, and my toes; but I fear the worst over the line in Massachusetts. I, for one, do believe in polls, particularly trending polls. I hope for the machine to get in gear and deliver some votes. And at least one really good observer of our American political scene gives her a slender but fighting chance. I also take comfort in my notoriously bad past political prognostication… But, I just think it won’t be enough,... Read more

Today is Winnie the Pooh’s birthday. Okay, more correctly it is A. A. Milne’s birthday. Close enough. Winnie is one of my heroes, the Bear of Very Little Brain is indeed an exemplar of the great way. Now, my friends who know a great deal more about the subject than I say that the introduction to Taoism through Pooh may be an introduction, but not the most accurate. And certainly the followup wasn’t to my mind particularly compelling. But, I... Read more

OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR A Sermon for Martin Luther King, Jr. 17 January 2010 Claudia J. Ford & James Ishmael Ford First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that people should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. A logia attributed to Jesus at Matthew 7:12 Claudia Those of you who follow James Ford’s Monkey Mind blog or... Read more