Beste Think First Podcasts (2024)

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Gathering In with Meredith 18:29

7d ago18:29

18:29

We gathered to celebrate the church year ahead in the waning days of summer (autumn begins on September 22). Each brought a small sample of water to represent the last 12 weeks. We then reflected together on our September theme: hospitality. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Universalism and Labor Day with Rev. Meredith Garmon 22:10

14d ago22:10

22:10

Railcar magnate George Pullman was a Universalist, born and bred. He had a certain recognizable Universalist idealism – but it went horribly, instructively, awry. As a result, we have Labor Day. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Cherry Picking My Journey with Louise Alcorn 19:06

21d ago19:06

19:06

Member Louise Alcorn will discuss growing up Unitarian Universalist, the confusion and freedoms that brought, and how she "cherry-picked" her way to now. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Grit and Grace - Resilience Through Balance with Sarah Chang 16:18

1M ago16:18

16:18

It’s often at life’s extremes of joy and pain that we become most in tune with our spirituality or at least experience a strengthened drive to seek meaning. Sarah will reflect on this and how her beliefs have helped her weather the storms of life and find hope. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Life is a Relay Race with Al Powers 20:32

1M ago20:32

20:32

Al Powers’ story of his journey to becoming a UU and Humanist, and his reflections on what Humanism means to him today Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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A Long and Winding Road Less Taken with Bill Brauch 14:15

1M ago14:15

14:15

Bill Brauch’s reflection on the pathway of his own free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Navigating Queer Faith with Faithyna Leonard 6:35

2M ago6:35

6:35

In a world where spirituality and self-identity often find themselves at odds, queer individuals have faced the challenge of balancing their faith and self-identity. Today's speaker, our very own Faith Formation and Congregational Life Coordinator, Faithyna Leonard, will discuss her path navigating her spiritual journey while learning to be true to…

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P(r)aying Attention with Elliot Nolte 11:35

2M ago11:35

11:35

Join Elliott Nolte for an exploration of developing a personal prayer practice based on attentiveness to story and spirit. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Weaving a Spiritual Life: Power, Love, Anger & Imagination with Sally Boeckholt 13:12

2M ago13:12

13:12

What does it mean to weave a spiritual life? What are the strands would you call your own? Join member Sally Boeckholt for an exploration of four aspects of life that have come together to build a personal theology about possibility and change. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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New Beginnings: Surviving to Thriving with Amy Landrigan 20:57

2M ago20:57

20:57

In this presentation, Amy Landrigan, Vice President of Strategy & Venture for Central Iowa Shelter and Services, will explore the comprehensive range of services provided by the organization. Learn how these initiatives work together to not only address immediate needs but also empower individuals to move from merely surviving to truly thriving. Di…

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Hearing the Secret in Our Hearts with Rev. Eishin Tom Houghton 19:44

3M ago19:44

19:44

The picture is called "Enso." This image has been associated with the Zen tradition and represents what can be described as "the mind before thought," "the awareness that exists behind thought," or, in my particular case, "the secret in our hearts." Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Birding for Life: See and Save a Bird, a People, and the Planet 21:34

3M ago21:34

21:34

with Rev. LoraKim Joyner Today, we will briefly review the scientific and cultural aspects of how people relate and respond to nature, and specifically to birds. Being intentionally mindful of birds reaps benefits not just for humans but for the birds themselves. As people come to understand and connect to birds, they increase their resilience and …

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Perfect, And... 24:11

3M ago24:11

24:11

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Shunryu Suzuki said, "You are perfect just as you are, and you could use a little improvement." Or, we might say, "...and you're still growing." So how should a perfect person live? Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Why We Welcome 24:40

3M ago24:40

24:40

with Rev. Meredith Garmon We’re an LGBTQ welcoming congregation because it’s the right thing to do, because it’s what justice requires, but also out of sheer gratitude for what diversity of attraction and of identity teaches all of us about ourselves. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

1
Active Hope 21:56

4M ago21:56

21:56

with Meredith Garmon "Hope is not a plan" (attributed to Anderson Cooper, Harrison Jones, and others), the saying goes. Without hope, however, we may not make and carry out plans. Active hope, as opposed to passive hope, can have a positive function. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Dharma Blossoms 21:09

4M ago21:09

21:09

with Rev. Meredith Garmon How about a celebration of the flowering of truth? We'll have our flower communion and acknowledge the Buddhist holiday, Vesak. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Courageous Facing 21:40

4M ago21:40

21:40

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Reflections on the courage to choose change, and to face the changes we don't choose. Changing means the death of the person that you used to be, so facing ultimate bodily death is integral to facing change (chosen and not). Note: We experienced an audio cut-off after the interlude, which may affect the sound quality. We a…

1
Transitions 10:34

4M ago10:34

10:34

with Birch Cue What gifts can give us the courage to embrace a life full of changes? Please join Birch Cue, our Faith Formation and Congregational Life Coordinator, as we explore the sometimes frightening transitions of life. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

1
Courage 23:18

4M ago23:18

23:18

with Rev. Meredith Garmon We are built, it seems, to be creatures of both aspiration and fear. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

1
Lessons from the Passover Story 22:08

5M ago22:08

22:08

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Freedom is ever the half-won blessing. We have overcome some constraints – but "chains still there are to break." Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

1
Earth Day 21:39

5M ago21:39

21:39

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Every day is Earth day, of course. But we don't always talk about it in our Sunday service. This Sunday, let's talk about it! Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Love and Ethics 22:15

5M ago22:15

22:15

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Our commitment, as members of First Unitarian, is to "grow ethically and spiritually, serve justly, and love radically." Let's look at what the "grow ethically" part and the "love radically" part have to do with each other. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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A Unitarian Easter 29:25

6M ago29:25

29:25

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Sometimes we opt to ignore the Christian story and focus on fertility, eggs, bunnies, springtime, and the resurrection of life and hope. But there's something worth our attention in that story of how Jesus died, and it has nothing to do with substitutionary atonement. Support the show…

1
How We Feel 22:45

6M ago22:45

22:45

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Where do emotions come from? Understanding our emotions is a key part of self-understanding and hence of wisdom. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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The Ontological, the Semantic, and the Tribal 22:26

6M ago22:26

22:26

with Rev. Meredith Garmon Sometimes we have differing perspectives on what exists in reality. Sometimes, instead, our difference is in what words mean. And sometimes the disagreement isn't about either of those. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Who Are We Now? 24:17

6M ago24:17

24:17

with Rev. Meredith Garmon As Unitarian Universalism grows and changes (in the midst of a wider culture also growing and changing), every generation or so we need to re-articulate our covenant to express who we are now as well as to put into the terms most salient to the current time, who we always have been. Support the show…

1
Choose Abundance 20:44

7M ago20:44

20:44

with Rev. Meredith Garmon It's easy to look at our lives and focus on scarcity, on what is in short supply. And this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We always have the option to choose abundance. Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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"Believing, Really Believing, and Talking to Your Car" 21:01

7M ago21:01

21:01

Why do we believe things (or act like we do) that we don't really believe? And do we always know the difference? with Rev. Meredith Garmon Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Blessing 23:00

7M ago23:00

23:00

From saying "bless you" when someone sneezes to blessing a meal before we eat it, there's something important we're doing when we bless. with Rev. Meredith Garmon Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests

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Merit 22:40

7M ago22:40

22:40

Some of the inequities in our meritocracy might be fixable. But even a perfect meritocracy would still be problematic. But what alternative might there be? with Rev. Meredith Garmon Support the showVon Rev. Amy Petrie Shaw and guests