Posted by Rev. David on September 14, 2012
Freedom is one of the most misunderstood concepts in the United States, and perhaps in the world. Be it Religious Freedom, or Freedom of Speech, or the Freedom of the Press, the Freedom of Association, or any of the common conceptions of freedom that we experience in the United States, I believe that we as [...]
Categories: Defining Religious Langauge, Patriotism, politics, Prophetic Voice
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Tags: American freedom, attack, embassy, free, freedom, freedom of association, freedom of religion, Freedom of Speech, freedom of the press, History, Islam, liberal, liberalism, politics, Prophetic Voice, protests, relationship, religion, responsibility, violence
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7 comments
Posted by Rev. David on August 27, 2012
It has now been over 2 years since I was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist Minister, and each of those years I have spent in more than full time ministry as a minister in our congregations, as well as a reserve military chaplain. Prior to that was a little over 5 years of ministerial preparation, [...]
Categories: ecclesiology, Ministry, Pastoral Care, Turnings
| Tags: change, David Pyle, liberal faith, military chaplain, Ministry, ordination, past, relationship, religion, responsibility, soldier, tranformation, transition
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Posted by Rev. David on August 8, 2012
A few months ago, the van that I have driven for these last several years decided it was tired and was not going to go anywhere anymore, and so my wife and I began researching and shopping for a new-to-us car. Now, I have bought many cars over the years, but usually the driving factor [...]
Categories: Humor, Social Engagement, Turnings
| Tags: aggressive drivign, automobile, car culture, cars, Expedition, human nature, humanity, Hummer, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, love my Smart Car, Mercedes, minister car, new car, principles, relationship, responsibility, SMART, Smart Car, Smart Passion Coupe, SUV, UU Principles, values
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Posted by Rev. David on May 17, 2012
I have received multiple requests for copies of the homily that I presented at the UUA Pacific Southwest District Assembly this year, and instead of continuing to email it out, I thought I would publish it here at Celestial Lands. The task was to reflect on what “Beyond Borders” meant to me and my ministry”. [...]
Categories: Military, Military Chaplaincy, Ministry, UU Movement, Veterans
| Tags: beloved community, chaplain, liberal faith, Military, military bridgebuilder program, military chaplain, Ministry, radical hospitality, responsibility, soldier, unitairan, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, UU Military, UU Principles, UUA, war, welcoming
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Posted by Rev. David on February 14, 2012
I remember something that my Drill Sergeant said to me, my first day of Basic Training some 20 years ago, when I was an 18 year old private at Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri. We were all in one of our first formations, and he asked us if any of us would like to take a [...]
Categories: Equality, Military, Military Chaplaincy, Prophetic Voice, Religious Freedom
| Tags: Alliance Defense Fund, chaplain, chaplain religious freedom, Chaplains Alliance for Religious Liberty, David Pyle, election, Equality, Forum on the Military Chaplaincy, free exercise of religion, Military, military chaplain, military religion, military religious freedom, Ministry, politics, Prophetic Voice, religion, Religious Freedom, responsibility, soldier, Unitarian Universalist, Universalist, UU, UU Military
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Posted by Rev. David on January 28, 2012
What it means to be a Unitarian Universalist has been on my heart this last week. Not surprisingly, considering that many UU’s are currently thinking about similar things in reaction to the recent white paper from Rev. Peter Morales titled “Congregations and Beyond”. I know there is a lot behind that paper that is not [...]
Categories: ecclesiology, Faith, liberal faith, UU Movement
| Tags: church membership, congregations and beyond, dan hotchkiss, David Pyle, faith, governance and ministry, liberal faith, liberalism, Peter Morales, politics, Prophetic Voice, relationship, religion, religious identity, responsibility, unitairan, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, UU identity, UUA
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Posted by Rev. David on January 20, 2012
Break not that circle of enabling love, Where people grow, forgiven and forgiving, Break not that circle, make it wider still, Till it includes, embraces all the living. –Hymn 323, Singing the Living Tradition Recently, the conversation has begun again about what makes a Unitarian Universalist. Are you only a Unitarian Universalist if you are [...]
Categories: Evangelism, Ministry, UU Movement
| Tags: activism, church growth, church outreach, David Pyle, Evangelism, faith, hope, justice, liberal, liberal faith, liberalism, Ministry, Peter Morales, Prophetic Voice, relationship, religion, religious movement, religious tradition, responsibility, unitairan, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, UU, UU movement, UU Principles, UUA
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Posted by Rev. David on January 16, 2012
Last week, a video surfaced on the internet that shows several young U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan. Immediately, there were calls for an investigation. World leaders talked of their disgust. U.S. Military leaders promised that they would get to the bottom of the story, and would punish those [...]
Categories: Military, politics
| Tags: cape, center for the army profession and ethics, chaplain, enemy remains, marines pee on taliban, Military, military chaplain, military decion making, military ethics, military professionalism, militay morality, politics, professionalism, responsibility, soldier, soldiers pee on taliban, strategic corporal, teaching ethics, U.S. Army, UU Military
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Posted by Rev. David on December 27, 2011
My life has been one of change. Change both within and without. That reality affects my preaching, it affects how I build relationships, it affects how I look at the universe. As I have been reflecting on this past year, I have been struck by how much change was within it… and how that change [...]
Categories: Ministry, Turnings
| Tags: change, David Pyle, Frank Herbert, interim ministry, liberal faith, minister, Ministry, move, relationship, responsibility, surprises, transformation, transition, transitional ministry, universe of surprises
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Posted by Rev. David on November 24, 2011
On this day, Thanksgiving Day, I think we are remembering the wrong message. I think our society has taken the wrong meaning from the mythologized story of starving pilgrims, a coming hard winter, and Native Americans who shared. We give thanks to God, or to some sense of the Universe taking care of us for [...]
Categories: God, History, Turnings
| Tags: American, Christian, compassion, faith, indians, justice, meaning, meaning of thanksgiving, native americans, native peoples, pilgrims, relationship, responsibility, thanksgiving, thanksgiving indian, thanksgiving tribe, theology, tribes, wampanoag
| 2 comments
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