I’m excited to share a book that I edited that captures the need for all of us to stay aware and make changes in order to create an inclusive world. You can get it at the Inspirit Bookshop in paperbackoras an ebook at Amazon. The essayists in this book speak from the heart.
A Review from the Rev. Penny Hackett-Evans
I think of myself as pretty informed and aware of issues around inclusion in the UU church. And, as I made my way through this book, I kept finding surprises and new information to consider. I would sit down and say I’m going to read one chapter – and then I would see the subject of the next chapter or the author and decide I HAD to read that. I finished the book in two sittings!
I especially liked the range of expertise that the various contributors brought to the overall topic of inclusion. From an interview with a 10 year old about what does community mean, to chapters written by well-known UU ministers and lay people about subjects ranging from sensitivity and inclusion in the area of gender identity, anti-racism, including youth in the community, Islamophobia, family worship, sacred cyberspace and more.
As mentioned in the introduction to the book, I think it would be an excellent resource for UU church committees who are wrestling with doing more than just giving a newcomer a special name tag and a warm welcome the first two weeks they show up. This book has specifics about how to delve deeper into the questions that bedevil us all about how to be truly inclusive in a meaningful way. Each chapter has one thought-provoking question to consider relevant to your own individual congregation.
I look forward to seeing how my own congregation might embrace the questions asked in this book!
You have convictions. You have passions. It may be time to dig deep and amplify your voice. It can be a little overwhelming to put your deep desires out in print, but I encourage all of you to make your voice heard to speak for what is most meaningful to you.
My own passions include supporting children and families. Last year I put together a book on spiritual practices for families called the Spiritual Practice Playbook for Families. I felt it was the right time for families to move beyond Zoom and to find ways to connect deeply with one another and to create an opportunity to create spiritual practices as a family.
I recently had this book reviewed by Writer’s Digest and I was so affirmed by their comments:
Review of Spiritual Practice Playbook for Families by Linnea Nelson:
“The book is visually stunning, featuring undersea images that immediately drop the reader’s shoulders, elicit a deep exhale and dial the mind to easier, calmer, tropical breeze times. We are primed to experience this book, a smart idea to provide to parents who are likely looking for ways right now for the family to gather together (and get away from their screens) to make some art and learn some new things as a group. If everyone is learning how to meditate, it’s likely easier for the family members who really need it to start a practice, rather than just the reader telling everyone that they really should start meditating. This book is the right, beautiful book at the right time, layered with use in enough repetition for a practice to be established. Well done. I like the fill-in spaces for everyone to use, since this activity book can be kept so that you’ll look back on those precious notes and drawings years from now.
The structure is one of its greatest strengths, as it’s precisely the ease of use and ease of access to the different topics that makes this a family-accessible activity. This book is exemplary in production quality and cover design. The physical materials, printing, and binding are of professional quality and traditional industry standards. The typesetting and page layout (including illustrations, images, or figures) are easy to follow, thoughtfully designed, and error free. The cover appears to be professionally designed and is compellingly related to the content/genre of the book.
This book is beautiful to look at, from the calming cover image of the sea vista and brightly-colored fish to the smart layouts of the art page, the note-taking space, and other experiences. Author leaves room for the reader and family to make this their own book via their writings. Author also has featured gorgeous images within the book, such as the art on the spiritual pages, the altar, the candles the orange. This breadth of design calls in plenty of variety for the family’s use and benefit. It’s a beautiful guide and becomes an important keepsake later.
Bringing families together for calming, centering, and meditation exercises, plus moments of learning and being inspired has lots of appeal, especially during these challenging times of the pandemic and families handling a lot of stress. The author creates a calming pattern of repeated features like the art pages and the journal space, and it’s that repeated return that feels like gently lapping waves, always returning anew. This book just feels good, for its open-space full of potential to how each family member is honored with making their own choices and finding freedom to participate to his or her own chosen degree. The same goes for everyone else in the family. Freedom of expression, a helping hand to learning how meditation might best work for you. Very well done. Many layers of benefit.
Author writes with a steady, calming, guiding voice, using excellent phrasing and word choice. I noticed where the author mentions The Artist’s Way and its morning pages that the author provides sturdy advice, such as that adults write three longhand pages, ‘no more, no less.’ I initially thought that the ‘no more, no less’ veered away from the light energy and personal freedom guidance of the book, but then I remembered that the Artist’s Way’s morning pages are specifically designed to be the three pages. Author is actually being gentle in the instructions by not over-describing! That’s great instinct, again keeping all of the family members in mind. Author succeeds at the challenge of being relatable to all age groups, since everyone from little ones to grandparents and beyond can participate here. Author invites them in, with her unfailingly positive, guiding voice, to work together as a group to learn new calming skills.
I have no notes for improvement on this book, but rather use this space to encourage the author to keep writing. I see that she has an additional book on transforming community coming out, and it makes me happy that the author brings this structure and learning methods to the world. It’s a fresh idea, compiled so beautifully, and author remains at the center of it as our encourager.” –Reviewer from Writer’s Digest, December 2022
Will you be asked to offer a prayer or blessing for your Thanksgiving Dinner? Please feel free to use this one, or adapt it for your own.
A Blessing for Thanksgiving
May our gathering today allow for hearts to open, For memories to meld, Children to engage the eyes of adults, And adults to hold them clearly and with love.
For all of the joys and all of the sorrows Of this lonely year, May we gather in love, forgiveness, and fortitude As we give thanks all around.
[Here you might invite each person to share a gratitude, even in this year of challenge. If you are alone or with those you already see on a daily basis, perhaps sharing a loving memory of an ancestor, known or simply remembered through stories.]
I’m excited about a new book, the first I have edited for Skinner House Books. It’s called Beyond Welcome: Building Communities of Love. Seventeen essayists have written about their own, very personal experiences in Unitarian Universalist settings. Questions are posed to the reader to uncover our own biases as well as questions for groups to discuss, making this a great books for boards, staff teams, book groups, and small group ministry.
Watch for it! It will be available early January 2022 from Inspirit, the UUA Bookstore and via ebook in 2021. (also available for pre-order now:)
As we begin to welcome one another into the new church year, some of us in person and others online, we need to continue doing the work of opening our own hearts and our own souls. As we better understand ourselves, we can move more gracefully, purposefully, and in tune with nature. Our insights help us to see the spirit of life all around us and the divine in and around ourselves. Spiritual direction offers that spacious, sacred space.
I welcome you into a session to explore your spirit and connect with your soul.
I’ll begin with a few stories of my own spiritual direction. I encountered spiritual direction years ago when I took UU Wellspring, a year long spiritual deepening program for the first time. One of the layers of experience was to engage with a spiritual director. I had no idea what that was!
What I learned is that a spiritual director serves as a companion on your own spiritual journey. As I thought about my past spiritual journey that included religious experiences as well as mystical moments, I realized that this journey could both connect me to the great beyond and the divine as well as to help myself to better understand myself.
My first spiritual director was a person who was not trained, but had a wellness background. It was more of a mentoring relationship and once I realized I wanted to delve into the spiritual realm, I began working with a trained spiritual director. This director was also an author and only worked with people who were exploring their spirituality through the expressive arts. This was a great fit and when I needed to take a brief break, my spiritual director’s publishing took off and she was no longer meeting with directees!
I then decided to choose a spiritual director who was of another faith, mainly as part of my own training as a spiritual director. This was an interesting couple of years and my own translation of my faith to her and translating her faith to mine was very beneficial.
Eventually, I moved to a Unitarian Universalist Spiritual Director and this has been a great fit. Of course, as a spiritual director I will also remain in a peer supervision group with other spiritual directors for my own learning.
My name is Linnea Nelson and I am a Unitarian Universalist Religious Educator serving as Executive Director of UU Wellspring and as the president of the Liberal Religious Educators Association. I am also studying to become a Spiritual Director serving the Unitarian Universalist community and anyone who is a spiritual seeker as they seek meaning in their lives. My companioning will begin Winter 2020. Contact me today if you would like to discuss working with me.
I will be creating resources that support families in their quest for truth and meaning, compassion and kindness, respect for the interconnectedness of life. From hands on materials and videos to support RE teachers at www.sacredskills.org to books that engage us in deeper emotional and spiritual work, such as Comfort and Reflection in a Time of Separation and Loss.
