Lots to catch up on here. I just got back early this morning from Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in Portland.
The main thing I did there was write. I wrote the UUA web site's GA Journal blog, which you can find here. My goal in the GA Journal (second year I've done it) is to capture the feeling of being at General Assembly. The rest of the web site covers the events at GA in an objective, journalistic way. I try to cover everything else. (Like the panhandler whose sign said: "Trying to take over the world. Need cash for weapons of mass destruction.")
Some of that event coverage was also by me. I covered four events: Rob Eller-Isaacs' talk "A Faithful Conversation" at the Thursday worship service. Paul Rasor's talk at the annual John Murry Lecture "Universalism and the Sectarian Element in Liberal Religion," David Korten's "Navigating the Great Turning," and the annual Ware Lecture by Rashid Khalidi.
Also Saturday afternoon I saw a retrospective on the 35th anniversary of Beacon Press publishing The Pentagon Papers. I was deeply affected by hearing Daniel Ellsberg and Mike Gravel talk about a time when people were willing to take real risks to end a war. So I wrote "Is There Courage in This Generation?" for Daily Kos. When I went to bed Saturday night the piece had gotten one comment, and that was critical. So I figured it was one of those posts that goes nowhere. The next morning I woke up to find it on dKos' front page. (Thank you, Meteor Blades.)
And then there was my "Spiritual Writing" workshop with Meg Barnhouse. I've already posted my part of the talk here.
I come home with a bunch of new ideas, which you'll be seeing in the coming months.
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1 comment:
Thanks for your GA journal.
I wish I had read your journal before my workshop. You were right about the "short microphone" and practice might have been helpful. Our room wasn't quite as big as yours, though we didn't have anyone quite as popular as Meg; we still had an overflow crowd that caused them to turn people away at the door. They're supposed to give free CDs to those who were turned away.
I think I'm addicted to GA; I can't get enough. I watched Plenary VII online last night (I wasn't a delegate & was helping out in the exhibit hall Sun. morning) and took notes. It was a moving example of our process. I hope to show it to members of my congregation and Gini suggested that we all share it, especially the debate about Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, which is about one hour and ten minutes into the video (btw, all the videos have ten or more or footage BEFORE the event that was being taped).
Thanks for the link to your Spiritual Writing. There's a link to the powerpoint on Growing in Racial Diversity here. If there was a GA reporter at our workshop (#2071) and you happen to know who it was, please share this link with them; maybe they can add it to the site.
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