Inspirational Talks

Presented at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, on August 18, 2024. This Lughnasadh-themed talk follows the reading of "John Barleycorn Must Die" by Scottish poet Robert Burns, written in 1782. It is just one version of a folk song with English origins. You’ve probably figured out by now that the character, John Barleycorn, represents…

This talk was presented on September 10, 2023 as part of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls annual ingathering and water communion service which marks the return to the regular church schedule after summer. I started thinking about what to say today the same way I prepare all of my talks – by asking myself some questions. The first…

Presented on April 21, 2024 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, for Earth Day. The talk's theme was provided by the UU Ministry for Earth. A love letter to the Earth - how to begin? Dear Sir or Madam? Wait, is Earth a sir or a madam? Dear Sir AND Madam? Thich Nhat Hahn…

Originally written in 2022 for my seminary capstone project, this talk was first presented in public to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls in Queensbury, New York, on August 13, 2023. Not long ago I watched a grey squirrel perched high on what seemed like a way-too-thin branch. The way it was bouncing and waving around made me nervous…

Presented on April 15, 2023 at a conference of the Interfaith Center for Action and Healing in Aurora, New York, themed "Faith, Spirituality, and Religion: How do they inform our care of creation?" The Dancing Turtle Rescue ambassador turtles accompanied me. I’d like to start with a story that isn’t about me, though, the story of Grey Owl. If you’ve…

In my first presentation at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls on March 13, 2022, I share my spiritual approach to overcoming the challenges of the pandemic and a back injury. As last summer began, I paid the final month’s rent on a lease on a building that had been empty since March of 2020 because of the pandemic,…

This talk on approaching the dark part of the year with reverence was presented to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls on October 30, 2023. The next few days are a sacred time – Halloween, All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day, Dia de los Muertos, Samhain. The veil between worlds is thin, and that lack of border brings ancestors…

This talk, presented to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls on May 7, 2023, summarizes my exploration of ecological consciousness and environmentalism within the world's religious and spiritual traditions. During my second year of seminary, one of our monthly assignments was to pick a person off a list of religious and spiritual “big names we should know” to research…

Presented on October 29, 2023, to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls, on the topic of All Souls Day. This talk is about death. I have changed it several times, right up until yesterday, because current events have brought death into the spotlight in ways I didn’t anticipate. The conflict in Gaza, Otis slamming into Acapulco as an unforecast…

In this talk, presented on February 5, 2023, to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Glens Falls. I share my journey to becoming a shamanic practitioner. I’m going to begin with a story I rarely tell, because at the beginning I did something stupid that I am still embarrassed about. But it was also one of the most magical experiences of…