In a blink of an eye, Leo Orange was transformed from an able bodied individual to a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. Every person at one time or another will experience a loss or crisis in their life that will lead them to develop negative attitudes or feeling about their lives. These negative attitudes and feelings can become the barriers to success and happiness. Faith is needed to change one’s attitude and behavior in order to acquire the necessary coping skills to accommodate pain and loss. In order to internalize the ideal of becoming a "complete" person, one must take responsibility for ensuring better outcomes for their own lives. Our speaker is Coordinator for Disabled Students' Programs and Services at Oxnard College.

Mark Robert Waldman is a neuroscientist as well as the co-author of "Why We Believe What We Believe," "Born to Believe," and nine other books on relationships and creativity. This sermon will present an overview of his and Dr. Andrew Newberg's ongoing research on the biology of prayer, meditation, and consciousness. What happens in the brain of Buddhist meditators when they contemplate pure awareness, and why is the neurological experience so similar to nuns who intensely focus on God? And what happens in the brain of an atheist when he or she contemplates God?

The ancient philosophy of Taoism as garnered a great deal of interest in the last decade or so in the United States, even leading to such books as The Tao of Pooh and the Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff. But what is the draw of the teachings in the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tse and how can they guide our lives? Are you a Taoist without even knowing it? These and other questions will form the basis for our service this morning.

The tradition of the Feast of the Epiphany surrounds a special recognition of Jesus in Bethlehem. Did Three Wise Men visit on January 6th? And what of the other celebrations sharing this date? By addressing these and related questions we venture from Epiphany to epiphany: from the Divine among us to the divinity of us.

For those us who became Unitarian Universalists in the 1950 ’s and 60 ’s, Humanism was the primary focus of our movement. And for those who had left the more mainline religions of their childhood, it was a welcome change of pace. But here we are many years later, perhaps wondering what Humanism can mean for us now and questioning how we and the movement have changed. Many Humanists seem to be feeling abandoned in a movement that now includes a great deal more “religious” language. How can we find our common ground once again? Choir sings.

It is easy for us to think of our congregation as the whole of Unitarian Universalism. But we are connected through the UUA to UU congregations throughout the United States and to Unitarians and Universalists throughout the world. And we have a particular reason to feel grateful to the UUA for selecting us to receive a matching grant from private UU donors to help us obtain our new home. This Sunday's service will provide a look at the many ways in which we are supported by our association and an opportunity to contribute to the work of our fellow UUs and ourselves through a special collection. Choir sings.

UU’s seventh principle is the ultimate level of reality, according to some schools of Buddhism. The goal of tranquility meditation is to have the direct experience of this web of interdependence. Rev. Kusala will talk in a simple, non-technical way on the practice of tranquility meditation and its goal.

Inspired by Richard Dawkins’ new book, The God Delusion, our speaker will explore the question of how God has been used and abused in our Western Society. The answer to the ultimate question “Is God real or not” is one you will have to determine for yourself.

Where is your faith rooted? Is it rooted in history, fact and science? Or in art, literature, myth and imagina- tion? Are they mutually exclusive? Come with us as we go beyond the debate between science and religion. We will consider the possibility that they are as interdependent as Yin and Yang, the Taoist concepts of the two opposing forces in nature. Many of us tend to lean one way or the other, embracing science at the expense of the religion, or vice versa. Is your perspective in balance?

Rev. Holden believes the next step toward a healthy national climate will be new spiritual construction. A UU President at this time in our history could encourage authentic faith, honesty, and integrating the spiritual dimension with real life. Without promoting religion directly, a UU Pres might exemplify ourspirituality, and our shared values. Do we, as UUs, have a unique perspective that is relevant and important to the dialogue on public policy? Should we actively seek to bring our message to the forefront? Join us for an examination of these questions.