I came across this beautiful poem which I hope you enjoy too :)

Broken Dreams

As children bring their broken toys

With tears for us to mend,

I brought my broken dreams to God

Because He was my Friend.

But instead of leaving Him

In peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help

With ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried,

"How can You be so slow?"

"My child," He said, "what could I do?

You never let them go."

by Lauretta Burns

A poem to reflect on

And God Said, "No"

I asked God to take away my pain.

God said 'NO. It's not for me to take away. It's for you to give it up.'

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.

God said 'No. Her spirit is whole. Her body is only temporary' So love her whole.

I asked God to grant me patience.

God said 'No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations. It isn't granted. It is earned.'

I asked God to give me happiness.

God said 'No. I'll give you blessings. Happiness is up to you'.

I asked God to spare me pain.

God said 'No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.'

I asked God to make my spirit grow.

God said 'No. You must grow on our own. But I will prune you to make you fruitful.'

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life.

God said 'No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all things.'

I asked God to help me love others as much as he loves me and God said 'Ah, finally you're getting the idea'.

By Claudia Minden Weisz

Prayer

'To be at peace with ourselves, we need to know ourselves'

Caitlin Matthews

This prayer it intended to be spoken aloud....

MY SPIRIT FINDS COMPANIONSHIP IN MANY FORMS

I allow myself to be guided and comforted by the Universe. I allow people and events to gently lead me to my good. I ask for help in all of my affairs and I accept the help that is offered me from many quarters. I do not walk alone. I do not call in vain. Even my whispered dreams are heard by an attentive Universe. I am alert to the help which comes to me for their unfolding.

From Heart Steps by Julia Cameron

So Long Jim!

Well, all good things come to an end and this Sunday the Urban Unitarians of Hampstead were sorry to see our good minister Rev. Jim Robinson give us his final sermon. Personally, I am very grateful for the day Jim met me when I walked into the LDPA's meeting, having heard about it due to my short visit to the Reading Unitarian Fellowship. This was during a difficult episode of my life when I was living in Henley-on-Thames. I had a feeling that somehow, when I got out there and made it to London, Rosslyn Hill would be the place where I would go. Thanks to Kate and Jana's efforts we now have some of Jim's addresses to keep for posterity. However, for me the final words of wisdom I will try and remember will be the ones he used on the Palm Sunday sermon: "Love in the personal sphere is called compassion, love in the public sphere is called justice, love in the religious sphere is called God".

Posted by Scott

(PS- For those of you who missed Sunday, the link is to a setting of Randall Thompson's arrangement of Frosts "Choose Something Like A Star")

The "Lift Pitch"

"It doesn't matter whether you're selling Jesus or Buddha or civil rights or 'How to Make Money in Real Estate With No Money Down'. That doesn't make you a human being; it makes you a marketing rep. If you want to talk to somebody honestly, as a human being, ask him about his kids. Find out what his dreams are – just to find out, for no other reason. Because as soon as you lay your hands on a conversation to steer it, it's not a conversation anymore; it's a pitch. And you're not a human being; you're a marketing rep."
(The Big Kahuna- Roger Rueff 1999)

It is often said that Unitarians do not “do evangelism”. On one hand it is an attraction of our sensible and humane liberal faith that we are not compelled to go out and proslytise in the streets. On the other hand, part of the purpose of our Urban Unitarian group is to make the case for growth and outreach in our movement. Whilst Rosslyn Hill is a thriving community, the message we hear from other unitarian congregations is that standing still is not an option. For this reason, General Assembly meetings now have a specific focus on Growth and Renewal. One of the initiatives that came out of the 2009 annual meeting was the idea of a “lift pitch” to take our message to our friends and colleagues. The idea is as follows:
1) Wear you “chalice logo” badge into work.
2) If anyone is curious and asks what it is, come up with an articulate, one-sentence reply that encapsulates what it means to you. It needs to be short enough to be able to communicate in a journey in an office lift- hence a “lift pitch”. Examples include.

It's my personal guiding light that connects me to all other Unitarians in the world. A symbolic shared flame of light, love and hope for a better world.

The Chalice is the symbol of the worldwide Unitarian movement. It is our caring community holding and nurturing the living flame of our spiritual lives.

In the spirit of learning to articulate and share our deepest beliefs, the Urban Unitarians invite everyone to have a go at writing their “lift pitch”. If you forward them to urbanunitarian@googlemail.com we will put them up on our weblog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PkOc-B64dY

http://www.unitarian.org.uk/info/growth.shtml