SUNDAY SERVICES IN FEBRUARY, 2012
9am and 11am

February 5 Sermon: "Gandhi in Hell!"
Sorry to break the news to all you fans of Gandhi out there--HE'S IN HELL!  Today's sermon is based on actual events, and or the back story, simply "Google" Rob Bell and his book Love Wins.  If you don't have time, I'll discuss those events and their importance for all of us today.  Our choir will grace our services with its presence and a member of our Visual Arts Committee will conduct our chalice lighting.

February 12 Sermon: Service Theme: "Future Shock!"
Alvin Toffler's best-selling book Future Shock spoke persuasively to those of us who read it in the 1970's.  The scholar he mentored, Dr. Nivlan Lofty, our special pulpit guest today, is similarly offering compelling visions of the future some 40 years on.  I have asked Dr. Lofty to focus specifically on our own faith community, and he has kindly developed three possible scenarios for the future of the Foothills Unitarian Church.  As many of you are aware, Dr. Lofty and I studied together at MTI, the Missouri Technical Institute, and our friendship makes today's service possible.  Today is an All-Church Sunday, with the children joining us for a portion our services. As in the past, we'll honor Valentine's Day by practicing Loving Action Day," providing opportunities for our congregation to engage in a number of brief but important activities which will make a difference among ourselves and in the larger community. Our service will also include special music from our choir. 

February 19 Sermon : "Survival of the Kindest"
Building on our recent Adult Enrichment class which reviewed and discussed Karen Armstrong's remarkable book Twelve Steps to A Compassionate Life, our service today will explore the status of altruism and compassion in their modern context.  We know what Ayn Rand thought about compassion (she was opposed to it) but Charles Darwin 's views were more complicated than "survival of the fittest" suggests.  Indeed, we'll find out that Darwin was never a "Social Darwinist," unlike a number of his misinformed "followers."  I'll introduce us, as well, to American Professor of Sociology (Emeritus) Samuel Oliner and his groundbreaking studies of altruism.  It will be a real pleasure to welcome long-time church member Karen Robinson as our guest musician today.

February 26 Sermon: “My Greatest Mistake!”
How brave are you?  In preparation for today, I'm inviting any of you bold enough to ANONYMOUSLY and briefly describe what you view as your "greatest mistake"--or at least among the Top Ten.  You may email me or send me a hard copy--I will of course treat every communication sent to me about this topic as confidential and privileged. However, as my intention is to share at least some of the submissions during our services today please make sure your contribution will not enable the reader/listener to draw inferences as to the identity of the writer or anyone else included in the "mistake!"

The sermon today has several roots: first, an article in The Guardian newspaper, "My Greatest Mistake!," which Vicki and I read during our travels last summer; second, New York Times columnist David Brook's series of articles titled "Life Reports;" and finally English author Guy Browning's book Maps of My Life.