http://www.trumbore-media.org/index.html presentations by the Rev Samuel A Trumbore en-us Copyright 2006 Samuel A. Trumbore. All rights reserved. 27 Jul 2005 23:00:00 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss trumbore-media@uumin.org trumbore-media@uumin.org 60 While Judas's betrayal was likely a fabrication,as a folktale, it has tremendous power and significance. The story of the loyal disciple betraying the leader repeats itself again and again. Examining how Jesus deals with betrayal may have meaning and a message for us that is still fresh and relevant. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/On-Being-Betrayed.mp3 16 Mar 2008 10:25:00 EST Who doesn’t have to deal with failure in their lives? Yet so many of us strive to put forward a fault-free appearance. We all want to look good in the eyes of our peers. Yet in the back, in the anxiety closet, or under the bed, the failure monsters lurk. Can an appreciation of tragedy help us live with failure? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Living-with-Failure.mp3 2 Mar 2008 10:25:00 EST The promise of courtship often stumbles on the rocky reality of marriage. One of the key reasons is the expectations we bring into our relationships and then project onto our partners. Few of us negotiate those expectations before we get married because we may not even know what they are. Only when our partners fall short of them do they become glaringly obvious. It doesn’t have to be this way. Love can conquer our expectations through skillful communication. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Negotiate-Expectations.mp3 10 Feb 2008 10:30:00 EDT Many of us would like to share our enthusiasm for our congregation and the Unitarian Universalist approach to religion … but find it difficult to put what we do and how we think into words. Rev. Trumbore gives some pointers on just how to talk about us. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Articulating-our-UU-Faith.mp3 27 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EDT Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote from the Birmingham jail, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” “Non-cooperation with evil,” said Gandhi, “is as much a duty as is cooperation with good.” As we remember Dr. King let us reflect on our own silence and the exciting and powerful opportunities to speak facilitated through our congregation. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Silence-of-Good-People.mp3 20 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EDT Traditional religion has a goal of getting to heaven, nirvana, union with God, or escape from rebirth. They’re trying to escape this world of woe, to escape the reality of death. What if eternal peace wasn’t the goal of humanity but rather bringing our capacity for consciousness to the evolutionary process of life? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Evolutionary-Enlightenment.mp3 13 Jan 2008 11:00:00 EDT This service was canceled by snow but Rev. Trumbore came in and recorded it anyway. The service was to complement the decoration of our holiday tree after the service. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Tree-Huggers-Unite.mp3 16 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EDT The Michael Moore movie that came out this summer called “Sicko” helped energize the debate on healthcare reform. However we organize health care in the future, government has a central role in defining the moral framework and imperatives. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Health-Care-is-a-Human-Right.mp3 09 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EDT Ever since Sam Harris’ book “The End of Faith” was published in 2004, there has been a flood of books about atheism. People are buying these books so there is strong interest among those who reject the hegemony of religion in the public square these days. Will we Unitarian Universalists be following up our exploration of a language of reverence of a few years ago with a language of unbelief? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Atheist-Revival.mp3 02 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EDT Upon her return from a meditation retreat at Auschwitz, Lenore Flynn will share her experiences using Auschwitz as an objection of contemplation. She will explore the relevance of such places to our lives today and for anyone who aspires to work for peace in our world. She will discuss the personal role Auschwitz played in her life and how she believes it inspired her. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Lenore-Flynn-2007.mp3 02 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EDT The Descent into Fear and Ascent to Hope sermons are linked. They will address two powerful forces in human and religious life. The first will explore the uses and abuses of the instinctive urge to protect ourselves from danger. That danger can be an immanent threat or a vague suspicion or a dread of the future, in the case of the fear of hell. Hope, on the other hand stimulates our will to be and become. Hope outlines what is possible and what we can aspire to. Unitarian Universalism encourages us to move from fear to hope to action. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Ascent-to-Hope.mp3 02 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EDT The Descent into Fear and Ascent to Hope sermons are linked. They will address two powerful forces in human and religious life. The first will explore the uses and abuses of the instinctive urge to protect ourselves from danger. That danger can be an immanent threat or a vague suspicion or a dread of the future, in the case of the fear of hell. Hope, on the other hand stimulates our will to be and become. Hope outlines what is possible and what we can aspire to. Unitarian Universalism encourages us to move from fear to hope to action. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/descent-into-fear.mp3 02 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EDT On a day set aside for mothers, we’ll celebrate it as a choice rather than an obligation. Members of our congregation had been staunch advocates for women’s reproductive rights. Some foremothers from our congregation worked hard to secure these rights. Come and hear their stories. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Our-Fight-for-Mother%27s-Reproductive-Rights-2007-05-13.mp3 13 May 2007 12:00:00 EDT Critical to our success in achieving our dreams of growing our faith here in the Capital Region is learning. Our health as an organism depends on our ability to respond to our environment, communicate effectively, and adapt to changing conditions. Learning is central to who we are as a religious community. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Becoming-a-Learning-Community-2007-06-03.mp3 4 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EDT “Beacon of light” is an architectural theme that has inspired the design of our new building. The different light sources in the community room promise to make our community room very attractive. So, how will the light our new beacon also shine out of our community room and into the world? This sermon contains a good summary of the values of our congregation. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Lighting-Our-Beacon-2007-05-20.mp3 4 Jun 2007 12:00:00 EDT Jesus’ humanity is vivid as he prays that the cup pass from him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Most of us waiting for the surgeons knife, a tooth extraction, a vaccination, or in a hospital waiting room know the anguish of anticipating the possibility of pain and loss and wishing it would go away. Jesus makes his peace saying, “nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” Is this how we, too, should face loss? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Facing-Loss-2007-04-01.mp3 1 Apr 2007 12:00:00 EDT During my 2006 sabbatical, I spent a week looking through the Harvard Divinity School Library for original nineteenth and early twentieth century books by Unitarians and Universalists. My research led me to an inspirational minister and an important organization that helped shape our religious tradition today. In Rev. Johnson’s life and in the papers presented to the Free Religious Association, key religious questions were given shape. Understanding these questions through their eyes can give us insights into our answers for today. These two sermons explore those historical roots and their contemporary connections. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Free-Religion-03-25-2007.mp3 11 Mar 2007 18:00:00 EDT During my 2006 sabbatical, I spent a week looking through the Harvard Divinity School Library for original nineteenth and early twentieth century books by Unitarians and Universalists. My research led me to an inspirational minister and an important organization that helped shape our religious tradition today. In Rev. Johnson’s life and in the papers presented to the Free Religious Association, key religious questions were given shape. Understanding these questions through their eyes can give us insights into our answers for today. These two sermons explore those historical roots and their contemporary connections. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Samuel-Johnson-3-18-2007.mp3 11 Mar 2007 18:00:00 EDT Our sexuality can be a powerful and often under appreciated resource in our personal and spiritual development. Some in the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender communities, in particular, are exploring the connection between sexuality and spirituality. When society rejects you for not being heterosexual, one’s sexual identity can get magnified in importance. That greater recognition of sexual identity can also open new doors to explore the nature of one’s humanity and spirituality through the body. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/sacred-sexuality.mp3 11 Mar 2007 18:00:00 EDT Judaism and Christianity recommend loving your neighbor. But what kind of love is it? Is it conditional or unconditional? What is agape anyway? Rev. Trumbore takes as his starting point the Valentine's Day snow storm of 2007 and the kindness of his neighbor as a jumping off point for this exploration of love. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/agape-and-eros.mp3 18 Feb 2007 21:00:00 EST Unitarian Universalists want to use their minds as they search for truth and meaning. Many advocates for a spiritual approach to truth and meaning say we should be guided by our experience rather than reason. Can a rational approach to religion also be spiritual? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Spiritual-Intelligence.mp3 21 Jan 2007 22:00:00 EST In Martin Luther King’s famous speech he talked about being on the mountaintop and looking over to the other side. It was a very hopeful message about the future. Yet how much hope do we have when we look around at what is happening today? We need one eye looking over the mountain and one on the present if we want to bring them together. In this service, Rev. Trumbore reads from Dr. King's words and explores how "White guilt," as defined by Shelby Steele, gets in the way of racial equality. http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Looking-Up-the-Mountain.mp3 15 Jan 2007 11:00:00 EST By this Sunday, some New Year’s resolutions may begin sagging. Instead of getting depressed, let’s laugh about the comedy of the human condition. Laughter is supposed to be good for the body and soul. It’s not too late to put the “happy” in “New Year” with a good, healthy and hearty laugh ... using Laughter Yoga! http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/A-Laugh-In.mp3 15 Jan 2007 11:00:00 EST The Prince of Peace’s birth celebration in December motivates this look at Unitarian Univesalist peacemaking. At the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly in June, the delegates selected peacemaking as our three-year Study Action Issue. Our Senior High students will Join Rev. Trumbore to explore the relation of being peacemakers to being Unitarian Universalists. Can our congregation make a commitment to creating a culture of peace? http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Creating-a-Culture-ofPeace.mp3 28 Dec 2006 11:00:00 EST http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Making-Life-Beautiful.mp3 In our achievement oriented, schedule driven lives, what often gets neglected are the aesthetic dimensions. Sometimes slowing down just a little, paying attention to the present moment, finding a satisfying rhythm, and giving the Muse time to speak to us, can make our lives and the lives of those around us more beautiful. 10 Dec 2006 13:00:00 EST http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Social-Insecurity.mp3 During the Christmas season, focusing on the needs of others can actually stimulate our own insecurities. How do we balance the need to be informed about the insecurity around us and our own mental health? Can religion be a help for us? 03 Dec 2006 13:00:00 EST http://www.trumbore-media.org/podcast/Good-Enough-and-Getting-Better.mp3 In the depths of a Buddhist meditation retreat at the beginning of his sabbatical, Rev. Trumbore had a powerful moment of insight, connecting core ideas and traditions of Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism. He continues to discover strong associations that offer many Unitarian Universalists a non-theistic approach to spirituality compatible with our UU heritage and values. 28 Nov 2006 18:00:00 EST