All Posts

Sermon: October 18, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Most of what I learned about spiritual growth I learned from my college singing teacher. Not only did she teach me how to pronounce French opera lyrics and sing with a beautiful tone, but she taught me how to process physical and emotional responses to stress, fear, anxiety, and pain, how to prepare for the future and simultaneously exist in different mental places in time, how to be gracious and pat

Sermon: October 11, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito We have a lot to be worried about these days. Our jobs, money, our children, our parents, the climate, war, our democracy, that weird ache that won’t go away, death, life… The list goes on and on, and yet, we aren’t even aware of all the things we could potentially worry about. How many more years do I have until my knees give out? Will anyone remember me when I pass away? What are the aliens even do

Sermon: October 4, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Recently, I attended a get together at a park with several like minded religious progressive friends. Since we were in a public location, there was a natural flow of conversation between us and others visiting the park who weren’t with our group. A few of us engaged in a conversation with a middle aged couple that turned toward the state of things here in our country. The husband expressed concern for

Sermon: September 20, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Forgiveness is one of those topics that sounds great in theory, although it can feel nearly impossible in practice. We all define it differently and most likely believe that different things have to be in place before forgiveness can be achieved. Does the betrayer have to be held accountable? Does justice have to prevail? What does that justice look like? Does the betrayer need to understand or fee

Sermon: September 6, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Creed versus covenant. At the beginning of each of our services, we say the words, “What binds us together as a faith community is not a creed but the power and sacredness of a covenant based on unconditional love.” How did we get here to this place where we value covenant over creed? It might seem like an obvious answer. We don’t want to be told what to believe in or where authority should lie. Ins

Sermon: August 23, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Today is our annual end-of-summer beach bash. For those of you who are new to our community, this traditional gathering began as a birthday celebration for one of our longtime members Betsy Gilpin. She threw the party for herself and when she grew weary of the yearly organization Christie Turner took it over. Now, it has evolved into an all-fellowship beach party where people swim, eat good food, chat

Sermon: July 19, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito When was the last time you wrote a love letter to someone close to you? Or a confession email to a friend? Have you ever written a love letter to Mother Earth? Or a letter of any kind to this orb that gives us life? If you could, what would you say? Would you express gratitude for the air, the water, the trees, the soil? Would you apologize for the harm we have caused? Would you speak to Mother Earth as

Sermon: June 28, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Why do we seek out community when it so often feels like working with others is a challenge too emotionally taxing to keep up? Why do we continue to come together when it can be just so difficult to communicate and feel understood? Here at UUFSD we have a lot of personalities. We have a lot of very learned, intelligent people, many of whom were or are leaders in their respective fields. As such, many pe

Sermon: June 21, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito This sermon was delivered in three parts by Mark Tuller (Atheist Humanist), Mary Lou Schultz (Ethical Humanist), and Rev. Heather Megill (Spiritual Humanist.) Mark Tuller: Atheist Humanism Good morning, and happy Fathers’ Day. I’m going to try to sketch out the kind of humanism that I’ve arrived at. It’s an ongoing attempt to make sense of the life I've been given. Although I am an empiricist who trusts

Sermon: June 7, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito I have a chicken coop with four chickens. They are all hens as the city of Oceanside does not allow roosters in backyard coops. Recently, however, one of my chickens has begun cock-a-doodle-doo-ing. We gave it a little bit of time, thinking it might just be a phase. When it became a parent that it was not, we sent this note to our neighbors: "Hello neighbors, we are writing to let you know that it is our

Sermon: May 31, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito As we age, we wear our experiences like clothing. That time I learned that patience is necessary is now a soft, well-worn cotton shirt that is starting to fray along the collar. That time I found out that a broken heart can heal has become the socks that make my shoes a little more comfortable. That time I discovered that you can’t control the actions of others now hangs on me like a protective winter co

Sermon: May 24, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Tomorrow is Memorial Day, the day we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country. For some of us, this day can elicit conflicted feelings. Early in our country’s history, war efforts were well supported. Wars felt justifiable. Beginning during the Korean and Vietnam wars, citizen support for overseas war activity began to diminish. Now, it can be a challenge to emotionally separate the sup

Sermon: May 10, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito There is a family of owls living in an owl house about 20 feet from my house. The neighbors have a video camera set up inside the owl house so we can watch what’s happening in their busy home. We watched while the barn owl parents moved into the house, built a nest, laid eggs, and reared four babies. Every night for weeks I have heard baby owls screeching all night long as the parents bring them food and

Sermon: April 26, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito I don’t believe in the story of Adam and Eve. I believe in science and evolution. However, I understand that there has always been a need for the Biblical story of Creation. Long ago, when evolution wasn’t a readily understandable concept, humans naturally wondered where they had come from. Besides the Biblical origin story being an entertaining and clever answer to their questions, it also served a mu

Sermon: March 29, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito There is a popular phrase people toss around when concerned about their diet. “You are what you eat.” This phrase that became popular in America in the 1930’s had been floating around Europe since the 1820’s. And it makes perfect sense, the idea that if you eat healthily you will be healthy. This direct correlation is easy for people to understand and in our modern era, we have taken the concept beyond

Sermon: March 22, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Can you remember the last time you experienced a transcendent moment or noticed the extraordinary? We all experience moments that move us, that exhibit cathartic emotions and define us as human, but what about moments that go beyond that? Some people have experiences they can’t explain, experiences that feel coincidental, touched by the divine, or even supernatural. Regardless of empirical evidence, th

Sermon: March 8, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito My best friend Richard turned 50 years old two weeks ago and his friends took him to Mexico to celebrate. They were in an Air BnB in Puerto Vallarta when bombs began to explode cars and buildings only one block from where they were staying. I asked him if it was scary and he said, “Well, you know me. I don’t get scared. I just start paying attention.” And I knew this to be true after having been best fr

Sermon: March 1, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito The father of American psychology, William James, believed that one’s existence is made up of only what one pays attention to, whether by choice or by default. I think it’s safe to say that the majority of us fall into a routine of letting our existences be made up of what we pay attention to by default. Most of us might say we “have to” pay attention to certain things, work, children, spouses, cleaning

Sermon: February 22, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito I love to garden. It is the spiritual practice that reminds me that I can heal. When the world is bleak and I’m faced with upsetting news, I go into my garden and watch the plants grow. Regardless of what is happening in the world, my plants continue to reach toward the light. They don’t give up. I have been known to take a particular plant into my care and nurture it as though it were a piece of my

Sermon: February 15, 2026 . Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Dieguito Our news feeds are full of stories and reports that we don’t want to accept. Like many of you, when I hear about what is happening in our country right now, I am appalled, saddened, afraid, and angry. All these emotions flood my system and make me want to reject what I’m hearing with a resounding “No.” Everything in me tells me that what’s happening is wrong and unconscionable. It’s not okay… When I