My grandfather lived near the corner of Lake Chabot Road and Seven Hills Road in Castro Valley from the 1930’s into the 1950’s where he operated a chicken ranch. Raising chickens in the valley began early in the century by Portuguese and Italian families and became a thriving business with dozens of ranches covering the rural countryside.
Read MoreI have a long history of doing spiritual retreats. I have retreated at monasteries in New Mexico, and on the Big Sur coast. I have retreated in Sedona, Arizona, and in the Great Smoky Mountains, of Tennessee. But the retreat I just took in the much less glamorous locale of Lafayette, California was in many ways more special than any of them.
Read MoreYears ago I came across this definition: “The Kingdom of God is God’s love at work in us and around us.”
Read MoreNearly every Sunday we enjoy gorgeous flowers from Betty’s garden planted by Betty and Harley more than 50 years ago. It’s no surprise that the original careful planning, years of loving care, Hayward’s temperate climate and the rich alluvial soil of our western side of the California coastal range produces such a huge diverse variety of splendid year-round color.
Read More"The great spiritual teachers of the world invite us to watch our own anger and reactions to people who are difficult for us- to watch the emotions that rise and fall in us- and to be present with them. Do this with the political candidates. Where are your values in conflict with what the candidate values? Ask God to help you be a more self aware, compassionate advocate and justice seeker. This is the work of our spiritual journey."
Read MoreSpecial effects and violence seem to be the criteria for some popular TV programs, movies, and events! Perhaps underneath it all is a cry for help – a cry to rediscover something we were born with, something discouraged by down-playing curiosity while emphasizing competition. What is this un-named something so deep within us that we hunger to find it again?
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If you listen very carefully about mid-way through worship on Sunday mornings you can hear the faint blast of the diesel horn from the Capital Corridor train as rail travelers make their way between San Jose to Sacramento just as they have for 150 years. -Bill
Read MoreI invite you—in the tradition of Jesus—punctuated by a reminder from our three year old Zen Master—to breathe in coming days. Breathe through whatever curves your life throws at you. Breathe through the fear. Breathe through the disbelief. Breathe through the separation and anger. Breathe through the joy and relief. And remember in all the breathing to put down whatever it is that is keeping you from being present (Examples: anything with a screen—including cameras, work, anger, worry, resistance, self-centeredness). Relationship and presence are gateways to holiness—to the Holy Spirit—relationship with God, with each other, and with ourselves. We all—even your Pastor—need to remember that.
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There’s a magical place on the Mendocino Coast where the beach sparkles with millions of multicolor glistening translucent crystals. A small sheltered cove tucked between eroding cliffs selfishly revels the treasure at low tides and following battering winter storms.
Read MoreThe Psalmist uses a picturesque image to encourage the people to grow in their relationship with the Lord: “Like trees planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in due season, are those who delight in the Lord.” (Psalm 1:3).
Read MoreI sometimes let Clivie watch a short video before I take him to school in the morning. It gives me a chance to make coffee, unload the dishwasher, and hopefully have a few minutes to pray. Yesterday morning as I pulled out the tablet and asked him what he wanted to watch- he said emphatically “I want the show with the green dinosaur!”
Read MoreSo here I am again on a Saturday evening having just finished dinner. I had a lot of quiet time today and spent a good deal of it with a very needy cat in my lap pondering the conversation I was part of at Bible Study the other night. Of course, with many a pause to give the cat the asked for belly and chest massage, I had many small insights into how life can be as simple as just asking for what you want, and then getting it.
Read More“Spring forward and fall back!” That’s a key phrase for remembering exactly what to do with your clocks this Sunday as Day Light Saving Time begins! Someone once questioned its value with this comment: “If you cut off the bottom of the blanket and sew it to the top-end does that make the blanket any longer?”
Read MoreI enjoy movies and have always been interested in movie making. Did you know that although Hayward isn’t Hollywood our little church just may be the epicenter of East Bay film making?
Read MoreWhat is it like for Jesus as he leaves Nazareth where he is known as “the son of Joseph the carpenter” to the River Jordan where he is publically identified by God as: “This is my Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”? (Mt. 3:17) How does Jesus prepare for this new phase of his Journey? He enters the desert to pray for clarification and guidance. Have you noticed how doubts and temptations seem to appear when you feel called to do something new?
Read More"I invite you during our Lenten journey to seek out the light, listen for the wisdom, and be open to encountering the holy. As your Pastor/Photographer, I am forever hopeful about what we may encounter when we walk around the bend."
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"Oh yeah, this is the wildest ride in the wilderness. Please remain seated keep’n your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times." -Bill
Read MoreThe world will attempt to distract us with Vegas-style, darkness-shattering, flashing bright neon signs, bells, and whistles that scream “Stop here!” “Feel good here!” “Log in here!” “Get it here!” (And have your Cash, Visa, or MasterCard Ready!) But if we look carefully, beyond the clamor, deeper in the woods, into the darkerplaces, there are ancient, quiet, moss-covered signs—signs that mark a narrower but very rewarding path. There are twisted, well-worn, God-rooted markers that whisper directive and transformative words that point us toward “Forgiveness,” “Repentance,” “Justice,” “Compassion,” and “Stillness.”
Read MoreEnergy wavers as you take a deep breath, letting go of the many hectic responsibilities of this past Christmas season. “A new year is here,” you tell yourself – “Rejoice!” Perhaps you also find yourself hoping, “If only this year can be calmer, more centered, more prayerful, more peaceful, more purposeful.” Or, maybe you feel overwhelmed as you anticipate fulfilling some New Year’s resolution you’ve put on your shoulders, or anticipate what it will take to finish up what’s still undone from 2015, or face what you know is “coming down the pike” in 2016. Perhaps questions swirl around you: “Will I ever catch up?” “Will I ever accomplish all I set out to do?” “Will I have the strength?”
Read MoreKeith and I helped out at the South Hayward Winter Shelter for a bit last week. On the way home Jovanne had many questions, and I tried to explain the problem of homelessness to him and that we have to help those who have less than we do. He said, "So we have to take the people who don't have a home to our home." I told him our home wasn't big enough for the many people who don't have a home. His reply: "Yes, but every family who has a home can take a person who doesn't have a home." Such a simple solution from a five-year-old.
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The United Church of Hayward is an open and affirming church that serves the Bay Area community.
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