I am a Unitarian Universalist theist strongly influenced by Buddhist philosophy. I am inspired by the Unitarian idea of the divine spark in every person, and the Universalist belief that God loves every person unconditionally. I believe in God as a sacred loving mystery that resides within me and beyond me. I cultivate my awareness of the divine and find it to be a loving source of guidance and comfort. I have also participated in two ten-day Vipassana meditation retreats and have studied Buddhism extensively. I resonate with the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path of Buddhism. I find a great deal of comfort in the idea that suffering is caused by craving and aversion, and that meditation is one way to transform this suffering into peace. I have a regular Vipassana meditation practice.

In my ministry I strive to discuss spiritual themes in a way that resonates with people with diverse theologies. In my sermons I generally use a language of religious humanism and the language of the Unitarian Universalist principles and sources. An example of this is a sermon I gave about grace. Here is a quote from that sermon: “Universalism teaches that we are always surrounded and embraced by love, whether we realize it or not. In contemporary Unitarian Universalism, we look to the idea of transcending mystery and wonder, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life. In my experience, it is the moments when we connect with the universal love that surrounds us and holds us, and when we feel this sense of transcendent wonder, that we experience grace.”