Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:31:23 -0400EditMySiteWed, 29 Apr 2026 13:59:35 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-april-29-2026-awakening-curiosityPRAYER:
Spirit of Life and Wonder,
We come carrying questions we barely know how to ask.
In a world that rewards quick answers and sharp certainty,
something in us is still hungry for questions that leave us hanging and unknowing.
Stir in us a living curiosity.
When we meet what is unfamiliar, turn our fear into wondering.
When we feel the pull to shut down, grant us one more honest question.
May we notice anew what we have walked past a hundred times.
May we listen for stories we have never heard before.
May we meet this day not as a problem to solve
but as a mystery to explore.
And my this help us better know the mystery that is us.
Amen and blessed be.
 
The prayer above is from my colleague Rev. Michelle Collins, offered in connection with the Soul Matters theme for the month of May: “Awakening Curiosity.”
 
This theme is very UU. We are a people who do not feel satisfied with established answers or familiar ways of thinking; we are questioners. For me, a favorite thing to say when welcoming newcomers on a Sunday morning is, “please talk to us at coffee hour where we would love to answer any questions you may have—and to question any answers you may have.” Another way that I say it is: that we are all seeking truth and meaning, and none of us has found all the answers. Curiosity, you might say, is a core trait of Unitarian Universalists.
 
 One line from Rev. Michelle’s prayer reminds me of my former profession. “May we notice anew what we have walked past a hundred times,” says the prayer. When I was a writing teacher I would say this to my students: “a poet is someone who notices, and is extremely taken by, a thing that other people walk right past.” There are things of great beauty, great interest, and great mystery all around us. The invitation is for us to cultivate a mindset of noticing and wondering.
 
And Rev. Michelle ends the prayer with a new idea: being curious about ourselves. Being curious about the outside world is one thing—curiosity about a flower, why and how it grows; curiosity about God and religion; curiosity about my fellow citizen who holds views very different from mine. But curiosity about myself has a different feeling. We think that we know ourselves and largely we do—but there are depths to our rational minds, our emotional feelings, and the physical workings of our amazing bodies, that we can still be surprised by.
 
May we engage with curiosity in the life-long quest of knowing ourselves and seeking to be the best version of ourselves that we can be.
Amen.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
April 28, 2026]]>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:19:44 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-april-22-2026Billy Collins is one of my favorite poets. Here is his poem entitled “My Hero:”
 
Just as the hare is zipping across the finish line,
the tortoise has stopped once again
by the roadside,
this time to stick out his neck
and nibble a bit of sweet grass,
unlike the previous time
when he was distracted
by a bee humming in the heart of a wildflower.
 
It dawned on me after reading this poem that the poet is reversing the outcome of the famous race. It is supposed to be the hare who is slowed down and therefore loses. He is so confident in winning that he takes a nap. So in that original version, the hare represents overconfidence and wasted talent; while the tortoise represents cleverness and determination. In the Billy Collins poem, however, the hare is fast and efficient; the tortoise is slow, distracted, and enjoying life. And the title of the poem, “My Hero,” suggests that the poet values this way of living life more highly: it is more fun and satisfying, and lends to a richer life, to be the tortoise.
 
Also in my daily reading today I encounter this thought from Meister Eckhart:
 
It is not to be learned by world-flight, running away from things, turning solitary and going apart from the world. Rather, one must learn an inner solitude, wherever or with whomsoever he may be.
 
And what connects these rather different pieces of writing, to me, is the idea of running. Eckhart’s two ways of being are expressed as running away versus learning inner peace. I would say the hare in Billy Collins’ poem is running (although toward a goal) and not achieving anything of value—winning isn’t everything, as they say. But the tortoise is like the option that Meister Eckhart espouses: be present to the beauty around you, yes; and be present to the stillness within.
 
PRAYER:
Source of All Wisdom,
May we know that running a race or running away are not always the best things to do;
May we remember instead to slow down and feel, to slow down and appreciate, to slow down and breathe.
May we love ourselves just as we are, and be true to our own nature.
Amen.


Rev. Drew Frantz
April 21, 2026

]]>Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:12:49 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-april-15-2026-pope-leo“War is always a defeat for humanity.”
-Pope John Paul II
 
This week, our U.S. president is criticizing the current Pope, and then posting an image of himself as Jesus Christ. No person of faith—or of moral character--should be silent about this. The context is that Pope Leo XIV has expressed the Catholic values of peace and compassion, speaking out against the war in Iran and the ICE deportations. This caused President Trump to post a lengthy attack against the Pope….and then, inexplicably, an image of himself as Jesus healing the sick.
 
Ironically, the Iranian president—our “enemy” in this war—responded with this post:
To His Holiness Pope Leo XIV: I condemn the insult to Your Excellency on behalf of the great nation of Iran, and declare that the desecration of Jesus, the prophet of peace and brotherhood, is not acceptable to any free person. I wish you glory by Allah.
 
Muslims hold Jesus in high regard as a prophet (not the Messiah in their belief); and the political leaders of Iran are very religious. Trump is ignorant of religion and uses its ideas and institutions only as tools for his own power. He has no shame and no respect for religion—as he proved yesterday by posting an image of himself as Jesus. Our Muslim “enemy” is honoring the pope and his Christian values; our president is attacking the pope and claiming the identity of Jesus for himself.
 
As people of faith, we must align ourselves with Pope Leo, who is speaking the truth of his religion that is in sync with Unitarian Universalist values as well. Here is what he said about his highly publicized disagreement with Trump: “I will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, promoting dialogue and multilateral relationships among the states to look for just solutions to problems. Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent people are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way.”
 
Each of us is called to speak out in our own voice, with our own truth, in times of public crisis such as this. As we honor Pope Leo, may we each find the courage to say what must be said and to do what must be done. I end with a prayer to Jesus that was spoken a few days ago by the Pope:
 
PRAYER:
May the madness of war cease
and the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who still
know how to bring forth, protect and love life.
Hear us, Lord of life! 
 
May it be so.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
April 14, 2026

]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:20:27 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-april-7-2026Life in America today has the strange feeling that we are going about our regular daily lives --work, school, buying groceries--while we are at war in Iran. Today (Tuesday April 7) has been especially surreal because the news was all about President Trump’s blasphemous Easter morning post threatening to destroy the civilian infrastructure of Iran, only to back down at the 11th hour and agree, seemingly, to a ceasefire.
 
The sickening anti-religious element of Trump’s post bothers me especially as a person of faith. He threatened a Muslim nation with military annihilation, ending the message with a sarcastic Muslim prayer. This is disgusting and immoral, and people of faith everywhere should be appalled.
 
In contrast to the war-mongering behavior of my government, I am buoyed with hope over two things I saw this past week. First, while driving through Chicago, I saw a highway billboard that read:

RAMADAN MUBARAK
Blessings of Peace
from your Muslim neighbors
​
Second, on social media today I saw a short video featuring the people of Iran: bakers, teachers, children, adults, men and women. It was a glimpse into a vibrant culture. The feeling I got from the billboard is joy: these are my people; my geographical neighbors; my siblings in spirit. They are being courageous and authentic with their faith in a way that just might soften some hearts. The feeling I get from the Facebook video is sadness: these very people filmed living their lives are now under the threat of bombs and missiles paid for by my tax dollars, and fired by my army. I’m sad for the destruction of their country and sad for the deep rift between our nations—not caused by teachers and mothers and cobblers, but by hate-filled authoritarian leaders. And this rift means that there is little chance I will ever meet these people as friends.
 
PRAYER:
God of All the Nations,
May the day soon arrive when we elect leaders who care about children and hospitals—the children of every nation--more than they do about military power.
May there be a lasting peace in the middle east; may all people and all nations commit to a common peace that benefits all.
May families and good people around the world recognize our common humanity—and may we insist on government leaders who do the same.
In the name and faith of all humanity,
May it be so.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
April 7, 2026

]]>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:46:23 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-march-25-2025-loyal-to-springThis is the first week of spring. Signs of spring on the calendar include spring break – coming up for school children here, recently passed for college students – and Easter, Ramadan, and Passover. We also see signs of spring in the natural world: some warmer days; the very earliest of spring flowers; the return of birdsong; and the longer daylight.
 
Which leads me to reflect on the spiritual significance of spring. In last Sunday’s worship service we sang “Lo, the Earth Awakes Again,” which includes the lyric How our spirits soar and sing! How our hearts leap with the spring! This certainly reflects my own joy in the season. For me the Michigan winter is challengingly long, cold and dark. The same hymn also includes this line: Now the dark cold days are o’er; Spring and gladness are before. In my spirit, I do lean into the hopeful thought that the beauty of May and the long days of the summer are before us.
 
Also on Sunday I asked Roxanne to read Mark Belletini’s poem “During Wartime.” The war in Iran is weighing heavily on my spirit and the poem speaks beautifully of the hope for a world of peace. And it contains these lines:
 
            What indeed can we do?
            We can breathe. We can feel heartache.
            We can breathe. We can be loyal to spring.
 
We can be loyal to spring. Up until now, I was thinking of what springtime does for me. Does
“being loyal to spring” mean that I give something back as well? Perhaps being loyal to spring means paying attention: being aware of the natural beauty and the miracle of the Earth orbiting the Sun. Loyalty in this case would mean: I promise to pay attention to the flowers. I pledge to appreciate the joy and hope of springtime. And in the context of the poem about war –in this world in which war and other terrible things seem to surround us – being loyal to spring means being loyal to hope. What can we do, the poet asks, in the face of war and tragedy? We can be loyal to spring: it is a two-way covenant between ourselves and nature. Nature keeps her promise every year, just when we need it the most, with the magic of spring. Our part in the bargain is to interact with the spring (physically and spiritually), keeping alive our sense of joy, wonder, and hope. In this union between ourselves and nature both parties benefit. And it would be disloyal to Spring if we stayed in darkness and despair.
 
PRAYER:
Blessed be the balance of light and dark on the equinox: the same 12 hours of day and night in every corner of the Earth.
Blessed be the melting of snow, the sunshine, and the later sunsets.
Blessed be the easing of fear in my human heart: the hope that Spring invites me into.
May the coming of spring bring joy and hope to Bagdad and Tel Aviv; to Boston and Ann Arbor.
May we rejoice in our partnership with nature and be grateful for her sacred gifts.
Amen.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
March 24, 2026

]]>Wed, 18 Mar 2026 13:09:49 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-march-18-2026-war-comes-home-to-michiganI was dismayed by the violent attack on a Jewish synagogue and preschool last week in West Bloomfield. The attacker drove his vehicle into the building. Security engaged him in a gunfight that left the attacker dead while the guards sustained some injuries. The building then caught fire. All 140 young children escaped unharmed, along with their teachers. A few days later, journalists revealed that the attacker was Lebanese, and that his two brothers were recently killed in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon.
 
 This information doesn’t justify the violent attack on a house of worship and school for little children—but it does explain it. For anyone who commits a mass shooting or similar violence, the cause is likely to include some mix of emotional anguish, mental illness, and hatred towards a certain group of people. And acts of violence beget further violence. Bombs and missiles in Lebanon lead to fire and gunshots in Michigan. In turn, the Israeli military who carried out the airstrikes may have been retaliating for past violence done by the Lebanese, which was part of a pattern of warfare in the middle east. And the attack on the synagogue in West Bloomfield may move the victims (and the public at large) to hate the attacker and his people.
 
Or it may not.
 
The cycle of violence begetting violence is part of human nature. Of course I have an instinct to punch back if you punch me—or to seek revenge if you harm my loved ones. This is how wars and terrorist attacks are perpetuated. And also part of human nature is the capacity to love and to forgive, to transcend the violence within us. It is emotionally hard to break the cycle of revenge and to choose forgiveness instead. This is deep spiritual work.
 
And our spiritual work calls us to condemn violence in all forms, as well as hatred and retaliation. As a people and as a religion, we say with one loud voice: No more war! No more gun violence! No wars of choice in the Middle East that risk American lives, destabilize the region, and create echoes of violence and pain around the world. As Unitarian Universalists we are called to resist hatred and othering in our own hearts; and to protest war, terrorism and gun violence anywhere in the world.
 
PRAYER:
God of Jews and Muslims, may there be peace and safety in the town of West Bloomfield today. May the families traumatized by this attack know healing. And may they find forgiveness and love in their hearts.
May every human have the same instinct to protect Jewish babies, and Muslim babies, Lebanese and Iranian and Israeli babies. May we nurture this loving, protective instinct within us as we reject violence and hatred.
Shalom. Salaam. Peace.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
March 17, 2026

]]>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:10:02 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-march-12-2026-attention-questions“If we were not so single-minded about keeping our lives moving, and for once could do nothing, perhaps a huge silence might interrupt this sadness of never understanding ourselves.”
-Pablo Neruda
 
Following the theme for March of “Paying Attention,” I extend an invitation to engage with the questions below—as a spiritual practice rather than as an intellectual exercise. You’re invited to find a question that speaks to you and to sit with it regularly over a period of time. It’s about living with the question, rather than coming up with an answer. This different way of engaging with questions takes some getting used to.
 
In that spirit, I invite you to read through these questions about atention--and if one grabs you, to think about it regularly. I’d love to hear what you come up with. Of course, the most fruitful question about attention may be one that is not listed here, but one that you come up with for yourself.
 
1.  As a child, which of your senses was your favorite way of paying attention to the world?
2. When growing up, what one or two things, above all others, did your family communicate were worthy of attention? Beauty? Duty? Kindness? Humility? Honesty? Reputation? Education? Loyalty? Success? God?
3. When was the last time paying attention left you astonished? What would it mean to have more of these moments in your life?
4. Do you need to stop beating yourself up for avoiding paying attention to an overwhelming or painful part of your life?
5. Is it time to finally pay attention to that overwhelming or painful thing you’ve been avoiding?
6. Are you wasting your attention and energy on people who take you for granted? 
7. Wise ones tell us that we become what we give our attention to. What has more of your attention - and more of you - than you want?
8. As you’ve aged, what new things have grabbed your attention in a way they haven’t before? How are you a different kind of person because of this?
9. Where in your life would it help to say, 'Look what's happening!' rather than 'Look what's happening to me!'?
10. Have you ever given your attention so deeply to something that you suddenly felt one with it?  How did it change your living and loving?
11. Are you paying enough attention to yourself?
 (from Soul Matters March 2025 small group discussion guide)
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
March 10, 2025

]]>Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:38:08 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-march-4-2026-righteous-anger 
“I don’t know how to preach the day after bombs fall.
I don’t know how to preach when children die
and when neighbors are pulled from cars
and when trans citizens wake up to find their identities legally erased.
But I do know this:
If you are not angry about those things, something holy in you has gone numb.”
 
I found these words on the Facebook page of the United Church of Christ in Northfield, Minnesota. Their post goes on to differentiate between rage and righteous anger: “Rage destroys for the sake of destruction. Righteous anger disrupts in order to restore.” They point to the well-known example of Jesus throwing over the tables of the money-changers in the temple. This is legitimate anger leading to an appropriate action. But Jesus doesn’t stay there smashing tables—he moves on after making his point and doing what he needs to do. Similarly, we must allow our anger to spur us into action, but we shouldn’t wallow in that anger.
 
Last Sunday I talked about paying attention to the news, and I gave two of the examples mentioned above: the unauthorized war in Iran, and the anti-transgender legislation in Kansas. When I pay attention to these things, my feelings are anger, fear, and sadness. The anger, as discussed above—as well as the fear—should prompt me to action. (In this case, my action is making an ongoing donation to Pink Haven Coalition, an organization helping transgender people access safety and necessary services across state lines.) And the sadness I feel points me toward compassion and connection. Transgender people are my family. The Iranian people are my cousins. I’m angry that they are being targeted, and I’m sad that they are being harmed. This feeling of sadness is a gateway to keeping my heart alive and not becoming numb. The sadness reminds me that I care about people and want them to be well. And while these feelings are unpleasant, I would rather feel them than not to. May we all remain appropriately engaged: remembering our love for our fellow humans, and acting with righteous anger when we need to.
 
PRAYER:
Allah…Jesus…God of many names and no name…
The world weeps today as fighter planes drop loads of bombs on Iran; as missiles retaliate; as trees, buildings, soldiers, and bystanders are demolished.
May the leaders of nations and armies discover sanity and mercy—may they remember that they love their children, and that every casualty of war is some mother’s child, someone’s brother.
May the people of the world unite to demand an end to war—to demand schools and art museums over bunkers and fortresses.
May it be so.
Rev. Drew Frantz
March 3, 2026

]]>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:52:40 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-february-26-2026-alysa-liuMinister’s Column: “Alysa Liu”
 
I enjoyed watching the winter Olympics the past two weeks. This year I watched more curling than I ever have in my life, understanding the rules and strategy for the first time. But it was the figure skating that really grabbed me—especially the moving story of Alysa Liu.
 
USA figure skater Alysa Liu was the youngest ever national champion in 2019, when she was just 13 years old. Three years later, however, shortly after the 2022 Olympics, she announced her retirement from skating. She decided that she had had enough of the pressure and the grind of international competition—in a sport where you train endless hours year-round for a competition that lasts a few minutes. She wanted to live her own life, to have friends and do normal things. And then, a few years later, she returned to skating—but this time it was on her own terms. As her coach said, the younger version of Alysa did what everyone else said to do (and was very good at it), while the post-retirement Alysa did things her way.
 
Watching her compete last week at the Milan Olympics, 20 year-old Alysa Liu had a totally different energy than the other skaters. She was loose, free, and joyful. She said that she was just happy to be there, intending to enjoy the experience, and didn’t care whether or not she won a medal. This non-stressed attitude is totally different from the other competitors—for most of whom you can see the tension in their face. Because of her joyful approach, Alysa skated extremely well and won the gold medal.
 
Watching this from home, I thought, This woman has found the key to life. She skated her best (which turned out to be the best in the world) because she was relaxed. She had nothing to prove to herself; she did not need the approval of judges, parents, coaches, or anyone else. She re-discovered her joy in skating after quitting for a few years, and managed to keep it in the right size in her life. Ironically, not caring about winning allowed her to win.
 
I think we all can learn from this example: may we be at peace with our abilities and our tasks; may we do what we love to do and are good at doing. And may we do the best we can, for the joy of doing it.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
February 24, 2026
 
Tao te Ching, verse 24 (trans. Stephen Mitchell):
 
He who stands on tiptoe
doesn’t stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn’t go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can’t know who he really is.
He who has power over others
can’t empower himself.
He who clings to his work
will create nothing that endures.
 
If you want to accord with the Tao,
just do your job, then let go.]]>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:00:53 GMThttps://www.uufcm.org/ministerrsquos-column/ministers-column-february-18-2026-rev-jesse-jacksonToday Rev. Jesse Jackson died. A human rights advocate and political figure, he bridged the civil rights era of Martin Luther King and the modern era of Barack Obama. Jesse Jackson was present when Martin Luther King was killed, and went on television the following day wearing clothing stained by his blood. In the years and decades that followed, Jackson did a lot to advance civil rights for Black Americans. A serious candidate for president in 1984 and 1988, Jackson won as much as 29% of the Democratic primary vote. His presence as a political leader and his advocacy for voting rights contributed to the eventual election of our first Black president.
 
This death comes during the month when we celebrate Black History. Two counterpoints in today’s news demonstrate the importance of that history. First, as a society we decide what to celebrate from our past: heroes to lift up as examples of values-based living. Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King, and Barack Obama are such men. Charlie Kirk is not. Yet Florida and a few other states are trying to pass laws to commemorate Kirk—whose stated views were blatantly racist. As one Black Florida lawmaker stated, this is like having a law proposed by the KKK.
 
The second counterpoint to celebrating Jesse Jackson is the removal of historical exhibits, under the Trump administration, honoring Black history. In a positive development yesterday, a judge ordered Trump to restore a slavery exhibit that he had removed from George Washington’s home in Philadelphia.
 
History matters. Our values matter—as expressed in our laws, in our museums, in our history books, and in our holidays. As Unitarian Universalists, we recommit ourselves again this day to racial justice. We hold love as the highest value, and we fiercely believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The life and deeds of Jesse Jackson are in line with these values. Let us remember him in honor and pledge to do what we can with our voice in our time.
 
PRAYER:
Rev. Jesse, child of South Carolina and of Chicago, rest in peace.
Rest in power, brother Jackson. We can still hear your powerful voice making speeches at the Democratic National Convention, offering hope and inspiration.
May your legacy be one of hope and of increasing freedom and justice.
May we continue that work today and every day.
Amen.
 
Rev. Drew Frantz
February 17, 2026

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