Into The Mystic With John Dorhauer

With the hope of the New Year, what will you resolve to do? Are you open to your new? Listen in to this week's podcast, 'Into the Mystic,' to hear the Rev. John Dorhauer's promise for 2016, a trust in the ever abiding presence of God's redeeming and transformative love. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

In this blessed Holiday season, as you celebrate the gift of God’s love made manifest in the one called Jesus; as you gather with your own loved ones, exchanging gifts and feasting together at table; as you witness once again the lengthening of the days as the light returns – remember what Jesus said was the greatest commandment of all: Love your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

Advent, week three. On the liturgical calendar, this is Gaudete Sunday – or, “Rejoice!” Sunday. It is a clear reminder that we are called to assume a posture of joy and gratitude before our Creator. In his letter to the Philipians, Paul writes “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice.” It’s easy to write to others and tell them to be happy in all circumstances when you are writing from the comfort of your luxury hotel suite while sipping good wine in front of a warm fire. Paul, though, wrote that from a prison cell. I’ve never had to sit in a prison cell. But I’ve been stuck in a hospital room not knowing if a loved one would live or die. I’ve lived through times of depression and despair. I’ve know the deep pain of watching family and friend live through utter pain, sorrow, and emptiness. I’ve trauma and tragedy. There are things I have learned I will do and won’t do through those times; things I can do and can’t do. I won’t ever look for the easy way out. I won’t attach blame to God as

In this world with so much conflict, what will it take for us to cultivate an orientation towards peace? During this second week of Advent, as John Dorhauer reflects in this week’s podcast, if there is to be peace on Earth, it may just need to begin with each and every one of us. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

As we enter the first week of Advent, we are reminded of the power of hope. As John Dorhauer reflects in this week's podcast, the gift of hope is one of the reasons for which religious experiences and spirituality exist. Encounters with the divine inspire within us a sense of both equilibrium in the midst of dire circumstances; and hope in times when others feel deep despair. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

Nothing is more precious to us than the gift of our close relationships. Yet sometimes, relationships shatter. Separation and division sever the ties that bind us. Isaiah writes about those he calls "repairers of the breach"—people who look for ways to bridge the distances between us. What would it look like for you to commit to a way of being that sought to repair the breach? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

Sometimes, a smile or a laugh is a choice we make to lighten the mood, cheer up a friend, or change our own disposition. In today’s podcast, John Dorhauer reminds us that God’s chosen disposition for us is joy, not fear. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message

What does the love of God inspire you to do? In his first podcast, "My Little Toil of Love," the Rev. John Dorhauer shares his favorite poem by Emily Dickinson to illustrate how, if we want to change the world, simple things matter. Lives change by those simple exchanges of God’s love. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/unitedchurchofchrist/message