//podcastplus.net/feed/westside-unitarian-universalist-church-podcast~b826563f Weekly sermons from our Minister, Rev. Carol Bodeau, as well as lay members and guest speakers. Westside Unitarian Universalist Church is located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sat, 05 Sep 2026 04:07:59 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8734294-june-20-2021-transgenerational-colonialism-as-a-foundation-for-collective-empathy-presented-by-dr-karel-bouse-ph-d.mp3 “Transgenerational Colonialism as a Foundation for Collective Empathy” is based on the concept that as the descendants of immigrants we are all part of the colonialist system through our ancestors. Their stories live in us through family recountings, cultural institutions and in our DNA. This talk examine transgenerational transmission of conflict in the light of recent findings in the field of epigenetics and inquires how awareness of this process might encourage us to acknowledge our common colonial experiences and use that as a means of establishing empathy with others going forward. For information on our outdoor and Zoom services, please visit our website at westsideuuc.org Karel James Bouse is an Author, Educator and Integrative Spirituality and Self-Discovery Consultant. She holds Doctorates in History and Psychology and is the author of Neo-shamanism and Mental Health (2019. Palgrave Macmillan) and Transgenerational Colonialism: Wounding, Overcoming and the Reconstruction of Collective and Per... Sun, 20 Jun 2021 22:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8734294-june-20-2021-transgenerational-colonialism-as-a-foundation-for-collective-empathy-presented-by-dr-karel-bouse-ph-d.mp3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8654598-june-6-2021-time-is-on-my-side.mp3 Sun, 06 Jun 2021 21:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8654598-june-6-2021-time-is-on-my-side.mp3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8573631-may-23-2021-whatever-you-can-do-or-dream.mp3 Scottish mountaineer William Hutchisson Murray wrote the famous (and often misattributed) words: Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!   Most of us have heard this sentiment, but don't really understand its context, or what Murray really meant when he said it.  This week, let us consider what it means to truly 'commit' ourselves to a goal, action, community, or even a particular value or ethic.  Visit www.westsideuuc.org/donate to contribute to Westside. We appreciate you! *NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included. Sun, 23 May 2021 22:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8573631-may-23-2021-whatever-you-can-do-or-dream.mp3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8529175-may-16-2021-back-to-the-future.mp3 During this past year, our lives were turned upside down--and we faced anxiety, loss and isolation.  Many activities and relationships that we believed central to our lives had to be set aside.   But now things are beginning to look more hopeful and people are beginning to think about the future.  At this Voices of the Congregation service, members will share their thoughts about what they are most looking forward to as their lives become less restricted. Help keep the podcasts going by making a donation to Westside! Visit https://www.westsideuuc.org/donate  today! Sun, 16 May 2021 18:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8529175-may-16-2021-back-to-the-future.mp3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8487788-may-9-2021-virtually-home-presented-by-chris-edkins.mp3 Before March of 2020, we may have casually considered using technology to widen the circle of our Westside message, but, since then, like many others, we have been forced willy-nilly into the world of virtual church services. What have we learned that will allow us to better fulfill our mission as Unitarian Universalists, and what positive lessons can we carry forward to improve our in-person and on-line church experiences? If you like our podcasts, please consider donating to Westside! Visit www.westsideuuc.org/donate today! *NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included. Sun, 09 May 2021 21:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8487788-may-9-2021-virtually-home-presented-by-chris-edkins.mp3 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8365408-04-18-21-stone-soup-and-sandwiches.mp3?blob_id=38052394 The traditional story of "Stone Soup" is all about how individual contributions, when pulled together, make something wonderful for all to share.  As we move through the weeks of our annual canvass campaign, we have the chance to contribute to the 'soup' that is our shared community.  But perhaps we can go beyond just soup, and add some sandwiches, and even dessert!  This week, let's think about what tasty experiences and adventures we would like to have in the coming year as a community.  *NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included. Mon, 19 Apr 2021 21:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8365408-04-18-21-stone-soup-and-sandwiches.mp3?blob_id=38052394 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8320112-april-11-2021-looking-back-on-a-year-of-pandemic-life-david-howell.mp3?blob_id=37780991 For many of us, the global pandemic drove our lives to a halt. It also gave us a rare chance to be isolated with our families or, in some cases, entirely by ourselves.  Longtime Westsider Dr. David Howell offers some reflections on how we got to here--aided by the solitude-provided "thinking time" over the last year. Dr. David Howell is a retired Philosophy and World Religions professor, most recently of Pellissippi State Community College. Mon, 12 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8320112-april-11-2021-looking-back-on-a-year-of-pandemic-life-david-howell.mp3?blob_id=37780991 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8282645-april-4-2021-a-network-of-mutuality.mp3?blob_id=37559182 In his Letter From A Birmingham Jail, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that we are all caught in 'an inescapable network of mutuality.' We depend on one other, and the good of each determines the good of all.  In our annual Flower Communion, celebrated on Easter Sunday, we honor the gifts we bring to our shared community, and the needs we hope can be met here.  Let us reflect on how true mutuality is more than just friendly acquaintance, but instead a deep and real connection of practical living. Tue, 06 Apr 2021 16:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/8282645-april-4-2021-a-network-of-mutuality.mp3?blob_id=37559182 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/3527761-04-26-20-agreeing-to-see-looking-through-illusion.mp3?blob_id=12965665 In many world religions, there is a concept of the material world as ‘illusion.’  The Hindus call it “maya.”  In Christianity, the Book of Ecclesiates reminds us that “all is vanity.”  Unitarian minister and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson was fascinated with the concept of the world as illusion.  This week, we consider just what seeing through ‘illusion’ to ‘truth’ might look or feel like, and we take as our guide Toltec teacher Don Miguel Ruiz, who gives us Four Agreements which he believes will help us move through perceptual ‘unreality’ to ‘reality.’  As we try to sort through shifting messages of ‘truth’ from so many sources, we might ask ourselves how can I truly center myself, for discernment? *NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law r... Mon, 27 Apr 2020 19:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/3527761-04-26-20-agreeing-to-see-looking-through-illusion.mp3?blob_id=12965665 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/3431353-04-19-20-a-romp-through-uu-history.mp3?blob_id=12510124 This week, our topic for consideration is just what UUs past and present believe.  We can tell, just from the complexity of our name—Unitarian Universalism—that this is a story with lots of twists and turns.  This week, we will take a quick romp through the wide range of theological stances that Unitarians and Universalists have held throughout the past 2000 years, and see how those views match up with some of the current theologies of modern UUs.  And we can ask the question, “Just how is this helpful to me, in today’s world?”  *NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included. Mon, 20 Apr 2020 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.buzzsprout.com/21341/3431353-04-19-20-a-romp-through-uu-history.mp3?blob_id=12510124