WellSprings Congregation Revs. Lee Paczulla & Ken Beldon

Ken introduces a "gifts discernment" chart which asks you to plot things you both like and dislike, and things you're good at and things you aren't. This connects with our first SpiritFlix movie of this year: Soul. A movie which explores this very question. What are you good at, and what what brings you vitality. Holding tightly versus holding lightly. This is demonstrated in the movie by showing souls in a flow state, versus souls in a state of fixation. What happens if we hold onto experiences, even positive ones, too tightly? What happens if we hold them with a lighter touch.

This week, Rev. Lee talks about little moments that sneak up on you and stay with you forever. She remarks on the differences between what “adulting” looks like to younger people observing adults, and what it actually means to the people living it.

Our Heirloom Connection Penpals this week are Nan and Tina, and Julie and Ron. Nan and Tina talk about a shared interest in counseling, and how their life circumstances effected their ability to pursue that. Ron shares a story about how he met his wife. Julie shares a story about her first year as a mother.

Josie opens this message by talkin gabout the thrill of playing Pong on the TV for the first time. She also mentions the moral panic about videogames taking place at the time, whereas Josie sees them as an intro to crucial computer skills. This highlights the need for communication and connection among the generations.
We share more conversations between pen pals born in the 2010s and the 1940s, respectively, about everything from the differences in technology and playground equipment, to what everyday life is like now and then. We conclude with a song about "trying" from a young friend.

This week, Rev. Ken opens with a quote about spirituality by Walt Whitman.
Continuing in our Heirloom Connections series, we share Evan and Micah’s pen pal videos. They’re asked to describe their “Ows and their Wows.” This brings them to some heavy topics, with some big and broad ideas, but they also look at the smaller things too – particularly superheroes.
Ken also ponders astronaut Michael Collins, who had some spiritually enlightened things to say about being the furthest person ever away from the Earth.

Rev. Lee opens our new Message series by recounting "The Josh Battle." She remarks how right it feels that “Little Josh” was allowed to win. This is the way it’s supposed to be when we say we want better for our kids. She also shares a recent "Maslow Got it Wrong" article. She highlights the difference between the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs and the “teepee” of the Blackfoot Indian Tribe.
Rev. Lee speaks a bit about our current message series by remarking on the importance of tradition and connecting with younger generations. We share the first of several pen pal videos from two congregation members.

This week, Rev. Ken talks about the Mountain Goats album "Life of the World to Come" and explains how it's the inspiration for this message. He talks about the concept of "temporal distancing" and how it can be a useful tool in mindfulness practice. He tells us about a time when - quite unexpectedly - he experienced a profound change in perspective. Given this week's events, Rev. Ken takes a moment to reflect on the George Floyd murder trial, before taking us through a thought exercise about being a child in a classroom.