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Monthly Theme Resources
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March – Wilderness
February – Guilt and Shame
January – Trust and Faith
December – Resistance/Surrender
November – Abundance
October – Awe and Humility
September – Promises
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| MARCH - WILDERNESS |
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BOOKS |
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The Wisdom of Wilderness: Experiencing the Healing Power of Nature
by Gerald G. May
“In the early 1990s, May took frequent, solitary trips to campsites beautiful and
dear to him, relishing nature in all of her glory, violence, beauty, and power.
Here he shares the lessons learned during those sojourns and acquired later during
[his] chemotherapy.” |
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The Epic of Gilgamesh, various translators
The oldest epic poem written tells the story of the young, arrogant king Gilgamesh
and his wild, untamed companion, Enkidu, and their journey to find the Spring of
Youth. |
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A Desert in the Ocean by David Adam
“The spiritual journey according to St. Brendan the Navigator.” Includes meditations
and exercises for those seeking spiritual adventure. |
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Earth Bound: Daily Meditations for All Seasons by Brian Nelson
and Earth Prayers edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon |
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Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick.
“The voyage of the Mayflower was a painful and fatal (one crew member died) transatlantic
passage by people who knew nothing about the sea and had ‘almost no relevant experience
when it came to carving a settlement out of the American wilderness.’” The de-mythologized
experience of the Pilgrims. |
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Anything by or about John Muir |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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Earth Heroes: Champions of the Wilderness, by Carol Malnor. Ages
4-8.
Now more than ever our planet needs Earth Heroes. This eloquent book takes us on
a journey through the personal lives of the most renowned naturalists, describing
their lasting influence on the world. |
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The Earth is My Mother by Bev Doolittle Ages 9-12
When an eleven years old girl, wise beyond her years, deeply feels for the earth
and its endless bounty of beauty and truth embarks on a journey that encompasses
the circle of life. Her "vision quest" begins to save a magical canyon. |
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The Lorax. The ecological Dr. Seuss. |
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Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
“…an enchanting fable for children and adults, promotes a deeper understanding of
the earth and our relationship with all the beings who inhabit it.” Beautifully
illustrated by Cheng-Khee Chee |
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Hawk, I’m Your Brother and other books by Byrd Baylor
“A Native American boy captures a hawk in the hope that he can also capture some
sense of its ability to fly.” |
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FILMS |
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Everest: (1999)
The world's most challenging mountain, so tempting to mountain climbers, is given
thorough treatment here…Hold on tight. |
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Into the Wild: Jon Krakauer's bestselling nonfiction book adapted
for film.
Shortly after graduation, Chris gives his life savings to charity, burns all of
his identification, and begins hitchhiking across America, his ultimate goal being
Alaska |
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Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (2002)
A heavy-machine operator and a forest fairy team up to save the rainforest. |
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Alone in the Wilderness (2005)
Dick Proenneke leaves behind the hustle and bustle of civilization to build a cabin
and a live in the wild. |
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The Bear (1989)
Young orphaned bear “adopted” by wise adult male bear who teaches him many lessons
of survival. Set in British Columbia and featuring exquisite wilderness scenery. |
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| FEBRUARY - GUILT AND SHAME |
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BOOKS |
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Freedom from Fear; Finding the Courage to Love, Act, and Be by
Forrest Church
Probes our five great fears: fright (physical fear), worry (intellectual fear),
guilt (fear of getting caught), insecurity (fear of inadequacy) and dread (fear
of death) |
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Without a Map by Meredith Hall
In 1965, Hall became pregnant at 16. She was forced to leave school and shunned
by her family and friends. Her child was forcibly put up for adoption. A lifetime
later, they are reunited. “This painful memoir builds to a quiet resolution, as
Hall comes to grips with her own aging, the complexities of forgiveness and the
continuity of life.” (Publisher’s Weekly review) |
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Shame and Grace: Healing the Shame We Don’t Deserve by Lewis B.
Smedes
“If you persistently feel don't measure up, you are feeling shame -- that "vague",
undefined heaviness that presses on our spirit, dampens our gratitude for the goodness
of life," and diminishes our joy. The good news is that shame can be healed.” |
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The Courage to Heal: A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
The classic and definitive self-help guide for women survivors of sexual abuse,
now in its 4th edition. |
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Guilt is the Teacher, Love is the Lesson by Joan Borysenko
The author of the best selling Minding the Body, Mending the Mind, offers a compassionate,
healing guide for overcoming the devastating effects of guilt. |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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The Day I Killed James by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Young Adult.
This compelling tale of love and loss is about broken hearts and how to begin to
repair your own. |
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No Shame, No Fear by Ann Turnbell. Young adult.
Set in England in 1662 this is a romance between Susanna, a quaker girl and Will,
a wealthy student at a time when Quakers were persecuted. Explores religious freedom,
morality, class differences, faith and love. |
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All-Star Fever: A Peach Street Mudders Story by Matt Christopher.
Ages 4-8.
A young boy breaks his parents rules in order to try out for the all star baseball
team and learns a good lesson |
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The Wizard, the Ugly, and the Book of Shame by Pablo Bernasconi.
Ages 6-10.
A beautifully illustrated story of a wizard and his ugly assistant who steals his
master's book of spells with surprising results. |
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FILMS |
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Amadeus (1984).
The incredible story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, told in flashback mode by Antonio
Salieri - now confined to an insane asylum |
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I’ve Loved You For So Long (2009)
Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a frail, haunted woman, an ex-doctor
who's a shell of her former self. Having served 15 years in prison for an unspeakable
crime, she's back on the "outside." With nowhere else to go, she comes to live with
her loving but estranged sister Lea. Together the sisters embark on a painful but
redemptive journey back from life's darkest edge in this gripping drama of struggle
and salvation. |
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The Reader (2009)
What is the nature of guilt--and how can the human spirit survive when confronted
with deep and horrifying truths? The Reader, a hushed and haunting meditation on
these knotty questions, is sorrowful and shocking, yet leavened by a deep love story
that is its heart. |
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Sophie’s Choice (1982)
A Polish Catholic who survived Auschwitz settles in America after World War II.
A personalized view of the Holocaust and its devastating effect on one woman who
survived it but lost her children |
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| JANUARY – TRUST AND FAITH |
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BOOKS |
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The SPEED of Trust by Stephen M.R. Covey
How to nurture trust in our personal and professional lives. |
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Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg
A Buddhist takes on the meaning of faith. |
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Have a Little Faith: A True Story by Mitch Albom.
A book about a life's purpose; about losing belief and finding it again; about the
divine spark inside us all. |
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Speaking of Faith: Why Religion Matters and How to Talk About It
by Krista Tippett.
Spiritual memoir by host of NPR’s weekly show, Speaking of Faith. |
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The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason by
Sam Harris
One man’s case for why faith is “the most dangerous element of modern life.” |
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Why Faith Matters by David J. Wolpe A rabbi’s defense of religion |
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The Future of Faith by Harvey Cox
Looks at the history of Christianity and then imagines its future |
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Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development by James W.
Fowler
Faith as “a person’s way of leaning into and making sense of life.” Describes six
stages of faith development |
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This I Believe and This I Believe II by Jay Allison
Two collections of personal credos – faith statements – by celebrities and ordinary
folks |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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Faith by Maya Ajmera, Madga Nakassis and Cynthia Pon. Ages 5-9.
Celebrate faith around the world in its many expressions: praying, singing, learning,
caring and more |
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In God We Trust: Stories of Faith in American History by Timothy
Crater. Ages 9-12.
Collection of stories highlighting people in history with an emphasis on how that
person¹s faith in God played an important part in the development of America. |
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How Could You?: Kids Talk About Trust by Nancy Loewen.
Ages 7-10. A13-year-old advice columnist gives advice to other students. |
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Trust Me, Mom by Angela McAllister. Ages 4-8
Ollie’s first trip to the store by himself…and he learns that he can trust himself
to take care of himself |
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FILMS |
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Agnes of God (1985)
Man's doubt vs. his desire for faith: Agnes herself wants to believe, as does the
viewer, that her conception was 'of God'. |
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The Last Mile (1959)
“Sometimes you have to put your faith in what you can't see. In what you wish.” |
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Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
“Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to." |
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A Bell for Adano (1945)
WWII movie about occupying American troops who restore religious faith in the village
by restoring the bell for the church.
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Field of Dreams (1989)
“If you build it, they will come.” |
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| DECEMBER – RESISTANCE/SURRENDER |
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BOOKS |
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Living Consciously, Dying Gracefully by Nancy Manahan and Becky
Bohan
Memoir of a nursing professor who lives with and dies from breast cancer. A story
of both resistance and surrender in the face of illness. |
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Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times
by Amy Goodman and David Goodman
Tells the stories of everyday people who take a chance and stand up for what they
believe. |
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Peace in Our Lifetime; Insights from the World’s Peacemakers by
Susan Skog.
Step by step instructions for resolving conflicts and creating peace, at home and
in the wider world. |
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Geographies of Resistance by Steve Pile and Michael Keith.
The contributors introduce unexplored notions of resistance, offering exciting insights
for those exploring social, cultural, urban, political and development issues in
different worlds of change. |
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Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching: A Book About the Way and the Power of the Way
by Ursula K. Le Guin |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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Darkness over Denmark: The Danish Resistance and the Rescue of the Jews
by Ellen Levine. Grade 5-8
This fascinating account pays homage to the remarkable
efforts of the Danish people to smuggle the vast majority of their country's Jewish
citizens to safety in Sweden during World War II. |
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Festival of Lights: The Story of Hanukkah by Maida Silverman Ages
5-8.
The story of the resistance of the Maccabees. |
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The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate by Janice Cohn
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on a true story that took place in Billings, Montana. |
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Stand up for Yourself and Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness and
Finding a Better Way by Patti Kelley Criswell and Angela Martini
Helps
girls resist bullying. |
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FILMS |
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Weapons of the Spirit and The Reckoning: Remembering the Dutch Resistance
Two documentaries, which describe how ordinary people resisted the Nazis
and saved thousands of Jews from extermination during World War II. |
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Letting Go (1985)
John Ritter and Sharon Gless star as two people who join a therapy group for the
broken hearted and learn to let go of old baggage and begin again. |
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The Violin (2008)
Musicians and humble farmers play a role in the guerilla movement’s armed resistance
to the oppressive government |
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The Grocer’s Son (2008)
With is father sick, thirty-year-old Antoine is forced to leave the city and return
to his family and the lifestyle he thought he had left behind.
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Freedom Song (2000)
Small town citizens risking their lives to gain their civil rights. |
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NOVEMBER – ABUNDANCE
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BOOKS |
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The Tao of Abundance: Eight Ancient Principles for Living Abundantly in the
21st Century by Lawrence Boldt.
According to Boldt, everyone can live abundantly by identifying their true sources
of happiness, by following the path of least resistance, and by redirecting energy
that is unnecessarily tied up in the daily struggle to survive in our culture. |
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The Trance of Scarcity by Victoria Castle
Confronts the prevailing myths in our culture of "not enough" and "not good enough."
These fallacies limit the ability of individuals to fully embrace their lives and
create abundance. |
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The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economy by Riane
Eisler.
Proposes a new “caring economics,” from sustaining activities of the household,
to the life-enriching activities of caregivers and communities, to the life-supporting
processes of nature. |
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In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed and Under Pressure: Rescuing
our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting by Carl Honore
Two books by a Canadian journalist who has written extensively about the Slow Movement |
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Unplug the Christmas Tree by Jo Robinson and Jean Coppock Staeheli
Classic manual filled with advice on how to make the holiday season less materialistic
and more spiritual. |
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Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet by Alisa Smith and
J.B. Mackinnon
Two people, one year, trying to eat only foods grown within a 100-mile radius of
their apartment. |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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It’s Not What You’ve Got by Wayne Dyer, Kristina Tracy
Addresses the topics of money and abundance, with the understanding that children’s
earliest thoughts and perceptions about money are those that will last throughout
their lives. |
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The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor
Mountain Girl (nicknamed for her place of birth) would like her parents to earn
more money so they could have nicer things. |
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Mama Panya's Pancakes by Mary Chamberlain
Kenyan cross between "Stone Soup" and the story of the loaves and the fishes. |
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Just Enough And Not Too Much by Kaethe Zemac
Simon the Fiddler has a very good life. He lives in a cozy little house; sleeps
in a comfy bed; and has plenty to eat, a soft hat to wear, good friends, and a beautiful
fiddle. One day, he decides, "I want more!" |
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FILMS |
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18 Secrets To Abundance - Well-Being, Doing, Having (2006)
"Be fruitful and multiply," God tells man in Genesis. But exactly how much is enough?
This presentation, a blend of natural vistas with inspiring quotations, gives viewers
the tools to find the proper balance in their own lives. |
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The Lost Boys of Sudan
Follows two Sudanese refugees on an extraordinary journey from Africa to
America. Here they find themselves confronted with the abundance and alienation
of contemporary American suburbia. |
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The Good Earth
A young farmer named Wang Lung marries a selfless, loyal slave girl, O-Lan. Wang
is initially devoted to the land and rises to prosperity. Later, however, Wang deserts
the land and takes a second wife and tragedy threatens to overwhelm him. Eventually
Wang realizes that the land and O-Lan mean more to him than his wealth. |
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Affluenza and Escape from Affluenza
PBS documentaries about the high social and environmental costs of materialism
and overconsumption.
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It’s a Wonderful Life
Classic film about George Bailey who wishes he had more before finally
realizing that he has more than enough. |
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OCTOBER – AWE AND HUMILITY
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BOOKS |
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A Private History of Awe by Scott Russell Sanders
“Sanders' thoughtful reflections on the cycles of life, the flashpoints of awe,
and our quest for meaning are quietly revelatory.” |
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Awe: The Delights and Dangers of our Eleventh Emotion by Raul Pearsall
A neurobiologist writes about the importance of having a sense of awe. |
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Reverence: Renewing a Forgotten Virtue by Paul Woodruff
Woodruff “defines reverence very simply as ‘the well-developed capacity to have
the feelings of awe, respect, and shame when these are the right feelings to have,’
and as ‘the virtue that keeps human beings from trying to act like gods.’ [He asks
how we can] recover reverence and act more reverently?” |
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When God is Gone Everything is Holy by Chet Raymo
“In this rigorous and wonder-filled paperback, Raymo describes his ‘late-life credo,’
…[and] confesses that ‘faith no longer matters to me so much as attention, wonder,
celebration, praise.’” |
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The Power of Humility: Choosing Peace over Conflict in Relationships
by Charles Whitfield, et al.
“From four of America's top experts on emotional healing, spirituality and recovery,
comes a new approach to solving the conflicts that cause us both physical and emotional
stress. [The authors] explain that having humility doesn’t mean being a doormat…-
it's about being authentic, open and understanding”. |
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The Poetry of Mary Oliver
Oliver artfully leads us on a journey to pay attention and notice with awe and wonder
the grandeur of the natural world, and helps us to better understand our place in
that world. |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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The Tower: A Story of Humility by Richard Paul Evans
A young boy, determined to be great, builds a tower so that he can look down on
everyone in the village. Eventually he learns that “to be great is not to be higher
than another, but to lift another higher.” |
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The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
A little cat comes to the home of a poor Japanese artist and, by humility and devotion,
brings him good fortune.
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Brother Bartholomew and the Apple Grove by Jan Cheripko
An ambitious monk earns a lesson in humility when he encounters Brother Bartholomew,
the old monk who tends the apple grove.
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The Wonderful Happens by Cynthia Rylant
Describes some of the things that bring happiness and awe into our lives, including
a baby bird, fresh-baked bread, snow, clocks, the moon, and more.
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FILMS |
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Departures (2008)
Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Language Film. A Japanese musician loses his
job, has a sort of mid-life crisis, takes a humble job in the funeral industry,
and develops a deep respect – even a sense of awe and wonder – for life in the face
of death. |
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Contact (1997)
A great space movie about the search for intelligent life on other planets, which
explores the theme of awe and wonder, reminding us of how vast the universe is and
how small we are by comparison. |
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The Fisher King (1991)
A modern day fairy tale that explores the themes of pride and humility as a radio
personality “tries to find redemption by helping a homeless man whose life he inadvertently
shattered.” |
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Gandhi (1982) and An Uncommon Kindness: The Father Damien Story
(2006)
Two movies about great men whose lives exemplified the virtue of humility and service
to others. |
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The National Parks: America’s Best Idea by Ken Burns
Six-part series currently airing on PBS. |
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SEPTEMBER – PROMISES
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BOOKS |
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Marriage from the Heart: 8 Commitments of a Spiritually Fulfilling Life Together
by Lois
Kellerman and Nelly Bly
Written by a pastoral counselor and ethical culture leader, this book explores the
“eight core commitments that form the heart of true intimacy.” Includes exercises. |
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Promises I Made My Mother by Sam Haskell
A memoir by successful Hollywood executive, Sam Haskell, about the formation of
his character. |
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Vows: The Story of a Priest, a Nun, and Their Son by Peter Manseau
A “deeply personal memoir” and “a meditation on family, church, faith and self.” |
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Promises to Keep by Joe Biden
In his autobiography, “Biden shows us how the guiding principles he learned early
in life–the obligation to work to make people’s lives better, to honor family and
faith, to get up and do the right thing no matter how hard you’ve been knocked down,
to be honest and straightforward, and, above all, to keep your promises–are the
foundations on which he has based his life’s work as husband, father, and public
servant.” |
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Our Covenant by Alice Blair Wesley
A very interesting series of lectures on UU history and polity. |
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Walking Together: Polity and Participation in UU Churches by Conrad
Wright
“The history of church autonomy in the Unitarian and Universalist traditions.” More
on our covenantal (vs. creedal) tradition. |
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CHILDREN'S BOOKS |
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A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch, Michael Kusugak, Vladanya
Keykorka
“An Inuit girl disobeys her parents and goes out on the dangerous sea ice. She is
stolen by the dangerous Kallipilluit people who live under the ice. To escape, she
makes a rash promise…” |
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Angel City by Tony Johnston
An old farmer finds a baby abandoned on a lonely L.A. street and vows to raise it
as his own.
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The Crane Wife by Odds Bodkin
This classic Japanese folktale…gently explores the nature of love, promises, and
betrayal. |
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Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss
Horton the elephant “is persuaded to sit on an egg while its mother, the good-for-nothing
bird lazy Maysie, takes a break. Little does Horton know that Maysie is setting
off for a permanent vacation in Palm Springs. He waits, and waits, never leaving
his precarious branch, even through a freezing winter and a spring that's punctuated
by the insults of his friends.” |
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FILMS |
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The Promise (2006)
Six-year-old Emily wants nothing more than to spend time with her father. Emily's
father, despite good intentions, constantly makes promises he is unable to keep. |
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Promises (2001) by B.Z. Goldberg
“A powerful portrait of seven Palestinian and Israeli children who live in and around
Jerusalem”. |
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Liar Liar (1997)
Jim Carrey's character keeps promising his son things but never comes through; eventually
his son makes a wish that his dad couldn't lie anymore. |
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10 Promises to My Dog (2008)
Japanese movie about a young girl and her relationship with her dog, including the
promises she makes, breaks, and then renews. |
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