First U Think

Send us Fan Mail Join members of the congregation's Transgender Action Group on an introspective journey into the hearts and minds, the pleasures and pitfalls, ecstasies and anxieties of what it is like to be transgender, in public and in private. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Some Pagans and witches consider the end of October as the end and beginning of the liturgical year. Called Samhain, Hallowtide, or All Hallows, it’s a time to take one last look at the year: all that’s grown, all that’s come to fruit, and all that’s passed on. Everything in our world eventually comes to an end, and this can allow new things the room to come into being. Through th...

Send us Fan Mail We must tell and LISTEN to stories of individual experiences in order to draw the circle of love wide. Join Rev. Kimberley Debus for this sermon about love and inclusion. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Join us for this fascinating service. Rebecca Gibson is an independent scholar, whose published works include “Desire in the Age of Robots and AI: An Investigation in Science Fiction and Fact” (Palgrave Macmillan 2019), “The Corseted Skeleton: A Bioarchaeology of Binding” (Palgrave Macmillan 2020), and "Gender, Supernatural Beings, and the Liminality of Death: Monstrous Males...

Send us Fan Mail Mental illness has been called the “non-casserole disease”. When your child is seriously physically ill, it is common for neighbors and friends to bring casseroles, and offer to help. But if we learn that someone’s son is diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, or that their daughter has attempted suicide, we stay away. As Unitarians, we understand the inherent worth and dignity of all...

Send us Fan Mail It has been said that all that is necessary for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. What does it look like, then, for good people to interrupt evil? Must we be rude? In a word: yes. Yes, we must. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Our Unitarian Universalist faith values independence -- freedom of belief, freedom of thought, and more -- but we also value interdependence -- connection to and support of one another, connection to and honoring of the earth and its creatures.  So for this holiday weekend we'll look at how to hold these things in balance in our faith and in our lives. Join Rev. Dr. Cynthia L...

Send us Fan Mail As Unitarian Universalists, we're compelled to heal and help others by refilling their vessels. But sometimes, we're refilling from our own empty vessels. This service is about learning to fill and heal ourselves first, before we take care of others.  Join music therapist and UCDSM member Meghan Westphal for this engaging service using music and imagery.  Support the sho...

Send us Fan Mail Australian Indigenous activist, Lilla Watson, says, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”  Join our guest preachers, the Rev. Laura Randall and Heather Vickery of UUSC, as we explore how to create together the beloved community.  Support the show

Send us Fan Mail As the landscape around us continues to shift seemingly from one day to the next, how do we transition from a state of languishing – not quite depressed, but not really thriving – to one in which we can flourish? Join us as we explore what positive psychology has to teach us about living into wellbeing, even in the midst of uncertainty. Join us for this service lead by Heidi Levin...

Send us Fan Mail For some witches and Pagans, Lammas is the first of three points in the year honoring the harvest. It asks us to focus on the “first harvests” of our lives and in the world around us. Literal harvests often go through changes to become the products we love, and we can also apply this observation to our metaphorical harvests. Join us in considering what we harvest in our lives, how...

Send us Fan Mail The Awakening Hearts Sangha of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines presents this lovely celebration of the Buddhist holiday of Vesak Support the show

Send us Fan Mail No matter who we are, making sense of our lives and seeking out direction is a profound commonality we share as human beings. It is a journey that many people make in each other’s company, often in religious or spiritual communities. But for a variety of reasons, many LGBTQ people struggle to feel welcome in joining and staying in these communities. Join us as we consider what it...

Send us Fan Mail Join Janice Hawkins, Linda Lemons, and Ron Heideman as they discuss Earth Day and Pachamama Alliance of Iowa Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This thoughtful talk  by Harvey Harrison explores the work of Isabel Wilkerson and her book Caste - The Origins of Our Discontent . Ms. Wilkerson uses the framework of this Caste system, deeply imbedded in our institutions and in all of us, to describe how systemic racism in our country is maintained. She uses the history and the current status of the Caste system in India, the Ca...

Send us Fan Mail After being in the grip of the Coronavirus Pandemic for over a year, the vaccines have most people looking forward with anticipation and joy to the day they’ll be reunited with family and friends. But there are many millions who suffer from another pandemic for which there is no vaccine. For them, it will be, in the words of Paul McCartney, “just another day.” Please join us on th...

Send us Fan Mail As we travel life’s path, we find that its ways are never woven in a straight line – we are provided with numerous options and alternatives.  Some of these paths will lead us to joy; some to sorrow.  Still others will lead to insight and self-realization.   But life’s journey should not be spent in always contemplating what lies at the end, or in building up hopes and dreams relat...

Send us Fan Mail One Good Year - Resolutions or Intentions: What will we practice in the coming year? Support the show