Unity of Farmers Branch (Formerly The Church Of One Love)

At COOL we don’t necessarily follow an “organized” path, but we do have some fundamental beliefs: oneness and unconditional love. In this new year, let’s get back to basics and explore these foundational ideas.  What is Oneness? What does it mean to teach only love?  Are there really many paths, and are they all equally valuable? 

Perhaps we have all said this to ourselves a few times in our lives, when what we must have thought was a good idea at the time, turned out to be less than useful, or worse!  If we believe that we should lead an examined life, then let’s begin today to open the hood just a little higher and see what we can find by asking this simple question:  “What is it within Me that would cause Me to choose th...

Burning Bowl Sunday!  Changed by the rebirth experience, we cannot keep being, doing what we’ve always done.  What will we claim? What will we need to release first?  Join us as we identify (and set fire to—literally!) what we wish to release from the old year, and claim our new good for the coming one!  Mark your calendars and invite a few friends for this fun and festive annual tradition!

When we become conscious of the birth of the Spirit of Love and Light within, our lives change.  Just as the Magi, after visiting the baby Jesus, were instructed to take a different route home in order to avoid falling into Herod’s schemes, our new awareness calls us to approach our lives from a different direction, with different energy and attitudes.

Christmas Eve traditionally marks the birth of Jesus—a symbol of innocence and infinite possibility for all of us—and reminds us to celebrate the continual re-birth of that Spirit of love and light in ourselves. Please join us at 6 pm for a contemplative Candles & Carols service, beginning with the lighting of the advent candles, and culminating in illuminating the night as we pass the light o...

At this time of winter solstice when daylight time is at its shortest, the ancients longed to remember light.  This Christmas season we recognize the Light of Love and its power to illumine, to beckon, to fill us and to give us hope & direction.  Join us as we celebrate this festival of light and joy with lots of extra music from our music team, and revel in our own light shining brightly in t...

Christmas is a time of giving—from the legend of the Magi, to the generosity of St. Nicholas, to the gifts we give and receive with friends and family.  What does each of us really have to offer this Christmas, and how can we find deeper meaning and truly receive –and give --the gifts of Spirit that are here for us this season?

The Christmas story is one that has shaped our view of this season, just as we tend to define ourselves by our stories--our past.  Stories can be helpful and bring us clarity , until the moment we become rigidly attached to a single interpretation of them.    As we explore the Biblical Christmas story in ways that can free us from the ghosts of Christmas past, we are invited to free ourselves from...

Advent:  the arrival  to come.  To everything there is a season, and in our culture we like the season of Having & Doing.  The season of Advent asks us to wait and just BE.  Mary could not force the birth of the Christ, but had to wait for the wisdom of her body.  The Magi could not speed up their quest, but only follow the star of their intuition and trust it would lead them to where they wer...

Most parents urge their children to say Please and Thank You.  They were considered the “magic words” that could open doors and were more likely to get us what we wanted than whining or demanding.  Could this still be true?  It is my experience that expressing gratitude is magical in that it opens our eyes to the blessings already all around us, and even opens our hearts to receive even greater bl...

What if everything that shows up in our lives is truly for our good?  Would we learn to embrace and find the gifts in all the ways life presents itself, instead of those we predetermine to be “good”?  How much energy do we waste judging and fighting conditions?   Let’s explore the practice of greeting all of life with a hearty welcome.

None of us likes to be told “no,” and yet—a “no” from the universe might be just the re-direction we need to change course and find we are headed to a more enriching, fulfilling destination. In the same way, the “noes” we give to others define our boundaries and help determine the paths we take and those we avoid.  Every “no” leads to a “yes” of something else.  What gifts might we receive if we c...

There is power in the thoughts we think and the words we use.  They illustrate the core beliefs behind them, and influence our actions and determine the reactions of the world around us.  Are we living the way we say we believe?  If we want to change our destiny it makes the best sense to start with our thoughts and words.  Are they filled with love?  Compassion? Cynicism? Suspicion?

Are you buried under crushing burdens? Projects that are too huge? Schedules that are too complicated? Maybe you are trying to do too much at once – trying to do everything instead of doing something.

Samhain is a sacred time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds thins. We are reminded of the ancient traditions that encouraged people to don masks for protection. The Celts wore these masks not only to hide from spirits but to shield themselves from what they feared most—being truly seen. Today, as we celebrate this ancient festival, I invite you to reflect on the masks we wear,...

We profess to believe in the ultimate reality of the One Love - of which we are all a part, even as we face a world that can look very unloving. How do we reconcile our belief with the evidence of our eyes? Rev Mel & special guest Daniel Nahmod will engage in dialogue exploring this timely subject.

As we remember our soul connection to the natural world on Pet Blessing day, we bless the animals that come into our lives to teach us.  They give lessons in love, care, and nurturing, responsibility, oneness, and non-resistance, and –ultimately--loss.  

Prayer is often about what we want from life.  Blessing can be about what we bring to life.  We are all “blessings to the world,” as the song says—but how much more so when we are intentional with our blessing?  Can we truly bless life on purpose? Do we have that power?  Instead of “What’s in it for me,” we can practice, “What’s in it FROM me?”

When we live life in  box—with defined, clear edges, reasons, absolutes, we limit ourselves (and try to limit God) to a level of our human understanding.  Our perspective is small and centered in the self.   But to allow mystery—to rest in the process of life as a whole, rather than focus on the singular events we see and think we can define—is to open to being happy even when conditions do not se...

If not now, when?  If not me, who?  The life of the Spirit allows joy and  contentment without needing conditions to be perfect.  So why do we keep piling up our “good works” and denying “bad?”  What reward do we think will come in any time other than this, right now?  If heaven is now--how, then do we live in it?

To change is to do something different—or do the same thing differently.  Yet, when we change we can always go back to old behaviors.  Transformation is when we become something different.  A butterfly can never go back to being a caterpillar.  In what ways are you changing?  Have you noticed any transformations in your life?

Magic, wonder, anticipation, openness, opportunity for awe are just a few of the gifts that come when we let go of “knowing.”  Expertise is not wisdom.  Expertise is what we can acquire through much practice, but wisdom is something we “become” after years of experiencing the results of our practice—expected and unexpected.  This week we explore the wisdom and the blessings that come from not know...

As I compose this theme, I am about to embark upon my Sabbatical (a word that comes from the same root as “Sabbath” ), having very little idea of how I will experience this time apart.  I am excited, nervous, and expecting the unexpected—knowing that there will be challenges and gifts, both-- which will serve to further my growth as a spirit “being human,” and as a minister.  In my first week back...

One of the main questions in life is why human beings tend to choose chaos over happiness? We seem to do this even when we say we know better. We will examine this duality using the thoughts of spiritual thinkers to look even deeper!

     God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,      The courage to change the things I can,       And the wisdom to know the difference.   The Serenity Prayer has been a source of comfort and clarity for many people from many walks of life for the last century. Its origins may go further back that. The genius of this simple prayer is that it reveals to us that we cannot cont...