Can you think of a time you felt wronged, mistreated, or ignored? Internally, how did that feel? Hurt, angry, resentful, bitter? What scenarios play through your mind of how to respond? Some people want to get even, settle the score. Payback. Revenge. You might feel you have a moral obligation to rectify the situation. Or perhaps the […]

Six years ago, when we moved to Tacoma, I was serving a church in North Seattle and spent three hours commuting back and forth.  I started to notice how grumpy I would be by the time I got to the church I was serving.  All those other drivers on the road – I found myself […]

Excerpts of Acts 15: Paul & Barnabas part ways – The Need to be Right Our Worship theme for Lent is based on a book written by Edward Bear called:  “The Seven Deadly Needs”. Some of these habits or needs can keep us from fully accepting ourselves as God does, or get in the way […]

Our Worship theme for Lent is based on a book written by Edward Bear called:  “The Seven Deadly Needs” –  kind of a spin-off from the ancient “Seven Deadly Sins”.  The Seven Deadly Needs include the Need to Know, to Be Right, to Get Even, to Look Good, to Judge, to Keep Score, and to […]

Most of you know that UCUP is affiliated with two different denominations – UCC & UMC. We have lived together for 49 years – holding the tension of the different ways each denomination operates. Some of you joined this church specifically because of its affiliation with one of those denominations.  Some of you are a […]