Wellsprings Congregation

Moved by the death of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rev. Ken Beldon talks about the wisdom of the phrase "here I am" in the process of recovering from addiction.

The world will not perish for lack of information; it may perish from want of appreciation, said Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Explore playfulness, wonder, curiosity, and a story about how a blue balloon can help.

The most important question we can ask ourselves: Is the universe a friendly place or not? Paraphrasing Einstein, Rev. Ken Beldon continues his series "The Power of With" by exploring "cosmic friendliness" and the concept of "happification" as WellSprings celebrates its 7th birthday.

Inspired by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's teaching on interdependence, Rev. Ken Beldon discusses how we can move beyond "other" and see other people with love and compassion.

In his first installment of the message series "The Power of With," Rev. Ken Beldon invites us to take a New Year's inventory. Many religions tell us to be hostile to ourselves to grow. Instead let's cultivate humility and vulnerability to work with who we are and what we have.

To end our series about the regrets of the dying, ministerial intern Lee Paczulla asks how we can open our lives to be happier, even when life doesn't seem happy.

In his 2013 Christmas Eve message, Rev. Ken Beldon invites us to explore innocence as we commemorate the birth of Christ.

In this fourth message of the series Regrets of the Dying, Rev. Ken talks about losing and regaining connections with one's friends.

"I wish I hadn't worked so hard" is a painful deathbed regret. It's just one of the top five regrets of the dying listed in a book by a hospice nurse. How can we live a life so we have fewer regrets at the end? Rev. Ken Beldon brings in lessons from Dickens in his message series Un-Scrooge.

December's message series, "UnScrooge," is based on a book by a hospice nurse, "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying." The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is a perfect illustration of them. What can we do to have a life without those regrets? Rev. Ken Beldon examines regret #1: "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."

Every November before Thanksgiving, members of WellSprings reflect on a poem by Mary Oliver and its final line: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Members from kids to seniors make us laugh and cry with the stories of their lives so far, and their lives yet to come. In part 2, we hear from speakers Cole Kerper, age 6, Chris Massi, who is in his 20s, Caroline Pelley, 40-something, and Kathleen Higgens, 60-something.

Every November before Thanksgiving, members of WellSprings reflect on a poem by Mary Oliver and its final line: "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Members from kids to seniors make us laugh and cry with the stories of their lives so far, and their lives yet to come. In part 1 of these messages, we hear from Brian Scullion, 13, Vanessa Louis, 30-something, and Holly Beebee, 50-something

As we move into this season of Thanksgiving, Rev. Ken Beldon says to cultivate our spiritual lives, formation is more important than information. Curiosity, compassion, and openness are the fruits of character.

Life is full of tests: endurance, aptitude, "manliness." But as Rev. Ken Beldon shows us, the only tests that matter are those that reveal our character. He weaves together stories from his childhood, Dr. Seuss, and the current Miami Dolphins bullying scandal.

Rev. Ken Beldon explores the many ways we are created to connect. He talks about the "Hugging Point" and how beloved community can help us cultivate our character.

In his new message series "Sow Good Seeds," Rev. Ken Beldon challenges the idea that Unitarian Universalists can believe anything. Not if we want to grow spiritually, he says. Bigger than any belief is the content of our character.

How do we use our power well and wisely? In the wake of Coatesville, Pennsylvania school administrators caught sending racist and sexist texts, Rev. Ken Beldon calls a lack of empathy one of the great moral challenges of our time. In a powerful message, he pushes all of us to stretch closer to compassion.

On the date of the Breaking Bad TV series finale, Rev. Ken Beldon (a huge fan) explores why hurt people hurt people. How does faith deal with questions of pain, karma and forgiveness in the face of a monster like Walter White? (You'll hear some laughter when Rev. Ken notes how much Walter White resembles the church band's keyboardist.)

What can WellSprings do to bring people even closer together? Rev. Ken Beldon discusses couples retreats, mindfulness for teens, and other aspirations for the congregation as "WellSprings Stretches."

Living an intentional life means stopping to notice your life. Rev. Ken Beldon gives us ideas on how to slow down, relax, and turn off the auto-pilot to really learn to live.