“May your life preach more loudly than your lips.” — William Ellery Channing, theological founder of American Unitarianism

Integrity and values cannot be separated from one another. How we live a life of integrity is reflected in the values we hold at the heart of things. For if our values are indeed our values, they cannot just be said, but must be expressed. They must go somewhere, be alive somewhere, create movement somewhere, affect change somewhere.

Oh but values are a tricky business. They can be super inconvenient! And so we sometimes wrestle with, swear at, bargain with, forget, deny, ignore our values. We may struggle with perfectionism and feel embarrassment, guilt and even shame when there’s a gap between what we truly believe and how we show up in life.

All of these things are true for me, and I’m guessing that they are for you as well.

We are human. Hear us fail (and roar). See us rise! Let us remember that we can keep keep coming back to love, that we are held by love, that we are loved. We fail, we rise, again and again. We do this because it’s what our values, our faith, our interdependence call us toward.

And this is the kind of year when our values are going to be in the spotlight … when our collective voice for justice and change must join with others in real, moveable ways. We know that each election cycle is important, and we also know that this particular year carries extra weight with the heightened hate and disconnection being promulgated in legislation and rhetoric.

This last Sunday, on January 12, more than 1,500 Unitarian Universalists — including an ethusiastic group of UUCM’ers — attended the UU the Vote virtual launch event. With this nationwide effort, we have an opportunity “to bring the legacy, the values, and the calling of Unitarian Universalists to bear to make sure that people #votelove to be a faithful public voice, and to dedicate our support for frontline communities challenging the injustices of today.”

If you are looking for a powerful, impactful, real way to live out your values, please join the UU the Vote effort. Come help shape and be part of what UUCM will be bringing to this work. There are many ways to be involved. Contact me at revterri@uucmtka.org for more details.

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.” — Angela Y. Davis, activist, scholar and writer

— Rev. Terri

Each week, the interim ministry team will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme, the state of the church, or the state of the world. Meg, Terri and Arif will alternate writing this “In the Interim” post. We encourage your comments.