Please enjoy this talk by Dr Stephanie Dowrick , addressing the need and desire that so many of us have to create greater or more sustained peace in our hearts. Peace cannot stop in our hearts, of course. But if there is no peace in our hearts, our efforts to live in greater harmony with […]
Religious belief – or its absence – is key in shaping how we will interpret the world and respond to it. It also profoundly influences how we value life as well as our own lives, and all the choices that flow from that. This makes it surprising how relatively few contemporary memoirs are written primarily […]
Inspiration that uplifts and sustains, together with genuine spiritual community, can be found at our beautiful universally inclusive services held each month on the THIRD SUNDAY at 3pm (January excepted), at Pitt Street (264) Uniting Church. Sublime music from Dr Kim Cunio & Heather Lee. The liturgies are written and led by Dr Stephanie Dowrick, […]
In this short, immediately uplifting talk, Dr Stephanie Dowrick reminds us of our power to contribute to a kinder, more tolerant world – and that we will lift our own joy and delight in life as we do so. This profoundly affects how we will regard and trust our inner resources when we do have […]
Thomas Merton: “If you want a spiritual life, you must unify your life. A life is either all spiritual or not at all. No man [or woman] can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” Desiring,seeking: this means giving […]
In this uplifting talk Dr Stephanie Dowrick reminds us that we can respond to daily life and meet even the most difficult situations with hope. And with a deep sense of connection to our inner resources. Paying attention to our strengths – to what’s needed – is literally empowering in the most authentic way. This […]
What is the universal message for “all humankind” – regardless of religious labels? Surely the greatest challenge we face today is learning what the call to love asks of us, inwardly and outwardly. Learning what it might mean to love universally, regardless of “liking” or “agreeing with”. It’s the call that’s at the heart of […]
Dear Mr Abbott Barely a week ago, as most of us were preparing for this precious Christmas break, the media brought us news of the fate of yet more people seeking safety in Australia. This time the numbers of the dead were more startling. More disturbing. And it’s not just the numbers. The agony of the […]
Is it true, asks Sufi poet Hafiz, that it is our destiny to turn into light itself? In this talk, filmed at Pitt Street Uniting Church on 18 December 2011, Dr Stephanie Dowrick talks at depth about the “unconditional welcome of love”so tragically often missed or forgotten in conventional religious thinking. Supporting this, she offers […]
Dear UHN friends, Greetings! With just days to go until Christmas, most of us have our minds on gift-giving and I’m aware how fortunate we are to live where most of us can so freely give and receive. With giving in mind, I am sending you some suggestions that I hope will be stimulating and appropriate […]
It’s beautiful to give a thoughtful, well-chosen gift. And it’s wonderful to receive such gifts as a marker of affection and appreciation. I’m also aware how fortunate we are to be living where most of us can so freely give and receive, and take that for granted. I do hope that the breadth of suggestions […]
Dr Stephanie Dowrick writes, ‘It was a reviving experience to prepare this short talk on grace – especially at the end of the year when I am feeling the weight of a busy year-long schedule and am looking forward perhaps more even than usual to the summer break. I wanted to affirm grace here, and […]