Some of my biggest heartbreaks have come from problems in communicating. When this would happen, I felt angry, sad and hurt, yearning for connection that seemed to elude me. Through the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., I am learning to connect more compassionately with others by attending first to my […]

MONDAY New Year’s Eve Service, 6 to 7 p.m., year-end Praise and Worship service at Stevens Avenue Congregation Church, 790 Stevens Ave., Portland. All are welcome. FRIDAY “Dreams: Postcards From the Unconscious,” 7 to 9 p.m., with Jeremy Taylor, author of “The Wisdom of Your Dreams.” Presented by Chaplaincy Institute of Maine and the Jung […]

When my church prays the Lord’s Prayer in worship, we seem to always pray it aloud and in unison. I suspect that we all know it by heart but we continue to print the words in our order of worship. I suppose the rationale is to include and aid newcomers to Protestant worship. We are […]

JERUSALEM Western Wall prayer rules dividing Jews Israel’s prime minister has instructed a quasi-governmental Jewish organization to find a solution for non-Orthodox Jewish female groups wishing to pray at one of Judaism’s holiest sites. An official said Tuesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, to look into the matter. […]

Once, en route to visit a Westbrook relative, Father Jim Gower mentioned being descended from the medieval poet, John Gower, who was celebrated by his good friend, Geoffrey Chaucer, as “moral Gower” and “noble Gower,” the latter phrase echoed by Shakespeare.  The Rev. James Manley Gower, who died at 90 in Bar Harbor early Monday […]

Editor’s note: Please contact individual places of worship for information on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. Sunday Christmas Cantata, 10 a.m., “Gloria Deo: A Service of Lessons and Carols,” with the choir and soloists. Raymond Village Community Church, 27 Main St./Route 121, Raymond Village. Service of Lessons and Carols, 10 a.m., St. Augustine of […]