Committed to the idea that we are called to both strengthen our souls and strengthen the world, Rev. Crawford loves being part of a faith devoted to spiritual development and creating Beloved Community in our lives and neighborhood.

Rev. Crawford grew up a Unitarian Universalist, here in the Houston area. She graduated summa cum laude from Houston Graduate School of Theology, where she was the recipient of the Academic Excellence Award. In addition to her M.Div., she also holds a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in Houston with her partner and their four children. Email joanna@firstuu.org.

"Transformation"

I love stories of transformation. Whether it’s reading about Scrooge or the Ugly Duckling, or learning about the arctic wooly-bear caterpillar (it takes 7 years for their journey from caterpillar to moth, and they’re frozen for about 90% of that time!), I’m entranced.

There are many theories about change, but most of them come down to, “It’s hard.” Whether you’re changing an organization, as we are, or trying to change something in your own life, it can be daunting. The task can seem overwhelming.

And yet, most say that it comes down to taking small, manageable steps toward the goal. “One day at a time” is a phrase heard in popular culture, music, and 12 step programs. And it refers not only to the steps you take, the action you take, but also to not allowing the missteps to derail us from our goals. Cheated on a diet? It was only one day. Try again tomorrow.

It might be difficult, but transformation is far from impossible. The world is full of stories of people who wanted something different in their lives, so either all at once, or bit by bit, they became the person they wanted to be, or created the relationships they wanted to have, or crafted the life they wanted to live.

May we find in our church the community to inspire and strengthen us as we find our own transformation.

Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford, minister@fuunco.org