Professor Marc Mullinax will speak Feb. 21 at the Tryon Unitarian Universalist Fellowship service.

At this Sunday’s service, the Tryon Unitarian Universalist Fellowship welcomes Professor Marc Mullinax as its guest speaker on the topic “Made for Joy.”

Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once wrote: “The secret to happiness lies in knowing this: that we live by the law of expenditure. We find the greatest joy not in getting, but in expressing what we are. Empty your lungs and breathe, run, climb, work, and laugh: the more you give out, the more you shall receive. Be exhausted and you shall be fed.”

Life can be hard and painful and we can think that a painful condition is the only reality. In his talk on Feb. 21, Marc Mullinax, will address the necessity of joy as a daily spiritual exercise. That is, joy is not an accident, nor is it a recipe, in which one just puts in the right amount of exercise, vitamins, therapy and whatnot. No, joy is a condition, for which anyone might prepare. Preparing for joy is our natural, necessary life-work. Without joy, how can there be a real me?

Marc is a professor in the Philosophy and Religion Department at Mars Hill College and holds both a Ph.D. and an M.Div. In addition to his teaching activities, Marc lectures with the Great Decision series.

His next presentation will be at the Isothermal Community College on Thursday March 3 on the topic, “Korean Choices.” Marc is no stranger to UU pulpits and has routinely given presentations at the Brevard, Black Mountain and Hendersonville congregations.

The Thermal Belt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meets at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Sundays of the month. Services are held at 835 N. Trade St. in Tryon. The fellowship welcomes all regardless of their spiritual path, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Coffee, snacks and fellowship are available after the service. For more information about the fellowship, call 828-513-0570 or follow them on Facebook at TBUUF.

-Submitted by Phil Nungesser