COURAGE – from the Latin word cor (heart), via French to Middle English – originally meant “what is in one’s mind and heart” but also came to mean bravery, pride, confidence, free will amongst other like ideas. Words for “heart” in the Middle Ages were often metaphors for inner strength. Sorry, the word nut in […]
Tag: faith
You just make sense to me
On one Sunday last month in the tiny church in my little swath of the Midwest, a trio of performers sang a couple of songs. But these performers were different than what was expected for a church worship service. These three were members of LGBTQIA+ continuum. They sang beautifully, but more importantly, they sang in […]
Every ordinary day
It’s that time of winter where the holiday season is over. The lights are coming down. The Christmas tree and all of its ornaments have been packed away in boxes in the basement. The Nativity, the scene of so much politicizing this year, is tucked away, forgotten once more. The nights, once full of light […]
Change is inevitable
I often tell people I’m not a fan of changes. Routines work best for me, even as I do plan a bit of flexibility into them as needed. Plans are made in advance and sometimes even have built-in excuses if I have to bail on them. And when changes occur, I’m often left feeling like […]
Noise drowns out love?
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” ~1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV version) The world today is a noisy place. Everywhere we look, there are words of hate and rhetoric being thrown about. People are being marginalized and […]
You belong
Today marks a year since my first serial novel, The Magician, debuted in paperback format. But more importantly, today marks a year since the tiny church that my other half and I attend in my little swath of the Midwest voted almost unanimously to become the first open and affirming church in the city. Those […]
If I am too much, go find less
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.” ~ Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV) It was all over the news […]
Karmic Justice?
In the movie Ella Enchanted, the title character rescues an elf named Slannen, who eventually takes her back to his home village. Due to cruel laws passed by the King Regent Edgar, the elves can only act as performers and must sing and dance for any human, even if their hearts aren’t into it. Ella […]
Still Love in Hard Times
There is idea that is attributed to the German bishop Nicholas of Cusa that goes like this: “The first thought that goes through your mind is what you have been conditioned to think. What you think next defines who you are.” It’s also basically the dual process theory of cognition, where we first make quick judgements […]
Be a part of the story
This past Sunday, less than twenty people were gathered to worship at the usual time at the tiny church I attend in my little swath of the Midwest. Instead of gathering in the sanctuary, most of us instead sat in Fellowship Hall, congregating around tables as we snacked on treats and watched a livestream of […]
K. S. Wood Writes 