Meanderings, 29 November 2025
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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First Council of Nicaea
15 min read
The article discusses Pope Leo preparing for the 1700th anniversary of this council and quotes from the Nicene Creed. Understanding the historical context of this pivotal 325 AD gathering—where Constantine convened bishops to address Arianism and establish core Christian doctrine—provides essential background for the anniversary celebration mentioned.
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Women in Christianity
14 min read
A significant portion of the article addresses the historical record of women preaching in evangelical and fundamentalist movements, challenging the claim that women's ministry is a recent feminist invention. This Wikipedia article provides the broader historical context for the debate referenced.
Happy Thanksgiving Saturday! Not sure if that’s a name for today. Still, it works. Kris and I had a wonderful time in our hometown with family and friends.
Photo by Eduardo Bergen on Unsplash
Gotta give thanks for our teachers:
On Nov. 13, we marked the 27th year of “World Kindness Day,” a chance to pause, reflect and ask: How does kindness really change lives? We then invited you, our readers, to share acts of kindness that left a lasting impression, perhaps even reshaping the way you see the world.
What you sent us was compelling, heartwarming and refreshingly unexpected, reminding us that goodness is alive and well in a world often overshadowed by displays of cruelty and grim headlines.
Do small acts of kindness really matter? We’ll let your stories speak for themselves. (But the answer is yes. Always yes.)
Here are some of the highlights.
Teacher Steps Up
When I was in second grade, my only pair of shoes was worn out, with holes in the soles. At that time, my parents couldn’t afford to buy me new ones, so I wasn’t able to go to school. My teacher, Mrs. Wortz, called my mom to find out why I wasn’t in school. My mom told her the truth, even though it was probably embarrassing. Mrs. Wortz replied, “Get her ready for school in the morning and I will come pick her up.”
The next morning, my teacher drove me straight to a Buster Brown shoe store and bought me a new pair of shoes.
After Mrs. Wortz retired and moved to a smaller house, she called and gave me her library of books. I was an avid reader and loved books. Still do. Her kindness made a huge difference in my life. I will never forget it.
Teresa Staats
Ohio
Giving thanks today for this group of folks. May we never forget.
...The long-hidden monument to bigotry and brutality — the Mississippi Delta barn where Emmett Till was tortured and killed in 1955 — will soon become a “sacred site” for all to see.
On Monday, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center announced that it had purchased the barn, thanks to a $1.5 million gift from TV producer Shonda Rhimes, who was moved to donate after reading about the barn, saying, “My hope is that this story never gets lost.” …
For Keith Beauchamp, producer of
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