The Word Worker

Category: Nonfiction

  • It’s Not a School Day

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    We have officially started our homeschool summer. No more assignments. No more schedules. No more educational obligations. It’s wonderful and relaxing, and we are having so much fun! When chores are finished the kids drag out my old violin lesson music and open the organ to pick out the little simple songs on the keyboard.…

  • Important

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    The world is full of wars, conflicts, political arguments, societal inequities, and many other unpleasant things we humans deem important. We fixate on everything that is wrong, twisting ourselves into knots trying to figure out who we are supposed to hate, who or what is the enemy. We bury our noses in news, gossip, and…

  • Oh, My God

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    I recently watched a TV show I enjoy in which one young character, upon finding out something she would have to do, exclaimed “oh, my God!” An older character rebuked her, told her not to take God’s name in vain. The young girl responded with great fervor that she hoped it wasn’t in vain, she…

  • Blame Culture

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    From the very beginning of the world, when Adam and Eve tried to deflect responsibility for their rebellion, humans have relied upon blame culture. Anything wrong is always someone or something else’s fault. Children do it to get out of trouble. Adults do it to avoid dealing with problems. Each generation blames whatever is unfamiliar…

  • Forsaking Assembly

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is” “not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people” “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” “not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing” This passage may…

  • Seasons

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    As many of you many have noticed, the blog has been a little neglected of late. Life comes in seasons, and my family has been experiencing a mildly difficult season. We needed time to work out some instabilities, and that has made writing difficult to accomplish. It also proved to be a time of refocusing…

  • The Purpose of the Pattern

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    When I was a child my grandmother made many of my clothes and taught me to use a pattern. If you have never sewed anything or seen a dress pattern, you might have the idea that it looks like the end result and that it contains all the details needed to produce carbon copy replicas.…

  • Opportunity and Prejudice

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
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    Recently I posted a series of questions on social media. I wanted, and received, feedback revealing how we as a society understand certain concepts that are central to a civilization. Need, work, and identity are necessary in order for a culture to thrive, but perception of what constitutes those things varies widely. When those varying…

  • Reality and Proof

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    wordworkerrussell
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    When Indiana Jones went to find the Grail, he had to cross a wide, deep chasm with no bridge in sight. His father told him the only way to cross was to take a step out over the chasm, a “leap of faith.” As soon as Indy stepped out as instructed, believing that somehow he…

  • Hard

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    by

    wordworkerrussell
    in ,

    We like to think that hard only happens in stories, that hard is a thing of the past. But it isn’t. We like to think that the ultimate achievement would be to eradicate hard from our memory. But it wouldn’t. A young woman breathes deeply through the pain of her muscles contracting. Her skin stretches…