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November’s Theme
Our Sunday Services for November
Courage
JOIN US
JOIN US
November 3: Changing the Conversation of
our Culture.
Can we speak about the things nobody wants to talk about with humour, grace and courage? It may be one of the most courageous
things we do.
November 10: Serving the Call of Courage
On both sides of the debate about assisted dying, people evoke the
need for courage in the face of death. We’ll wade into this difficult conversation, and also honour Remembrance Day.
November 17: Meet me at The TheologiCon: UU
Youth Explore World Religions
Neighbourhood hosts the Youth Conference during this weekend’s Fall
Regional Gathering. We’ll learn from our youth about the courage to
be open to a diversity of spiritual questions and beliefs.
November 24: Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
We need courage when we fail. It helps us dust ourselves off and begin again.
Visit us at www.nuuc.ca
Call us at 416-686-6809
it takes
courage to
grow up
and become
who you really are
e e cummings
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Being Courageous—Reverend Wayne Walder
Courage is contagious. So is cowardice. Often… only we
know the difference.
Yes, there are stories of pulling the stranger from the burning
car or standing up to the abusive spouse and going through with the
divorce. Times when we are lucky enough to change history. There
are also times when we have to prevent history from altering us.
There’s the courage of kindness when it’d just be easier to snap back
at that rude co-worker who bullies, demeans and belittles. There’s the
bravery of sticking up for yourself when you work toward an ethical
decision and everyone else is looking for convenience.
Courage is transformational. Often…only we can feel the
difference.
It even takes courage to be religious in our secular culture.
Some of us don’t like to mention that we go to a Sunday service or that
we meditate or pray. We fear being labeled as silly, or even worse,
when nothing could be further from the truth. There are so many quiet
acts of courage: turning down that drink one day at a time, making
yourself get out of bed when the depression tells you to stay there,
holding your partner’s hand in public. These everyday acts of courage
change us as much as any single dramatic act.
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Testimony of Personal Courage
from Neighbourhood
What Does Red Have to
do With It?
Rejecting the mould
When growing up in Mississauga, all of our neighbours
lived in cookie-cutter homes with
the same doors, driveways, brick,
even the same landscaping and
placement of trees. My parents
were artists and we did not
choose to live in the same way.
The price we often pay
Our home was unique. Other kids made fun of me because of
my “artsy parents,” but I still loved where I lived and loved being different despite what our neighbours said.
Courage makes us honest. Together we can make our
world a better place to live.
Living out loud
When my husband David and I bought our home, we decided
every room and the outside of our house would be what we wanted not
what society dictated.
That’s why this month’s focus on courage matters. The world
needs us to practice courage. We need “us” to practice courage. Our
courage makes us, and the world around us, honest.
Living in a Red House reminds me to stand up and fully realise
my dreams. To take courage and do what I truly feel in my heart, no
matter what others may say.
UU poet e.e. cummings writes, “It takes courage to grow up
and become who you really are.” I’d add, “who WE really
are.”
When Neighbourhood purchased solar panels, we liked that
idea so much that we now have 20 solar panels on our house. People
do not mock us, but they do ask many questions. Being courageous
sometimes means doing something no one else is doing.
So, maybe it is time to own our courage by gracefully letting
people know what is important to us. We can let people know why
fairness should matter. Maybe it is time to use our courage to speak
up. To tell family and friends what we hope the world can become.
We can do it because Courage is contagious……..
Story and painting by Lauren Renzetti, Artist, Neighbourhood Member
www.laurenmckinleyrenzetti.ca
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Resources
Stories on the Internet
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Can You Use Courage Creatively in Your
Life?
Links on our website
1)
Security How our lack of Courage makes the world less secure! Eve Ensler
http://www.ted.com/talks/eve_ensler_on_security.html
Bronx Burning A firefighter comes to a fire and learns how to face fear.
http://themoth.org/stories/5?sortby=radio_episode_number&order=DESC
Tell Him it is O.K. to Go... A daughter humorously tells her Father it is O.K., to
die
http://themoth.org/stories/5?sortby=radio_episode_number&order=DESC
When did you have the courage to admit you were wrong?
If this question needs to be explained to you, then it’s likely you
already know what your answer is.
2)
Have you ever turned your back on courage? Is there any
way to make up for it now? What do you remember?
3)
Do you have the courage to ask for help and to heal yourself at
the same time? They are not always separate ideas.
The Courage to Forgive Jennifer Rawlings A journalist entertaining troops in
a war zone meets a man who has no reason to forget, but who has the courage to do
so.
http://www.tedxluxembourgcity.com/2013/03/20/the-courage-to-forgive-jenniferrawlings/
Spiritual Growth
The Courage to Grow
Our Cover Design has a Story
Each month we try to choose an image that reflects the
spirit of our theme that we can all share. This month was
challenging because really, what does courage look like? It may not
look the same for you or me. And more importantly, can we recognize it when it confronts us?
Our image this month brings a message from the heart of the
artist. It is a personal symbol of courage from one of us. We thank
her for sharing. I think e e cummings would have appreciated her
spirit. You can read about it on the next page, and then you can think
about what your own courage may look like.
Spiritual growth isn’t always easy or enjoyable. It can be scary,
risky, and downright uncomfortable at times. Growing spiritually might
mean treating someone fairly and kindly, even when we don’t want to.
It might mean believing in our own ideas, even if they are unpopular. It
might mean learning new skills in order to take action for a cause we
care about. It might mean opening up our heart to religious beliefs and
ideas that are different from our own.
Monthly Theme Challenge
Try making a regular time to share a ritual of “Joys and Concerns” (or “Glads and Sads”) together as a family—-with a special
twist. Introduce the idea that, if we have courage, we can see both our
joys and concerns as opportunities to learn and grow. For each joy
and concern shared, discuss together what you might learn from the
situation.
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Resources
Resources
Movies
Wise Words
The Color Purple A southern black girl's rise from tragedy to personal triumph
Courage is not the absence of fear; but rather the judgment that something
through the course of her lifetime.
Stand By Me After the death of a friend, a writer recounts a boyhood journey to
find the body of a missing boy.
To Kill a Mockingbird A white lawyer courageously faces racial discrimination
in the deep south.
Braveheart When his secret bride is executed for assaulting an English soldier who
tried to rape her, a commoner begins a revolt and leads Scottish warriors against the
cruel English tyrant who rules Scotland with an iron fist.
Soul Surfer Teenage surfer girl summons the courage to go back into the ocean
after losing an arm in a shark attack.
else is more important than fear. - Ambrose Redmoon.
Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon,
there is always something to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties
arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action
and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs.
Peace has its own victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Our word 'courage' comes from the French word coeur, “heart”.
Courage is a willingness to act from the heart, to let your heart lead the way, not knowing what will be required of you next, and if you can do it." - Jean Shinoda Bolen.
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it
takes to sit down and listen. - Winston Churchill.
Music
Links are on our website!
It’s a shallow life that doesn’t give a person a few scars. - Garrison
Keillor.
Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round performed by Sweet Honey
in the Rock
This song was sung during the march on Washington in 1963 and was an anthem
during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. The bass in Sweet Honey, Dr. Ysaye
Barnwell is a lifelong UU from Washington DC, and visited NUUC in 2012.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5Z1trynEHs
Strength, Courage, and Wisdom by India.Arie
A song about finding our own inner strength by a spiritual voice in the R&B world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzUTZUONyms
Whistle a Happy Tune from The King and I, sung by Julie Andrews
A simple solution to deal with your own fear and find courage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLIDuu1XsRc
Nearer My God To Thee set to hymn tune Bethany
This hymn was played by the ship's musicians as the Titanic was sinking. They stayed
on board and played to comfort the passengers as they fled to find lifeboats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCEfqj9pDAI
Print
Courage: Eight Portraits Gordon Brown
Healing the Heart of Democracy: The Courage to Create a Politics
Worthy of the Human Spirit. Parker Palmer
A First Time for Everything N.Y. Times
African-Americans who became the “first” in their field of work between World War II
and the 1980s remind us about the importance of ordinary courage!
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/22/magazine/the-lives-theylived.html#view=a_first_time_for_everything.