Vol. XII. No. 21
*****
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslistII.blogspot.com
*****
Dear Friends:
My Special Item this week is a book
notice for "Talk Sex Today" the first
edition of which appeared several
decades ago and now comes to us in
contemporary form.
If you are a person, like me, frequently
bewildered by the changes in human
relations of our times, I certainly
encourage you to look at the first
part of my blog, below.
I include some excellent Colleague Comment
and Colleague Contributions this time. My
thanks to all of you who shared.
Net Notes and Wisdom of the Week sections
contain a summary of extensive searches
on the internet during the past seven days.
As always, I am grateful for your readership
and support. I continue to do my best to
make your visit to this blog worthwhile.
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
TALK SEX TODAY
What Kids Need to Know and
How Adults Can Teach Them,
by Saleema Noon and Meg Hickling,
Wood Lake Books, Kelowna BC
2016. 320 Pages. Paper.
$24.00 CAD. Kindle $10.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-77064--8135
Publishers Promo:
Not sure what – or how much – information to
share with children and teens regarding sex and
sexual health? Do you fear what they might ask?
Or how to respond to their questions? Or whether
you even know the “answers” yourself?
Saleema Noon knows all about these fears and
concerns. An expert in sexual health education
and stepparent to two teenage daughters herself,
she understands the challenges adults face when
addressing sensitive topics with their kids.
In Talk Sex Today, Noon delivers an intelligent
and sensible blend of current, inclusive, and
practical information for children and teens –
and the adults who love them. Noon builds on
the foundational work of iconic sexual health
educator Meg Hickling and her bestselling
Speaking of Sex books to offer adults a break-
through guide on teaching “body science.”
Together, with a combined 40 years of experience,
Noon and Hickling broach a host of topics including:
- gender identity and stereotypes
- sexual diversity
- sexual consent
- bullying and harassment
- fostering healthy body image
- internet safety
- managing media influence
- pornography
- sexual decision-making
- sexual health for children and special needs teens
Not afraid of controversy and firm in her belief that
knowledge is power, Noon’s broadly inclusive approach
shines with the affirmation that every person –
regardless of race, religion, age, ability, gender
identity, gender expression and sexual attraction –
deserves respect and the information that will keep
them safe.
This is the ultimate guide to teaching children about
sexual health and is ideal for educators and parents alike.
-
Author Bios:
Saleema Noon - earned her Bachelor of Arts degree
in Family Sciences at UBC. She then researched the
quality of sexual health education in B.C. high schools,
earning her a Master of Arts degree in sexual health
education in 1997, also from UBC.
Since then, Saleema has been teaching not only in
the field of sexual health, but also in the areas of
assertiveness training, internet safety, healthy
relationships, body image and self-esteem.
Respected by the media as a sexual health expert,
Saleema has appeared frequently.
Meg Hickling - is a retired registered nurse and
an award-winning educator and author who has
been instilling knowledge of sexual health in
children and adults for over 30 years. She is
British Columbia's leading advocate in educating
children about human reproduction. Meg believes
that knowledge brings about empowerment.
Sensitive to her young audiences and their parents,
she delivers her message on sexuality and abuse
prevention with empathy, warmth and a gentle
humour.
Her ability to convey difficult and controversial
material with sensitivity and warmth distinguishes
her as a remarkable teacher and role model.
--
Author's Words:
I think my passion for educating children and their
parents arose from my nursing experience. I was
appalled by my patient's lack of knowledge about
their bodies and sexual health. Sometimes that
lack of knowledge resulted in every serious
consequences, even death. I was determined to
teach my own children about their bodies in their
pre-school years. Of course, they took that
knowledge into the community and soon other
parents were asking how they could make their
own children as comfortable and knowledgeable
as mine.
I began teaching sexual health in 1974 when the
(flower children generation) were beginning
parents. They were more open to the questions
of their children, but had no role models to follow.
Parents of the previous generations had either
not heard the questions, had ignored them, or
had given erroneous answers. You might say that
I was at the right place and the right time!
Today, parents and children have some of the
same gaps in their knowledge, but there are
also some totally new areas of concern, and
many, many more questions.
In the early 1970s there was no internet, virtually
no access to pornography, no cell phones, no AIDS,
and no real awareness of child sexual abuse.
Times have changed!
I am so pleased that Saleema Noon has agreed
to revise "Speaking of Sex" and its sequels.
Saleema was first my student and then my
colleague. She is a first-rate educator (and
has helped me extend the field well beyond
the vision I had in 1974.)
(Reading this new edition) you will learn a lot,
I believe, and be much more sexually mature
by the time you reach the end...
- from the Preface by Meg Hickling
--
My Thoughts:
I have followed the evolution of Meg Hickling's
several editions of "Speaking of Sex" books
over the years and would say that, in terms of
layout, content and reader-awareness, this is
surely the best of the lot. Saleema Noon's help
in this project is apparent.
Of course, the audience tests represented by
the questions the authors are hearing and
responding to - are much more sophisticated
and nuanced as well.
One of he blessings of the internet, for example,
is that in spite of the problems it introduces to
our homes, the resourcefulness to deal with
such problems is also much more extensive.
The experience and complementing gifts of
the authors as educators really shows. They
are not simply writing from the confines of
their studies. They are dealing with real-life
questions presented to them in groups and
class-rooms. This has always been Meg's
approach, but it achieves new heights here.
The social sciences continue to provide
the authors with much improved tools.
I admit to be a child of my era (the 40s
thru 60s) but I am also a person that
keeps wanting to change and to grow -
into my eighth decade. A book like this
helps me to do just that.
I was taught to avoid or deal euphemistically
with awkward and difficult matters pertaining
to sex. The problem with that approach is that -
in our times - such handling of the matter
can rightly be judged as dishonest.
A book like this uses candor, and calls a spade
a spade. And so it should. But that is done with
experience, finesse and delightful humour.
We are not only talking about anatomy and
physical beauty, here. We are dealing with
healthy human relations and what we can all
learn from each other regardless of age,
gender, religion or other background.
I was also taught to avoid certain topics when
"ladies" were present. Through this book I am
discovering two competent and mature women
who can teach me a good deal about things I
simply do not yet understand very well.
If you are a relative, parent, or grandparent
of young people entering a world with many
more sexual challenges than you ever faced,
I encourage you to buy this book for yourself,
and those whose sexual health and well-being
you care about.
___
Buy the book from -
Wood Lake Books:
http://tinyurl.com/h3gzys4
Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/j3mneeo
***
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
Elfrieda Schroeder,
Winnipeg, MB
February 17th, 2017
Re: Your column Mending Wall
Colleagues List, Feb. 19th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/zjhtlhu
The two wall builders in Frost's poem
were farmers, no doubt of the same ethnic
origin. Even when we are ethnically alike
we keep putting up walls, afraid of
encroaching on one another's privacy.
How much more our tendency to set up
barriers with those of different ethnicity.
We forget that we are all humans, with the
same need to love and to be loved.
Thanks for stimulating my thinking
along these lines.
Elfrieda
***
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Marjorie Gibson,
Vancouver, BC
Marjorie Remembers Blog
February 23rd, 2017
"Glimpses of Life's Secrets"
http://tinyurl.com/zkkthmp
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
February 19th and 22nd, 2017
"Bullying Goes Beyond Schoolyards"
http://tinyurl.com/gukvk4u
"Storytellers Help Us Define Ourselves"
http://tinyurl.com/ja83zxt
--
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site,
February 20th, 2017
"On Winners and Losers"
http://tinyurl.com/zfxesnl
--
Martin Marty,
Chicago, IL
Sightings,
February 20th, 2017
"Benedict, Not Benedictine"
http://tinyurl.com/hge3etq
***
NET NOTES
LUTHERAN LEADER TO RECEIVE
JAPANESE BUDDHIST PEACE PRIZE
For Contributions to Mid-East Peace
UCA News,
February 22nd, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/zuo474w
--
TEN THINGS THAT DEMONSTRATE
THE WORLD YOU GREW UP IN
NO LONGER EXISTS
A Canadian Evangelical Perspective
Christian Week Online
February 21st, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jnpp2oy
--
CHRISTIAN DALIT WOMEN IN INDIA
SAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS
60% of Indian Christians are Low Caste
UCA News Asia
February 24th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jnu8crx
--
"CHRISTIANITY IN AMERICA
IS TOO WEDDED TO PATRIOTISM" -
Respected Philadelphia Pastor Declares
The Christian Post
February 23rd, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jz7u472
--
AMERICAN EVANGELICALS CAN
NO LONGER SPEAK AS ONE VOICE
The Trump Vote Has Created Division
Religion News Service
February 21st, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/z67gnd4
"White Evangelicals Voting for Trump
Represent a Crisis in the Church" -
says Jim Wallis
The Christian Post
February 17th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hu36byj
--
VANCOUVER MAYOR REQUESTS
CONFERENCE DROP GRAHAM
Contentious Speaker Not
Considered Good for City
Globe and Mail
February 22nd, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/zv92n9r
--
THE ROOTS AND BRANCHES
OF THE SACTUARY MOVEMENT
How Sanctuary is Grounded in
The Judeo-Christian Tradition
The Christian Century Online
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/z9fbxr7
--
SAD REALITY FOR CHILDREN
IN RURAL CHINA
Parents Must Migrate
to Urban Centres (Video)
UCA News Asia
February 20th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/z9fbxr7
--
AMERICAN JEWS PARTICIPATE IN
WORLD-WIDE BIBLE CONTEST
Event Held in Jerusalem
New York Times
February 19th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hfgkg3w
--
STATUE OF NUDE CHRIST BY MICHELANGELO -
LONG FORGOTTEN - TO BE EXHIBITED IN LONDON
Work Obscured in a Rural Italian Church
New York Times
February 21st, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/htsezqj
--
For Those Wanting a Good Summary of
the Writings of the late Marcus Borg --
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENT
February 22nd, 2017
"Days of Awe and Wonder:
How to Be a Christian in the Twenty-first Century"
by Marcus J. Borg. Release date March 14th, 2017
hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-245733-2.
This book gives a concise introduction to the writings
of Marcus J. Borg, the late theologian of progressive
Christianity; the selections explore the Christian faith
and what it means to be a Christian in the 21st century.
.
***
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Every day people are straying away from the church
and going back to God.
- Lenny Bruce
--
So here's something I know to be true, although it's
a little corny, and I don't quite know what to do with it:
What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness.
Those moments when another human being was there,
in front of me, suffering and I responded ... sensibly.
Reservedly. Mildly.
- George Saunders
--
The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as
a human being. [The] heart withers if it does not answer
another heart. [The] mind shrinks away if [it] hears only
the echoes of [its] own thoughts and finds no other
inspiration.
- Pearl S. Buck
--
If we want to support each other’s inner lives, we must
remember a simple truth: the human soul does not want
to be fixed, it wants simply to be seen and heard. If we
want to see and hear a person’s soul, there is another
truth we must remember: the soul is like a wild animal –
tough, resilient, and yet shy. When we go crashing
through the woods shouting for it to come out so we
can help it, the soul will stay in hiding. But if we are
willing to sit quietly and wait for a while, the soul may
show itself.
- Parker J. Palmer
--
January and February are those months when winter
seems interminable and vitality is low. In the face of
world events, in the face of the mystery of suffering,
of evil in the world, it is a good time to read the Book
of Job, and then to go on reading the Psalms, looking
for comfort – that is, strength to endure.
Also to remember the importunate widow, the importunate
friend [Luke 18:1-8; Luke 11:5-8]. Both are stories which
Jesus told. Then to pray without ceasing as Paul urged.
And just as there was that interpolation in Job – that
triumphant cry – “I know that my Redeemer liveth,”
so we too, can know that help will come, that the good
will triumph. Bitter though it is today with ice and sleet,
the sap will soon be rising in those bare trees down the
street from us.
- Dorothy Day
****
ON THIS DAY
First Mass Inoculation of Children Against Polio
http://tinyurl.com/ass76pj
Malcolm X Shot and Killed in Harlem
http://tinyurl.com/22uvelg
****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Dom Helder Camara
Accept surprises that upset your plans, shatter your dreams,
give a completely different turn to your day and – who knows? –
to your life.
Leave (the Father) free to help weave the pattern of your days.
(end)
*****
For Those Interested -
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT WINTER STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 23rd - April 3rd, 2017
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"How Jesus Became God -
The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee"
http://tinyurl.com/gqzkcbx
Author: Bart D. Ehrman
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00
35 copies were secured for sale.
All copies have been sold.
Our Evolving Course Design:
http://tinyurl.com/j3nv7nd
--
Here is the total course content from our
completed Monday Night Autumn 2016 Study:
"Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious
World" by Bishop John S. Spong
http://rtb.stdavidscalgary.net/
Check our entire archives for all 48 books
studied since 2000:
http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
***
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING STUDY
Ten Sessions February 2nd - April 6th, 2017
"Joshua and Judges" - Formative Hebrew History
Ten sessions 10-11 AM
Gathering at 9:30 AM
In the St. David's TM Room.
No charge
Study resource -
"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
Edited by John Bowker
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
***
ST.DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS PROJECT, 2017
South Africa has been chosen as our location!
We plan a nineteen-day tour that combines a
focus on faith, social justice culture, and nature,
and it will begin mid-month of October 2017.
A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints has been published.
http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7
Twenty-two persons have already put down deposits
to claim a $300. saving. Sale price until February 28th.
This represents 3/4ths of our optimal goal of 28-30.
Follow our notices for weekly updates.
*****
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
http://www.mountstfrancis.ca/
Theme: "Encountering Mercy"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Sunday, February 26th, 2017
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cost: $30.
(includes lunch and refreshments)
Nature walks, weather permitting..
*****
Vol. XII. No. 20
*****
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslistII.blogspot.com
*****
Dear Colleagues:
My Anglican Journal column for February
entitled "Mending Wall" - a reflection on
the poem by Robert Frost - is my Special
Item for this week.
Many of the other articles, columns and
news items share a related theme of
welcoming the stranger, creating a just
society in spite of current challenges,
and Christian reasons for doing so.
Thanks for reading this week.
I always appreciate feedback.
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
"Mending Wall" - a reflection on
the poem of that name by the
American, Robert Frost (1914)
http://tinyurl.com/zjhtlhu
***
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Martin Marty,
Chicago. IL
Sightings,
February 13th, 2017
"Sacred Sites Violated"
http://tinyurl.com/jemvy3t
--
Mark Whittall
Ottawa, ON/
Personal Blog
February 11th, 2017
"No One is Disposable"
http://tinyurl.com/h4ny3kj
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
February 12th/15th, 2017
"Listening With Your Whole Body"
http://tinyurl.com/zlop9vn
"The Problem in Polygamy is Power"
http://tinyurl.com/hgotx5s
Locate missed columns from Jim by
clicking this link and scrolling down.
http://quixotic.ca/
Welcome back again Jim!
--
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
February 13th, 2017
"Welcoming the Stranger"
http://tinyurl.com/jcnpr76
***
NET NOTES
THE CRIPPLING FEAR OF
EVERLASTING LIFE
People With Apeirophobia
Fear Eternal Time
The Atlantic Online
February 8th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hxnpdva
--
AUSTRALIA'S GRIM TOLL IN
CHURCH'S SEX ABUSE SCANDAL
Crisis Continues to Expand
New York Times,
January 13th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jlxg32q
--
WHAT IS THE TRUE MEANING OF MERCY?
Religion News Service
February 13th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jqqkq5t
--
WELCOMING REFUGEES IN TROUBLED TIMES
Canadian Churches Have Major Role to Play
Christian Week/Citizens for Public Justice
February 8th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/gvbxcju
"Crossing the Border, US Migrants
Seek Refuge in Canada" (video)
BBC News,
February 13th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jnbtfrr
--
CHURCH OF ENGLAND IN TURMOIL
AS SYNOD REJECTS SSM REPORT
Canadian Anglican Synod Redux
Close Vote and Logistical Problems
The Guardian, UK
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/grhbeao
--
WHY CANADIAN CATHOLICS ARE
WORRIED ABOUT THE TRUMP/
TRUDEAU OIL ALLIANCE
Church Stands With Natives
Against Oil Projects
America Online
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jq7d2nt
--
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT
FACES AMERICAN DEPORTATION
Her Options are Limited as
She Waits Her Fate in a Church
New York Times
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/ztxhywm
"Vietnamese Refugee Priest to Trump -
'Give My Citizenship to a Syrian'"
Religion News Service
February 11th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/ht5nhvt
--
POPE APPEARS TO BACK NATIVES
IN DAKOTA PIPELINE DISPUTE
"Honour Their Respect for the Land" He Says
Religion News Service
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/j9dnq6n
--
CHARLES TAYLOR DOES ABOUT FACE
ON QUEBEC'S SECULAR DRESS CODE
He Now Regrets Supporting the Code
Hamilton Spectator
February 16th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/zpq3svk
--
WHEN DID CHRISTIANS BECOME
COMFORTABLE WITH LOSS OF TRUTH?
American Evangelicals Have Changed
Sojourners Online
February 15th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/j5q97mv
***
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
From Sojourners and the Bruderhof
We do know that no one gets wise enough
to really understand the heart of another,
though it is the task of our life to try.
- Louise Erdrich
--
People must not only hear about the kingdom
of God, but must see it in actual operation, on
a small scale perhaps and in imperfect form,
but a real demonstration nevertheless.
- Pandita Ramabai
--T
There is nothing in the world as delightful as a
continual walk with God. Only those who have
experienced it can comprehend it. And yet I do
not recommend that you seek it solely because
it is so enjoyable. Do it because of love, and
because it is what God wants. If I were a
preacher, the one thing that I would preach
about more than anything else is the practice
of the presence of God.
- Brother Lawrence
--
I always think that the best way to know God
is to love many things. Love a friend, a wife,
something, whatever you like, and you will be
on the right way to knowing more about it;
that is what I say to myself. But one must love
with a lofty and serious intimate sympathy,
with strength, with intelligence, and one must
always try to know deeper, better, and more.
That leads to God, that leads to unwavering faith.
- Vincent van Gogh
--
Only the obedient believe. If we are to believe,
we must obey a concrete command. Without this
preliminary step of obedience, our faith will only b
e pious humbug, and lead us to the grace which
is not costly. Everything depends on the first step.
It has a unique quality of its own. The first step of
obedience makes Peter leave his nets, and later
get out of the ship; it calls upon the young man
to leave his riches. Only this new existence,
created through obedience, can make faith
possible.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
--
Where does Jesus send us? There are no borders,
no limits: he sends us to everyone. The gospel is
for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for
those who seem closer to us, more receptive,
more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be
afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area
of life, to the fringes of society, even to those
who seem farthest away, most indifferent.
The Lord seeks all – he wants everyone to feel
the warmth of his mercy and his love.
- Pope Francis
--
Because children have abounding vitality,
because they are in spirit fierce and free,
therefore they want things repeated and
unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”;
and the grown-up person does it again until
he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are
not strong enough to exult in monotony.
But perhaps God is strong enough to exult
in monotony. It is possible that God says
every morning, “Do it again” to the sun;
and every evening, “Do it again” to the
moon. It may not be automatic necessity
that makes all daisies alike; it may be that
God makes every daisy separately, but has
never got tired of making them. It may be
that he has the eternal appetite of infancy;
for we have sinned and grown old, and our
Father is younger than we.
- G. K. Chesterton
***
ON THIS DAY
"Nixon Makes Historic Trip to China"
http://tinyurl.com/aw2mpfh
***
CLOSING THOUGHT - Sri Chinmoy
Try not to change the world. You will fail.
Try to love the world. Lo, the world is changed.
Changed forever.
- Sri Chinmoy
(end)
*****
For Those Interested -
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT WINTER STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 23rd - April 3rd, 2017
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"How Jesus Became God -
The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee"
http://tinyurl.com/gqzkcbx
Author: Bart D. Ehrman
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00
35 copies were secured for sale.
All copies have been sold.
Our Evolving Course Design:
http://tinyurl.com/j3nv7nd
--
Here is the total course content from our
completed Monday Night Autumn 2016 Study:
"Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious
World" by Bishop John S. Spong
http://rtb.stdavidscalgary.net/
Check our entire archives for all 48 books
studied since 2000:
http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
***
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING STUDY
Ten Sessions February 2nd - April 6th, 2017
"Joshua and Judges" - Formative Hebrew History
Ten sessions 10-11 AM
Gathering at 9:30 AM
In the St. David's TM Room.
No charge
Study resource -
"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
Edited by John Bowker
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
***
ST.DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS PROJECT, 2017
South Africa has been chosen as our location!
We plan a nineteen-day tour that combines a
focus on faith, social justice culture, and nature,
and it will begin mid-month of October 2017.
A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints has been published.
http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7
Twenty-two persons have already put down deposits
to claim a $300. saving. Sale price until February 28th.
This represents 3/4ths of our optimal goal of 28-30.
Follow our notices for weekly updates.
*****
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
http://www.mountstfrancis.ca/
Theme: "Encountering Mercy"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Sunday, February 26th, 2017
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cost: $30.
(includes lunch and refreshments)
Nature walks, weather permitting..
*****
Vol. XII. No. 19
*****
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslistII.blogspot.com
*****
Dear Colleagues:
My Special Item for this issue is a
book notice for the fourth edition of
"This United Church of Ours" by our
colleague, Ralph Milton, and I
think many of you should enjoy it.
My Colleague Contributions, Net Notes,
Wisdom of the Week, On This Day and
Closing Thought are all new, currently
relevant material. Enjoy!
Life after travels continues to return
to normal and I have a number of
projects to attend to. But I do this
blog every week because I have to!
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
THIS UNITED CHURCH OF OURS
(Fourth Edition) by Ralph Milton
Woodlake Publishing, Kelowna BC.
$15.95 CAD Paper
$9.95 CAD Kindle
264 pages. January, 2017
ISBN #978-1-77064-917-0
Publisher's Promo:
Except for Bibles and Hymnbooks, no other
book has been read and appreciated by as
many United Church people. From what to
wear and where to sit in church to theology
and ethics, Ralph Milton covers it all with
his signature easygoing style.
Updated with new information, and expanded
to reflect a church that is reconciling the past
and celebrating the future, this fourth edition
is both informative and revealing.
-
Former Moderator's Words:
Ralph Milton hasn't been "done" (ordained) and
I'm glad he isn't done with our church either.
While he doesn't fit easily into any of our church's
role titles, there's no one who better understands
and loves the soul of our church, or can describe it
more clearly...
This new (fourth) edition of the beloved "This
United Church of Ours" is just what we need.
If ever there was a time for us... to remember
who we are, this is it. Humour and humility are
married in these pages...
You will read here about who we are as an
increasingly diverse community of faith within
a changing national landscape
The congregation in which I worship welcomes
new members frequently and we should give
every one of them a copy of this book. For
newcomers, it offers a better understanding of
our idiosyncrasies and core beliefs, from worship
to money to ethical concerns. For long-timers,
it reminds us about why we do what we do.
Ralph does all of this with honesty, creativity,
and personal revelation of his own love and
frustrations...
Reading this book... reminds me of who I am
connected to, through the love of Christ, in a
great evolving story of what we are a part...
"a community of broken but hopeful believers."
- from the Foreword by Mardi Tindal
--
Author's Bio:
Dr. Ralph Milton is one of Canada's best-
known religious communicators, and a
recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of
Sacred Letters from St. Stephen's College,
Edmonton. He also has an Honorary
Doctorate of Divinity from the Vancouver
School of Theology.
A former news broadcaster, open line host
and church administrator, Milton is the author
of 17 books including the bestselling titles
Family Story Bible; Angels in Red Suspenders;
and Julian's Cell, a novel based on the life of
Julian of Norwich.
On the Internet, Ralph Milton publishes the
popular e-zine Rumors, which uses liberal
doses of humour and story to communicate a
lively faith. Co-founder of Wood Lake Publishing,
Ralph Milton lives in Kelowna, British Columbia,
with his wife and friend of 50 years, Beverley,
a retired church minister. Together, they remain
the ever-proud grandparents of Zoe and Jake.
--
My Thoughts:
I have read the three previous editions of
this book as they have appeared over the last
thirty-six years. As the church has evolved,
so has Milton matured with it.
I have always believed that the United Church
of Canada is an interesting microcosm of
Canada itself. Now as it comes close to
reaching the first century of its existence
it continues to reflect - for good and ill -
something of what our nation is like.
Earlier editions have sold 60,000 copies,
which is quite an achievement for any
Canadian publication from secular or
religious presses. I would agree with
Mardi Tindal that it should be given to
every person who joins this church -
at least as an adult.
This fourth edition, just published,
reflects the United Church of Canada
as it is today - warts and all.
There is no question, but that Milton
continues to maintain a rather sharp
awareness of his subject because he
keeps attuned to many reflectors across
the land and the denomination.
While I may not always resonate to his
humour, I recognize that many people do.
While my approach to describing what I
see might assume a more academic style,
I do appreciate Milton's populist approach.
My mother was brought up in the United
Church but she married into another
mainstream Canadian denomination when
she married dad. When I began attending,
and then joined St. David's United Calgary
almost thirty years ago - I had to make
some adjustments. But my reasons for
continuing to remain an active, serving
member (as a layperson and not the
ordained pastor I had been) have kept
me here. The people who form my great
community of faith are a big factor in all
this. But, I am also grateful that I did not
have to become a Christian I was not in
order to remain here.
I hope to continue offering something
back to my community for all it has done
for me.
I encourage you to read this book. You
do not have to be a new or considering
member of the United Church of Canada.
Read it to get a sense of a unique body
of Christians, unlike any other faith
community in the world. It is one
that remains inclusive, ecumenical and
justice-and-peace-seeking, like few other
denominations in this land or anywhere.
Probably the most important reason
for reading Milton's fourth edition is that
it is proof that God can work through frail
and sinful humans, and still form something
beautiful from it all.
--
Buy the book from Woodlake Publishing:
http://tinyurl.com/jyy5nnf
Buy the Kindle Edition from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/zxseg92
****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Elfreide Schroeder,
Winnipeg, MB
"In Transit" Blog
February 8th, 2017
"Canadian Values"
http://tinyurl.com/hzjqxkj
--
Thomas Ryan,
Boston, MA
Paulist Fathers Website
February 6th, 2017
"Keep the Fire Burning"
http://tinyurl.com/huq2y38
--
Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Website,
February 6th, 2017
"Embittered Moralizing"
http://tinyurl.com/jkdh9x9
****
NET NOTES
HUSTON SMITH DIES AT 87
Leading Interfaith Specialist
New York Times Obituary
January 1st, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hhdw2rb
My Globe and Mail Review
of His Last Book, July 3rd, 2009
"Tales of Wonder - Adventures
Chasing the Divine"
http://tinyurl.com/jfhtfss
--
REMEMBERING SANG CHUL LEE
UCC Korean-Canadian Moderator
United Church of Canada Website
February 7th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jcvsgfu
--
"DON'T BUILD WALLS" SAYS FRANCIS
Pope Continues to Challenge Trump
Religion News Service
February 8th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hqnubpj
--
UNFLINCHING NEW LUTHER BIOGRAPHY
Assessment of His Strengths/Weaknesses
Publisher's Weekly,
February 7th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/z4p5yq8
--
NEW DEAD SEA SCROLLS CAVE FOUND
First New Discovery There in Sixty Years
International Business Times
February 9th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/h9qf4uz
--
PORTRAYING MENNONITES ON CBC TV
A Concern About False Representation
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
February 6th, 2017
https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Pure
--
DOROTHY DAY - A SAINT
FOR DIFFICULT PEOPLE
The Atlantic,
March, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/hgq54pq
"Dorothy Day -
Future Saint - Imperfect Parent"
America Online
February 8th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/js3cf37
--
500 PROMINENT US EVANGELICALS
SIGN PETITION SUPPORTING REFUGEES
Many are Involved in Refugee Work
Religion News Service
February 10th, 1017
http://tinyurl.com/j5v6cth
--
GUARDIANS OF A VAST LAKE,
PROTECTORS OF HUMANITY
Canada's Great Bear Lake NWT
a Native-Led Project
New York Times
February 7th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/h5mhu8k
--
GERMAN EVANGELICALS ISSUE
HISTORIC INVITATION TO THE POPE
A First, in 500 Years at Anniversary
America Online
February 6th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/j336jar
--
OPENING WORSHIP LEADERSHIP
TO THE LAITY
America's New Ministers -
Changing Protestantism
Christian Science Monitor,
February 6th, 2017
http://tinyurl.com/jzfq225
****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Live for yourself and you will live in vain;
Live for others, you will live again.
- Bob Marley
--
Paradise is to be the ultimate instrument,
fulfilling God's desperate intent that we
love each other.
- Ruby Dee
--
'Sin,' he reflected, 'is not what it is usually thought
to be; it is not to steal and tell lies. Sin is for one
[person] to walk brutally over the life of another
and to be quite oblivious of the wounds [they]
have left behind.
- Shūsaku Endō (Japanese author)
--
It is when we love the most intensely and most
humanly that we can recognize how tepid is our
love for others. The keenness and intensity of love
brings with it suffering, of course, but joy too because
it is a foretaste of heaven. When you love people, you
see all the good in them, all the Christ in them. God
sees Christ, his son, in us. And so we should see
Christ in others.
- Dorothy Day
--
Nobody can will their heart to beat even once.
Every heartbeat is a gift from God and it means
he’s not done with you yet. The idea that we are
going to put less value on another person’s heartbeat
because they are disabled or because they carry an
incurable disease is anathema to us. Remember,
when Jesus rose from the dead he restored life in
God-made man! In the face of that gift, how can
we denigrate the life of any other human being?
- Joseph Dutkowsky, MD
--
It is quite easy to found a community. There are
always plenty of courageous people who want to
be heroes, are ready to sleep on the floor, to work
hard hours each day, to live in dilapidated houses.
It’s not hard to camp – anyone can rough it for a
time. The problem comes in living with brothers and
sisters whom we have not chosen but who have
been given to us, and in working ever more truthfully
towards the goal. A community is only being created
when its members accept that they are not going to
achieve great things, that they are not going to be
heroes, but simply live each day with new hope, like
children, in wonderment as the sun rises and in
thankfulness as it sets.
- Jean Vanier
--
Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant
way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there
something deeper? I am sure there is something much
deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who
dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and
mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life.
Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal
lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner
contentment and to renewed excitement in living.…
There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the
migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides,
the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something
infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature –
the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring
after the winter.
- Rachel Carson
***
ON THIS DAY
"George VI Dies: Elizabeth II Succeeds Him"
http://tinyurl.com/b85jj85
"Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin Meet at Yalta"
http://tinyurl.com/bpv3pbh
***
CLOSING THOUGHT - Sadhu Sundar Singh
Diamonds do not dazzle with beauty unless they
are cut. When cut, the rays of the sun fall on them
and make them shine with wonderful colors.
So when we are cut by the cross, we shall shine
as jewels in the kingdom of God.
(end)
*****
For Those Interested -
ST. DAVID'S ACTS MONDAY NIGHT WINTER STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 23rd - April 3rd, 2017
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"How Jesus Became God -
The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee"
http://tinyurl.com/gqzkcbx
Author: Bart D. Ehrman
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00
35 copies were secured for sale.
All copies have been sold.
Our Evolving Course Design:
http://tinyurl.com/j3nv7nd
--
Here is the total course content from our
completed Monday Night Autumn 2016 Study:
"Reclaiming the Bible for a Non-Religious
World" by Bishop John S. Spong
http://rtb.stdavidscalgary.net/
Check our entire archives for all 48 books
studied since 2000:
http://tinyurl.com/q3bw6dh
***
ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING STUDY
Ten Sessions February 2nd - April 6th, 2017
"Joshua and Judges" - Formative Hebrew History
Ten sessions 10-11 AM
Gathering at 9:30 AM
In the St. David's TM Room.
No charge
Study resource -
"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
Edited by John Bowker
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
***
ST.DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS PROJECT, 2017
South Africa has been chosen as our location!
We plan a nineteen-day tour that combines a
focus on faith, social justice culture, and nature,
and it will begin mid-month of October 2017.
A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints has been published.
http://tinyurl.com/hucsaf7
Fifteen persons have already put down deposits
or declared they are doing so to claim a $300.
saving. Offer stands until February 28th. This
represents half our goal of 28-30 travelers.
Follow our notices for weekly updates.
*****
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
http://www.mountstfrancis.ca/
Theme: "Encountering Mercy"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Sunday, February 26th, 2017
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cost: $30.
(includes lunch and refreshments)
Nature walks, weather permitting..
*****
