GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: wholst@telus.net
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: wholst@telus.net
This email is sent only to a voluntary subscriber list.
If you no longer wish to receive these weekly columns,
write to me personally - waholst@telus.net
*****
Dear Friends:
Colleague John Griffith suggested this week's Special
Item book notice. It is Parker Palmer's current reflection
on aging - On the Brink of Everything. Thanks, John!
I am back to my regular Colleagues List format this week.
I hope you find this issue meaningful.
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
ON THE BRINK OF EVERYTHING
Grace, Gravity and Getting Old
by Parker J. Palmer
Berrett-Koehler Publishers,
Oakland, CA, 2018.
Book $20.68 CAD. 198. pages.
Kindle $12.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-5230-9543-8
Publisher's Promo:
From beloved and bestselling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, Healing the Heart of Democracy), comes a beautiful book of reflections on what we can learn as we move closer to "the brink of everything."
Drawing on eight decades of life - and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist - Palmer explores the questions age raises and the promises it holds. "Old," he writes, "is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows."
But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn.
From beginning to end, the book is laced with humor as well as gravitas - beautifully enhanced by three free downloadable songs from the gifted singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.
--
Author's Words:
... this book is not about growing old gracefully. My life has
been graced, but it certainly hasn't been graceful - I've done
more than my share of falling down, getting up, and falling
down again.
Every day, I get closer to the brink of everything. We're all
headed that way, of course, even when we're young, though
most of us are too busy with Important Matters to ponder our
mortality...
I'll be nearly eighty when this book is published, so it
shouldn't surprize me that I can sometimes see the brink
from here. But it does, I'm even more surprised by the fact
that I like being old.
Age brings diminishments, but more than a few come with
benefits.I've lost the capacity for multi-tasking, but I've
rediscovered the joy of doing one thing at a time. My thinking
has slowed a bit, but experienced has made it deeper and
richer. I'm done with big and complex projects, but more
aware of the loveliness of doing simple things: a talk with
a friend, a walk in the wood, sunsets and sunrises, a night
of good sleep.
I have fears, of course, always have and always will, but as
time lengthens as a shadow behind me, and the time ahead
dwindles, my overall feeling is gratitude for the gift of life.
Kurt Vonnegut said "out on the edge, you can see all kinds
of things you can't see from the center."...
But of this I am certain: that I have come this far makes me
one of the lucky ones...
So I am not given to waxing romantic about aging and dying.
I only know (that to come this far is a privilege and that
death is not up for negotiation.)...
Welcome to the brink of everything. It takes a lifetime to get
here, but the stunning view and the bracing breeze in your
face make it worth the trip.
- from the author's Prelude.
--
Author's Bio:
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which offers long-term retreat programs for people in the serving professions - teachers, administrators, physicians, philanthropists, non-profit leaders and clergy. He is the author of nine books - including several award-winning titles - that have sold over 1.4 million copies and been translated into ten languages.
Wikipedia Bio (with his book titles)
http://tinyurl.com/ybxbfbgv
--
My Thoughts:
There are many books about living and coping with aging. I
have collected and treasure a number of them. But this book
has more to do with the pedagogy and philosophy of aging
than a practical coping and dealing with it. It is a poetic
contribution to my collection.
Parker Palmer has written for teachers and preachers for
years and I have always respected his ability to transcend
various disciplines. He continues to do that here; only he
appeals to many readers beyond that as well.
His chapter themes include - view from the brink, the
dance of generational relations, facing reality, writing
about life, staying engaged with the world, staying
engaged with your soul, and - a good conclusion -
where we go when we die.
I believe this is a book that I can keep close by. It has
shelf life and both Marlene and I hope to continue making
good use of it. I think that you will too.
*****
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/y3cevex7
*****
*****
Dear Friends:
Colleague John Griffith suggested this week's Special
Item book notice. It is Parker Palmer's current reflection
on aging - On the Brink of Everything. Thanks, John!
I am back to my regular Colleagues List format this week.
I hope you find this issue meaningful.
Wayne
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
ON THE BRINK OF EVERYTHING
Grace, Gravity and Getting Old
by Parker J. Palmer
Berrett-Koehler Publishers,
Oakland, CA, 2018.
Book $20.68 CAD. 198. pages.
Kindle $12.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-5230-9543-8
Publisher's Promo:
From beloved and bestselling author Parker J. Palmer (Let Your Life Speak, The Courage to Teach, Healing the Heart of Democracy), comes a beautiful book of reflections on what we can learn as we move closer to "the brink of everything."
Drawing on eight decades of life - and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist - Palmer explores the questions age raises and the promises it holds. "Old," he writes, "is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows."
But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn.
From beginning to end, the book is laced with humor as well as gravitas - beautifully enhanced by three free downloadable songs from the gifted singer-songwriter Carrie Newcomer, written in response to themes in the book.
--
Author's Words:
... this book is not about growing old gracefully. My life has
been graced, but it certainly hasn't been graceful - I've done
more than my share of falling down, getting up, and falling
down again.
Every day, I get closer to the brink of everything. We're all
headed that way, of course, even when we're young, though
most of us are too busy with Important Matters to ponder our
mortality...
I'll be nearly eighty when this book is published, so it
shouldn't surprize me that I can sometimes see the brink
from here. But it does, I'm even more surprised by the fact
that I like being old.
Age brings diminishments, but more than a few come with
benefits.I've lost the capacity for multi-tasking, but I've
rediscovered the joy of doing one thing at a time. My thinking
has slowed a bit, but experienced has made it deeper and
richer. I'm done with big and complex projects, but more
aware of the loveliness of doing simple things: a talk with
a friend, a walk in the wood, sunsets and sunrises, a night
of good sleep.
I have fears, of course, always have and always will, but as
time lengthens as a shadow behind me, and the time ahead
dwindles, my overall feeling is gratitude for the gift of life.
Kurt Vonnegut said "out on the edge, you can see all kinds
of things you can't see from the center."...
But of this I am certain: that I have come this far makes me
one of the lucky ones...
So I am not given to waxing romantic about aging and dying.
I only know (that to come this far is a privilege and that
death is not up for negotiation.)...
Welcome to the brink of everything. It takes a lifetime to get
here, but the stunning view and the bracing breeze in your
face make it worth the trip.
- from the author's Prelude.
--
Author's Bio:
Parker J. Palmer is a writer, speaker, and activist who focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality and social change. He is founder and Senior Partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal, which offers long-term retreat programs for people in the serving professions - teachers, administrators, physicians, philanthropists, non-profit leaders and clergy. He is the author of nine books - including several award-winning titles - that have sold over 1.4 million copies and been translated into ten languages.
Wikipedia Bio (with his book titles)
http://tinyurl.com/ybxbfbgv
--
My Thoughts:
There are many books about living and coping with aging. I
have collected and treasure a number of them. But this book
has more to do with the pedagogy and philosophy of aging
than a practical coping and dealing with it. It is a poetic
contribution to my collection.
Parker Palmer has written for teachers and preachers for
years and I have always respected his ability to transcend
various disciplines. He continues to do that here; only he
appeals to many readers beyond that as well.
His chapter themes include - view from the brink, the
dance of generational relations, facing reality, writing
about life, staying engaged with the world, staying
engaged with your soul, and - a good conclusion -
where we go when we die.
I believe this is a book that I can keep close by. It has
shelf life and both Marlene and I hope to continue making
good use of it. I think that you will too.
*****
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/y3cevex7
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
Elfrieda Schroeder,
Winnipeg, MB.
"In Transit" Blog
March 6th, 2019
"Sister Love"
http://tinyurl.com/y6s9adzt
--
Ron Rolheiseer,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
March 4th, 2019
"Unfinished Relationships"
https://tinyurl.com/yxaukfqc
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
March 3rd, 2019
"Symbolic Gestures
Can Make a Difference"
https://tinyurl.com/y5qxbklu
Philip Yancey,
Colorado
PhilipYancey.com
February 25th, 2019
"Statistical Love"
https://tinyurl.com/yykhfag2
*****
NET NOTES
WHEN CHILDREN CRY OUT
The Conviction of Cardinal Pell
Says None are Beyond Justice
UCA News,
March 6th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y4gw3qp7wa
--
AUSTRALIANS REACT TO PELL
Deep Public Resentment
National Catholic Reporter,
March 4th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/yymua693
--
ARMENIAN CULTURAL GENOCIDE
Worst Case of the Twenty-First Century
The Guardian,
March 1st, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2cjjy75
--
MICHAEL COHEN - "NEVER AGAIN"
Understanding His True Values
Sightings,
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y3eat5tn
--
Elfrieda Schroeder,
Winnipeg, MB.
"In Transit" Blog
March 6th, 2019
"Sister Love"
http://tinyurl.com/y6s9adzt
--
Ron Rolheiseer,
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
March 4th, 2019
"Unfinished Relationships"
https://tinyurl.com/yxaukfqc
--
Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
March 3rd, 2019
"Symbolic Gestures
Can Make a Difference"
https://tinyurl.com/y5qxbklu
--
Philip Yancey,
Colorado
PhilipYancey.com
February 25th, 2019
"Statistical Love"
https://tinyurl.com/yykhfag2
*****
NET NOTES
WHEN CHILDREN CRY OUT
The Conviction of Cardinal Pell
Says None are Beyond Justice
UCA News,
March 6th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y4gw3qp7wa
--
AUSTRALIANS REACT TO PELL
Deep Public Resentment
National Catholic Reporter,
March 4th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/yymua693
--
ARMENIAN CULTURAL GENOCIDE
Worst Case of the Twenty-First Century
The Guardian,
March 1st, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2cjjy75
--
MICHAEL COHEN - "NEVER AGAIN"
Understanding His True Values
Sightings,
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y3eat5tn
--
ANTI-SEMITISM ON THE RISE IN FRANCE
The "Poison" is Evident in Several Places
Religion News Service,
March 8th, 2019
https://tinyurl.com/yxw3qu8e
--
HOW CANADIANS OPENED
THEIR HEARTS TO REFUGEES
Syrian Crisis Prompted Response
The Toronto Star,
March 2nd, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y3tvzad9
--
WHY SO MANY AMERICANS
ARE TURNING TO BUDDHISM
Eastern Faith Offers Mental Health
The Atlantic Online
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2crw7s5
--
AFRICAN PENTECOSTALISM
REBUKED FOR GOING OVERBOARD
Pastor Does Resurrection Stunt
Religion News Service,
March 5th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y6fq9os5
--
CANTERBURY HAILS ANNIVERSARY
OF WOMEN PRIESTS IN THE C of E
25 Yeas Since They Were First Ordained
La Croix International
March 6th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2qx6xxf
--
AUSTRIAN RFORMER PRIEST SAYS CHURCH
HAS FIVE YEARS TO CLEAN UP IT'S ACT
"Or it's Over" He Says
La Croix International
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y6nqoa3l
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:
Hope is a song in a weary throat.
- Pauli Murray
--
According to the Talmud, every blade of grass
has its own angel bending over it, whispering,
"Grow, grow."
- Barbara Brown Taylor
--
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and
each of you too, or at least of his intention and
his hope.
- Mary Oliver
--
Only a person of will can become a Christian; for
only a person of will has a will that can be broken.
But a person of will whose will is broken by God
is a Christian. The stronger the natural will, the
deeper the break can be and the better the
Christian. This is what has been described by
the expressive phrase: the new obedience.
A Christian is a person of will who no longer wills
his own will but with the passion of his crushed
will – radically changed – wills another’s will.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
“Do you understand what I have done to you?” the
Lord asked his disciples after washing their feet.
He asks us the same thing every time we have been
helped through humiliation and distress. He asks it
especially, however, in the time of Lent, and every
time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper or hear the
message of salvation. In all these things he is
carrying on the loving service of washing our feet
and working for our sanctification.
- Johann Ernst von Holst
--
He assaulted indignant tradesmen and threw them
and their belongings out of the Temple; he drove a
coach-and-horses through a number of sacrosanct
and hoary regulations; he cured diseases by any
means that came handy, with a shocking casualness
in the matter of other people’s pigs and property; he
showed no proper deference for wealth or social
position; when confronted with neat dialectical traps,
he displayed a paradoxical humor that affronted
serious-minded people, and he retorted by asking
disagreeably searching questions that could not be
answered by rule of thumb. He was emphatically
not a dull man in his human lifetime, and if he was
God, there can be nothing dull about God either.
But he had “a daily beauty in his life that made us
ugly,” and officialdom felt that the established order
of things would be more secure without him. So they
did away with God in the name of peace and
quietness.
- Dorothy Sayers
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Mary Oliver
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and
each of you too, or at least of his intention and
his hope.
(end)
*****
For those interested:
Current ACTS Ministry Activities at
St. David's United Church, Calgary
--
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
http://www.mountstfrancis.ca/
Theme: "Who Do You Say That I Am"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Sunday, March 10th, 2019
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cost: $30.
(includes registration, lunch and refreshments)
Total class registrations: 42
***
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR, 2019
East Europe and Russia were chosen as our destinations!
We plan a twenty-day tour that combines a focus
on spirituality, culture and the relationship between
The "Poison" is Evident in Several Places
Religion News Service,
March 8th, 2019
https://tinyurl.com/yxw3qu8e
--
HOW CANADIANS OPENED
THEIR HEARTS TO REFUGEES
Syrian Crisis Prompted Response
The Toronto Star,
March 2nd, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y3tvzad9
--
WHY SO MANY AMERICANS
ARE TURNING TO BUDDHISM
Eastern Faith Offers Mental Health
The Atlantic Online
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2crw7s5
--
AFRICAN PENTECOSTALISM
REBUKED FOR GOING OVERBOARD
Pastor Does Resurrection Stunt
Religion News Service,
March 5th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y6fq9os5
--
CANTERBURY HAILS ANNIVERSARY
OF WOMEN PRIESTS IN THE C of E
25 Yeas Since They Were First Ordained
La Croix International
March 6th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y2qx6xxf
--
AUSTRIAN RFORMER PRIEST SAYS CHURCH
HAS FIVE YEARS TO CLEAN UP IT'S ACT
"Or it's Over" He Says
La Croix International
March 7th, 2019
http://tinyurl.com/y6nqoa3l
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners and the Bruderhof online:
Hope is a song in a weary throat.
- Pauli Murray
--
According to the Talmud, every blade of grass
has its own angel bending over it, whispering,
"Grow, grow."
- Barbara Brown Taylor
--
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and
each of you too, or at least of his intention and
his hope.
- Mary Oliver
--
Only a person of will can become a Christian; for
only a person of will has a will that can be broken.
But a person of will whose will is broken by God
is a Christian. The stronger the natural will, the
deeper the break can be and the better the
Christian. This is what has been described by
the expressive phrase: the new obedience.
A Christian is a person of will who no longer wills
his own will but with the passion of his crushed
will – radically changed – wills another’s will.
- Søren Kierkegaard
--
“Do you understand what I have done to you?” the
Lord asked his disciples after washing their feet.
He asks us the same thing every time we have been
helped through humiliation and distress. He asks it
especially, however, in the time of Lent, and every
time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper or hear the
message of salvation. In all these things he is
carrying on the loving service of washing our feet
and working for our sanctification.
- Johann Ernst von Holst
--
He assaulted indignant tradesmen and threw them
and their belongings out of the Temple; he drove a
coach-and-horses through a number of sacrosanct
and hoary regulations; he cured diseases by any
means that came handy, with a shocking casualness
in the matter of other people’s pigs and property; he
showed no proper deference for wealth or social
position; when confronted with neat dialectical traps,
he displayed a paradoxical humor that affronted
serious-minded people, and he retorted by asking
disagreeably searching questions that could not be
answered by rule of thumb. He was emphatically
not a dull man in his human lifetime, and if he was
God, there can be nothing dull about God either.
But he had “a daily beauty in his life that made us
ugly,” and officialdom felt that the established order
of things would be more secure without him. So they
did away with God in the name of peace and
quietness.
- Dorothy Sayers
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - Mary Oliver
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and
each of you too, or at least of his intention and
his hope.
(end)
*****
For those interested:
Current ACTS Ministry Activities at
St. David's United Church, Calgary
--
ANNUAL ST. DAVID'S LENTEN RETREAT
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, AB
http://www.mountstfrancis.ca/
Theme: "Who Do You Say That I Am"
Led by Spiritual Director Susan Campbell
Sunday, March 10th, 2019
11:30 AM to 4:00 PM
Cost: $30.
(includes registration, lunch and refreshments)
To date - 25 persons have registered for the event.
Restful reflections and nature walks, weather permitting...
***
Restful reflections and nature walks, weather permitting...
***
ST. DAVID'S ACTS WINTER MONDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY
A Ten Week Series January 14th - March 18, 2019
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"THE GREAT SPIRITUAL MIGRATION"
A Ten Week Series January 14th - March 18, 2019
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
"THE GREAT SPIRITUAL MIGRATION"
How the World's Largest Religion is
Seeking a Better Way to be Christian
Author: Brian D. McLaren
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00
Seeking a Better Way to be Christian
Author: Brian D. McLaren
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $20.00
45 copies of the book were made available for sale.
All are now sold. Total on-site registrations: 42
(plus 3 on-line participants). Grand Total: 45
Here are power point notes from each session:
https://tinyurl.com/ycz5wf72
Book Description - https://tinyurl.com/ybeaaceq
(plus 3 on-line participants). Grand Total: 45
Here are power point notes from each session:
https://tinyurl.com/ycz5wf72
Book Description - https://tinyurl.com/ybeaaceq
--
Some stats:
Autumn, 2018 Program -
Some stats:
Autumn, 2018 Program -
Total books sold: 57
Autumn and Winter Series (2018-19) -
Total class registrations: 87
Total books sold: 102
***
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS TOUR, 2019
East Europe and Russia were chosen as our destinations!
This will be our fifth Spiritual Travelers Tour, with a
group emerging from St. David's but very open to others.
The Tour is entitled: "From Vienna to Moscow"
We plan a twenty-day tour that combines a focus
on spirituality, culture and the relationship between
religion and politics. The tour will run from April 26th
through May 16th, 2019.
https://tinyurl.com/y834742f
A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints has been published.
https://tinyurl.com/y7j55gym
Our trip sale reached an important milestone
as 38 persons registered, helping us to surpass
our
https://tinyurl.com/y834742f
A beautiful brochure with trip cost, itinerary, and
many helpful travel hints has been published.
https://tinyurl.com/y7j55gym
Our trip sale reached an important milestone
as 38 persons registered, helping us to surpass
our