Saturday, February 28, 2015

Colleagues List, March 1st, 2015

Vol. X.  No. 29

*****

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net

Colleagues List Web Site:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

"Quicklinks" are included with many items
at the beginning of this issue. To get a more
complete picture, however, scroll down to
find your special selection in the body of
the blog.


*****


Special Item -

This week, I introduce the latest book by
Joan Chittister of Erie, PA. It is entitled:

"Between the Dark and the Daylight."

- another of her insightful spiritual writings.

http://tinyurl.com/qy9netg

To read my thoughts, please scroll down.

--

Colleague Contributions - are provided by

Jim Taylor (Okanagan BC) who leads us
"Towards an Integrated Faith"
  http://tinyurl.com/p3spx4y

Martin Marty (Chicago IL) who studies
"Pope Francis"
  http://tinyurl.com/ktxdbtg

Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio TX) who describes
"God's Pleasure in Our Actions"
  http://tinyurl.com/oxhmhbr

Monica Kilburn Smith (Calgary AB) who
challenges the current Vatican approach to
women with a piece from the Irish Times on
"The Vatican Choice of Female Image" -
  Male Power Fantasy over Women
  (with a nod to "Fifty Shades of Grey")
  http://tinyurl.com/kecafpm

--

Net Notes - this week are as follows:

"A U.N. for Religion?" - an interesting
editorial on creating a United Nations
for global religion (America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/l958gde

"Pope Benedict's Resignation" - it was
two years this week that Benedict resigned
from the papacy. Here are assessments
(National Catholic Reporter, UCA News)
http://tinyurl.com/lob22o2
http://tinyurl.com/mhkl8uw

"An Anti-ISIS  Summit in Mecca" - not all
Muslims believe that ISIS is anti-Muslim
(The Atlantic Online)
http://tinyurl.com/m235tyo

"End of Christian Mid-East Presence?" - a
sad report on the decimation of Christian
communities in dominantly Muslim states
plus recent devastation (The Guardian UK
and Tablet UK) http://tinyurl.com/lsjfp28
http://tinyurl.com/pw2arh5

"Bitter Side to the Chocolate Industry" - a
review of where chocolate comes from and
the abusive sources associated with it
(Christian Week online)
http://tinyurl.com/qgsurmy

"Ten Things Catholics are Tired of Hearing" =
this Catholic website takes up the cause
of false stereotyping of Roman Catholics
(Catholic365.com)
http://tinyurl.com/qgopk43

"ELCA Takes a New Approach to Mission Starts" -
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has
always been creative in new church development
and here is a report of some current projects
(Christian Century) http://tinyurl.com/lcwkff3

"Indian Christians Upset by Hindu Leader's Remarks" -
unflattering comments about Mother Teresa did not
go down well with some of her strong supporters
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/pxpschb

--

Wisdom of the Week - comes to us from

Blaise Pascal, Dorothy Day, Madeleine L'Engle,
Christian Wiman, Marian Wright Edelman and
George Orwell

To read these insights, please scroll down.

--

On This Day -

- from the archives of the New York Times:

"Cult Members, Federal Agents Killed in Waco"
  http://tinyurl.com/pwsxa9e


--

Closing Thought - Sojourner Truth

To read this, scroll down to the end of the blog.

(end)

If you wish to see our current program
please scroll through to the end of the blog.

Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary:


*****

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice -

BETWEEN THE DARK AND THE DAYLIGHT
Embracing the Contradictions of Life
by Joan Chittister

Publisher's Promo:

There is a part of the soul that stirs at night,
in the dark and soundless times of day, when
our defenses are down and our daylight
distractions no longer serve to protect us
from ourselves,” writes beloved author,
Joan Chittister. “It’s then, in the still of life,
when we least expect it, that questions
emerge from the damp murkiness of our
inner underworld…These questions do not
call for the discovery of data; they call for
the contemplation of possibility.

--

Here, at last, is a book for those ready to
make peace with the unsolvable riddles of
present-day life.  Why are we so lonely in
a world of so little privacy?  Why do we work
so hard for control we can never achieve? 
Whether the problem that keeps you up at
night is how to find safety in a world that is
always changing or how to deal with guilt in
a life that is far from perfect, Sister Joan has
good news for you: these are the questions
that make you human, and can make you
more joyously human if you choose.”

- Barbara Brown Taylor,
   author of Learning to Walk in the Dark

--

Author's Bio:

Sister Joan D. Chittister, O.S.B. is a
Benedictine nun, author and speaker.
A member of the Benedictine Sisters
of Erie, Pennsylvania, where sheserved
as prioress for 12 years, Sister Joan is
an author and lecturer. She also writes
a web column for the National Catholic
Reporter, "From Where I Stand".

Chittister holds a master's degree from
the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D.
in speech communication theory from Penn
State University. She was also a research
associate of St. Edmund's College, Cambridge
University. She writes and speaks on women
in the church and society, human rights, peace
and justice, religious life and spirituality. She
is co-chair of the Global Peace Initiative of
Women, a UN-sponsored organization creating
a worldwide network of women peacemakers.
She is the founder of "Benetvision".

--

My Thoughts:

It was a freeing time in my life when I learned that
people were not good or bad, but good and bad. The
same was true for me.

One of the most meaningful learning experiences
for me has been the study of heroic biography. I
continue to be mentored by great lives. My choice
of biographies has changed, however. In the past
I tried to learn from heroes and heroines that
were flawless and super-human. Now, I seek out
those who are presented "warts and all" with
very human characteristics.

Some of the most valuable spiritual writers today
are those who understand this. I think that is why
Joan Chittister is so much appreciated. It is good
to know that in her mature years, she is still
writing new and creative material.

"Between the Dark and the Daylight" is such a
book and her latest was just published this week.
The time between dark and dawn can be very
threatening to those of us who tend to partially
waken before morning. It is at that time that
we are confronted with some pretty scary things.

One of my recurring dreams at that time is a
situation where I am supposed to be ready for
something and I'm not. Perhaps it's to catch a
plane, to teach a class, or to have some work
completed by deadline. Invariably, I am unable
to do what I am supposed to do = have my
tickets in hand, have my notes ready to present,
have that task completed before it will be
inspected, etc.

I'm sure that says something about my
personality, but I will leave that to you
psychological analysts out there.

What I think writers like Chittister are trying
to tell us in a book like this is that rather than
dreading the fact "I am falling short" or "missing
that boat" - I need to be opening myself to
what seems bad or a weakness about me. It
is in that awakening and what I do with it that
I can change and become a better person. It's
not because I become so good, but because I
really know myself better.

The same holds true for those I am inclined to
judge for their inadequacies.

Be alert to the learnings that can be your's
'between the darkness and the daylight hours'
and embrace, rather than recoil from the
contradictions that present themselves.

Another fine piece of work by the author.

--

Buy the book from Amazon.ca
Release February 24th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/qy9netg

--

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
February 25th, 2015

"Towards an Integrated Faith"
  http://tinyurl.com/p3spx4y

--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago. IL

Sightings
February 23rd, 2015


"Pope Francis"
  http://tinyurl.com/ktxdbtg

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX

Personal Web Page
February 22nd, 2015


"God's Pleasure in Our Actions"
  http://tinyurl.com/oxhmhbr

--

MONICA KILBURN-SMITH
Calgary, AB

The Irish Times
February 17th, 2015

How has a headless, truncated, nude,
female bondage image recently acquired
pride of place on the website of a Vatican
all-male body?

The pontifical council for culture is a

department of the Roman curia entrusted
with the relationship of the Catholic Church
with different cultures. It is headed by
Cardinal Ravasi and has 31 members,
mostly clerics, and a few laymen
“men of culture”. There is not one
“woman of culture”.

http://tinyurl.com/kecafpm

*****

NET NOTES 

A U.N. FOR RELIGION?
Cruelty Cloaked in Religion
Reduces All Religion

America Magazine Editorial
March 9th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/l958gde

--

POPE BENEDICT'S RESIGNATION
A Two-Year Retrospective

National Catholic Reporter
February 28th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/lob22o2

"Benedict Spends His Days
  in the Shadows"

UCA News
February 26th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/mhkl8uw

--

AN ANTI-ISIS SUMMIT IN MECCA
Some Muslims Link ISIS and Islam

The Atlantic Online
February 26th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/m235tyo

--

END OF CHRISTIAN MID-EAST PRESENCE?
Activists Warn of ISIS-Inspired Tragedy

The Guardian, UK
February 24th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/lsjfp28

"ISIS Begins to Kill 350 Christians in Syria"

The Tablet, UK
February 26th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/pw2arh5

--

BITTER SIDE TO
THE CHOCOLATE INDUSTRY
Not So Sweet Story
on the Other Side

Christian Week Online
February 16th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/qgsurmy

--

10 THINGS CATHOLICS
ARE TIRED OF HEARING
Stereotypes Without
Basis in Reality

Catholic365.com
February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/qgopk43

--

ELCA TAKES NEW APPROACH
TO MISSION STARTS

The Christian Century
February 20th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/lcwkff3

--

INDIAN CHRISTIANS UPSET
BY HINDU LEADER'S REMARKS
He Claimed Mother Teresa Was
Only Concerned to Convert the Poor

UCA News
February 24th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/pxpschb

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners
and Bruderhof online

The heart has its reasons
which reason knows not.

- Blaise Pascal

--

Whenever I groan within myself and think
how hard it is to keep writing about love
in these times of tension and strife which
may, at any moment, become for us all a
time of terror, I think to myself: What else
is the world interested in? What else do we
all want, each one of us, except to love and
be loved, in our families, in our work, in all
our relationships? God is love. Love casts
out fear. Even the most ardent revolutionist,
seeking to change the world, to overturn the
tables of the money changers, is trying to
make a world where it is easier for people
to love, to stand in that relationship to 
each other. 

- Dorothy Day

--

If you're going to care about the fall of
the sparrow you can't pick and choose
who's going to be the sparrow.

It's everybody.

- Madeleine L'Engle

--

Art is so often better at theology
than theology is.

- Christian Wiman

--

Service is the rent we pay for being.
It is the very purpose of life, and not
something you do in your spare time.

- Marian Wright Edelman

--

People use up their lives in heartbreaking
political struggles, or get themselves killed
in civil wars, or tortured in the secret prisons
of the Gestapo, not in order to establish some
central-heated, air-conditioned, strip-lighted
Paradise, but because they want a world in
which human beings love one another instead
of swindling and murdering one another.

- George Orwell

*****

ON THIS DAY

From the Archives of the New York Times -

"Cult Members, Federal Agents Killed in Waco"
  http://tinyurl.com/pwsxa9e

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - Sojourner Truth

Religion without humanity
is very poor human stuff.

(end)

*****

Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary:


MONDAY NIGHT STUDY - WINTER SERIES

January 12nd – March 23rd, 2015
7-00-9:00PM TM Room. Ten Weeks.
(Family Day Monday exempted)

“Fields of Blood: Religion and

  the History of Violence”
  by Karen Armstrong

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration $60.00. Book only $25.00

This study is now in progress.
Forty books sold.

Study design and class links
http://tinyurl.com/k5ppruz

Lorna Dueck interviews Karen Armstrong
Youtube link: http://tinyurl.com/n7odd6g

---
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
January 22nd - March 26th, 2015. Ten Weeks.
10:00-11:00AM TM Room

"Romans and James -

  Foundations for Christian
  Thought and Living"
  Study Leader: Wayne Holst

No charge.

Study resource -
The DK Complete Bible Handbook
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q

This study has begun.

---

ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS'
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR

"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
  October 16th - 31st, 2015


http://tinyurl.com/plg4sgo

Hardcopy tour details brochure
is available in the church lobby.

Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary

Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council

Talk with or write to Marlene and Wayne
(403-286-7416)
waholst@telus.net
marleneaholst@gmail.com

Save $300. if deposit paid by March 31st.

This tour is filling up. 24 registrants to date.
30 participants max.

---

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE


Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015


"Simply Good News" by N.T. Wright

http://tinyurl.com/kwte3os

Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary

Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM. Five sessions.
Feb. 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th.

Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.


 
This program has started.

Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $20.00


*****



 

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Colleagues List, February 22nd, 2015

Vol. X.  No. 28

*****

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net

Colleagues List Web Site:

http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com

"Quicklinks" are included with many items
at the beginning of this issue. To get a more
complete picture, however, scroll down to
find your special selection in the body of
the blog.


*****

Dear Friends:

We hear a lot today about religion and
violence. "Colleague Communications"
and "Net Notes" (below) contain ample 
evidence of that.

We need to remind ourselves, however,
that religious conflict is often as much
something "inter nos" (intrafaith) as it
is "between us and them" meaning those
of other faiths (interfaith). I deal with
each theme in my February and March
Anglican Journal (Toronto) columns.

In this issue I share with you the first:
"A Model for Intrafaith Dialog" and I
hope you like it.

http://tinyurl.com/nk97fby

--
 
Colleague Contributions this week
are provided by:

Doug Shantz (Calgary) announces a
forthcoming Chair of Christian Thought
(Lebel Lecture): "The Moravian Practice
of Recording One's Spiritual Journey"
http://tinyurl.com/4uwkccz

Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio) reflects
on: "Christ and Nature"
http://tinyurl.com/ojullu5

Jim Taylor (Okanagan) presents his
views on assisted suicide in Canada:
"Deciding Someone Else's Fate" - the
Supreme Court and Assisted Suicide
http://tinyurl.com/ku4qd9g

Martin Marty (Chicago) writes of a
subject meaningful to both of us:
"The Silent Minority - German
Immigration to America"
http://tinyurl.com/n4l9jse

James M Wall (Chicago) assesses
President Obama's recent speech
distinguishing  terrorism from Islam
entitled: "At War With Those
Who Have Perverted Islam"
http://tinyurl.com/kztqvk6

Thanks for these helpful pieces.

--

Net Notes selected from the internet -

"Who are the Copts?" - tragedy struck
Coptic Christians in Libya this week.
Here is a backgrounder and some
responses from several faith groups
(Christianity Today, UCA News, and
the Anglican Journal, Toronto)
http://tinyurl.com/p7wlrw6
http://tinyurl.com/lnm5w78
http://tinyurl.com/pk8a8vg

"The Hero Europe Needed" - Václav Havel
has always been a hero of mine, and
Canadian Michael Ignatieff writes an
essay on his legacy (The Atlantic Online)
http://tinyurl.com/onhvdwa


"Islam Must Critique Itself" - last week we
read one perspective on  the need for Islamic
self-assessment. Here is another view from
(Sightings) http://tinyurl.com/kjylepz

"Death of Aid Worker in Syria" - a young
Arizona woman, supporting aid to Syria,
was killed in an Allied forces battle incident.
Here is a story of her faith and the memorial
(Christian Week Online, The Christian Post)
http://tinyurl.com/kqhtb4b
http://tinyurl.com/nb2netg

"Worrying State of South Africa" - the
quality of government in SA is undergoing
scrutiny and the results are not good
(America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/k2zkk24

"Obama Avoids Extremist Labels" - the
president's speech on terrorism and Islam
was a good one - and walked the fine but
firm line he needs to take (New York Times)
http://tinyurl.com/mgywtsm
http://tinyurl.com/pjdvpmf

"Lent - in the Orthodox Tradition" - years
ago, an Orthodox Christian friend of mine
gave me a good book by deceased American 
theologian Alexander Schmemann  entitled: 
"For the Life of the World" and I'm glad it is
still in print (Englewood Review of Books,
Wikipedia bio) http://tinyurl.com/ocu6dv2
http://tinyurl.com/648fkp

"Thoughts on Abe Lincoln's Legacy" -
the great US president would have
celebrated his 206th birthday this week
and here is an assessment (America)
http://tinyurl.com/ly9nsbp

"Varied Reactions to "Fifty Shades" -
the big movie event this week drew many
viewers and a large income, but what to
make of it? Here are four perspectives -
(The Christian Post, Christianity Today,
New York Times, Atlantic Online)
http://tinyurl.com/l37yoka
http://tinyurl.com/nyzjjpd
http://tinyurl.com/pzcdy7a
http://tinyurl.com/ljo2zzg

"Spirit of Vatican II Alive in Papal Reforms" -
another assessment of Francis and his work
and style (The Tablet UK, Catholic News
Agency) http://tinyurl.com/oohe3jh
http://tinyurl.com/pflkjnr

"Oslo Mosque Extends Protection to Synagogue"
- we close with a hopeful story in the midst of
so much about which to be depressed (Good
Magazine for Global Citizens via Sojourners)
http://tinyurl.com/p4wzej6

--

Wisdom of the Week - comes to us via Sojourners
and Bruderhof online and are presented by:

Margaret Atwood, a Mexican Proverb,
G.K. Chesterton, Dom Helder Camara,
Frances Moore Lappe and Parker J. Palmer

I value these contributions.

Scroll down to read them, please.

--

On This Day - from the archives and as
reported by the New York Times -

"US Lands on Iwo Jima in WWII
  and Eventually Claims Victory"
  http://tinyurl.com/a97rnfw

"King Tut's Tomb Unsealed in Egypt"
  http://tinyurl.com/y8lg4zy

"Malcolm X Shot and Killed in New York" 
  http://tinyurl.com/22uvelg

--

Closing Thought - is from Toni Morrison.
Please scroll to the end of the blog.

(end)

*****

If you are interested here are some of
our congregational ministry programs -

Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary

Scroll to the end of the blog.

*****

SPECIAL ITEM

My Anglican Journal February Column:

A MODEL FOR INTRA-FAITH DIALOGUE
February 17th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/nk97fby

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

DOUG SHANTZ
Calgary AB

Chair of Christian Thought
Lebel Lecture:

"The Moravian Practice of
  Recording One's Spiritual Journey"

http://tinyurl.com/4uwkccz

--

RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio TX

February 15th 2015

"Christ and Nature"
  http://tinyurl.com/ojullu5

--

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan BC

Personal Web Log
February 15th, 2015

"Deciding Someone Else's Fate"
  Supreme Court Assisted Suicide
  http://tinyurl.com/ku4qd9g

--

MARTIN MARTY
Chicago IL

Sightings
February 16th, 2015

"The Silent Minority =
  German Immigration to America"
  http://tinyurl.com/n4l9jse

--

JAMES M. WALL
Chicago, IL

Wall Writings
February 20th, 2015

Obama Speech:

"At War With Those Who Have Perverted Islam"
  http://tinyurl.com/kztqvk6
  
*****

NET NOTES

WHO ARE THE COPTS?
News Backgrounder to the
ISIS/Libyan Beheading Tragedy

Christianity Today
June 15th, 2012

http://tinyurl.com/p7wlrw6

UCA News
February 17th, 2015

"Pope Condemns Coptic Beheadings"

http://tinyurl.com/lnm5w78

Anglican Journal
February 20th, 2015

"Leaders Declare Solidarity
  With Coptic Church"

http://tinyurl.com/pk8a8vg

--

THE HERO EUROPE NEEDED
The Legacy of Václav Havel
by Michael Ignatieff

The Atlantic Online
February 16th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/onhvdwa

--

ISLAM MUST CRITIQUE ITSELF
Another Take After Last Week's Column

Sightings,
February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/kjylepz

--

DEATH OF AID WORKER IN SYRIA
Faith Was Strong in Letter to Family

Christian Week Online
February 17th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/kqhtb4b

"Memorial Service Held in Prescott, AZ"
 
Christian Post
February 20th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/nb2netg

--

WORRYING STATE OF SOUTH AFRICA
Brawling in Parliament Causes Dismay

America Magazine
February 15th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/k2zkk24

--

OBAMA AVOIDS EXTREMIST LABELS
Talks Carefully on Very Difficult Subject
Plus NYT Video on the Evolution of ISIS

New York Times
February 18th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/mgywtsm

"To Combat Terror - Gentle Hand or Iron Fist?"
  New York Times
  February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/pjdvpmf

--

LENT - IN THE ORTHODOX TRADITION
Alexander Schmemann:
"For the Life of the World"

Englewood Review of Books
February 20th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/ocu6dv2

Wikipedia Bio:
http://tinyurl.com/648fkp

--

THOUGHTS ON ABE LINCOLN'S LEGACY
Remembering Him on His 206th Birthday

America Magazine
February 15th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/ly9nsbp

--

VARIED REACTIONS TO "FIFTY SHADES"
First Wave Views of Current Blockbuster

The Christian Post
February 18th, 2015

"Don't Waste Your Money"

http://tinyurl.com/l37yoka

Christianity Today
February 12th, 2015

"Avoid Knee-Jerk Condemnation"

http://tinyurl.com/nyzjjpd

New York Times
February 15th, 2015

"Movie Response Shows 
  Shift in Public Acceptance"

http://tinyurl.com/pzcdy7a

The Atlantic Online
February 10th, 2015

Evaluative Essay
"Consent Isn't Enough -
  The Troubling Sex of Fifty Shades"

http://tinyurl.com/ljo2zzg

--

SPIRIT OF VATICAN II
ALIVE IN PAPAL REFORMS
Francis Seen as Key
Motivation Behind Changes

The Tablet UK
February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/oohe3jh

"Not Endorsement but Understanding"
Pope Francis on Priests Who Have Married

Catholic News Agency
February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/pflkjnr

--

OSLO MOSQUE EXTENDS PROTECTION
TO MEMBERS OF JEWISH SYNAGUOGE

Good Magazine, For World Citizens
February 19th, 2015

http://tinyurl.com/p4wzej6

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners and
the Bruderhof online:

War is what happens when language fails.

- Margaret Atwood

--

They tried to bury us.
They didn't know we were seeds.

- Mexican Proverb

--

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. Chesteron

--

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 himself
to weave the pattern of your days.

- Dom Helder Camara

--

We’re just a drop in the bucket, and that’s
meaningless. But we say, ‘No, wait a minute.
If you have a bucket, those raindrops fill it
up very fast. Being a drop in the bucket is
magnificent.’ The problem is we cannot see
the bucket. Our work is helping people see
that there is a bucket. There are all these
people all over the world who are creating t
his bucket of hope. And so our drops are
incredibly significant.

- Frances Moore Lappe

--

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 Palmer

*****

ON THIS DAY

Provided from the archives of
the New York Times:

"US Lands on Iwo Jima in WWII
  and Eventually Claims Victory"
  http://tinyurl.com/a97rnfw

"King Tut's Tomb Unsealed in Egypt"
  http://tinyurl.com/y8lg4zy

"Malcolm X Shot and Killed in New York" 
  http://tinyurl.com/22uvelg

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - Toni Morrison

If there is a book you really want
to read but it hasn't been written yet,
then you must write it.

(end)

*****

Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary:


MONDAY NIGHT STUDY - WINTER SERIES

January 12nd – March 23rd, 2015
7-00-9:00PM TM Room. Ten Weeks.
(Family Day Monday exempted)

“Fields of Blood: Religion and

  the History of Violence”
  by Karen Armstrong

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration $60.00. Book only $25.00

This study is now in progress.
Forty books sold.

Study design and class links
http://tinyurl.com/k5ppruz

Lorna Dueck interviews Karen Armstrong
Youtube link: http://tinyurl.com/n7odd6g

---
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY
January 22nd - March 26th, 2015. Ten Weeks.
10:00-11:00AM TM Room

"Romans and James -

  Foundations for Christian
  Thought and Living"
  Study Leader: Wayne Holst

No charge.

Study resource -
The DK Complete Bible Handbook
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q

This study has begun.

---

ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS'
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR

"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
  October 16th - 31st, 2015


http://tinyurl.com/plg4sgo

Hardcopy tour details brochure
is available in the church lobby.

Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary

Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council

Talk with or write to Marlene and Wayne
(403-286-7416)
waholst@telus.net
marleneaholst@gmail.com

Save $300. if deposit paid by March 31st.

---

UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE


Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015


"Simply Good News" by N.T. Wright

http://tinyurl.com/kwte3os

Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary

Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM. Five sessions.
Feb. 20th, 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th

Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.

Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $20.00


http://tinyurl.com/nrn9tzl

*****