Vol. IX. No. 18
*****
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:
I would very much like to share our
"Holst Family Christmas Letter" with
you again this year as my Special Item.
Please scroll down.
Colleague Comment - this week is in
response to my "Near Death - End of Life"
book notices shared with you last issue -
Jim Taylor of the Okanagan and Arthur Bauer
of New Jersey express their opinions. Scroll down.
-
Colleague Contributions - this week are
all related to the memory of Nelson Mandela
Karen McKeown - shares a beautiful reading
from black American writer Maya Angelou
http://tinyurl.com/k6pdpgb
James Wall - reflects on the moral stature
of the great South African liberator
http://tinyurl.com/leect5l
Jim Taylor - offers a column on an early
experience he had in Africa as a reporter.
http://tinyurl.com/qdf27mv
-
Net Notes - are as follows:
"Messiah Complex" - some time ago, I
offered a book notice on "The Zealot"
a story of Jesus by a Muslim author.
Here is a Catholic review of the book
(America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/m52qh39
"Graham Near Death" - members of his
immediate family are indicating that
the famous American evangelist is dying
(Christian Post) http://tinyurl.com/pof4skw
"Toppling Lenin in Kiev" - recently, a
giant statue of Lenin was destroyed
by an angry Ukranian mob. Here are
the remarkable details in words and
pictures (The Atlantic)
http://tinyurl.com/kg98cro
"Ten Best Books of 2013" - annually, the
New York Times issues its assessment
and this year is no exception
http://tinyurl.com/kg98cro
"N.T. Wright's New Book Reviewed" -
here is a very positive Catholic review
of the latest book on St. Paul by a famous
Church of England bishop and scholar
(The Tablet, UK) http://tinyurl.com/kp7o5w3
"Jesus, Elvis, Aristotle - Who's Bigger?" -
here are two articles, with details, of
a survey on the world's most important
historical figure (Religion News Service,
UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/p2kg966
"Justin, Francis 'Walking Closer Together'" -
an important report on the very positive
relationship, recently developed, between
the Archbishop of Canterbury and the pope.
(Vatican Insider) http://tinyurl.com/nbludpp
"The World Acclaims Mandela of South Africa" -
many high quality articles have been published
in the secular press. This is one from the
religious press (America Magazine)
http://tinyurl.com/l85mrhg
"Time Names Pope Francis Person of the Year" -
the latest recent honor bestowed on the pontiff
is by Time Magazine (National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/mzzgap7
"Church at Crossroads for Women - Chittister" -
American religious sister and feminist writer
has some important words for Catholic (and
for all) women (National Catholic Reporter)
http://tinyurl.com/kaj28oy
-
Wisdom of the Week:
From Sojourners Online, gather some important
thoughts from Marianne Williamson, Alice Walker,
Gail Song Bantum and Bill McKibben (scroll down)
-
On This Day:
From the archives of the New York Times,
the following stories, related to December
9th - 14th, have been offered -
UN Issues Human Rights Declaration
http://tinyurl.com/b5chndc
Kenya Gains Independence from Britain
http://tinyurl.com/dytum7n
Polish Authorities Crack Down on Solidarity
http://tinyurl.com/dyvp7ks
-
Final Thought - Nelson Mandela concludes
this issue of Colleagues List (scroll down)
Cherish and enjoy this last week before Christmas!
Wayne
(end)
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
HOLST FAMILY CHRISTMAS LETTER
Calgary, Alberta Christmas, 2013
Dear Colleagues -
This Christmas we have much for which to celebrate!
Our family seems to be expanding and thriving. Both
of us are experiencing good health. We have enjoyed
interesting travel and many spiritual, educational and
cultural opportunities in the past year and were spared
during the Calgary Flood. We will try to elaborate a
little on this - enthusiastically but with a certain
modestly - as no one likes to read “brag letters.”
We are finding that we can enjoy a healthy, active
and fulfilling lifestyle in spite of normal pre-retirement
concerns. In some ways, we now seem better off than
in our younger “prime of life” years.
Marlene and Wayne maintain an active daily schedule.
Wayne continues to work at the university and the
church – because he enjoys teaching. We need to monitor
our resources of time and energy but can honestly and
thankfully say that we have never experienced so
many of the good things of life that we now enjoy.
Hopefully, this encourages those who are just a few
years younger. We live in a wonderful country that offers
many benefits for seniors and where good health,
meaningful spirituality and family life are cherished.
We are indeed wealthy beyond measure!
This year, Cole Risdahl, son of Paul and Heather, and
sister Katelyn, joined their cousins Emily and Owen
(Carmen and Mark Hamm) as well as Mya and Dane
(Sarah and Ronnie Lukan). That means a boy and a girl
for each family. Who could ask for more?
Marlene enjoys just being with her grandchildren; watching
them grow, and putting to use a lot of the lessons she
learned raising her own offspring. Wayne tries to keep up,
and has a great time reading and conversing with the kids.
Regretfully, this is not something he did much with his
own children when they were young. What a privilege to
have a second chance when he can better appreciate it.
In the spring, we co-led a twenty-six member tour group
made up of Calgary, Lower Mainland BC and Toronto people
on a seventeen-day sojourn through western Turkey. It was
our first experience in a predominantly Muslim country and
we learned much – thanks to Rostad Tours of Calgary, our
Turkish tour host Yasar Uslu, and some very interesting
fellow-travelers. We also did a lot of preparatory and follow-
up work. Wayne’s teaching associate, Jock McTavish, created
a wonderful “sight and sound production” on a USB stick,
supported by pictures and movies taken by many of the
members of the tour. It was truly a community effort and
a great way to relive the experience, build new friendships
and create lasting memories. We hope that we can continue
doing these excellent tours in the years ahead.
During the past year we took in many fine cultural events
in Calgary, at the Banff Summer Festival and International
String Quartet Competition and the Badlands Passion Play,
Drumheller. We also journeyed to Northern Alberta to visit
family. Slave Lake is recovering from the bad fire of 2011.
This fall we spent a week in Toronto, Stratford and Niagara-
on-the-Lake Ontario visiting such exciting venues as the
McMichael Gallery, the Royal Botanical Gardens and the
Shakespeare and Shaw Festivals. We always appreciate
the colored leaves there.
We hope our enthusiasm for life is something with which
you too can identify.We much enjoy hearing from you.
A blessed Christmas and New Year celebration to you all!
Marlene and Wayne
marleneaholst@gmail.com (or) waholst@telus.net
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Wayne:
Amen to your comments on death, funerals,
memorial services, etc. Like you, I have found
some secular events more spiritual than some
religious events. I agree too that many of the
presumably religious events focus more on
endless eulogies for the deceased than on the
relevance of his/her life to any eternal truths.
Jim T
--
ARTHUR BAUER
Pompton Plains, NJ
Wayne:
Your "SPECIAL
ITEM Book Notices - on Moody
and Spong" was especially
well done and useful
to me. I have been exploring and thinking about
this topic (reflection on having turned 88, and
wondering if I will
"make" it to the tenth decade!).
Art
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
A Tribute to Nelson Mandela by Maya Angelou
on Behalf of the American People
December 6th, 2013
(shared by colleague Karen McKeown, Calgary)
http://tinyurl.com/k6pdpgb
--
JAMES WALL
Chicago, IL
Wall Writings Website
December 11th, 2013
"Mandela's Unique Moral Authority"
http://tinyurl.com/leect5l
--
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Personal Web Log
December 8th, 2013
"Bumbling Error Helps Break Barriers"
http://tinyurl.com/qdf27mv
*****
NET NOTES
MESSIAH COMPLEX
Review of Aslan's "Zealot"
America Magazine
December 23rd, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/m52qh39
--
GRAHAM NEAR DEATH
Evangelist Deteriorating
The Christian Post
December 14th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/pof4skw
--
TOPPLING LENIN IN KIEV
A Remarkable Story
The Atlantic
December 8th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mbod69v
--
THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF 2013
New York Times
December 13th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kg98cro
--
N.T. WRIGHT'S NEW BOOK REVIEWED
Paul and the Faithfulness of God
The Tablet, UK
December 14th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kp7o5w3
--
JESUS, ELVIS, ARISTOTLE - WHO'S BIGGER?
New Study Attempts to Answer the Question
Religion News Service
December 12th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/p2kg966
Another Take on this Story
More Names and Statistics
UCA News
December 13th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/qcpk9db
--
JUSTIN, FRANCIS "WALKING CLOSER TOGETHER"
Anglicans and Catholics See Hopeful Future
Vatican Insider
December 9th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/nbludpp
--
WORLD ACCLAIMS MANDELA OF SOUTH AFRICA
Relative Peace and Democracy in a Troubled Land
America Magazine
December 23rd, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/l85mrhg
--
TIME NAMES FRANCIS PERSON OF THE YEAR
Some Thoughts on His Global Recognition
National Catholic Reporter
December 11th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/mzzgap7
--
CHURCH AT CROSSROADS FOR WOMEN - CHITTISTER
"We are at a Crucial Time in History"
National Catholic Reporter
December 11th, 2013
http://tinyurl.com/kaj28oy
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners Online
"Most of us don't lack compassion so much
as we avoid it. We resist compassion (in the
United States) with a peculiar hypocrisy,
extolling the virtues of volunteerism, for
instance, while making volunteerism more
of a necessity by diminishing our budgetary
commitments to the poor andpowerless....
Our primary response to human suffering
appears to be making sure it occurs on the
other side of town or the other side of the world."
- Marianne Williamson
"The world has changed: Wake up! Give yourself
the gift of a new day. The world has changed:
This does not mean you were never hurt. The
world has changed: Rise! Yes & shine! Resist the
siren call of
disbelief. The world has changed:
Don't let yourself remain asleep to
it."
- Alice Walker
"Our hope is found in the promise that God speaks,
“Let there be light,” in those seemingly dark, dead,
and chaotic spaces of our lives. Our hope is found
in witnessing the power of the spirit continually
hovering over and healing the deep wells of our tears."
- Gail Song Bantum
“Advent: the time to listen for footsteps — you can't
hear footsteps when you're running yourself.”
- Bill McKibben
*****
ON THIS DAY
From the Archives of the New York Times:
UN ISSUES HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION
http://tinyurl.com/b5chndc
KENYA GAINS INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN
http://tinyurl.com/dytum7n
POLISH AUTHORITIES CRACK DOWN ON SOLIDARITY
http://tinyurl.com/dyvp7ks
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - NELSON MANDELA
"A fundamental concern for others in our
individual and community lives would go
a long way in making the world the better
place we so passionately dreampt of."
(end)
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