Ski Clubhouse
Friday, December 10, 2021
Saturday, November 27, 2021
Prayer of the Day/Collect for 1st Sunday in Advent Yr C
Blessed Creator of heaven and earth: In the midst of catastrophic times due to climate change, we turn to you in repentance of our lack of care for your creation, and hope that even in the worst of times your Son, Jesus comes to us with the hope of a better world; in whose name we pray.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Monday, September 13, 2021
Book Review: David And Goliath
David And Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, And The Art Of Battling Giants
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher: Little, Brown And Company, hardcover, 305 pages, including: Acknowledgments, Notes, and Index
The Author
At the time of this publication, Malcolm Gladwell has been on staff at The New Yorker since 1996. Prior to that, he was a reporter at the Washington Post.Gladwell was born in England and grew up in rural Ontario. He lives in New York. In addition to David And Goliath, he is also the author of other volumes, including: What the Dog Saw, Outliers, Blink, and The Tipping Point—all are on the New York Times best sellers list.
Contents
This volume contains the following: Introduction, Part One: The Advantages Of Disadvantages Of Advantages, Part Two: The Theory Of Desirable Difficulty, Part Three: The Limits Of Power. Each of the Parts consist of two or three chapters.
Brief Observations
In his Introduction, Gladwell makes the case for David having an advantage over Goliath because of his fighting method. David surprised Goliath—and likely everyone else—by his fighting method of using a sling-shot and moving around, rather than using other common weapons and remaining in a standing position against his opponent. According to Gladwell, in addition to traditional weapons and fighting tactics, sling-shots were also periodically used successfully. David then, by thinking and acting “outside the box” utilized what most believed was a disadvantage as an advantage, thus killing Goliath, thought by most to be the better warrior. Most of this volume presents several illustrations of thinking and acting “outside the box.”
Whether it was Vivek Ranadivé who knew very little about basketball and tried things that no one else even dreamt; or teacher Teresa DeBrito who discovered she had the most fun teaching a class of 29 kids; or Caroline Sacks who would have remained in science if she had chosen to attend the University of Maryland rather than Brown University; Gladwell emphasizes the advantages of commonly held disadvantages.
The volume covers such concepts as the inverted-U curve, and theories like desirable difficulty.
In his chapter four, Gladwell’s discussion of Gary Cohn was ethically problematic for this reviewer. Cohn lied about his knowledge of options trading in order to get a job on Wall Street (see especially pp. 122-124). If one lies in order to be employed, will one also continue to lie on the job? Some people who are successful telling lies do continue to lie because they believe that they can get away with it. If they do, they can even lose their perspective, and become unable to distinguish between the truth and the lie.
The two closing chapters are perhaps the best. Gladwell cites the example of Wilma Derksen and her struggle with and journey towards forgiveness; and Pastor André Trocmé’s courage to put his faith into action by hiding and saving Jews in Le Chambon during World War II.
Those readers who appreciate and/or are underdogs and misfits shall find this volume encouraging and beneficial.
Friday, August 6, 2021
Monday, July 5, 2021
A Short Story
He hated every second of Lakeshore Indian Residential School. Not a day went by that he wasn’t abused by a priest or nun physically, psychologically, or sexually. He had been taken forcibly from his parents by a priest and Mounties when he was only 5 years old. The school was 400 kilometres from his home, and he only got to see his parents once a year at Christmastime. Of course he wanted to stay home with his parents, but the priest and the Mounties would always come to forcibly take him back to the school for another year.
At school, they took away his traditional Indigenous clothing, and punished him severely if he spoke Cree.
He hated the school so much, that he tried to run away on several occasions. Only to be caught and dragged back to the school. Every day was a day of torture.
One day, when a priest tried to abuse him for a third time, he summoned all the courage and strength he had and kicked the priest between the legs as hard as he could. The priest fell to the floor and, in anger cursed him. He then ran away again. Tragically, a nun saw him running and was able to send another priest after him, who brought him back to school.
When the abusive priest cornered him, he punched him in the face and he fell back onto a sharp edge of a desk and was killed instantly.
30 years later, his body was found in an unmarked grave, and all of his family and members of the reservation had a day of remembrance to mourn his death and the deaths of other students who were discovered in a mass unmarked grave behind the school.
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
June 3rd is World Bicycle Day
World Bicycle Day, June 3, 2021
With the 2021 World Bicycle Day fast approaching, everyone should know why exactly a world bicycle day and acknowledge the versatility, uniqueness, and longevity of the bicycle (over 200 years).
June 3rd was declared World Bicycle Day in April 2018 by the United Nations General Assembly. The resolution for World Bicycle Day recognizes and celebrates this reliable, simple, affordable, and clean means of transportation.
Additionally, the bicycle helps foster environmental health and stewardship. Few devices merit celebration as much as a bicycle.
Do you have a bicycle? If so, consider going for a ride on June third.
Click here to read the entire article.
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Dr.Hans Küng, Swiss Theologian dies at the age of 93.
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| Dr. Hans Küng in 2008. He called himself "an idealist without illusions." Photo credit: Bernd Weissbrod/picture-alliance, via Associated Press. |
Dr.Hans Küng, Swiss theologian has died at the age of 93, in his Tubingen, Germany home, yesterday, Tuesday, April 7, 2021.
Dr.Küng was a controversial theologian in the Roman Catholic Church. He had much in common with the Reformation theology of Martin Luther, and, in the 20th century, Karl Barth. He advocated for, among other reforms: The Ordination of women, the end of a celibate clergy, birth control, and the end of papal infallibility. A prolific author of some 50 books and other scholarly works, he was among the youngest theologians who influenced the Second Vatican Council.
When Rome revoked his license to teach theology in a Roman Catholic institution; he remained in Tubingen, and continued to teach theology in the secular part of that university. He also went on to establish an institute for ecumenism and an institute of global ethics. Even though the Vatican forbade Dr.Küng from teaching theology in a Catholic institution; Rome still regarded him as a priest "in good standing," rather ironic.
There are many profound Dr.Küng quotes that one might share, here is one example, reflecting, I believe, his authentic faith: "The nicest liturgical words and the highest praise of Christ--unless backed by Scripture and understood by the people--are just not useful."
My favourite Küng book is On Being A Christian. As a Lutheran, I found Dr.Küng to be more Lutheran than some Lutherans in this work. In this volume, he clearly, and, in my humble opinion, makes a convincing case for reforms similar to those that Luther made back in the Reformation age.
Have you read any of Dr.Küng's books? If so, which one(s) do you like most?
Monday, March 1, 2021
200 Quotations
Readers may be interested in the following link, from the Jewish-Christian Relations website, which contains quotations from a wide variety of people and faith traditions. The quotations can be included in essays, blogs and websites, conversations, interfaith and ecumenical dialogues, and so on: 200 Quotations
Monday, February 1, 2021
Reading the Bible in a year
This year, 2021, I decided to read the whole Bible. It has been far too long since I've read the Bible in one year-so I thought it was time to discipline myself to take on this commitment. When was the last time you read the whole Bible in one year? I recommend it to you if you haven't ever done so; or if it has been sometime ago since you made the commitment to do so. As some of you may know, there are numerous schedules available for reading the Bible in one year. The schedule that I've chosen is from the Good News Translation Bible, published by the Canadian Bible Society. It is titled: "Read the Bible in a Year."
This schedule can be a challenge some days, for example, on January 28th, the selected reading consisted of the first six chapters of Leviticus! Not exactly something I'd normally choose! On average, I'd say so far the schedule is about three chapters per day-sometimes more, sometimes less.
One of the advantages/blessings of reading lengthy passages of the Bible is that you develop a greater appreciation for the contexts in which many of the passages occur; as well as becoming more aware of significant theological and other motifs (some of which are repetitive) in a particular Book of the Bible.
In addition to reading through the Bible in one year, I've also decided to make brief notes on the text. I wrote the following notes on today's reading, Leviticus 15-19.
In chapter 15, the LORD instructs Moses and Aaron concerning bodily discharges; bodily cleanness and uncleanness; and purification practices and offerings. To touch someone who was ritually unclean due to bodily discharges also made one ritually unclean.
In chapter 16, the LORD instructs Moses regarding the purification rituals and rites for the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement was to be observed once a year as "an everlasting statute." (Leviticus 16:34) The word Azazel may refer to a desert demon; or it may refer to a complete removal of sin, when Aaron or a successor priest placed both hands on the live goat's head and confessed all of Israel's sins, which transferred the sins to the goat, and then the goat was sent into the wilderness.
In chapter 17, the LORD tells Moses to speak what the LORD commanded to Aaron, his sons and all Israelites concerning the slaughter of animals and sacrifices of well-being. The LORD prohibits Israelites and resident aliens among them from eating blood. Blood is to be regarded as a sign/symbol of life and sacred, as it makes atonement when sprinkled or thrown/poured on or near the tabernacle altar.
In chapter 18, the LORD instructs Moses to speak to all Israel concerning forbidden sexual relations. They are forbidden to have sexual intercourse with their relatives, e.g. children, parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc. Homosexual activity is regarded as "an abomination," sexual relations with an animal is "a perversion." Sacrificing children to Molech profaned the name of God. God defiled the land of Canaan and Egypt because their citizens practiced these forbidden sexual relations.
In chapter 19, the LORD instructs Moses to speak to Israel concerning ritual and moral holiness and justice. The chapter repeats, after each holiness and justice injunction: "I am the LORD your God," or "I am the LORD." This emphasizes the divine origin and authority of each injunction. Among that which is forbidden is mixtures of differing materials for clothing, which today, is difficult, since a lot of clothing has mixed materials. The chapter ends with the reminder that the LORD delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery, and the command to keep all his statutes and ordinances-likely in order that Israel does not become an oppressive or corrupt nation like the neighbouring ones around them.
With regards to all of the rituals and rites, statutes and ordinances, etc., Aaron and his sons the priests would be kept very busy and need to be able to remember a lot of details concerning religious, legal, and medical best practices.
Friday, January 8, 2021
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