Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Shoreline – Water Poems, from the Canadian Unitarian Council, 2007, 821 CUC.

2. From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives, by Robert Fulghum, 1995, 128 FUL [From LibraryThing: “… My thinking was set in motion by those who, knowing I was a parish minister for many years, have asked me for advice about ceremonies and celebrations. They wanted words to use at graduations, funerals, and the welcoming of children. They inquired about grace at family meals, the reaffirmation of wedding vows, and ways to heal wounds suffered in personal conflict. People requested help with the rituals of solitude, such as meditation, prayer, and contemplation. . . . Rituals do not always involve words, occasions, officials, or an audience. Rituals are often silent, solitary, and self-contained. The most powerful rites of passage are reflective–when you look back on your life again and again, paying attention to the rivers you have crossed and the gates you have opened and walked on through, the thresholds you have passed over. I see ritual when people sit together silently by an open fire. Remembering. As human beings have remembered for thousands and thousands of years. FULGHUM From the Paperback edition”].

3. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, 2015, 305 KIM [From LibraryThing: “… As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our oldest teachers. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowing together to reveal what it means to see humans as “the younger brothers of creation.” As she explores these themes, she circles toward a central argument: The awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the world. Once we begin to listen for the languages of other beings, we can begin to understand the innumerable life-giving gifts the world provides us and learn to offer our thanks, our care, and our own gifts in return”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. In Search of Progress in a Time of Fear and Disillusionment: Questions from a Life in Community Work, by Michael Clague, 2024 [Written by a VanU member. He writes, “In this time of multiple global crises, notably the coming climate collapse, the burden falls directly on communities. Community work is uniquely suited to mobilizing citizens for informed plans and actions in a democratic society. It offers a life raft of hope by calling on the best of the human spirit to solve these problems or at least survive them”].

2. Community Organizing: Canadian Experiences, edited by Brian Wharf and Michael Clague, 1997, 361.250971 [Written by a VanU member. From LibraryThing: “… tells the story of community development in Canada, with the objective of determining lasting legacies and extracting lessons from the varied experiences. This edited volume has a number of objectives. First, it traces the beginnings of community organizing in Quebec and Anglophone Canada. Second, the book tells the stories of some of the significant initiatives from both community and state during the ‘heydey’ years – initiatives such as The Company of Young Canadians, Opportunities for Youth, and the Local Initiatives Program. Third, it describes some current initiatives like feminist organizing and the environmental movement, in an era of diminished and ever-decreasing resources. Fourth, the book attempts the ambitious task of identifying who participates in community organizing activities and analyses the early ‘heyday’ and current experiences in community organizing in order to extract lessons and identify legacies”].

3. So, How Have I Been Doing At Being Who I Am?, by Michael Clague, 2023, 921 CLA [Written by a VanU member, and is a gift of the author. Reviews from Amazon.ca: “I do not remember a book that moved me so much as this one.” – Ray Spaxman. Former Director of Planning, City of Vancouver.

“Should be in the library of every school of social work, social planning and planning.” – Gordon Gram. Development industry and environmental and land use public sector planner.

“I liked this book very much. In my career in publishing and philanthropy I’ve read about many inspiring people, and I’m really impressed with his story telling skills. Like a friend sharing some of his life story over a coffee or a beer.” – Karen Theroux. Former writer/editor for the Carnegie Corporation, New York].

4. Social Action Heroes: Unitarian Universalists Who Are Changing the World, by Michelle Bates Deakin, 2012, 261 DEA [Published by Skinner House Books. From GoodReads: “Unitarian Universalists are committed to acting on important issues of social justice throughout the world. Award-winning journalist Michelle Bates Deakin explores the actions of eleven individuals and the impact their actions have had on their communities and their souls. Compelling and inspiring, Social Action Heroes illuminates the potential for deep change inherent in each of us, and in Unitarian Universalism as a whole”].

5. The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World, by Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams, 2016, 294 LAM [From LibraryThing: “… The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet.

From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others.

Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life”].

6. The Future We Choose: The Stubborn Optimist’s Guide to the Climate Crisis, by Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, 2021, 363 FIG [Donated by John Boyle. From LibraryThing: “In this cautionary but optimistic book, Figueres and Rivett-Carnac–the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement–tackle arguably the most urgent and consequential challenge humankind has ever faced: the world’s changing climate and the fate of humanity. In The Future We Choose, the authors outline two possible scenarios for the planet. In one, they describe what life on Earth will be like by 2050 if we fail to meet the Paris targets for carbon dioxide emission reduction. In the other, they describe what it will take to create and live in a carbon neutral, regenerative world. They argue for confronting the climate crisis head on, with determination and optimism. How we all of us address the climate crisis in the next thirty years will determine not only the world we will live in but also the world we will bequeath to our children and theirs. The Future We Choose presents our options and tells us, in no uncertain terms, what governments, corporations, and each of us can and must do to fend off disaster”].

7. All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson, 2021, 363.7 [Gift of Mary Bennett. From LibraryThing: “There is a renaissance blooming in the climate movement: leadership that is more characteristically feminine and more faithfully feminist, rooted in compassion, connection, creativity, and collaboration. While it’s clear that women and girls are vital voices and agents of change for this planet, they are too often missing from the proverbial table. More than a problem of bias, it’s a dynamic that sets us up for failure. To change everything, we need everyone.

All We Can Save illuminates the expertise and insights of dozens of diverse women leading on climate in the United States’ scientists, journalists, farmers, lawyers, teachers, activists, innovators, wonks, and designers, across generations, geographies, and race, and aims to advance a more representative, nuanced, and solution-oriented public conversation on the climate crisis. These women offer a spectrum of ideas and insights for how we can rapidly, radically reshape society.

This book is both a balm and a guide for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to give up on one another or our collective future. We must summon truth, courage, and solutions to turn away from the brink and toward life-giving possibility. Curated by two climate leaders, the book is a collection and celebration of visionaries who are leading us on a path toward all we can save”].

8. For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future, by Herman E. Daly, John B. Cobb and Clifford W. Cobb, 1989, 330.1 DA [From LibraryThing: “Winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order 1992, Named New Options Best Political Book Economist Herman Daly and theologian John Cobb, Jr., demonstrate how conventional economics and a growth-oriented industrial economy have led us to the brink of environmental disaster, and show the possibility of a different future. Named as one of the Top 50 Sustainability Books by University of Cambridges Programme for Sustainability Leadership and Greenleaf Publishing”]

9. Turning the World Right Side Up: Science, Community and Democracy, by Patrick Kerans and John Kearney, 2006, 350.12 KEA [Gift of Barbara Taylor. Signed by Patrick Kerans, one of the co-authors. From AbeBooks: “Framed within an analysis of contemporary neoliberalism, this study explores new directions leading to a broad, grass roots–based democracy and argues that the decline of democracy is entrenched in the rule of experts and the domination of scientific reductionism. This essay focuses on the unsustainability of the system that current economists have created in the name of science and discusses a new cultural diversity for communities, outlining an alternative vision for society with democratic participation in decision-making and policy formation”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. In Stillness, Renewal: Meditations, by Jacob Trapp, 1983, 242 TRA [Gift of Petrt Aaloe and Ann Rieger].

2. Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind, by Jefferey Brantley, 2008, 242.6 BRA [From LibraryThing: “Trying to control your anxious thoughts can backfire, making them more prevalent, not less. The best way to calm these common feelings is by attuning yourself to your thoughts in a nonjudgmental, attentive manner, acknowledging your anxieties but choosing to act rather than react” and “… , a collection of more than sixty-four daily mindfulness-based meditations to help you engage with the present moment, manage stress and anxiety, and rediscover the joy in living. Each meditation contains an easy-to-learn visualization exercise, affirmation, or activity, with meditations grouped into four sections: relaxing and feeling safe, embracing joys and fears, befriending your anxious mind and body, and connecting to the web of life”].

3. A Small Heaven: A Meditation Manual, by Jane Ranney Rzepka, 1988, 242.2 RZE [A 50 pages book from the Unitarian Universalist Association, and published by Skinner House Books].

4. In the Holy Quiet of This Hour: A Meditation Manual, by Richard S. Gilbert, 1995 291.4 GIL [Published by Skinner House Books. From LibraryThing: “These gentle prayers remind us that we can find the sacred and profound in every day by taking the time to stop and absorb the holy quiet”].

5. To Meet the Asking Years: A Meditation Manual for 1984, by Gordon B. (ed) McKeeman, 1983, 242 McK [From the Unitarian Universalist Assn, and published by Skinner House Books].

6. Evening Tide: Meditations, by Elizabeth Tarbox, 1998, 242 TAR [A gift, from Skinner House Books. From LibraryThing: “Whether in the bleakest moment of bidding goodbye to her dying father or in the pain she hears as she counsels gay youth, Tarbox’s ears and eyes are attuned to the hopes and the solace that she finds in nature — in the gentle sounds in a stand of pines, in the intensive chore of splitting wood. These meditations will comfort and inspire. Part of the UUA Meditation Manual series”].

7. The Gift of the Ordinary: A Meditation Manual for 1985, edited by Charles S. Stephen Jr., 1985, 288 STE [A 50 pages book from the Unitarian Universalist Association].

8. The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation, by Thich Nhat Hanh, 1987, 294 HAN [Translated by Mobi Ho, illustrated by Vo-Dihn Mai, and published by Beacon Press. From LibraryThing: “In this beautiful and lucid guide, Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh offers gentle anecdotes and practical exercises as a means of learning the skills of mindfulness-being awake and fully aware. From washing the dishes to answering the phone to peeling an orange, he reminds us that each moment holds within it an opportunity to work toward greater self-understanding and peacefulness”].

9. Tree and Jubilee: A Book of Meditations, by Greta W Crosby, 1982, 242 CRO [A 79 pages book from the Unitarian Universalist Association].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up, by James Hollis, 2005, 155.6 HOL [From LibraryThing: “What does it really mean to be a grown-up in today’s world? We assume that once we “get it together” with the right job, marry the right person, have children, and buy a home, all is settled and well. But adulthood presents varying levels of growth and is rarely the respite of stability we expected. Turbulent emotional shifts can take place anywhere between the age of thirty-five and seventy when we question the choices we’ve made, realize our limitations, and feel stuck-commonly known as the “midlife crisis. ” Jungian psychoanalyst James Hollis believes that it is only in the second half of life that we can truly come to know who we are and thus create a life that has meaning. In Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Hollis explores the ways we can grow and evolve to fully become ourselves when the traditional roles of adulthood aren’t quite working for us. Offering wisdom to anyone facing a career that no longer seems fulfilling, a long-term relationship that has shifted, or family transitions that raise issues of aging and mortality, Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life provides a reassuring message and a crucial bridge across this critical passage of adult development”].

2. Rooted: Life at the Crossroads of Science, Nature, and Spirit, by Lyanda Lynn Haupt, 2023, 304 HAU [The publisher’s blurb states “In Rooted, cutting-edge science supports a truth that poets, artists, mystics, and earth-based cultures across the world have proclaimed over millennia: life on this planet is radically interconnected. Our bodies, thoughts, minds, and spirits are affected by the whole of nature, and they affect this whole in return. In this time of crisis, how can we best live upon our imperiled, beloved earth? [This] book is a brilliant invitation to live with the earth in both simple and profound ways—from walking barefoot in the woods and reimagining our relationship with animals and trees, to examining the very language we use to describe and think about nature. She invokes rootedness as a way of being in concert with the wilderness—and wildness—that sustains humans and all of life. …  Each chapter provides tools for bringing our unique gifts to the fore and transforming our sense of belonging within the magic and wonder of the natural world”].

3. The First Survivors of Alzheimer’s: How Patients Recovered Life and Hope in Their Own Words, by Dale Bredesen, 2021, 616 BRE [Donated by Jan Phelps, LibraryThing states: “It has been said that everyone knows a cancer survivor, but no one has met an Alzheimer’s survivor – until now. In his first two books, Dr. Dale Bredesen outlined the revolutionary treatments that are changing what had previously seemed like the inevitable outcome of cognitive decline and dementia. And in these moving narratives, you can hear directly from the first survivors of Alzheimer’s themselves–their own amazing stories of hope told in their own words. These first person accounts honestly detail the fear, struggle, and ultimate victory of each patient’s journey. They vividly describe what it is like to have Alzheimer’s. They also drill down on how each of these patients made the program work for them–the challenges, the workarounds, the encouraging results that are so motivating. Dr. Bredesen includes commentary following each story to help point readers to the tips and tricks that might help them as well. Dr. Bredesen’s patients have not just survived; they have thrived to rediscover fulfilling lives, rewarding relationships, and meaningful work. This book will give unprecedented hope to patients and their families”].

4. Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life, by Philip Simmons, 2003, 291 SIM [Donated by Gerta Moray, LibraryThing states: “… Philip Simmons was just thirty-five years old in 1993 when he learned that he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and was told he had less than five years to live. As a young husband and father, and at the start of a promising literary career, he suddenly had to learn the art of dying. Nine years later, he has succeeded, against the odds, in learning the art of living. Now, in this surprisingly joyous and spirit-renewing book, he chronicles his search for peace and his deepening relationship with the mystery of everyday life. Set amid the rugged New Hampshire mountains he once climbed, and filled with the bustle of family life against the quiet progression of illness, Learning to Fall illuminates the journey we all must take — “the work of learning to live richly in the face of loss.” From our first faltering steps, Simmons says, we may fall into disappointment or grief, fall into or out of love, fall from youth or health. And though we have little choice as to the timing or means of our descent, we may, as he affirms, “fall with grace, to grace.” With humor, hard-earned wisdom and a keen eye for life’s lessons — whether drawn from great poetry or visits to the town dump — Simmons shares his discovery that even at times of great sorrow we may find profound freedom. And by sharing the wonder of his daily life, he offers us the gift of connecting more deeply and joyously with our own”].

5. Aging Well: Surprising Guideposts to a Happier Life from the Landmark Study of Adult Development, by George E. Vaillant MD, 2003, 362.6 VAI [Gift of Phillip Hewett, from LibraryThing: “In an unprecedented series of studies, Harvard Medical School has followed 824 subjects — men and women, some rich, some poor — from their teens to old age. Harvard’s George Vaillant now uses these studies — the most complete ever done anywhere in the world — and the subjects’ individual histories to illustrate the factors involved in reaching a happy, healthy old age. He explains precisely why some people turn out to be more resilient than others, the complicated effects of marriage and divorce, negative personality changes, and how to live a more fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding life in the later years. He shows why a person’s background has less to do with their eventual happiness than the specific lifestyle choices they make. And he offers step-by-step advice about how each of us can change our lifestyles and age successfully. Sure to be debated on talk shows and in living rooms, Vaillant’s definitive and inspiring book is the new classic account of how we live and how we can live better. It will receive massive media attention, and with good reason: we have never seen anything like it, and what it has to tell us will make all the difference in the world”].

6. A Faith for All Seasons: Liberal Religion and the Crises of Life, by William R. Murry, 1990, 288 MUR [From GoodReads: “A liberal religious understanding of the pain and suffering in life which mirrors a Unitarian Universalist philosophy. It is a refreshing approach to the crisis of life that will help many people deal with their feelings of blame and guilt when a loved one dies. This book is a solid reference for those dealing with providing comfort to those grieving. It deals with providing meaning and purpose to individuals who can’t find it in their lives”].

7. Happiness in a Storm: Facing Illness and Embracing Life as a Healthy Survivor, by Wendy Schlessel Harpham, 2005, 155.9 HAR [From LibraryThing: “… Award-winning author Wendy Schlessel Harpham, MD, offers her program to getting good care and finding happiness when you are sick. Having coined the term “Healthy Survivor” while dealing with her own chronic lymphoma, Harpham encourages people dealing with cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or any prolonged illness to simultaneously do all they can to overcome disease and live life to the fullest. Harpham opens our eyes to the opportunities for happiness in life despite medical problems and even because of illness”].

8. Life After Youth: Female, Forty, What Next?, by Ruth Harriet Jacobs, 1979, 301.43 JA [LibraryThing states the book’s back cover has “Once depicted as witches, croneks, and hags in fiction, burned at the stake in the not-so-distant past, the older woman is still largely scorned in America today. In a solidly researched, compassionate study, Ruth Jacobs … presents a frank assessment of the older woman’s position in American society. She offers unique and workable suggestions for breaking the restrictive roles woman now occupy and broadening the options open to older women. She shows how they can increase the opportunity for their personal growth”].

9. Life Prayers From Around the World: 365 Prayers, Blessings, and Affirmations to Celebrate the Human Journey, by Elizabeth Roberts, 1996, 242.2 ROB [From LibraryThing: “An eloquent anthology honoring the wonders and challenges of life on earth and celebrating the seasons of our lives. The mysteries and delights of life on earth are illuminated in this richly eclectic collection of poetry, wisdom, prayers, and blessings from thinkers and writers around the world. Here you will find the poetry of Hildgard of Bingen and Gary Snyder; the political wisdom of Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King, Jr.; a treasury of women’s prayers, classical verse from China and Japan; and beautiful chants and prayers by Native Americans. A joyous affirmation of the human journey in all its forms, in all its struggles and glories”].

10. Life Preservers: Staying Afloat in Love and Life, by Harriet Goldhor Lerner, 1996, 155.6 LER [From LibraryThing: “With wit, wisdom and uncommon sense, Dr. Harriet Lerner gives readers the tools to solve problems and create joy, meaning and integrity in their relationships. Women will find Life Preservers (more than 40,000 copies sold in hardcover) to be an invaluable motivational guide that covers the landscape of work and creativity, anger and intimacy, friendship and marriage, children and parents, loss and betrayal, sexuality and health and much more. With new insights and a results-oriented approach, Dr. Lerner answers women’s most frequently asked questions and offers the best advice for problems women face today: I always pick the wrong guys. Should I move in with him? I can’t stand my boss. Should I leave my marriage? How can I recover from his affair? Is my fantasy abnormal? Is my therapy working? I miss my mother. I can’t believe I was fired”].

11. On the Move: A Life, by Oliver Sacks, 2015, 921 SAC [From LibraryThing: “When Oliver Sacks was twelve years old, a perceptive schoolmaster wrote in his report: “Sacks will go far, if he does not go too far.” Sacks has never stopped going. From its opening pages on his youthful obsession with motorcycles and speed, On the Move is infused with his restless energy. As he recounts his experiences as a young neurologist in the early 1960s, first in California, where he struggled with drug addiction, and then in New York, where he discovered a long-forgotten illness in the back wards of a chronic hospital, we see how his engagement with patients comes to define his life. Sacks shows us that the same energy that drives his physical passions — weight lifting and swimming — also drives his cerebral passions. He writes about his love affairs, both romantic and intellectual; his guilt over leaving his family to come to America; his bond with his schizophrenic brother; and the writers and scientists — Thom Gunn, A. R. Luria, W. H. Auden, Gerald M. Edelman, Francis Crick — who influenced him”].

12. Life Rules: Nature’s Blueprint for Surviving Economic and Environmental Collapse, by Ellen LaConte, 2012, 330.9 LAC [From LibraryThing: “Why so much is going wrong everywhere at once and how Life teaches us to fix it”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble, by Stephen Jenkinson, 2018, 305 JEN [with a Foreward by Charles Eisenstein, LibraryThing has this from the Publisher’s description: “In his landmark provocative style, Stephen Jenkinson makes the case that we must birth a new generation of elders, one poised and willing to be true stewards of the planet and its species. Come of Age does not offer tips on how to be a better senior citizen or how to be kinder to our elders. Rather, with lyrical prose and incisive insight, Stephen Jenkinson explores the great paradox of elderhood in North America: how we are awash in the aged and yet somehow lacking in wisdom; how we relegate senior citizens to the corner of the house while simultaneously heralding them as sage elders simply by virtue of their age. Our own unreconciled relationship with what it means to be an elder has yielded a culture nearly bereft of them. Meanwhile, the planet boils, and the younger generation boils with anger over being left an environment and sociopolitical landscape deeply scarred and broken. Taking on the sacred cow of the family, Jenkinson argues that elderhood is a function rather than an identity–it is not a position earned simply by the number of years on the planet or the title “parent” or “grandparent.” As with his seminal book Die Wise, Jenkinson interweaves rich personal stories with iconoclastic observations that will leave readers radically rethinking their concept of what it takes to be an elder and the risks of doing otherwise. Part critique, part call to action, Come of Age is a love song inviting us–imploring us–to elderhood in this time of trouble. That time is now. We’re an hour before dawn, and first light will show the carnage, or the courage, we bequeath to the generations to come”].

2. The Highest Common Denominator: Using Convergent Facilitation to Reach Breakthrough Collaborative Decisions, by Miki Kashtan, 2021, 658 KAS [From LibraryThing: “What if people — even longtime enemies — could transform conflicts into creative dilemmas they feel motivated to solve together in an atmosphere that builds connection and trust? … The traditional ways we make decisions are flawed. Majority rule, top-down orders, compromise, and consensus lead to people feeling disconnected, drained of energy, and unsatisfied. “THE HIGHEST COMMON DENOMINATOR: Using Convergent Facilitation to Reach Breakthrough Collaborative Decisions” presents a better way to make decisions using Convergent Facilitation, the method Miki developed after years of working with groups in a variety of settings. Miki posits that collaborative decision-making, where people feel heard and their needs respected in a structured and trusting environment, maximizes willingness and efficiency for all. This can lay the ground for breakthroughs for groups working on challenges, allowing decisions to be made at lightning speed. The process includes three phases that can bring groups to outcomes that are profoundly collaborative and genuinely supported by all. THE HIGHEST COMMON DENOMINATOR gives readers examples, tools, and processes to implement Convergent Facilitation. It includes vivid case studies and practical examples to explain how to guide people towards solutions that integrate everyone’s needs and concerns and don’t require compromise; provides tips on how to keep people on track with the task at hand; and encourages facilitators to invite dissent and engage with it productively. … The procedures described in this book can be used in any kind of setting–from grassroots social change movements to village councils to corporate boardrooms–where people are having trouble collaborating effectively in a group, which is almost everywhere. With the mounting social, political, and environmental problems of our times, harnessing a group’s energy for effective action is essential. And yet many people drift away from organizations they care about due to their inability to sit through meetings–where tensions may remain unresolved, power differences are not addressed, and solutions that work for all do not seem available. Ultimately, this book is not just about working with groups. It is an entire re-examination and affirmation of the human heart. Facilitation involves transparency on the part of the one leading it, as well as a deep faith and hope in how even impossible-seeming differences can transform into unity”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Homelessness: the Making and Unmaking of a Crisis, by Jack Layton, 2000, 363.5 LAY [From LibraryThing: “Jack Layton, one of this country’s leading experts and outspoken activists on housing issues, addresses the crisis from its roots, in order not only to understand the problem, but to find workable solutions. With a stunning combination of rigorous research and compelling personal anecdote, and trenchant and timely analysis from such wide-ranging sources as social scientists, housing economists, mayors, journalists, clergy and the homeless themselves, Homelessness offers insight, perspective and proactive solutions to a seemingly intractable crisis”].

2. Selavi, That is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope, by Youme Landowne, 2005, J+ EASY YOU [From LibraryThing: “A homeless boy on the streets of Haiti joins other street children, and together they build a home and a radio station where they can care for themselves and for other homeless children”].

3. Debt: The First 5,000 Years, by David Graeber, 2012, 332 [From LibraryThing: “… anthropologist David Graeber presents a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom: he shows that before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods-that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era, Graeber argues, that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors. Graeber shows that arguments about debt and debt forgiveness have been at the center of political debates from Italy to China, as well as sparking innumerable insurrections. He also brilliantly demonstrates that the language of the ancient works of law and religion (words like “guilt,” “sin,” and “redemption”) derive in large part from ancient debates about debt, and shape even our most basic ideas of right and wrong. We are still fighting these battles today without knowing it”].

4. The Essential James Luther Adams: Selected Essays and Addresses, by James Luther Adams, 1998, 230.91 ADA [From Skinner House Books, LibraryThing states: “Revealing essays discuss the religious power of music, the role of the liberal church in social justice, the historical origins of the free church movement, the balance of spirituality and social responsibility and more. Spans Adams’ entire career”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families, by Peggy Gillespie, 2023, 306.76 GIL [From LibraryThing: “Groundbreaking in its depictions of joy and community, Authentic Selves celebrates trans and nonbinary people and their families in stunning photographs and their own words. Foreword by transgender activist Jazz Jennings and her mom and fellow activist, Jeanette Jennings. Developed in collaboration with PFLAG National and Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund”].

2. The Welcoming Congregation, edited by the Rev. Scott W. Alexander, 1990, 289.1 ALE [As stated in LibraryThing, page 1 has “This manual, prepared by the UUA’s Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns, is designed to help interested congregations become more welcoming places for the gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in their midst and in the wider community”].

3. The Sexual Spectrum: Exploring Human Diversity, by Olive Skene Johnson, 2005, 155.3 JON [Gift of, and autographed by, the author. From LibraryThing: “Questions of sexuality and gender are in the forefront of public discourse. Every day there are stories in the newspaper about such issues as same-sex marriage, and gay and lesbian parenting. This fascinating book explores the myriad influences that shape human gender and sexuality. Drawing on the scientific findings of experts and on a wide range of personal experiences from everyday people, Johnson explores questions such as: Is sexual diversity new? Why do men and women think differently? Apart from their sexuality, are homosexuals and heterosexuals different? Why do some people feel compelled to change their gender? How do genes, hormones and society affect our sexuality? Answering these and related questions in a rational and entertaining way, Johnson provides a wealth of information about our own sexuality and asserts that only familiarity with the concept of sexual diversity will breed tolerance and understanding”].

4. The Ethics of World Religions and Human Rights, by Hans Küng, 1990, 291.56 KUN [From LibraryThing: “Irreplaceable as a reference to where Catholic theology is at any given moment, Concilium maps the state of the most pressing questions with solid contributions from leading theologians and cutting edge voices. Each volume addresses major issues in dialogue with wider public discourses, regularly engaging perspectives from the religions of the world”].

5. Inland Passage, by Jane Rule, 2002, FIC RU [From LibraryThing: “… The eponymous heroine “Dulce” is a self-proclaimed muse, witch, whore, “preying lesbian,” and “devouring mother” who has a profound effect on the lives of the women and men around her. “His Nor Hers” tracks the unraveling of a marriage–with unexpected results. “The Real World” explores the moral universe of a female mechanic who creates an unconventional family. In “A Matter of Numbers,” a divorced math professor falls in love with her twenty-year-old student. And the title story introduces two women–one widowed, one divorced–who rediscover romance aboard a cruise ship. …”].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. In the Holy Quiet of This Hour: A Meditation Manual, by Richard S. Gilbert, 1995, 291.4 GIL, [From Skinner House Books. LibraryThing says “These gentle prayers remind us that we can find the sacred and profound in every day by taking the time to stop and absorb the holy quiet”].

2. Daily Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind, by Jefferey Brantley, 2008, 242.6 BRA [From LibraryThing: “Trying to control your anxious thoughts can backfire, making them more prevalent, not less. The best way to calm these common feelings is by attuning yourself to your thoughts in a nonjudgmental, attentive manner, acknowledging your anxieties but choosing to act rather than react.” and “… a collection of more than sixty-four daily mindfulness-based meditations to help you engage with the present moment, manage stress and anxiety, and rediscover the joy in living. Each meditation contains an easy-to-learn visualization exercise, affirmation, or activity, with meditations grouped into four sections: relaxing and feeling safe, embracing joys and fears, befriending your anxious mind and body, and connecting to the web of life”].

3. In Stillness, Renewal: Meditations, by Jacob Trapp, 1983, 242 TRA, [Gift of Petrt Aaloe and Ann Rieger].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming June 30 service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. The Sacred Depths of Nature, by Ursula Goodenough, 1998, 574.01 GOO [From LibraryThing: “For many of us, the great scientific discoveries of the modern age – the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, relativity – point to an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, pointless. But in The Sacred Depths of Nature, eminent biologist Ursula Goodenough shows us that the scientific world view need not be a source of despair. Indeed, it can be a wellspring of solace and hope. This eloquent volume reconciles the modern scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity. Looking at topics such as evolution, emotions, sexuality, and death, Goodenough writes with rich, uncluttered detail about the workings of nature in general and of living creatures in particular. Her luminous clarity makes it possible for even non scientists to appreciate that the origins of life and the universe are no less meaningful because of our increasingly scientific understanding of them. At the end of each chapter, Goodenough’s spiritual reflections respond to the complexity of nature with vibrant emotional intensity and a sense of reverent wonder.; A beautifully written celebration of molecular biology with meditations on the spiritual and religious meaning that can be found at the heart of science, this volume makes an important contribution to the ongoing dialogue between science and religion. This book will engage anyone who was ever mesmerized-or terrified-by the mysteries of existence”].

2. Universal Questions: Exploring the Mysteries of Existence, by Harold Rosen, 1997 [Written by a Unitarian minister].

3. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth, by J. E. Lovelock, 1987, 113 LOV [From LibraryThing: “In this classic work that continues to inspire its many readers, Jim Lovelock puts forward his idea that life on earth functions as a single organism. Written for non-scientists, Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence with which to support a new and radically different model of our planet. In contrast to conventional belief that living matter is passive in the face of threats to its existence, the book explores the hypothesis that the earth’s living matter air, ocean, and land surfaces forms a complex system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life. Since Gaia was first published, many of Jim Lovelock’s predictions have come true and his theory has become a hotly argued topic in scientific circles. In a new Preface to this reissued title, he outlines his present state of the debate”].

4. How It Began: A Time-Traveler’s Guide to the Universe, by Chris Impey, 2013, 523.1 IMP [From LibraryThing: “In this vibrant, eye-opening tour of milestones in the history of our universe, Chris Impey guides us through space and time, leading us from the familiar sights of the night sky to the dazzlingly strange aftermath of the Big Bang”].

5. A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, by Stephen W. Hawking, 1988, 523.1 HAW [From Penguin Random House Canada: “Stephen Hawking, one of the great minds of our time, explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin—and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending—or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends?”].

6. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution, by Richard Dawkins, 2009, 576.8 DAW [From LibraryThing: “Sifting through rich layers of scientific evidence, Dawkins’ “The Greatest Show on Earth” is a stunning counterattack on advocates of “Intelligent Design,” explaining the evidence for evolution while exposing the absurdities of the creationist “argument””].

7. With Purpose and Principle: Essays About the Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, edited by Edward A. Frost, 1998, 288 FRO [From Skinner House Books. This is from LibraryThing: “This invaluable book contains a short history of the Principles and Purposes followed by essays from present-day UU leaders including John Buehrens, Marilyn Sewell, Earl Holt and Barbara Merritt. World community and the interdependent web of all existence are some of the topics explored”] .

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming June 30 service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities That Arise in Disaster, by Rebecca Solnit, 2009, 155.9 SOL [Why is it that in the aftermath of a disaster, people suddenly become altruistic, resourceful, and brave? Award-winning author Solnit explores this phenomena, looking at major calamities from the past 100 years].

2. Widening Circles: A Memoir, by Joanna Macy, 2000, 921 MAC [The well-known eco-philosopher, Buddhist scholar, and deep ecology activist/teacher Joanna Macy recounts her adventures of mind and spirit in the key social movements of our era. From involvement with the CIA and the Cold War, through experiences in Africa, India and Tibet, to her encounter with the Dalai Lama and Buddhism which led to her life-long embrace of the religion and a deep commitment to the peace and environmental movements, Macy’s autobiography reads like a novel as she reflects on how her marriage and family life enriched her service to the world].

3. Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy, by Viktor E. Frankl, 1984, 150.19 FRA, [From the Julian Fears Library. Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experience between 1942 and 1945 while in four different concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl’s theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos (“meaning”)-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful].

4. Rescuers: Portraits of Moral Courage in the Holocaust, by Malka Drucker, 1992, 940.53 BLO [Malka Drucker and Gay Block spent three years visiting 105 rescuers (who saved Jews marked for death during the Holocaust) from ten countries. Block’s full-page color portraits accompany each narrative, inviting us to look at these men and women as they are today, people whose faces resemble our own. Would we act as they did? In their own words, forty-nine of the rescuers present a vivid picture of their lives before, during, and after the war as they grapple with the question of why they acted with humanity in a time of barbarism and whether they would do it again. Their stories – infused with the deep memory that engages a terrible past – are unforgettable. This details how they smuggled Jews out of the ghettos; worked in resistance movements; forged passports and baptismal certificates; hid Jews in cellars, barns, and behind false walls; shared their meager food rations; secretly disposed of waste; and raised Jewish children as their own. A landmark volume that includes maps, historic photographs from family collections, and a comprehensive introduction by Malka Drucker, this book makes a vital contribution to our understanding of the Holocaust, of the complex factors that made some people refuse the role of passive bystander, and of the profound psychological and ethical issues that still perplex us. When asked about the prospects for acts of moral courage today, rescuer Liliane Gaffney told the authors: “It’s very difficult for a generation raised looking out for Number One to understand it. This is something totally unknown here. But there, if you didn’t live for others as well as yourself it wasn’t worth living.” For Jan Karski, however, the legacy of the rescuers is one of affirmation: “Do not lose hope in humanity.” In the end, what is perhaps most striking about the rescuers is their modesty and simple humanness; yet, as Cynthia Ozick concludes in the Prologue, “It is from these undeniably heroic and principled few that we can learn the full resonance of civilization.”].

5. The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections, by Tom Brokaw, 1999, 940.548 BRO [Large print book, in memory of Marguerite (Dee) Kelsey. The book pays affecting tribute to those who gave the world so much, and who left an enduring legacy of courage and conviction, with it collecting the vast outpouring of letters Brokaw received from men and women eager to share their intensely personal stories of a momentous time in America’s history. If we are to heed the past to prepare for the future, we should listen to these quiet voices of a generation that speaks to us of duty and honor, sacrifice and accomplishment].

6. Letters from the Lost: A Memoir of Discovery (Our Lives: Diary, Memoir, and Letters Series), by Helen Waldstein Wilkes, 2010, 940.53 WAL [Gift of Arthur Hughes, with it being autographed by the author. Helen Waldstein and her parents escaped from Prague, Czechoslovakia on March 15, 1939, as the Nazis closed in, so only letters from their extended family could reach Canada through the barriers of conflict. The Waldstein family received these letters as they made their lives on a southern Ontario farm, where they learned to be Canadian and forget their Jewish roots. Helen read these letters as an adult, with this changing everything. With her past refusing to keep silent, Helen followed the trail of the letters back to Europe, where she discovered living witnesses who could attest to the letters’ contents. She has interwoven their stories and her own into a compelling narrative of suffering, survivor guilt, and overcoming intergenerational obstacles when exploring a traumatic past].

7. Kiss the Red Stairs: The Holocaust, Once Removed, by Marsha Lederman, 2022, 940.531809 [Donated and signed by the author. This tells Marsha’s parents’ stories of loss and survival, with the book being a compelling memoir of Holocaust survival, inherited trauma, her divorce and discovery that will reassure readers as they navigate their own monumental change].

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming June 30 service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink, by Jane Goodall, 2009, 578 GOO [At a time when we are confronted with bad news about the environment nearly every day, the renowned scientist Jane Goodall gives various stories from her first-hand experiences with the research of premier scientists (e.g., fascinating survival stories about the American crocodile, the California condor, the black-footed ferret and more, all formerly endangered species and species once on the verge of extinction whose populations are now being regenerated). This book provides a celebration of the animal kingdom and a passionate call to arms, with it presenting an uplifting, hopeful message for the future of animal-human coexistence].

2. The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Saves the Environment and Ourselves, by J.B. MacKinnon, 2021, 339.47 [Gift of Mary Bennett. Drawing from experts in fields ranging from climate change to economics, MacKinnon investigates how living with less would change our planet, our society, and ourselves, with us having very much to gain: an investment in our physical and emotional wellness; the pleasure of caring for our possessions; and closer relationships with our natural world and one another. Both imaginative and inspiring, this will embolden you to envision another way].

3. I Seem to Be a Verb: Environment and Man’s Future, by R. Buckminster Fuller, 1970, 917.3 FUL [From the Julian Fears Library, this is packed with utopian plans, clever insights and light-hearted musings, all aimed at reminding us that we are verbs, not nouns, and that we are never, ever, stuck with life as it is as we can create things].

4. Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run: A Call to Those Who Would Save the Earth, by David Brower, 2000, 574.09 BRO [The climber and conservationist Brower brings a mountaineer’s determination and reverence for nature to his efforts to protect the Earth and educate its human inhabitants, including keeping dams out of the Grand Canyon and loggers out of Olympic National Park, establishing the National Wilderness Preservation System, adding seven new regions to the National Park System, and helping to foster a mind-set that questions careless growth. Here, the man The New York Times designated the most effective conservation activist in the world, offers a tough, witty, and impassioned game plan “for those who would save the Earth.”].

5. For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future, by Herman E. Daly, 1989, 330.1 DA [The authors demonstrate how conventional economics and a growth-oriented industrial economy have led us to the brink of environmental disaster, but also show the possibility of a different future].

(Image credit: Kimberley Farmer / Unsplash)

Our library in Hewett Centre is open every Sunday after service during Coffee Hour, and now the Library Team will be offering related reading lists based on the topic of Sunday service. Here is their list for the upcoming June 23 service.

VanU library books related to this Sunday’s sermon:

1. Essays By Ralph Waldo Emerson: First Series, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, 814.3 EME [From the Julian Fears Library. The American essayist, philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, in the early nineteenth century, said that his primary principle was “the infinitude of the private man”, and advised us to “make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you.” Also, he argued that rather than just relying on received wisdom, we should use our direct everyday life experience for genuine creativity. His First Series has the following 12 essays: History, Self-Reliance, Compensation, Spiritual Laws, Love, Friendship, Prudence, Heroism, The Over-Soul, Circles, Intellect and Art, with the one on Self-Reliance being particularly related to this sermon].

2. In Defense of Troublemakers: The Power of Dissent in Life and Business, by Charlan Jeanne Nemeth, 2018, 302 NEM [This book argues our decision by consensus that consensus is good, is wrong, with unchallenged majority opinions often being biased, unoriginal, or false. This leads planes and markets to crash, causes juries to convict innocent people, and can quite literally make people think blue is green. Dissent forces us to question the status quo, consider more information, and engage in creative decision-making, with this helping us to make better decisions].

3. Dear Life, by Alice Munro, 2013, FIC MUN [In story after story in this brilliant new collection, the author pinpoints the moment a person is forever altered by a chance encounter, an action not taken, or a simple twist of fate, with most set in her signature territory around Lake Huron, but some strike even closer to home: an astonishing suite of four autobiographical tales that offer an unprecedented glimpse into Munro’s own childhood].

4. You Already Know What to Do: 10 Invitations to the Intuitive Life, by Sharon Franquemont, 2000, 153.4 FRA [This explains how to develop and nurture one’s natural intuitive powers in order to deepen relationships, improve collaboration, and make the most of every situation].

(Image credit: Kimberley Farmer / Unsplash)