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”].