Call no.: 248.866 Z72

Reviewed by Susan Walma.

 Maybe you know someone who is seriously ill or dying. If you are one of these and have concerns as to how to respond or behave in such a situation or would just like hands-on ways as to what to do or not to do, then this book may be for you. The author addresses both the needs and concerns of the person who is dying and their caregivers. Questions about physical and spiritual issues as well as practical and legal plans and decisions that need to be made in regard to caregivers and the dying person, their wishes, and the kind of welfare that optimizes wellbeing in the final stages of life are addressed. Appendices providing help in planning for funerals / memorial services including resources such as Christian or secular suggestions for appropriate readings and music and songs are also included

Call no.: 263.042461 R946

Reviewed by: Gillian Chamberlin

 At age 60 Joyce Rupp, well-known author and speaker, embarked on the adventure of walking the ancient pilgrimage road from the French border to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. With her walking companion, Tom, a retired pastor, Joyce learned lessons that can help all of us travel life’s journey with more grace and lightness. She writes this account in hopes it will stir up fresh enthusiasm and insight into the gifts available to us in our own lives, as this pilgrimage did in hers.

 A rich account of the events and conditions of the route, the many different encounters with people and the land, and Joyce’s discoveries about herself and her relationships with her human and divine companions.

Call no.: 297.72.R278

Reviewed by Susan Walma

 As preparation for the review of this book, I decided to search for the word “jihad” on the Internet and found the following on Wikipedia:

“Jihad … is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jih?d is a noun meaning “struggle.” Jihad appears frequently in the Qur’an and common usage as the idiomatic expression “striving in the way of Allah (al-jihad fi sabil Allah)“. A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid, the plural is mujahideen…”

Raheel Raza in her book writes:

“Interpreting the term jihad to mean ”holy war” is misleading and usually inaccurate. The Qur’anic usage of the term jihad is much broader than the political use of term might imply. The basic meaning of jihad is “struggle” and this struggle is not necessarily an armed struggle. It can mean the struggle for truth and justice or good over evil.

When we understand the word Islam to mean “submission” or “surrender”, then in a certain manner, jihad complements Islam. …” (p. 18)

Both Wikipedia and the book have much more to say about the meaning of the word jihad. I think you will find that the book does so in a more accessible manner clarifying the distinction between the lesser jihad (of the sword) and the greater jihad (of the inner struggle of faith). She discusses much more that we should know and understand of Islam and Muslims in general and their interrelationships in the wider world.

 The writings are organized under the following headings: Political Jihad – A Struggle for the Soul of Islam, Gender Jihad – A Struggle for Women’s Rights and Spiritual Jihad – A Struggle to Know Each Other. She includes commentary about current events, culture, politics, education, the rights of women and just about anything else that engenders controversy between faiths, the politics and current tensions between the east and the west, the Islamic world and the Christian West… Read this book; you will find it enlightening, humourous, educational, and at times heart-rending

Call no.: 304.2 P573

Reviewed by Susan Walma

 Bill Phipps, past moderator of the United Church of Canada, was one of the keynote speakers at the Epiphany Explorations of 2009. In this book, he explores the ecological, environmental, economic and social issues and the religious, or rather, the spiritual faith contexts that face modern society and addresses the sacred balance of nature that we have done so much to ignore in our past.

These issues, he feels, are rooted in stories, what he calls the old story that gave rise to excesses of consumerism, disparity between rich and poor and the war machine that upheld it. In contrast, new understandings and the groundwork for new attitudes and solutions are necessary and need to be expressed in the new story, a story that, based on a new understanding of our spirituality, our faith, will give rise to an equitable, fair and holistic approach to these issues and uphold the sacred balance once again.

 Using examples of his own life and that of others, the discussion includes, and I quote chapter headings here because they are more descriptive that anything I could come up with: Change the story, Change the future; Crossroads; the Importance of Story; The Old Story; The New Story; The New Story as Integrating Narrative; Spirituality, Theology, Faith and Disestablishment; Water; The Arts; Humility. Included also are appendices that are expositions of some of the things discussed.

 Read this book. It is timely and a necessary wake up call and a prescription for new beginnings towards a new future for our children, and their children…

Call no.: 248.4 M283

Reviewed by Susan Walma

 Brennan Manning is a Franciscan priest, an author and lecturer. He wrote this book to address the problem of self-hatred that he feels is ‘the predominant spiritual problem’ he has grappled with and that  can put us, both individuals and the church, into spiritual bondage.

 The book is an intensely personal exploration of faith and thereby serves as an enhancement to the reader’s faith-life. In the book’s chapters we are provided with analyses and descriptions of self-hatred and the prescriptions towards the path of faith that leads to healing and compassion. The chapter headings are suggestive: 1) The script for self-hatred, 2) Jesus: the stranger to self-hatred, 3) Healing through meal-sharing, 4) Deliverance through story telling, 5) Liberation through prayer, 6) Integrity and self-acceptance, and, 7) Compassion and the cross.

 The book is easy to read and digest because the author refrains from writing the kind of ‘dense theological tome’ that would have discouraged this reader from thoroughly enjoying and finishing the book.