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Text[0]=["Mary's Hours - Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)",
"<p>Episcopalians and Anglicans vary in their approaches to Mary. Some ignore her or are highly suspicious while other approaches seem exotic and exaggerated. Mary, Grace and Hope in Christ, the agreed statement of the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission as well as the Second Vatican Council&rsquo;s Lumen Gentium actually make the same point. This new text from Penelope Duckworth is beautifully compiled and crafted based on the shape of the Daily Office with psalms, scripture, meditations and prayers. Having used it for some time now the reviewer can say it could be given to any who are suspicious of Marian devotion and Marian devotees. <p>The whole text reveals loud and clear that there is absolutely &lsquo;something about Mary&rsquo;. A big mystical not to be missed something! For the open minded Episcopalian, Anglican or Christian of any tradition God will surely warm the heart through this gem of a publication. It&rsquo;s rooted-ness in the incarnation will shatter even the hardest and most cynical of hearts. The references and reflections on Mary, from pondering Mary&rsquo;s steadying hands of Jesus as he hook his first steps or the comments about Jesus being born in a trough make sure the reader is focused on ordinary earthy things which are raised to a new level for holy appreciation.<p>Over the years the reviewer has cringed at Marian extremism and been concerned theologically about Mary being allowed to eclipse Jesus by some. This text written by an Episcopalian priest ensures God is central and Mary is always pointing away from herself to her Son. The book will enrich prayer life and take the reader more deeply into the mystery of the role of Mary and not least in the Church today. Mary is surely mystically present in the Church today as throughout the ages. She is an ever present mother helping and inspiring. Buy this book, give it to friends and say &ldquo;Be open! Enjoy!&rdquo; They surely will. The notion in the book of Mary &lsquo;winking&rsquo; at us in our journey is a wonderful thought! Read on!"]
Text[1]=["Meaning of Matthew - Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)",
"<p>12 years ago Matthew Shepard was murdered and his body found tied to a fence in Laramie, Wyoming. He was murdered as a result of a hate crime. He was 21 years old and gay and was attacked because of this and for money and all he had was 20 dollars in his wallet. Matt’s mom has written a most moving book and writes passionately about justice and working for equality. She writes about her son and how both her and her husband Denis and Matt’s brother Logan coped and journeyed through this tragedy.<p>Father Simon is in contact with the Matthew Shepard Foundation and will be running a program based on the book next year as it raises many themes for all human beings who care about persons and the way they are treated for who they are and how they are. In the Rector’s parish the local school including a parishioner presented the Laramie Project a play by Moises Kaufman based on the Matt Shepard story.<p>Father Simon says This is one of the best books I have ever read. No one can be the same after reading it. It is a must for all persons to read. To encounter the Laramie Project is a must too. Watch the St John’s website for details about the future program."]
Text[2]=["2010 Annual Meeting was held May 2.","Click for photo and go to Sermons page for audio."]
Text[3]=["Death by Church - By Mike Erre (2009)<br />Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)",
		 "<p>This book is dynamite and essential reading for any thoughtful Christian who doesn’t mind being challenged. It is written as an evangelical critique of deadly churches and is relevant for people of all denominations and any who are observing Christianity in today’s cultural context. I wish the cover and book did not see God as a ‘He’ and that is something that I found very challenging throughout. With such a provocative title and then to have sexism seems a great pity. O well.</p><p>The book is one to read cover to cover or dip into. There are wonderful phrases like “ninety percent of the people who attend a church service are passive consumers”..  Whether the reader agrees or not it is certainly thought provoking! He sees the Church as being inward looking, negative and providing anything but hope to human beings. Many Christians he says are self absorbed and “That much of the Church has ceased giving life, light and hope to the world and often dispensed exactly the opposite”. He says “The hypocrisy of the church is what keeps most away from Jesus. We have become famous for what we oppose, rather than what we are for”.</p><p>He criticizes salvation by institution and a brand of consumerism which has infected churches. For example he says “which is easier- prayer or putting up a new sign?”. I hope these quotes wet your appetite! I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with much in the book but it takes the reader on in thinking. It made this reader see how much life there is around in many churches and in some traditional ones and not least our own. Anyone interested in Church growth should read it and reflect more on these words “Does Jesus evaluate churches the way we do?”. May be another question to ask is whether Jesus would have gone to Church at all and does that matter? Why does the Church matter and why are some churches finding new life, vigor and emerging ways of being church as St John’s of Lattingtown is finding and many other places too.</p>"]
Text[4]=["Animals &amp Creation - Week 2<br />(click link for course overview)",
		 "<p>This week we will be discussing chapter 2 of the Book &#8220;Paws and Effect or the Healing Power of Early Dogs.&#8221; This week's bible passage for group study is Numbers 22: 22-40 in which Balaan's ass saves his life.</p><p>Have you experienced a healing relationship with an animal? What is God telling you about health and healing through the animals you know? You are always welcome to our study group. Hope to see you next week!</p>"]
Text[5]=["When Atheism becomes religion - Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)",
		 "<p>This book is being used as part of a parish program at St John’s of Lattingtown. The title of the program is Spirituality on Tap : for atheists, agnostics and those who are not quite sure. The central thesis of the book seems to be that religion is often judged by a very low knowledge level when it comes to atheists condemning religion. The lenses through which atheists often look at religion is one which focuses on little real knowledge of the complexity and range of religious belief and the diversity which exists within communities of faith. The choice is often presented as atheism or naive religion but there is a whole rainbow of diversity within that religious spectrum.</p><p>One of the most exciting comments from the book (to me at least) is “Religious understanding takes time and work. It is, as  Armstrong pointed out in an interview on Salon, an art forum : “It’s a way of finding meaning, like art, like painting, like poetry, in a world that is violent and cruel and often seems meaningless”. Religious thought and scholarship, often belittled within many universities, is difficult and laborious. “You don’t just dash off a painting. It takes years of study. I think we expect religious knowledge to be instant. But religious knowledge comes incrementally and slowly. And religion is like any other activity. It is not easy to do it well” “  This quotation goes to the core of the argument which is that any serious atheist or religious person cannot be fundamentalist about religion. It involves hard work, study, thoughtfulness, engaging with science and the disciplines of the academy. The book acts as an apologia for rigorous, thought provoking, non trite answer, open ended faith and questioning.</p><p>This is an excellent and thought provoking read which if taken seriously by atheists and those who are thoughtful about religion will be an enriching experience. It will contribute to a healthy dialogue between the two. I loved the illustrative materials as to what poor bible knowledge many atheists have as well as the lack of knowledge about the genre, types of literature and cultural contexts within holy books. My belief for most of my ministry has been that there is very little difference between the atheist and the real seeker after God. Both have to take their views seriously and be open to have them honed and shaped by the mystery at the heart of the Universe. The religious or atheistic fundamentalist will find no comfort here many others will!</p>"]
Text[6]=["On January 18th parishioners including representatives from vestry and Sunday School marched with the Father Simon, Rector and Father Michael Assistant Rector from First Baptist Church, Glen Cove to the Wunsch Community Center for an act of  celebration which included dance and drums. A member of the Vestry, Victoria Crosby, Poet Laureate for Glen Cove read a poem she had written about Dr King. The Rector and Assistant Rector were guest speakers and celebrated the gift of inclusivity as well as reflected on capitalism and racism. The event ended with clergy and laity and representatives from other Christian and faith traditions as well as political and community leaders linking hands and singing  “we shall overcome” and “we shall not be afraid”","&nbsp"]
Text[7]=["Stephen Need on the Holy Land","Go to MIXED MEDIA page for Audio Recording of entire presentation"]
Text[8]=["Bright-Sided - Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)","This book reviews the positive thinking movement and it’s history and rooted in the author’s own personal history. She had breast cancer and said she was fed up with the endless positive spin that people put on the illness. The pink ribbons and teddy bear gifts associated with recovery and survivors she found both irritating and trivializing.<br /><br />Her main thesis is that positive thinking in so many ways and circumstances is delusional, dangerous and unhelpful. She makes a plea for realism as that is what can enable personal growth in facing the very real challenges of life as individuals and as citizens.<br /> <br />She notes that despite all of the positive thinking that has gone on it hasn’t improved the economy or reduced the number of prescriptions for anti depressants. Indeed things have got worse. She finds positive thinking way too obsessed with the private and internal and individuals having to stress themselves out pushing out negative thoughts - rather than it helping people face their reality and the fact that poverty is at the heart of many people’s unhappiness. Positive thinking is seen to be a very conservative way of controlling behaviour rather than enabling social and economic change. <br /><br />She cites a number of times Norman Vincent Peale and others in the religious world. While her criticisms of such church leaders are one way of looking at things and are worth thinking about what is missing is a more balanced view about the impact of such writers and preachers for the good. Many people’s lives and experiences have been transformed by such work. <br /><br />This book is a great read and thought provoking. It helped me understand more why I am unhappy with some aspects of the movement as it stops people facing the reality that life is a mixed bag for people with plenty of suffering and joy that is not of an individuals making . Positive thinking cannot affect the reality of a tsunami or losing your job. It may help you cope with the after effects of these realities. It may not. <br /><br />Positive thinking is to be handled with awareness and care. It may be even be a denial of the incarnation where Jesus faced the cross and lived though it. The cross was suffering and he endured it. No amount of positive thinking could take the pain of the nails away."]
Text[9]=["Top-Archbishop of Canterbury<br />Bottom-Archbishop Schori","&nbsp"]
Text[10]=["This year after a lively service of Morning Prayer with singing of ecumenical hymns parishioners and clergy gathered with Mary Reath, author of the book ‘Rome and Canterbury – the elusive search for unity” and board member of the Anglican Center in Rome. A paper was given with a wide ranging discussion. Fr Simon the Rector attended the Anglican Center when he was on an ecumenical scholarship in 1990-1 and attended a program as part of his Continuing Education there more recently on the document ‘Mary : Grace and Hope in Christ  : an agreed statement from the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission’. Mary Reath met with the clergy and staff at Lattingtown for a special lunch held in her honor after her presentation.","&nbsp"]
Text[11]=["Transforming Congregational Culture - Reviewed by Fr. Simon Foster<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)","This thought provoking title and book are worth pondering and wrestling with. His basic thesis seems to be is that if churches are to have a future they must be adaptive. If they are not they will die. He contrasts a civic model of church and one based on human transformation. One is shown to be deadly and another the future. He looks at different aspects of church life and not least the budget process. He contrasts a Board mentality with a ministry culture. He talks about the ‘slicing of the pie approach’ with one focused on questions of mission. For him the key questions in a church must be:<br />‘What is God calling us to be and to do? What is our purpose as a Church? What are we trying to accomplish? What is our business?. He writes “The point is not to make the budget; the point is to ask, “What is our purpose as a church at this time and in this place, and what kinds of financial resources do we need to fulfill that purpose?” At St John’s of Lattingtown, all vestry and clergy will be reflecting on the insights of this book. I highly comment it."]
Text[12]=["The Tyranny of email by John Freeman (2009)<br />(click link to view book at Amazon)","Anyone who thinks technology is god or who doubts whether it has much use in its email form or who isn’t quite sure needs to read this book. It is not billed as a spiritual book but I think it is. It is a profoundly spiritual book. Freeman traces a four thousand- year history from looking at stone writing tablets from the Orient, the history of mail and the telegraph and to present day e-mailing.<br />Freeman is no Luddite wanting computers to be smashed or wanting the equivalent of the economic and social Swing Riots in England to mobilize us again in protest and now at technology. No, he sees a very limited role, but a good role for emailing and computers in general.<br />What he does reflect on is how preoccupied every one is with email and computer screens. He cites evidence from studies showing that some spouse/partners spend more time with their computers than with them .He deplores the way people are becoming more and more privatized and choose to speak less on the telephone or have real conversation in real time.<br />He identifies one key problem that as human beings we forget we are not constructed to be run by a machine or have the light of a computer screen flashed into our eyes so often. We are not made that way. That it is intensely unnatural. We are made for relationships and expression.  The subtleties of expression, eye contact, context, tone are all missing in computer communications and create havoc. There are some very funny examples of e mails sent in error.<br />His overall answer is to email and use computers much less. He mourns the fact that many people begin the day and end the day on the computer and forego breakfast and real conversation with others. One spouse rations the time the husband can have a computer in bed to check e mails! He says that computers lead to a frantic pace of life and a sense of overwhelming-ness in some as they try to keep on top of their emails. To reduce the flow of emails send less and talk to people instead is his advice.<br />For work and family obviously e mailing and the computer have brought benefits but in terms of starving the soul of essential oxygen they has done a successful job. He states that the machine does not know when we have had enough computing and just lets us carry on. We are in charge of that. We starve ourselves and tire ourselves at our peril.<br />Jesus said “I have come that you may have life and life in all its abundance”. Is the computer and e mailing enhancing our life and of those around us or robbing us al? E mail and compute less, walk, talk, socialize, savor the air and nature. That is the gift of this book. It reminds us we are meant for life and living. We have way more personality than a computer and we need to do things that feed our souls and nurture us spiritually. If not we are in danger of becoming as flat and lifeless as our computer screen and keyboard."]
Text[13]=["Alaka, Julie and Jennifer<br />Pictured with staff of Hogwarts","&nbsp;"]

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