Writing
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Happy Feast of St. Francis! The hospitality of Franciscans has been a pivotal gift in my life, and I owe them much for helping to preserve my vocation and to sustain me when I made a flying leap into ministry beyond the local church. more» -
My hospice patients were dying, but they still longed for fresh air and birdsong. more» -
The gospel story assaults our sense of justice. More subversively, it challenges our conception of God. Isn't God “justâ€? Isn't God “powerfulâ€? Why didn't God protect his faithful servant John the Baptist, now in the despot Herod's hands because of his faithfulness to God's call? more» -
Taize counted us as adults, not young people, and we had a special place to meet and eat, with just a little more comfort. We didn't talk about denominations or our distinctive traditions - perhaps because the support of Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Churches, is now accepted, understood, and embedded. more» -
Over the river
the 'red' horse
is munching under the fleur de lis tree
its scarlet coat deepening ever slightly
into the most daring of pinks... more» -
John's Gospel is a stand-out work of poetic imagination. Not the fanciful imagination of Alice in Wonderland, but the incisive insightful imagination which penetrates more deeply into truth and reality. more» -
At night it was light and from the bed in my grandparent's house, I could look through the open curtains to the ocean and watch the midnight sun. Golden calendula marigolds grew in abundance in the garden, petals adding colour to home-made butter. more» -
In the Beginning, not in time or space,
But in the quick before both space and time,
In Life, in Love, in co-inherent Grace... more» -
The picture-perfect vista on the wall
was captioned in the style of Peter Pan – more» -
"I don't believe when you look around you're seeing ghosts but I do believe in the presence of the past. I was overcome with it. I was so totally moved I felt exhausted..." more» -
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We find ourselves with Mary, the mother of Jesus and the others who loved him, in a place of many overwhelmings this day... more» -
Can one hold a Christian Faith without a supernatural belief? To say 'no' confronts a prominent dimension of Christian orthodoxy. To say 'yes' engages growing numbers asking unconditional questions about Biblical interpretation in the light of current scientific, historical and philosophical research. more»
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It is decent and honourable to commit ourselves anew to creating a world in which all that is good and precious and shining will grow and flourish. more» -
World leaders and the media are speaking and writing much about 276 schoolgirls kidnapped over a month ago by Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Nigeria. more» -
A first candle:
Light, as breath,
bringing life to
islands, sky and sea.
For creations gift,
our prayer and praise. more» -
Each Sunday, a living relic of an era now passed continues to exhibit life signs. Around the country there are gatherings of Christians of all sorts of theological persuasion. Such gatherings continue to fall under the public classification of Church.
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I see her now,
inched to the edge of her bed:
duvet down,
pink flanellette sheets
giving up the ghost of her warmth. more» -
Contemplative experience is profoundly personal. The practice is about entering an inner vulnerability that may, mysteriously, reveal a sense of transcendent wholeness. more» -
Get ready for the triennial dose of popularist politicking, facile rhetoric and expedient policy pronouncements. General election year has come round again. more»
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I have just read a headline in the New Zealand Herald (6 June 2014) in which All Black coach Steve Hansen describes Jerome Kaino as "a caged animal" who will be doing all that he can to prove that he is at home among the big beasts of the international game. more»
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I saw it on the Salisbury Centre stall.
It was the shape that drew me - simple and symmetrical.
Carefully I picked it up and turned it round
to savour its perfection. more» -
