Friday, November 07, 2008
grow with peace along with Parihaka
Grow, Sunday, 7pm (Nov 9, 16, 23) explores the theme of peace.
First Sunday up will include the Parihaka story. This is a powerful and moving story, centred on the events of November 5, 1881, at Parihaka, a small North Island settlement, in which Maori practised peaceful and non-violent resistance in the face of white settler invasion. It is a much better thing for Christians in Aotearoa New Zealand to be reflecting on than Guy Fawkes Day, so if you’re a Christian blog reader in Christchurch, please join us.
We will also brainstorm peacemakers in the Bible, sing to Dave Dobbyn’s Welcome home and be offering some tips for personal peacemaking in our homes and workplaces.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
creative sparks
Experienced this out door art installation at a winery a few weeks ago. From the outside, it was a black polythene structure, about 2 metre high and 3 metre long with a door, and intriguing puffs of smoke that snuck under the polythene every few minutes.
From the inside, it was this;
They had obviously pierced the polythene, in patterned shapes, and the use of dry ice enhanced the swirl of light.
It got me thinking about how we can engage people in public spaces. (At Opawa, we’ve got our Christmas Journey coming up, which takes Christmas outdoors.) These are stand alone, safe, secure spaces, which evoke mystery and invite experience. Perhaps one for the four weeks of Advent? Perhaps one at a Day of Remembrance or Hiroshima Day or at the opening of a Wine and food festival?
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
final sabbatical update
nb: my sabbatical from Opawa has ended, and thus my ability to be away and be secluded in Adelaide. However my sabbatical from Laidlaw College continues, and thus the writing project. So I intend to go out to our holiday home to write Wednesday’s and Thursday’s – pray for this – I have a lot of work to do – basically 2 book contracts and a book chapter to complete.
tuesday morning update
the weekend that was: led the Bible studies at the South Australian Uniting Church synod, offering a missional reading of Luke 1:39-45, which seemed to go really well. I took what I thought were quite a few risks – including doing a communal lectio divina with 350 people, mixing the Magnificant with Paul Kelly, offering open mic feedback – but the response was positive. Then I flew back home ! home ! home ! and ended the weekend as I started it really, doing a lectio divina, of another Luke 1 passage, at our Soak service at Opawa.
where i am at the moment: at home, in our home office, about to head to Opawa – to look at my pigeon hole after 10 weeks away, and to look into the eyes of the staff after 10 weeks away.
on my to-do list this week: not sure, but I suspect that there will be some unexpected surprises somewhere after 10 weeks away.
reading: The Race, by James Patterson, a lightly entertaining read on the flight back from Sydney.
music that’s caught my attention: International traveller by Salmonella Dub.
how i’m feeling about this week: glad – to be home, glad – to be running my river, glad – to be weeding the garden, glad – to be having a cup of tea on our deck.
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