Colourful Dreamer

Anchored deep With brown robed sisters and brothers Breathing devotion and sand-papered lives Knowing I am home And yet not realising Walking the streets in holy places Prayers said at Greyfriars, Carceri, Portiuncula Praying with Francis on Via Francesca Where the leper showed him the Christ Anchored deep In seminars and reading As I am opened to Clare’s polished soul And Bonaventure leading us into the heart Comes a dawning sense that I am part of this Small world loving movement Anchor drawing me down Before the crucified one Within the circle of brothers I open my eyes to find I am marked I do not to choose this I simply choose how to live it Anchored in the Tau

One of the reasons I stopped blogging was I found out I had been removed from a committee I had been part of for the last two years. It is a committee of some significance and clout, and it was very ego boosting to be removed. It was also a committee that was trying to do some really interesting things – to create a vision of us as the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia being one church expressed across the three tikanga, instead of being three separate churches who get together to squabble over the cookies every now and then. So it was very ego deflating to be removed, and also really sad, I enjoyed the two weeks I spend at the meetings. But what really annoyed or angered me was that no-one saw fit to tell me. I found out in the minutes of the group who made the decision. You would think that being a church we might have some clues as to how to care for people. But no. Not a one. There has been some surprised that I might be angry. So why didn’t I blog. I was just...

So, what has been happening? I have been a wee bit busy, Last week I was away most of the week at a PADYS meeting. PADYS are the Professional Anglican Diocesan Youth Staff from each of our 7 dioceses. This group has come together well over the last three years, and although I still get really frustrated at times I look forward to and enjoy our times together. We met at a beach house in the Keneperu Sounds at the top of the south island. Very relaxed and enjoyable. Around that I have been working on collecting up collects (pardon the pun) for our Youth Year. These are supposed to have been written by young people from across our church. Sadly this has not happened as well as it was hoped, and even more sadly nothing was done on this project while I was away. I hadn’t realised that, so was a little too relaxed about it all. Now it is just rush rush rush! And all too late to meet the deadline of being used this weekend which is the beginning of advent (the four weeks before Christmas, and...

A piece of news. A couple of weeks ago I learnt that I had been elected as Minister Provincial for the Third Order, Society of Saint Francis in New Zealand, Solomons and Vanuatu. I am really humbled by this, and somewhat at a loss to know where to begin with it all. But at the same time I am looking forward to seeing how that pans out and where it all goes.

Kia ora I read this blog the other day. Hirini is Kaihautu for Te Maara, the Rangatahi Ministry School within the Anglican church here in Aotearoa. What struck me was his love of the church. It struck me because I don't share his great love. Most of the time I find the institutional church very frustrating. So to read of his love shook me a little. As I read on though, you discover it is not the institution he loves. It is the people, and their great love for the mission of God. I was reminded of a speech I heard earlier this year. It was by Bishop Philip Richardson speaking about Bishop George Connor at his translation to be Bishop of Dunedin. He was commenting on Bishop George's pedantic adherence to the rules. His comment was that this came from Georges care for people. By paying attention to the process, people were not hurt as much. The bottom line is that Bishop George cares for people. Soem times it is easy for me to let my frustration overwhelm me, and for me to stop se...

I just had a really interesting conversation (in spiritual direction) about headship. Basically, someone is coming to see me to sort out were he stands in a safe environment. I get to listen and ask questions to help him. The topic today was headship in the family. We came to a point of describing headship as the responsibility (of the man) the ensure the relationships within the family and especially with the wife are such that they communicate well, love each other, and make decisions for the best of all the family. (My words completely) Part of this is honouring how God speaks through the other, and not just thinking that the head is the only one God speaks through. In essence it is about love. We both marvelled that Ephesians is used to justify appalling abuse of women and children by "good" God fearing men. In the end this was about leadership. What is leadership and how do we as leaders exercise it. Too often in my view leaders think they have the answers, make dec...

An odd things happened this morning as I prayed. I use a form of daily office to get things going. It is designed for groups of people, so uses "we". I usually change this to "I" etc.. Today I left it as "we", and became conscious as I prayed that it was really we. I do not pray alone, but with all those who have prayed over the ages (the saints) and with all those who will pray today, particularly my Franciscan and Anglican brothers and sisters. It was a profound experience, that took me out of my prayers and my needs, and into this intangible but real community. I think I will keep using "we" and join all the saints, living now and departed, in "our" daily prayer. Just before I left for overseas I attended a theological hui on "communion" Timely for us Anglicans as the Anglican Communion tears itself apart. One of the speakers talked about "communion" taking us out of an "us and them" metality, and into a...

Another wee quote, which again says something to my wee rant below. It comes from a summary paper drawn from a Forum on Ministry Training run in Febrauary this year. "Without adequate study of the controlling forces of society, we may act to save people out of the world but not effectively redeem the world i.e. triple bottom line Proclamation that is not contextualised in realities of society is ineffective." So in relation to the National Party's statements, what are the controlling forces in our society, and how do we redeem them? Surely that is what we need to be moving towards in "church" and particlaulry in our work with young people. that will do. 3 posts in one day. Exhausting stuff.

This came through on daily dig a few days ago. In a small way it offers something of what lies behind my comments below. Are You Real? Kallistos Ware The isolated individual is not a real person. A real person is one who lives in and for others. And the more personal relationships we form with others, the more we truly realize ourselves as persons. It has even been said that there can be no true person unless there are two, entering into communication with one another. This idea of openness to others could be summed up under the word love. By love, I don’t mean merely an emotional feeling, but a fundamental attitude. In its deepest sense, love is the life, the energy, of God in us. We are not truly personal as long as we are turned in on ourselves, isolated from others. We only become personal if we face other persons, and relate to them.

I have been annoyed by some of the National Party statements lately - not a hard thing to do really. Dr. Wayne Mapp's attack on the politically correct work on no smokign in pubs. I thougth it was about the health of those who work and drink in pubs, and the cost of the ill helath on the economy (and on them) Wayne clearly needs to get out and have a few more drinks in pubs filled with smoke, as they mostly still are in Britian and Europe. I have to say Ireland was a breath fo fresh air. And then he had a go at the PPTA for their stance on the treatment of gays, transgeneder and transexual staff and pupils. Political correctness he calls it.mHaving seen as a teacher the harrasment and abuse some pupils and staff are subjected to, I would have thought it was about caring for people and ensuring they are not abused or harrassed. Sadly, we live in a political climate where people just don't count. Simon Power's comments about traffic fines for dangerous and speeding drivers re...