Colourful Dreamer

A year or so ago I put up a posting about needing to loose weight, and get fitter etc… Over the next few months I managed to loose about 4kg, mostly by exercise. But I stalled on about 101kg. I couldn’t shift it anymore, sadly. The funny thing was I would have said my diet was ok. I had mostly cut out cheese, margarine (except on toast, how can you not have marg on toast) and then it was logical - the stuff that blocks cholesterol absorption, not many chippies or biscuits, and much less chocolate. But still, even training for a 160km bike ride I stayed the same. At the end of last year I signed up for a programme my gym is running, called the LEAN programme, standing for a Lifestyle, exercise and nutrition programme. Not a diet. A lifestyle change! My children have been fairly rude, but hey, that is what they are for. So basically it involves eating 5 times a day: breakfast, (with protein – it calls for a protein shake, but I have porridge with protein powder, yummy!); morning and aft...

I had this interesting experience a couple of months ago. I was at an ordination service in our more evangelical/charismatic diocese. We sang several “charismaticy” style songs, could even have been hillsong songs. Around me were a number of people, mostly older, whose eyes lit up and they raised their hands. This excited them. My assessment of them was they were charismatic from way back. While I found the songs a little naff, I was jealous of their involvement and zealousness really. I prayed that I might feel like them. And then we got on to the ordination liturgy, and the liturgy for the great thanksgiving, and the service came alive for me. I don’t know if my eyes lit up, but I wanted to and did lift up my hands in response (I think I was the only one with slightly raised hands at that point) and I was really engaged with what was being said and done. And I wondered afterwards why most people see liturgy as this dead thing, and instead get off on songs with really bad words (some ...

A big part of my Easter experience this year was going to two "stations of the cross". One was organised by a colleague, a Baptist woman. There is a really big Easter thing run at Bethlehem Baptist church, but this one was less theologically laden and much more contemplative and interactive. We were invited to hold the rope that tied Jesus, eat bread and oil at the meal, drink lemon juice at Gethsemane, smell the oil use to anoint him by Mary before his death (Johns gospel) etc.. It too was theological, in that sometimes the commentary invited us to view this in one way, rather than allow the text of the scripture and the story itself to speak to us. So we were invited to consider how Jesus died for "my sin". I have to say i am entirely unsure Jesus did die for my sin. I am entirely sure Jesus died for "our sin", as a sign of God’s infinite and profound and life giving love for all creation, including me. So my sin I nailed to the cross was “it is not all ...

Warm sun baking While cold wind cools from behind The sea dotted Ships waiting to enter Boats huddled round schools catching Surfers at rest on quiet waves Occasionally catching a 5 second ride Before returning to their place of peace The beach strewn People running, walking, standing Watched by those on the grass Sitting with coffee, friends and family All enjoying a warm relaxed holiday Three crosses stand alone Ignored Laughed at Played on Pulled down for use in games Empty Of you Of life Of meaning for so many Symbols for those who might stop Be still long enough To remember Why this day is Holy Is off How this act is love Is life Is who I am Is who we are

About two weeks ago I was in Hong Kong at a meeting of the Steering Committee of the International Anglican Youth Network. Michael Tamihere and I flew over on Thursday night (March 12th) , arriving Friday morning. That gave us some time on Friday to wander about Kowloon , and then over to Central on the Star Ferry, where we wandered around, through Hong Kong Park to Wai Chan and then caught the ferry home. The others trickled in on Friday afternoon and evening, and we began with dinner out on Friday night On Saturday we visited Macau Missionary Area. The Anglican Church there is amazingly small, only about 3-400 members, but they have four or five parishes, and operate several schools, including kindergarten, primary and secondary. These schools are pivotal to their evangelism endeavours. They work really hard with the students to introduce them to Christianity, and the Anglican Way. As a result they are a growing church, and a very young church. Revd. Thomas Pang and Rev Odette spent ...

Last week I went to a meet held at a meeting being held at the Southern Star Cistercian (Benedictine) Abbey at Kopua, near Dannevirke. Most of our time was retreaty. A big part of that was joining the brothers for their daily office: at 6am, 8am, 11.30am, 2pm, 6pm, 8pm. Most of these consisted of a hymn, singing three psalms, short bible reading, short prayer, blessing, and Marion anthem (and angelus at 6am, 11.30 and 6pm) The fist service I went to I thought “O my Lord, this might be a little tedious”. The singing was not great, it seemed slow, the seats were not so comfy. But after one or two services it grew on me. I fell into the rhythm. The chants entered into me. I went to sleep with the tune in my head. I woke singing “Praise to the Father the Almighty, and to the son Jesus Christ our lord, and to the Spirit who dwells in our hearts, both now and forever amen.” It was amazingly stilling, and earthing. And it was nice to get in touch with some of our Anglican roots. Cranmer was i...

I feel the need to rant about our Government. I actually have some time for John Key. He is a moderate, on the liberal side. But his co-cabinet members scare me to death. For example, with Crusher Collins at the helm, why would anyone want to work at Corrections? And we need good people to stick around and feel valued, not dumped on at every possible moment for political gain. Tony Ryall and Paula Bennet stopped conferences, without ever telling us how much it cost us tax payers to stope the conferences in cancelled air fares, cancellation fees for the venues, lost deposits etc. I know about some of this stuff, I once tried to cancel an event, and found it was cheaper to hold it. We still made a loss, but it was about half what we would have made if we had called it off. So what did these called off conferences cost the tax payer? And what galls me is that is seems it was all done because they (Tony and Paula) know best and don’t need people who work in the field to tell them anything....