Monthly Archives: March 2013

Hope and Solidarity at Easter

Solidarity and hope are my Easter words, thanks to a German theologian called JĂĽrgen Moltmann. He was moved by his experiences in the Second World War to contemplate suffering in a profound way. The result was his ‘Theology of Hope,’ and it is a major influence on how I think of what happened when Jesus came.  […]

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Coming Soon: Not Only A Father

When I was little, my internal picture of God was nothing like the white-bearded-old-man clichĂ©s. I’d never had any exposure to that idea. If you’d asked my six-year-old self, I’d have said God looks rather like Sam the Eagle from the Muppets. Sort of stern. And definitely male. I could articulate from young adulthood that […]

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Easter, Sort Of

You’d think the task of ‘explaining Easter’ would not be a tough one for a minister. Hm. I have the privilege of writing occasionally for the parents’ resource website Kiwi Families. Mostly it’s great fun, but sometimes it’s flippin’ hard work, like the other week, when the editor, Rochelle, asked if I could write something […]

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Education and Schooling #7: Malala’s Perspective

I’ve been reminded this week why the ‘un’ in unschooling is not the same as ‘anti.’ First this challenge from Buffalo Mama, who is unschooling/homeschooling her son after traumatic school experiences: “Unschooling,” maybe, can be seen as an attempt to open up the pressure valve and let some of that build up out of everything […]

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A Generous Lent, Act 31: Listen

A good listener is never short of friends. Some people are naturals at this popular skill, and you might be lucky enough to know one or two. Plenty of us have to learn the skill of being a good listener, though the kind intention does go a long way, too. The headline ‘act’ for the Do […]

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