You’ll be astonished to know that my complaint via the Air New Zealand website (thanks Lucy for the motivation to make it) has not resulted in the ‘Safety in Paradise’ ads being withdrawn. Here’s how the correspondence has gone so far, and what I’m doing next. After I wrote this post about why I thought […]
About a third of you, Gentle Readers, are based in the Northern Hemisphere, where the church calendar was born and raised: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and so on, until Advent begins another church year again. That means that your wintry Advent is naturally an expectant, waiting time that builds to the celebration of Christmas […]
Advent in Art is a project of World Vision New Zealand for the spiritual nurture of staff. Mark Pierson and Alison Squires curate and produce beautiful sets of cards with reproductions of paintings, Scripture readings, questions for reflection and a ritual to perform. This year Advent in Art features the art of Wayne Forte, reproduced […]
I did not turn 30 recently. But my friend Nicola did! Nicola Burrows is a coffee-drinking, book-loving associate pastor, a group fitness instructor and dance enthusiast. She’s also the inventor of the 30-olution list, which she’s introducing us to today. Welcome, Nic! I donāt remember when it all started, but my friends and I have […]
An anonymous reflection from a regular reader. Being in a minority is tough. It can be very painful trying to fit into a dominant culture when you are different in some significant way, in a way that sets you apart. Our culture often tells us that being single is bad, that happy people are in […]
I can’t remember if I first fell a bit in love with political activist and film-maker Michael Moore when he made Bowling for Columbine, a documentary polemic arguing for saner gun control in his home country of the United States. It was either then or when my friend Steven, who had lived in the US, […]
Like many of you, I feel almost unresolvably torn when it comes to little kids and games of murder. Raising SBJ to be a kind, non-violent man is a high priority for us, so what do we do about games of cops and robbers or pirates? My besties Nicholas, Richard and I played ‘Luke and […]
If there were just one male role model I could pick for my boy, it might be Jean Valjean. (Who would yours be?) It’s kind of cheating, though, since Victor Hugo created Valjean to represent all humanity, how we relate to God and the people around us. His struggles are our struggles and how he […]
Children of MenĀ (2006) is a remarkable film, and my pick for best movie to watch during Advent. Add it to carols, presents,Ā the Jesse Tree and feasting, as something that can help us to connect to the Big Story we are invited to find ourselves in at this time of year. Yes, I know, a) a […]