At the moment in my corner of the church world (I’m a Kiwi Baptist), the number of our 250-odd churches in New Zealand led by a woman (as the sole or senior pastor) is in single figures. Low single figures. It seems likely that by the end of the year there will be only two such churches […]
This is an all-in-one post for Week 5 of our Lent with Kids plan. To fill in some background, start here. You can also see the series index here. Let’s start with a prayer: We give you all thanks and praise, O God, for yours is the power of life that even death cannot hold back. You […]
This is an all-in-one post for Week 4 of our Lent with Kids plan. To fill in some background, start here. You can also see the series index here. The collection of Lectionary texts for the fourth Sunday of Lent includes these three Gospel readings: John 9, where Jesus heals a man who has been blind his […]
On New Year’s Eve, 2013, my little family made a pilgrimage to Cape Reinga, Te Rerenga Wairua, the northern tip of New Zealand, where the Pacific Ocean and the Tasman Sea ‘say hello’ as SBJ will tell you, with a dramatic clap of his hands. They clash with a set of white-topped breakers out in […]
Welcome back to our guest poster Dr Tim Bulkeley, and welcome, readers, to perhaps the most controversial bit of this series (see the debate on today’s subject in the comments on the previous post)! I’ve argued that we need to talk about God as motherly if we are to speak in pictures about God at all, and […]
It took me some courage to decide to blog on this activity from the 40 acts of generosity Lent challenge. Is there any book in the world that provokes such diverse and heated reactions as the Bible? Among Christians there is an enormous range of responses, from obedience to respect to frustration. Fans of the English language […]
A new year might be an arbitrary piece of mathematical jiggery-pokery, but it’s also a handy opportunity to let the enthusiasm of millions energise our own inclination for change or renewal. I thought I’d introduce you to the wonderful Joyce Rupp today, through this collection of blessings, using imagery from the Bible (thanks, JK, the Ideas […]
This time a year ago I was celebrating my birthday by cuddling my baby – with my arms instead of my uterus – having just met him on the outside for the first time. SBJ was born thirty-four years-minus-four-hours after me, and conveniently arrived at 11.10pm, just squeaking in to get his own birthday. Not […]
Oops. I bought shampoo and conditioner today. Normally it’s an oops if I forget to get more in time – frequently – and spend a few days eking out a dwindling supply, only ever remembering the need to restock when I’m actually in the shower. But it’s oops today because I have been meaning and meaning and meaning to begin […]