It has only been five months since Anita and I packed up our camper trailer and headed on the long journey from Queensland to be taking up my new placement here in Western Australia. At times like this, we have our assumptions about ourselves and what it means to be a disciple [challenged]. We alsoRead more
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We’ve probably all heard, and even been challenged by, one of those quotes about a spiritual giant who prayed more the busier they were. So Martin Luther: In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” Or St Francis de Sales: Everyone of us needs halfRead more
Would you describe yourself as being energised, dedicated and engaged by and in your ministry? How have your experiences with COVID-19 and the different challenges that have come about in your ministry changed your energy and commitment and engagement in that ministry? It may be if you were struggling already this has either led toRead more
“How has your week gone everybody?” This was a starter question in a small group in the ministers’ gathering. “Busy” is the response that rings around the [zoom break-out] room… The life of ministry is busy and there were all kinds of events that people mentioned that they were working towards that filled their headsRead more
I’ve thought about having a ‘theology of self-care’ but actually it is more having a theology of ministry and then part of that is how self-care might have a part. There is no one-size-fits-all when we talk about ministry let alone self-care. So while on one hand that is a comfort (especially for those ofRead more
We have been talking about self-care for a number of weeks. But there are problems with the language of self-care. Three main reasons are the ways that it buys into the current self-focus of the age, multi-cultural factors, and ministry as a call to service. Self-care: you’re worth it! We live in an age whenRead more
A ministry colleague (and previous student) has just posted his second day of ‘25 Push-ups for 25 days to raise awareness on Anxiety, PTSD, Depression and Suicide’. When I commended him (not volunteering to do the same) his response was ‘self-care is a must!’ I’m pleased that that message has got through to someone. ButRead more
We are all grappling with life and ministry having changed dramatically with the advent of coronavirus and consequent social distancing. It is in times of change and stress that the place of supervision comes into its own; at the same time one of the impacts on many of us is that we can no longerRead more
We have been learning medical – epidemiological language lately that we never knew existed or we would need. Growth rate, doubling time, flattening the curve, and reproduction number (R0), or the number of people who will become infected from one contagious person. The other pandemic we have seen coursing through the world at the momentRead more
Today I read a Facebook post where a woman was talking about having been a child in Bosnia, where from the age of 8 she missed four years of schooling during the war. She left Bosnia for NZ (I think) at 13 with no English and little schooling. She now has a degree and isRead more
