Kia ora e te whanau
Earning the right
I’ve reflected from time to time on the importance of Church leaders loving the people they’ve been called to serve. As I was coming into ‘ministry’ I’d often hear of the importance of being ‘prophetic’ – the priority of calling people to engage in the community in issues of social justice through active engagement. I couldn’t help noticing that ministries with this priority tended to be short. And it was rarely their fault. I’m reminded of Oscar Wilde, who after a disastrous opening night was asked how the play went. His response? “The play was great! The audience was a failure.” One of the most memorable offerings in our Methodism class came from Wes Chambers – a much loved and respected retired minister. He advocated for the importance of earning the right to say the hard things – and doing it sparingly. We needed credit in the bank with the congregation. This was accumulated in our being first and foremost a pastor – in creating a safe place, in being available to people when needed, in seeking to encourage them into the fulness of life that Jesus wanted for them.
Personal and Leadership Resources
1. Want better meetings? Ask these 4 questions
We’ve all been stuck in meetings where we’re simply going through the motions. They seem to go nowhere in particularly and do it slowly – often meandering up irrelevant alleyways, and leave us wondering why we didn’t take the time beforehand to be more focussed in our preparation. While, when we see them, these questions are blindingly obvious, the reality is that most of us rarely think about what they might need to be, and consequently don’t ask them. Worth a read and can be accessed here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91170628/want-better-meetings-ask-these-4-questions
2. Build a Lifelong Habit of Learning With the 5 Hour Rule
I read this article, and couldn’t find out why it was called the ‘5 Hour Rule’. It looked more like a ‘1 hour’ rule. Mrs Google to the rescue – ‘The 5 hour rule is almost hilariously simple. It was coined by Michael Simmons, an entrepreneur and journalist. It suggests that no matter how busy successful people are, they will spend at least an hour a day — or 5 hours a work week — learning or practicing.’
That aside, the article is still a useful read – a reminder to me that my ‘doom scrolling’ is not necessarily the best way of adding useful insight. It’s about making a consistent investment in our own learning and growth. The returns will not happen over night, but they will happen. It can be read here: https://www.inc-aus.com/justin-bariso/build-a-lifelong-habit-of-learning-with-5-hour-rule.html
3. Why Sex and God Travel Identical Biological Pathways Inside of Us
Okay, I’m taking a risk with this one – if you’re easily offended and wondering why I would be posting a link to such an article – then don’t click on it! Now you can’t resist, can you 
? It comes out of ‘The Big Idea Club’ – a website moderated by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink and Adam Grant – a couple of whom I have read and appreciated most of their books. To quote from the article’s introductory paragraph ‘Dr. Andrew Newberg (author) is a medical doctor and a neuroscience researcher who has spent the past 30 years exploring the relationship between our brain and our religious and spiritual selves — also known as the field of neurotheology.’ It can be read here: https://nextbigideaclub.com/magazine/sex-god-travel-identical-biological-pathways-inside-us-bookbite/51042/
Homilies
Trevor Hoggard’s sermon considers 1 Kings 8:1-6,10,11; Ephesians 6 vs 10-20; and John 6 vs 56-69. Trevor offers a thoughtful reflection on ‘sacrament’, and how it is often experienced in places and encounters. It can be engaged with here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqaNoXWL7tI
My response to the Gospel text of John 6 vs 56-69 is titled ‘Growing Confidence in Jesus’ and focuses on the response of the twelve to the outrageous claims of Jesus that only those who eat his flesh and drink his blood will experience life. What they had already seen, heard and experienced of Jesus, gave them confidence that his pathway always lead to life, and on this basis they were willing to trust him for the bits they didn’t yet understand. It can be experienced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2nbT-VFBgw