Kia ora e te whanau
We’re into Lent already, and Easter is coming up very quickly!
Rev Hana Popea (our UCANZ chair) has written a Lent Study on the theme ‘Repairing the Broken Bridge’, subtitled ‘A Lenten Journey of Return and Restoration’. Download it by clicking the button below.
Leadership & Personal Development Resources
5 simple tips to hit breakthrough ideas
We all want to strike gold, to find that magic bullet idea that changes everything. This article has realistic and useful insights in how to engage in a process that allows transformative ideas to be developed and implemented. And it’s not about having that flash of inspiration that nobody else has had. It’s often about something that is sitting right in front of us, hidden in plain sight, that we might need to sit with, tweak, or see differently. The ‘Next Big Idea’ article can be accessed here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91493011/5-simple-tips-to-hit-breakthrough-ideas
The lie I told for 13 years
Ozan Varol tells about the beautiful truth that he and his wife had committed themselves to for 13 years, without realising that there had come a point where it was no longer true. It was not only no longer true, it was also keeping them bound – it had become a beautiful lie. They had so embraced it, without realising what they had done, that it was now closing down their future, keeping their options limited. All, outside their awareness.
Well worth a read, it can be accessed here: https://ozanvarol.com/the-lie-i-told-for-13-years/
Effortlessly Build a Number of New Habits by Changing Only 1 Thing
This very useful Jeff Haden article clearly lays out the positive effects of changing one small practice and allowing it to have a spillover effect in changing other behaviours. It also lays out the contrary effect where a ‘failure’ will also spillover into promoting negative behaviours. I found it resonated and was on the money – providing a positive and hopeful way of making changes in our lives. It can be accessed here: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/want-to-effortlessly-build-a-number-of-new-habits-science-says-use-the-spillover-effect/91303868
Homilies and Preaching Resources
My response to the lectionary for the 1st of March is titled ‘Saved From or Saved For’ – responding to the Gospel text for the day of John 3 vs 1-17. There is much that could be drawn out from this text – I’ve chosen in this homily to keep the focus quite narrow. It can be engaged with here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG6uFYK2IC4
Gospel Conversations – out of the Dunedin Anglican Diocese. They host a conversation of 4 Theologians / Practitioners – until this year around the Gospel lectionary text for the coming Sunday. The site with all its options can be accessed here: https://www.calledsouth.org.nz/gospel-conversations/. Led by Michael Godfrey, rather than the Gospel text, they are focusing on the first reading (traditionally known as Old Testament). For this coming Sunday the 1st of March, they’re attending to Genesis 12 vs 1-4a. It can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1iqH5dE-k8