Kia ora e te whanau
I’m writing from a motel in Whangārei. What a beautiful party of the motu, with warm and generous people! I’ve been re-discovering the richness and diversity of CVs. Saturday, sitting with a small yet highly engaged group at Maungaturoto.
On Sunday, I had the joy of sharing worship with the people of Kaurihohore, followed by their Christmas dinner (they start early!). This is a most unusual expression of a ‘gathered community’. Their church buildings (lovingly cared for) are an expression of what I would describe as ‘19th century Presbyterian austere’, yet accommodated to the comforts of the 21st century, and surrounded with a huge cemetery – the whole site is proudly listed as ‘historic’. There is a primary School next door, and that’s it. Nothing else. It sits almost alone in a beautiful part of the country, and its congregation (most from Whangārei) travel to be together. Their being together is of greater priority than where they do it. At the same time, they have a strong sense of mission, and of making a difference.
Yesterday saw me meeting with a small group of leaders from Whangarei and Hikurangi, and in the early evening a joyous and heart warming time with the delightful people of Tutukaka Coast at Ngunguru, over conversation and pizza.
Leadership & Personal Development Resources
Want More Influence? Science Says You Need To Speak First In Meetings
One of the more useful exercises we, as a leadership, engaged with in my last Parish was to take the Belbins Team Roles inventory. This not only helped us to see who was best suited to contribute what, it also helped us to recognise that we each had a unique place that we needed to fill for the healthy functioning of the team. In this Forbes article, Mark Murphy not only lays out evidence for the veracity of the proposition that those who speak first tend to exercise the most influence, he also suggests a process to determine who is most appropriate person to speak first given the role that they will play in any anticipated scenario. Rather than seeing the phenomenon as a problem, recognise its reality and make it work for you. This includes recognising the importance of those we might consider a pain in the posterior. The article can be accessed her: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2025/10/27/want-more-influence-science-says-you-need-to-speak-first-in-meetings/
Keep forgetting things? 4 simple ways — in 2 minutes or less — to remember more
Frank Haden offers some simple, tried and tested strategies for helping us to remember. The first one is ‘Say it out Loud’. I do this all the time when I’m wanting to transcribe a line of numbers – works a treat. The article can be accessed here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91441268/keep-forgetting-things-4-simple-ways-in-2-minutes-or-less-to-remember-more-backed-by-neuroscience
Always Reading, Never Learning – Why you Forget Everything You Read and How to Fix it
So, following on from forgetting, here’s another offering on holding on to our learnings.
Mai Chen KC used to be a regular commentator on RNZ afternoons. One thing about her that impressed me is that she seems NOT to hold onto books she has read – she passes them on, and seems able to recall very well what she has read, even years later. I suspect she has a photographic memory. My memory on the other hand leaks like a sieve. I have a reasonably sized library. Until I got distracted by acquiring a smart phone, I read a lot. Now, not so much. While I haven’t read every book on my shelves, I’ve at least dipped into nearly all of them. Here’s the thing. From time to time, I’ll order a book on-line, and when it arrives I’d discover that I already have a copy. As I start into it, I’d have a dawning awareness that I’ve already read it – though forgotten most of what I’d read. My suspicion is that this is not uncommon. So, I was gratified to come across this very helpful YouTube posting offering some strategies to make our reading more memorable. It can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Bt8SKmBhk&t=33s
Homilies and Preaching Resources
My response to the lectionary for the 30th of November is titled ‘An Unexpected Visitor’ and focusses on the Gospel reading of Matthew 24 vs 36-44’. This marks the beginning of a new Lectionary cycle – Year A, Matthew. It also marks the beginning of Advent, and, as is usually the case, we start looking at the coming of Jesus through jumping forward to anticipate his return. The homily can be engaged with here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IS4vKnXl_DA
Trevor Hoggard continues with the 2nd set of Lectionary readings. His texts for Sunday the 30th of November are Isaiah 52 vs 1-12, Psalm 9 vs 1-8, and Matthew 24 vs 15-28. Trevor’s sermon can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGflU96QyA&t=29s
Gospel Conversations – out of the Dunedin Anglican Diocese. They host a conversation of 4 Theologians / Practitioners 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/ . The latest ‘Conversation’ is for the coming Sunday based on the lectionary Gospel of Matthew 24 vs 36-44. It can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4T_IUDRGNM