Kia ora e te whanau
Engaging the Text
Starting tonight (Tuesday evening 28th of July) at 7.30pm
I’m hosting a zoom encounter for ‘whomsoever will’ to engage with the Gospel Lectionary text for next Sunday – 2nd of August which will be Matthew 14 vs 13-21. To get the most out of each encounter it would be good for each of us to have spent some time with the text beforehand. Participants and Spectators alike all welcome. The same zoom link will roll over week by week and is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84220736362
Next Tuesday the text we consider (for 9th of August) will be Matthew 14 vs 22-33.
Leadership & Personal Development Resources
Who Tells You the Truth?
It’s assumed that all of us in pastoral ministry have regular and competent supervision. And if you’re a leader in a congregation that isn’t sure if your clergy person is or isn’t, then that needs to be checked out and, where necessary, corrected. Each of the partner churches have requirements concerning supervision. This doesn’t mean everyone is compliant.
What this article is pointing to is something a little more. The reality is that even supervisors generally only get one perspective – ours. We also need people in our congregations who are willing to be honest with us – to tell us the truth about ourselves because they love us enough, and can see the blind spots we’re reluctant to admit to. This simple, short article encourages us to take this seriously: https://www.pastors.com/free-resources/who-tells-you-the-truth
The Science of Intuition – Trusting Your Gut
This research based article considers when we should, and when we shouldn’t, trust our gut. It offers sound evidence that trusting our gut is a useful way of making good decisions – but only in our areas of expertise. I remember Malcolm Gladwell, in his book ‘Blink’, explores the issue of experts knowing in a millisecond when something is ‘off’ – experts in art etc, spotting a fake. Medical specialists often can tell very quickly what is going on with a patient on what appears to be minimal evidence, because they’ve seen the same patterns many times before, and now know intuitively what they’re looking at. This article explores the scientific evidence of the connections between brain and gut which lets us know that we know what we’re looking at. Well worth a read this article can be accessed here: https://discoverwildscience.com/the-science-of-intuition-trusting-your-gut-explained-by-research-2-385984/
7 ways to learn faster and improve your memory, backed by neuroscience
Lost of great tips here, some you’ll have already heard, then forgotten 
. If you’re like me you’ll recognise how readily I can forget what I’ve read – even within a few days. Most of the strategies here involve a measure of discipline and intentionality – we’ve got to want to remember. Jeff Haden’s INC article can be accessed here: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-ways-to-learn-faster-and-improve-your-memory-backed-by-neuroscience/91272966
3 learning habits backed by neuroscience that high performers use
While we’re considering memory, this excellent article offers sound practices to help us with our learning (which always involves memory) – one of which involves the use of AI, not to do the thinking work for us, but to be a coach. This article can be accessed here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91575035/3-learning-habits-backed-by-neuroscience-that-high-performers-use
Homilies and Preaching Resources
My response to the lectionary Gospel for the 2nd of August – based on Matthew 14 vs 13-21 (Feeding of the 5000), is titled ‘Moving beyond Grief’’ and focusses most specifically on the context Matthew offers. It can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S_r1GhcVjs
Gospel Conversations – out of the Dunedin Anglican Diocese. They host a conversation of (usually) 4 Theologians / Practitioners. 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, this year they are generally focusing on other parts of the Lectionary. For this coming Sunday, while nodding toward the Gospel, they explore Isaiah 55:1-5. As their summary puts it – ‘Come to the waters you who are thirsty! It’s a beautiful and familiar call to us from God, full of promise, full of abundance – something which is then lived out in Jesus’ abundant filling of his followers from a few loaves and fishes’. This ‘Conversation’ can be accessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIXor2vQR0g
Rev Darryn Hickling (Methodist colleague leading the Rolleston Project) has posted an Instagram reflection focussing on Matthew 13 vs 33, and titled ‘The Kingdom is a Kitchen’ in response to this week’s Gospel text. It can be accessed here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbSSui0oYtO/