sustain:if:able kiwi

my students love me

the 2006 exiting class at my seminary BCNZ just rolled in with this …

what a spot-on gift — 21st century, chill-out, Lemon Jelly, Nitin Sawhney, Chicane — makes me wish I’d been far more generous to them in my marking 🙂

And it certainly sets a high bar for every other year! 🙂

inspiration in 2006

5 most inspirational books of 2006

Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church – the theology helped us reshape our Digestion congregation, and allowed us to move to church as both resourcing, and learning from, the 24/7 doing of faith.

Cultural Transformation and Religious Practice – an real intellectual workout, but a must read for anyone who wants to think seriously about the processes of cultural change and the gospel.

Saint Johns Bible – this sits on my workplace coffee table as a reminder that the Bible is a coloured text, and deserves our visual excellence.

Proclaiming the Scandal of the Cross – provided fresh insights for me on the place of story and storytelling in how we approach the communication of Scripture.

Kingdom ethics – invalable resource in mixing Biblical text and contemporary context as the Sermon on the Mount dominated the teaching in our Sunday morning congregation.

5 most inspirational films of 2006

Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada – for it’s exploration of the possibilities of justice and redemption in the gritty places of human relationships

Over the Hedge – a thought provoking commentary on consumption and the environment

U2 Vertigo DVD – stunning example of worship leading and became a regular used classroom resource on the place of DJing in communication.

Firefly series – became a weekly day-off highlight. I love the humour, the moral dilemmas, the interplay of the characters, while the place of Shepherd constantly raised questions of spirituality.

Crash – the power of grace amid the complexity of racism and human life in the urban context.

the blog year gone

Most commented on posts in 2006
1. 7 things I learnt from Bono about worship leading
2. My God questions
3. Dub spirituality and worship
4. There is no such thing as emerging church
5. Flamed for Spirit as love

5 blog hopes for 2007.
1. To find a better way of balancing a gift economy with the pressures of life
2. To form a good robust panel discussion are each “my God question”
3. To have less spam
4. To have a great set of emerging church postcards and make them available as hard copy through lulu.
5. To develop an interactive on-line community around the missional reader project.

overseas travel in 2007

I have a group in the US who have asked me to speak in the Los Angeles area either May 19, 20 OR June 2, 3. All expenses are paid but it is a long way to go and a lot of personal energy for one gig. Are there any other groups around the Pacific Coast-area who could use me either side of these dates?

In terms of my other overseas travel plans in 2007; I am
– in Melbourne with Churches of Christ May 5, 6;
– in Auckland with the Anglicans July 3-5;
– in Los Angeles July 9-13 at Fuller Theological Seminary (pencil booked), then Seattle 16-19 July.

Contact me if I am in your area and you think I could help your emerging and missional church conversations around any of those dates. I can consult and converse and speak.

5 things

Pernell has tagged me: 5 things you probably don’t know about me.

1. My brother Mark died at birth. I never met him and I’ve missed him more and more in the last few years. I find that a bit wierd.

2. I used to love marmalade as a kid. I used to spread marmalade on every one of my pieces of toast and school lunch sandwiches. Then suddenly one day I hated marmalade and didn’t touch it for years.

3. My favourite books growing up were Biggles books. As a kid I was intrigued by the fact that Biggles never seemed to go to the toilet.

4. I stand responsible for my younger brother badly burning his feet. I managed to con him into running across the smouldering ashes of a bonfire. Half way across he just started screaming.

5. My favourite movie is Jesus of Montreal. I love the musical score and the urban landscapes.

And I tag Tash McGill, Laura Drane, Darren Wright, Steve Garner, Fernando Gros.

10 day celebration

Last nite was the first time in 10 days that just the 4 members of the Taylor family have sat alone around the table to eat our evening meal. I cooked a delicious vegetarian creation: nacho chips sprinked with cheese as a base, cooked vegetables layed on top (including peas fresh from the garden), topped with an avocado, tomato and spring onion mix. There was a lot of laughter as we remembered all the diverse things we’ve been doing in the last 10 days – theatre rehearsals, an overseas visit, international friends staying.

on the jet plane

I flight up to Auckland in a few hours to do a live radio slot. Feel free to drop in and listen.

Then up early on Monday to fly to Sydney for a 3 day conference: Faith in a hyphen, exploring one of the key issues facing Christian faith and contemporary society, that of how to respond to issues of cultural and religious diversity.

I am delivering a paper Faithful Other or Guilty Other?, exploring themes of migration in relation to Jacob’s journey in Genesis 28:10-18. I am trying to read the Bible from a post-colonial perspective, using a range of literature, including the diaries of Captain Cook and Te Horeta (Maori who observed Cook’s arrival). If you’re interested you can read it here.

Hoping to catch up with Matthew Stone also. Back home late Wednesday nite, when I play host to Al Roxburgh and Andrew Menzies, as we begin to discuss the Allelon Mission to Western Culture Project and how it might shape up in Australasia.

It promises to be a stimulating week. I am praying this prayer, our Benediction for the 4 weeks of Advent at Opawa.

God,
please find me faithful in helping others
to celebrate the birth of your Son this Christmas,
Amen

hello hello it’s a beautiful day: U2 in new zealand

It’s difficult to find the words to describe our U2 concert experience. Thanks to friends (who we will owe until Kingdom come!), we managed to score a backstage tour, complete with walk on stage.

We then got dropped in the elipse at about 7 pm. A bit of focused movement and we ended up about 4 rows from the front. Quite close really.

Some highlights would include:
: Unexpectedly meeting friends as we sheltered from the rain under the stand – Andrew, Danielle, Steve, Kate, Bron …
: “Aotearoa right in front of you;” the lyrics of Beautiful Day personalised for a New Zealand crowd.
: The koru designs during One Tree Hill. Again that sense that this band are willing to work to make this concert unique for this audience.

: Bono taking off his sunglasses when singing One Tree Hill. He normally takes them off for his father on Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own. So Greg Carroll is honoured and again, this sense that for this rock star, people matter.
: The balloons. Many in the elipse had been given green, orange, white balloons with instructions to release them when the house lights go up during Where the Streets Have no Name. Being part of a rain of balloons being thrown toward the front was magic.

Nothing’s perfect, so lowlights would be
: Watching Bono trying to get rid of his limpet-like fan as soon as the spotlight went off them during Mysterious Ways. The point of Mysterious Ways is to dance, dance, dance, not cling, cling, cling!
: The punch in the back. OK, I was moving toward the front, but a punch! It put a whole new spin on Love and peace or else.

Thanks Tony and Jan and U2 for creating lifelong memories.

hello hello i’m learning Gaelic

Hello hello. It’s the U2 concert this week. So this week the blog will be U2 focused. For a start, here is an ancient post: back in April 2003.

From dawn to dusk: compilation CD of U2 spirituality
13 U2 songs intrinsic to my spirituality. With some Biblical interfaces I find provocative. No room for anything off Boy or Zooropa. It’s a reader-response compilation, ie what I the listener think of, not necessarily what the author might intend lyrically.

Streets have no name, Joshua Tree
– Genesis 1:1

Gloria, Under a Blood Red Sky
– Genesis 1:27

When you look at the world, All that you can’t leave behind
– www.nzherald.co.nz

October, October
– Isaiah

Wake up Dead man, Pop
– Lamentations

One, Achtung Baby
– Jeremiah 31:31-34

Grace, All that you can’t leave behind
– John 1:14

Promenade, Unforgettable fire
– Colossians 1:20 (Message)

Still haven’t found, Joshua Tree
– Philippians 3:7

40, War
– Romans 8:19

Pride (In the name of Love), Rattle and Hum
– Matthew 22:39

Sunday Bloody Sunday, Under a Blood Red Sky
– Isaiah 65:17

Yahweh, Vertigo
– Revelation 21:1

spirituality of my bean plants

My beans plants have just appeared. I planted them 3 weeks ago. Normally bean plants appear in 2 weeks. Quite a number of the seeds in the packet had been damaged. Combined damaged with delayed seeds and I had almost re-planted the garden, only to be rebuked by the rapid appearance of bean life on Monday.

God
forgive my easy dismissal and impatient hurrying
past the damaged and delayed
whether people or churches, cultures or institutions,

God, give me patience to tend absent life and
weed unproductive space
Amen.

One way to make this blogpost your prayer could be to leave the initials of people and institutions you have treated as has-beens (pun intended).

suit yourself: a conversation with Leunig

Silvan Gallery Cafe, 320 Selwyn St (cnr Brougham & Selwyn St) from 13th November to 1st December. Opening Tuesday, 14th November, 5.30pm – 7.00pm (at the Silvan).

Refresh: a beginners guide to journaling

This is DRAFT advertising for a project I’m currently working on: I want to offer concrete ways for spiritual seekers to explore their spirituality. A starting point is wanting to run a course on spiritual journalling in a local cafe. It is based on my belief that the Spirit of God is active outside church walls and in the lives of all people. My role is to “bless” what God is doing.

What is it all about? A journal is a record of your inner journey. Many people find journaling a helpful way to keep up with their spiritual pilgrimage.

What will I learn?
• Starting to use a journal to capture your history
• Using a journal to understand your present
• Using a journal to recover your past
• Using a journal to interact with your history
Each week will include time to journal, explore different methods and exercises to enhance journaling, and to grow with those who have journaled before us.

Who is it for? Anyone who wants to explore their spiritual journey. The facilitators are Christians and church-goers who assume that everyone has a spiritual journey worth nourishing, whether they attend church or not.

Is it only for church goers or Christians? No. All that is required is an interest in journaling and a spiritual openness.

Why a group? Most of us learn new skills best with the encouragement of others. Small groups allow us to draw upon the combined wisdom of others. Journaling in groups can be a powerful experience.

What are the details? Thursdays, November 9, 16, 23, 30, 7:30-8:45 pm, Fava cafe, 235B Centaurus Road. (Venue To Be Confirmed.) Cost of $15 for course materials. To book, or for more information, phone Steve Taylor (one of the facilitators) on 027 252 8227 before Monday 6th November.

focus focus focus

The church ministry leaders and board are away on a retreat this weekend. We have read Ephesians 4:2-13 in community, applied it to Opawa and now a group are meeting to help ideas and dreams gain wheels. I’ve plastered these visuals (hat tip to MarkO) all over our working materials.

homegrown satisfaction

Every vegetable in last night’s dinner came homegrown from my garden. The vegetable filo pie that included 3 types of silver beet, carrots, broccoli, leek was basically,

delicious.