sustain:if:able kiwi

what dreams may come

Last year he attended my BCNZ Emerging Church course. Today we met over coffee and I listened to his dreams, to plant something emerging in his church and his denomination. It’s the sort of coffee I dream of having.

a dream flight to heavenly sunshine

I had a dream flight to heavenly sunshine. Let me explain.

First, it was a full flight. I got a middle seat and my heart sank. My heart sank further at the sight of one of my travelling companions, who looked like they would need quite a bit of my seat in order to be comfortable. The companion toddled off to the toilet to get changed in their pyjamas (!), and never returned. So I got a window seat and a spare seat to sleep in!. That was heavenly.

The sunshine is the weather in LA, a stark contrast from Christchurch, where our conservatory roof was holed by hailstones on Saturday evening.

But the real heavenly sunshine – is that my accomodation has wifi – and the connection is named “heavenly sunshine.” So I can surf and receive email (but not send). Such are the selfishness’s of international travel – seat room and internet access.

on the road again

I am flying up to Auckland for 2 days, to speak twice at a youth leaders conference: on
global youth culture, identity and implications for the church

and once at a theological educators conference:
applying the notion of midwiving to theological field education.

I feel quite unprepared, so if you are ironing ….

Update: feel free at any time to read my blog carefully, in other entries in regard to prayer I have been known to say “I’ll take my share of prayer…”

thanks mate

“do you have a personal trainer,” the student asked.

“No,” I replied, “My obviously resplendent figure is all natural!”

“Wait till you hit 40,” he muttered.

Graduation special

On Saturday I graduated Doctor of Philosophy. In celebration, I am offering a limited edition A5 size copy of my PhD, A New Way of Being Church.

How do religious groups respond to cultural change? Recent global events have seen a hardening along fundamentalist lines.

A New Way of Being Church is a world first, an indepth academic exploration of how the emerging church responds to cultural change. It asks the question; how effective is the emerging church as a postmodern expression of faith? It takes one particular church, the innovative Cityside Baptist Church in New Zealand. It surveys 48 members and discusses three months of worship innovation. It deeply engages with themes of community, creativity and culture, in dialogue with the gospel and with postmodern thinkers. It draws on interviews and visits with 13 alt.worship communities in UK.

The thesis argues that in response to contemporary cultural change, people are, in the words of French philosopher Michel de Certeau, “making do,” engaging in transformative processes to creatively subvert their surrounding context.

(more…)

best class ever

permit me a moment of self-congratulation. its the last day of my semester class here at BCNZ. 14 weeks on pastoral leadership and management, and i’m doing my best to teach in a postmodern way: interactive, honouring different learnings styles, valueing story and experience, strong emphasis on community.

so after class a student rocks up to say; the classes have been fantastic, the best classes he has ever had at bcnz.

time to say “cheers” after 14 weeks of hard work.

all in a days inbox

My inbox today included
: titling of my book
: working with the 8 people from around the globe who will comment on the book
: negotiation over a chapter for another book
: organizing to team teach theology at a conference in September: Applying Jesus to the environment, the foreshore and the information superhighway
: would I speak on radio tomorrow
: organising guest speaker for next week’s leadership class

our house is like a tardis

A friend visited our new house yesterday. They reckoned it was like the tardis from Doctor Who. From the road it looks small. Walk inside and it goes on and on.

Dear God
please may our house, our life,
call people on a journey, on and on,
into the mystery and hugeness which is the living God.

What is a TARDIS? The TARDIS is the Doctor’s method of travel through both time and space – all Gallifreyan Time Lords use TARDISes for getting from A to B – and from then to now.

And TARDIS means? TARDIS, of course, stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Or Time and Relative Dimension in Space, if you’re a purist.

You can download a tardis screensaver from here. For more Dr Who trivia, try here.

Examiners recommendations

that Steve Taylor’s Phd on A New Way of Being Church be accepted and the degree be awarded once amendments have been made;
a glossary of terms
a brief and more fuller discussion of the contested nature of postmodernity, as per the candidates impressive answer in the oral defense
a more punchy conclusion.

Congratulations Doctor Taylor.

A toast: to God who gave a brain, the supervisors who lassoed 10 phd ideas into merely 3, and to family, who walk the journey with me.

“You’ll be great Steve” – my wife as she drops me off at the airport.
“But how do you know that Daddy will be great Mum?” – my 4 year old from the back seat.

Daddy, what good does a doctor do? Most doctors you know help make people better. I will only be a thinking doctor – good for nothing else!

saturday evening party

Taylor’s welcomed and commissioned;
Opawa Baptist Church
Saturday, 21st February 7:30 pm
All welcome

ask me tomorrow but not today

It has just taken us 22 hours to do the 1 hour flight from Auckland to Christchurch – one cancelled flight – one overbooked flight – two attempts at standby flights – and finally home.

2-day

My partner flies up to join me for the weekend and we share in a friends baptism at graceway on Sunday. We’ve had 4 days apart, every week for the last 3 weeks. I am looking forward to a weekend with her, without the kids, and on Valentine’s Day.