news

Just thinking…From the Otago Daily Times comes the true story of a young man who was required to write a response to the following question in order to gain admission to New York University: Are there any significant experiences you have had, or accomplishments you have realised that have helped to define you as a person?…

Just thinking…‘Enthusiasm’ – perhaps another name for ‘passion’! Oh, how we need it! Arthur Gordon writes, ‘Enthusiasm – from the beginning a remarkable word. The ancient Greeks used it to describe an inspired person: en meaning in, and theos meaning god. The enthusiastic person, they thought, was one who reflected the presence of an indwelling…

Just thinking…Have you ever been asked to bring witness about something? Maybe you’ve seen a crime or a car-crash, and been required to give your testimony in court. The role of the witness is to give evidence; it is not up to the witness to move from the witness seat and onto the judge’s bench….

Just thinking…“It’s not the Church of God that has a mission in the world but the God of mission that has a church in the world.” This is a quote attributed to Rowan Williams, a former Archbishop of Canterbury. If you dig into this thought a little, you will find that it has a perspective-changing…

Just thinking…When did you last experience wonder? One definition of wonder comes from 18th-century Scottish moral philosopher Adam Smith. He wrote that wonder arises ‘when something quite new and singular is presented… [and] memory cannot, from all its stores, cast up any image that nearly resembles this strange appearance’. Smith proposed that wonder is crucial for…

Just thinking…We often pray the prayer … “Give us this day our daily bread.” Gene Edward Veith, in his book, ‘God at Work’ writes: He does give us our daily bread. He does it by means of the farmer who planted and harvested the grain, the baker who made the flour into bread, the person…

Just thinking…Ken Costa, in his book, God At Work, writes: The New Testament writer Paul drew no distinction between hard spiritual work and hard work in the workplace. He used the same words to discuss manual labor as he did apostolic service. The reality is that all jobs are equal. Throughout Scripture we find God’s…

Just thinking…Over the Easter period, twelve campers and leaders went down to Lake Karapiro for the annual eCamp. There we joined with a thousand others for three and a half days of camp revelry, fun activities, great messages … and yes, a bit of rain too! It was a wonderful time away, and there were…

Just thinking…One of my favourite films of all time is James Cameron’s Avatar. The themes of this movie parallel numerous historical events which I find compelling. For example, it is distressing how the brutality of the humans to the Na’vi people connect to the displacement of indigenous people and colonisation that occurs in our world….

Just thinking…The Notre Dame Cathedral in France has been mortally wounded in a blaze that tore through the 850 year-old building on Tuesday, our time. A historian who commented on the tragedy called it a “symbol of Paris, a symbol of peace, togetherness and concord.” It reminds me of the devastation of the Christchurch cathedral…