The following articles contain the opinions and perspectives of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of St Francis Church itself.
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How many ‘friends’ have you got?
I pulled into the carpark of a country café and, getting out, noticed a man who looked like an old friend. I hadn’t seen him for ages, but features, mannerisms – they were all there. Approaching him cautiously, I said, “Excuse me, are you … [Jim]?” No, was his reply. I apologised, explaining that he looked just like an old friend. To my surprise, the guy threw his arms around me and said, “No, but you look like a pretty good friend to have!” We laughed, and that was it, but I came away thinking, what a neat experience. IContinue reading “How many ‘friends’ have you got?”
Mainly because it’s topical
Three year old Jason was chasing five year old Robert. R slammed door on J. When J’s fingers were in the hinge jamb. And jammed were J’s fingers, taking on a decidedly flat look. Squeals of shock and pain. Robert’s even greater shock, when he saw the damage he’d done. The consequence he’d never anticipated when he’d slammed the door. A child’s ability to foresee consequences is limited. Most adults are better at it. Actions have consequences, right? It hardly needs saying, but who knows who is reading this. Donald Trump might well get to our website, because Twitter andContinue reading “Mainly because it’s topical”
The pheasant spoke to me
It occurred to me as I was driving that a smile, in the right conditions, can be like a pheasant (in the right conditions). There were dry fields to left and right of us as we cruised across the Hauraki Plains, and suddenly from the long grass at the side of the road burst a pheasant, which flew low and boldly in front of us. The bursting bird (so to speak) reminded me of an almost inconsequential moment whilst walking, a few years ago, in a Hamilton suburb. A hunched, tattooed and hoodied man approached from the opposite direction, butContinue reading “The pheasant spoke to me”
Christmas Diminished
Christmas spirit! But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman … (Gal 4:4). What can be the Christian stance on Christmas? The mystery of Christmas and the dead centre focus of the Christmas celebration is that God became human. Not just human, but a baby human. God – creator of the universe (and by extension, bigger than the universe) – consented to becoming so small that he fit in a hay trough – a manger. Let that sink in for a moment … Not just fancy or fairy tale, this is spelledContinue reading “Christmas Diminished”
Blogging
Beginning Well, it’s time we started a blog. Everyone’s doing it these days, so why not us? Why not add to the multi-terabytes out there in cyberspace that nobody reads. Cyberspace needs more bytes.Some bloggers have an impact in our world way beyond their worth. Some bloggers “go viral”, and some even become “influencers”, though when and how one’s rank shuffles from viral to Influencer, who can tell? That too is a cyber-mystery. Anyway, blogger, virus or Influencer, it’s time. And, with breathtaking imagination, I’ve decided to blog first about blogging. Middle Blogging began in the late fifteenth century. BecauseContinue reading “Blogging”
Thanks for these
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