So for those of you who were at Spencer Park on Sunday for our BBQ Beach Bonanza, it was a fun time. Good food, a bit of clumsy cricket, and worship at the beach interspersed with cold plunges in the surf. Gooood. We had two people from the Living Room share their testimony. Thank you Bismarck and Esther for your… Read more →
Reflections
God’s Show and Tell
I hope to see lots of you out at Spencer Park on Sunday for the Living Room. Hang-out, good food, and worship…what a great way to spend an evening! The topic for this Sunday is “Sharing Testimony” as a Christian practice. Two of our frequent “Roommates” will be sharing their story and then there’ll be opportunity for anyone else to… Read more →
I don’t have to give money, I give in other ways!
“I don’t have to give money, I give in other ways!” Have you every heard this when it comes to giving money in the Offering? Perhaps you’ve used it yourself! And it makes reasonable sense…some people have lots of money to give, some people have lots of time, others have particular talents. We all serve in different ways and needn’t… Read more →
Donald Trump vs. the Pope
You may have seen the news recently that the Pope threw into question Trump’s Christian faith. You can read all about it here. Flying back to Rome from Mexico, the Pope critiqued Trump’s plan to build a giant wall between Mexico and the U.S.: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges,… Read more →
The People Have Spoken!
Kia ora koutou! It was great to see so many of you on Sunday reflecting on what it means to be a welcoming and hospitable people! Caleb and Ruth shared from their experience and then encouraged us to think what we can do as individuals and as a Living Room community. I’ve tried my best to compile all your wonderful… Read more →
Lent: Isn’t that a Roman Catholic thing?
Well hi there! Often us Protestants get a little uneasy about things we perceive as Catholic. This is neither the time nor the place to debate age-old Protestant suspicions (and most of the time they are just suspicions!). However Lent is one of those things that tends to fall into the cavernous grey abyss of suspicion. Some Protestants do it,… Read more →
Living Room and edge: Growing Together
Newsflash! At the Living Room last Sunday, I drew attention to some changes happening with the Living Room and edge services this year. Firstly let me reiterate that both communities are important to the life of Hope. And the people in them are important too. As we attempt to listen to God and be obedient to Christ’s call, things naturally… Read more →
Why bother praying for others?
Have you ever wondered what the point is in praying for others? I mean, praying for sick loved ones is one thing. Even if our prayers appear not to be answered, we pray for them because we love them. But what about praying for an end to the refugee crisis? Or peace in the middle east? These things are so… Read more →
What super power do you have?
You know those facebook survey things that pop up on your feed every now and again? “Fill out this survey to find out what super power you have.” Or, “answer this to find out which Harry Potter character you are.” Or…and this is my personal favourite…”complete this to find out which theologian you are” (Martin Luther? What do you mean… Read more →
What Would Jesus Pray?
Ahoi-hoi! Yes, the title of this humble reflection suggests big things. Admittedly, I wouldn’t dare to presume what Jesus would pray. Fortunately, however, we know what Jesus has prayed (most famously in the Lord’s Prayer), and we know that he prayed regularly. So in a way, this awfully presumptuous title is justified. If I may, I’d like to mess with… Read more →