They had crossed a line with me. Boundaries walked over. A line of the heart had been crossed. I felt so hurt and offended that they would be so disrespectful to me. It felt like there was no love or respect in their hearts for me by what they had […]
Relationships
I struggle with the word ‘Boundary.’ Not because I don’t believe in the concept of boundaries or because I don’t think they are important. It’s just that the word ‘Boundary’ doesn’t convey any sense of relationship value. The word ‘boundary’ feels like it’s all about the one making the boundary […]
Call me Scrooge but I’m not sure about Christmas Community Meals. Do they really help? Ok, I know for sure there are many people alone and in need of food. A nice Christmas dinner or lunch with some entertainment is wonderful. What I question is the power relationship between those that […]
We all have an identity, a name we have been given, and can identify with. The connection deepens when we learn each other’s name. Each morning I start my day in a comfortable chair, listen to the Bible, thinking about the day ahead, and making a list of tasks. Often […]
Sometimes you have to let the little fish go. Those little offenses that need to be forgiven and let go of. I think I must have been aged 6 or 7 when I caught my first fish. It was a sprat. I went on to catch other fish. When […]
To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be pursued, examined, and shaken. To be known is to be loved and to have hopes and even demands placed on you. It is to risk, not only the furniture in your home being rearranged, but […]
Have you ever been found, found out, or found wanting? We all want to be known. Artist: David Hayward This picture comes from the story of the Men caught in Hypocrisy. Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down […]
Photo Credit: andyaldridge via Compfight cc A young couple moves into a new neighbourhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbour hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean; she doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry […]
There is no ideal community. Community is made up of people with all their richness, but also with their weakness and poverty, of people who accept and forgive each other, who are vulnerable with each other. Humility and trust are more at the foundation of community than perfection. Jean Vanier […]
I started my career in Mental Health support in a large old boarding that was a kind of halfway house for people needing quite intensive support. Hanging on the wall of the lounge was a wooden plaque with this Maori Proverb on it. He aha te mea nui? He […]