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 […]
Relationships
85 posts
A slippery slopes can be a lot of fun. As a kid, I used to love zooming down water slides, sand dunes, and just your normal everyday playground slide. They were safe because there was nothing dangerous at the bottom. But what if there was, or if you were not […]
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 […]
What is the most dangerous word in the world? I recently asked this question via my various social networks. The responses were interesting. Here are some. No Yes Can’t If Love For me I think the most dangerous word in the world is ‘love’. To love means risk. It […]
Sometimes you have to have the hard talk with someone about unacceptable behavior in a meeting. It may be a church service, a bible study, even just having a one to one talk with someone and you are interrupted. They might have been talking out loud to a friend while everyone […]
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 […]
We all make mistakes; we all stuff up. The feelings of regret, shame, maybe even guilt can plague and loom over us like a dark cloud. How do we learn to come out from that cloud? We need to eat more Swiss cheese! Ok, now I don’t want you to […]
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 […]
How do you respond when someone spreads rumors about you, gossips, lies, pretends to be your friend while really all they are doing is using and abusing you? A stab in the back. Perhaps they influence other friends to their side of the story. You’re having rotten tomatoes thrown at […]
I have secrets I tell no one. I am not alone in this I am certain. I am sure you have them too. Things you have done have or that have been done to you. Fears, desires, longings, pains, and some things that you are not even consciously aware of. […]
It’s an acronym I learnt this week from All is Grace, Brennan Manning’s memoirs. He was describing his time in a rehab facility for his alcoholism when he received feedback from his fellow alcoholics in a peer review worksheet. I SEE YOU USING THE FOLLOWING DIVERSIONS TO KEEP FROM DEALING […]
There are some people that just push my buttons! Something about them sets off a chain reaction of thoughts and feelings. Perhaps they remind me of someone else or something that has happened in the past. A memory echo bounces around my soul. If I am going to be a […]
2011 has been a year of dramatic change for many. World news has been dominated with natural disasters, dictatorships being toppled, and economic crisis. For an interesting review check out Google’s Zeitgeist 2011: Year In Review. In New Zealand 2011 has also been a year of roller coaster emotions. Winning […]
Back and forth, side to side, oscillating with mindless repetition, Charlie and Billy had spent a lifetime of having their mouths open, and little white balls pushed into the cavity. Heads rotating left to right, right to left with constant repeating action. Forever looking out and never in. Charlie: Hey, […]
“So why did you have me born? I wish no one had ever laid eyes on me! I wish I had never been born I wish I’d never lived—a stillborn, buried without ever having breathed. Isn’t it time to call it quits on my life? Can’t you let up, and […]