Emergent Christianity

The pictures and captions on the video just posted represent some of my responses to Phyllis Tickle's extraordinary presentation on Emergent Christianity. I listen, I resonate, I wonder, I struggle with paradoxes presented, and come away from her intelligent and witty conversations stimulated, yet challenged. There's a dance going on between culture, world events, science, technology, faith, authority, soul, and "what are we as persons". And... I have lots to think about.

Conference June 2010.wmv

Spring in Central Alberta, Canada

After a long winter spring finally arrived. The collage is from home and our neighbourhood: Beauty, mystery, new life, and sheer joy.

 

"Beauty, history and holiness"

St. Cuthbert's, Governor's Bay

People often open my eyes and touch me deeply. A visit to St. Cuthbert's Church in Mt Herbert Parish in Governor's Bay on New Zealand's South Island has a small group of people with a big vision. At first view, the church looks like a quaint country parish, set in a churchyard with a cemetery and beautifully cared for flowers gardens. Yes, it is beautiful. But there is more pizzaz in this country church.

Call it a big idea or a series of small ideas - people, individually and in community reach out with hospitality, as community leaders, as writers and historians, artists, and especially to the Christchurch City Mission.

Let me start with the City Mission. This grabs me because of my passion for justice. It also caught my attention because of a long conversation I had some time ago with a person who initiated the community garden movement in the city in chich I live.

Now, at St. Cuthbert's, with a backdrop of hills with its pathway of ancient trees, the community has dedicated five acres for growing vegetable gardens. They are sustainable, organic community garden plots for people to grow fresh vegetables, and learn how to gather water, compost, sell, and cook the food.










The practicality of the community garden and the city mission is that the unused vicarage has been transformed into affordable accommodation to house 26 people: families or groups, to spend time in the peaceful countryside, and learn how to garden. People are given certificates of achievement in horticulture.

Then I met an elderly gentleman who came flying up the driveway on a swish new motorized vespa like bike, with a dog panting and running beside him. We struck up a conversation immediately, and sat on an old stone bench outside the church talking about his recently publishes book. When you live in the same place and go to the same church, except for the war years, for 87 years, you have something to say.
Inspiring! It's never too late to write if that is one's dream. Dogs are important to him, and he has a whole chapter of his book on his beloved dogs. I'm glad I took the time to speak to him.



Laughie Griffen with his dog, Dougal, and his "wheels".

The greatest fun was that Dougal was one of three dogs in church that Sunday. They'd come because the bishop was present!

TransAlpine Train Journey: "Meeting the Challenge of the Mountains"

Trains! I love them. From childhood I have been thrilled with train journeys. So, there was no way I was going to miss this TransAlpine adventure. So, I set out early one Monday morning from Christchurch, shrouded in low clouds, across the Canterbury Plains, through the Southern Alps, and to Greymouth on the Tasman Sea.


The Canterbury Plains


We remember the sheep stations!


Train life started with the company of twenty school children and their teachers on their way to a camping trip at Arthur's Pass. Even if the noise was unbelievable, the children's outward excitement and expressions of seeing everything from sheep to mountains and deep gorges made me smile and laugh. The wonder and delight of the children helped me see things I might have missed.



The viewing deck


The outdoor viewing deck from the train. Cold, crowded, swaying as we travelled coast to coast through 19 tunnels, over one of the highest viaducts over the Whanganui River/Gorge, and down the "Staircase" at 73 Metres.

The children piled out of the train at Arthur's Pass.








A Parish Church with a view above the altar of a waterfall flowing like a ribbon
down the mountain


Arthur's Pass is high in the Southern Alps on the ways to the west coast and the Tasman Sea. This is a haven for hikers (tramping) and we who love the outdoors and mountains. On the way to Greymouth the train followed the steep gorge of the Whanganui River, a challenge for kayak enthusiasts.



The wild flowers and bright red flowering trees were stunning on the hills. No pictures through the window of a moving train could do them justice.


Greymouth: Where rivers meet the sea

At 1:00 pm we arrived at Greymouth and I took a long walk along the esplanade and had my first glimpse of the Tasman Sea.



From the South pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea, and back again, I travelled that one memorable Monday. Once again, with joy of the curious pilgrim to see the land loved by a nation, not my own.

A View From The Pew: Good Shepherd




There are many sacred places throughout the world in settings that take our breath away. One of these is the Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Tepako, New Zealand. From the few wooden pews in the seventy five year old stone church, people are amazed by the view of a large turquoise lake with the Southern Alps on the horizon. It is magnificent.



The Church of the Good Shepherd is beautiful in its simplicity. This tiny church attracts hundreds of visitors from all over the world. Yet it continues to be an active worshipping community. Peace reigns in this little stone church and it's a holy space with tranquility and stillness. Tourists whisper. Others sit in deep meditation and prayer. The vision of the builders was to have a church built to the "glory of God". From it's opening, the Church of the Good Shepherd has broken denominational barriers and is still a Co-operating Parish for all christians in the McKenzie region to hear scripture and receive the sacraments.



As I sat quietly in this tiny stone church, I thought about the people I care for at my home Church of the Good Shepherd which is celebrating it's 100th Anniversary of mission and ministry in another part of the world. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want".

Rock Sculpture: Art or Nature?

Castle Hill on the way to Arthur's Pass has a unique outcropping of rocks that stand out like centinals on the hills. Rock Sculpture: Art or Nature? is the question posed on a sign on the pathway leading to an upward climb to the rocks.

The limestone has been tackled over time by wind and nature to create magnificent formations. No wonder the Maori regarded this as a spiritual site. The closer we walked toward them, they loomed over us and were much higher than I thought.

It wasn't until we watched a group of young people practicing their rock climbing skills that i realised their immensity.



Some of these pictures will show the perspective.




The artistic shapes drew me to climb, go further, look under rocks, sit on them, feel their form and beauty.



No, this isn't the site of the the filming of the Lord of the Rings. However, a few Km down the road, another outcropping of rocks at Flock Hill was the place the battle scenes of in Narnia were filmed.

Thanks to two new adventurous friends for this glorious day playing on the rocks.

A White Knuckle Drive

Flying along in a car on a road with switch backs, and steep drops on either side isn't exactly fun for those of us with height phobia. Neither does it prevent nausea. As usual,there really was no need of the fist clenching, the foot pumping imaginary brakes, or the sweat pouring off my forehead.

The Port Hills wind up the the ancient rim of a volcanic crater. I would suggest this is far more favourable for day hikers and cyclists than cars. And, for some who love gondola rides, those lift you up to the top of the hills.



The views were spectacular in every direction: Lyttleton Harbour with Quail Island which is supposed to be the "plug" of the volcanic crater; The crescent shaped beaches on the South Pacific filled with Sunday surfers; and the Canterbury Plains stretching from Christchurch to the faint outline of the Southern Alps. Having recently hiked on Quail Island, I wasn't too excited to learn that it was the volcanic plug. Totally unreasable of course. The views were glorious.



The early "Canterbury Pilgrims" who arrived in the four sailing ships eventually climbed their way over the hills, once covered with natural vegetation, to settle Christchurch.



Thanks to Rev. David and Anne, for this adventure, not only geologically, but extraordinarly historical.

The Westie Wanderers

Every community needs a group of experienced hikers! West Milton, on the Alpine Highway, has a hiking club who venture out twice weekly. The day I joined them was to explore Quail Island in Lyttleton Harbour. A small passenger ferry took about ten minutes from the quay at Lyttleton to reach the pier on the island



This was a day full of surprises.
What excited me most is that it was from this island that both Scott and Shackelton prepared to leave for their great explorations to the Antarctic. Dogs were trained for the journeys, and preparations were made to tackle the rigours of exploration. It was from this harbour in New Zealand that they left for Antarctica.

At various times the Island had a leper colony, and areas for quarantine from measles.

Quail Island is now a nature preserve with an attempt to restore New Zealand plants, birds, and small wildlife and rid the island of any predators. Vital plants, important to the Maori people for practical use from making cloth to medicinal purposes, are now growing successfully.



Sheltered beaches laden with shells, and granite cliffs caught my eye.





Thanks to the Westie Wanderers for their invitation.

Feast of the Epiphany

"Then the wise men set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, francincense, and myrrh.(Matthew 2:9-10)

Kite Surfing

Back to the beach this afternoon and saw a wonderful sport, kite surfing. Although I thought it was windy, the young men surfing said it wasn't windy enough to plough through the waves with greater speed. As my camera doesn't catch the surfer leaping over the waves, I asked the sportsmen who finally came ashore to show me the equipment. This is an example of the size of one of the kites attached to the surfboard. For those familiar with snowboarding, you can see a close resemblance to this surfboard.

Gaze deeply

Sometimes I am awestruck in churches where holiness and prayer seem to seep from the very walls. Today I visited St. Luke's in the City, in Christchurch, N.Z. where I was very much 'at home'.





The Christmas Crib was unique and nothing like the 'traditional' figures of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds and the assortment of animals found in creches.
This crib grabbed my attention, and it took a while to get my mind around what I was looking at. A tall Advent Candle was centrally placed, and from the candle stand
hung many different Icons depicting the birth of Christ.





According to the parish notices, "The Crib is an invitation to look and see, to see beneath the surface, to penetrate through the veil of the superficial and the trivial, to have the eyes of our hearts opened to the mystery of the Divine Presence in the misdt of human flesh, to apprehend the mystery of Incarnation. Be still. Gaze deeply. Give thanks!"





St. Luke's has two Icon wrting groups each week.

New Years Day 2010

What a beginning to the new year! Not much beats the greetings of friends. To top it all, a piper playing a medley ending with Auld Lang Syne welcomed incoming passengers and friends at Christchurch, N.Z. airport to 2010.


After experiencing far too much snow and sub-zero freezing temperatures, I was enthralled once more to be able to walk in the sunshine, plunge into the South Pacific Ocean for the first time, beach comb, and watch the sea kayakers. Outdoors in the warmth!




The sea! The sea! Its sounds of powerful pounding waves, its scary beauty, and luring of us to play as children once again, kept me mesmerized.




Today was a new years day to remember with friends, conversation, long walks, and playfulness.

New Years Eve 2009

The journeys and surprises continue. Several months ago I would have laughed at anyone who had suggested I'd be spending time in Sydney, Australia on December 31, 2009.



After an easy train ride from the International Airport to Circular Quay, I was faced with masses of people gathering and preparing for New Year's Eve festivities. A party was a few hours away.


Bondi Beach had intriqued me for a long time, so, leaving the crowds behind, I boarded a local bus for the beach.

Soon, I was peeling off shoes and felt that gorgeous feel of hot, soft sea sand underfoot.



Well here I was at Bondi beach gazing at the sea... the surfers... the waves.

Had a short chat with some young surfers eager to hit those waves.



There was nothing better to end this visit than a beach picnic lunch with a view!

Happy New Year

Wishing all a joyous and blessed journey in 2010.