Kia ora e te whanau
Home again, jiggety jig.
I enjoyed my time with the Waikato Taranaki Anglican Diocese on Saturday – 180 of us gathered in Te Kuiti, many having travelled up to three hours from either side of the North Island. After the Whakatau, we moved into worship. It was uplifting, and joyful. As one from a different tradition, to experience liturgy woven so skilfully and meaningfully into a more contemporary style of worship was a revelation – it drew me from being a spectator into being a participant. I loved it! All beautifully lead by a couple who clearly loved Jesus – and he, originally a Methodist! As for the rest of the day? I counted it a privilege to be included.
Sunday saw me in the relaxed and authentic environs of St Francis Hillcrest Co-operating Church in Hamilton where I had the privilege of addressing two very different styles of worshipping congregation. I hope it was as good for them as it was for me. Thank you to Tony and Dave and wider team for your generous hospitality.
Personal and Leadership Resources
This first one was written for me, for sure. And if you’re like me, and discover that I almost invariably find that things take longer than I expected, it may be for you also.
Beat the ‘Planning Fallacy’ to Be More Productive
The irony is that the first thirteen years of my working life were as a Quantity Surveyor, where one of the requirements was being able to make an accurate/reasonable assessment of how long tasks should take to complete. With helpful tips, (a couple of which will require a ‘deep dive’) it can be read here: https://lifehacker.com/work/beat-the-planning-fallacy-to-be-more-productive
A Japanese Phrase Is The Secret To Winning Office Politics And Getting People To Agree With Your Ideas
This second article reflects a strategy I learnt early in Parish ministry, though did not put into effect as often and intentionally as I might have. Apparently, the Japanese have a word for it, which is useful, because once one has a label for it, it is easier to accept ‘as a thing’, and incorporate it more intentionally into one’s tool kit. I have purposely not told you what ‘it’ is, and although the descriptor refers to ‘Winning Office Politics’, you’ll see that it’s also relevant to church leadership. You’ll just need to read it (I’m a tease, I know). Here is the link: https://www.yourtango.com/career/japanese-phrase-explains-secret-winning-office-politics
Homilies
The Palm Sunday Gospel for this coming Sunday offers a choice.
Trevor Hoggard uses the Isaiah 50:4-9a plus John 12:12-16 reading options.
His message, which offers some historical context, can be experienced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB01kPt2LFg
My response to the Gospel is titled ‘Strategic Withholding’. I elected to use the Mark 11:1-12 reading. At only 9 minutes, its short, and can be experienced here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7toff_kyn0
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Ngā manaakitanga
Andrew Doubleday
UCANZ Ministry FacilitatorUCANZ Office