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After the Storm - Pastor's Pen for 27th February 2022

Feb 22, 20222 min read

After the Storm - Pastor's Pen for 27th February 2022

Clouds over the Gulf, George Gair Reserve, Takapuna. We all experienced the grumpy cyclone winds and oppressive humidity a little while...

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Grace for each day - pastor's pen for 20th Feb 2022

Minister

Feb 16, 20222 min read

Grace for each day - pastor's pen for 20th Feb 2022

Forrest Hill sunrise 2022 ticks on and with each new day I suppose we see ourselves coming to the end of pandemic restrictions bit by...

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Pastor's pen for 13th February 2022 - Choose your own adventure

Minister

Feb 9, 20223 min read

Pastor's pen for 13th February 2022 - Choose your own adventure

Quote on a park bench, Quinton Reserve, Bayswater On a bike ride yesterday, I found the above quote from Father Terry Dibble close to the...

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Beginning with Church - Pastor's pen for 6th February 2022

Minister

Feb 3, 20222 min read

Beginning with Church - Pastor's pen for 6th February 2022

Opito Bay, taken about 6 years ago on a retreat between ministry at Hillsborough and Forrest Hill As we emerge from a hot summer into...

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Pastor's pen for 30th January 2022 - being the Church

Minister

Jan 27, 20223 min read

Pastor's pen for 30th January 2022 - being the Church

Manse Garden panorama A panorama shot of the manse garden is a bit mind-bending, warping it out of its proper perspective. As we ride...

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Pastor's pen for 26th December 2021 - Stay-cation

Minister

Dec 21, 20212 min read

Pastor's pen for 26th December 2021 - Stay-cation

Long Bay morning light My observation of the Forrest Hill congregation is that a number of members are well traveled. It's a bit of a...

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Perspective - Pastor's Pen for 19th December 2021

Minister

Dec 16, 20212 min read

Perspective - Pastor's Pen for 19th December 2021

Photo by Nadine Shaabana on Unsplash In 1 Corinthians 8 Apostle Paul argues that love within the Christian community trumps knowledge....

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Timing - Pastor's Pen for 12th December 2021

Minister

Dec 10, 20212 min read

Timing - Pastor's Pen for 12th December 2021

I saw a young man going for a lunchtime run the other day as I was driving. Nothing remarkable in that, except it was a very warm and...

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Worship - Pastor's pen for 5th December 2021

Minister

Dec 1, 20211 min read

Worship - Pastor's pen for 5th December 2021

I thought you might enjoy this quote from Eugene Peterson in full: "Worship is a meeting at the centre so that our lives are centred in...

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Pastor's pen for 28th November 2021 - Thoughts on Advent

Minister

Nov 25, 20212 min read

Pastor's pen for 28th November 2021 - Thoughts on Advent

I'm letting the scripture dictate the terrain of our Advent worship services this year. After over 100 days of level four or three...

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Pastor's Pen for 21st November 2021 - The Human Condition

Minister

Nov 17, 20212 min read

Pastor's Pen for 21st November 2021 - The Human Condition

17kms on the beach last Saturday included a whole lot of solitude. When the rain is hosing and the wind blowing it keeps the fair-weather...

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Thankful - Pastor's Pen for 14th November 2021

Minister

Nov 11, 20212 min read

Thankful - Pastor's Pen for 14th November 2021

Roadside garden - Belmont I was a bit lacking in direction with my prayer time this morning (Thursday). The old-school devotional I often...

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Be Still and Know - Pastor's Pen for 7th November 2021

Minister

Nov 3, 20212 min read

Be Still and Know - Pastor's Pen for 7th November 2021

Large painting, Forrest Hill Presbyterian Church A friend messaged me the reference 'Psalm 46:10' yesterday. I'm not great with numbers...

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A change of view - pastor's pen for 31st October 2021

Minister

Oct 28, 20212 min read

A change of view - pastor's pen for 31st October 2021

City from Mt. Victoria - Labour Day This time last week, the weather was messing severely with my habit of regular daily exercise. But,...

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A short reflection on obstacles - Pastor's pen for 24th October 2021

Minister

Oct 21, 20212 min read

A short reflection on obstacles - Pastor's pen for 24th October 2021

Today I met an obstacle in my path, a fallen pine tree with significant rot in in it. You can see it was a minor inconvenience a quick...

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On not knowing - Pastor's pen for 17th October 2021

Minister

Oct 12, 20213 min read

On not knowing - Pastor's pen for 17th October 2021

‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, so that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go...

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Bent out of shape - Pastor's Pen for 10th October 2021

Minister

Oct 5, 20212 min read

Bent out of shape - Pastor's Pen for 10th October 2021

A crisp morning at Centennial Park... The photo shows the world sloping to the left, but with a clear path nonetheless. In reality it's...

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Beginning with silence - Pastor's pen for 3rd Oct 2021

Minister

Sep 30, 20212 min read

Beginning with silence - Pastor's pen for 3rd Oct 2021

Manukau Harbour, looking south from Waikowhai It was relatively easy to cultivate solitude in level four lockdown. Ministry was something...

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Darkness and Light - Pastor's pen for 26th September 2021

Minister

Sep 20, 20212 min read

Darkness and Light - Pastor's pen for 26th September 2021

Some running friends are strongly opposed to doing laps of anything because it's 'boring' or whatever. I, on the other hand, appreciate...

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On the way - Pastor's pen for 19th September 2021

Minister

Sep 13, 20212 min read

On the way - Pastor's pen for 19th September 2021

Remember when most athletic shoes were white? Always a bad idea. I try to avoid white cars for the same reason, they always look a little...

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