Can you close the curtain? Sure. We call them the blue soundproof ones. Yeah, nah, not, it’s an illusion. (He laughs) So, what does God look like for you today? See that blue? Yeah. It’s like the sky and the sea. So, God comes to you out of the blue? Far out! I thought of […]
Humanist chaplains help normalise spirituality in healthcare
Lindsay van Dijk, a humanist, has been appointed by the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust to lead a chaplaincy team that includes Christian, Buddhist, and Bahai members. As Lindsay told the Guardian, ‘A lot of people don’t have an organised faith, but still have spiritual and emotional needs at difficult times. Often people are trying to […]
Secrets, God and broken glass
Everyone carries secrets. Not necessarily the kind that titillate, but the ordinary, everyday ones that rise to trouble us like a recurring virus. The pain of regret, of knowing that our lives are not perfect, not even close but sometimes a chaotic mix of halfway rational choices and haphazard mistakes. Knowing that this life may […]
No religion but still soulful
The moment arrived. I opened the New Zealand Census webpage, filled in my code and with one click of the mouse became a No Religion, one of the fastest growing groups in our community. To be honest, I didn’t feel that I had an option. Although I’ve tangled with what we mean by God for most […]
Support for the End of Life Choice Bill
New Zealand is currently considering David Seymour’s End of Life Choice Bill through the Justice Select Committee process. My submission is below in its entirety. Support for the Bill I support the intent of this Bill because it emerges from a compassionate approach to human suffering and moves towards a society where every person has […]
Losing our religion could reinvigorate faith in healthcare
Kiwis are losing their in record numbers but they’re leaning into life in diverse ways, which would make complete sense to the late theologian James Fowler. After interviewing nearly 600 people, not a bad sample for any research, Folwer reckoned faith is the way we lean into and make sense of life. It’s not necessarily religious or […]
Turning compassion fatigue upside down
Research is all very well, but what if the results force you to rethink existing beliefs and behaviours? I’ve just been challenged like that about a compassion course I co-tutor. The course emerged out of hospital corridor conversations where staff talked about how exhausted, stressed and burnt out they felt. My colleague and I responded […]
Abortion, Godde and spiritual development
Pregnant, yet deep within I knew I couldn’t give this baby life. The decision was made to abort and back then, over 30 years ago, I was unaware of how this experience would influence my spiritual development. Now in my 60’s I can see how it contributed to the meaning and purpose of my life, […]
Unmixed attention: the lifeblood of professional spiritual care
The conversation had rippled and sparkled. My doctor friend and I juggled theological ideas as they tumbled out and into the space between us. But as he got up to leave my heart sank. ‘Oh no’, I thought, ‘after all that he’s going to say he’ll pray for me.’ I’m ultra sensitive, you could say […]
Hooking up with Theo, again
Did you ever have a first love that you couldn’t leave behind? Whatever new friends you made, you just wanted that connection so much, even though it was hard to figure out what it was all about, exactly? Theo and I are like that. We formally got together in January of 2000. I’d travelled 1200 […]