Paul Long's Ramblings

Thanks, everyone for the birthday wishes via FB, FB messenger, regular text, and WhatsApp. I am not one that is big on celebrating my birthdays. But since it was my 60th, the one thing I did was take the day off to relax. I did some reading, watched TV, and played a PC game. No not Civ 6 or Xcom2 but something different - Age of Empires 4. Rather educational cut scenes too 😁 No special meals as my wife had to work. But on Monday she made me a huge cheesecake and a large tray of lasagna. 😋 And I ate that for three meals 🤣 Monday night's dinner, and yesterday for lunch and dinner. No complaint. was good. My plan was to attend a magic lecture last night BUT, plans for derailed due to helping sort out my wife's car. The lecture was part of my personal birthday plans 🙁BUT all good, wife comes first! I told my family NOT to buy me anything as I think can end up being a waste of money if it ends up being something I don't really want or need. Instead, I decided to buy myself

  Another sermon ppt notes from last year. On Anxiety based on Psalm 31. Hope this helps someone. 

 Posting my sermon ppt on this topic as this is such a problem. It's a narrow focus - the pain of rejection, and just about starting the first steps. Hope this may be of help to some. 🙏  

  Have recently been re-reading (slowly) Eugene Peterson's "The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the art of spiritual direction". A key reason for re-reading is that it has probably been 20 years since I first read this book, and my hope is that over the years, my perspective on life and ministry would have grown deeper. New experiences and growth in perspectives(s) I think often bring helpful insights to good books. And now, I also have the Logos version of the book so it's a fresh interesting way of interactive reading (not just the printed paper, but reading on a handheld device and on a PC). Been re-reading a few times his chapter on "The Unbusy Pastor". I think I cannot help but be busy as that is a part of who I am. But I have been for a few weeks now consciously doing my best to avoid describing myself or my schedule and activities as "busy". It's probably just "semantics" and splitting hairs but I do think that either not us

  As I write this - to be posted next week when life goes back to yet another difficult "new "normal", New Zealand (especially the upper North Island) is still undergoing (hopefully the end) the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle. As I reflect and pray about the situation, my mind naturally goes to Bible passages such as the one where Jesus calms the storm. So I pulled out a sermon I preached (15 September 2019) on this passage.     Mark 4:35-41 35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind

One of my favourite authors is the late Henri Nouwen. Every time I read something from him, he almost always makes me pause to reflect and pray.  How relevant and timely is this excerpt from his book "You are the beloved". More and more I read and hear about the increase in people struggling with mental health related challenges.  One of the most common is the feeling of loneliness, even among Christians, which Henri Nouwen (below) rightly describes can lead to depression if not dealt with properly. I can certainly identify with this first hand.  Read what he says and I hope it helps as he gives advice that he himself followed in his life.  The highlighted in bold part is my doing.  Whenever you feel lonely, you must try to find the source of this feeling. You are inclined either to run away from your loneliness or to dwell in it. When you run away from it, your loneliness does not really diminish; you simply force it out of your mind temporarily. When you start dwelling in i