What’s in this month’s Seed Disperser
Book of the month - Hymns from the Heart
Coming soon - Stroll - 19th May
Inspiration this month - A Spinning World
Spinning tops
Globes and world maps
Holding steady
Listening and telling the stories
Featured this month - Prayers for the Gathering & 5 Senses to Prayer
Special offers - Notes to a Friend
On a personal note
Book of the month - Hymns from the Heart
Hymns from the Heart is a collection of contemporary hymns written by Jan Chamberlin. Picking up themes that fit with the church year, the lyrics resonate with our current times and experiences.
Here’s a verse from a hymn called ‘Interfaith’. In our current time as the world feels like it’s spinning with violence, intolerance and hate, this hymn is a cry for peace.
Come, O God, and bless our meeting:
be with us as we rejoice.
Give us all true understanding;
open minds to hear your voice
Fill our hearts with your compassion:
let our warring factions cease.
Come, inspire us with your vision
of a world that lives in peace.
- Jan Chamberlin - Hymns from the Heart - Interfaith Prayer
Coming soon - Stroll
Whether you’re based in Aotearoa New Zealand or Canada or in any other part of the world, whether you’re a seasonsed Stroller or have never Strolled with us before, you’re invited to join us this May. We Stroll independently but are linked together in a connection that spans the globe. This year we’re bringing all Strollers together in one Stroll experience and hosting it from 19 May - 8 June 2024.
We live in changing and challenging times. Stroll provides a spaciousness and restfulnesss and invites us to take pause and reflect, to get outdoors or look outdoors and enjoy the work of our Creator God. The theme of Stroll this year is Seasons of Change.
With only one Stroll this year, rather than previous years where we’ve hosted the same Stroll in the spring of each hemisphere, the emphasis on spring or autumn will be provided by each of the Strollers themselves. Strollers will interact with their surroundings and the writings of Caroline and Janice while noticing the changing of the season wherever they are in the world. No matter the location, the invitation is to participate in a Season of Change. Strollers can prepare to be inspired in a multi-sensory way with a theme that invites both internal reflection and external observation.
There’s a few other minor changes those who’ve Strolled before will notice. Overall it’s the same familiar rhythm of receiving a daily email over three weeks with a reflection and invitation to action and respond. While written with the wider intent to encourage Strollers to get outdoors for a walk, jog or cycle, eyes open to the world around us and our Creator God, Stroll is inclusive of those who are less mobile. Strollers might prefer to Stroll by sitting on their porch or beside a window.
For those who enjoy interacting with other Strollers, we have an optional extra Stroll Facebook group where anyone who is Strolling can share their thoughts or photos of their Stroll. Details on how to join the group will be included in the registration email.
The other big change to both Stroll and Rambles is group subscriptions for each will only be offered through Kereru Publishing this year. Gather three or more friends together for a shared subscription. Each person in the group receives the same emails as those on an individual subscription. Registration is very simple and once subscribed instructions are provided for group organisers. Payment options are included once registration has been triggered.
What’s happened to the sister experience, Autumn Rambles? Don’t worry it’s coming later in the year and also has a shortened new name. Rambles, like Stroll will be offered once this year and Ramblers will participate in the season of change they’re experiencing during September and October, no matter their physical location or the season they’re living in.
Read more about Stroll or Rambles on the Kereru Publishing website.
Pricing
Individual Stroll registrations are $24 (NZD)
Group Stroll registrations are $60 (NZD) Group size is for 3 to 20 individuals. Add additional group members for $3 (NZD) each.
A combined package for group Stroll and Rambles registrations are $100 (NZD) Group size is for 3 to 20 individuals. Add additional group members for $5 (NZD) each.
Register for Stroll by clicking on one of these options.
Inspiration this month - A spinning world
If it feels like the world is spinning too fast right now, we’re not alone in these thoughts. The news is full of stories of prejudice, intolerance, anger, violence and hatred. The highlighting of differences leads to an increasingly polarised society. Our inspiration this month includes invitations to prayer and offers small doses of finding peace and connection within ourselves and with others in our current times.
But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.
Micah 6:8 - The Message (MSG)
Spinning Top Prayer Ideas
The action of a spinning top, spinning ride or spinning toy is to turn around so fast that the colours blur and it changes what we see. Here’s a couple of different prayer ideas for personal or group use.
Spinning Top Prayer
Spin a spinning top. Watch as it twirls around. Think of something that is confusing. Think of a situation where you feel that you don’t know where to turn or which direction to take. Spin the spinning top again. This time as it twirls around, talk to God about the things that are confusing and difficult for you. Ask God to help you understand what is happening and for the peace of God to help you get through this confusing time.
Dotty Spinning Top Prayer
Randomly stick six blue dots onto a paper plate and as you do say a one sentence of prayer of praise. Do the same with six green dots, giving thanks to God for something as you stick each dot onto the plate. Stick down six red dots and ask God for help for a specific situation. Push a pencil through the hole in the middle of the paper plate. Spin the plate like a spinning top and watch as the colours join to form lines of red, green and blue. Consider how the individual prayers have joined to form a larger pattern, following an order of coloured lines from the randomness of the coloured dots. When we have concerns, God is involved in all of them. God sees the big picture of our lives and even the small details are important and become part of a larger master plan
Written by Caroline Bindon from 5 Senses to Prayer - A Collection of Experiential Prayers - Book One
Inflatable Globes
Globes and world maps are useful tools for experiential discoveries in worship and for prayer. There is something empowering about locating yourself on a globe or map and then thinking beyond yourself to your neighbours in your own country and around the world. For years we’ve used Inflatable Globes in our creative worship. They can be purchased from a variety of toystores and come in different sizes. Here’s a few starter ideas on using these in worship:
Locate a country or location where there is current trouble. Push your finger on the place and say aloud the name of the place as your prayer or say a simple one sentence prayer. Pass the globe to the next person.
Get everyone to stand up. Take turns to throw the globe to another person. Depending on the size of the group, use multiple globes. As each person catches the globe they say aloud a prayer or name a country, city or people group currently experiencing challenging times. They then throw the globe to another person.
Hold the globe and ‘travel your fingers’ around the globe. Tracing the route by sea, land or air from one country to another. As you journey, invite God to be with the people in each place.
Place stickers on the globe with a letter on each sticker. Provide cards with matching letter identifcation. On each card include brief information on the struggles confronting that part of the world. Work in small groups to read the cards and pray together.
Holding steady
If we’ve ever taken a ride on a carousel, ferris wheel, spinning wheel at a playground or a roller coaster, we’ve probably felt that sense of losing our balance from spinning too fast and too long. The desire to find solid ground, to hold onto something that steadies us is part of our bodily response to feeling the sensation caused by the spinning.
Holding steady is part of what it means to be a faith-filled follower of Jesus. In times of trouble we reach for the things that help us to hold steady. We hold firm and with determination.
Anchor rope
Set up a thick anchor rope and invite people to stand along the rope and hold onto it. Pray a responsive prayer, inviting everyone participating to hold steady and have hope as they pray. You could pre-brainstorm lines for the prayer highlighting different situations such as, “In times when we don’t know where to turn,” with the response along the lines of, “Lord we firmly hold onto you.” or “Be with us Lord as we hold on to you.”
We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place.
Hebrews 6:18-19 (CEV)
Steadfast Love
The Steadfast Love of the Lord by Edith McNeill was published fifty years ago in 1974. Edith McNeill was 54 when she composed this contemporary hymn. A member of the Church of the Redeemer (Episcopal) in Houston, Texas, Edith was one of several composers who wrote songs from her faith community. She died in 2014, aged 94. There are many recent videos on YouTube of this song, but this instrumental offers listening and the space to reflect on things that are challenging right now.
Telling and listening to stories
The art of storytelling is two-fold. A good storyteller is also a good listener. When we listen to the stories of others our worldview expands. We may also have a heartfelt response to new experiences. The more the world disconnects from us, the more we can find connection by walking with others who have had a different journey to our own.
Click and collect from around the web
Story Circles - Read this article from Psychology Today identifying the connections that come when we both tell and listen to stories. There’s an idea here for hosting a ‘Story Circle’. The article was written during the pandemic so the idea is for an online Story Circle. Oregon State University produced a toolkit to help those interested to start their own online or in-person story circle.
Cultural story weaver, Marci Renée, has some tips on this blog post about what happens to us when we listen to the stories of others. Her website is also worth a browse. A quote from the “About us” page on her website says, “Some of you may wish that somehow the world could step into your living room and have a cup of coffee or tea with you. You want to know the “real world” . . . not the world portrayed by media.”
Botanist and storyteller Robin Wall Kimmerer has featured in The Seed Disperser before. Her critically acclaimed book Braiding Sweetgrass is a journey of science and storytelling. Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer takes us on a journey to learn to hear the voices of the natural world around us and practise reciprocity. This short video includes a selection from the book.
Cultural conversations is a Nelson based venture. Their four part mini series Courageous Conversations pairs four migrants to New Zealand with four listeners. The stories are inspiring and the website is rich with other stories. Founder Tanya Nock says of the venture, “I saw an opportunity to create a space where people can meet and build a shared sense of belonging, where everyone feels welcome and where they can learn new skills and express their creativity and individuality.”
Class not politics divides America I heard an interview on Radio New Zealand this week and was struck by the observation about polarisation from Batya Ungar-Sargon, deputy editor of Newsweek. “People lived in mixed communities. They lived in communities that were racially diverse, that were politically diverse, that were religiously diverse. And it would just never occurred to someone to hold it against their fellow American, who they voted for? It was so not an issue as opposed to among the elites, among journalists among politicians, where polarisation is very much a motivating factor, because of course, it gives them a lot of power.” It made me think about my own community, the people I work with, the people I interact with on a daily basis and the rich diversity this offers. It also made me reflect on power and the problems power creates at every level of society.
Featured this month - Prayers for the Gathering & 5 Senses to Prayer
To fit with our theme this month of connection, peace and hope there are two of our titles that are filled with prayers for our time. Suitable for personal use or for the gathering, these books are filled with creative prayers. Buy both and receive a 20% discount by using the discount code CONNECTION at the checkout.
From a Friend - Notes to a Friend - Giveaway
We recieved a generous donation from a friend of Kereru Publishing, to distribute a limited number of physical copies of the book, ‘Notes to a Friend’ by Joy Cowley. The book retails at $15 and we have a free giveaway offer.
This lovely little book is supremely relevant to our time. There is a widespread interest in, and hunger for spirituality that is not being met by the church. The truth is that for many people the church is not seen as a spiritual place. Kiwi author, Joy Cowley, has produced a book to meet this need. It contains the wisdom of centuries of Christian spirituality, made accessible by being stripped bare of any Christian jargon. Each page contains a small easy to understand gem covering topics such as simplicity, service, trials, forgiveness and healing.
We are offering copies of this book to individuals and groups interacting with those who are interested in Christian spirituality but are on, or outside, the fringe of the church. This is a ‘pass-it-on’ giveaway.
Contact Caroline caroline@kererupublishing.com to request copies. Let us know how many copies you’d like and how you plan to pass on the books. You are only obliged to pay the courier delivery fee. However, each copy will come with a slip showing our bank details and suggesting $5 per book, if you or your group wants to hang on to a copy, or make a donation to aid the publication and distribution of further Christian resources.
On a personal note…
This last weekend marked 100 years of Waitoki Church. Since 2016, Andrew has been leading a monthly discovery styled, “Hands-On Church”. With a vibrant growing group meeting together, the centennial was celebrated with encouragement and hope for the future. The original church was the faith community made up of a handful of rural families, farmers from an area where the first settlers were kauri-gum diggers. Today Waitoki is still rural, but an easy commute to Auckland and the larger farms split into lifestyle blocks. The longevity of the church community speaks to the faithful persistence of generations.
Here’s a few photos of the sunrise from our summer holiday.
On the journey
Caroline and Andrew