Lynne Taylor

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Category: Uncategorised

10 T4ML #1 Look Back (Draw on Past Strengths)

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(10 Things For Ministers in Another Lockdown)

We’ve been here before.

There was a sense of déjà vu for me as we ate our lunch and listened to the 1pm media briefing aka The Ashley and Jacinda Show.  We started another jigsaw puzzle, cos that’s what we did last time. I remember it providing an opportunity to do something different, restful, non-demanding. As I journaled this morning, I tried to recall what had helped me get through Lockdown last time. I remembered the increasing birdsong, and so I listened a little closer to the birds today. (Ooh! Two, no three(!) kereru just flew by and landed in the tree outside my office.)

Of course, having been here before, we’re also more aware of what is involved in pivoting to online, and navigating working from home. That can certainly make us feel tired. But we also have a whole lot more resources, we know a lot more now than we did eighteen months ago. Don’t lose sight of that!

We can remember that we’ve already survived this. We made it through last time (or, for Tāmaki Makaurau, last times). We will make it through again.

What helped you last time? Draw on that past strength.  What helped you personally? Do you need to reach out and ask for help from someone? What helped you spiritually? See how you can build that in to today or tomorrow. You don’t need to give more than you have.

Look back. Find strength in knowing that you’ve been here before and have made it though. This too shall pass.

Our doing becomes us

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On Wednesday 30 June 4.45-5.30pm (NZST) at AngelWings Ltd’s Mission For a Change, Steve and I are talking about my article on how engagement in spiritual practices can work to form people towards Christian faith… Register here: tinyurl.com/MissionForAChange

The 50 free copies of my article have been downloaded already (which is pretty cool) so here’s a link to my final version of the article.

CITATION
Taylor, Lynne. “Our Doing Becomes Us: Performativity, Spiritual Practices and Becoming Christian.” Practical Theology 12, no. 3 (2019): 332-341. DOI: 10.1080/1756073X.2019.1595317

FOUR WALLS, FOUR DOMAINS & FIVE WAYS: EXPLORING TRANSCENDENCE AND WAIRUA IN MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

Written by Lynne on . Posted in life, pastoral, Uncategorised.

Abstract proposal in response to a call for papers on spirituality and mental health:

FOUR WALLS, FOUR DOMAINS AND FIVE WAYS:
EXPLORING TRANSCENDENCE AND WAIRUA IN MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Despite the significance and acceptance of Mason Durie’s “Te Whare Tapa Whā” model of health, the Mental Health Foundation’s “Five ways to wellbeing” material contains no explicit reference to spirituality/wairua, thus seemingly neglecting taha wairua. While some note potential connections, further exploration and nuancing in relation to the place of spirituality in the “Five ways” is required.

Fisher, Francis and Johnson’s “Spiritual Health via Four Domains of Spiritual Wellbeing” (SH4DI) model helpfully extends spirituality beyond an emphasis on the divine as the object of one’s spiritual focus. Alongside God, their model names self, community and environment as domains of spiritual wellbeing. A weakness of the SH4DI, however, is its potential to limit transcendence to one aspect of spirituality (relationship with God or Transcendent Other), rather than considering how transcendence relates to each of those domains.

This paper places “Te Whare Tapa Whā”, the SH4DI and “Five ways to wellbeing” in conversation. It considers how transcendence may be experienced in each of Fisher et al’s areas of spiritual wellbeing and focus (personal meaning, interpersonal connection, environmental concern/appreciation, and “religion”). This approach is then applied to the Mental Health Foundation’s “Five ways to wellbeing”, exploring how each might relate to transcendence. The paper concludes by returning to wairua, making explicit the potential relationship between each of the “Five ways” and spirituality.

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