Refresh
Te hautaka hoatu ora

 

Refresh JOURNAL OF CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY
Te hautaka hoatu ora

Refresh is Spiritual Growth Ministries' journal of contemplative spirituality in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is published in July and December each year. Contributions of prose, poetry and imagery are offered by people who seek to live contemplatively amidst the particularities of their everyday lives. Each issue plays with a theme that evokes contemplation and stimulates thought, prayer and spiritual growth.

Humility
Volume 26 Number 2 Dec 2024

The December issue of Refresh ‘Humility’ is out now.

Katrina Tulip, the editor of this issue, writes:

The humus found at the ground of my being has been deeply enriched from being immersed in the reading and editing of the submissions, and from the images that I have chosen to accompany them. My grateful thanks to all who contributed and those who supported me throughout the gestation and birthing of this issue.

Humility has many faces and touches into so many aspects of life (and death), perhaps more than we might realise.

This issue’s range of contributors and foci invite reflection on:

  • Being grounded in a down-to-earth spirituality

  • Not comparing oneself with others but seeing all as loved

  • Being teachable in the midst of grief

  • The freedom of self-forgetfulness in service.

  • Using one’s authority and status to hold power in service of others, and all creation.

  • Realising one’s utter dependence on God when dealing with addiction.      

  • Seeing how God is found in the poor and lowly of our beautiful, broken world.                                                                             

May the humus of your own soul be enriched as you read and contemplate this issue.

PS: Want to make a submission for our July 2025 issue?  Click HERE for theme and contributor guidelines.

Prefer a Print Version?

Printed copies of Refresh can be posted to your home (if you live in New Zealand). Simply fill out the form to join the SGM Mailing List. You can receive a printed copy of Refresh twice a year, and digital contemplative content and retreat information via the SGM e-newsletter.

We invite you to consider making a regular annual koha to SGM of $30-$50 to support the publication of this unique journal presenting an Aotearoa, New Zealand perspective on contemplative Christian spirituality.

~ Bruce Maden, SGM Workgroup Convenor

 

“Refresh is where people can read what God is doing in the hearts and lives of other contemplative Christians; how they are responding to the issues of the day. The articles, pictures, poems, and photos connect me to our growing contemplative community in Aotearoa. They often rekindle my love for this whenua and its unique spirituality.

— Trish O’Donnell

Engage March 22-923.jpg
Engage March 22-901.jpg

Appreciation for Refresh

 

“Refresh spurs us on in our deepening practice, exposes us to other creative and knowledgeable sources as well as giving us a sense of belonging to a loosely held movement. It also provides tangible form that can be given to others who are searching for ways of connecting to something beyond or deeper.”

— Bruce Maden

“Refresh is where people can read what God is doing in the hearts and lives of other contemplative Christians; how they are responding to the issues of the day. The articles, pictures, poems, and photos connect me to our growing contemplative community in Aotearoa. They often rekindle my love for this whenua and its unique spirituality.

— Trish O’Donnell

Recent Offerings from The SGM Blog

Featured
‘Matariki Blessing’ - Poem by Christine Kelly
‘Matariki Blessing’ - Poem by Christine Kelly

Christine Kelly lives in Rotorua and practices Christian meditation daily. She writes prayers and blessings and is especially influenced by the work of the poet John Donohue.  Christine values opportunities to join with others for shared spiritual adventure, growth in creativity and wider outreach to hearts nourished by the gentle embrace of words. This poem was first published in the July 2024 issue of Refresh.

Read More →
The Practice of Transition | By Marni Adlam
The Practice of Transition | By Marni Adlam

As a Māori who grew up rurally,I consider the natural environment my greatest teacher. The changing tides determine when to search for kūtai and pipi, the moon cycle tells you when kaimoana is fat, and a sudden cold gust of wind can tell you how long you have to get home before it rains! Lately, I have learned some great lessons from trees.

Read More →
Matariki: Horizons, Invitations, and Wayfinding | By Paul Fromont
Matariki: Horizons, Invitations, and Wayfinding | By Paul Fromont

This piece of writing is the culmination of personal reflections that were begun over the course of Matariki 2023 when I acutely felt the absence of my friend and fellow wayfinder Mike Riddell[3], who would often say to me, quoting New Zealand poet James K. Baxter, that ‘we Pākehā have to bow the head and learn from our elder brother [Māori]. Then the water may begin to flow in our dry watercourses.’

Read More →
Stargazing at Shakespear Park | By Vincent Maire
Stargazing at Shakespear Park | By Vincent Maire

When Matariki appeared low on the horizon, I was taken aback by the emotion that welled up within me. It seemed so fragile, a silken cocoon, host to tiny seeds that signified new life. Finally, I understood why the appearance of this constellation is such a significant event in the spirituality of diverse cultures around the globe. And here it was again, celebrated as a new public holiday in Aotearoa.

Read More →