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.
The Heart of Contemplative Spirituality
Volume 25 Number 2 December 2023
The December 2023 issue of Refresh ‘The Heart of Contemplative Spirituality’ is out now.
Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince.
In the last issue, interim editor, Dianne Gilliam-Weeks posed the following questions:
Who or what is the heart of contemplation?
What is it for you? Your experience of it?
How has your perception of the heart changed over your years of practice?
What voices have informed your journey towards the heart of contemplation?
In the pages of this issue, our contributors engage deeply with these questions and respond with contemplative poetry, imagery, stories, theological reflections and personal essays.
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
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
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