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  • Psalms
    • Psalms 1-10 >
      • Psalm 1: The Two Ways
      • Psalm 2: Wrath on a hill
      • Psalm 3: The Shield around me
      • Psalm 4: I rest in you
      • Psalm 5: Coming Home
      • Psalm 6: Worn with weeping
      • Psalm 7: The fury of my enemies
      • Psalm 8: Out of the mouths of babes
      • Psalm 9: The weeds and the wheat
      • Psalm 10: Why, Lord, why??
    • Psalms 11-20 >
      • Psalm 11: The XBox Psalm
      • Psalm 12: As in the days of Noah
      • Psalm 13: How long??
      • Psalm 14: All fall short
      • Psalm 15: Be Do-ers of The Word
      • Psalm 16: Fullness of Joy
      • Psalm 17: Under attack
      • Psalm 18: Part A - In Christ
      • Psalm 18: Part B- The Volcano Psalm
      • Psalm 18: Part C- Jesus’ Resurrection Song
      • Psalm 18: Part D- The Superman Psalm
      • Psalm 19: Song of the Stars
      • Psalm 20: God bless you!
    • Psalms 21-30 >
      • Psalm 21: Honouring a godly leader
      • Psalm 22: The Crucifixion Psalm
      • Psalm 23: A Collection
      • Psalm 24: Lift up the Ancient Doors
      • Psalm 25: The Covenant Way
      • Psalm 26: True North
      • Psalm 27: Take courage, my heart!
      • Psalm 28: Are you listening?
      • Psalm 29: The Hurricane Psalm
      • Psalm 30: Joy in the morning
    • Psalms 31-40 >
      • Psalm 31: Strength in exhaustion
      • Psalm 32: The Horse-Trainer's Psalm
      • Psalm 33: Rejoice today!
      • Psalm 34: Always Praising!
      • Psalm 35: Trapped and slandered
      • Psalm 36: Far-Reaching Love
      • Psalm 37: Keep Calm and Carry On
      • Psalm 38: The Burn-out Psalm
      • Psalm 39: A crisis of purpose
      • Psalm 40: The Mud Psalm
    • Psalm 41-50 >
      • Psalm 41: Bad friends
      • Psalm 42: As a deer
      • Psalm 43: A walk of faith
      • Psalm 44: A formal complaint
      • Psalm 45: The Royal Wedding
      • Psalm 46: We will not fear!
      • Psalm 47: A Shout of Praise
      • Psalm 48: Hymn to Jerusalem
      • Psalm 49: Death and Taxes
      • Psalm 50: True Worship
    • Psalms 51-60 >
      • Psalm 51: Standing under the shower of Confession
      • Psalm 52: God sees through
      • Psalm 53: No God?
      • Psalm 54: Help me now as you’ve helped me before
      • Psalm 55: Betrayed by your best friend
      • Psalm 56: The Worrywort’s Psalm
      • Psalm 57: Wake up the day
      • Psalm 58: The Snake Psalm
      • Psalm 59: Safe in the Tower
      • Psalm 60: The Earthquake Psalm
    • Psalms 61-70 >
      • Psalm 61: Can you hear me, God?
      • Psalm 62: Wait in Silence
      • Psalm 63: Hide and Seek
      • Psalm 64: It's not OK!
      • Psalm 65: He’s got the whole world in his hands!
      • Psalm 66: Come and hear!
      • Psalm 67: All you peoples praise!
      • Psalm 68: Gifts for his people
      • Psalm 69: The Mud Psalm
      • Psalm 70: Hurry up!
    • Psalms 71-80 >
      • Psalm 71: All our lives long
      • Psalm 72: Long live the King!
      • Psalm 73: The Jealous Psalm
      • Psalm 74: Destruction and persecution
      • Psalm 75: The pillars of the earth
      • Psalm 76: Weapons of war
      • Psalm 77: The Sleepless Psalm
      • Psalm 78: Tell our story to our children
      • Psalm 79: The terrible prison
      • Psalm 80: God’s shining smile
    • Psalms 81-90 >
      • Psalm 81: Honey from the rock
      • Psalm 82: The Judge’s Judgment
      • Psalm 83: The enemies of Israel
      • Psalm 84: How lovely is your house
      • Psalm 85: See what God is doing!
      • Psalm 86: An undivided heart
      • Psalm 87: The Census Psalm
      • Psalm 88: The Rejection Psalm
      • Psalm 89: The Chosen One
      • Psalm 90: A puff of dust
    • Psalms 91-100 >
      • Psalm 91: An Invitation to Deeper Prayer
      • Psalm 92: Saying thanks at bedtime
      • Psalm 93: Water rising
      • Psalm 94: Praying for a world in trouble
      • Psalm 95: Come let us sing for joy
      • Psalm 96: Words run out
      • Psalm 97: Rejoice, the Lord is King!
      • Psalm 98: Sing along a new song
      • Psalm 99: If you shake us
      • Psalm 100: The joyful parade
    • Psalms 101-110 >
      • Psalm 101: Call me loyal
      • Psalm 102: The time has come!
      • Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, O my soul
      • Psalm 104: Psalm for Aotearoa
      • Psalms 105, 106 & 107: History Psalms
      • Psalm 108: A wake-up call
      • Psalm 109: SO ANGRY!!
      • Psalm 110: All about Jesus
    • Psalm 111-120 >
      • Psalm 111: Praise the Lord, now and forever!
      • Psalm 112: Welcome to the good life!
      • Psalm 113: From the rising of the sun
      • Psalm 114: Skipping mountains
      • Psalm 115: Toy gods
      • Psalm 116: Death could not hold me down
      • Psalm 117: The Shortest Psalm
      • Psalm 118: Pointing to the risen Lord
      • Psalm 119: The Longest Psalm
      • Psalm 120: Speaking peace at home
    • Psalm 121-130 >
      • Psalm 121: The Bodyguard
      • Psalm 122: The Peace of Jerusalem
      • Psalm 123: Asking for help
      • Psalm 124: Like a mouse
      • Psalm 125: Good Balance
      • Psalm 126: A harvest of joy
      • Psalm 127: The Lord builds the house
      • Psalm 128: Live long and prosper
      • Psalm 129: Attacked and whipped
      • Psalm 130: The Dawn Psalm
    • Psalms 131-140 >
      • Psalm 131: Calm and Quiet
      • Psalm 132: The Forever King
      • Psalm 133: Living in Unity
      • Psalm 134: A circle of blessing
      • Psalm 135: Come on, people, praise!
      • Psalm 136: Endless love
      • Psalm 137: By the rivers of Babylon
      • Psalm 138: Thank you for your love!
      • Psalm 139: The Omniscience Psalm
      • Psalm 140: Our God saves
    • Psalms 141-150 >
      • Psalm 141: The Goody-good’s Psalm
      • Psalm 142: Brought Low
      • Psalm 143: A Psalm for Easter Saturday
      • Psalm 144: Blessed are God’s People
      • Psalm 145: We will tell your praise
      • Psalm 146: God at Work
      • Psalm 147: The Winter Psalm
      • Psalm 148: Calling all creation!
      • Psalm 149: The Double Edged Sword
      • Psalm 150: Kiwi Praise!?
    • About Psalms >
      • Jesus and Psalms
      • Violence in Psalms
      • History Psalms, a discussion of 105 & 106
      • Brueggeman on Psalms
    • Psalms in Worship
    • Advent & Christmas Psalms
    • Lectionary Psalms
  • Word
    • Te Reo Māori and faith
    • Listen!
    • Nurture the Holy Spirit
    • The Bible >
      • Making Sense of the Bible
      • People and Stories >
        • Three Wise Men
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  • Pandemic
    • Short of Breath Theological reflection
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    • Psalm 91: An Invitation to Deeper Prayer
    • Quiet
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  • Love
    • Love Poems >
      • How to say 'I love you'?
      • The Fabric of Love
      • Be at home in my heart
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Resources for faith and life


​Welcome to 'Conversations' ...
Inspiration 
from Aotearoa New Zealand

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 Pentecost ...

​Wairua Tapu, haere mai!
Holy Spirit, welcome!
Wairua Tapu, heke iho
Holy Spirit, fall on us
Wairua Tapu, tau mai
Holy Spirit, rest in us
Wairua Tapu, papahū
​Holy Spirit, set us on fire.

Brought to you by
Silvia Purdie



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New ...
My edited book 'Awhi Mai Awhi Atu: Women in Creation Care' is finished and with the publisher!! Very exciting.
Read all about it HERE

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... and the next book heading for publication: 'Moving On: Grief in Ministry Transition'
Over the last couple of years I have been working away at a 'passion project' reflecting on the challenges of ending ministries. This has become a book, as I have been hugely honoured that many fabulous people, from a diversity of cultures, have shared with me their own experience of ministry transitions, both personally and helping others through endings.
This is currently in final edits heading for publication.
Read more HERE

What is it actually like doing direct protest action on climate change? Read a therapist's reflections in my new Climate Action page.
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​A Psalm for the Weirding of the Weather
A climate change prayer for Harvest time

Our ancestors trusted in you from the goodness of the earth - 
with them we sing:
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand.
He sends the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

Our children struggle to trust you with the earth.
They begin to doubt its goodness, and yours, O Lord.
as the heavens above send violent floods instead of soft rain
as the sun shines harsh and the earth warms and warms and warms.

As for us, we hold the stable past and the anxious future
in this moment, in your presence:
We thank you, then, O Father, for all things bright and good:
The seed-time and the harvest, our life, our health, our food.
We bring you our thanks and our praise
as we bring you our fears.

As the weather becomes weird
we mourn for gentle times.
As the earth becomes battered
we grieve for tender things.
We pray for fragile creatures
we weep for lives cut short. 

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
for all his love.
Send us, also, Lord, the gifts we need in a changing climate.
Amen.

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Psalm 94: Praying for a world in trouble
(as Prayers for Others)
 
Lord our God, shine out in every corner of our world.
Rise up and bring justice for all in need of help.
We hate to see children being hurt and families destroyed.
Who hears the cry of the poor?
It breaks our heart when people die from violent attacks.
Who can break the power of evil?
Leaders tell us whatever they want us to believe.
Who knows what is true any more?
You, O Lord, you see! You hear! You are at work!
Who will stand against the wrong in our world?
 
We pray for people who have been treated unfairly.
Rise up, O God, and bring your justice!
(silence)
We pray for people who are attached because of their faith.
Bless and protect your people everywhere.
(silence)
We pray for people who are sick or afraid.
Our hearts are full of troubles, but your love reaches in.
(silence)
The Lord is our rock of refuge,
our safe place in a troubled world.
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New page:
Wellbeing and Climate Change
Recording and notes from a recent A Rocha event in Christchurch.

Ministry Supervision: now available online to where ever you are!
Contact me to book in a FREE 15-min conversation to explore supervision with Silvia HERE
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Photo and painting by Jessica Ramage

Place Sustainability Consultancy
a consultancy and resource for community sector groups to develop policy and practice for environmental sustainability.

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Resource: The Rubbish Challenge
We all know that we make too much rubbish. Too much goes in the red bin, off to landfill. Too much stuff is only made for one use before getting chucked. Too much recycling gets contaminated and dumped. Not enough stuff gets composted. 
This is not just a problem for our city councils. It is a problem for God’s creation, and so it is a problem for God and God’s people. We all add to landfill waste and so we all get to share in solving the problem. Could this even be a way of serving God? Could it be a face of mission in 2021?

How? By taking small steps.
To cut down on our rubbish, we think about what we use and where it goes. We make choices, about what to buy and how to dispose of what we don’t want any more. 
The Rubbish Challenge is a series of little actions, one each month. Together they add up to a big impact. 
The Rubbish Challenge is a resource for churches, groups, families and individuals. Each month there’ll be thought, a verse, a prayer, and a practical task to do. Plus links to more material.
10 Steps to Less Waste over 10 Months!

"Relationship Repair Kit" 
offering eight practical and profoundly important tools for strengthening your marriage.
- in the Counselling section.
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Life, the Universe, and God
Six Big Ideas about Creation
DOWNLOAD HERE             
A six-part study on God’s Creation in Christian Theology:
• an overview of leading writers in eco-theology 
• a range of perspectives
• questions and suggestions for discussion and prayer
• issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic.


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"Letters about plastic" 
I'm writing to businesses that I personally use to challenge them on their plastic packaging. Many companies in NZ are actively working hard to reduce plastic, and as consumers we need to be congratulating them on achievements and pushing them to do more. 
Look me up on Facebook: 
www.facebook.com/lettersaboutplastic
I'm posting on the Facebook page the letters I write and the responses I receive. 
Join me - post your own letters there.


The Psalms in a fresh voice for kids, families and worship
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Published as an e-book by Philip Garside Publishing:
Order e-book HERE

    Order a hard copy of
    'Let's Say a Psalm'.

Submit
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Resources for faith and worship:

GOD ... resources for worship, especially 'Calls to worship' and confession
- prayers and home-grown 'psalms'
- sermons
- Communion liturgies
- all-age worship ideas & reflections for children's ministry

PSALMS ... reflections on Biblical Psalms
interpreted and reworked for prayer and for use in worship

LOVE ... poetry, discussions on marriage & intimacy
and dramatic explorations of Biblical love stories
... reflections on grief and death

​SONG ... original music, for worship and for kids
... and lots of lovely photos!

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​Because I believe ...

that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true!
that growing to maturity in Christ takes work
that courageous honesty of heart and soul is required
that worship is wonderful
that each person is a taonga, a treasure, 

no matter the age, assets or abilities
that the local church is the hope of the world.

In conversation ...

... chatting with friends over coffee

... skilled professional support 

... finding words for the moments and movements 

of mind & body, 
my spirit alive with God-Spirit

... getting to know Jesus Christ, 

ever curious as to what he would say and do

... bringing every fibre and phrase into the eternal conversation of Father Spirit Son


... with my people in my place and offered to everyplace

... with pain and with celebration, 

with beauty and with scars, 
with the sacred and the ordinary, 

with scripture, song and silence.


All material here is copy-right free; you are free to copy and paste to your heart's content. I just ask that you acknowledge the source and help promote my website.​
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www.conversations.net.nz
Written by Silvia Purdie 

Resources for life and faith
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