Speaker:- Paul Watson of Essentially Men
Worship Leader:- Ted Zorn

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I would like to introduce our speaker for today, who is my friend, Paul Watson. I first met Paul when I decided – on the recommendation of several men in this congregation – to participate in a weekend experiential workshop put on by an organisation called Essentially Men, which some of you know well and some have heard me mention two weeks ago in my talk. Paul was one of the facilitators of that weekend. Over the last 2 years, I have gotten to know Paul much better and have grown to love and respect him — and learn from him, as I hope you will today. Paul also happens to be Chair of the Board of Trustees of Essentially Men.

Paul Watson © 10 September 2023

Kia ora everyone, and a heartfelt thanks to Ted for that beautiful introduction. When I first met you Ted around 20 months ago I instantly liked you, and I think one of the reasons is because as you presented last week ‘You’ve always had a thing for language’. I think our brains connected quickly, my Auckland spelling, speaking and debating days came flooding back as an articulate American shared his recent struggles, learnings, and pain with me.

Speaker:- Peter Lineham
Worship Leader:- John DiLeo

Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Follow this link to Peter’s detailed notes on his talk.

Peter Lineham © 28th May 2023

Meditation / Conversation Starters

• Can “noisy” religions be valid for some people?
• Do you think that there are religious arguments in favour of democracy?
• How do we reconcile cultural and language difficulties, with world harmony and peace?

Speaker:- Dr. Rebecca Stafford

Worship Leader:- Rev. Sally Mabelle

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Dr. Rebecca Stafford © 27th November 2022

The link between gratitude and self-control

Dr Rebecca Stafford – https://rebecca-stafford.org

There’s a lot of talk of gratitude with thanksgiving and Christmas approaching. Gratitude is a good thing! There’s plenty of scientific and spiritual support for the benefits of gratitude.

However, I’m going to take a slightly unusual approach and talk about the relationship between gratitude and self-control.

Self-control is also timely, with New Year’s resolution around the corner. We’ll talk a little more about self-control before explaining how gratitude influences self-control.

But before we do that – a little thought exercise.

Speaker:- Distinguished Professor Emeritus Paul Spoonley

Paul is co-director of the newly established National Centre of Research Excellence for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, He Whenua Taurikura. The centre was developed as a result of recommendations made by the Royal Commission of Inquiry following the 2019 mosque attacks in Christchurch.

Worship Leader: Ted Zorn

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Paul Spoonley © 20th November 2022 Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Kia ora tatou katoa. Nga mihi nga mihi nui. Nga mihi ki a koe, Ted. Thanks for the introduction. And te whare e tu nei. Tena koe. I acknowledged the house in which we are standing or sitting. Ted has kindly mentioned the book, Histories of Hate. And so I have had a long connection in studying the far right. And so earlier this year, as Ted has indicated, the Prime Minister and Cabinet appointed me as a co-director of He Whenua Taurikura. He Whenua, land, Taurikura, peace, so land of peace. And what we’re tasked with doing is bringing together the best research and knowledge that we can to avoid ever having to encounter an event like the March 2019 again. We’re just getting underway. We had a hui here in Auckland two weeks ago, in which we brought together communities, government departments and experts and we looked at the research that is available, but also the gaps that exist. Coincidentally, this book, Histories of Hate, was written before this appointment. But Paul Morris, who some of you might know who’s involved with religious diversity initiatives in New Zealand and is a member of the Jewish community, he and I wrote the chapter on what’s happening in countries like New Zealand at the moment. And so I just want to share some thoughts of what we’re seeing.