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
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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