AT PLAY

Reverend Francis (Frank) Ritchie I am a minister in the Wesleyan Methodist Church of NZ. My full blog is at francis-ritchie.com.

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It has been a while since I roasted but I finally got some green beans from @excelso_coffee again! This will be the first batch made in my humble little popcorn machine at our new home in Hamilton. 😁 #coffee #coffeeroasting

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Munch munch. #caterpillar #monarch #beautiful

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Just finished creating this little soundbox for recording at home. Subscribe to my Podcast - search for The Common Sanctuary on iTunes.

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The Common Sanctuary Episode 1: John Chapter 9

The Common Sanctuary Episode 1: John Chapter 9

Welcome to the beginning of The Common Sanctuary – a simple Podcast I will be recording in my home. It’s nothing flash and I don’t expect to hit the heights of the Podcasting world, but hopefully there’s something in this for a few people. This first episode is a little rusty, so we’ll see where practice takes us!

I will be making this available to subscribe through iTunes and Google Play. In the…

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Espresso, tonic, and ice. Have seen this on the menu at a few solid cafes so thought I would try it at home. It's good! I should have got onto this in the middle of summer. #espresso #espressotonic #coffeetime #coffeelover

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Mesenteric Adenitis: A Parent's View

Mesenteric Adenitis: A Parent’s View

In the last quarter of 2016 our 10 year old girl was diagnosed with mesenteric adenitis, otherwise known as mesenteric lymphadenitis. The symptoms were showing as ongoing stomach pain localised to one part of her abdomen, extremely low energy, and high temperatures.

A lot of tests and work were undertaken to come up with some form of diagnosis. Glandular fever was one of the thoughts early on,…

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Wesleyan and Ignatian Spirituality

Wesleyan and Ignatian Spirituality

As someone who fits within the tradition of Wesleyan spirituality, for quite some time now I have been weaving prayer exercises that are central to Ignatian spirituality into my own spiritual rhythms and disciplines. I have found wonderful crossover between these two traditions and Ignatian practices have helped deepen my appreciation of the Wesleyan distinctives that captured me when I first…

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Commoners' Worship Gatherings: The Beginning

Commoners’ Worship Gatherings: The Beginning

This is the first in a series that explains each component of the Sunday worship gatherings of Commoners – the Wesleyan Methodist communitythat I curate in Hamilton, New Zealand. I decided to write this as our service can seem very simple and quiet, but there is much thinking behind each component (not to mention, much history). By writing this series my aim is to help deepen the engagement of…

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Celebrating Small Churches

I’ve heard from a few ministers who spend time speaking at big events that the two most common questions that church leaders ask each other in greenrooms at such events are ‘how many people does your church have?’ and ‘what’s your budget?’ The implication is that bigger is better and that these are the two main markers for success.

The most positive explanation for these questions would be to say…

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How the Dirty Media Manipulates You! Hate Up!

How the Dirty Media Manipulates You! Hate Up!

Angst against the media is at an all-time high. Hate spreads and internet warriors rise up and spit their venom in indignation at a group they see as corrupt, manipulative, and biased. Mainstream media is akin to Satan in the eyes of many. A President-elect is the standard bearer of the rage fueled charge against this beast.

I was originally going to call this post ‘In Defense of the Media’ but I…

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Leviticus, Spewing, and Tamaki

Leviticus, Spewing, and Tamaki

There’s a lot of understandable rage being spewed in the direction of Brian Tamaki yet again following comments of his in a recent sermon being made public. Those comments connected bits of Genesis and Leviticus to earthquakes in Aotearoa New Zealand and blamed such natural disasters on the actions of people. When people have lost their livelihoods and loved ones in those disasters, such comments…

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How to have a decent coffee at a motel when only a kettle is available and you want to avoid the instant coffee, a mess and you need to be able to clean up quickly. My travel kit packs away nicely in my suitcase.

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#coffee

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This beauty was handmade by Raima in Kolkata. Thanks to the work of @theloyalworkshop Raima has freedom from sexual exploitation. Raima is described as a strong, tough woman who travels far from her village everyday to do her work. She sees the business as a family. She's an extroverted lady who loves to chat and can sometimes be heard singing in the workshop. As someone who has educated many people on the issues of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, it means a lot to me to have a cherished product like this - something that I will use most days and that was made by someone I've worked to help from the other side of the world. #freedom #healing #enterprise #fightslavery #justice

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Oh, I forgot to bring my Trump mask into the office and left it at home for #election2016 Note: I don't support any candidate. We got the mask as a prize in a comp. May the voters in the US be blessed with wisdom no matter what they choose to do in this tough election.

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Trying a Vienna at @onehungacafe Coffee, cream, coffee beans, chocolate dusting. A bit of fun 😊 #coffee

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Beautiful Celtic Daily Prayer books from the #NorthumbriaCommunity