Mining the Soul Conference Reflections
SOUL-MAKING
‘School helped me to develop a sense of myself as a person’ ‘Connecting with the spiritual side of myself has helped me develop a sense of self’ ‘The choice between peace and conflict helps you to work out who you are’ Actions that create soul in yourself
Actions that create soul in others ‘Respect is free to give but invaluable to receive…a kind word produces a chemical cascade in the body’ Akram Azimi ‘Education of people is the solution to the problems of our world’ ‘We have a responsibility – especially if you are a Christian – to love your neighbour sacrificially.’ Bruce Robinson
The out-flowing of Soul to others ‘The way to live a fulfilled life is to seek a rich Caramello life rather than a hollow life’ Bruce Robinson ‘In the Philippines, the moment she smelt, felt and heard for the first time she realised that her safe, privileged world would never be the same again’ Reach Out ‘What gift is this experience giving you?’ Indigenous mentoring programme ‘If I can make a small difference everyday of my life, then I can die today knowing my life has purpose’ Reach Out
…and discover that their own souls are enriched Matthew 16:25 For those who want to save their life (psuche) will lose it, and those who lose their life (psuche) for my sake will find it.
The importance of maintaining your soul ‘I mined my soul to show kindness and discovered that I had given away more than I had’ Akram Azimi
THE INTEGRATION OF EXISTENCE
Sport Art Music Faith Help for others Education True Spirituality involves balance and the integration of Body, Mind and Spirit
Justin Langer The four points for Sporting success: Technical Physical Mental Spiritual
THE COMMUNITY DIMENSION OF THE SOUL
Actions that create soul ‘When you are well loved by your parents, it is easy to believe in the God of love…what created my soul were the communities that produced me’ Jarrod McKenna
Experiences that diminish soul Racism as an experience that works against the soul Journalism as the potential to diminish the soul
Spirituality and Religion The problems of the privatising of the realm of the ‘Spirit’ The personal and the corporate dimensions of faith and spirituality (1 Corinthians 12) The challenge of a corporate expression of faith in Schools
JESUS AND THE SPIRIT
The gift we have to offer ‘Our task is to hand back Jesus to the world in all his captivating beauty and brilliance’ Jarrod McKenna
What is missing? ‘I was living the dream but there was something missing…God gives me the strength to achieve anything’ Justin Langer
The realm of the Spirit A Spiritual experience is when God reaches down and touches you…without God our lives just don’t make sense