Welcome to Venn Presents, a series of conversations on the depth and richness of the Christian tradition, as we attempt to outwork it in our 21st century lives. Through this collection, host Sam Bloore and members of the Venn Foundation team will present aspects of their work and reflection, as well as that of the wider Venn community.
Each short series will run across two or three episodes and the topics will be wide-ranging: from exploring Christian faith or doctrine; to engagement with wider culture, like business, the arts, education, music, and sport; and even discussing features of community and family life.
Our hope is these conversations will, in some small way, help us all to re-imagine how the Master’s Gospel might sound in the communities and callings we find ourselves in today.
For more on Venn Foundation's work and resources, go to www.venn.org.nz.
The Art of Resting: How to Sabbath Well | Part Two
The need to rest is a big feature of contemporary life. In the midst of these changing times, many people have been returning to the wisdom of the Sabbath, and learning to lean in to this ancient, delight-filled practice of God’s people.
Here at Venn, Sabbath-keeping is something we’ve been embracing. We’ve been learning about the Sabbath personally, and thinking and writing about what good Sabbath practice looks like. You can find some of this work in our new book How to Sabbath Well: Learning God’s Rhythms of Rest.
In the first episode of this two-part series on the Sabbath, Sam and John unpacked how the Sabbath is a practice of freedom for life with God. Here in Part Two, they get into the practical nitty-gritty. What does Sabbath-keeping actually look like? How firm is the command to rest? What about shift-work, or life with small children? How important is gathering for worship? Sam and John explore all these questions, talking about four key Sabbath postures: ceasing, resting, embracing, and feasting.
Perhaps you’ve tried a Sabbath, and found it all a bit hard. Perhaps you’re keen to sabbath, but don’t know where to begin. Either way, this is a rich, genuinely helpful conversation.
12 Jun 2023
The Art of Resting: How to Sabbath Well | Part One
It’s a commonplace of contemporary life that we’re struggling to rest. Whether you’re a student, a worker, or a parent of small children, resting well is a challenge. We live busy lives and there is so much to do. Anxious, we fiddle with our work/life balance, we try to schedule “me time”, but it’s all, well, a bit hard.
In this context, it might seem counter-intuitive to talk about the Sabbath. Given how white-knuckled time management has become for many of us, how is a regular rule of rest going to help? The Sabbath is, however, what we need. In order to live well—in order to flourish together—we need to develop a thick, lived understanding of this ancient, delight-filled practice.
Here at Venn, Sabbath-keeping is something we’ve been leaning into, most recently in our new book How to Sabbath Well: Learning God’s Rhythms of Rest. In this first episode of a two-part series, John Dennison and Venn Presents host Sam Bloore talk about our need for rest and the rich and transformative practice of the Sabbath. They explore this profound theme of Scripture, and how the Sabbath calls us to live in light of God’s creative and redemptive purposes. If you’ve toyed with the idea of Sabbath rest, but have never really understood what it is or how to do it, this conversation is for you. Sabbath is a practice of freedom for life with God.
4 May 2023
Adrienne Dengerink-Chaplin: Faith in Art
What is the nature of the artist’s vocation? And how exactly does art convey meaning? What might it mean for Christians to be artists? Such questions are commonplace when it comes to faith and art. It’s also questions like these that have shaped the thought and career of writer, philosopher and teacher Dr Adrienne Dengerink-Chaplin.
Dr Chaplin was in New Zealand earlier this year on a teaching and speaking tour, which included the Venn Conversation Evening, “Why Art and Artists Matter”. The next day, we were fortunate enough to get some time in the studio with her to continue the conversation. In this special one-off episode of Venn Presents, Sam Bloore talks with Adrienne about how she came to be fascinated with art and about exactly how art conveys meaning. Their lively and wide-ranging conversation delves into some of the thorny questions of faith and art: on how the gospel can shape art practice, on art and Christian witness, and on the attitude of churches to artists. Adrienne offers a refreshingly grounded take on things. At its best, art is not an exceptional calling but simply a distinct out working of the human vocation: it can, as she puts it, be “honest labour”.
Whether you’re an artist yourself, a keen gallery goer, or just someone who loves thoughtful chat, you’ll love this episode.
2 Jan 2023
Mark Mayhew: on Pursuing God's Purposes for Business
Welcome to part four in our series of conversations with women and men who are seeking to follow Christ in the whole of life. In this episode, host Sam Bloore is joined by Mark Mayhew to talk about his journey of understanding how the gospel speaks to everything we do, and how God has drawn him deeper and deeper into a gospel life.
8 Sept 2022
Mark Compton: on the Risk and Joy of Making Art
Welcome to part three of our series Following Christ in the whole of Life. In this episode, Sam Bloore talks with Mark Compton about his vocational journey as a maker and visual artist. Mark reflects on the risk and challenge of full-time art practice, the Church and the arts, and the joys of hands-on problem-solving and collaboration.
17 Jun 2022
Jin Russell: on Health, Media, and the Pursuit of Excellence
Welcome to part two of our new series of conversations with women and men who are seeking to follow Christ in the whole of life. Today, host Sam Bloore is joined by Dr. Jin Russell to talk about what a "portfolio career" means, why she's so passionate about children and families, and what it means to pursue excellence rather than success.
6 May 2022
Rebecca Dow: on Education, Policy, and Living Well
Host Sam Bloore talks with Rebecca Dow about education, policy, and living well as a single woman deeply committed to family and community. Rebecca lectures in education at Laidlaw College, helping to form the next generation of teachers.
6 Jul 2021
The Good of Work | Part Three
Previously, we’ve explored the meaning of work in light of God’s purposes for creation, and we’ve looked hard at the ways in which work has become corrupted and distorted by the fall. But what about the good of work now? What has God done to redeem our work, and what exactly might that mean for our 9-5 lives? How should we work? What counts as good work? And—beyond a pay-check, the common good, or personal satisfaction—what are we working for?
Building on our latest edition of Common Ground, ‘Christ redeems our Work,' this conversation takes us deep into these questions. Join host Olivia Burne, Sam Bloore, and John Dennison, as they complete the picture for us—come and explore the good of work.
11 Jun 2021
The Good of Work | Part Two
Even when we understand God’s intentions for work, many of us experience it as difficult; at times, it is futile or senseless. Whether we’re confronting the way elite sport misshapes identity, or the often emotionally and physically taxing toil of tertiary studies, we all have encountered sin and brokenness within our work places. As Olivia Burne puts it in her recent Common Ground article, work is “a gathering point for some of our deepest pains and longings, and the makeshift altar of many of our false gods.”
We find ourselves wondering, what has gone wrong with our work? This is the question we look to answer in the latest episode of our series, The Good of Work.
13 May 2021
The Good of Work | Part One
It’s striking: we spend the majority of our waking hours working to secure what we need, and (hopefully) contributing to the flourishing of our common life. And yet when it comes to understanding the good of our work, most of us mumble, or reach for a cliché. What does God make of your work, and why does he care? What does it mean to work well, and why should I care?
In the first of a new podcast series, Sam Bloore is joined by Andrew Shamy and Julia Bloore to explore together the good of work. From the night kitchen of KFC to early starts in kids’ TV, this lively conversation sets contemporary ideas about work within the expansive and transforming vision of God’s purposes for creation. Drawing on the latest edition of Common Ground, as well as on recent teaching, this podcast invites you to think again about work, and working well: what it is, what it has to do with God, and why it matters.
4 Jan 2021
Tolkien, Fantasy, and the Arts | Part One
In the first episode of this two-part series, Sam Bloore and Andrew Shamy take a deeper dive into the life and imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien. In 2020, Andrew offered a Conversation Evening and article, titled "There and Back Again: How Reading Tolkien Can Restore the World to Us." In his talk and article, Andrew helped us see how Tolkien's imagination and the genre of fantasy literature offers recovery of meaning in the world, an escape or flight to reality, and consolation in the midst of our deep longings for beauty, goodness, courage, and hope.
Now, in this conversation, Sam and Andrew continue further into the life of Tolkien, exploring the events, relationships, and deep Christian faith that shaped so much of the author' writing. We've released both episodes together so you can enjoy the full conversation during this Summer break (for those in the southern hemisphere) and Winter rest (for those in the northern hemisphere).
4 Jan 2021
Tolkien, Fantasy, and the Arts | Part Two
In the second episode of this two-part series, Sam Bloore and Andrew Shamy continue their deep dive into the life and imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien. In 2020, Andrew offered a Conversation Evening and article, titled "There and Back Again: How Reading Tolkien Can Restore the World to Us." In his talk and article, Andrew helped us see how Tolkien's imagination and the genre of fantasy literature offers recovery of meaning in the world, an escape or flight to reality, and consolation in the midst of our deep longings for beauty, goodness, courage, and hope.
Now, in this conversation, Sam and Andrew continue further into the life of Tolkien, exploring the events, relationships, and deep Christian faith that shaped so much of the author' writing. We've released both episodes together so you can enjoy the full conversation during this Summer break (for those in the southern hemisphere) and Winter rest (for those in the northern hemisphere).
18 Sept 2020
Ascension, Pentecost, and the Church | the Church
In this third and final episode of Ascension, Pentecost, and the Church, Nathan and Sam talk more on the doctrine of the Church and what it means in the life of believers.
11 Sept 2020
Ascension, Pentecost, and the Church | Pentecost
In this episode, Sam and Nathan talk more about Pentecost, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, and what this means for the Christian life.
4 Sept 2020
Ascension, Pentecost, and the Church | Ascension
In our first three-part series, Sam talks with Venn's CEO, the Revd Dr Nathan McLellan, about the doctrine of Ascension, Pentecost, and the Church. Earlier this year, Nathan wrote a piece for Common Ground exploring the "forgotten doctrine" of the ascension and what it means to call Christ our victorious king and high priest. In this first episode, Sam and Nathan talk more about the ascension.
30 Aug 2020
Venn Presents: The Trailer
Welcome to Venn Presents, a series of conversations exploring the depth and richness of the Christian tradition, between your host Sam Bloore and members of the Venn team and wider Venn community. The topics will be wide-ranging: from exploring Christian faith and doctrine, to engagement with wider culture, including family, business, the arts, education, music, and sport.
For more on Venn Foundation's work and resources, go to www.venn.org.nz.
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