Articles by Jim Shaw

Quite a few years ago the phone rang in my office, but I refused to answer it. I had “hit the wall.” In the space of one year, I lost my mentor, my assistant left, my father died, we began home schooling, and we lost a child before it was born. Eventually, I didn’t want to answer the phone - I could not face another problem or loss! Whether it was emotional burnout or depression, it all felt the same to me. · Recently I was asked to talk to a…

Sex, politics, and religion. When I was growing up my families conversations were always economic, but there seemed to be an unspoken rule that these three topics, were a no-go zone. They may have been too awkward or perhaps they were just subjects to avoid when talking with neighbours. However, in the last fifty years I’ve found that sex, politics and religion contribute a quite a lot to our relationships, sense of purpose, and state of mind.…

In my late teens I spent time hunting in the bush around lake Waikaremoana. Off the forest tracks, I stood in places that I was sure no man had ever stood. In unspoiled bush, there is a sense of peace and quietness so tangible, that people often catch themselves speaking in whispers, just as they would entering an ancient church. It seems like the presence of God hangs in the air with the sweet smell of the bush. I never saw any…