Rock in the Grass (Pete Grassow)

The Bible

2012-02-14T00:07:00.001+02:00

"Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).

Saying that scripture is "inspired by God" is the recognition that God chooses to use scripture to inspire us. It is acknowledging that reading the scriptures has become a particular way of allowing the Spirit of God to engage with us.

The Christian Bible has a special place in my life because I am inspired by the stories of those who met the Spirit of God long before me. This does not mean that their words are infallible or without error. Rather when I search for truth in the Bible, I am able to look beyond the human limitations of those who wrote its many books. Instead I discover in the Bible the truths of those who experienced a relationship with God - and their reflections on this encounter. I can learn from then as I discern God at work in my own life.

And I am grateful.

Collaring

2012-01-27T16:27:00.000+02:00

The MethodistChurch has a tradition of “collaring” student ministers, which is the momentwhen the student is allowed to wear a clerical collar. Within our tradition aclerical shirt is worn as a sign of being under the discipline of an order ofpreachers. Over time we have allowed those who are studying for ordination towear a clerical collar as part of the process of a personal commitment to thisdiscipline. Not only does it remind the student of the calling that they are exploring,but it allows them time to physically experience the depth of this commitmentevery time they put on their clerical shirt.

Today weconcluded our Seminary Covenant Service with the collaring of Philippa Cole,who describes herself as “fully human, perfectly flawed” and writes a blog at http://blissphil.wordpress.com/.It was an occasion of joyful celebration of one who is growing into her callingto be a Methodist Minister. There was singing, dancing, tears, and a specialmoment when her clerical collar was inserted into her shirt. She commented: “I am excitedbecause this for me is a validation of my journey so far. It’s a reminder thatI have committed my life to being a servant for God and for Her people.”

Please pray for her – and for all those who are newly “collared” as they trainfor their final ordination vows.

A day off

2012-01-09T13:28:00.000+02:00

Jenny and I have spent a week unpacking into our new home. So we decided to take a day off. We are visiting Jenny's sister who is on holiday at Zimbali holiday resort. Eish - another tough day in Africa.

My 2012 project

2012-01-01T23:59:00.001+02:00

I and my friend Mark Duncan have challenged ourselves to run 300 days this year, for a minimum of 5km or half an hour each day. But why?!

Well, it's our way of using our abilities to make a difference.

The aim is to raise R100 000 in 2012 for the I Care non-profit organisation, so that they can broaden their reach and get a centre established in Pietermaritzburg. I Care provide a sustainable solution to helping street kids - check it out here:
http://icare.co.za/

So how can you help? If you can give R1 for every run we do this year, that will work out to R300 for the year. If we can raise enough awareness and get, say, a little over 300 people to do this, the R100 000 target will be reached pretty easily! You can donate safely online through the BackaBuddy site:
http://www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/irun4icare. You can also give cash if you'd prefer - contact me or Mark (
iRun4iCare@gmail.com) and we can tell you how best to contribute. All funds raised go directly to I Care - there is a commitment to transparency and accountability here.

And you can follow our runs from this website:
http://www.mapmytracks.com/iRun4iCare. Mark and I have GPS's which track our runs so you can see exactly where they've been and how fast!

R100 000 for I Care in 2012 - let's do it!"

Breakfast

2011-12-16T11:35:00.000+02:00

This is the view for our breakfast this morning. Jenny and I have spent much of the week moving stuff. The big move was on Tuesday, when the removal company fetched our worldly possessions and trucked them off to Pietermaritzburg. Since then we have cleaned the house we rented for the past year, moved plants from this house to Jenny's sister's house in Newlands, and donated some excess furniture to the Plumstead Methodist manse.

It is finally over - and we are sitting on the stoep of Melissa's in Newlands having a mid-morning breakfast. Life is good.

jessie at UCT

2011-12-15T13:50:00.000+02:00

Today is Jessica's graduation - with a BMus(Ed). This qualifies her to teach music. Her instrument is the saxophone and she has specialised in Jazz. She has a post at Camps Bay Primary School for 2012.

I am proud of her achievement, and of her passion to share her knowledge with others.

Moving

2011-12-13T13:52:00.000+02:00

The family is moving. All in different directions.

Jenny and I will stay to have Christmas with my parents and then head off to Pietermaritzburg - leaving all our daughters behind in Cape Town.

Amy will tutor until she leaves for Japan in June, where she plans to teach English. Jessie has a job as a music teacher at Camps Bay Primary School; and Lisa is waiting to hear if UCT has accepted her for Psychology honours.

The photograph is one of the packers at the storage facility where we have kept some of our stuff for this year.

Amy

2011-12-12T16:49:00.000+02:00

This afternoon was spent at the University of Cape Town's graduation ceremony - well one of the many that take place this week.

I celebrated my daughter Amy's graduation with a BA in English. She also has studied Japanese over the past three years, and plans to travel to Japan in June 2012 to teach English.

I am very proud of her - and look with fascination to see where her life's journey takes her.

God bless you Amy.

Family

2011-12-04T18:49:00.001+02:00

Christmas is time for family. Jenny and I drove to Pinetown to have tea with my aunt Marion and ended up attending a Carol Service with her at Doone Village.

She gets around on a four wheeler that can negotiate both the passages inside the buildings as well as the paths between the buildings.

It is a beautiful setting and was originally the property of Aaron Beare whose farm has been transformed into a haven for senior citizens.

Flying Ants

2011-11-30T20:21:00.000+02:00

There are tens of thousands of them flying at the moment - heavy rain predicted for tomorrow.

Army deployed in Lavender Hill

2011-11-25T15:04:00.001+02:00

EyewitnessNews reports that the army has been deployed to the Lavender Hill community:

The Steenberg Community PolicingForum (CPF) has welcomed the deployment of South African National Defence Force(SANDF) members in Lavender Hill. Seven people have been killed in what isbelieved to be gang-related shootings in the area over the past three months.The CPF's Kevin Southgate says the army’s intervention is long overdue.“Desperate times call for desperate measures and we are happy that the army hasfinally been deployed in the area. We’re just hoping that the government willsustain this,” he says.

Itis a sad moment when conventional policing cannot keep a community safe. I havepastored people from this community for the past ten years. In fact I began myconnections with this community in 1986 and have kept touch with its life sincethen. It is mostly concrete housing units that are home to people who wereforcibly removed from their roots by the Group Areas Act. These people weredumped on sea sand – please disregard the pretty name for the area! It was notlong before gangs became the way of life for many of the unemployed youngpeople, and many of the residents live in fear of the gangsters. So I dounderstand the sense of relief when the army trucks roll in. But this cannot bea solution for urban living.

Thepolice are trained to keep people safe, and ensure that we all live securely.The arrival of the army admits the fact we all know – that that there issomething wrong with the police. I know many loyal police men and women wholive with integrity and fairness. But we have lost faith in the police force asan institution to hold us accountable to the laws of our land. The wealthy havehired private security companies to keep us safe. And now the poor are callingfor the army. We as a nation need a change of heart, mind and soul – to discoverhow to live within the laws of our land.

The King is Coming

2011-11-21T16:48:00.001+02:00

My Sermon from Sunday 20 /11/ 2011

The King is Coming

Eze34:11-17 & 20-24
Matthew 25: 31-46

Introduction

Weare at the end of the Christian year. Let me explain myself: we who followJesus use a religious calendar that helps us remember our faith.

NextSunday is the first Sunday of our Religious year – a year that begins with theanticipation of a Savior – takes us to Christmas, the birth of the Saviour, andthen through his life. We then celebrate the events of Easter, followed by theblessings of the Holy Spirit, which we call Pentecost. After Pentecost weremind ourselves of how the followers of Jesus ought to live. The journey fromPentecost to this week is one that should culminate with the reminder that thislife is temporary, and that the moment will come when the King of Kings, theLord of Lords, will return. This year’s lectionary used the passage from Matthew25 to do so. It speaks of a time when “the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all theangels with him…… all the nations will be gathered before him and he willseparate people”

Hereis the teaching: The end of all time has come, and the Lord of the Ages hasreturned to judge the earth. This is an enduring theme, which has been thesubject of many, many sermons. I have often heard it used to scare people intothe Kingdom of God

- “ifyou misbehave, God will come and get you.”

- “ We might have suffered for our faith –but one day the powerful King will return and will wipe all the sinners off theface of the earth”

This sounds like Christian revenge to me!

Thefact is that this is an image based on Imperial Rome in the time of Jesus: theEmperor would leave Rome to conquer new lands – and would return in triumph:with rewards for the people who had faithfully served him, and vengeance forthose who dared to oppose him. But this is not the way of Jesus – and such animage is a perversion of the Gospel of Jesus! I do not believe that this is whatJesus intended when he told this story. This is not a story about God rewardinggood people and punishing bad people! This is a teaching about the compassionateKing who comes for those rejected by the righteous.

Inorder to understand this story we need to realize that we cannot just lift itout of the Jewish culture of first century Palestine and paste it in ourpost-modern world and expect to understand what is going on. We need tounderstand the culture in which this story was told.

Thisis a culture that divided people into two groups: the Righteous and the Sinners.The righteous were those who worshipped God in the temple. They obeyed the law,paid their temple dues, and kept themselves pure. The sinners were those whodid not.

Whichis not as simple as it sounds:

·                   Ifyou were illiterate/uneducated, you struggled to keep track of the law andprobably remained a sinner for life.
·                   Ifyou were too poor to afford the required offerings and sacrifices – you stayeda sinner.
·       Andyou were a sinner if you did work that was considered unclean – work such asleather workers, traders, government officials. (Leather workers involvedhandling dead animals; Trade involved handling Roman coin with its forbidden engravedimage; and Government officials meant dealing with the foreigners and suspectedof taking bribes).
·       Therewere other categories of sinners too:

Ø Sick people were thoughtto be sinners – obviously they had done something wrong and God had cursed themwith illness.

Ø The non-Jewish people weresinners: called strangers/aliens

Solet us now return to the teaching of Jesus and see if we read it with new eyes:
Mat 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes inhis glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of hisglory.
Mat 25:32 All the nations will begathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherdseparates the sheep from the goats,
Mat 25:33 and he will put the sheep athis right hand and the goats at the left.
Mat 25:34 Then the king will say to thoseat his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit thekingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
Mat 25:35 for I was hungry and you gaveme food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger andyou welcomed me,
Mat 25:36 I was naked and you gave meclothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visitedme.’

TheKing is returning – and he tells us who the people are that he hangs out with:

· “Hungry& Thirsty” – the poor people

· “Strangers” – aliens / non-Jews

· “Naked”– those who have been publically shamed

· “Sick”– those thought to be cursed by God

· Prison– those who owed money/debtors

Jesusis emphasizing: God will return for those who were rejected by the righteous.Thisis not a triumphant King who comes to destroy the sinners: this is a mercifulKing who loves those who have been rejected by the righteous. In fact: thosewho so self-righteously rejoiced that they had kept themselves pure by throwingthe sinners out: will find themselves thrown out.

Mat 25:43 I was a stranger and you didnot welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison andyou did not visit me.'

Mat 25:44 Then they also will answer,'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked orsick or in prison, and did not take care of you?'
Mat 25:45 Then he will answer them,'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, youdid not do it to me.'
Mat 25:46 And these will go away intoeternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life

Andso we ask ourselves whether this speaks to us today?

Goodnews: the King is coming: and he will gather allthose who have been rejected and cast aside. If this is your experience of Lifehear the good news: God loves you.
Eze 34:11 For thus says the Lord GOD: Imyself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.
Eze 34:12 As shepherds seek out theirflocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep.I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on aday of clouds and thick darkness.

Butthere is also a very difficult place in thisteaching:

Is it possible that we too have developed categoriesof people we call sinners. Do we think of people who are beyond God’s salvation,and we congratulate ourselves on keeping ourselves pure?

Certainly there are some groups of people thatare rejected by some Christians:

Some think that Muslim people are beyond the loveof God. I find the current debate in the Vatican fascinating: an advertisingagency has put together a picture of the Pope embracing an Imam and the Vaticansays it will sue. I wondered why? Can the Pope not show the love of God to aMuslim. Or is this one group of people Jesus commands us to hate

Some think gay people are the group to exclude. Thereare Christians who spend all their energy insulting homosexual people, assumingthat the Lord will return and crush them. It is almost as if some believe Jesussaid to us “Hate other people as I have hated you”.

Often this is rooted in our own personalprejudices:

A good test is to ask who “them” is. Whenever youwant to blame someone for the problems of your world, ask yourself “Who are ‘they’?”

Ø Everythingwas great before “they” arrived.

Ø Ifonly “they” were not my neighbours

Ø Ifonly I did not have to work with “them”

Ø Whydo “they” always get first choice – said by everyone who has a brother or asister.

There is awarning:

Eze 34:20 Therefore, thus says the LordGOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.
Eze 34:21 Because you pushed with flankand shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until youscattered them far and wide,
Eze 34:22 I will save my flock, and theyshall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.

Conclusion: So as this Christianyear ends, excuse me if I don’t get too excited about the vengeful Christ theKing. I am on my way to Christmas – and I can smell the straw and the cow dungat a manger. The baby who will be born came for those who needed to know thelove of God – and that is where God has called me to be.

Moving the Minister/Priest/Pastor

2011-11-13T17:26:00.001+02:00

· My friend andcolleague StaffordMoses noted the way clergy resistbeing moved by their bishop – and wondered why.

He received a really useful response from Jennie Liebenberg

“I always thoughtit was because clergy are human, thus can't have ALL the gifts needed in aparish... so they give all that they are for however many years to theirparish, then the bishop sees that the parish has grown in certain aspects andnow needs a priest with different gifts to equip them further. And similarly,there's another parish that could grow further into the fullness of Christ byYOUR leadership”.

The Invitation

2011-11-08T21:23:00.000+02:00

We fail our children when we shut them out of our sacred rituals in worship. This was the challenge brought by Ansie and Willie Liebenberg, who led family worship at our seminary this week. Ansie used the analogy of a feast to teach about the Eucharist. They then helped us hear an invitation for the whole seminary family to share in Holy Communion as a "family feast".

A Bride

2011-11-06T11:42:00.000+02:00

My niece Jenny got married this weekend. She was happy, spontaneous and relaxed - and I wish her and Etienne well for their marriage.

Come dance with me

2011-11-06T11:28:00.000+02:00

My mother asking my 86 year old father for a dance at my niece's wedding.

The Queue

2011-11-02T08:28:00.000+02:00

I am in "The Queue". This is a great South African institution. We line up at the Post Office, the Bank, the Bus Stop - and in Government Offices.
I arrived at the traffic-office this morning with some trepidation because I knew I was in trouble. During idle chit-chat with friends on Saturday night we got talking about our driver's licenses, and their 5yr renewal. I got my card out to check when I needed to renew it, only to discover that my driver's licence had expired in February 2011. Oh crap!

And so I arrived at the building and looked around hoping for a clue where to go. Here's the sequence: Spot the information desk and find the friendly official who will hand you the necessary forms to complete. Look hopefully around for a surface to write on (and skip the first one because the glass on the counter is missing). Get to the second and fill in the form. Join the line waiting to be helped. This involved sitting on the empty chair at the end - and as the person at the head of the line is helped everyone shuffles up one seat. The chairs are closer than my western body space would like. And the conversation is louder than I would choose. But as I look around I see the gathering is inclusive and all are welcome to offer an opinion. We wait our turn with patient good humour. I reach the prized "window of opportunity" only to discover that I needed to have had my eyes checked and fingerprints taken ... at the room on the other end of the building!

OK. Another row of bums moving along another row of chairs. And I peer hopefully into a machine to tell the official where the shaded portion of the circle lies. I am reminded of the passing of the years when I discover that they are clearer with my glasses on. My fingerprints are captured in a computer, and do not disclose any unpaid traffic fines. I am safe to rejoin The Queue.

And in time emerge triumphant clutching a temporary licence and the invitation to return in a month's time for my new licence card. I am legal again.

fac et aliquid operis, ut semper te diabolus inveniat occupatum*

2011-10-27T12:53:00.001+02:00

Luk 5:5 Simon answered, "Master, we have workedall night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down thenets."

Western civilization has been built on the idea that hard workwill produce success, wealth and positive results. Deep in its cultural bonesare injunctions to succeed by workinghard – “the devil finds work for idle hands” / “Don't just stand there, do something” / “hard work never killed anyone”. Iwas raised on quotes on the Bible that bolstered this idea: “Go to the ant,you lazybones; consider its ways” (Prov 6:6), “Hard work always pays off” (Prov14:23). Ihave often worked hard, and more often I have worked very hard. But as theyears have passed I have discovered the fallacy in the idea that hard workequates to success, because there are some people who work extremely hardwithout any success at all. Certainly this was the case of the disciples ofJesus in Luke 5:5 – they had fished all night without success.

This is also the case with many, many people who are trappedin the cycles of poverty, illiteracy and illness that characterize our modernsociety. Many people work hard all day for a pittance of a wage. They are notlazy, or stupid, or unfaithful to God. They are simply victims of their birth:born in the wrong place, in the wrong social class, of the wrong gender, or inthe wrong culture. They do not have access to education, or to opportunity, orto the social conditions that enable their work hard to allow them an escape fromtheir struggle for life.

I have come to see that hard work is not the panacea for allof life’s ills. Instead I have learned that the key to successful living isfinding the person we were created to be. Luke 5:5 has the disciples movingbeyond hard work, to obedience to the call of the Master: “If you say so, I will”. This is about an inner calling rather thanour material successes; this is about our self-knowledge rather than ourachievements and status; this is about our sense of God’s purpose for ourliving rather than a desperate striving to achieve goals and acquire more possessions. Kipling, in his poem “If” captures thisfor me:

“…..If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same … you will be a Man my son.”

* [St.Jerome Letters cxxv. xi.] “do something, so that the devil may alwaysfind you busy”; cf. [c 1386 Chaucer Tale of Melibee l. 1594]Therfore seith Seint Jerome: 'Dooth somme goode dedes that the devel, which isoure enemy, ne fynde yow nat unocupied.'

Mourning Libya

2011-10-21T11:48:00.000+02:00

MuammarMuhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi ( 7 June 1942 – 20 October 2011) ruled Libya for 42 years. In 1969 he seizedpower in a military coup and was absolute ruler until 2011 when his governmentwas overthrown by a popular uprising and foreign intervention. Born into thebedouin tribe of the Qadhadhfa, Gaddafi called himself “the BrotherLeader" and "Guide of the Revolution”. He held his position throughthe use of nepotism, military force and the intrigue of the secret police. Itis beyond dispute that he was a brutal, cruel man who personally supervised theexecution of many who thought to oppose him. Between 1980 and 1987 Gaddafiemployed his network of diplomats and recruits to assassinate at least 25critics living abroad. So I join themany, many Libyans who do not mourn the end of his rule.

But I do mournthe way his rule ended.

· Imourn the summary execution of Colonel Gaddafi alongside the road. He shouldhave gone on trial, faced his accusers, and been confronted with theconsequences of his crimes. Life is sacred, and no-one has the right to executea prisoner without trial.

· Imourn the inevitable struggle for power in Libya. I am convinced that a transferof power is always preferable to a vacuum where the ‘strong’ will battle it outto take over.

· Imourn the intervention of western powers in African politics. I do not see why FirstWorld countries assume it to be their right to become the policemen of theworld.

· And Imourn our blood-thirsty nature that so easily embraces war as a solution forinjustice, and so avidly watches violence as media entertainment.

Let us pray forLibya: for all the families who have lost people they love, for the nation togrow in political wisdom, and for peace. Let us also pray for a world where world leadership becomes less willing to sendwar planes to bomb the nations of others.

Completing the Days

2011-10-13T16:35:00.001+02:00

Eze 4:8 See, I amputting cords on you so that you cannot turn from one side to the other untilyou have completed the days of your siege.

Todayis my birthday.

Whichis a useful moment to reflect on my life.

Theone enduring theme of my life is a sense of God’s calling. I experienced thisas an inner compulsion that binds me to a course of living - like Ezekiel Ihave lived a life where I sense God saying “ you cannot turnfrom one side to the other until you have completed the days” .

· I felt a call to be trained at The FederalTheological Seminary – something I could not shake even when it was unpopularwith my closest friends and family; even when it became a very hard place to be;and even when I wanted to resign and do something else.

· I continue to experience a call to be an ordainedminister of word and sacrament. I have had moments of great joy andsatisfaction; and I have had times when I have understood Ezekiel’s referenceto “the days of your siege “. But since my ordination in 1984 I have neverbeen able to shake off the cords that God has laid on my life.

· I have felt an inescapable tug to issues ofsocial justice. There have been moments when this has frightened me, and I wouldrather have run away from it. It has resulted in moments of great loneliness,accompanied by anger from some members of the congregation, financial boycottfrom some congregations, and the occasional encounter with the security police.But this internal spiritual compulsion has not allowed me to back off, andcontinues to ask me to challenge injustice as I encounter it.

· I have been bound to training student ministers.This has ranged from training student ministers in seminary, to those who havecompleted their seminary and are placed in local congregations. Right now I am at the Methodist Seminary inPietermaritzburg. As this year has passed I have become more and more entangledwith this place. It has become a call that ties me in every possible way – inmy time, my emotions, my passion and my prayers,

· I am inescapably tied to my marriage with Jenny.We were married in 1982, and we have been through “trials and tribulations” andthrough “joys and celebrations”. (Truthbe told I know that there have been moments when Jenny has wanted to kill me –and there have been moments when I have allowed myself to forget her kindnessand generosity). I continue to begrateful for my marriage and still hear this inescapable tug that says to me “you cannotturn from one side to the other until you have completed” .

As I look back I see the presence of God in allof this. I would not have wished for a different life and am grateful foreverything that has happened. I celebrate the passing of the years – and look forwardto a new year of being led into the unknown by this inner spiritual compulsion.

Bandanna Day

2011-10-13T05:21:00.000+02:00

The Sunflower Fund promotes a donor registry to assist people with bone marrow cancer. To fund this they sell colourful sunflower themed bandannas.

12 October is national Bandanna Day and the seminarians were challenged to each buy and wear a bandanna in support of the Sunflower fund.

Sent via my BlackBerry.

Farewell

2011-10-10T00:23:00.000+02:00

Today's news: "South Africa's defeat saw outspoken coach Peter de Villiers announce his resignation and Springbok captain John Smit confirm his Test retirement."

"It was a brilliant journey," said De Villiers. "There's a time to come and a time to go and I think the journey for me is over".

Farewell Peter. You added colour to the game - literally, figuratively, and emotionally.

Thanks John Smit. You are an example of good sportsmanship.

The game will miss both of you ... But the game goes on!
Sent via my BlackBerry.

2011-10-07T13:55:00.000+02:00

Today:7 October.

Todaysees a number of significant dates in History:

Someare sad:

1937in Bengal (India) a 40 Ft wave sunk 20 000 boats and killed 300 000 people.

1963Hurrican Flora struck the island of Haiti and Dominican republic and killed 7190 people

1985FourPalestinian terrorists hijacked the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro, killingpassenger Leon Klinghoffer.

2001The Unites States and Great Britain launched an air strike against the Talibanin Afghanistan in revenge for the 9/11 Twin Tower attacks.

“Lordin your Mercy – Hear our Prayer for all those who have lost their lives.”

Someare happy:

1886Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba

1953Chuck Norris emerges from steel and carbon.

1959 JulieBrett gives birth toher son Simon Cowell.

1993Toni Morrison is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

"Lord in your mercy - hear our prayer of thanksgiving"

Butnothing can match the joy of the birth of Desmond Mpilo Tutu on7 October 1931.

Igive thanks for his life and freely acknowledge the influence he has had in myChristian faith.

"Lord in your mercy - hear our prayer of gratitude"

HappyBirthday – my father in the faith.

A Man of God

2011-10-05T17:47:00.000+02:00

"a man who, with his powerful deeds and words, proved to be a prophet before God and all the people" (Luke 24:19).

There are many powerful preachers who claim to represent God. Some are powerfully eloquent; some derive power from their political acumen; some exert their power through intellect and great learning; and some exert power through religious rules and sanction. The Gospel of Luke tells of a different kind of power - the power of "deeds and words". This is the power that becomes visible in a life lived in service to other people.

This is neither the strutting of a demagogue, nor the largesse of wealthy donors. This is not the wheeling and dealing of political horse-trading, or the academic superiority of the educated.

Instead, this is a life that finds its power only when it is given away. This is seen when someone chooses to 'spend and be spent' for the benefit of the community. This is best epitomised by Jesus - who gave his life that the world might be redeemed.

There are many who have followed in the footsteps of Jesus - ranging from St Francis of Assisi in antiquity through to Mother Theresa of Calcutta. I choose to place my life at the disposal of my creator. And to use up my remaining days in serving God. Pray for me.
Sent via my BlackBerry.

Holding each other accountable.

2011-09-22T08:39:00.000+02:00

A key value in the life of the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary is Accountability. The Seminarians are held accountable for their lives inside and outside of the classroom. It is this that makes us different from a university. A university exists to impart academic excellence, whereas a Christian seminary is expected to form ministers of the Gospel of Jesus. Therefore every seminarian is evaluated by the seminary staff, both for their academic life, as well as for their spiritual, ethical, and communal life. We sit once a year with each seminarian and give them feedback on this evaluation and work out ways to assist them in their personal growth.

This morning the seminarians participated in an accountability exercise that expanded this system. They filled in a questionnaire that examined the way the president of our seminary leads us. This is the culmination of a process that has seen a performance evaluation of each member of staff by both seminarians, peers and the president. An outside company has now been tasked to do the same for the president.

We believe that healthy accountability leads to a healthy seminary. Pray for us, that we might model accountability in a way that brings renewal to our church and society.

Sent via my BlackBerry.

"According to the Will of God"

2011-09-20T11:48:00.000+02:00

1 Peter 4:2,8 …..live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God….Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

The letter of 1 Peter was possibly written somewhere between 60-80 years after Jesus. It seems to be the work of a student of the Apostle Peter – which was normal practice, especially when one realizes that Peter was an uneducated Galilean fisherman.
It was written at a time when the world seemed to be going mad:

This was a time of great terror:
• The Roman general Titus attacked Jerusalem, and burned the temple to the ground.
• The Emperor Nero set fire to a slum area to build his new palace - and blamed the Christians for the fire.
• The volcano Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii.

At the same time the morals of the Empire were disintegrating:
• The Emperor tried to protect his power by killing his brother and his mother.
• And when his wife could not produce an heir, he threw her out and took his best friend’s wife and made her pregnant instead.
• The crowds of Rome had become bored: and demanded ever more violent entertainment. It is at this time that the Colosseum was built where gladiators fought anything that could be killed.

It is in this context that Peter dictates a letter to those who followed Jesus: a letter that has one recurring thread: we are to live in such a way that we set an example to the world we live in:

1Peter 1:14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct;

1Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing.
1Peter 4:2: live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God. .

Do you hear it?
We are to be separated from the standards of this world:
We are to live to a different standard.
Then Peter sums it all up - he sets out the difference:
1Pe 4:8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

The essential dividing line between the ways of God and human ways lies in this one key concept: “love”.
It is here that our faith becomes difficult – because we are asked to practice a value that is not part of our culture….
You see I am OK with the idea that God loves me : but it is far harder to hear that I am to love other people in the same way!
1Pe 4:8 Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.

Be prepared to cover the sins of others with love.
Not a chance!!!!
Those who show me great love will get much love in return
And those who show me little love will get little love in return.
This is the stuff Peter is speaking about:
1Pe 4:2: live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human desires but by the will of God.
We are not to reflect the standards of our world – we are to challenge them!
We are not to mirror our culture - we are to transform it.
It is this that sets the followers of Jesus apart – we dare to be different.
When our culture tells us to hate – we will choose to love.
 When our business environment says to step on people to get ahead – we will choose to serve people.
 When our side of the family wants to ignore the other side of the family – we will choose to go to build bridges.
 When some people of our religion curse the religion of another person – we will bless them.
 And when I see the sin in the life of another person – I will cover that person with love.

An Impossible dream? of course…. If I try to do this in my own strength! But I do not do this alone – I do it in the strength of God:
1Pe 4:10 Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.
1Pe 4:11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever.
Amen.

Guess where?

2011-09-16T10:49:00.000+02:00

This photograph is taken at my favourite spot in all the world. Let the detectives supply the location.
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Knowing God

2011-09-13T14:43:00.001+02:00

Theological formation is the gradual and often painful discovery of God's incomprehensibility. You can be competent in many things, but you cannot be competent in God.

Henri J.M. Nouwen
(http://tumblr.com/x7x4nvw681)
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IMG00633-20110911-1429.jpg

2011-09-11T14:33:00.000+02:00

Birthday lunch at Col'Cacchio pizzeria for Jenny and Granny.
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Growing up - Jumping down.

2011-09-06T22:01:00.001+02:00

Amy jumped off Table Mountain this morning. Well ....more of an abseil than a jump!

My youngest daughter turned 21 on 27 August, and today she celebrated by jumping vertically down rocks on the end of a rope. This epitomises her growth into adulthood. As a little girl Amy clung to her mother for security and reassurance. But she has grown into a person who is courageous, determined, and capable of unexpected surprises. She is completing a BA in English and Film and Media studies, and has also spent the last three years studying Japanese. Amy plans to teach English in Japan next year. And I admire her determination.

Happy Birthday Amy. And may you have an interesting life full of fun, faith and fantasy.
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Jess' birthday cake

2011-09-01T20:58:00.000+02:00

Today is spring day in the Southern Hemisphere. It is also my daughter Jessica's birthday.

Since she was little I dreaded this day - because schools make a great fuss of spring day. And so Jess was led to believe that her birthday was the beginning of summer. The class was asked to dress for spring, and every one anticipated a warm, sunny day. Jess would go to school dressed for a summer birthday - and year after year it rained on her birthday!

Today she is a grown up woman: and I want to wish her a fabulous summer as she completes her degree as a music teacher. I wish her lots of joy as she teaches the jazz saxophone. And to remind her that I am very proud of the way she is emerging into adulthood.
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A Rock in the Grass

2011-08-29T13:01:00.000+02:00

"the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, a stumbling- stone and a rock to trip over." (1 Peter 2:7-8)

This is an image from the Bible that asks questions about the way we construct our lives. It refers to a stone collected for a building project, but unused. Peter tells of this rejected stone lying on one side, where it caused problems. The builders would trip over it - a rock lying in the grass.

This image appeals to me. The stone is still useful, but now in a subversive way. It reminds the builders of what might have been. It is the stone they curse when they stub their toe - yet at the same time this gives them a moment to pause and reflect. The stone trips up the busy builder as he scurries around the building site doing his important stuff. This then allows a halt to the relentless progress of the day. The stone refuses to go away, and so becomes the constant reminder of other building possibilities.

This is an uncomfortable analogy. It speaks of the interruptions that trip us up as we try to get on with our day: a child demanding attention; a spouse asking for help; a neighbour calling loudly; or a poor person intruding into our space. This is the irritating question asked by a preacher; the uncomfortable feeling when a piece of writing gets under our skin; the disquiet caused by an uneasy conscience. This is the Spirit of God acting like a rock in the grass.

We can ignore it and continue with our important, busy lives. Or we can consider the stone, and allow this interruption to our activity become a turning point, that moment to watch how the Master Builder takes it for the cornerstone - the load-bearing stone that gives shape to the rest of the construction. The rejected stone becomes the stone that gives direction to all the other pretty stones we use to build our lives.

Over the years of my living I have been challenged by this thought from the letter of Peter: to pay attention to the obstacles in my day’s progress. Perhaps they are that concealed rock that ought to become part of my life’s construction. I also aspire to challenge those who live comfortable, uncaring lives – to become a “rock in the grass” to those who live without a moral compass to guide their thoughts and actions.

Pray for the wisdom to discover that important building blocks to our living can lie hidden in the long grass, waiting to trip us up. Pray too for the courage to become that stone that trips people up when they try to construct their lives without giving thought to their ethical and moral responsibilities

balloons for a birthday

2011-08-27T08:58:00.000+02:00

21 years old today! Jenny is blowing balloons for our youngest daughter Amy.
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Nzondelelo

2011-08-24T17:29:00.001+02:00

This weekend our seminarians become missionaries when they travel to the Durban Central Methodist Church. This is an inner-city church, located in the midst of a diverse population drawn from the people that live in southern Africa.

They are joining the Nzondelelo movement for the weekend. This began in 1870 in Edendale, near Pietermaritzburg, born out of a desire for the Christian Gospel to be heard in the words and idiom of Zulu people. Daniel Msimang challenged the white missionaries to trust the Gospel of Jesus in the hands of the indigenous Zulu people. And this missionary movement has become a vehicle for the liberating, joyful invitation to live like Jesus.

Pray for the 90 seminarians, that they might be faithful ambassadors for Jesus.
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Covenant Discipleship Groups

2011-08-22T17:44:00.000+02:00

The seminarians are divided into small accountability groups. These meet once a week and are a "safe place" where they can support one another as they work out the shape of God's call on their lives.

This group asks only one question: we use the ancient Wesleyan question "How goes it with your soul?" This is not group therapy, where individuals are coerced by the group's will. This is, instead, group accountability. Each member shares her/his life's journey of the past week, sharing joy and asking support in the pain. It meets for one hour, and closes with prayer for one another. And what is said in the group remains in the group.

And lives are being changed as a consequence. Not only are seminarians given a place to express their hopes and fears, but they are discovering companions for this fragile journey of life.

I ask your prayers each Monday evening between 5:30 and 6:30.
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Grace

2011-08-17T09:59:00.000+02:00

"The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven." (Shakespeare)

Tim Attwell used this quote when he preached to us this morning and reminded us of the unconditional grace of God. Our Creator does not crush us for our foolish, sinful living. Instead, like the dew that surprises us in the morning, God continues to bless us with the gifts of life, love, joy and passion. As dew drops to the earth and nourishes the soil - so God goes beyond anger and retribution to a place of nurturing mercy. And in this we are challenged to become merciful towards other people.

"Teach us, Loving God, to participate in your surprising acts of grace as we love even the undeserving".
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Obedience

2011-08-16T07:11:00.000+02:00

He humbled himself, by becoming obedient! (Philippians 2:8)

We live in a culture that avoids being obedient. Instead we are tempted to live without accountability - following the whim of the moment. Each day I am challenged to submit my will to a Lord who demands my obedience....a demand that humbles my spirit.

I do not find this easy. I am bent out of shape by my surroundings: I sit with my friends/colleagues/associates and am tempted to share their prejudices and world view. But there is a Creator who holds me accountable to values that are bigger than the whim of the moment. I want to be more than I am in this moment - and ask you to pray for me: that I might humble my spirit in order to be obedient to Jesus.

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rugby

2011-08-13T13:11:00.000+02:00

I am off to Durban to watch rugby. South Africa is playing Australia and I am a fervent participant in this part of our nation's worship. We gather in large stadiums to sing together, to cheer our team - and even pray (when our team is doing badly). All of us pursue an oval ball - 30 men on the field and 80000 around the perimeter of the field. We don our national colours, and drink beer and shout encouragement.

Isn't it great.
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First dancing shoes!

2011-08-12T18:45:00.000+02:00

Kayleigh Duncan is getting ready for the matric dance. Today was about getting shoes. And I am privileged to share in her anticipation and excitement.
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Farewell

2011-08-12T08:21:00.001+02:00

Today we say farewell to Tom and Jeffrey, who have spent the past month with us as exchange students from Cambridge University. They are Methodist probationers who have been stationed at Cambridge University by the Methodist Church in Britain. We wish them God's blessing as they return home. Pray for them as they are sent by us to bring light a country with a troubled soul.
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Morning Worship

2011-08-10T07:59:00.000+02:00

This morning we welcomed the Rev Jim Harnish of the United Methodist Church, Tampa, Florida. He challenged us to become preachers who can bring the Good News of Jesus into a world that is characterised by bad news.

We were reminded that this can only begin when we are willing to listen to the stories of the people we meet. We cannot speak if we do not first listen! We do not "bring Jesus", but instead we point out what Jesus is already doing. Our task is to point away from ourselves to that which Jesus is doing. And to invite people to join Jesus in his work.

We thank God for the privilege of sharing in God's work. Pray that we might all be faithful.
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Women's Day

2011-08-09T17:40:00.000+02:00

Today South Africa celebrates the contribution women to our life. This evening's chapel service was led by Rev Diane Worringham - assisted by the wives of our seminarians. Please hold these women in your prayers as they face being expected to assume leadership roles in the congregations served by their husbands.
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Esther

2011-08-07T10:43:00.001+02:00

Delm Linscott, the senior pastor of Wesley Methodist Church in Hayfields, Pietermaritzburg, invited us to reflect on the value and importance of women in our society. He used Esther from the Bible as the example to inspire us.

Delm took us to the text: Esther 4:14 "It may very well be that you have achieved royal status for such a time as this!" He reminded us that our lives are intentionally and purposefully lived in the presence of God. And the place we find ourselves could well be exactly the place where we are most useful. So instead of complaining about our circumstances - let us seize the moment that we have as a God-given opportunity of life. Each moment is a moment where we can be exactly what God needs in this place "for such a time as this!"
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Roanne

2011-07-27T20:43:00.000+02:00

This is Roanne. She is a person of enormous courage, who takes on life with grace and laughter.

Her daughter was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of two. (Greek leukos - white, and haima - blood - a cancer of the blood or bone). She and her husband Mark had to cope with chemotherapy and the rehabilitation of a lovely little girl - now growing into a lovely young woman.

And just as the family was back on track Rowanne discovered cancer in her own body. And who says lightening does not strike the same place twice? She is completing her second season of chemotherapy, along with daily antibiotics, vitamins and nausea.

I admire her tenacity and dogged refusal to give in to pessimism and despair. She inspires me.
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An addict's life: hits and myths

2011-07-26T15:29:00.000+02:00

Article by Tanya Gold
July 26, 2011

British singer Amy Winehouse, dead at 27.

Let's stop romanticising addiction and call it for what it is: a mental illness. AMY Winehouse is dead and any useful understanding of the mental illness that killed her seems far away. Already the portrait is painted and flat-packed, smelted and ready to become myth.

There is tiny Amy with the swaying beehive hair and the frightened eyes, tormented by her talent and the chaos it brought, famous at 21, dead at 27, now a member of the repulsively named ''27 Club'' of musicians who were also addicts and died at 27: Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison, Cobain. All dead, all revered - as if it was their illness that made them interesting. The initial, rushed obituaries made much of Winehouse ''making it'' into the 27 Club. Would she make it to 28 and be shut out? No, she got in, with 54 days to spare.

Why do we give so much energy to the thrilling pantomime of an alcoholic dying in the public eye, and so little to understanding the illness that took her there? It was obvious years ago that Winehouse sick was more grotesquely interesting than Winehouse sober. As she temporarily dried out, so did the press coverage. But she relapsed and came home to fame.

When an addict self-annihilates, stalked by paparazzi, it is easy to imagine the story belongs to us all. We all had a stake in Amy Winehouse, you might believe. Her fall, and the redemption that will never come now, had a universal meaning. But it didn't. Winehouse didn't belong to us; she belonged to no one, not even herself. But you can forget that. Creative addicts - particularly female creative addicts - are always clutched to the cold global breast, even as the corpse is carried out.

Take Judy Garland, little Dorothy on Benzedrine, who kicked off her ruby slippers. She was a legend even before she was pulled off the toilet she died on in Chelsea in 1969; even this year there was a play in the West End about her collapse. I saw it and could only smell yet more exploitation of a woman who always exploited herself. Sing us a song, Judy - even though you're dead!

There is no wider parable about the relationship between addiction and talent, and I think that is junk too - a straw man that burns easily. Winehouse was simply an alcoholic and drug addict who had no idea of her own worth or how to cure herself. She died at 27 - not because she was the magical mystical twin of Janis Joplin - but because 27 is a normal age for the body of a compulsive user of hard drugs and hard alcohol to give out.

Thousands like Winehouse die every year and they are not venerated or even pitied. We will not educate ourselves about the disease, or reform drug laws that plunge addicts into a shadow-world of criminality and dependence on criminals. Winehouse got away with too much, said one copper, after a tape of her using was released. Did she? Did she really? Winehouse walked barefoot through the streets because that is where the drugs were and, even as her bewildered face splatters across the front pages, drug support charities are closing, expendable in this era of thrift.

Recovery rests on the edge of the self-harming knife, because no one yet knows what causes addiction, or how to cure it. The disease is impenetrable to outsiders because it is anathema to our all-conquering species that a person can be genetically predisposed to poison themselves. Addiction is still uniformly called ''a self-inflicted disease'' and only the most enlightened doctors will recommend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous - self-help groups that sometimes get results, although no one knows why. A psychiatrist once told me that I should try to ''limit'' my drug use; he obviously knew nothing, even as he charged £275 ($A413) for 15 minutes.

Winehouse was in the Priory two months ago. I was in the Priory

11 years ago, where I was ''treated'' for addiction, and, in my experience, the Priory is not the sort of place where many people get better. (I await the letter of complaint from their ever-vigilant marketing department.) When I was there, they offered en suite bedrooms and in-room TVs, not the absolute knowledge that a tiny flicker of the reality of the predicament is essential to stay alive. She stayed a week, came home and died. She died for nothing, because she thought she was nothing.

Not that we will learn. The beehive was too high, the eyes too photogenically tormented, the voice too beautiful. Her new album will be released and it will sell 10 million copies, maybe more. And there, reader, is your meaning. The addict is dead. Long live the myth.

GUARDIAN

Tanya Gold is a London-based freelance journalist

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/contributors/an-addicts-life-hits-and-myths-20110725-1hx1o.html#ixzz1TDWngeJs

Injisuthi Drakensberg

2011-07-21T15:32:00.000+02:00

I have just returned from two days in the Drakensberg. Yesterday my colleague Mike Stone drove Jenny and me, his son Brian, and friends Mike Hoffman and Brian Tarr, to Injisuthi in the Southern Drakensberg.

Leaving the bakkie at the ranger's office we headed up into the mountains. A six hour walk brought us to a cave, where we spent the night. Coffee, pasta, biscuits, and a cold breeze accompanied us to bed.

The sun woke us this morning. After a bacon and egg breakfast we then walked back down. Lovely mountain views, great company, and tired legs added to a great day.
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Mentoring

2011-07-19T06:47:00.001+02:00

"Uzziah followed God during the lifetime of Zechariah, who taught him how to honour God." (2 Chronicles 26:55 )

Here is a powerful testimony to an older man who gave time to mentor a younger man. We all need people who can take us by the hand and "show us how". I thank God for people who took the time to mentor me: including Ray Light, Charles Villa-Vicencio, Sr Agnes Fynn and Ken Beard.

As I get older I discover the responsibility of example. I have no desire to tell people what to do. But I would want to live in a way that can inspire someone else to contribute to a love-filled community. So I am challenged to be more aware of my opportunity to mentor. Pray for me.
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Faithful Servants.

2011-07-17T17:26:00.000+02:00

Every church has people who offer time, passion, and energy to serve God's people. Tony Doige, pictured here leading during worship this morning, is one of these gems. He is a retired farmer, who now lives away from his farm in Bergville, and without his beloved wife who died some years ago. He now offers his life to the Wesley Methodist Church in Pietermaritzburg.

Tony is a seventy-five year young adventurer who is open to learning new things. For example, he works on the sound desk during the Sunday services, and is exploring ways of improving the audio-visuals of the services. He is also managing a project to install a toilet at the church for physically challenged people. He is the "father-figure" at the Tuesday morning men's accountability group, and the "go-to" person for church maintenance. And he has just learned to Twitter (@tonydoige).

Tony is the kind of man that inspires me to squeeze every last drop from life and never give up. A true man of God.

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A Generous Sower

2011-07-11T16:20:00.000+02:00

Matthew 13:3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Mat 13:9 Let anyone with ears listen!"

Have you ever had a moment when – no matter how hard you try – people criticize you? Well – you will then understand how Jesus feels in Chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel. Let us recap what has happened up to this point:
Chapter 3: Jesus is baptized and a call from God is affirmed.
Ch 4: Jesus goes into the wilderness to refine his direction – and finds some students who are willing to follow him.
Ch 5,6,7 are spent in teaching about the way God expects us to live
Ch 8,9 : sees Jesus putting the teaching into practice
And then in Ch 10 Jesus sends his students to try it on their own.

All along he has had mixed success – some people love his teaching and follow him from place to place. And some people are very critical.
And there is a clear dividing line between those who love him and those who hate him. This mirrors the fault line of the society Jesus lived in;
On the one side those who lived in Jerusalem; these were people who worshipped regularly in the temple, who celebrated the festivals, and who called themselves the “God’s Chosen People”. And then there were those who the people of Jerusalem called ”am ha-aretz” – the “unwashed”.

These were mostly poor rural peasants: They could not read and write and so could not keep track of the Jewish laws. They could not afford to travel often to Jerusalem – so missed the regular prayers: seldom made the required sacrifices. And so they were considered sinners by those who visited the temple every Sabbath. And over time they became convinced that God hated them.

Then this teacher called JESUS travelled the rural areas telling these people that God loved them. And he hugged them, and he healed them, and he taught them the laws of God….and they flocked to hear Jesus.
But the religious people in the temple were not impressed:

Mat 9:3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
Mat 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.
Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons."

And it is in response to this that Jesus tells a story:
A story of a farmer who goes into his field in and sows seed. This is small scale farming, where seed is scattered by hand, and then ploughed in.

Jesus points out the obvious – that this is a difficult way to farm because in addition to the seed that lands on the fertile soil - some seed will land on the footpaths, and some will land on rocks, and some will land in the bushes. And in this Jesus suggests that his teaching is not equally received:
Some hear what he has to say – and their lives are changed
Some hear him and there is a small change
And some hear him and his words just bounce off.

But I think that there is more to this: Instead of focusing on the soil and the seed, I am inviting us to focus on the sower;
I have an image of a farmer sowing with Generous Abandon. Here is someone who throws handfuls of seed in every direction. I can almost hear the gasps from the rural farmers who listen, because seed is precious! There is no farmers’ co-operative to buy it from at the beginning of the season: this is seed carefully stored from last year:
Yet here is a farmer who just throws it in every direction.

Here is Jesus; saying to his critics – don’t you understand that it is the pleasure of my Heavenly Father to bless everyone in every direction. I hear Jesus rebuking the religious leaders who are so quick to write people off as sinners – rocky ground, thorny personalities, hard to teach. Here Jesus is saying that God shows love to everybody –
The just and the unjust / rocky ground and fertile soil / thorny personalities as well and the kind and the patient.

And here is the place of Good News for me, because I have moments when I am not fertile soil: I am hard to teach like a well worn footpath.
Yet God still sends his love my way. Sometimes I am thorny and prickly – yet God does not give up on me.
This is Good news for everyone – to know that even when you are struggling with life, and when you feel shallow and weak, God still sends his grace and goodness your way.

But just as I celebrate a God who so scatters grace with generous abandon, so I am challenged to learn to see this Grace extended to other people too. Let me ask of us:
Do you know someone who you think is prickly and thorny
Or someone who is hard and uncompromising
Or someone who is shallow and easily distracted
It is easy to write them off. But the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus is that God’s grace extends even to those we so readily write off as being beyond repair

Let us pray to be willing to pass the Grace of God to other people with the same generosity as we have received it from God.

Grades

2011-07-08T09:52:00.001+02:00

Today the Seminary releases the academic transcripts for the first 6 months of 2011. It is a big moment because we all get to see how we are doing: both seminarians and teachers.

Pray that we all might remember that academic grades are only one component of our life together. We are growing ministers of the Gospel - not academic whizz-kids. We dream of forming Christ-followers who can transform Church and nation.
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Touch

2011-07-06T08:45:00.001+02:00

Mark 8:22 Then they came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to Jesus and asked him to touch him:

.... they did not ask for a sermon; neither did they seek a healing; they wanted physical contact - a touch.

This is so rare in our world. We substitute human touch with everything else, thinking that possessions, clothing, entertainment, and words will show our love for another. Jesus showed this to be a hollow substitute by offering the one thing that is prized above every other gift: Jesus offered human contact. In touching the blind man he affirmed the fact that he was not an "unclean" reject of society. In this human touch, Jesus affirmed this man as a beloved brother.

I am challenged by this story to examine the ways I show love: and to be committed to offering human contact to those who are shut out into the margins of my world. Pray for me.
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Welcome

2011-06-23T15:18:00.001+02:00

"Welcome to my office" was the cheerful greeting that encountered me at the Olive Tambo airport in Johannesburg. This was unexpected because I was not aware that I was entering an office. I looked at the sign again - yes it read "Men's toilet". And I had been welcomed by the man who cleaned it.

I was entering his work space. And he welcomed me, and sprayed disinfectant on the toilet seat before allowing me into the cubicle, and wiped the taps and basin clean before I washed my hands.

He was affirming the dignity of his work, ands his desire to give meaning to what he did. He made me feel relaxed and welcome, and wished me well when I left.

And so I thanked him for going beyond what I would have expected. And am determined to learn from him in being courteous to the people of my day.

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Praying alongside each other

2011-06-09T07:57:00.001+02:00

1 Timothy 2:8 "So I want the men a to pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute".

It is a sad reality that we are divided by our prayers. Instead of "lifting up holy hands without anger or dispute" - we insult and denigrate those who do it differently from us.

And so my invitation for us to be respectful of those who pray at midday on Friday, and those who enter their Sabbath on Friday evening; those who worship on a Saturday and those who worship on a Sunday.

Let us protect the sacred space of those whose prayers are expressed in flags, and in raised hands, in silence, and in groans and cries. Let us encourage those who pray under trees, and those who turn wheels, and those who wash in a river.

God receives all our prayers - without exception!
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Enough - but not more!

2011-06-08T08:02:00.001+02:00

Exodus 16:21 "So they gathered it each morning, a each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt."

The book of Exodus tells us that the Israelites were fed with "Manna" during their 40 year sojourn in the wilderness. This was food that appeared each morning as "a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth" (Exodus 16:14). I have no way of knowing whether this is a well constructed parable or a daily miraculous magic moment. But the one key teaching carried in this story is the challenge to the people to take only as much as they needed.

Each person had sufficient for that day. But if an individual tried to accumulate more than could be eaten that day - the hoarded food became rotten. And here is the challenge of human life here on earth: that there is sufficient resources for everyone - if we use only what we need. But when we take more than we can use, then life becomes rotten!

Rotten living is visible where some live in opulent homes while many live in shacks. Rotten living is where a few mine owners get fat while the workers in the mine are starving. Rotten living is where some earn more money in an annual bonus than the majority earn in a lifetime.

Join me as I commit my life to resisting and opposing rotten living. And work with me in creating a world where we share our resources.
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Seminarians and the 21st Century

2011-06-03T07:53:00.000+02:00

This morning's preacher originates from a context of oppression and poverty. He preaches in a style particular to rural black congregations - lots of emotion and imagery, delivered at increasing volume and passion.

But he is using a laptop for his sermon notes; and a microphone for his delivery; and has a power point presentation to illustrate the points of his sermon.

A fascinating blend of rural third world and technologically savvy first world.

My dream is for our seminarians to be able to grasp all the help that technology offers - and infuse this with cultural heart and soul. In this way the Gospel of Jesus can be shared with excellence, and take root in the human heart.
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Xavier Laubscher Comrades Number 22111.

2011-05-28T12:55:00.000+02:00

Xavier (on the left) has cycled 1000 km from Johannesburg . He will run the 90km Comrades Marathon tomorrow. AND THEN ... He will RUN back to Johannesburg over the next 10 days.

Eish.
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Hard Men

2011-05-28T11:39:00.000+02:00

This group of cyclists rode 1300 km from Cape Town to Pietermaritzburg and tomorrow will run the 90km Comrades Marathon from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

Eish!
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Lievland Music Festival

2011-05-22T15:09:00.000+02:00

I am at a music festival entitled "What we will be doing on a Sunday afternoon". It requires us to sit on the grass next to a dam on a Stellenbosch wine farm and listen to local bands play music.

Jenny and I are here to listen to Nomadic Orchestra - our daughter Jessica's boyfriend Greg plays guitar for this Balkan style band. So we will lie here making the most of a lazy Sunday afternoon's relaxation.

Chalk it up to another hard day in Africa.
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The Call of God

2011-05-19T13:12:00.001+02:00

I am at the Synod of the Queenstown District, which is meeting at the E. N. Baartman Methodist Church in East London.

Bishop Mongamele Noqayi reminded us that we can be refreshed by our Christian faith if we are willing to hear the Divine Call. This is call is to "whosoever" - and especially to the weary, the outcast, the poor. This comforts those who struggle, and challenges those who live as if God has no moral call on our lives.

The Bishop noted that while we must criticise the lack of service delivery in our country - we as a church must look to our own delivery. We must move from our old ways into renewal. Bishop Noqayi bluntly warned those circuits that refused to welcome women ministers "to hear God's call to come and be saved."

He concluded with the reminder that all are invited to the Lord's feast: "All in Africa; all in South Africa; all classes, all races, all sexual orientations, all are welcome."
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Those Roots!

2011-05-17T08:15:00.000+02:00

Trees are really difficult to remove!

This tree is becoming a problem: it intrudes into the driveway to my home. It also is growing into the sewerage pipes of the neighbor and causing problems with his home’s foundations. So it is coming down.

Phase one was relatively simple : cut off all the branches and take them away. More difficult is getting the tree stump out – you see it has roots! And they help the tree to stubbornly cling to the ground.
Step one : Dig around the base to try to cut the roots.
Step two: Cut around the base to try to weaken its base.
Step three: Attach a rope to the bakkie and pull ...
OK back to step one!!!

And this led me to thinking about my life: as I look back there have been moments when I felt like the ground was being dug away from under me; it felt as if I was being cut into pieces by the many different demands made on my time and energy; it felt as if I was being pulled over by the pressures and responsibilities of my various commitments. But I have been able to keep going because of my roots.

I am rooted in my relationship with Jesus Christ. This is found in reading widely and rigorously- drawing on the reflections of people I agree with, and people who fundamentally disturb me. This is found in the worship of my God – sometimes with other people, and sometimes on my own. This is found in spending time with people who follow the ways of Jesus – some of whom are like me, and some of whom differ completely from anything I believe and do.

It is my roots in my Christian walk, nourished by the Spirit of God, which has kept me married, and kept me fathering my daughters, and kept me in the service of the Methodist Church, and kept me faithful to people who have asked for my help. Without these roots I will fall over.

And so I pray that my Creator will renew my roots for another day of this adventure called life.

Finding Each Other

2011-05-10T18:19:00.000+02:00

Seminarians from different traditions - Anglicans, Methodists, Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Congregationalists, Evangelical Non-conformists ... and a bunch of University academics: all worshipped together this evening as part of the Pietermaritzburg Ecumenical Cluster.

Dr Simanga Kumalo, head of the UKZN School of Religion, welcomed us and reminded us that tonight's worship was an act of protest against our division.

And we sang together; and danced togethe; and prayed together; because despite our differences we do belong together as Christ-followers.
Pray that those who follow Jesus will find unity more attractive than division.

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An Attractive Faith

2011-05-08T10:30:00.001+02:00

There are some religious people who really annoy me!
These are the people who act as if they alone are right - and anyone who does not see life their way is wrong! These are the people who claim that the way they read their religious text is the only correct interpretation. These are the people who take great pride in stating what is right and wrong - as if they know the mind of God. Their smug self-righteousness is repellent.

St. Paul suggests that our presence should inspire people to thank God. "So they glorified God because of me." (Galatians 1:24)

I pray that my faith practice might make me attractive and not repellent.
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In The Shark Tank

2011-05-07T18:57:00.000+02:00

I am in Durban at the Absa Stadium to watch a Super Rugby match between the Sharks and the Brumbies.

This is a lot of firsts for me: first time here; first live rugby this season; and first time supporting the Sharks (but I will support any team that plays against Australians!).

Bring on the players!
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A Symbol has Died.

2011-05-02T19:36:00.000+02:00

The headline news this evening - Osama bin Laden was killed by United States soldiers in Pakistan.

Clearly this is good news to the American people. There has been a bitter taste of vulnerability since the bombing of the Twin Towers in New York. At least the USA can lay claim to the adage that the US marshall "always gets his man". But does this make the world a safer place?

I think not.

Bin Laden was just a symbol for a much larger emotion: while his methods are reprehensible, and his suggestion that God blessed his violence is blasphemy, he tapped into a sentiment that has deep resonance: there are many who cheer for the one who resists the American domination of our world.

American interests have fuelled wars in South America, Africa, and the Middle East. For many people America has been experienced as the unpopular policeman of the world. And for many, America has come to represent the Christian voice against Islam.

So when American people dance for joy in the streets at the news of bin Laden's death - this only fuels further anti-American sentiment. The words of Mary Auker Edwards are worth noting:
"Killing one man doesn't end terrorism. Fair and equitable dealings around the world ends terrorism. What a horrific and barbaric country we are to glory in a dead body...."

Let us pray for God's just peace for our world.
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The Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T15:44:00.001+02:00

I do not believe in royalty.

Perhaps this has to do with my loyalty to my Scottish forebears. Perhaps because I never was offered the silver spoon to sup with. Perhaps because I am hyper allergic to the culture of celebrity watching. But I think royalty is an anachronism in the 21st Century.

Nobody should be born into privilege. Respect, status, wealth - these should be earned and not inherited.

Do not get me wrong: I wish the newest royal wedding well. I pray that Will and Kate have a happy and fulfilling marriage.

But nobody gets the right by a simple accident of birth to be a royal - or to label someone else a "commoner". We are all equal before God: equally mistaken, equally loved by God, and equally able to live life fully and richly.
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Faith and Understanding

2011-04-25T23:44:00.000+02:00

John 20:9 "For they did not yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead."

But there was no scripture that the disciples could have used .... Nothing that said "Jesus must rise from the dead"! There is nothing in their religious teaching that they could have fallen back on. All they had was an experience that defied reason.

This is the essence of our Christian belief: that Easter is not reasonable. It is a mystery - something bigger than human reason. This is the time when we affirm that light conquers darkness ... that good overcomes evil ... that life defeats death.

This Easter I choose therefore to celebrate resurrection experiences that lead me to faith. For I too have found new life:

I have found God's call for me to be a Methodist Minister renewed through my involvement this year in the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary.

I have found my commitment to being a Christ-follower in South African renewed as I view life through the vigorous faith of the seminarians.

This Easter has been a moment of a renewed love for my wife Jenny.

As I worshipped with my family and friends in my former congregation in Plumstead, I discovered love and affection that renewed my faith.

And I am grateful.
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Two Oceans Marathon

2011-04-23T21:26:00.000+02:00

It all began in 1980.

I ran my first 56km Two Oceans Marathon at the tender age of 23. And have turned up on 28 Easter Saturdays since then to run this race.....

Well not quite.
I have run 21 of the 56km races, and today completed no 7 of the half-marathon race.

Why do I keep coming back? Simply because it is the most beautiful run in South Africa with the best spectator support anywhere!

And I am so privileged to be still running. I know that I am slower, and my knees are sore when they never used to be. And it is harder to get up in the morning to go running.

But I can still put one foot in front of another. And I am grateful.
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A Voice of Beauty

2011-04-20T00:17:00.000+02:00

Tonight I heard Sunnyboy Dladla sing. He is the principle tenor for the Messiah in the Cape Town City Hall this weekend. And I wept for the sheer beauty of his voice.

He very nearly didn't become an opera singer, having begun his adult life as a student nurse. When his finances ran out and he couldn't afford to complete his studies, he was brought to Cape Town by his former Mpumalanga classmate Pretty Yende. She persuaded Prof. Angelo Gobbato, then head of UCT Opera School, to listen to him. Seeing his potential the Professor arranged financial assistance for him to study at UCT.

Since then his career has taken off: Sunnyboy has sung in Verona, Italy, a world famous opera centre, and is in demand as one of South Africa's best lyric tenors.

And I count myself privileged to have heard him sing tonight.
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Where God has placed me ....

2011-04-15T13:51:00.000+02:00

I am a member of the faculty of The Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary (SMMS). This seminary was initiated by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in order to provide full time, residential seminary training for aspirant ministers as part of their journey to ordination. The seminary also admits into its programmes private students who wish to be formed for transformational leadership within a value-based, spiritual environment. Our purpose is to "form transforming leaders for church and nation by providing the spiritual formation, academic, vocational and practical training required to develop skilled leaders of integrity, faithfulness and excellence".[1]

Our faculty of lecturers hail from near and far: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Jamaica and U.S.A. It is a privilege to be blessed by wisdom and insight from such a wide spectrum of colleagues.

L-R: Christel Robinson, Ross Olivier, Doug Roland, Peter Grassow, Eraste Nyirimana, Jenny Stanier, Sifiso Khuzwayo, Jon-Mark Olivier, Nhlanhla Gumede, Roger Scholtz, Lilian Siwila, Mike Stone, Anne Nixon, Kennedy Ondongwe, Adrian Roux, Cheri Roland, Delme Linscott, Sox Leleki, Kennedy Owino, Wilhelmina Hewitt, Rowanne Marie

Once again, Holy Week will see our seminarians spreading out across the expanse of Southern Africa. They have all been assigned to local church communities to share in proclamation and service under the auspices of local ministers. Please join me in prayer for their safe travel and return. After Easter they will enjoy a few days much-needed rest before tacking the second term of this semester.

[1] This Seminary is registered with the Department of Education (South Africa) as a Private Higher Education Institution under the Higher Education Act (Act No. 101 of 1997) - Registration Certificate Number: 2010/HE08/002

Christian Palestinians

2011-04-07T15:39:00.000+02:00

This morning I was reminded that there are Christians who live in the land of Jesus – which is now known as Palestine!

Today the Seminary was visited by Theodosius (Atallah) Hanna, Archbishop of Sebaste. He is part of a movement called Kairos Palestine, which works to find the way of justice and equality in Palestine, believing that this is the only way that leads to genuine peace.

He originates from the Galilean village of Al Rameh, where he attended local primary and secondary schools before entering the Clerical Patriarchate School in Jerusalem. After graduating with honours at Thessalonica University in Greece in the Faculty of Theology, he went on to complete a master’s degree and doctorate.
In 1991 he was ordained as a deacon and priest in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Archbishop Theodosius reminded us that there are Christian Palestinians who suffer as a consequence of Israel’s occupation of Palestine: “Everyone thinks that there is a conflict between Arabs and Israelis. It is not a conflict between Arabs and Israelis, but an occupation by Israel." There are two major Palestinian political groupings: that of Hamas, which is a Palestinian Islamist political party, and Fatah, which is a left-wing nationalist party. Christian Palistinians believe that the Christian faith offers hope for a future without violence and walls. Their Kairos Document is the Christian Palestinians’ word to the world about what is happening in Palestine.

They write:

“It is written at this time when we wanted to see the Glory of the grace of God in this land and in the sufferings of its people. In this spirit the document requests the international community to stand by the Palestinian people who have faced oppression, displacement, suffering and clear apartheid for more than six decades. The suffering continues while the international community silently looks on at the occupying State, Israel. Our word is a cry of hope, with love, prayer and faith in God.”

You can read more at /http://www.kairospalestine.ps/

Gratitude

2011-04-03T11:10:00.000+02:00

Jenny and I celebrate 29 years of marriage today.
We were married in the morning at the Prestbury Methodist Church by the Rev Ray Light, followed by a lunch in the Lutheran Church Hall at Hayfields.

We have been blessed with a good marriage. Jenny deserves a medal for putting up with my cranky ways and single-minded idiosyncrasies. I have made many mistakes, and still have so much to learn about life. I am grateful for her friendship and support.

Coffee in Wartburg

2011-04-02T15:14:00.000+02:00

Go to Wartburg and drink coffee.

I fetched Jenny from King Shaka airport and took the road to Tongaat, and then north to Wartburg.

When you see this shop - stop!
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Fracking in the Karoo

2011-04-01T13:24:00.000+02:00

This is a copy of a short speech made on Friday, 25 March, in Cape Town by Lewis Gordon Pugh OIG (a.k.a. the Human Polar Bear) about the proposed fracking for gas in the Karoo by Shell.He received a sustained standing ovation. Please read it and pass it on if it matters to you.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank for the opportunity to address you. My name is Lewis Pugh.

This evening, I want to take you back to the early 1990's in this country. You may remember them well.

Nelson Mandela had been released. There was euphoria in the air. However, there was also widespread violence and deep fear.
This country teetered on the brink of a civil war. But somehow, somehow, we averted it. It was a miracle!

And it happened because we had incredible leaders. Leaders who sought calm.
Leaders who had vision. So in spite of all the violence, they sat down and negotiated a New Constitution.

I will never forget holding the Constitution in my hands for the first time.

I was a young law student at the University of Cape Town. This was the cement that brought peace to our land. This was the document, which held our country together. The rights contained herein, made us one.

I remember thinking to myself - never again will the Rights of South Africans be trampled upon.

Now every one of us - every man and every women - black, white, coloured, Indian, believer and non believer - has the right to vote. We all have the Right to Life. And our children have the right to a basic education. These rights are enshrined in our Constitution.

These rights were the dreams of Oliver Tambo. These rights were the dreams of Nelson Mandela.
These rights were the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi, of Desmond Tutu and of Molly Blackburn. These rights were our dreams.

People fought and died so that we could enjoy these rights today.

Also enshrined in our Constitution, is the Right to a Healthy Environment and the Right to Water.
Our Constitution states that we have the Right to have our environment protected for the benefit
of our generation and for the benefit of future generations.

Fellow South Africans, let us not dishonour these rights.
Let us not dishonour those men and women who fought and died for these rights.
Let us not allow corporate greed to disrespect our Constitution and desecrate our environment.

Never, ever did I think that there would be a debate in this arid country about which was more important gas or water. We can survive without gas.... We cannot live without water.

If we damage our limited water supply and fracking will do just that we will have conflict again here in South Africa.
Look around the world. Wherever you damage the environment you have conflict.

Fellow South Africans, we have had enough conflict in this land now is the time for peace.

A few months ago I gave a speech with former President of Costa Rica.
Afterwards I asked him "Mr President, how do you balance the demands of development against the need to protect the environment?"

He looked at me and said :
"It is not a balancing act. It is a simple business decision.
If we cut down our forests in Costa Rica to satisfy a timber company, what will be left for our future?"

But he pointed out : "It is also a moral decision. It would be morally wrong to chop down our forests and leave nothing for my children and my grandchildren."

Ladies and gentlemen, that is what is at stake here today: Our children's future. And that of our children s children.

There may be gas beneath our ground in the Karoo.
But are we prepared to destroy our environment for 5 to 10 years worth of fossil fuel and further damage our climate?

Yes, people will be employed but for a short while. And when the drilling is over, and Shell have packed their bags and disappeared, then what? Who will be there to clean up? And what jobs will our children be able to eke out?

Now Shell will tell you that their intentions are honourable. That fracking in the Karoo will not damage our environment. That they will not contaminate our precious water. That they will bring jobs to South Africa.

That gas is clean and green. And that they will help secure our energy supplies.

When I hear this I have one burning question. Why should we trust them? Africa is to Shell what the Gulf of Mexico is to BP.

Shell, you have a shocking record here in Africa. Just look at your operations in Nigeria.
You have spilt more than 9 million barrels of crude oil into the Niger Delta.
That's twice the amount of oil that BP spilt into the Gulf of Mexico.

You were found guilty of bribing Nigerian officials and to make the case go away in America
- you paid an admission of guilt fine of US$48 million.

And to top it all, you stand accused of being complicit in the execution of Nigeria's leading environmental campaigner
Ken Saro-Wira and 8 other activists.

If you were innocent, why did you pay US$15.5 million to the widows and children to settle the case out of Court?

Shell, the path you want us to take us down is not sustainable.
I have visited the Arctic for 7 summers in a row. I have seen the tundra thawing.

I have seen the retreating glaciers. And I have seen the melting sea ice.
And I have seen the impact of global warming from the Himalayas all the way down to the low-lying Maldive Islands.
Wherever I go I see it.

Now is the time for change. We cannot drill our way out of the energy crisis. The era of fossil fuels is over.
We must invest in renewable energy. And we must not delay!

Shell, we look to the north of our continent and we see how people got tired of political tyranny. We have watched as despots, who have ruled ruthlessly year after year, have been toppled in a matter of weeks.

We too are tired. Tired of corporate tyranny. Tired of your short term, unsustainable practices.

We watched as Dr Ian Player, a game ranger from Natal, and his friends, took on Rio Tinto (one of the biggest mining companies in the world) and won.

And we watched as young activists from across Europe, brought you down to your knees,
when you tried to dump an enormous oil rig into the North Sea.

Shell, we do not want our Karoo to become another Niger Delta.

Do not underestimate us. Goliath can be brought down.
We are proud of what we have achieved in this young democracy and we are not about to let your company come in and destroy it.

So let this be a Call to Arms to everyone across South Africa, who is sitting in the shadow of Goliath:
Stand up and demand these fundamental human rights promised to you by our Constitution.
Use your voices - tweet, blog, petition, rally the weight of your neighbours and of people in power.

Let us speak out from every hilltop. Let us not go quietly into this bleak future.

Let me end off by saying this -
You have lit a fire in our bellies, which no man or woman can extinguish.
And if we need to, we will take this fight all the way from your petrol pumps to the very highest Court in this land.
We will take this fight from the farms and towns of the Karoo to the streets of London and Amsterdam.
And we will take this fight to every one of your shareholders.
And I have no doubt, that in the end, good will triumph over evil.

Deacons

2011-03-29T20:39:00.000+02:00

The Deacons visited our seminary tonight.

The Methodist Church of Southern Africa recognises two ordained ministries: Presbyters and Deacons. The Presbyters are set aside for word and sacrament, while the Deacons are set aside for word and service. This has not always been the case. Originally the Order of Deaconesses was created to deal with women who had experienced a call by God to full-time Christian service in the Church. Because the Methodist Church of my grandparents did not recognise the ordination of women, the Order of Deaconesses became a safe place to channel any God-inspired urge to ministry by women. With time the Methodist Church has discovered that the irresistable call of God on the lives of women to the ministry of Presbyter has only grown stronger. We have therefore come to recognise the two orders of ministry - presbyter and deacon - have nothing to do with gender, and everything to do with the call of God into different forms of ordained ministry. While we are a seminary for anyone who seeks Christian vocational formation, we are mostly populated by those exploring a call to become presbyters.

Tonight we heard testimonies of the work done by the deacons and celebrated their calling with shared worship and Holy Communion.

A helpful theological reflection on Deacons by my friend Dion Forster can be found at Deacons . There is also a response to his document.

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Bees around the Honey Pot

2011-03-29T09:04:00.000+02:00

Like bees chasing after honey, they run after the ball - all at the same time! And if the big boy gets the ball he will run straight through the opposing team .

I went to watch an inter-primary schools rugby tournament at Cordwallis School. These were 10 and 11 year olds playing for their school's rugby team. This is beginner's rugby, where each team is allowed to have their school coach run behind the team on the field. This is mostly to help organise the players into some kind of order, ensuring that there will be enough of the bigger boys arriving for a scrum, and that all 15 team members do not attempt to get into the line-out.

I had gone at the invitation of Mulambo, who is the son of my colleague Lilian. Mulambo is a skinny Zambian boy with a broad smile and a passion for sport. He has just moved from the cricket season to the rugby season, and this was their team's first match. He attends Pelham Primary School and plays at wing for the B-team.

I joined Mulambo's father David, along with other fathers who patrol the side-lines cheering and shouting instructons.

We returned home assuring Malambo that the unequal growth of 11year old boys can turn one boy into a battering-ram, but give another a smile and winning personality. As I climbed out of the car I heard David speculating that he should ask Mulambo's older brothers to "toughen him up". I suggested that it would be better to teach Mulambo to run away fast.

The First Seminary Wedding

2011-03-23T19:23:00.001+02:00

Kenny got married this evening.

He is a seminarian from Queenstown who married Yamkhele in a simple legal ceremony in our chapel. They will have a larger family wedding back in their home church when finances permit.

And so they will become part of the Seminary story: as the first wedding in the seminary chapel.

We pray for God to bless them with joy, patience, and understanding.

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Trip to Pietermaritzburg

2011-03-21T15:42:00.000+02:00

I have just spent a weekend with my family in Cape Town. And now I return to work in Pietermaritzburg - joining the ranks of many thousands of migrant workers in Southern Africa.

There is no direct flight to Pietermaritzburg, so I made the trip in two stages: first from Cape Town to Johannesburg; then from Johannesburg to Pmburg.

The first leg was uneventful - "Thank you for flying with us. You and the other 300 passengers are special to us, bla bla bla. " Then a 90 minute wait for the second leg. We went downstairs at the airport - all 28 of us. The bus took us out onto the runway - past the big jets of SAA, and the second hand jets of Kulula and 1Time, and past the smaller private jets, and then .... oh hell: propellers! There was a ladder leaning against the pilot's cockpit at a cleaner with bucket at squeegie cleaned the window. And another ladder for us passengers. We boarded a Jetstream 4100 Turboprop Airliner - top speed 500kmph.
We squeezed in and the air hostess/door guard/announcer/ got us comfortable. And she brought us drinks. And and she gave the hairy eyeball to a passenger twice her size who did not switch off his phone fast enough.

And so I am back at the Seminary.

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Dan and Ben

2011-03-21T12:01:00.001+02:00

I have the amazing privilege of sharing in the life of Jenny and Dylan Wray... and of their twin sons Dan and Ben.
I knew Jenny 36 years ago when I lived with her parents Hugh and Pam Killops in Camps Bay. My father took long leave in my final year of school and I am indebted to the hospitality of the Killops family - including Jenny who was a baby at the time.

It was with a sense of the sacredness of life that I then re-connected with Jenny, who introduced me to Dylan and asked me to officiate at their wedding. They are an amazing couple, who are deeply committed to education that adds value to society. And now they have added their sons to the human mix. I believe that they will make fine parents.

I am better for knowing them.
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Polly Shortts

2011-03-13T09:56:00.000+02:00

This is not a garment to be worn. It is a hill to be run.

It is named after a farmer who lived next to the road, and who would offer aid to those who got stuck on the muddy hill after a thunderstorm. To tens of thousands of long distance runners, it is the dreaded hill to be conquered when running the Comrades Marathon road-running race between Durban and Pietermaritzburg.

This hill comes after 80km of running. From the top it is only 6 more kilometers to the finish – but first there is this 2 kilometer hill.

I ran it this morning – down and up! And discovered that it is 2 300 steps from the bridge at the bottom to where the roads intersect at the top. It is shaped like an S-bend, and fools many people who think that the second bend is the top, only to be sadly disappointed when rounding the bend to see more hill.

This morning’s run brought back many memories of past Comrades runs.

But most of all I am grateful that I can still run.

looking deeper: outstretched

2011-03-09T11:37:00.000+02:00

I found this site that offers a helpful prayer for Lent:

looking deeper: outstretched: "Lord, I believe - help my unbelief. I come with outstretched hands, so aware of their trembling - knowing their frailty and their cruelty, t..."

Ash Wednesday

2011-03-09T10:43:00.000+02:00

Today begins a 40 day journey towards Easter. Christ followers spend this period - known as Lent - in fasting and prayer as we seek spiritual renewal.

This morning the seminarians used a cross of ash drawn on the forehead as a sign of our commitment to this spiritual adventure. Pray that the Spirit of God would lead us into places that renew us.
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Playing in the Chapel

2011-03-08T17:37:00.000+02:00

I have to smile as I spot one of our seminary children playing quietly by himself during tonight's community service.

He is happy, contented, and humming the tune of the song we have just sung. Here is a child happy to be in the chapel of Christ. And he is playing .... cards! I think God laughs out loud.
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Any one for a braai?

2011-03-06T21:43:00.000+02:00

And so the braai is finished. Here is Mike with the finished product. And you are welcome to come around.
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Welder's helper

2011-03-06T21:36:00.000+02:00

This weekend I welded a braai-stand (barbecue for the non-South Africans). This holds half a 44gallon drum.

Well, I did not actually weld. I held the bits of metal in place so that my colleague Mike Stone could do the welding. This involved sparks, very hot flames, helmets to protect our eyes, and ... "don't touch that it is hot" ... "Ouch!"

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The Ramblings of a Rusty Runner

2011-02-27T19:25:00.000+02:00

The alarm went off at 3h30 - yes that is 3:30 in the morning! I groped with disbelief for the light, taking a while to remember that I was to run a race that began at 5am. I am no longer in Cape Town where races begin at 6am (or 7am in winter). Here in Pietermaritzburg the races begin at five in the morning - any later and the heat and humidity becomes too much to bear.

Lately I have taken pity on my knees and have graduated from running marathons to running half-marathons. In a rush of blood to the head I entered two half-marathons on successive weekends. Last weekend I ran the Peninsula 21km in Cape Town, and this weekend I entered the 21km in Pietermaritzburg. Last weekend was lovely: I ran my favourite stretch of Cape Town. Beginning from Bergvliet we ran to the sea, and then along the coast from Muizenberg to Simons Town. We had a sweet westerley breeze to keep us cool, and I felt strong. And just as I was fading my fan club pitched and shouted encouragement (thank you Jen Tyler and Lisa Gee).

But today was a week later .... a week of long days and very little running. Oh well, I would run on the memory of last week. I was planning to get to the start on my motorcycle, only to have the battery die on me last night. So I phoned around, and found Brian Gray who agreed to give me a lift: "No problem, I will fetch you at 4:10". What to have for supper? I now had no transport to find supper, so I would have to make do with whatever was in the fridge and cupboards. Yes, there were some tinned beans, and some cheese, some milk, and some macaroni - viola, a supper is produced. Off to bed.

The alarm work me before sparrowsfart, and as I stumbled into wakefulness I knew that those tinned beans were not a good idea. It was not just the sparrows that farted this early in the morning. Ah there were the car lights of my lift.

"Hi Brian"

Oh no, it is not Brian but his son. "Dad said I must fetch you"

"And Where is Brian?"

"He is still asleep."

We sett off for the start....along with thousands of other runners. I estimate that about 3 000 runners filled the road - and helped raise the humidity levels. I was aware that the beans of last night's supper were also contributing to the methane levels, but "better out than in" is my motto. We set off on a 21km circuit around Pietermaritzburg. This really meant that the first 10km were uphill and the second 10km were downhill. I covered the first half in 7minutes per kilometer, but then recovered my equilibrium and managed the second half at 6 minutes per/km.

It is strange running in new territory. Not only do I not know the route, but I do not know the runners. I see some of the clubs that I remember from running the Comrades Marathon - Chiltern, DAC, Hillcrest Harriers, and Collegians - but many other clubs are new to me. We set off in the dark, weaving our way over speed bumps and pot holes, and as the dawn lightens the sky I am grateful for the early morning mist that cools the air. Gradually I begin to feel better and take in my surroundings, which consisted mostly of grizzled old codgers trundling at the back like me, and some pretty young things who graciously agree to laugh at our jokes - possibly out of pity or as a charitable gesture.

And then there was the finish line. The marathon runners turned right as they set off on the second leg of the run, but I gratefully headed for the tunnel, crossed the line, and received my medal with a sigh of satisfaction. It was only then that the realization struck me - I still had 4km to get home. I had so blithely told Brian not to worry about me after the race: "I will run home". What an idiot! I dragged my sorry ass over the next four kilometers at walking pace, rewarding myself with a hot shower and a sleep.

Now - what's the next race?

Wednesday Sermon

2011-02-23T08:25:00.000+02:00

Wednesday morning at the seminary begins with a sermon. We are not just about academic gymnastics (and there is plenty of this). We are a place for the formation of Christian ministers. And Wednesday morning is the reminder of the call to ministry.

This is found both in the challenge offered by the preacher, and in the process of listening to experienced preachers and learning how to preach.

Right now we are encountering the three point sermon. Wednesday by Wednesday the preachers will use this basic structure as the medium for God's message. And in this we not only encounter a challenge of the Holy Spirit in the preached word, but we are challenged to learn how to communicate clearly and simply.

Ross Olivier preached this morning on Jacob wrestling with God at Peniel. He invited us to encounter the mystery of God - as we see Jacob trying to define God: "what is your name?" Ross then invited us to discover our spiritual growth in our inner wounds - Jacob's struggle left wounds. And thirdly, we were reminded that like Jacob, we are held secure by the Spirit as we offer our helplessness in worship.

I am grateful for my life.
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Inside

2011-02-18T20:58:00.000+02:00

So here we are inside the stadium. Let the show begin (can you guess that I am really making the most of this evening?)
I have worked from 7am (morning worship) to 10pm (preparing the next day's lectures) for two weeks straight. Saturday was prep for Sunday's services at Wesley Methodist at Hayfields in Pietermaritzburg.
So I really need today off! And am having a great time.
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At the Stadium

2011-02-18T18:45:00.000+02:00

Jenny and me outside the Cape Town Stadium - going to the U2 concert
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A sea of people

2011-02-18T17:43:00.000+02:00

Crowds converging on Greenpoint Stadium for the U2 concert.
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Flights of Fury

2011-02-17T19:40:00.000+02:00

She was angry. She was so angry that her voice had become a shrill screech and her words were punctuated with expletives. She threatened to sue the airline. And she shook her fist at the counter check-in person. And she demanded that they pay her a full refund in addition to giving her a free flight. And free drinks. And she was going to the newspapers. And she knew influential people who would hear what a useless airline this was. And on and on it went.

All because the plane was not big enough for everyone who had booked. There were 5 of us in the same predicament. We were bumped off the budget flight (the one with no frills, food, and comfortable seats) onto a British Airways flight with food, drink, newspapers, and spacious seating. In addition we were given a voucher for a free flight. And we were asked to wait an hour for this flight. What a bargain!

She did not agree - but then she clearly does not belong in Africa. This is a continent that asks a measure of flexibility when it comes to time. And once we learn to deal with delays, shifting deadlines, and waiting in line - well it is a beautiful day.

And I am grateful for my life.
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A Community Sacrament.

2011-02-15T22:38:00.000+02:00

In the Methodist tradition we affirm that the Grace of God embraces all people. We believe that whoever responds to the call of God is welcome to be part of God's community of faith. We believe that this is visibly expressed in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

Those who preside over the liturgy are not gate keepers. Instead the priest/minister/president serves anyone who answers the prompting of the Spirit of God and comes to the Sacrament.

This evening at the Seminary Community service we celebrated God's Grace-full welcome to both adults and children as we shared Holy Communion together.

And I am grateful.
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seminary children at family worship

2011-02-15T17:48:00.000+02:00

Every Tuesday evening the Seminary has family worship. Here the children of our seminarians sit next to the table of Holy Communion as they are welcomed into the worshipping community.
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my Valentine

2011-02-14T13:52:00.000+02:00

She spent the weekend with me. Jenny lives in Cape Town and I am four hours away in Pietermaritzburg (a two hour flight and an hour each way to the King Shaka airport).

She is living in Cape Town with our three university-going daughters. They are all in their final year of different stages of study and so Jenny will join me at the end of this year. Until then I look forward to weekends such as this.

We are at Circus Cafe in the Pavilion Mall at Westville - on our way to the airport.
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The Duckpond

2011-02-13T14:28:00.000+02:00

A long leisurely lunch at The Duckpond. This is a coffee shop behind Jesmondine Nursery, above Hayfields in Pietermaritzburg.

There is a traditional roast Sunday-lunch, washed down with a great cup of coffee. If you want to add something extra then try the cappuccino milkshake, which is homemade from scratch (no powder or instant coffee).

Aaah ...koffie kapitaal.
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worship in SMMS chapel

2011-02-03T08:26:00.000+02:00

The seminarians spend time each day in worship. It is a core activity in their formation as spiritual leaders. Please keep their spiritual journey in your prayers.
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Did it hurt?

2011-01-23T11:04:00.000+02:00

Peter Storey, preaching at the opening service of the Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, asks if we are willing to allow the Spirit of God to change us. He notes that change is not easy. It may well hurt us. "The call of Jesus is a costly one". It is a Gospel that strips off the old in the process of producing the new.

We are invited into a community that turns the world upside down. It is not driven by the love of power. It is driven by the power of love. This is a community that embraces the hurts of our world - in order to bring God's change to our world.

This Seminary's dream is for people to discover the heart of love that changes our world. And that this community will not be afraid to embrace the pain of change in order to become God's people: "a cross-shaped church".
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different shoes

2011-01-20T13:08:00.000+02:00

So there I was walking through the supermarket when I happened to glance down at my feet. I was wearing different shoes. I had dressed and slipped my feet into the shoes alongside my bed. And failed to notice that they did not match.

But who decided that feet need to be shod the same? Perhaps I can start a new fashion.

Perhaps not. I am grateful for this quirky day.
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First Day at School

2011-01-13T06:12:00.000+02:00

I have that feeling all over again! The first day at a new school. It is a feeling stored in my memory; a feeling that now returns to me:

January 1963: pre-primary in Standerton Nursery School.
January 1964: Grade One at Robert Hicks Primary School, Pretoria.
January 1967: first day at Fish Hoek Primary School
January 1971 first day at Fish Hoek High School.
January 1980: first day at Rhodes University.
January 1981: first day at the Federal Theological Seminary, Pietermaritzburg.
January 1985: first day at University of Cape Town.
January 1998: first day at John Wesley College, Pretoria.
January 2002: first day at John Wesley College, Cape Town.

And here it is again:
January 2011: first day at Seth Mokitimi Methodist Seminary, Pietermaritzburg.
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A Perfect Cappuccino

2011-01-12T07:00:00.000+02:00

There is a coffee heaven.

Drive north of Pietermaritzburg on the N3. Then turn off onto the Midlands Meander, near Curry's Post. And go in search of Terbodore coffee roasters.

Mark and Marian Macaskill run a coffee shop attached to their coffee roastery. They serve amazing coffee. Even better is their warm hospitality, and their endless patience in answering all our coffee questions.

And I savoured a perfect cappuccino. I am grateful.

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Coffee at a Lighthouse

2011-01-10T07:03:00.000+02:00

We drank lighthouse coffee at Port Edward.

This is a holiday village at the end of the KwaZulu-Natal holiday coast. Named Port Edward in honour of the Prince of Wales, (who later became King Edward VIII), it is 150 km south of Durban on what is known as the Hibiscus Coast because of its lush sub-tropical vegetation.

Dave Watson runs a fabulous coffee-shop at the lighthouse. He will welcome you with a smile and a story from the sailing-ship history of this coastline. You will be invited to climb the lighthouse stairs to see the panoramic view from the top (tip: hold onto your sunglasses and cap or they will be redistributed by the breeze). And then settle down to a cup of coffee brewed from beans grown on a local farm.

Breathe deeply and taste the salty sea air. And be grateful to be alive.
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