Don't Do It Alone

Last week I re-discovered this note in our leadership minutes: "N. [a deaconess] said that Thomas [that's me] should not enter a hazardous situation alone, ever again. Thomas said he promised that he would not, and he could see his mistake. At the same time, he said, it was some­times difficult to predict what would be a hazardous situation, or to realise soon enough that one had got into one." OBSERVATION: The problem here was slander which arose from a situation to which there were no witnesses. I have a rule -- which in this case I broke. If you even suspect that you could be facing a volatile or hostile situation, do not on any account enter it alone.

Alley-Cat?

Is she really cute? Or is she just an alley-cat? This is son M.'s cat -- named Mowgli. She was discovered as a small kitten by the SPCA -- lost in Grassy Park, one of Cape Town's roughest neighbourhoods. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

A Helping Hand

Recently, thousands of refugees were driven from their homes in the town of De Doorns, north-east of Cape Town. A deaconess in our Church, a nursing sister, travelled there to offer her services. She said: “They were exposed to the elements. Small children were running high fevers. The clinic was closed. The doctors were off duty. All I could offer was water, glucose, and Panado [paracetamol].” OBSERVATION: She herself was exposed to the elements, and has ended up sick in bed with a chest infection.

Not The Saviour

We had a guest preacher in Church today, as we have every six weeks (see photo). He plants Churches in informal settlements. He told the story how his boss repeatedly said to him: "Jesus is the Saviour." Eventually he said to his boss: "I know that Jesus is the Saviour! Why do you keep telling me?" His boss said: "I keep telling you because you are not the Saviour, yet you act as though you are!" His message, therefore, was that one needs to be guided by one's calling and purpose from God, not the needs that swamp our world. And one needs to know that calling and purpose.

Sunday Farewell

Today was our intern P.'s last service with us, and we said prayers over him in front of the Church (see photo). After Church, he reported to our Church Meeting, and received warm applause -- and some friendly heckling. He said he "couldn't have asked for better" with his placement, yet expressed regret that our Church didn't experience any "dire crises" so that he could "get some practice". OBSERVATION: Sorry we couldn't oblige, P. Heck, it could have spiced up my blog, too.

Ammunition Belt

Later in the day, I have a Church Meeting -- the Church's highest executive authority. So this week I prepared an agenda, wrote my regular Pastoral Report, and checked past minutes. In addition, I checked my "ammunition belt". While nearly all such meetings are constructive and encouraging, if there is any chance that an issue may be simmering -- even years later -- I make sure that I have the ammunition there. This means that I may use it, too. It's about preventing spanners in the works of a great undertaking.

Good Vectors

For those who have studied photography, this photo exhibits good vectors. You wish you could see what it is they are both looking at! F., on the left, is an inspiration behind the CD we have just created. E., on the right, is a deaconess in our Church -- she has the worship portfolio. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Poor Little Rich Girl

Intern P. and I met with a woman this morning, in her sixties. She said, "I started life as a rich little poor girl. Now I am a poor little rich girl." We told her that she would rediscover the riches of life if she would (or could) come into a living relationship with a wonderful God. OBSERVATION: She and we weren't on the same page in that regard, but I laid out some of the basics on which a relationship with God would be based. The Holy Spirit can use those.

Hard To Forgive

I preached a sermon on forgiveness. F., a brilliant engineer, asked to see me immediately in my vestry. He was visibly upset. He told me this story: "My daughter came home from school one day. Her school jersey was full of grass. Overnight, she changed from the bubbly person she was, to a quiet, solemn young woman. She wasn't the same again. I found out that she had been raped in that field [he pointed in the direction]." He said, "I will not forgive the man who did that."

Canadian Assistant

About 10% of the readers of this blog come straight through my assistant's blog (Peter Goes To Africa). Someone noted this week how different his blog is to mine, although much of our experience overlaps. He'll blog about (so it is said) a visit to the seaside, or a cultural event, where I'll blog about murder and mayhem. OBSERVATION: He now has only four days left here. Before Christmas, I'll need to hand in my report to his university. Before then, too, I hope to reflect on his time here, on my blog. The photo shows him with members of our group the Over 21's last night. You may click on it to enlarge (it's about 80k).

Dispensation

In our Church, anyone may conduct the sacraments, on condition that they receive what we call a dispensation. That means the approval of our leadership. This morning I ran our elder C. through his paces (see photo), who has received a dispensation to conduct Holy Communion when I am on leave in January.

Anonymity Adieu

This week I looked up an article on “grammaticalization” on the Internet. Immediately, a number of very targeted offers popped up. Among them: “Are you a busy pastor?” (see image). But ... how did they guess?

I Offend Miss South Africa

I was reminded last night, at a dinner, of the fateful day I offended (an ex) Miss South Africa who attended our Church at the time. I had made an appointment to see her. Her maid ushered me into a luxurious lounge. I had waited some twenty minutes when the maid reappeared, saying that Miss South Africa was still busy with her hair. Some twenty minutes later, the maid appeared again, saying that Miss South Africa was still busy with her make-up. Having waited about three-quarters of an hour, I got up and left. We lost Miss South Africa from our Church. OBSERVATION: The reaction at last night's dinner was: "Well done!"

Character And Influence

A common notion in the Christian leadership literature is that character guarantees influence. Quote: "Character wins out." My Master's research, however, found evidence that the very opposite may be true. A failure of character may be triggered by a failure of influence. OBSERVATION: In other words, the very thing that is meant to sustain one (character) may be the first to be subverted. This suggests that a fundamental rethink may be needed.

African Vestry?

The photo shows the apex of a door in my vestry (you may click on it to take a closer look at the magnificent paint-work). On Sunday, a deaconess said, "We really need to fix the paint in this vestry." I said, "This is Africa. It's an African paint job for an African vestry." She said, "I am a descendant of Europe, and it's in my blood that the paint shouldn't look like that!"

Phantom Audit

When I arrived at this Church, one of the first things I did was to introduce financial discipline, to restore member confidence. This meant restoring annual audits, which had been neglected. OBSERVATION: But this audit (see photo), which a Church treasurer turned in in 1996, was not all that it seemed. It was discovered that no such accountants existed. The treasurer, incidentally, was the brother of a former cabinet minister. Soon after this, he quit.

Tithing

In my early ministry here (sixteen years ago) our Church's financial situation was dire. I told a colleague at the time that if only some people would tithe, all our troubles would be over. He said, "Do you tithe?" I said, "No." He said, "You need to tithe." Since then I have tithed, at first on my gross income (which was unsustainable), and now on my full nett salary, plus some. OBSERVATION: I say "full nett salary" because some people have strange notions of "nett". I think a minister needs to set an example.

Flying High

A good friend of mine says, “A Church's finances stand apart completely from the world.” This was proved last month, in our Church. In the midst of national economic crisis, our treasurer reported (quote): “It's the best month the Church ever had in its … what? 114 years?” He noted, however: “A little bit worrying is that our Planned Giving is down.” OBSERVATION: In short, higher income, lower security. In the Church, it's all of Grace.

Organ And Children

If you were a child, and you had a chance to sneak into the midst of a huge Church organ, would you take it? Except that a child, we suspect, recently stepped on a part of our organ, so killing a whole bank of organ pipes. Our "organ man" reported: "Got a bit hot and late on Monday. Left just after 1 p.m. Redoing that damaged wind supply has obviously altered wind pressure to that bank of pipes and I shall be around before Sunday to complete where I left off. Organ will be 100% before Sunday. Don't make any expense re fitting locks etc. to that entrance door. I have a simple and much better idea to prevent inquisitive kids from gaining access. Problem solved." OBSERVATION: Problem solved? But how? A shotgun? He didn't say. Watch this blog! The photo shows some of our organ's innards.

Serious Realities

A minister is not a saviour. This year, our intern P. and I have been closely involved with people who, after we came on the scene, attempted suicide, committed suicide, were admitted to a mental asylum, or incarcerated, or hastened their own death. Some of these people were P.'s primary responsibility at the time, others mine. OBSERVATION: It is a reminder, at the least, that ministry is about serious realities, and so is the gospel.

Swan Song

He's not with us for much longer, so here's another photo of our intern P. at Youth last week. I'd say that he's teaching them cards here -- if it didn't look as though the girl in pink knows exactly what she is doing. You may click on the photo to enlarge (it's about 40k).

Education Paradigms

I re-read the paper which marked the end of the first half of my MTh in the USA. Was it good? Was it bad? I found it hard to tell. This, I think, is the result of the method of education in the USA: the “affirmation of every offering”, to quote US educationalist Jane Vella. Where there is continual affirmation, one is not in a good position to assess the quality of one's work. By way of contrast, after I completed my final MTh thesis in South Africa, I came away from that with the confidence that I was a competent scholar. This, I think, is again the result of the method of education. On one occasion, over here, when my work was not up to standard, I received a four-hour "harangue" from my supervisor! OBSERVATION: The “affirmation of every offering” would, in fact, seem to dis-affirm the student.

Sent To The Doctor

A nursing sister, a deaconess in our Church, did a random check on me a few Sundays ago. She reported to our leadership: “Our minister's blood pressure is dangerously high!” It was proposed, therefore, that I should see a doctor. I said, “Sometime I should” (the kind of reply that revolutions are made of). So today – under orders – chastened – I went to see the doctor. Apart from having spurned the restful life, my problem was this. A doctor once put me on beta-blockers. The beta-blockers ran out, and … well, there were no more of them. I was, however, supposed to have taken them indefinitely. OBSERVATION: Urban minister lives to see another day.

Petty Theft

Petty theft stands at an extreme level in our Church. If anything can move, it will – even if one turns the other way for only a second. The most recent example is a book in which we record details of copyright each week. One of our members laid it down at the back of the Church – another went to pick it up – and it was gone. With it, a mass of information was gone. For another recent example, see Stopped By Theft. And for an absurd example, see Tussle Over A Bible. OBSERVATION: Looking on the bright side, this would seem to mean that we are in close contact with our society.

95% Of The Effort

One of the highlights of my weekend was another recording session (we've been recording a CD) -- except that we didn't record anything -- in the sense of turning out anything worthwhile. We spent most of the time reviewing the material we have in hand (see photo). I., who is looking at the camera, said about one recording: "We won't come up with a song like this one. We can try it, but you'll see." OBSERVATION: The same, in fact, applied to all the songs. I've heard it said that 95% of the effort goes into the last 5% improvement. We'll rest content with the 95% we have.

Dedication

In this morning's service, we had the dedication of a child. In keeping with the priesthood of believers, the father (see photo) addressed the congregation before the dedication. He quoted from Matthew 19, focusing on the words: "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Though his words were just a few minutes in length (which was just right), he gave a thoughtful, moving address that really enriched the occasion. We continually encourage such input.

Powerful Bad Memory

A deaconess in our Church, E., went to visit her aged mother, who has “a powerful bad memory”. Her mother said to her (not recognising E.): “All my daughters did me proud. But E.! The silly girl never got married!” (the word in Afrikaans is “simpel”). E. shares this story with delight.

Girls At Youth

Strangely, we suddenly have a large influx of girls in our Youth. This one asked me to take her photo on Friday. OBSERVATION: Sometimes we have gone for years at a time with no more than one or two girls. Perhaps a third of the Youth are now girls. I'll probably have the photo developed for her, as I often do. This "tradition" of mine provides a nice connection with people in the Church.

Christmas Gifts

At our last leadership meeting, we selected fifteen individuals / families in the Church to receive Christmas gifts. Each will receive about R700 this Christmas ($100/€65) – enough, in some cases, to pay a month's rent. OBSERVATION: This is funded by a bequest that the Church receives every year. The typical recipient would be a hard-working member who finds it a struggle to get by. For me, it is a pleasure that we can do this.

Fabrication

I went to see a tax consultant. One of my pet hates is filling in/out tax forms. He said, “Have you kept travel records?” I said, “I haven’t.” He said, “That’s OK, I’ll reconstitute them.” I said, “Could you explain that?” He said, “Fabricate them.” OBSERVATION: That had my attention! I said no, it has to be genuine, even if it’s to my disadvantage. This seemed a lunatic proposition to him, but he carried out my instructions. It's a good job I asked -- and it's an example of what one can potentially get caught in when entrusting one's affairs to others. I've had worse.

Honours Complete

After our Youth function last night, I attended a large party to celebrate the completion of son M.'s Honours degree. Somebody said to him, "But what if you failed your Honours?" (he doesn't yet have the results). Everybody laughed. The photo shows a guest performing with Glowballs™ -- a four second exposure.

No Ambulance

One of the children's parents, at Youth last night, badly injured his foot (see photo). It was not possible to get him into a car. We called for an ambulance. But the local (government) hospital would not send one. Two Youth helpers drove to the hospital, found an ambulance, found the driver, and insisted that they send it. Ultimately they got the patient there, by ambulance.

Youth Farewell

I attended a Youth farewell for our intern P. tonight (he's in the background). All of this year, P. helped out at Youth. The Youth group had received a special donation, and could treat all the children to pizza. OBSERVATION: The youngster in the foreground typifies the restlessness of this group. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Bursary

I begin all our leadership meetings with devotions. Yesterday I focused on the opening verses of Acts 13. The great missionary journeys of the New Testament began simply with worship and fasting. Then the Holy Spirit spoke. I said, "We have no great plans tonight. That [Acts 13] is what we desire." OBSERVATION: We didn't decide to conquer Africa last night, but there was something brand new that "fell upon us". We decided to offer a small bursary for a theological student or students. Value: R3,000/$400/€270 -- enough to pay half a year's tuition in Africa.

Linguistics Foray

I met this morning with a linguistics postgrad/lecturer at the University of Cape Town (see photo). She critiqued the first half of a linguistics paper I am writing. I am pleased to report that my work passed muster with its first critic. She said, "It is very, very interesting. It persuades me to adopt this view." OBSERVATION: I proposed an original view of the linguistic sign, which I believe should crack some long-standing problems in linguistics and philosophy. That's not to say that she has not given me work to do, to tidy it up.

Leadership Jokes [5]

Our leadership, last night, was discussing the replacement of a lost badminton net. I said, "We have searched everywhere. It's nowhere to be found." A deaconess said, "We sold it at the fête." We said what? She said, "Yes, for a net profit!" OBSERVATION: We do get some daft jokes at our leadership meetings. Anyway, they are popular on this blog.

“Living” Blog

This is a “living, breathing” blog. I modify existing posts from day to day -- both text and photos -- on various whims. I even delete posts, replace posts – as I did today. Some bloggers post once and for all. An example is Rev. Rick Dugan of Cyprus (honest2blog). Rick and I studied at Fuller together. His is one of my favourite ministry blogs. I recommend it. OBSERVATION: However, the more my blog gets read, the more quickly my posts get snapped up by various websites and services, and the more my “unfinished” posts get out there into the cyberworld. If you're reading this through e.g. Technorati or Google Reader, and would like the latest (definitive?) version -- if it still exists! -- check my blog. The photo is just for fun. It shows the Beach Road close to our Church.

Benefits Of Predictability

There has been ongoing debate in our Church – for years – as to whether our Church services should be “time-bound”, or whether we should “give room to the Spirit”. I consider that both the time and length of services needs to be predictable. People function according to habit, and they need a sense of security. This is a recurring theme in the Church growth literature, too. Also, in our Church, shift-workers may carefully plan their time in Church, while others need to keep time for lunch at their residences. One can walk out if a service gets too long, but that is, I think, one of the last things people want to do. OBSERVATION: This is merely my opinion, which could easily be swept aside (I would consider that to be the movement of the Spirit). However, I believe that predictability has something to do with a strong Church.

Shock-Wave Bullet

I went to see a Church member. The conversation turned to intruders. He said, “I'll show you what I've got,” and pulled out a packet of ammunition. It was, as far as I could see, French THV (tres haute vitesse) bullets, or similar. They looked like the bullet on the left in this photo. He said, “A normal bullet just passes straight through you. It doesn't stop a man. But these send a shock wave through the body. They'll stop a man at close range.” OBSERVATION: Not for me. Thanks to www.quarry.nildram.co.uk for the photo.

How To Forgive

One of our Church groups asked me last night for input on forgiveness. I centred (uncharacteristically) on Genesis 26 and Psalm 23. I said that if you consider that someone has disadvantaged you in life, done you harm, taken away from you, and so on, you will naturally have something against them. But if you trust God to rule over such situations, and turn the details to the good, and “make room” for you (Gen 26) and “prepare a table” for you (Psa 23), the desire for retribution is taken away. There is no more reason for it. OBSERVATION: For this reason, forgiveness is a deeply spiritual thing. For this reason also, the unspiritual person has a reputation for unforgiveness.

RSVP Yesterday

Last week, the Marriage Office invited me to attend a two-day workshop (I am a government Marriage Officer, as many ministers are in South Africa). But look when they posted the invitation (on the 9th -- the photo on the left) and when they scheduled the workshop (the 12th and 13th -- the photo on the right). The invitation didn't arrive in time. Even if it had, how would a minister schedule two days for a workshop with, say, a day's notice? OBSERVATION: If I organised something like this in my Church, I'd surely "hear about it"! See also Marriage Register.

Greenery

This one's merely to add some greenery to my blog. As you see, it's a photo of no significance or consequence at all. I took it in our garden. You may click on it to enlarge to VGA.

Persistent To Know Christ

H., a strapping young man with dreadlocks, stopped me at the Church gate at night, a fortnight ago, asking for some time to talk. I sat down with him on the ground outside (for safety), talking for an hour about his life. He pursued me for an appointment. He said he wanted to receive Christ as his Saviour. My schedule was full more than a week in advance, but he didn't give up. We made an appointment -- then I forgot it. That day, I was besieged by people, and made an escape out of a side entrance of the Church. However, as soon as I was out, I realised by my blurry surrounds that I had left my spectacles on my vestry desk. I turned back – to find him waiting with friend U. H. said, "Don't you remember?" The two of them said that they never did anything apart. They wanted to receive Christ together. This they did, in my vestry this week. Pray for them.

$600 Recording System

The web page Blogged: Recording Equipment recently linked to this blog. With this in mind, here's a description of the recording system we recently used to record a CD. We are relatively poor, yet our cost-effective system seemed to me (potentially) to be close to perfection. It comprised: an Olympus CD-quality stereo digital recorder (costing R1,600/$200, donated) and stereo electret microphones (R500/$40, also donated). These plugged into an Acer Linux computer (R2,000/$270, on loan) with stereo speakers (R200/$25, on loan) and optical mouse (R60/$10, also on loan), running the Audacity sound editor (free), and a sound converter (free). The result was music files that we could transfer to a 2GB USB flash drive (R120/$15, donated). The total cost: nil, or R4,480 ($600/€400) if we had paid for it all ourselves. This excludes duplication at R30/$4 a CD at an Internet Café (this was ultimately donated). We also used an external monitor, not essential to our purposes. OBSERVATION: There were a few shortcomings of our particular set-up. We did not have a sound-proof studio. In the midst of urban Africa, this proved to be awkward. Also, it turned out that we had too many plugs between our microphones and the Olympus recorder. This meant that noise sometimes intruded on the system. The photo shows our set-up playing back a song. You may click on the photo to enlarge (it's about 60k).

Wives For Hire

A “wife”, in our suburb, costs about R10,000 ($1,300/€900) a month to hire. However, to hire her only for weekends doubles the cost. This is easily explained. If she is hired full-time, she doesn't need a place of her own to stay. OBSERVATION: I have counselled several people who were in such relationships. Not seldom, one or the other side (the woman or the man) is duped into believing that this is genuine. When it unravels, there may be very deep distress. See Baited.

Held To Ransom

A minister friend, E., together with his leadership, passed a certain resolution at a leadership meeting. One member of his leadership, a major contributor to the Church, said that if the leadership did not reverse the decision, he would withdraw his financial support. E. said to him: “First we need to resolve the issue of your oppositional approach. First you need to make up your mind whether you intend to support this Church or not. Then we shall revisit the decision.” The man withdrew his financial support, and left the Church. OBSERVATION: In fact this made little impact on the Church’s financial situation. My own approach is similar. In my experience, those who have made such threats (or implied threats) had not, it seems, been giving much at all (giving in our Church is anonymous -- one discovers the impact afterwards). Bill Hybels points out: "God is the ultimate resource supplier. ... People are the conduits of God's supply." We are thankful for those people.

No. 1 Blog

Judging by the latest available statistics of UrbanMinistry.org, and by this blog's current Technorati authority, Urban Ministry Live And Unplugged may well be the world's no. 1 urban ministry blog. Correction: the world's no. 1 urban Church ministry blog. If one understands "ministry" in the widest sense of the term (including social justice, and so on), then Sojourners and Eugene Cho would be ahead of it. I say this blog "may now be ... no. 1" as I have taken somewhat dated statistics (namely those of UrbanMinistry.org) for comparison with its current Technorati authority. OBSERVATION: In the column on the left, I note that many have written to me to say how they cherish the help they have received through this blog. For instance: "Your blog in principle has inspired me deeply ..." For the rest of that quote, see Church-Changing Blog. That is perhaps the overriding purpose of this blog: to be a blessing to the Church. Thank you for your support, and I am glad that I could be one, too.

My Hat

I found the hat that I wore in the mission as a boy, in the Central Pacific. It seems unbelievable to me that this relic of a distant dream-world still exists, so out of time and out of place. OBSERVATION: It's made of pandanus and coconut leaves. The photos show the stitching on the outside (pandanus), and the weave on the inside (coconut). You may click on the photos to enlarge (about 60k in size).

Ghost From The Past [2]

I had a meeting last week that was “one of the classics”. I'm pleased that intern P. was with me to witness it. I met with the man who, several years ago, told me he had decided to hire a hit-man (see Ghost From The Past). His house had been seized by invaders – and, as I discovered last week, he never got it back. I asked him what had happened after that “final” meeting we had. We both remembered it well. He said, “You said I should forgive. You said that God would bless me.” In fact, I had quoted Psalm 23:5: “You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.” He said, “That went round and round in my head. I decided to forgive. I decided to wait for God to bless me.” I said, “Did God bless you?” He beamed. He said, “Yes, God blessed me!” OBSERVATION: The name-change that I mentioned in the previous post had another explanation.

Hazards Of Visitation

I was visiting in a hospital ward tonight. On the way out, I tripped over the front wheel of a wheelchair, and went flying into the passage. I did the perfect roll -- as one sees in the motorcycle races. Our intern was with me. He said it would have been funny if I'd broken a leg on a wheelchair in a hospital. I ask you, this is the sympathy a poor minister gets.

Festivity

I love to see a little festivity and generosity and celebration in the Church. Really it can happen anywhere, anytime, in all sorts of ways. Today we had an opportunity on the occasion of our accountant's seventieth birthday. She's not merely an accountant. She has been a great blessing to the Church. She's camera-shy, so she's not in this photo. This is one of our younger congregants handing out birthday cake after the service today.

Clinical Depression

I have just evaluated an assignment of our intern P. on "clinical depression" (a good one). One often encounters this in ministry. P. and I encountered it just yesterday, in counselling. OBSERVATION: "Common depression" is there for all to see. Clinical depression, however, can be a curious beast. Such depression may be serious, yet may go unnoticed. This is where an eye for the symptoms is needed. Certainly a minister should know what it is, and it should be helpful for anyone to know. See, as an example, Clinical Depression (the University of California). Also see my see my post Depression.

Two Spiritual Pitfalls

There are two great pitfalls that a minister needs to avoid: on the one hand, to become the politician, satisfying a constituency. On the other hand, to seek or to seize control of situations. Both, I think, are reactions of fear. I see a third way, or middle way, and it looks like this. On the one hand, God speaks through the whole Body. On the other hand, the minister will discern the spirits, and where appropriate speak through the Holy Spirit – speaking, as it were, set free from self. Thus there will be times where, in the Spirit, a minister might say, "You of little faith!" or, "Who has bewitched you?" One finds this repeatedly in the New Testament, not least in the words of Jesus and Paul. But this must be free of self, or it fails. OBSERVATION: I was in a lecture once where such quotes were listed on a screen. I said, “Why don't ministers say such things today?” There was laughter all round. A Christian missionary said, “We need to keep our job.”

Warmly Received CD

There has been such a warm response to our rookie attempt to make a CD. I received this note from a minister in the USA last night, in response to one of the songs: "Beautiful! I bet Christmas service with such a choir is a joy! Their voices carry such feeling and an honest sense of self. I love the fact it is their voices making the song come alive, not instruments or amplification. Truly they sing in love of God." OBSERVATION: When first we aspired to recording a CD, we didn't have the means. A couple (on hearing our singers) kindly donated a CD-quality recorder and electret microphones. Most recently, a professional offered to design a CD cover, and to duplicate the CDs, free. I loaned my own sound editor to tie it all together. The photo shows a recording session in progress. You may click on the photo to enlarge (it's 100k).

Changed View

There have been moments in my life which changed my view of the world. One was a visit to the Marshall Islands, in the Pacific. There, I looked up a woman who had seen the flash of an H-bomb as a girl (I had read of her experience in a WCC document). She had had multiple operations for tumours. I waded across a large reef to visit the resettled Bikini islanders and their descendants. I visited the clinic in Majuro which treated (and still treats) survivors. I was distressed by the vast impact that this had had on the population -- I had never understood that -- and by the US "clampdown" on the whole situation. The photo shows the first Bikini blast. For another moment which changed my view of the world, see Cambodia.

Intern's Acadamic Programme

Most of this year, I have been setting weekly academic assignments for our Canadian intern P. By and large, these assignments were non-directive. The point was for him to give these subjects some serious thought. Here are the assignments, in chronological order: • Discover the mission and values of the Church, through interviews. • Discover what the Church thinks about literalism and liberalism, through interviews. • Discover whether the members consider the Church to be Congregational, through interviews. • Report on the major transitions of the Church in recent decades. • Define the relationship between faith and values. • Describe the theological concept of the excluded middle. • Reflect on critical openness, with reference to your own theological development. • Reflect on the homogeneous unit principle. • Summarise our Church's broader social ministry. • Identify the sources of discouragement in ministry. • Identify the strategies which foster the focus and atmosphere of our Church. • Discuss the difference between the reign of God and the kingdom of God. • Deconstruct David Bosch's epistemology. • Discover how members conceptually link faith and works, through interviews. • Draft a plan for our Church's social ministry. • Define premillennialism and postmillennialism, and reflect on their significance to Christian living. • Read Dr. George Malek on the call to ministry, and summarise. • Read texts for and against postliberal theology, and summarise. • Read Nehemiah 1-2, and list God's involvement in the story. • Discover the practical link between conversion and personal reformation, through interviews. • Consider what your priorities would be if you were severely limited in ministry. • Reflect on the personal cultural differences between South Africans and Canadians. • Prepare to discuss ministry by grace vs. ministry by law. • Describe the doctrine of total depravity, and discuss. • Define the basis of Christian unity. • Familiarise yourself with your supervisor's contributions to electronic design. • Define clinical depression. • Describe the relationship between Christ incarnate, Christ exalted, and peace. • Reflect on the importance of definitions. • Assess your influence in the context of our Church, and compare this with that of others. OBSERVATION: Besides the above, there were practical assignments and required reading. The photo shows P. on hospital visitation (Table Mountain in the background -- yeah, that's patched jeans and an untied shoelace)!

Linux Experiments

I've been experimenting with different "embodiments" of Linux. I already have Linux Fedora on a netbook -- that's very nice, I love it. I successfully tested Linux SUSE and Linux Ubuntu on the netbook (I'm using Ubuntu for this post, to prove the point), but I failed to get them to work experimentally on my Windows PC. OBSERVATION: I find Linux SUSE to be strange -- but Linux Ubuntu is impressive. It is slick and easy and versatile -- and it comes with a vast supply of excellent (downloadable) free software -- see the screen capture above right (you may click on the image to enlarge -- it's about 130k in size). However, despite having got SUSE and Ubuntu working, I found the experience to be a little too baffling for comfort. I wouldn't want to try a final conversion of my Windows PC without help (I dream of ditching Windows).

"You're So Predictable"

"You're so predictable" is what many "Southern" Christians might say of their "Northern" neighbours. The view from here is that, so often, Northerners would seem to be so culture-bound in their Christianity -- and they might well say the same of us. Yesterday a professor of ministry sent me an article that he wrote about God. It was the classic "Northern" view: a non-interventionist God confined to the self, and so on. OBSERVATION: Here's one example from the article: we know God, he wrote, primarily through prayer. I would think, although I can't be sure, that many in our congregation would give a quite different answer: we know Him, or get to know Him, or deepen our knowledge of Him (apart from revelation, of course), primarily through the way He acts.

Hunting A Hadeda

Our cat must have thought that its lucky day had arrived. A hadida landed on our roof. A hadeda is the size of a small turkey. OBSERVATION: Mostly, cats seem intimidated by hadedas. (My most popular post, alas, is not about urban ministry, but about the hadida -- see The Hadida).

Where's The Evidence?

Generally speaking, there is no empirical support for the major theories (and programmes) of Christian leadership today. Also, one often encounters a serious fallacy at the heart of Christian leadership theory. One term for it is "confirmation bias". As an example, it may be true that most Christian leaders who succeed have mentors. However, it may also be true that most Christian leaders who do not succeed have mentors. OBSERVATION: So then you have a book which extols the benefits of mentors (or whatever else) in Christian ministry -- yet it all proves little or nothing.

Isn't She Lovely?

Here's a photo of our Church's office secretary -- taken many (many) years ago. Today, as a secretary, she is nervous by nature, but it's due to this perhaps that she is very conscientious. She is devout, too (though "human", and full of humour), which is of crucial importance to a Church office. OBSERVATION: They say that one's weaknesses may be one's strengths (or did I say that first)? For example: nervous / conscientious. You may click on the photo to enlarge a little.

Google Toolbar Deleted

I discovered that, while I wasn't paying attention, I'd downloaded the Google toolbar. I clicked on the first item of news that it offered me. The news popped up, together with this menu (pictured). On seeing this, I deleted Google toolbar. I don't want that worldview on my computer.

Jumping Into A Grave

While on the subject of services for the dead, most of these will be "composed". Some of them, however, have moments of drama. Here's the most "memorable" burial service I conducted. The coffin of a young man was being lowered into the grave when his mother screamed: "My baby!" She leapt into the grave -- or tried to. A very quick mourner jumped at her ankles, and grabbed them. Sand went flying, and from the waist, she was down in the grave (graves are deep) -- then she was dragged out by the ankles. See also Tumultuous Service.

Memorial, Funeral, Burial

I met today with a family to plan what probably will be a funeral service. The difference between a memorial service and a funeral service is that the coffin is not present at the memorial service. A burial service, of course, takes place at the graveside, and generally follows a memorial service or funeral service. I find that the choice between memorial or funeral is about 50:50, with perhaps a tenth of all services being followed by a burial. OBSERVATION: Personally, I find a funeral service to be preferable to a memorial service. It is so much more "stately" an occasion, and in a sense more "real". However, it significantly increases cost. And then, I find that burial services (in the city, anyway) tend to involve too much tedium, although that of course is my personal perspective.

"Does Days ..."

I happened to walk into a protest (as seems to be my custom). The protestors all pointed to this woman, saying that if I took only one photo, I should take it of her. Soon after this photo was taken, she received a 13% raise. You may click on the photo to enlarge a little.

Ghost From The Past

Several years ago, one of our congregation, D., had his house seized by invaders, and he found it impossible to get them out. Among other things, someone had vanished the title deed (perhaps a bribe). D. asked me for an appointment in my vestry. He informed me that he was to hire a hit-man to liquidate the person who orchestrated the invasion. His mind was made up, he said, and I would never see him again. I didn't. Until last week, that is. He reappeared under a new name (now J.), in a new guise, and asked me for an appointment in my vestry this week. Watch this blog! OBSERVATION: Those who've followed this blog for some time will know that I had a house myself which was seized by invaders. (I passed on the hit-man option).
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NOTE: The last sentence was intended to mean: "I gave the hit-man option a miss." (I didn't pass on any tips)!

Ford Mustang

This is my Bajaj pickup parked next to a Ford Mustang. You can see, of course, where the Mustang found its inspiration. A pity that the genius and artistry of the Bajaj are so inadequately realised in the Mustang. Moreover, the Mustang has dropped crucial features of the Bajaj: the very useful load-bed, the multiple reverse gears, the amazing fuel efficiency, and so on. The insufficiencies of the Mustang are too many to list in a single blog post. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Perpetuating Burnout

I graduated with a student who rose to great prominence in the Church -- then seriously burnt out. Today I learnt that he has gone into teaching at a Bible college. This happens often -- and it is worrisome. How will future ministers thus be taught sustainable ministry? One might argue that such a person is not teaching leadership, but "pure theology". Yet leadership is deeply rooted in theology. So you have burnt out pastors teaching students the things that precipitated their burnout. OBSERVATION: I would rather reprogram such ministers, and send them back into ministry -- then put them into college to teach.

Believers' Church

I am under great pressure of work, and ministry has seen extraordinary chaos this past week. I considered whether I could drop a post here this morning that stated the good, and here it is: I am very privileged to minister in a Church which is a "believer's Church". It is a blessing to be in such a Church. I am among people with spiritual sight and spiritual life. OBSERVATION: This was a founding principle of the Congregational Church. R.W. Dale stated: "It is the will of Christ that all members of a Christian church should be believers."

Mistakes Allowed

A good thing about being an intern (a trainee) is that you are allowed to make mistakes. I make this explicit in our Church: our intern is allowed to make mistakes here -- he won't have that luxury when he's a minister one day! OBSERVATION: What kind of mistakes? Now there's a question! Watch this blog. The photo shows our intern in a recording session yesterday. F., on the right of the photo, is our artiste, here communicating that sixth sense about what is required in a recording.

End Of A Hard Day

This photo shows four members of our Youth Choir after a long recording session today. I snapped photos all the way through the session (I was the technician), and this is the very last photo that I took. It says it all. You may click on it to enlarge to VGA.

The Man From Kiev

On rare and special occasions, I'll write a poem for someone. This is a Ukrainian tycoon (pictured), holding a poem I wrote for his 45th birthday. For his 40th, I wrote a poem about “the man from Kiev”, his children and his wiev. I recited it at the party, and he immediately ordered one of his minions: "You, frame it!" It's still hanging on his wall.

A Little Help From My Friends

I happened to forget something of some consequence this week. I had failed to plan ahead. I called our Honorary Secretary, and asked her whether she could help me out. She said, “I saw last Sunday that you looked very tired. The mind and the body, they work together. You cannot expect that your mind will be alert if your body is tired. We all make mistakes, then.” She sympathetically offered me a helping hand.

Police Investigation

It's been two months since I obtained proof that my signature was forged. I decided to ask the police how the investigation was coming along. I called the police switchboard. But all I got was a recorded message (quote): “The number you have dialed has changed. The new number is currently unavailable.” I tried the police charge office. The telephone gave the “out of order” signal. I called an alternative number for the charge office. There was no reply ... and no reply ... and no reply. Finally, with the help of our friendly telecommunications giant Telkom, I tracked down a number that got me through. My call was transferred a few times, until it had gone full circle – I was speaking to the person I spoke to at first. Ultimately, the investigator wasn't there. I tried another time. The call was transferred a few times, then it was cut off. Wife M. said, “Let me try!” She didn't succeed in reaching the investigator, but it was through her efforts that the investigator gave me a return call. The investigator said, “I've seen the forged signatures. They are compleeeeetely different!” I said, “How is the investigation progressing?” She said, “I need to wait on my supervisor for instruction.”

A Life That Cathedraled God

Our member M. died this week (see photo). Much of her life was defined by one moment: a doctor made a mistake, and she lost most of her sight. But she was cheerful about life. She repeatedly said, “I'm very blessed. I'm very blessed.” She became too frail to come to Church, yet every Sunday, at the same time that our service began, she would say a prayer and sing a hymn. She constantly asked for news, and faithfully sent along her offering to Church. “You built no great cathedrals / That centuries applaud / But with a grace exquisite / Your life cathedraled God” (T.W. Fessenden).

Precious Testimony

Over the years, we have heard some precious testimonies in our Church. Last Sunday, A. (on the right) gave the briefest testimony – but as they say, dynamite comes in small packages. I asked her afterwards to put it to paper, and asked her permission to share it. Here is what she wrote: “I was diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer in 2008, and by this time last year (November 3rd, 2008) I started with chemotherapy and I can assure you, it was not easy. It was like going on a holiday. You plan your holiday and when you return your friends and family want to know all about your holiday, but for me this holiday was totally unplanned, I did not know what was in store for me the next day, but considering the pain and suffering and knowing that I am saved and I have a personal relationship with my Lord and Savior I can look back and truly say it was a wonderful journey.” OBSERVATION: She does not mention that she was dangerously ill, and had quite some surgery. She has also needed to shepherd a young daughter through this.

Discovering People

I went for coffee this morning with our associate pastor G. (pictured) and intern P. We discussed assisting refugees, inconstant congregants, people usurping ministry, and more. OBSERVATION: G. plans to take time out from preaching for the next two months to raise up gifts in the Church. He said, "In my early ministry, I was frustrated by people's apathy. Now I know that God has given us all the people we need. We just need to discover them."

Boat-House

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This is a panoramic shot of a boat-house that I frequently visit when I have time off. It's on the Berg River, north of Cape Town. Actually, it probably is not a boat-house, but a small fish processing plant of days gone by. OBSERVATION: It reminds me of some lyrics of Styx, which include the words: "Take me back to my boat on the river ... Oh the river is wide / The river it touches my life like the waves on the sand ..." You may click on the photo to enlarge (it's about 200k).

To Strategise Or Not

In my Master's research, I point out the hazards of strategy for the Church. That is, strategising at all – not merely the hazards of getting one's strategy right or not. Not surprisingly, people respond by saying that there needs to be some strategy in the Church. Perhaps, therefore, one may make this distinction. There is the danger of saying, “This is what God is going to do,” rather than, “This is what God is doing. This is what we see already.” OBSERVATION: I was discussing this with some young people in our Church. I noted that we had started various groups in the Church without planning it. A founding member of our Youth Choir said, “Actually, come to think of it, I can't remember how this group started. Nobody decided to start it.” Yet now that the group exists, we plan items to sing in Church, we plan recording sessions, and so on. See also No Plan.

Handcuffed Sunday School Teacher

I went to see one of our Sunday School teachers, who worked as an au pair in the USA. I said, “Did I hear that you had a spot of bother with the US authorities?” She slapped her wrists together, her hair fell into her face, and she gave me a daredevil look. I said, “You were handcuffed?” She giggled. She said, “Deported!” OBSERVATION: We don't have no feeble, spineless Sunday School teachers in this Church. Ours wear cold handcuffs without fear, they stare seasoned FBI operatives in the eye … (She was working without permission).

Linux WMA/WAV

First, what this post means is: one may host a very versatile, very portable, very capable sound editor on a tiny Linux netbook computer at very low cost. I don't think you'll find the following elsewhere on the Internet: the instruction on the right converts sound files from WMA to WAV and back, using Linux, on the Acer Aspire One netbook (click on the diagram to enlarge). Although one may try a Linux sound converter, these can be a nightmare to install. The advantage of converting WMA to WAV is that high-end digital recorders record in WMA, whereas the sound editor Audacity (for Linux) does not import WMA files (Microsoft owns WMA)! Go to your Music folder, click File, then Terminal, then enter the line shown, where "filename" is the name of your particular file. Swap the formula around for conversion from WAV to WMA. Note that the filenames are case-sensitive. OBSERVATION: In fact, this will also convert to and from MP3 and OGG (and perhaps other formats), which many might find more useful.

Getting Tenants (Squatters) Out

A minister friend had trouble getting tenants out. He went to see his attorney. His attorney said, “I'll advise you as a friend. Forget the legal route. It's ineffective, and a waste of time and money. Get in there when they're out. First you short-circuit the electrical system. This is how … Then you smash all the windows. It's a small expense. Then you block all the plumbing. Like this … Within a week, they'll be out.” See also Hiring A Heavy.

U.S. Readers

A curious thing has happened to this blog in the two-plus years of its existence. While there has been continual growth in readership, my US readership – strong at first – stalled along the way. It has not fallen, but it has fallen proportionately. The consensus at this side would seem to be that US readers will not appreciate anything that falls outside their comfort zone. However, I am not convinced. When I started this blog, I was closer to my own US experience (studies at Fuller Theological Seminary), and was probably more direct in my engagement with US attitudes and ideas than I am now. Interestingly, US interest in this blog surges (particularly in New England) when one approaches “liturgical” dates on the Church calendar (I post the liturgies that we use here). There's also the possibility that US citizens, being more tech-savvy, tend to access my blog indirectly through US websites and services (e.g. Technorati, or Google Reader). OBSERVATION: Interest from Africa has been rampant during the past year, interest from Europe has been lively, and interest from Islamic nations constant.

Suicide In The Ministry

I received an e-mail from Prague this morning. A minister sent me this article: When Pastors' Silent Suffering Turns Tragic (suicide in the ministry). He's in “leadership development” in his denomination. This line stood out for me: “Besides the recession’s strain on church budgets, depressed pastors increasingly report frustration over their congregations’ resistance to cultural change.” I wrote back: “The economic crisis might be called accidental. The resistance to cultural change is not. And then one needs to ask why there is resistance. Resistance to what? Well, to the leadership methods. And those in turn are grounded in a certain spirituality.” OBSERVATION: An “umbrella” term for the leadership methods is “transformational”.

Another Perspective

Our Canadian intern P., in his latest circular letter, offers a brief, off-the-cuff summary of the ministry of our Church: "All in all the church is doing very well, I believe we are blessed in our ministry here. For this coming month, please pray for those who Thomas (and sometimes I) give counseling to. It seems there are many who require often fairly serious counseling, everything from marriage problems to drug problems and almost anything you could imagine. Ours is still a suburb ripe with chaos, pray that we could be a witness to peace through all this." The photo shows P. helping me last week to work all my scribbled notes (foreground) into a to-do list.

No Cell-Phone

I was in one of our country villages, and needed to make a call. The pay-phones were all out of order. I called in at the office of some local guest-houses. The young woman at the counter said, “But you're a minister!” (as if ministers are contact incarnate). She said, “If you have no cell-phone, how do people ever reach you?” I said, “I value my peace. My life is mad enough as it is. If I had a cell-phone ... My secretary makes my appointments, and for the rest, either I'm home, or people call my secretary.” She said, “But what if there really really is an emergency?” I said, “In that case, there are two or three people who'll know about it who usually can get hold of me.” Thanks to http://www.clker.com/ for the image.

Mystery Photo

Perhaps you can help us solve a mystery. This photo probably dates back to the turn of the 20th Century. It was found among a few of our Church's most treasured mementos. But what is it? Why did our forbears treat it as a prized possession? We can't even say where the photo was taken. Likely in Cape Town. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Prepare Ye The Way ...

I preached yesterday on a few verses in John 1 -- and included in my message a symbolic interpretation of John the Baptist as "preparer". John himself was not the Messiah (as is emphasised in John 1), and he couldn't do what the Messiah did. He couldn’t save souls, he couldn’t change lives, he couldn’t heal the sick, he couldn’t bring joy, he couldn’t solve people’s problems -- but he pointed to someone who could, namely to Jesus Christ. In the same way, we can prepare for a Sunday service, but the Lord Himself needs to appear. We can bring up children in the fear of the Lord, but the Lord Himself needs to reveal Himself to them. And so on. OBSERVATION: I noted also that there is a kind of thinking in the Church today: “We want to see results.” Yet only Christ Himself will deliver results. We cannot aspire to more than the role of "preparer".

World Cup Soccer Stadium

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And finally, to round off the day, here is a photo of the "great switch-on" of the lights of our new World Cup soccer stadium. You see that tallest skyscraper towards the left of the photo? Our Church is 4½ blocks beyond it. The Cape Town Waterfront is in the foreground. You may click on the photo to enlarge (about 100k in size).

Technorati Authority

Technorati authority is considered to be the benchmark of a blog's authority. At present, with a Technorati authority of 136, this blog has the second-highest authority among Christian blogs in South Africa (Khanya has the highest). OBSERVATION: This need not reflect the ranking of a blog, which is determined by other criteria.

Distressed

Events in the category "Sleepless" occur only every several months in my ministry, if that. There was one today, that I knew was bound to keep me awake at night (perhaps I shall reveal what it was in a future post). I called an immediate meeting with our Elders. They helped me put things in perspective, and we charted a course forward. I came from that meeting completely settled. OBSERVATION: We allowed the constitutional requirement of elders to lapse in our Church. The eldership died when the last of them retired several years ago. But early this year, we revived the eldership, and I can't understand how I could have wanted to function without one. See also Elders Induction.

Restraining Order

You know you've got trouble when someone tells you that the ground you walk on is his “turf”. That's a lawless, non-negotiable stance that has many attendant woes. Last week, at the Church, I received threats and abuse from a man who claimed that the street was his (see last Monday's post). Yesterday evening, the police searched him and issued him with the equivalent of a restraining order (see photo). If he enters our street again, he faces immediate arrest. That makes me feel better.