Sister-In-Law

This is my sister-in-law, B., on a whistle-stop visit to South Africa from Switzerland. Ain't she cute? Well, she is in reality. I took the photo earlier today.

Vietnam

It's 35 years "since Vietnam", today. I visited Ho Chi Minh City once, but my visit was short -- and eventful. I arrived at the airport, in oppressive heat -- without a designated escort (my travel agent's fault). There was hysteria. An armed official scampered across the floor and jumped in front of me, screaming at me in Vietnamese, pointing at my face, and fingering his pistol. They handed me over to some younger, calmer, unarmed officials in a different uniform. One said in broken English that they were sending me back to Kuala Lumpur. I said, "Please, send me to Phnom Penh." And they did. The photo shows the Fall of Saigon.

Technorati Rankings

Last time I checked, my blog's Technorati Authority had risen to a strong 437. Thus according to the latest available (unfortunately dated) statistics of urbanministry.org, my blog could be far and away the world's no. 1 urban Church ministry blog (I say "Church ministry", as the term "ministry" on its own does not always refer to Church ministry, or even specifically Christian ministry). OBSERVATION: In terms of Technorati Authority, the top three South African Popular Religion Blogs are: 1. Khanya (462), 2. this blog (437), and 3. mycontemplations (399).

Academic Papers

On the same day, yesterday, I received responses to two academic papers: a philosophical paper and a theological paper. The philosophical paper was (quote) "not selected". The theological paper, while I have yet to submit it, came back from screening by a member of the panel of referees with the comment: "WOW!!! You have become an excellent scholar." OBSERVATION: Wife M. commented: "God has honoured you. You did that even in the midst of all the chaos."

Do-It-Yourself Defeat

A man who attended our Church worked for years on his own answers to life, which he recorded diligently in some notebooks. It was a very serious undertaking. But then he came up against some major challenges in life: his wife fell seriously ill, and he himself narrowly escaped death. He started sinking deeper and deeper into depression -- and the more he sank into depression, the more he tried to find the answer in his notebooks. I visited him towards the end, and found him paging frantically through his notebooks. I suggested that he might try the Bible -- but he was too convinced of his notebooks. "The end" came when he was admitted to a psychiatric institution.

Ancient Or Modern

A congregant asked me why I don't wear a clerical collar. I said that I had made various attempts to "de-formalise", and this was one of my few successes. Members (through public meetings) would not permit me, for instance, to remove my black cloak, or to come down from our high pulpit. OBSERVATION: Ancient or modern, though, I think this has little to do with the viability or vitality of a Church. A member took the photo with a cell-phone.

Starting-Point

I had a dramatic start to a counselling session. I walked into a "situation", sat down, and said: "Well, where shall we begin?" A family member took a large work of art off the wall, and stood it up next to me on the sofa/couch I was sitting on. She pointed to the broken frame, the buckled art, and said: "How about starting here?" OBSERVATION: It had been wrecked in a fury.

Evangelistic Booklet

I am pleased to announce that our Church, this week, published an evangelistic booklet -- here offered in a form which is downloadable from this blog, gratis [see Evangelistiese Boekie for an Afrikaans version of the same]. The history and development of the booklet is described briefly on its back cover. During its preparation, this booklet was widely compared with similar booklets, and received wide input. While the front cover bears some resemblance to an existing booklet, the text is original throughout. I believe the content would be in agreement with all evangelical creeds. Directions for duplication follow below.
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DIRECTIONS: Each of the three images shown is about 1MB in size, in .png format, and you need all three to create a booklet. Click on an image to download. Then right-click on it to save to your computer. Adjust the margins of your word processor or graphics program to nought/zero, and open or import each of the images in turn. Each image is printed both sides of a sheet of paper, but turned 180 degrees on the opposite side. The paper is then sliced in two. If a printer shifts the margins, this may be solved at the duplication stage. The booklet is 12 pages in all (counting the cover), and uses three sheets of paper per two complete booklets. Collation of the booklet should be self-explanatory. In return, we would welcome any news of how the booklet has been used.

Collector's Item

This man owns a car museum -- and guess what he's got in it -- the same model vehicle that I drive. He claims that this vehicle is destined to become a collector's item. OBSERVATION: Perhaps when I'm 82, some museum curator will say: "Hey! Who's that lunatic who just drove out the door with Exhibit 5?!" (I love them).

Second-Guessing

One of the most frequent problems I come across in counselling is second-guessing. This is defined as the "attempt to anticipate or predict". It can be a serious problem, not seldom ruining people's ability to function. I tell people that we are designed to be dependent creatures. We are designed to trust. We are not designed to take upon our own shoulders the burden of what might or might not happen in this world. Second-guessing needs to be turned over to God in prayer, even if it is done a hundred times a day. OBSERVATION: This does not mean that one is not proactive about the future -- however, one will ideally be proactive with peace.

Petty Sabotage

Children will play with the settings of our audio or video systems in Church, and this is merely childish mischief. Last week, though, someone sought to disable these systems from top to bottom. They had gone through them methodically, and disconnected and readjusted a large part of what they possibly could. OBSERVATION: I have the custom of doing a check on these systems early on a Sunday morning. When I saw the extent of the tampering, I immediately took out our backup public address (PA) system. But ultimately I got it "going for the show".

"Ecumenism"

"Ecumenism" is defined in the popular Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms as "the attempt to seek a worldwide unity and cooperation among all churches that confess Jesus Christ as Lord". This is not to be confused with pluralism -- although occasionally it is defined that way. Our own Church Constitution "radicalises" the above definition -- seeing ecumenism as applying to every believer rather than to every Church. In our Statement of Faith: "We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ." And in our Statement of Polity: "We believe that it is proper and beneficial ... to practise the positional unity of God’s family." These are tenets that go back centuries. I consider that they are among the most important teachings of the Christian Church. Within our own Church, they clarify for us the real basis of unity, and cut through the things that typically hinder the heartfelt, joyful unity of Christians. They make our Church "bigger" than the side-issues. And of course they promote productive relationships with other Churches. OBSERVATION: I would think that one of the biggest problems with the term "ecumenism" is what it is that constitutes "unity". Unity may be defined in various ways. Our own Church defines it as "positional unity". This refers to justification -- that is, one's position in Christ.

Official Photo

For what it's worth, I received my official graduation photo yesterday (free, if one studies at the South African Theological Seminary). That's Dr. Sam Kunhiyop behind me, head of the Postgraduate School. Our secretary thought the photo was "Loverleeee!"

South African Internet

My Internet Service Provider (ISP) issued two notices in the last few days. Notice no. 1 read (abridged): "Seacom, one of our international bandwidth providers, will undertake necessary repairs to their undersea cable on Saturday. The repairs could take approximately 6-9 hours to complete. We have been able to secure alternative international bandwidth, and do not anticipate that this will have any impact on your ADSL service." Notice no. 2 read (three days later): "It now seems likely that the repairs will only be completed by Friday [6 days to complete]. There is some [read: much] congestion and it is affecting our service. Bandwidth-intensive applications will therefore be de-prioritised." OBSERVATION: This would seem to typify the way that many things develop in South Africa. My broadband was working at about 3.5kbps today. Typically, it works at an amazing ten times that speed (see image). In theory, it is 384kbps.

Horse-Drawn Traffic

Cape Town is well known for its horse-drawn carriages in busy traffic. I took this photo under an overpass today in Ottery Road -- a major thoroughfare in the city's Southern Suburbs.

Major Milestone

I could see the day coming, years ago. Yesterday we passed a great milestone in our Church -- although I doubt that anyone noticed it but me. For the first time in our Church's history, our congregation was majority Black. OBSERVATION: I hesitate greatly to use terms such as "Black", but that is a subject in itself. What worries me is the following kind of ethnic drift: One - But How? But personally, I think that our present policy will maintain a dynamic "synthesis" in our Church -- which is really precious.

God Is Just

Our Domestic Workers' Bible Study group sang in Church today. One of the group introduced the song -- about a God who is righteous and just. She said: "One of our group members can't stand her chemotherapy any more. She is going home. But during her time with us, she has been greatly blessed by God. God is righteous and just, and does not make mistakes. We shall all stand at the Judgement." OBSERVATION: With apologies, this is unlikely to be a perfect quote, as I was perusing my order of service at the same time. It's not the introduction that I expected. I was a little astounded. But it had spiritual depth, and people will remember it.

Hostility

.A congregant received threats at his "digs", as he is a foreigner. Today I went there, to speak to the people concerned. Suddenly, directly in front of me, a local smacked a foreigner in the face -- so hard that one could hear the echo off the street walls. The foreigner handed his cellphone to another foreigner, and advanced on the local. I walked away, and took this photo sideways. At that moment an armed patrol turned up. Our congregant said, "Did you see him [the local man] pulling a knife?" I didn't see it. After witnessing the hostility first hand, I am sobered. I said to our congregant: "You need to get out of there." OBSERVATION: I failed in my mission today (to speak to them). Should I have quit?

NOTE: A day later, these "digs" -- large premises -- were shut down by order. Our congregant found a room with "an old lady".

Sermon: Act Of Translation

Sermon writing is, for me, an act of translation. Here are some examples from my sermon preparation this week: I first used the phrase "tenet of the Church". I translated it to "basic teaching". I first used "He doffed his cap". I changed it to "He took off his cap". I first used "tentative suggestion". I translated it to "small sign". OBSERVATION: Yet people still question me about "obscure" words I use -- "pedantic" is a recent example.

SONAR

I've had a few electronic designs published lately -- but actually (shhh), I've designed nothing new in a year. With one single exception, that is -- a SONAR (= SOund NAvigation Ranging). This appears in next month's Everyday Practical Electronics (EPE) magazine. What makes the design special is that it uses only a dozen common components. While its range is only one metre/yard, this is still tremendously useful. It will detect a door opening, a car/automobile approaching a wall, a suitcase being moved, and so on. OBSERVATION: I have a Super Simple Sonar on this blog, except that this will not switch anything. The EPE design will switch on the city lights if desired.

Garish Vessel

There are some very interesting vessels that moor off the coast of our suburb, sometimes quite close in. Our secretary took a fairly ordinary photograph of one today. I clicked on some special effects, and returned it to her in "garish" form (see image). It looks like a cross between a ship and an oil rig.

Never Say Never

This is J., one of our Youth helpers. He is seventy years old. He considers (rightly, I think) that the Youth need to learn basic Bible stories -- and so he takes every opportunity to tell them such stories. OBSERVATION: Some of our most effective Youth workers have been elderly. While elderly people can be cranky, they really can be fantastic with Youth if they are not.

"Not Ready"

I met with a young woman this week who wanted to introduce herself to the minister. I said I was really glad that she made the appointment. She said, "It's the first time I ever did that!" She said she needed God, so as to give her life wholeness and stability. And she needed to forgive herself. After hearing her story, I said that she needed forgiveness from God (not herself), and she needed to surrender her life to Him. She said, "I'm not ready for that."

A Doctor's Obligation

I have confidence in wife M.'s doctor as a physician. He has the finest reputation, having treated Nelson Mandela, among others. However, at the very start, I completely lost confidence in him as a faithful communicator. M. says no, she knows how to interpret his silences, and if he were my kind of doctor, he would be cruel. OBSERVATION: I consider it a doctor's (often hard) obligation to communicate, at the least, a true overview of a situation. In my experience as a minister, very much may hang on this. It can be done compassionately.

Youth Phases

At one time -- not very long ago -- we had few if any girls at Youth. I took this photo tonight, which shows a different picture. What has brought in the girls, I really don't know. OBSERVATION: Youth groups are strange things, in that it seems they can go through various phases very fast (and probably one shouldn't worry about it). You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

"I've Got No Name"

There is a phenomenon that is widespread in South Africa: public servants who refuse to reveal their surnames. The most recent example in my experience: the head of a City of Cape Town legal team called me to inform me of a ruling by a City department -- but refused to reveal her surname. Afterwards, someone questioned the ruling, and I needed the name. That's not the worst case I've had to deal with. OBSERVATION: Our neighbour once challenged someone: "You! What's your name?" He said, "Me? I've got no name!" That would seem to put it all in a picture.

Churchill And Me

On the morning of Sunday 24 January 1965, Winston Churchill died. I remember the morning -- although I was only four years old. My family was embarking on a great journey to the remote Central Pacific. I remember a large lift, which amazed me. We walked in at one side, and walked out the other side to another world -- a huge dock which stretched out before us -- in Southampton. We were walking down the dock when my father said to me: "Winston Churchill died today." I knew that this was very serious. I said: "Daddy, who was Winston Churchill?"

A Good Run

Wife M. had a good run -- a month and a half without admission to hospital (she has bone marrow cancer). And while she repeatedly cancelled plans, she kept most of her Church engagements -- up until last night. She is a "crack shot" minister, and with her illness there has been a fresh power to what she has had to say. So the hospital wanted to admit her today. But she came home. I made her some tea. She returned -- and was admitted. She really wasn't doing great this week. The photo shows her preparing to ride an ostrich, on our honeymoon.

Transformed By Christ

I "spoke", yesterday, about Christ versus rigid forms -- and one might add to rigid forms cultural norms, correct speech, appropriate dress, disciplined behaviour, and so on. Take, as an example, what could (and does) happen if, say, someone from a country village leads the prayers on a Sunday morning. Judge them by rigid forms (et cetera), and their prayer may well be a "fail". How could they dress like Haile Selassie? How could they omit the prayers of intercession? How could they pray like the local bus driver? Did one detect an aberrational dispensationalism? and so on. Yet judge them by whether they saw Christ in their prayer, and one might have witnessed something magnificent. Judge them by whether they saw Christ in their prayer, and the whole spirit of the event is transformed.

Linux The Winner

When I changed my computer system to Linux a month ago, I had Windows installed on a partition -- in the interests of feeling more secure, and to access some old software. However, Windows first displayed the familiar message: "The system has recovered from a serious error" (see image) -- then it completely crashed. Dead. Dood. Kuyaba. And the winner is ... Linux!

Theology By The People

I mentioned last week how our Church moved to a position of theology "by the people for the people". I have heard it said many times that this led to revival in our Church. I believe that what it did was to unshackle us from rigid forms, and to enable us to see Christ behind the forms (John 5:39-40). Another way of putting this is that theology was no longer prescribed, but became a personal expression of faith among us. OBSERVATION: Again, this is not to say that theology is thrown overboard -- and theology does continue to be studied among us. In fact, the shift to revival took place with comparatively little shift in the theology itself.

Petty Theft (Continued)

Having reported the latest petty theft as recently as Sunday, here's what was discovered this morning. We have two sturdy poles at our Church's front gate, for the purpose of supporting a signboard. At least, we had two sturdy poles at our Church's front gate, as one of them has now been stolen. I pointed it out to our accountant this morning. She blinked, she said "Oh," and continued with whatever she was doing. Which just shows how accustomed we are to such things by now. The photo shows the remaining pole.

Seeing Things

In 2001, I crashed my three-wheel pickup in spectacular fashion (I have a new one now). Afterwards, I saw lights -- and black holes, surrounded sometimes by sparkles. Sometimes the special effects were so sudden and so big that I was frightened by them. My doctor said it was brain tissue repairing itself -- it would pass. Nine years later, it hasn't gone away, although it isn't quite the same. I imagine that I see people, animals, insects, usually at the periphery of my vision -- then there is nothing there. And I still see special effects -- mostly when I am tired. Thanks to www.edsphotoblog.com for the photo of the fireworks.

Teaching Children Faith

Not seldom do I encounter this problem: parents teach their children fear, rather than faith. Here's an example. Two sons of a working class family came to see me -- then their father came to see me separately. All were deeply worried about the sons' future. But it was the father who was piling on the pressure, on his sons -- through fear of a ruthless world. It was a tense situation. I asked him to list what God had done for his family thus far -- and we wrote it down. It was impressive. I said to him: "Teach your sons faith, not fear."

A Blog's Uses

It's been a useful blog this. Useful to me. I previously noted that it brought about a noticeable improvement in my academic writing (see Blog Purpose). Also (today's point) I find that events and issues which I have summarised on my blog are at my fingertips when I need them. For instance, a question arose about the minister's priorities. I had previously listed them in a post, and knew instantly what they were. A blog may not merely be about (to use a kinder term) self-expression.

No Charity Free-For-All

On Sunday our Church elders discussed a problem that has recently arisen in the Church. Members have been begging from members. Not only may this be awkward for members who get asked, but it jeopardises our usual way of dealing with charity. OBSERVATION: Usually, requests are put to me. I have a mandate to respond immediately, within certain limits. To exceed these limits, our Property & Finance Committee must agree. Occasionally, we may then seek special funding. This is not the whole story, but in short, we do not permit a free-for-all. An elder will address our congregation about this on Sunday.

3D Luxury Yacht

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It's been a while since I put a 3-D photo on my blog. I took this photo of the luxury yacht Rising Sun at the Cape Town Waterfront last night. Our Church is at the bottom of the slope you see at the right of the photo. OBSERVATION: Here’s how to “see” the 3-D. Lazily squint your eyes so that the two images overlap and finally snap together. Then focus. Most people are able to do this. You may enlarge the image by clicking on it, which will enhance the 3D effect (it's about 200k).

Sputtering Xenophobia

I am so fed up with so-called xenophobia. In the most recent incident, a young congregant, M., was told to get out of his room because the other tenants didn't want foreigners in this country. They "confiscated" his cellphone, but he managed to save the rest of his property. However, a cellphone is a crucial tool for a refugee, and he has lost half a month's rent, with no savings in reserve. OBSERVATION: If there were not extraordinary pressures on me at this time, I might seek a meeting with the offenders. As it is, I asked M. to get me the name and number of his landlord. The Bible says: “Love the alien as yourself” (Lev 19:34). I took the photo of displaced refugees at the height of the xenophobic violence in 2008.

Identity Muddles

I met with a young woman last night to run over a college application. But they'd put the wrong surname on a crucial qualification. I have come across this a few times during wedding appointments. The bride- or groom-to-be will tell me: "That's not really my name, but I use it because they issued it." OBSERVATION: I'll try to get around the present problem with an affidavit. I think that should work, at least temporarily.

On Average?

Our treasurer told our congregation that we needed R6,000 a month from members ($800/€600). I interpreted this. I said that if, on average -- that is, averaged out over all our members -- people would put R50 each in the collection plate on a Sunday ($7/€5), we would "be fine". Some poorer members, however, didn't grasp the notion "on average". This caused some consternation. R50 was beyond their means. OBSERVATION: I'll need to return to this, and put it differently. Thankfully an elder, who is a poorer member, was the "interface" here between these members and myself.

Deeply Meaning It

Early in our service this morning, we sang the chorus: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning ..." I have the sense that the congregation deeply mean this (and other songs) when they sing. These are not just ditties. This is moving, and it makes our Church very special.

Petty Theft

Here's the latest, rather typical example of petty theft in our Church. Our "feed" to a monitor wasn't working this morning. The problem? The adapter had been stolen. For a happier post about something that actually wasn't stolen, see Unstolen Star.

Surviving Disasters

In spite of my struggles with how to deal with injustice (see my previous post), a local minister made a submission to Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) in 2004, to suggest that they might learn from my experience. Quote: "How to survive disasters in the inner city. I believe he has a lot to share with us here, this could be researched for these sorts of tough situations." Not that FTS had the slightest interest. (We were studying urban ministry at FTS).

Fury Over Injustice

When I applied for studies at Fuller Theological Seminary (FTS) in 2004, I needed to state my personal goals. One of these read: "When I have encountered injustice I have frequently reacted with fury. I would like to consider alternative ways ..." This was a real problem for me -- and I think I have overcome it now -- although I didn't know how I would back then. Note the word "frequently". Since 2004, though, I can think of only one such reaction, maybe two (see Losing My Cool for a less serious incident). OBSERVATION: Fury is in fact a dangerous reaction in urban ministry. Try it with the local mafia boss, for instance.

Two Sports Cars

Here, at last, is another photo of my red sports car, parked next to an inferior make on the left. Note the twin grille on both vehicles. OBSERVATION: The BMW of course lacks the functionality, fuel efficiency, and ease of parking that mine has. Not to speak of four reverse gears.

Office Disaster

The cartoon -- still up in our Church office today after nine years -- marks the occasion of a great disaster (Nel was our secretary at the time). On the 4th of June 2001, I received a call at 3 a.m. from armed security. We had a problem in Sector 3. I drove about 2km to the Church, and opened the door to our foyer and office. There was a haze of smoke in front of me, and the ceiling beams (a large ceiling) had been shattered and were lying in pieces on the floor at various angles. Showers of sparks were falling from a wall. I stepped inside -- into ankle-deep water. I checked a passageway, and saw water all the way down, pouring off through the floorboards. Our office suffered heavy damage. Unfortunately some of our archival material was destroyed, too. OBSERVATION: What happened? Every year or two, we have a torrential downpour. In 2001, seagulls had built nests in large gutters on the roof. This diverted water into the ceiling. It is possible that there was a ton of water up there. This led not merely to the failure or collapse of the ceiling, but to a massive explosion. (We were covered by insurance).

Son M.: Latest

Many people have asked after son M.'s progress. There wasn't much to report -- until now. So he flew to Europe. This week, he was offered a job as a research assistant at the ETH, the institute in Zurich where Albert Einstein studied. Also, he found an inexpensive room with a desk, overlooking a forest. In short, one could not have hoped for better. God has surpassed his expectations. OBSERVATION: See The Heidi Plan for how he turned a dim outlook into success. This is a "bridging" time before he takes up studies at Durham University in the UK.

Arrogance And Presumption

I wasn't getting this post posted, because it wasn't TC (theologically "correct"). In order to get it posted, I'm putting it here as personal sentiments. The majority of ministers I think (and seminary lecturers and so on) are conditioned to a mindset of dictating theology to the people. They see themselves as guarantors and purveyors of truth, who need to think for the people. While this is often done benevolently, I see it as arrogance and presumption. Theology is what takes place through the Body, through the Spirit, with (on the minister's part) a love for and deference to the people. OBSERVATION: Do I myself practice this? Whatever the case, I think that these sentiments deeply influence my ministry. In fact, in the mid-1990's, our Church took control of theological issues as a Body, and this had a major influence on its present autonomy -- and, I believe, its viability. The objection that one is abandoning truth by democratising it is hardly relevant I think. I consider that the opposite would tend to be true.

Thomas

This is my namesake, Thomas the Tank Engine, perched on my vestry desk this morning. I have a special affection for him, as my mother read me Thomas the Tank Engine stories as a toddler -- before I left England forever, aged four. I still have my original Thomas the Tank Engine book, ragged from use. The story was written by a minister.

Manning For Decline

I found an old order of service of a Church I know well. The Church went into steady decline. The order of service more or less marked the beginning of that decline. The names on the order of service said it all. They explained it to me in a flash. OBSERVATION: In a nutshell, most of the people on that order of service did not, I consider, reveal a living relationship with God -- but several were "big shots". Also, I saw people missing from that list who were spiritual treasures in the Church. In our Church, we fairly well do the opposite of the above, although it may seem counter-intuitive.

Super-Bugs

Something interesting about my (long) ministry is that it would seem that I have increasingly been coming across super-bugs. In fact, I myself have been struck by a super-bug that required high-tech medication to cure. So for instance, someone will get what seems like "simple" bronchitis, or the "simple" infection of a wound, or a "curable" illness like TB, and it all but kills them. Or it does in fact kill them -- see my post Super-Bug.

"She es node ite"

I made a call this morning to inquire after a young(ish) Church adherent who was admitted to hospital. The domestic worker said: "She es node ite." I asked if she could repeat that. She said more emphatically: "She es node ite!" Did she mean: "She has not died" or did she mean "She is not right"? OBSERVATION: My biggest confusion happened when a member told me: "My son has passed!" I thought he had passed his exams, and congratulated her. Alas, he had passed on.

Run On Bank

There was, in our suburb this morning, what appeared to be a run on the bank (see photo). What was it about? I have no idea. Maybe I should. It's my bank!

NOTE: It would seem that I am one of the worst informed people in the country. The comment below explains it. I shall keep this post as a monument to my ignorance.

Was This A Con?

A young man came to see me in my vestry. He said, "Do you have an interest in Church history? I love Church history!" He ran off a string of names, with personal commentary. He dropped several theological books on my desk, and made some conversation about them. He said he couldn't afford the fare to and from Bible college for the coming month. Could I help him out? I arranged some help for him. OBSERVATION: Afterwards, I couldn't decide if I had been conned. At any rate, I hadn't been on my toes.

Bursts Of Energy

One might imagine ministry to be action-packed all the way. In my experience, half of it -- even less -- is steady work. The rest tends to be intense bursts of energy, with much preparation before -- pondering, dreaming, reading, praying, talking, treading water, gazing into space -- and recovery time after. OBSERVATION: I think it is a mistake (of ministers, in particular) to think of ministry as something "constant". It seems to me, sometimes, like the slow and patient sharpening of an axe, a burst of power, then a moment of rest.

Stressor: Helplessness

The biggest stressor in urban ministry may be a sense of helplessness (see the report I referred to yesterday). I witnessed an extraordinary example of this among fellow-students (all US citizens) when, for a seminary assignment, we visited Skid Row, a squalid area of LA. OBSERVATION: I think that such helplessness frequently exists where one's theology looks to the (human) future for hope. That is, it may be that the greatest stressor in urban ministry is significantly linked with theology.

One Way

Remember this sign (pictured)? True to our Church's democratic ethos, I worked through our proposed evangelistic booklet with my Minister's Bible Study group last night (see Evangelistic Booklet: Draft). The biggest critique was that it was short on this aspect. OBSERVATION: Theology by the people for the people.

Strong Blogging

I know what strong blogging is, although I'm not always able to produce it. The rankings tend to reflect my instinct. When I think that my posts are "strong", my blog may rise a hundred places in the general (local) rankings. OBSERVATION: Some of my strongest posts lie in reserve. I haven't had the courage to post them! I don't know who to credit for the cartoon -- one finds it all over.

God And Violence

Recently there was a buzz around the subject God and Violence in the blogosphere. All of theology, in fact, may be divided according to how one relates the two -- the issue is a shibboleth, a revealer of secrets. However, the intention here is to treat it from the angle of experience. I have recorded a lot of violence on this blog: a massacre on our Church block, a young woman who died at our Church's perimeter wall ... murder, attempted murder, rape, and severe trauma. From the point of view of praxis, I believe I would have little to say to people, as an urban minister, if I did not believe that God is directly and intimately involved in the suffering and evil of this world. All I would have left is "fairy tales". I believe, too, that the large majority of my congregation would share this perspective, not merely as dogma, but as a heartfelt conviction. OBSERVATION: Interestingly, violence in urban ministry (or perhaps, an inability to deal with it) may be one of the top stressors of urban ministry. See e.g. Fuller Theological Seminary's report: Stress in the City.

(In) Capability

It's not often that I look at what our secretary has pinned to her corkboard. I glimpsed this last week -- a quote by Solly Ozrovech. The message is: capability is not a prerequisite for ministry. OBSERVATION: I would go one step further, and say that it is not a requirement, or requisite. Click on the image to enlarge to 120k.

Winning Formula

Four years ago, in debate with postgraduate students, I was asked to summarise our Church's "winning formula". I said it was of the Lord, and therefore it was a mystery. But to this I said I would add: 1. a clear vision of Jesus Christ, 2. a simple, straight-talking Biblical message, 3. taking on, or taking out, any "root of bitterness", and 4. practising the priesthood of believers.

No Slush Funds

Our finances got in a strait last month. It wasn't trouble, but a strait. There was a suggestion that we should "appropriate" a special fund. I said no, that was slush fund finances. I said we could freeze the fund as an emergency, but not appropriate it. OBSERVATION: Slush fund finances are common practice in Churches, but I consider this to be ruinous to "investor confidence". Soon after my arrival at this Church, I / we abolished slush fund finances (see My Beginnings). It is also a matter of faith.

Girl Promoted

I enjoy seeing people "promoted" in the Church. Wife M. privately asked young A. (on the right of the photo) if she would like to join our worship team. A. was shy and she wasn't sure. But with an invitation one Sunday, she went up front. Yesterday, I was surpised to see A. there again -- and the first child on the team. Another person promoted.

Evangelistic Booklet: Draft

Churches use some well-known evangelistic booklets: The Four Spiritual Laws, Journey into Life, Why Jesus? etc. Perhaps the best known South African one is All About Becoming and Being a Christian, by Roger Voke. It wasn't my idea, but our Church leadership asked me to write our own, as such booklets were costing us (we have handed out thousands -- on request), and we had problems of supply. So our booklet might join the mix in the near future (click on the image to enlarge to a readable size, about 200k). Note that it is "draft non-citable" as the academics say -- yet comments would be much appreciated before it goes to a final version. OBSERVATION: We are likely to make the content of the final version freely available. We had three goals: to make it balanced, punchy, and simple to understand. We are likely to add graphics.

Domestic Complications

Domestic affairs can get complicated. A wife obtained a protection order against her husband for his drunkenness, philandering, and disorderliness. This meant that she kept the children, whom he dearly loved. However, she then invited him into the house -- in spite of the order -- picked up a heavy ashtray, and threw it at him. It hit him on the forehead (an excellent shot), and he ended up in hospital. Drunkenness etc. were not criminal offences the last time I checked, but physical injury is. Now he had his opportunity, perhaps to have the protection order set aside, perhaps to get the children back. At this point, I came in as minister. He wanted to know whether he should lay criminal charges against his wife. I advised him not to, because he shouldn't be raising the stakes and cranking up the pressure. Rather he should be finding rest (he needed it) and praying for God to give him grace with his wife. OBSERVATION: God did give him grace with his wife. However, he didn't make the best use of it.

Creative Order

The image on the right shows the typical "work in progress" that an order of service is in our Church. It shows just a part of my Easter service, which I finalised just minutes before the service began. This is what it reveals. There were to be prayers by the children (or so I was told) -- at the last moment this was cancelled and another prayer inserted. There were to be two separate children's songs (or so I was told) -- at the last moment these were combined into one -- hence one was "cancelled". Then a surprise event was inserted next to the offering. And at this point, the service was looking too full -- so I put brackets around a hymn. OBSERVATION: Many Sundays, this is how it goes. The order of service is a creative work in progress, even after a service has begun. Usually, I have a Plan B for at least one item should it drop out.

... And Meetings Now

Recently (compare the previous post), someone stood up in a Church Meeting and said: "The deacons are bamboozling the members!" I first dealt with the issue at hand, then said: "I need to address the suggestion that we are bamboozling the members. That is not so. We have a deliberate policy of transparency." I received an apology afterwards. OBSERVATION: Notice the difference between now and then. I now always enter meetings on what I have called A Preparedness Footing. One might say that I enter all meetings in "combat mode". But one surely would never guess it, and combat may only be required in one meeting out of fifty (I wouldn't call the incident above "combat", rather putting preparedness to work).

Meetings Then ...

Early in my ministry, Mrs. D. stood up in a Church Meeting (our highest executive), and said: "The minister never visits!" It so happened that this was the most-visited woman in the Church. I was stunned. I was conscientious about visiting in general. But being a young and polite minister, I thanked her, promised to do better, said nothing more -- and fretted a great deal after the fact. I had been done an injustice, embarrassed, in a public meeting. OBSERVATION: This way of dealing with issues was a major source of distress in my early ministry. (See the next post).

Funny When Serious

A deaconess said at our leadership meeting this week: "Oh Thomas you are funny!" It would seem to be my lot, however, to be funny when I happen to be serious! OBSERVATION: I think it was about my assessment of how our Youth Choir's CD is doing. I was optimistic, and happy. If we speak in terms of hundreds of years, we might sell a lot. For the time being, we've been shifting about two per week. I admit, we've given no small number away. This CD, however, is underrated. It has been received with warmth and enthusiasm by those who have heard it (see Warmly Received CD). It deserves to be on every MP3 player. The photo shows us reviewing a recording session last year (the photo is in VGA if you click on it).

My Turf

.Here's a photo that I took of my turf tonight (our Church's location is just off the left of the photo). OBSERVATION: I jokingly refer to it as "my turf", as I have twice been threatened (outside our Church) by people who claimed that it was theirs. Incidentally Lion's Head, in the background, is an easy climb with a fantastic view. I applied a Retinex filter to this photo.

Intimate Youth

I called in at our Youth Group's devotions tonight (pictured) for the first time this year. R., on the right, explained to the children what Easter was about. It's school holidays, so it wasn't the usual chaos, but an intimate affair. We keep this group going nearly all the time. OBSERVATION: Our Youth leader P., second from right, is graduating next week. Well done, P.!

Financial Instability

In November, I recorded our Church treasurer as saying: “It's the best month the Church ever had in its ... what? 114 years?” Last night he reported: "In all my years as treasurer, we haven't had a month as bad as the last one." I said that the money is there, the generosity is there, but support for the Church should be "built in" to Christians' lives. I said we should know that God will provide the Church's needs. Afterwards, wife M. was more emphatic. She said: "Of course God will provide! Either it is His Church or it is not!" OBSERVATION: The instability I have noted with regard to our congregation also applies to our finances. It's part of urban ministry -- although there were also some unusual expenses. We shall put spending on hold, and inform the congregation of the status quo.

"Powerful" Country

I was impressed, on my recent visit to the north of our country, by the vastness and "power" of this land. My home town, Cape Town, a sizeable city, would seem to be a mere backwater by comparison -- a mere fifth of the size of the metropolis to the north. OBSERVATION: I have been north before. However, this time I was given a grand tour of the area (Gauteng). The photo shows the escarpment north of Cape Town, in the early morning sun.

Skills -- For What?

I posted recently on skills -- specifically, survival skills in ministry. This post is about other kinds of skill one needs for ministry. Yet one needs to ask, I think, skills for what? Here I disagree with a lot of theorists, who say one needs skills to pursue goals -- skills of persuasion, skills of strategy. I consider that skills serve two purposes: 1. to maximise a congregation's spiritual life and blessing, and to do this in a way that shows respect for their time and generosity and gifts and so on, and 2. to give people confidence and trust in their Church -- which implies the skill to provide accountability, dependability, and transparency. OBSERVATION: As far as goals are concerned -- BHAG's and so on -- I consider that people are people, not goals. When you try to treat them like goals, or as part of goals, you are bound for grief.

Cryptic Notes

Life for me at times seems like spinning in a tornado of people. In the midst of this, I pen notes (or try to) between one handshake and the next. But when I return to those notes, I not seldom have a problem deciphering them! Some notes I went through this morning: "proviso figures", "thanks Sunday", "1 [or l, or I?] Q", "think of ch", "ask for offer", "agenda double". I could work out most of these, but not all. OBSERVATION: I wonder whether the president of the USA puzzles over scribbled notes like "east urgent", "do nukes", "call pm" ... !

Congratulations

This is D., our Church caretaker. When he joined us several years ago, he was a factory worker. He worked single-mindedly towards the ministry: he obtained a Bible School certificate in his spare time, carefully studied the way that things were done in the Church (not least the problems he saw), became an elder in the United Mission Church, then a lay minister. Now, over the Easter weekend, he was ordained. There was a tension between his duty as a caretaker, and his calling. I myself felt that we should do what we reasonably could to promote the calling. Basically, we decided that we expected him to make up for the allowances we made. Finally, he is a minister -- and still our caretaker. OBSERVATION: I consider him to be a fairly mature minister at the time of his ordination, although I would want to be less "artful" myself in the way I got things done. His home Church lies in the midst of a poor community (see Favourite Photo for a photo I took inside).

"Meet My Girlfriend"

I went to see a colleague, Rev. F. He opened the door in his nightgown. He said, "Come meet my girlfriend." He took me to his bedroom, where she was lying on a mattress on the floor, dressed in ... perfectly nothing as far as I could see. However, her softer parts were covered by a duvet. OBSERVATION: I kept the incident to myself. Now, long after the fact, she is Mrs. F. I can't understand how he would take such a risk, introducing me like that. It could have been ruinous.

Groote Kerk

Here's another photo of the Groote Kerk (“Great Church”) of Cape Town -- taken with a compact Olympus camera -- its once proud tower, nearly five storeys high, now tucked away in an urban nook. The Church was founded in 1665 -- thirteen years after the first settlers arrived. It has the largest pipe organ in South Africa. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 70k.

The Burden To Love

There has been a debate raging around freedom of speech (and song) in South Africa -- which relates to the issues of hate speech and incitement to violence. I commented recently on the BBC's website that if anyone were to speak, within our multi-cultural Church, of shooting someone in our midst -- if this were even possible -- it would undoubtedly be a source of grief throughout the Church. We have taken action for far less. OBSERVATION: The language of the Church is love, not merely freedom or rights. In this light, the world marches to a different drum. While the hurts of the past are great, I consider that the burden to love one another far outweighs these.

Leadership Skills

Recently I had an (Internet) conversation with a minister who is in leadership development. He asked me what I thought about "leadership skills". I understood this to mean survival skills. Call it skills for comfortable, confident ministry. I wrote back: "One can learn skills which serve as a prop yet don't necessarily solve the problem. The solution, I think, lies in a few simple spiritual attitudes. Most basically, 'I (not you) will build my Church' [Matt 16:18]." OBSERVATION: The question of organisational or strategic skills came up later in the conversation. I hope to post on that soon. Survival skills, incidentally, are no small matter, with estimates showing that up to 95% of ministers in the USA do not survive long-term.

Huge, Magical Factory

I don't remember how far Bredasdorp is from Cape Town. It was about six hours in my three-wheel pickup! Its official website describes it as a "sleepy" town, and a "conveniently situated base" for more interesting things. However, there is on the edge of Bredasdorp, behind the grain silos to the south, a magical crockery factory called Kapula. It is huge. It displays a very large variety of African-style crockery, in all colours. The photo shows the detail of one of their bowls. They manufacture candles, too, to match the crockery.

A Confusing Time

Yesterday, wife M. was not able even to walk down our front steps. Yet by today, she was able to attend the whole of our Women's Association meeting at the Church. I was shocked when she suggested that she would go! It is a confusing time. OBSERVATION: She is a "farm girl" from Switzerland, yet one of considerable sophistication and great spiritual depth. The photo (a recent one) shows her original home, in Canton Zug.

Non-Pursuit

When it comes to counsel and advice, I have a policy of non-pursuit. I don't go chasing after people to see how they are doing. People need to come to me. I do, however, make rare exceptions (a few times a year, if that). This week I said to a young woman: "I want to see you" -- hence this post. OBSERVATION: What makes me ask to see someone? This is hard to say. Call it the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is where I perceive a life-changing opportunity, rather than mere counsel.

My First Steps

Very rarely will one find a photo of a child's first steps. Even more rarely will one find one taken in 1961. My first steps were caught on standard 8mm film -- in Sheffield, England. This snap was blown up from a 4.8mm x 3.5mm frame.

God As "Jolly Good Fellow"

Last night I did some further work on a paper I am writing for a theological journal. For the purpose, I reviewed a large amount of Christian leadership literature -- most of it North American. My overriding impression was one of careful (painstaking) theological formulations and grand narratives ("theological schemes", one might say). There seemed to be little sense that God is (as someone said, without meaning to be disrespectful) a Jolly Good Fellow. OBSERVATION: Needless to say, I am not being very theological here. My mind is addled from too much study last night.

Meaningless Photo

This is the view from my three-wheeler's cab, on our suburb's Main Road. It's a pretty meaningless photo, which means that it should go far on the Internet. One might note the public taxi in the middle, like a barge that's come adrift, which is typical of such taxis. But then, come to think of it, my three-wheeler is rather in the middle, too -- and OK, I admit it, the photo shows that I've stopped illegally on yellow lines.

"Act Of Violence"

In our service yesterday, I invited all who knew Christ to take part in Holy Communion. This invitation was meant to be inclusive -- I referred to the worldwide (or "catholic") Church of Christ as I said this -- there were people there from many nations. After the service, an Asian man waited to see me with his partner. He said it was the first time in his life that he had entered a Church. He had not known what to do with this "invitation", as he was not a Christian. He felt excluded, and thought of it as an "act of violence". I said that I myself would not stop anyone from taking Holy Communion, as many Churches do. I said, "Why would you want to take part in a ritual you do not understand?" He said, "Maybe that would help me to understand it." OBSERVATION: This issue has been much debated (not least where protesters have demanded Holy Communion).

Sombre Hush

There is a "mood" to a congregation which is easy enough for a minister to pick up. It's a strange thing -- an entire congregation may walk into Church sombre, or light-hearted, or restless. Yesterday, there was a sombre hush. I think it had to do with the murder of a notorious/influential South African farmer, in the midst of heated debate surrounding the singing of the song "Kill the Boer [farmer]". OBSERVATION: The last time I noted such a sombre hush was when the national electricity grid crashed.

Strange Security Breach

One thinks one has seen it all, when ... I asked a tall intruder to leave the Church premises yesterday. He said, "No, I can't." I said, "What do you mean, can't? You need to leave now, or I'll call security." He said, "I can't, because my food is in the oven." So, to prove that he wasn't the garden variety intruder, he fetched his food from the oven in the Church kitchen (towards the back of our premises) and showed me. OBSERVATION: I hope he switched the oven off! I forgot to check.

New Members

We received four new members today (pictured). Amazingly, three of them are chefs. I have joked that there are some good times ahead for our Church, with that many good cooks around. OBSERVATION: We have one criterion for membership: evidence of saving faith. This is what one refers to as a "believer's Church" -- a tenet which originates (or was rediscovered) in England in the 1500's. Click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Star Of Easter

The star of our Easter service today was E. (pictured). She sang, with inimitable flair: "Twinkle, twinkle precious star, Jesus loves you as you are." The full lyrics are at DLTK's. The photo, as usual, was taken from the minister's perspective (I jolted the camera a bit here). The red on the left is a red drape on our Easter cross.

Regrets And Thanks

I shouldn't go writing an apology, or this post will go shooting to the top of the South African "Hot Right Now" rankings. Instead I'm calling it regrets. I regret that, at this moment in time, there are several hundred e-mails I have not been able to respond to. Lately, I have been answering fifty or sixty a week. I am gladdened and encouraged and fascinated by the e-mails I receive. I read them all, and wish I had the ability to repond to all. Thanks so much for writing.

Conglomerate

Yesterday I received a comment from Jare of Serbia on my post Treasure Site: "Why do not you use a metal detector ... ?" Presumably Jare is asking why we do not search the site with a metal detector. Son M. and I first found this site with metal detectors -- but it is covered with conglomerate over a large area, so that the whole area registers as metal. The photo gives an impression of what I mean. You'll see a brass screw in it (top right), and brass pins (bottom left). It is "riddled" with metal -- iron, brass, copper, gold.

Non-Western Resurrection

Last night I completed my Easter sermon. Not surprisingly, the theme is resurrection. In the Church in the West, one would normally, I think, focus on resurrection as it applies to the spirit. In Africa, however, the application may be far wider -- and I am not speaking about miracle raisings from the dead. Here, it is often seen not only to apply to the spirit, but to the external reality of the Christian. Examples from Scripture are legion, in both the Old and the New Testaments. For an African on this subject, see Resurrection Power. For an example of how I apply this in counselling, see Resurrection Now.

Off-Beat Solution?

I previously reported that my signature had been (multiply) forged. With the police showing little or no progress after more than half a year (two detectives expressed disquiet about the case), I decided on an off-beat approach. The only recognisable signature that appeared next to my forged one (it might be forged, too) was that of someone who happens to be on first-name terms with international VIP's (one of whom pictured). I sent the person concerned an e-mail today, asking if they were aware of this. Watch this space!

Treasure Site

On a whim, this morning, I clambered over rocks to find my way to a wreck site in our suburb. There I found an old friend and treasure-hunter F., with his young son (pictured). OBSERVATION: Son M. and I (and friends) found five gold coins here. I'll be handing out maps to the site in my vestry at R100 each.

Easter Sentences

Isn't she lovely? T. is a young member of our Church. Tomorrow she will introduce our Easter service with sentences in place of our usual Call to Worship. If you'd like to read the sentences, they may be found at Easter Sentences. I first introduced T. on this blog as a new member of the Church nearly three years ago. It may have been my blog's first day. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 40k. T. is a Pedi.

Feeling Unsafe

I don't in fact feel safe at the Church. This morning I asked a drug addict to leave the premises after he slipped in through an unguarded entrance. On leaving the Church, I checked this way and that. The coast was clear. But he was hiding behind a car, waiting for me. I made a quick getaway with my three-wheeler -- but that sometimes stutters and stalls. Was this a risky situation? I don't know. OBSERVATION: See Safety Fears for our caretaker's jitteriness. I have been attacked several times on or around Church property, although I was injured only once. The most serious case was where a man threatened me, then entered the premises with a gun -- and hid the gun on the premises (he is dead now).

Good Friday Service

This morning we held a very formal, solemn Good Friday service. A deacon conducted the service, and I held Communion at the end. Our Youth Choir (pictured) closed with a song which I thought really "made" the occasion: "He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away." It gave heartfelt expression to all that went before.

Camera-Shy, Anyone?

Camera-shy, anyone? I took this photo at our Church's Tenebrae Supper last night. There are in fact four people in this photo, which one may prove through careful observation (click on the photo to enlarge). The boy in the middle is looking at person no. 4. I asked no. 4: "Are you being hunted by the police?"