Winter Photo [29]

This is a favourite photo, because it proves that I made it, in my little three-wheeler, to the Gannabos kokerboom (quiver tree) forest in the Great Karoo. It was an epic journey, and I loved it -- except for a major storm (elsewhere on this blog).

Winter Photo [28]

I took this shot of the interior of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC, or NGK) Aurora. The congregation was sparse, as (so they said) the minister and his wife were on leave. Before the service, there was complete, motionless silence among the people. Then a door burst open. The Church Council stormed in and stood in their places (I liked the thump of their feet on the wooden floor). A deaconess gave a rapid nod, and they all sat down. The message was classic Reformed theology: a Church service is a means of grace. In the service, God speaks, and God is “werksaam” (accomplishes a work). OBSERVATION: In fact, this is my own emphasis. With this in mind, I don't know how people dare skip a Sunday service.

Winter Photo [27]

This is our local flower-seller Felicity. Her mother and her daughter sell flowers on the same corner. She was delighted with this photo. It was not posed -- I took it in a passing instant.

Winter Photo [26]

Aurora is a small town off the beaten track, about 200km/125mi north of Cape Town. It surely has one of South Africa's more unusual Dutch Reformed Churches -- a Church that I attended yesterday. I took this photo close up, to avoid the Church's perimeter wall. The Church was completed in 1908. The architect was W.H. Ford. Coming soon: the interior.

Winter Photo [25]

This was the surprise that greeted me in my vestry one morning -- it had temporarily been turned into a creche. The girls were playing Snakes and Ladders on my desk, and not looking the least bit contrite about it.

Winter Photo [24]

This placid scene is one of wife M.'s favourites. It is a derelict landing on the Berg River, about 160km/100mi north of Cape Town. It's a farm that I have often visited when on leave.

Winter Photo [23]

I'm re-posting this photo under my Winter Photos because it was a glad moment for me -- the reception of four new members in our Church -- fine people I have been privileged to get to know.

Winter Photo [22]

Last winter, I snapped this rural version of the pram/baby carriage. Not only is it roomy and functional -- it has fantastic views.

Winter Photo [21]

This is the Old Apostolic Church in Laaiplek, on a misty morning. I asked a member for a photo. He said: "I'll have to ask the elders." I have seldom come across a friendlier Church. Yet friendliness would appear to have "little to do with things" -- if one goes by the thriving VGK that I blogged about earlier this week. At that Church, there was little interest in me as a visitor.

Winter Photo [20]

Not every sunset needs to be spectacular. I took this photo of a pastel sunset at the Berg River last week. The rays of the setting sun merged with the evening mist. Bats began to take to the air, and there was a cacophony of birds round about.

Holiday Death

A Church member died -- a young husband and father. In my scheme of things, he was an important member. I am on holiday/vacation, and only on a "flying visit" to Cape Town this week (tomorrow I am away again), but I went to visit the family today in the township -- a large gathering in a small, tidy shack. I asked them whether someone could sing a song of hope. A young woman struck up: "How wonderful You are, O Lord." It made the moment. OBSERVATION: That's my pickup at a rendezvous point. After this, the deceased's brother and I twisted our way through narrow, muddy, potholed streets. The young widow was propped up in bed, as if taken ill.

Winter Photo [19]

Now here's a photo of the door-latch on the Indian Mahindra three-wheeler. Isn't it beautiful in its simplicity. This morning I came across a woman in distress, in a forest, in a luxury SUV. The battery was flat. I offered to jump-start it for her. She said no, one couldn't do that, because of all the electronics in the vehicle. If the battery on my Indian Bajaj three-wheeler goes flat, one doesn't even need a jump-start. It has a crank-handle. That's Indian design for you.

Winter Photo [18]

I received an e-mail yesterday: "Your photos are great and always a pleasure to look at. How about some more church photos. I always enjoy looking at old buildings." The good news is, I have more photos of Churches. This is the Roman Catholic Church in Laaiplek, about 160km/100mi north of Cape Town. It is typical, in its modesty, of village Catholic Churches in South Africa. I especially like the little bell, and the skew cross above it. OBSERVATION: The Church was dedicated on the 4th of December 1954 “to the greater glory of God, and in honour of His holy martyr, St. Christopher”, by Geoffrey of Cape Town.

Winter Photo [17]

Who would have thought we'd see wife M. behind the controls of a three-wheel pickup? We took a look at the Mahindra three-wheeler this morning. It is much bigger than my Bajaj three-wheeler. It has a diesel engine, not petrol/gas. It juddered a lot, and smoked out the show-room. It looks simpler to service. But it's not as convenient to manoeuvre and park as the Bajaj -- or as cute. If it's what you need, it's half the price of the cheapest car/automobile, and it comes in a passenger version, too.

Winter Photo [16]

I took this photo of the interior of our local Methodist Church. The architecture is very similar to that of our own Church, which was built several years earlier. OBSERVATION: The Methodists would seem to recognise great architecture when they see it! Apart from this being smaller than our Church, the Methodist choir has greater prominence, and the altar less. The Methodists also used a sturdier structure for the roof (we won't venture into the possible symbolism of that)! There was a guest preacher on this day.

Winter Photo [15]

I took this photo this morning, at Hout Bay harbour, about 16km/10mi south of our Church. Don't even think of trying this with a seal. They are wild, cranky, dangerous animals. This one, however, has been tamed.

Winter Photo [14]

.We had severe pain and perplexity earlier this week, with wife M. However, an injection perked her up a great deal, and today I took her to a lower-class restaurant -- complete with musicians as you see. That's her in the background. OBSERVATION: It was an awful restaurant. For instance, I couldn't decide if I'd put sugar or salt in my coffee (it was sugar). One does also get lower-class combined with excellence. Incidentally the reason for all the "winter photos" is that I am on winter leave.

Winter Photo [13]

One frequently finds forgotten graves in South Africa. I found this one of a toddler in the bush near the Berg River. I wondered about its orientation. Could it have been facing a long-gone farmhouse? Was it facing east? It wasn't facing east. However, it was facing the sunrise -- which may have been as good as east for early settlers -- where Christ would appear at His Second Coming. That is, the toddler might be buried so that it would sit up, and see Christ.

Winter Photo [12]

.For the first time, in 3-D, here is the Laaiplek Dutch Reformed Church bell-tower from the inside. OBSERVATION: If one should wish to try 3D photos, four basic rules apply: 1. The two photos should be taken with the same camera settings. 2. The photos should have precisely the same orientation. 3. They should usually be taken 10cm/4” apart. And 4. one should crop them at the same points in the foreground. See Sea Point Suburb 3D if tips are required to view this. For a better 3D effect, click on the photo to enlarge to 370k.

Winter Photo [11]

This is the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC or NGK) in Laaiplek, about 160km/100mi north of Cape Town. I have no further information on this Church. The front is perfectly symmetrical, with a tall bell-tower off-set to the right. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 220k. Coming soon: a 3D shot of the bell-tower.

(Thanks to amatomu.com)

Thanks to Daniel (Dan) Bailey of Creative Spark for helping solve the problems I reported a week ago on this blog. Dan gave me personal, persistent, kind-hearted help to get my blog fully back into the South African blogosphere. For anyone who isn't aware of the "common room" of South African Religion blogs, do take a look at amatomu.com Religion.

Winter Photo [10]

.This morning I attended the Uniting Reformed Church (URC or VGK) in Laaiplek, about 160km/100mi north of Cape Town (pictured). As with many of these Churches, it does not have its own minister. This, I think, tends to lead to a grass-roots theology: in the case of this particular Church, something that seems safely at home in the 19th Century (if not before)! Personally, I think that this is what should be happening in the Churches -- this kind of grass-roots dynamic. Theologians, though, might be rather dismayed.

Winter Photo [9]

I know, some of my friends will say "I told you so". My vehicle was bound to break down in some faraway place where I couldn't do my own fix. However, my good luck was that it rolled to a halt today right in front of about the most isolated petrol/gas station within 100 miles of Cape Town (Vyge Vallei) -- like shooting a hole-in-one! You may click on the photo to appreciate the special event in VGA.

Winter Photo [8]

The Berg River mouth (where I am now) is swamp land – a wetland – as you see in the photo. It is known for its spectacular sunrises and sunsets. I liked the way the rising sun here looked like a cauldron. OBSERVATION: This photo proves incidentally, for any doubters, that I do sometimes glimpse a sunrise.

Winter Photo [7]

In a passing moment, I captured this street musician in our suburb, playing "Baa baa black sheep" to a girl. She seemed captivated.

Winter Photo [6]

It was bitterly cold and pouring with rain on my journey to the Berg River earlier this week (I drive a vehicle which is not fully enclosed). I stopped at a farm for breakfast -- cold and wet. The farmer's wife instructed a servant to fire up a wood stove (pictured). Smoke poured into the room. The farmer's wife said (in Afrikaans): "I hope the smoke is not smothering you!" The farmer said: "This happens when rain comes down the chimney!" (hail, too).

Winter Photo [5]

This is a photo of our suburb's coast in a strange mood. The ocean was covered with a layer of lazy foam after a storm.

Winter Photo [4]

I took this photo last winter, of Nieuwoudtville Falls plunging off the escarpment. The falls are about 400km/250mi north of Cape Town. This photo was runner-up in a local photographic competition.

Winter Photo [3]

This is a photo of a blister beetle. They are not to be touched, or they may badly blister the skin. It is found almost only in the wilds.

Winter Photo [2]

I took this photo of members of our Church's Youth Choir at the end of a long recording session. It was a tiring session, as you see! We finally released a CD titled Prayer.

Winter Break

I go on Winter Break tomorrow, to the wide wetlands of the Berg River. While on break, instead of the usual blog posts, I'll mostly be posting favourite photos of the past year. Most of these may be viewed in VGA by clicking on them. This photo shows my pickup on the road during my last Summer Break, near the southern tip of Africa.

Bye Bye amatomu.com?

Regrettably, my blog would appear to be facing disappearance from amatomu.com (the South African blogosphere, sorted). While it still appears in the rankings, my Login has been deactivated, my blog no longer appears under Current Blogs, and my posts no longer feed the Latest Posts. This is while it occupies third place among (active) Christian blogs in South Africa, and second place among urban ministry blogs in the world. amatomu.com, I'd appreciate any insight into this. While you have assured me that my blog has been restored, regrettably it has not.

World Cup Joke

I have one more joke about World Cup soccer. A soccer fan, a churchgoing man, was completely obsessed with the soccer. Not only did he watch all the matches, but he watched all the commentaries, all the re-runs. He had been watching all through the night Saturday to Sunday, and it was almost time for Church at 9 a.m. His wife said to him: "Honey, you are totally fixated with soccer. You are obsessed. You have a one-track mind." He said: "Oh no I don't!" She said: "Yes you do. You don't even realise that it's 10 to 9!" He said: "Ten to nine! In whose favour?" OBSERVATION: Our congregation complain that my jokes are generally terrible. Even the terrible ones, though, lift people's spirits -- and hopefully may do the same for other Churches!

An Amendment

We took one of those decisions this week that was correct, yet not expedient or prudent. I was part of the decision, and didn't see what I saw until later. We had shown special magnanimity towards our associate Church, to help them get established. Now we decided to ask of them what one of our leadership properly called "inevitable and very fair". Yet this increased our associate Church's contribution 2½ times. For me, leadership decisions are close to holy, so I very seldom suggest that we return to them. In this case I suggested an amendment, and you may see how I did it in an e-mail to our Finance & Property Committee top right (click on it to enlarge).The original decision was amended, as suggested, by our full Church leadership.

Big Money, Tremendous Forces

If large sums of money are involved, it is dangerous territory for a minister. There are tremendous forces which come into play where, say, a million is at stake -- even a lot less. OBSERVATION: Having experienced the dangers, I consider that a minister should help people cope with big money matters -- emotionally, spiritually, practically -- yet otherwise have no involvement -- whether it's about intimidation, crime, corruption -- anything. (My own most recent experience was last month, where half a million rands was involved in counselling).

Recognised By A Knock

I am able to recognise some of our deacons by the way they knock on the door. We had apologies from our treasurer this week for a meeting, so we weren't expecting him. Then there was a knock. I said: "That's an aggressive knock! It has to be our treasurer!" Our treasurer walked in and said: "What's the joke?" Another deacon said: "Our minister says he's able to recognise your knock." (I recognised a second knock the same evening).

Evangelistiese Boekie

I am pleased to announce that the Afrikaans version of our Evangelistic Booklet is now complete -- here offered in a form which is downloadable from this blog, gratis. This will surely be one of only very few such booklets in existence in Afrikaans. 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 700k 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.

Power And Influence

I was discussing with someone, yesterday, a decision that the Church had taken. There was the common misconception: the minister has power in this matter. I said: "I have influence, not power." OBSERVATION: Ministers may indeed have power, not least in Africa. However, in the Congregational Church, a minister has no power (I have power only to call the Church together). Also, influence, while it is something that I have, is not something that I seek to bring to bear on the Church. Or put it this way: I see my influence as merely being a part of every influence in the Church.

Revellers

This one's just a pretty picture -- a false-colour photo of revellers in our suburb last night, near the Church. Three of them are blowing vuvuzelas -- that wretched plastic trumpet that characterises the present Soccer World Cup. Actually, what would it all be without the vuvuzela?

The Poorest Disappear

I met one of our suburb's poorest today. Usually, he is surrounded by a crowd of his own. Today, he was all alone -- like a survivor of the Alamo it seemed. A great many of the poorest have disappeared from our streets in recent weeks -- including those who attend our Church. (The total number was recently estimated at 700). I said: "Where's everybody gone? Did they truck them out of town?" He said: "They arrested them all. They sentenced them in masses -- thirty days, forty days each -- to Pollsmoor!" (a maximum security prison). OBSERVATION: It's the World Cup, you see. The photo shows one of those who is with us no longer. See Fifa And Us as to why they might have been sentenced.

Lioness

A husband came to see me about his wife. He said: "She roars at me! She swears! She drinks! She shouts at me like a man! I thought I married a lady! That's not how a woman is supposed to be. Not a woman like her. She is petite, lithe, comely." OBSERVATION: I think he brought out the lioness in her.

Screen-Shot

This has little to do with urban ministry -- and yet has everything to do with it. It's a screen-shot of my office PC. I turned my screen vertical (that's my blog that's shown). This seems to work very nicely. In particular, one is able to browse pages much easier. You may enlarge the image to 110k by clicking on it. It's Linux Ubuntu that you see.

Tithes, Offerings, Donations

Tithes, offerings, and donations are not correlated with expenditure in our Church. It's as if income is put in a mixer (except special funds), then divided up again as items of expenditure. But in our associate Church, there is a direct correlation between tithes, offerings, donations, and expenditure. They pay the minister's salary with tithes, run the Church with offerings, and cover special events with donations. OBSERVATION: We would see tithes as the Christian's bottom-line spiritual responsibility, offerings as any (more or less) regular giving which complements or exceeds this, and donations as special generosity (not seldom in the form of bequests).

"Hope And A Future"

I don't know whether anyone will understand my excitement at seeing this (on the right) in our suburb this morning. My heart was full of joy. It's a new kid in town -- made by Mahindra (India). With people saying that my own three-wheel pickup is destined to become a collector's item, and with it slowly running out of kilometres/miles now, this shiny new thing gave me hope and a future.

Scanning An Old Agenda

I sat down yesterday to prepare an agenda for tonight's leadership meeting. I happened to page back four years in our agendas. My eye fell upon March 2006. The agenda back then referred to twelve people who were faithfully involved in the Church at the time. Today, just two of them are still with us. Seven moved away, two died, and one vanished. OBSERVATION: This is the story of an urban Church. Yet the Church is always replenished. See also Urban Turnover.

Vuvuzela's Church Origins

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The vuvuzela -- which South Africans apparently hope will stun opposing soccer teams into submission -- had its origins in the Church. According to the BBC, the World Cup will be throbbing to holy sound (see Unholy Row Over World Cup Trumpet). Our suburb, too, is throbbing to holy sound. I took this photo of a local taxi driver this morning (a Retinex filter applied).

Getting Away With It

You committed the crime -- and prospered through it -- and got away with it. But there's a problem. Many years later, God caught up with you, and gave you a deep conviction of sin. It's past putting right -- and anything that can still be done could be ruinous all round. What to do? I wrote the person concerned (whom I counselled) the letter on the right. OBSERVATION: It's a controversial letter no doubt, and it would not apply in all situations. You may click on it to enlarge.

Lookin' At You, Kiddo

.This blog post is lookin' at you, kiddo. You, who sits in Pew 30. The good news is, you've caught the imagination of the public. A steady stream of members and deacons have been admiring your exquisite carvings in our furniture. The bad news is, we now have our eye on Pew 30!

Switching Churches

We keep getting people in our Church from our nearest Church neighbour. Then, not seldom, they switch back to their old Church (two did this week). This usually happens when our neighbouring Church has a new minister. I said to wife M.: "We don't have that -- members going to other Churches, then coming back to us." She said: "We don't change ministers. You've been here forever." OBSERVATION: Sometimes wives can be quite clever.

Blog Trivia

Here are some interesting trivia about my blog, the last time I checked. Apart from South Africa, my blog has more readers in Egypt than in any other country in the world. It has more readers in Iran than in most Western European countries. Close to one-fifth of my readers use Linux, not Windows. According to Google, my most popular post is Emergent Church. And it is the no. 3 active Christian blog in South Africa.

Anticipation

Anticipation is an important concept for me in ministry. I seek as far as possible to help our congregation anticipate what lies ahead. If it's a Sunday service, I try to help people anticipate what will be in it. If I'll be away, I try to help people anticipate my absence. If we're at the beginning of a new month, I try to help people anticipate the events that are planned. And so on. OBSERVATION: I think this helps people feel reassured and relaxed. While it's a small point, it's a different Church without it. See also Regularity And Continuity.

World Cup Changes

Our Church is situated in a suburb which borders on a FIFA zone. There is no doubt that the World Cup has changed life as we normally experience it as a Church. Gone is the brawling, the screaming, the squalor, the harassment. Even part of our congregation is gone! But where? I e-mailed the photo above-right to our office secretary and titled it "FIFA" -- the empty street, the cleanliness. OBSERVATION: Yet having said this, our area seems suddenly to have lost its old lovable/hateable character. It just didn't seem the same on Sunday. First thing in the morning, it felt rather eerie without the usual ruckus! Or mess. One wonders, too, how the authorities were able to accomplish this within weeks, where any number of local consultations have failed. It would seem to come down to motivation.

Strong Pain

For years, I've had pain where I hit the steering column of a three-wheeler in a crash (some of the damage to the dashboard pictured). But this week, the pain became strong. I denied the very nature of my masculinity, and went to see the doctor. The verdict: it's probably attributable to nothing more than the ordinary kind of mauling one receives when crashing a vehicle (probably soft tissue damage). Thus I might forego further checks -- unless I can't stand the pain! I've got enough to do anyway.

Blogging About Nothing

This was originally a Twitter joke. I have adapted it here for the blogosphere.

We All Owe The Same

My last post touched on the vast disparities of wealth within our Church. However, if that is all that one sees when one looks at such a Church, from without or within, one has a problem of vision. All of us owe each other a debt of love (Gal 5:13; Rom 13:8). All of us need to have the attitude that we owe. That is in fact what I find to be operative throughout most of our Church, in wonderful ways, with great variety. It is when someone begins to see himself or herself as the receiver alone, or the giver alone, that healthy dynamics get skewed.

Exercised

There is a situation in the Church that exercised me (again) today. I blogged about it recently. There are huge disparities of wealth within our congregation. For me this is something precious, and I am so glad to be the minister of such a congregation. However, the chaos continues as to how the needs are managed, despite our leadership having laid down guidelines -- principally that all requests for charity should go through established Church channels. Various things have given me concern. Apart from neglected guidelines, perhaps my core concern is what I sense to be exploitation by alms-seekers -- in some cases deceit -- and this has annoyed me. I also feel protective of members who are not "worldly wise" in such things. OBSERVATION: I am at a loss at the moment as to how to approach this. However, answers are not my sole responsibility. I shall put it to our leadership this week.

Camera Impounded

I visited one of our members at the famous Groote Schuur hospital today. They impounded my camera. Next to me was a woman holding a cell-phone camera. I said: "She's got a camera." They said: "She's got a cell-phone. You've got a camera!" After I got my camera back, I took this photo of the hospital's facade. OBSERVATION: Our member, a young family man, nearly died of pneumonia. Then he nearly died of the cure, through kidney failure.

Favourite Restaurant

Yesterday I took wife M. for lunch at my favourite restaurant, where I got this action shot (click for VGA). Why is it my favourite? Because everything about it is working-class -- and the fare is very good. However, this time they had replaced the usual dirty overalls with smart regulation attire. (The restaurant is Snoekies, Hout Bay).

Total Sunday Prep

When one speaks of a minister's Sunday preparation, it's often the sermon that comes to mind. Here follows the sum total of my Sunday preparation: Mid-week, I peruse the sermon subject. Later in the week, I write a draft, revise the draft, then rehearse and add various marks to my notes. I peruse various prayers and select, and on a Sunday morning revise the prayers throughout. I prepare a sermon outline, as well as something educational or informative to go on the back of it, and ensure that this is copied. Towards the end of a week, I select hymns and a reading, and pass these to our secretary. I fill in an order of service, and write up an introduction to the service, as well as my customary Sunday joke (if there is one). I run through the order of service a few times, to be well acquainted with it. I usually plan one or two special items for each service: sometimes organising these personally, often delegating, sometimes putting people through their paces beforehand. If required, I compile our monthly newsletter, with devotional input and news, and usually hand this to our secretary for duplication. Finally, I peruse the Church bulletin and Church rosters for clues as to what might be relevant on a given Sunday, and personally check the sound and video systems for the service. OBSERVATION: While I've omitted several things here, this should give a fairly good impression. All of the above involves, I would guess, 100-200 pages of reading, and 20-30 pages of writing each week.

DRC Kleinmond

This would seem to be a fairly typical example of a modern, small-town Dutch Reformed Church (DRC or NGK). I took the photo in Kleinmond, just over 100km/60mi east of Cape Town. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

Bafana Bafana Joke

It is my custom to tell a joke on a Sunday morning. This is a sneak preview of tomorrow's joke (foreign readers: Bafana Bafana is the national soccer squad). A Church member asked his minister: "Pastor, could we meet in Church on Sunday to say a special prayer for Bafana Bafana? You see, I'm worried that they won't make it without divine intervention." His minister said: "Brother, please don't tell anyone, but I know how you feel." Sunday came around -- but the minister had clean forgotten who asked him for the prayer, or where they were supposed to meet. He announced from the pulpit: "The member who is so worried that Bafana Bafana won't make it without divine intervention -- when I say the final Amen, please just come to the front." The minister said the final Amen, and the whole Church came to the front!

Assistant Minister

Long before I became minister of this Church, I served here for over a year as Pastoral Assistant, or Assistant Minister. This photo dates from that time. OBSERVATION: At the time, I drove a Morris Minor Series II. I really liked that car/automobile. It had a 49cu in/803cc engine, and did an amazing 0 to 60mph/97kmh in 52 seconds. And if it got stuck on a hill, one could reverse it up.
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NOTE: Inexplicably, this post entered the South African all-categories Hot Right Now list, and went to the very top of the South African Religion Hot Right Now list.

The Burden Of Silence

I've blogged about this before, although I'll be more specific in this post -- it's about a minister's burden to remain silent where he or she has information that may need to be shared for the good of the Church. Here are four real examples from my experience: 1. A certain member was nominated for a leadership position in the Church, yet I had knowledge of that member being involved in domestic abuse. 2. A certain expert was suggested for co-option to a Church committee, yet I had knowledge of that expert being involved in a plea-bargain with prosecutors. 3. A certain member was nominated to serve as an office-bearer in the Church, yet I had knowledge of that member having made sexual advances on a member of staff. And 4. (this is a small example), it was reported that a certain member was making forward progress in his life, while I had knowledge that that member had early symptoms of AIDS. In all of these cases, it was my secret (at least, it was not generally known). OBSERVATION: In some such cases there is, at the end of the day, no need for me to say anything at all. In other cases, I'll say: "Trust me. We can't nominate X." (However, that doesn't always go a long way)! In a few cases, I have said to people confidentially: "Are you aware of the following information?" While I'll do my best to preserve confidentiality, I consider that the Church is always the greater good.

All-Year Celebration

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I took this photo at one of our Church groups earlier this week. I was invited as part of my never-ending round of birthday celebrations. P., in the centre, said: "A big birthday continues all year!" If the conversation looks passionate, it's because it's about World Cup soccer. Each of the group gave me a personal birthday word. That was special.