Smoking, Drinking ...

A member and I were discussing Christian values. I said: "It's not just about smoking, drinking ..." She said: "You mean to add sex." The point was -- that smoking, drinking, and other "classics" are merely a small part of the big picture. Peace, trust, forgiveness, generosity, and so on tend to be overlooked, yet they are no less important. There are many evidences of a living relationship with God.

DRC Riviersonderend

This is the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC or NGK) Riviersonderend ("River Without End"). It is built in the neo-Gothic style. The foundation stone was laid in 1937. For a small-town Church, it would seem to have an unusual emphasis on its spiritual and congregational life, with attendant de-emphasis of its building and history.

Beyond Reasonable

Here is something that happened at a particular juncture in my ministry -- which I reveal in this post for the first time. There was a situation within the Church which I thought to be placing my ministry in jeopardy. I approached our Church leadership for help, and their response was indecisive. The situation dragged on. I didn't want my ministry to be needlessly endangered, so I approached the Department of Labour for advice -- just advice. But they pounced. Within 24 hours, the Provincial Executive Manager personally took charge of the case, and referred it to seven provincial and local executives for action. I had not anticipated the seriousness with which they would view this, and so I consulted colleagues. My colleagues thought as I did: reverse out of this -- and I did. OBSERVATION: But this raises the obvious question: why did the Department's view differ so from that of our Church leadership? In my experience, this is not uncommon in the Churches -- that ministers are expected to endure situations which seem beyond reasonable.

Unidentified Crop

I photographed this unidentified crop near the village De Rust (that's De Rust in the distance on the right). De Rust was established in 1900. Before this, it served as a place to outspan before traversing the Swartberg mountains (off the right of the photo).

Burden Of Oversight

Someone asked me whether I was looking forward to getting back to work in 2012. I said: "On the one hand, I look forward to being back to some kind of form next year. On the other hand, no, it all seems too much." The next question was whether I could delegate my duties. I said: "It's not about delegation -- I'm in charge of my time. It's the burden of responsibility -- administration, finances, properties, counselling, charity, services, subversion -- everything." OBSERVATION: (I say this every year. The answer to an undertaking which is too much is faith in God).

Shakespearean Remnant

My friend speaks a very distinctive English. A special characteristic of her speech is her abundant use of the word "do", the so-called unstressed "do". She will say, for example, "I do go," rather than "I go." Her seminary criticised her for this. However, according to linguist Rajend Mesthrie in his book EISH but is it English? this survives in South Africa from missionaries of the early 1800's -- possibly from earlier English (the KJV holding many examples of the unstressed "do").

The Magic Of Electronics

I have two electronic designs coming up for publication, early in the New Year. One of them is called an Earth Magnetometer. It epitomises, for me, the amazing state of electronics today. With standard components, and little ingenuity, my circuit amplifies voltages induced by the earth's magnetic field more than one-million times. That seems like magic. My first memory of electronics was magic, and this is what attracted me to electronics at the start. When our family left the mission, and first returned to "civilisation", my father and I approached a door -- which opened magically as we approached it. I said: "How did it do that, Daddy?" My father said: "Look, there is an eye in the wall."

Speedy Treasurer

Our Church leadership was concerned that the launch of our new Planned Giving Scheme should be on time this coming January, and impressed upon our Church treasurer the need for a timely letter of appeal. While we were still discussing this, he said: "There, I've sent it." We said: "You've sent what?" He said: "The letter of appeal." He had prepared the letter and e-mailed it to us while we were still in discussion -- all suitably updated for 2012. OBSERVATION: Afterwards we studied it and tweaked it a little, but it was pretty sharp work.

"Military Operation"

About this time, I will be travelling to the Eastern Cape in my three-wheeler. I have planned it like a military operation in twenty stages. It is a major undertaking -- driving my juddery little machine (a single-cylinder diesel) the equivalent of London to Geneva and back. OBSERVATION: I could take a car / automobile, but I don't want to. There is a great feeling of adventure taking the Thing places -- and it receives a far more favourable reaction in poorer areas. (I am taking a tow-rope in case any cars / automobiles on the road need help).

A Wife's Post

At the wedding I recently attended, the preacher said to the bride: "Stand up, please!" (see the photo). Then he said, among other things: "You will wash the dishes. You will iron his clothes. You will not leave your post!" OBSERVATION: In my experience, this is fairly standard preaching on marriage in South Africa -- Pentecostal, Reformed, Evangelical, Apostolic (in this case Apostolic).

Consequences Of Suicide

Last week I met a man whose wife I buried -- following a violent suicide. It is often said that suicide is selfish. It is selfish, in my experience, not least because it does not take into account the impact it will have on others. The impact is huge. It is better to die of AIDS or cancer. It is better to be tried and jailed. It is better to go blind. It is better to be heaped with shame. The consequences of suicide seem to me to be far worse.

Happy (Christmas)

There's an obvious difference in how the different religions are treated in stores in South Africa. As an example, compare this representation of a Christian festival with that of an Islamic one at Islam's Profile. The question is: what does it mean? It could be interpreted positively: unstated reverence for a Christian festival precludes overt commercialisation. Negatively: "Oh How Yummy" empties the gospel of all content. Or neutrally: it's mere marketing, or the marketing is tied to the nature of religions in different ways.

Festive Crush

Every year at this time, large crowds descend on our suburb's public swimming pool. I took this photo of the queue this morning, which ends in the distance in the middle of the photo. You may click on the image to enlarge to VGA.

Cost Of A Master's Degree

I recently received a notice of next year's fees for a Master's degree at my alma mater in South Africa: $2,000 per annum. Supposing, realistically, that the degree would take two years, that's $4,000 (it's R20,000 in rands). Now compare this with fees for a Master's degree at my alma mater in the USA, as they stood earlier this year: $1,360 per course. With 18 courses, that's $24,480 (R200,000) -- and with bridging courses for a doctorate, that's $36,720 (R300,000). Thus the cost of an equivalent degree in the USA is fifteen times the cost of South Africa. OBSERVATION: I consider that the tuition in South Africa is better, without a doubt. However, we are way behind the times. Note that I'm just listing tuition -- not books, accommodation, travel, and so on.

Christmas Flowers

These are our Church's Christmas flowers, which someone called "magnificent". OBSERVATION: We have a custom in our Church, to invite people to help themselves to our flowers after the service. Today, however (as our secretary put it), Nobody announced it. I write "Nobody" with a capital letter, as this is my name from time to time. Our Christmas service was "packed".

Nibbling Lettuce For Christmas

This year, I have been invited for Christmas lunch to a vegetarian home. I joked that I would be nibbling lettuce for Christmas. In the meantime, however, my vegetarian friends inform me that they will be dishing up meat for me. I look forward to being there -- not only for the meat, but because they are such easy company.

Spending Christmas And New Year

Our congregation is very diverse. A basic difference with regard to how members spend Christmas would seem to come down to whether they belong to a family or a clan. If it is a family, then the family tends to be nearby, and there is a modest gathering around the Christmas tree -- perhaps for an evening. If it is a clan, then the patriarchal / matriarchal home tends to be situated in towns or rural areas. Everyone descends on one home, perhaps for a fortnight, crowding it to the doors (see, as an example, Christmas Crowd).

Christmas Spirit (Not)

The Christmas spirit suffered a bit of a dent this morning. I needed to calm a volatile situation at the Church involving a member of staff. I called three people into my vestry. The situation was complex -- however, there would not have been a problem if our member of staff had not (in his own telling of it) outsourced work. The outsourcing caused friction -- and tears. Our staff are not permitted to outsource work. OBSERVATION: My role here was merely to calm troubled waters. I handed the matter over to one of our leadership who is tasked with staff matters.

NGK Oudtshoorn

This is the NGK Moedergemeente (DRC Mother Church) in Oudtshoorn, about 350km / 220mi east of Cape Town. The Church has an interesting history, as the cornerstone was laid in 1861, yet the work was only finished more than 18 years later. A drought brought financial troubles, then a huge mistake was made with the roof -- apparently because the plans were misread. The design of the Church is neo-Gothic. As I took this photo, a vagabond passed me in the street and said: "It's a castle!" You may click on the image to enlarge to 100k.

Code-Switching

There is a thing called code-switching -- which means changing the variety of language one uses, like flicking a switch. In our congregation, there are those who switch from high English to an urban Black English at will. I can't imitate the urban Black English: "Hey wena ..." but it has a combative sound to it. There is code-switching among many of our Afrikaans-speaking members as well. They will switch from high Afrikaans to a colloquial kind of tumbling Afrikaans at will -- which may be hard to understand for those trained only in high Afrikaans. I myself switch from high English to a kind of basic colloquial English without difficulty -- and would think that this is fairly essential to urban ministry.

Wedding "Casualty"

At the wedding I attended recently, this flower girl (pictured, bottom) was an early casualty. She began to topple, very slowly. Then she was out for the count. Here I caught the moment that the bridal retinue noticed that she had checked out. You may click on the photo to enlarge to VGA.

How It's Been For The Church

This is an attempt to describe – looking back over this year – how the death of the minister's wife affected the Church. This is harder for me to assess than it is to speak about myself – but I shall try. Mirjam, as her health declined, put great effort into brief appearances in the Church – and so the Church did not see what I saw. Thus the Church, in a way, may have been more shocked than I was by her death. There was grief in the Church when Mirjam died, which would not go away – and little was said. One member said to me: “When Mirjam died, we all died.” But members were fantastic in the way that they reorganised the Church – and they in turn say that Mirjam herself did a lot to see to that. At first, there was great determination to carry on – then, after several months, I consider that disheartenment and negativity set in. But this was just a phase, which we exited with new vision -- not least, with the faith that God was with us. Amazingly, as I write, the Church has a budget surplus, which is also an indication of some health. What we are yet to regain at this point, I think, is what I might call momentum, or cohesion. We need that.

Hedgerow

One finds some creative hedgerows in South Africa -- planted to suit the local soil and climate. Some farmers get it right -- others struggle to find a hedgerow that works. I snapped this one near Montagu. I don't know what the plant is called, but it is a common one. For an aloe hedgerow, see Hedgerow.

Judicial Outcome

One of our congregation committed a crime which, according to the magistrate, "called for a life sentence". However, in view of "compelling and substantial circumstances", the sentence was reduced to five years. This week, our congregant won an appeal against this sentence, so that he will spend a brief time in jail, then be placed under house arrest. I was closely involved in the saga, from a pastoral point of view. I predicted this judicial outcome.

A Little Way Off World Domination

As a Religion blog, this blog is at the moment ranked no. 8 in South Africa, according to amatomu.com, and no. 2453 in the world, according to technorati.com. While this does not yet speak of world domination, it would not seem too bad as things go. It is much higher as an Urban Ministry blog (no. 3 in the world, last time I checked). According to Google, my top three posts are last week's baptismal Action Shot, a photo of the bridge from Moravia to Môrester, and a recent photo of our Church's Worship Team.

Kruisfontein Congregational

.This is Kruisfontein United Congregational Church in Humansdorp (west of Port Elizabeth) – a historic Congregational Church built in 1839. While the two facades face the camera here, in actual fact they stand at 90º to one another – this is a panoramic shot. You may click on the image to enlarge to 260k.

Travels

I asked permission to travel to the Eastern Cape this last Friday and Saturday, to attend a wedding. Our Church leadership asked me how I would accomplish that (about the distance of London to Geneva and back). I said: "Zoom there, zoom back." They seemed aghast, and ordered me to take more time off. E. commented that this was "big" of them -- it was E.'s sister's wedding. So E. and I criss-crossed the townships of the Eastern Cape, attended the wedding and reception, and traversed the hair-raising Suuranys Pass to visit her childhood home. As hectic as it was, it was good that I had this time.

Remote Church

This Church is an extraordinary sight. Not seldom, the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC or NGK) built Churches in communities where the Church was obviously too large for the community. However, in time, the communities grew. Here is an exception. They built this imposing Church in De Hoop (Hope), in 1909. Today it stands in the midst of empty streets, west of Outdshoorn. Satellite photos reveal desolation. OBSERVATION: The locals have unofficially renamed the location Hoopvol (Hopeful).

Broadband Gobbled

I visited the Eastern Cape this weekend -- but before I left, I set my router's security to High, and disconnected my Ethernet, through my OS. In spite of this, an international connection gobbled up all my broadband (I bought a booster this morning). It was massive usage in a short time. So who chewed up my broadband, and how? I don't know. OBSERVATION: A simple way to know whether a problem lies inside one's office or outside is to physically switch off one's router. From now on, I'll do that anyway. It is not comforting that there is still a high priority criminal investigation open into attacks on my connection (my connection came under massive attack from a private Internet last year).

Christmas Gift

I was looking for a Christmas present for a farm labourer who has a special place in my life. I decided on an inexpensive plastic Fresnel lens, about the size of an A4 / Letter sheet. Among other things, this would be useful for lighting a fire, by focusing the rays of the sun. I tried it out today. It didn't merely make smoke -- it lit a fire with an explosive "BOOF!" I was impressed. Thanks to the US Lighthouse Society for the photo of a Fresnel lens.

Church To Hospital

A few days ago, I posted on Public Liability. Related to this, at least three people have been taken from my services straight to hospital. One case was tragic. A young(ish) woman complained at the end of a service that she couldn't see. Later she died in hospital of meningitis. Another churchgoer passed out with low blood pressure -- but was discharged from hospital in fine fettle. Another's eyes were rolling at the end of a service, and she was diagnosed with heart failure -- yet remarkably, is still going fairly strong some five years later.

The "Holy Grail"

We have been re-assessing our Church's various insurances. I shot an e-mail to our accounts clerk: had we considered the baptismal font? (pictured). She asked: what is is worth? I e-mailed her: "[An expert] told me that there is replacement value, and there is antiquity value. One needs to take both into account. I would have no idea what the font is worth, but as the 'Holy Grail' of missions (the great Livingstone baptised from it), goodness knows."

Passport Photos

This is what urban ministry did to me. The passport photo on the left was taken the year that I started here (1994), the passport photo on the right a year ago. The differences include broken bones and stitches (visible in the photo on the right). See, similarly, 10 Years' Difference.

Irascible ?

Don't ask me why. Photographers keep catching me in, apparently, irascible poses. The top photo was taken earlier this week, the bottom photo in April. The top was a baptism, the bottom a wedding rehearsal. I can't remember in either case what I was saying -- but anyway, in both cases the women seem pleased.

Tearing Out Pews

This week I went to visit an elderly member. Reminiscing on my ministry here, she said to me: "I'm so glad you didn't tear out the pews or replace the organ with a band." I said: "It is my deliberate policy not to drive the Church. I wait for decisions to emerge from the congregation, as the Spirit leads." OBSERVATION: However, I think our member may not be seeing the extent of the changes under my ministry. We did tear out pews (equivalent to about fifty seats), and we introduced a worship team -- among other things.

Nine Lessons & Carols

This weekend I am in the Eastern Cape. This gave me the opportunity to arrange something special for our Nine Lessons & Carols service this Sunday. Two children will lead the service, a life-deacon will read, a mother-and-daughter team will render a special item, and a member will say the prayers. I think it's a really nice line-up. The image shows an outline that we hand out, to help churchgoers appreciate the meaning of the lessons (click on it to enlarge).

Smoking Pipe

Following on from my last post, much of my year, this year, has been filled with what I have called "smoking pipe" -- or, jokingly, "US-Soviet detente". E. and I found ourselves in a situation where (this is how I have put it publicly) we were to get together. Yet how does one get together if, on a personal level, one has little familiarity -- especially if there is the suggestion of serious prospects? Together, therefore, E. and I developed a style of negotiation that I first witnessed in the mission -- namely, "smoking pipe", which may involve hours, even days or weeks of slow-brewing dialogue over this, then that.

Off This Blog

Very much has happened off this blog this past year. Before she died, my late wife Mirjam, following an ancient Church tradition, handed me the adventure of a lifetime. Among other things, I undertook a long journey east with E. We crossed a breathtaking dirt pass (the Suuranys Pass) -- which Thomas Bulpin, South Africa's foremost travel writer, described as "spectacular". At the other side, I paid a visit to E.'s parents. Then we attended a function of the clan in a nearby town. The photo shows E.'s mother (on the right) arriving at the function.

Action Shot

Here's an "action shot", as far as one may speak of action in ministry. I conducted an infant baptism this morning -- this one during the week, as the parents are visiting from the USA. The font belonged to the famous Dr. Livingstone. OBSERVATION: This may seem a curious post, following on from those on believers' baptism. Our Church has what is sometimes called a "united Church" position on baptism, which seeks to hold Christians of different persuasions and traditions together.

R1 Million Public Liability

I sat in on a meeting yesterday where we reviewed our Church's considerable insurance policy. One of the items is public liability -- which is not expensive, in spite of the R1 million cover. I don't remember that there has been a claim on that during my ministry -- however, we did have several injuries: a member put her hand through a glass door, another broke her foot on the Church steps, a dancer broke her toe on our hall floor, a woman was raped in the Church garden, a man had his lip sliced off in an attack on the premises, a father broke his foot playing soccer with the youth -- and our youth had several minor injuries. OBSERVATION: And then there were injuries just outside the Church property. Our caretaker broke her foot trying to stop a knife-fight (she slipped in the blood), I was concussed after being clubbed, a woman was raped against the Church railing, and a girl was killed when a car/automobile hit our corner post.

Retirement From Ministry

There are special dynamics that surround retirement from ministry. One dynamic I have come across a number of times -- most recently last month -- is the tendency of dissatisfied Church members to turn to the retired minister. Yet satisfied members, it would seem, have little need to pass on their satisfaction. OBSERVATION: This is not good news when the old minister may already be feeling hurt about the separation from his/her flock and a new minister changing course. Probably a retired minister should be aware that he/she may be receiving particularly one-sided reports -- and especially keen to understand what the Lord is doing in his/her old Church.

Recruiting African Theologians

I have been seeking to make a final push, this year, to recruit African theologians for a journal. However, in so doing, there are various things one needs to establish. Who are they? Where are they? Do they have the credentials? How is their English? What are their strengths? Are they theologically compatible? These and other questions might seem simple -- yet often they are problematic. Above all, Africa is not awash with information. I would estimate that it takes me half an hour's intense work for each African theologian I identify, and several times as long for each one I actually establish contact with -- and that usually is not nearly a recruitment.

Molteno Reservoir

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This is Molteno Reservoir -- or Molteno Dam -- in central Cape Town. For decades, the reservoir provided all the water that the city needed -- but by now, it has become a "side show". In the background are Lion's Head and Signal Hill. I have said that I intend to claim that little turret in the foreground for a personal studio. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 110k.

Considering Baptism

Our Church leadership met yesterday morning to discuss several requests for believers' baptism. But one of the persons concerned has a criminal conviction, and judgement is reserved on appeal -- that is, judgement is pending in the High Court. How should we approach this? We considered it to be an honest-to-God request for baptism, and a number of our leadership stated with passion that we should welcome it. OBSERVATION: Contrary to what some have suggested, this has no bearing on the pending judgement.

Spiritual Assault

A young member was to present an item in Church this morning -- yet she came under spiritual assault the night before. She told the congregation today that she would have quit, but she recognised that this was an assault from Satan, at the very moment that she would minister, and so she would carry on. She sang a song, unaccompanied, in Zulu and in English: "He fails me not."

Denial

Denial is a very powerful delusion -- the denial of death, that is. I have dealt with it several times in recent years, most recently the week before last. Typically, the writing is on the wall for someone, and it is obvious to me as minister that this is the end. A person may be in catastrophic decline, or they may have received a terminal diagnosis -- and yet they claim that they are getting better. OBSERVATION: With denial, I typically don't resist it -- however, I drop counsel which should be useful as soon as people "come to". (It makes one wonder what other powerful delusions we may be under, as humans).

Colonel Bird's Bath

.My friend and I visited Colonel Bird's Bath this week -- also known as Lady Anne Barnard's Bath, since she scandalously bathed naked here while on a picnic. However, that was before Colonel Bird (in 1811) built the brick surround seen in the photo. This is the source of Cape Town's well known Liesbeek River. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 130k. Feel free to use my photos, with acknowledgement.

Vehicle Service

This morning I have the usual problem of sitting with a number of borderline posts in hand. Here instead is a photo of a retired minister who services my vehicle. It is his hobby -- and the quality of his work is superb. I took this photo -- you guessed it -- from underneath the vehicle, through the engine bay. While we are at it, he and I talk ministry.

Invoking The Spirits

Oy vey. This opens up some issues all right. At the moment, I am being copied in on the various Churches' behind-the-scenes attempt to form a response to the African National Congress' 100th-anniversary "interfaith night vigil to invoke the spirits of all our founding fathers and mothers of our movement". The photo shows ANC chairperson Baleka Mbete and ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu announcing the same.
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NOTE: A draft response of the Churches incorporated a little kindness from me.

Maiana Atoll

This one's just a pretty picture. I took the photo on Maiana atoll in the Pacific, in 2003. Maiana lies less than one degree north of the equator. I chartered an open boat to reach the atoll, crossing about 50km/30mi of the deep blue Pacific from Tarawa atoll in the north.

A Chief Cause Of Spiritual Malaise

I consider that one of the chief causes of spiritual malaise in the Church is Christians who are unable to see the Lord. This goes to the heart of their spirituality -- it is symptomatic of their spiritual condition. Instead of seeing the Lord, they see people: the scandal which surrounds people, the things that people should or should not do, the history that people made, and so on. Yet the Biblical story is all about God. The Church is about the activity of God's Holy Spirit. The whole of world history, in fact, is about God's redemptive work. Christians who miss this run the risk of being a blight on the Church at times. Those who see it are a blessing.

Primitive vs. Enlightened

I have been working with an African theologian in the interests of obtaining a journal article. His research focuses on the causes of the fear of death in African culture, and how this would be addressed by Christian theology. Something very interesting about his work -- although this is marginal to his work -- is the parallels he sees between the Western dynamics surrounding death, and the African dynamics. In other words, the "primitive" African dynamics have much in common with the "enlightened" Western dynamics. I suggested that he might explore this further -- although that would surely be very hard work.

Terrible God

I went visiting yesterday. A member expressed strong feelings about a criminal who had ruined innocent children's lives. Then she stopped herself and said: "I'd make a terrible God!" OBSERVATION: I wonder how many of us would make a God fairly much like the God of the Old Testament -- though perhaps not as nice.

Linux WattOS

In my quest for the ultimate operating system, I tried Linux WattOS. This is intended to be small, zippy, and energy-efficient. Way-ell, you can see from the image that it connected and called up my blog, no problem. It has a modest software repository (also pictured). It has a nice file system. But I tried to play Windows Media files (WMA) -- and it balked. I tried to play Moving Picture files (MPEG) -- ditto. I tried to call up a JPEG image -- no go. Probably all this would work with a few additional plugins -- or maybe it needed to mount my drives -- but I didn't have the patience to find out. Give it a try if you're serious about a "small" system, say an antiquated laptop -- but in that case, I think the more mature Puppy Linux may be better.

Doing Nothing

There are various places where ministers go sit and do nothing. I took this photo from the patio of the Wang Thai restaurant at Lagoon Beach in Cape Town -- overlooking the Diep River mouth and Woodbridge Island -- while sitting doing nothing, waiting for colleagues to join me. It is a charmed location (click on the photo to enlarge). One of the challenges ministers face is to decide which will be the next place to go sit and do nothing.

The Unbloggable

I spent some time yesterday evening contemplating what I might post on this blog in the morning. Again, I seemed faced with prospects of a lynch mob should I post. Some of the posts I contemplated but (for now) rejected: The somebody who threatened to throw something at me in Church. My involvements (not directly) in crime. Rough-and-tumble behind the Church scenes. The lunatic text of a threat I received. The ins and outs of a suicide ... And some possible posts that I wouldn't even try to summarise.

Christmas Message

I addressed our Women's Association Christmas Party this morning. Dress code was red hats (see photo), a tradition that my late wife Mirjam began. I focused on Christ as God's revelation, and Christ as God's salvation -- quoting appropriate Advent verses. I applied this by saying that the Women's Association should be centred in God's revelation, and hold out God's salvation. OBSERVATION: I call such messages "bread and butter" messages -- messages which keep us grounded in the basics.

Aggressively Evangelistic

In various places on this blog, I have sketched what I think it is that favours survival in ministry. Mostly, I have looked at the leadership aspect, as that is my special interest. However, something I believe I see in survivors (although this will not apply universally) is that they are aggressively evangelistic. Their "opportunism" is something to behold. OBSERVATION: (I would not describe myself as "aggressively evangelistic" -- rather "steadfastly evangelistic").

Bantry Bay

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I took this shot of Bantry Bay tonight -- our neighbouring suburb. Personally, I think it is the best panoramic shot of Bantry Bay "out there". Bantry Bay is an affluent suburb, one of the most wind-sheltered places in Cape Town. Charles Darwin visited here in 1836. This is a 15-second exposure after sunset, with Auto White Balance applied.

Racist Mail

This morning I received racist mail in my postbox, anonymous, in which I am clearly the intended target. This gives me occasion to share how I deal with such mail in general. While today's mail doesn't bother me, I learnt from experience earlier in my ministry that one cannot afford simply to shelve it. I now a) refer anything of the sort for professional scrutiny (as I have done here), b) I do what I can to find where it came from, and c) I table it at meetings -- as a minimum, elders' meetings. OBSERVATION: I have done the same with all such mail that I have received this year, whether signed or anonymous.
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NOTE: In this case, the origin of both the contents and the envelope have been traced -- to two different people (one the contents, the other the envelope).

Surprise

A couple in our congregation just had a baby -- but, said her husband, neither of them had known that she was pregnant. "She is large, as you know," he said. She developed pains in her abdomen, so they took her to hospital. There they discovered that she was in labour. So only one hour after they discovered that a baby was due, she gave birth to a boy. They gave him three names -- one of them being "Surprise".

Carols By Candlelight

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This is a panoramic shot of this year's Carols by Candlelight in our Church. OBSERVATION: This is what I would call "lightly" attended. But I don't attach much significance to attendance. Services have their seasons. In this case, there was a storm outside, which may have had an influence. Also, I think we didn't succeed in giving this service the profile that we did in some years. See yesterday's post for my impressions.

Leisure Times

Not seldom, I'm asked the question what my friend and I have been doing together. Typically, we have gone hiking together, or we have spent quiet evenings together -- often outdoors, by the light of a hurricane lamp. Sometimes we have met with friends or family. The planning of time together requires some resourcefulness, as we are both in high demand. So this week we hiked the Elsieskraal River, intending to have a picnic. However, the trail had been scorched by the sun, and there was a storm ripping through it. We removed to the Glen for our picnic (pictured), and dreamed away an hour or two. (Thanks to Helen of Walking the Cape for the photo).

Baptisms For The Elderly

Five elderly persons approached us for baptism. We scheduled these baptisms for the Sunday coming. Since elderly people may be too frail to be submerged, a special mode of baptism is used. We decided on a method that is common: to have them stand in water, then to pour water over their heads. However, it became clear to me during the past few weeks that some of the candidates were really too frail to contemplate this. Since baptism may be a sensitive issue, the elders and I decided that, before we change the mode of baptism, we should postpone the baptisms, perhaps until Christmas Day, and consult with our full leadership in the interim. OBSERVATION: In this situation, I favour what one minister suggested to me: "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean" (Ezek 36:25). I am told that rabbis do this using palm branches.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army presented Carols by Candelight in our Church tonight. I squeezed my camera between some music stands and snapped this Salvation Army officer before the service. The service tonight, while relaxed, was of a high standard, a vibrant historical and cultural mix, and a deeply spiritual event. There was no dust on this band. Click on the photo for VGA.

Missions Non-Negotiable

I went to visit our Church treasurer at his offices in town yesterday, where he is a financial director. I thanked him for his stance on missions. A few years ago, he determined that our missions budget was non-negotiable. At the moment, our Church's finances are both good and precarious -- good because we have a surplus, yet precarious because they are highly unstable -- yet he will not allow missions spending to be affected.

Curious Succulent

I photographed this curious succulent at the Berg River mouth. While it may look sticky or wet, it is neither (click on the image to enlarge to VGA). Cape Town and surrounds has greatest floral diversity in the world. Everywhere, one encounters strange things.

Correctional Services

I received a call from Correctional Services this morning. They want me to hand a letter to one our congregation tomorrow, as proof that he was in Church. They said: "It is important. We are dealing with a serious offence." OBSERVATION: If only Correctional Services would demand proof of all of our congregation that they were in Church -- although I can see that I might tire of signing that many letters. (It's good to note that Correctional Services are on the ball).

Missing Dog

My neighbours will go out for the evening, and turf their dog into the street to yap. Sometimes it will put its snout through my front gate, and yap. Last night I had had enough. I picked it up (a very fat dog) and bundled it into a nearby garden. It immediately started to dig -- and seemed as happy as a pig in muck. However, when its owners arrived home, the dog was nowhere to be found -- not even in the garden -- until it was (inexplicably) discovered in the house. OBSERVATION: Alas, my sins found me out. I think that some atonement is required.

Cheery Optimism

I offered an employee's daughter R800 towards education or training if she would give me a breakdown of the cost. She detailed R4,000 expenses, followed by a cheery "THANK U VERY MUCH !!! GOD BLESS U !!!" I stared at this incredulously. I prayed. I decided to cover R1,600 -- enough to get her established -- and encouraged her to believe God for the rest.

Momentous Week

It's been a momentous week past, in more ways than one. Among other things, my friend and I made our (informal) friendship public in the Church. Afterwards, I saw people embracing her and talking to her. Last night we crossed the final hurdle as she put it -- we introduced our friendship to her employers. It was a big-hearted meeting. My friend's picture appears in various places on this blog -- try searching on "portfolio".