Friday, January 31, 2014

Shifts In Technology

There have been great shifts in technology -- some of which people are not really aware of yet. An example is lighting. One can now light a home with 10% of the power that one needed even recently. This also means that one doesn't need the mains any more for lighting. OBSERVATION: One doesn't need the mains for anything in fact, but this is about what is practical. The bulb is a new-tech bulb in my home.

Rock Solid Linux

Through moving last year, I needed to unplug and plug and swap around a lot of hardware. The only operating system that remained rock solid through it all was Puppy Linux (pictured). It was able to handle anything at all, automatically: routers, printers, monitors, drives, and so on -- no matter what I plugged in where -- with just one exception: a Canon scanner which needed a manual install. Puppy's single problem was the Firefox browser that occasionally closed of its own accord. A great advantage of Puppy Linux is that both system and files may be kept on a single USB -- and transferred from this computer to that, with a few exceptions. OBSERVATION: However, Puppy Linux is a little limited, a little arcane. I am now back with the more pleasurable (though not quite as solid) Mac-like Xubuntu (Xfce + Ubuntu).

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Not The Best

I had lunch with another minister, in another suburb. He said: "I don't know if I'm the best minister for my Church." I said: "There probably are many who are better qualified, on the surface of it. But that's not the issue. God will take a cripple, or an octagenarian, and work wonders through them. The issue is whether you are God's man where you are." OBSERVATION: This is why ministers are ordained, not hired.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Struggles Surrounding Forgiveness

In my experience of ministry, there are four particular problems with forgiveness -- in the sense that they present real spiritual struggles for people: 1. A sin is still going on -- say adultery or theft. Should I forgive? 2. The person will not apologise -- they may even be in-my-face about it. Should I forgive? 3. The offender may not know what I am forgiving them for -- or they may not know what they did to me -- unaware of the pain, or unaware of what they initiated. Should they know first? And 4. What if forgiveness should cause complications for a third party? The offender becomes a repeat offender, or a bad attitude causes others grief. Should I have addressed it? OBSERVATION: There are questions besides. I'll leave these questions as questions -- at least for now.

Forgiveness

"Forgiveness", in my ministering to others, has not been about what lies in the forgiver, but about who God is. One of the greatest expressions of forgiveness, I think, is one that is not usually associated with forgiveness: Psalm 23:5: "You prepare a table before me ..." This being the case, what reason is there left not to forgive? But supposing that one doesn't genuinely know the God who prepares a table? Then forgiveness may be impossible. OBSERVATION: There is a (secular) debate as to whether forgiveness is deserved. But with forgiveness having its source in God, I would suggest that it is only a grace. It is never deserved.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Forgotten Duty

I visited a Church on Sunday, where someone had forgotten that they were on tea duty. So I walked into the kitchen, prepared the tea, served it from the hatch. The minister's wife commented that I was very efficient. I asked her: "Are you new here?" Somebody couldn't find the sugar. I found some in the cupboards. OBSERVATION: And this is precisely what I think to people who say (morosely): "We can't have tea today (or youth / creche / songs) because somebody neglected their duty."

Request Granted

A certain somebody coached me, meticulously, how I might walk into the presence of the Senior Prosecutor with a personal request. I shan't reveal how on my blog, but it worked, and the request was granted with kindness today -- one of the more amazing moments of my life. I got this souvenir (pictured).

Monday, January 27, 2014

Righteous vs. Wicked

In my experience, the relationship between the righteous and the wicked (the saved and the unsaved, in Reformation theology) is not a passive one, but one of (vicious, sometimes) enmity: "The righteous hate the wicked, and the wicked hate the righteous" (Prov 29:27). This is a theme that runs throughout the Bible -- the words of Jesus included. OBSERVATION: In my experience, there are various reasons for this. The wicked can't stand equality in Christ. They can't abide salvation apart from works. They have different loyalties. They can't stand their sin being called. They reject the notion of judgement. These are deep oppositions. Yet the righteous are to love the wicked.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Stink Bug

My landlord, today, was curious to know what I was photographing in his garden. Here is what it was. I think one would call it a stink bug, although it is sure to have a more auspicious name. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Detective's Observation

Recently I spent some time with a veteran police detective. He said to me: "If you see someone walk through the door, they are standing behind it." It was a strange and interesting way of saying: If someone makes an accusation, they are guilty of the same. OBSERVATION: Of course this cannot always be true, if it is even true half the time -- yet it is an interesting observation from experience. Perhaps this is why Jesus spoke of the log in one's own eye -- because that is human nature, apart from occasional behaviour.

Mission Planning

I attended a mission planning session today (pictured) -- a mission to relatively remote areas in Southern Africa. OBSERVATION: Some obvious differences between this and such meetings even ten years ago: now one has satellite photos, then one might only have had rough maps -- and now one has radio (smart-phone) contact, then one might only have had sporadic communications.

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Beacon Island Hotel

 
I took this fish-eye photo of the interior of the iconic Beacon Island Hotel in Plettenberg Bay. I think it is the only such fish-eye photo on the Internet. Wife E. and I celebrated our (first) wedding reception at the Beacon Island Hotel, generously subsidised by E.'s employer. You may click on the image to enlarge to VGA.

Ruinous Righteousness

Someone confided in me that, many years ago, he had done serious wrong. Now the Holy Spirit had convicted him of sin. But to confess to that wrong today, and to seek to set it right, would ruin him. What should he do? OBSERVATION: And what should I do?  I advised him, and kept it confidential, until there was no more relevance to the situation.

Friday, January 24, 2014

Linux And Windows

Wife E. and I work side by side at home, each with our own laptop. I use Linux, and she uses Windows. Today someone gave her an old digital camera. There were three video clips on an SD card. I plugged the SD card into Linux. Linux displayed and played all three video clips instantly -- however, the sound gave trouble. "Give it to me," she said. Windows, by contrast, displayed numerous dialogue boxes -- taking a full ten minutes to achieve anything at all. But then it played the video clips perfectly. Or rather, it played two of them perfectly. It obliterated the third.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Formula For A Happy Marriage

People give various formulas for a happy marriage. The one I have most often heard I think is: "Yes, Dear." Today I happened upon an article on The First Year of Marriage: "Our first year of marriage was hard ... I cried. A lot." E.'s and my first year of marriage, in spite of rather impressive turmoil and adversity around us, has been deeply contented. My own formula for a happy marriage has no doubt changed over the years. Today it would be: "Thankfulness to God for His gift."

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

A New World

I visited our plot in Tesseaarsdal today -- for the first time in three weeks. Last time, it was still full of tangled debris from the flood. This time, most of the debris seemed to have gone (see the photo on the right). But where did it go? This was a surprise. The ground was full of large ants -- maybe that is where it went. And with the debris gone, I was able to roam. I discovered a new world, after the flood. There was a waterfall that wasn't there before (second photo from the left). There were towering new river banks (second from the right). And then there were still signs of the flood. A tree that was matchsticks (left), and a brick from a neighbour's house (centre -- a  house which is no more). You may click on the photos to enlarge.

Lobola

Lobola is the term for the bride-price in South Africa. I myself am one of few Europeans with inside experience of lobola. Some say that the bride-price is fundamentally unbiblical -- yet it held an important place in all of the marriages of God's people (see the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia). Lobola is said to pay homage to the spirits of the ancestors, or to be intertwined with witchcraft -- in reality it is typically surrounded with Christian hymns and prayers. Richard Singano states: "We do everything in light of the Word of God." It is said to be a greedy business -- in reality the bride-price is strictly controlled by tradition, an act of love and joy which is generously repaid in various ways. Alan Tiley, an expert on African culture, writes that "the ramifications of lobola system has tremendous advantages for both parties". It is said to be trading flesh -- in reality it is a means of thoroughly negotiating the issues of life, and bonding with the family. OBSERVATION: Joy! Magazine published an anonymous -- and what I consider to be careless -- piece on Is Lobola Christian? This was answered briefly by Richard Singano: "Lobola has its origins in the Word of God". What disturbs me is the sometimes tacky disregard (and comments) that people have for precious traditions in other cultures.

Defining a Definition

A problem I have been grappling with for my latest magazine article is definition. The definition of the term "structural linguistics", in particular, is problematic. I first tried the approach that "the meaning of a term is its use". Just use it, and may the reader understand. The trouble is, people may think that the author has lost his grip on meaning. I tried a glossary. No, said the magazine, you need to use established terms, not redefine definitions. Yet what if a term is established in various ways? My latest approach is the insertion of a short paragraph which states the major ways in which the term is used, and which of them is meant in the article.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Book Proposal

I submitted a book proposal to publishers today, and sent a complete copy to son M. (he is in Kenya). He commented: "Okay, that's actually pretty interesting ... !" (And that's without the interesting bits). OBSERVATION: A book proposal is typically 30 pages long.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Cultural Church

A colleague in ministry changed the "cultural face" of his Church -- or perhaps I should say, the Spirit did so through him. When he resigned, the "cultural face" returned to what it once was -- or moved strongly in that direction. So what happened? How did it happen? Did people realise what was happening? Did they intend what happened? And what were the motives then that lay behind Church attendance -- before and after? OBSERVATION: My impression, on speaking to members of that Church, was that there were a multitude of favourings and disfavourings through the change of ministry, and they were cultural.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Cooling And Warming

 
Two of the most useful graphical tools I know are the GIMP extensions Wratten's Cooling and Roy's Warm (pictured -- with the original photo in the centre). GIMP is an advanced picture editor, which may be downloaded free. The cooling and warming effects may need to be added as extensions to GIMP. This is son M., on the plateau above the Langkloof. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Addressing Offences

In my experience, when someone seeks one's help as a minister in terms of Matthew 18 (namely, to address an offence):
1. Act swiftly – delay brings peril and complication.
2. Don't be intimidated – say, because it's a CEO, or someone in a rage.
3. Don't overestimate the task – one is merely a witness and a servant of God, not a negotiator. 
OBSERVATION: My personal practice has been to enter into every offence in detail, if desired by counselees. Some ministers may prefer to focus only on overarching issues without particulars – such as infidelity, corruption, forgiveness.

New Family

I was greatly blessed, last year, to be taken into a large new family -- with warmth. For E.'s and my first anniversary this month, one of my new family (one of the women on the right) wrote to me: "Our family are blessed to have you in our midst. We love you."

Friday, January 17, 2014

Eradicating Windows

I replaced a seven-year old netbook computer today with a new laptop. The first thing I did was to eradicate Windows 8. This took me half an hour, with a few nail-biting moments -- and I had to register with Microsoft first. They must be puzzling over the loss of their machine out there (registration was a one-two step process, and before step two my Windows 8 was gone). Then it took me an hour-and-a-half to install Linux Ubuntu, and half an hour to install Linux Xubuntu on top of that -- which I have described as a Mac-like system. Now I am content. OBSERVATION: Most recently I used Linux Puppy on my old netbook. This genuinely brought an old computer back to life, which is what Puppy is for. Puppy impressed -- yet it was somewhat limited, somewhat arcane.

Few Are Chosen

One's perspectives change through time, in ministry. One perspective which has changed considerably for me is the number of people in Church I would expect to be saved. I have revised this considerably downwards. Abraham needed to revise his figures downwards to 20% of his original estimate. Jesus Himself said: Wide is the road, narrow is the path; Many are called, few are chosen -- and so on. OBSERVATION: This is not to say that one can often tell who is saved or not. Also, there are people I think who are too pessimistic about this. Yet what if Abraham was typical of the mis-estimation? Then we should consider less than 20% of the righteous (not the world) to be saved. I think this has significant implications for ministry.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Love The Lord

Son M. has become a sometime poet, in the midst of his doctoral researches. Response to his first two published poems was modest. Response to the third (here pictured) has been enthusiastic by comparison. It is titled Love the Lord when You are Young. You may click on it to enlarge. A pastor is seeking to set it to music.

House Plans

E. and I designed a house recently, for our plot, through a friendly architect. It will be our only home, God willing, in the country -- although we live in Cape Town. The plans are modest.  It is 3 metres wide. It has a few special features: it uses wood-fired cooking, river water, solar electricity -- it has a few "escape hatches" rather than doors -- it has a veranda (in blue), and an attic -- and precautions against floods. It will be surrounded by poplars.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Flower Seller

I took this photo of (the late) Felicity, who was Sea Point's best known flower seller. Her mother and her daughter, too, sold flowers in Sea Point. She did not pose for this photo. I took her by surprise -- and later gave her an enlargement. You may click on the image to view it in greater detail. It was taken with a Leica.

NOTE: On this post, I erred -- or rather, someone incorrectly informed me. Felicity gave up flower selling and returned to teaching. Her mother passed away.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Creativity And Ministry

Having reduced my various ministry engagements to about a quarter, I find that this has released enormous creative energy -- and it is increasing.  In fact I should say: a reduction of ministry has transferred enormous creative energy. Ministry, apart from its various responsibilities and burdens, requires continual creativity.  Others who are unpracticed in it cannot do it -- a typical example being the member who is asked to take a service -- they will say: not again soon please.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Culture And Kitchen

Culture and kitchen have a lot to do with each other, in the Church. I was discussing it today with a Church member who was on a kitchen roster. People of European stock tend to say: How many people have announced themselves? Have we correctly calculated the portions? and so on. People of African stock tend to say: Let's see how many people will come. Watch how we wing it. OBSERVATION: The strange thing is, both methods truly work -- though not together. A major example of the African way (and European anxiety, I am told) was the Mennonite World Conference in Bulawayo 2008 (pictured).

Apricot Harvest

It makes a pretty picture -- though it wasn't a good year for apricot farmers in the Karoo. The harvest was small this year. These apricots remained in an orchard after the harvest -- the orchard being that of members of our Church.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

ANiSA Peace Library

ANiSA (the Anabaptist Network in South Africa) recently informed me that my late wife Mirjam's library is now in the process of being combined with ANiSA's Peace Library. This provides "timely, quality Christian resources from an Anabaptist perspective". Mirjam's own Anabaptist library was formidable. Combined with ANiSA's already formidable library, there is surely no other resource like it in Africa. See also Mennonite Library.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Standing Before Kings

A young woman wanted to emigrate, to find a better life abroad. I advised her that she didn't need to emigrate, she was in a perfect space to apply herself and improve herself. I quoted Proverbs 22:29: "Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings. He shall not stand before mean men." I didn't hear from her in a long time. I was curious. I contacted her place of work. They said: "She isn't here any more. She went studying. She became a translator. She travels abroad now."

Murder And Medical Aid

Yesterday I ran into the scene of an attempted murder (pictured) in our famous-notorious Long Street. Somebody joked that people were waiting to find out if the man had medical aid or not.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Human vs. Divine Activity

Every minister will have basic assumptions. One of my most basic assumptions is that ministry (those who minister, broadly speaking) is about what God is doing. It is certainly not about what people are doing. OBSERVATION: Such a conviction is strength for those who minister, and health for a Church. Yet it is one of the most frequently missed perspectives in a Church: people see what people do, yet they have little appreciation for what God is doing. I frequently make this explicit in my ministry: “What is God doing? Where is your faith? You are focusing too much on human activity.” This applies not least to the minister, whose service is not about human activity, but divine. That is why a minister is ordained, not merely hired.

"Completely Incorrect"

A professed electronics expert this week publicly "trashed" the solar power system which appears on this blog, calling it "completely incorrect". The trouble is, there is nothing wrong with it (it's at African Solar). At this moment, it is up and running in a number of homes. It is designed so that it may be put together in Africa without any tools -- not even a soldering iron. It has protected input and output, so that it will withstand serious botch-ups. And it is adaptable, in a number of ways.

"Parliament"

It's time for a photo on my blog. I snapped this photo in Langebaan, of an irreverent statue: Parliament in Session. I see, though, that "Parliament" is in inverted commas. OBSERVATION: Whatever one may say of parliament, the statue would seem to prove that parliament has protected freedom of expression (to this degree).

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Responsibility

It is a worrying trend, in our time, that people routinely abdicate responsibility, not least to others. One of the heartening things about Congregationalism (when it is working) is that it abdicates responsibility to no one: no cleric, no council, no barrister ... but every member of the Church assumes full responsibility for what happens, with courage if need be, in every action and word.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Counselling Subterfuge

Counselling is a field of subterfuge. But the experienced counsellor knows how to recognise it and "hold the line".  Subterfuges include (on the part of the counselee) pleading ignorance, changing the subject, appealing to (not seldom the counsellor's) guilt, majoring on minors -- and so on. Come to think of it, it is rather surprising how so many people have developed the same skills of subterfuge. OBSERVATION: Usually, I don’t let on that I am aware of subterfuges. Whom would it benefit? Only the counsellor’s ego, perhaps.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

One Year

E. and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary today. Life together has been greatly blessed: I could not have hoped for more than I have found in E. OBSERVATION: We celebrated at Boesmanland today, where traditional South African food is served in the simplest of settings. The plate on the right includes tripe.

The Story Of E. And Me

I have turned my (greater) attentions to a second book, after the recent launch of my electronics book. It is the story of E. and me -- of which a few chapters are well advanced. I sent a first ever preview to a friend. She commented: "I simply love it! It has humour and depth. It is alive! I cannot wait to read the rest of it." OBSERVATION: Again, part of the writing is choosing a style. I have chosen a "minimalist" style, removing (tempting) clutter, and enabling "reader perception".

Saturday, January 4, 2014

New Life


Barely a month after flood-waters carved a great path through the landscape at our plot -- a new river course without any life -- it was beginning to look more "pastoral" again (pictured), with more new growth on the banks than I would have anticipated. (Two dams burst above our plot).

Police Counsel

I conferred with police today, seeking access to information. But I wanted to be efficient about it -- they have a heavy load. As I left, a detective said: "Wait! Have you got a moment? Could you sit down?" The detective wanted spiritual counsel from a minister. It was quality time.

Friday, January 3, 2014

Quoting Joseph

I take the view that it is only God who can influence others -- at least in any way that is truly worthwhile. At the start of many counselling sessions, I quote Joseph when he is called upon to help Pharaoh: "I cannot do it, but God ..." God Himself, in His mercy, breaks into a situation. I say to counselees, we’re praying for God to speak to us here.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Inadequate Preaching

The evangelist Alexander Maclaren was said to have been “overwhelmed with failure” after preaching a sermon, while people went away blessed and inspired. I not seldom come across this reaction in preachers, in varying degrees -- of defeat, deflation, depression. At the close of a service, one preacher blamed himself aloud to me even before the congregation had left the pews. OBSERVATION: I seldom if ever have such feelings -- although I did at one time -- and I think the reason is a theological one. God will do a work with a sermon -- and already did, in the preparing of it.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Karoo New Year Wish

E. and I received a New Year wish today from our Church's Honorary Secretary in the Karoo. Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous; do not tremble or be dismayed: for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." OBSERVATION: I took the photo in the parish last week. It is whirlwinds, or "dust devils" twisting across the landscape.