Monday, June 30, 2014

Workplace Gloom

There are certain themes which come up again and again in counselling and pastoral visitation. One of them is an atmosphere of gloom -- or doom -- in the workplace. One would think that employers would know better. It is of crucial importance to create a congenial atmosphere at work. One woman told me about her work situation: "It's terrible. They [the bosses] are miserable, and they make sure that everyone else is miserable. Every day I go home with a migraine." OBSERVATION: Come to think of it, these gloomy bosses tend to be driven by bosses themselves. That is, they often are middle management.

Windows Free

I received this message this morning from my son (pictured). No doubt congratulations are pouring in by now. I myself made the change more than five years ago. My son, though, has not opted for Linux like me. I said to him: "And when you finally want to trash your Apple, remember I said Linux." OBSERVATION: When our landlord recently changed our router password, it seemed illustrative of the difference. Linux said to me: Please enter your new password. Wife E.'s Windows computer was classic: Windows has detected a problem with the Internet. Would you like to search the Internet for a solution? And so on.

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Public Crosses

Crosses are a common sight in South Africa -- typically seen in high places. That is apart from the small crosses one finds all over the place at roadsides. I photographed this cross in the late afternoon sun at the top of Sir Lowry's Pass, just east of Cape Town.

Declining An Invitation

Recently a bishop invited me to address a pastors' conference, to equip leaders of an outlying area of Central Africa. I replied this evening -- that I felt called, competent, and qualified, and I had the message to share. However, the funding was not there. We should keep the contact warm. OBSERVATION: The first thing I did was to check it out. It checked out -- as best anything can in Africa. Among other things, a previous speaker had come away "very impressed".

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Contacts In Common

It is interesting, with whom I have the most contacts in common on Linkedin (call it the "serious" Facebook). In order: a theological seminary principal, then the vice-principal, a Christian leadership developer, a theological seminary registrar, a theological seminary founder, two theological seminary academics, a bicycle company director, a leadership conference chief executive, a university research assistant, a video editor, and a college chief executive. OBSERVATION: Needless to say, there would seem to be a trend here! In fact, I'm not connected with most of the above -- it's merely how many contacts we have in common. I do wonder about the bicycle company director! The last I had to do with bicycles was giving away some rusty ones I hadn't ridden in years.

Bomb-Proof

I have been impressing upon the builder of our new cottage that it needs to be bomb-proof. His concept of bomb-proof seems to differ somewhat from mine, in that he lives in the country. Anyway, as one example, the outer doors of the cottage will be 22 mm solid wood (almost an inch thick), and braced. Presumably that's nearly two inches thick in places. We have a raft of other ideas in mind for security. OBSERVATION: Living in urban Cape Town, we have seen it all. See, for example, Crime Collage.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Tribute To A Choirmaster

Sadly, early this week, Henry Isaacs, a past choirmaster of my old Church, passed away. He is seen here top right. He was much loved: musically very talented, a spirited character, a wag, occasionally so much as scandalising people. He and his choir were an 'institution' in the Church over many years, and under his leadership joined various other choirs, away or at home, thus forging ties and in practice softening denominationalism. Under his leadership, the choir introduced a sung Amen at the end of most services, in English, Afrikaans, or Xhosa (or all three together). This photo was taken on the 14th of September 2003. Henry moved with his wife Lizzie (front right) to Hopefield, about 130km/80mi north of Cape Town, where I went to visit them in their retirement. As will be seen, our choir wore a uniform at that time.

'Church Speak'

I have always sought to address the people, as a minister. Yet, twenty years ago, I still used a lot of 'Church speak' from the pulpit: Biblical and theological terms which one would not usually find in everyday language. Recently I realised how far I have left that behind, when a preacher used such terms as 'theology' and 'Pharisee'. Today I would not use such 'obscure' terminology without explanation, unless I were sure it would be understood. OBSERVATION: This is all the more important in a Church which accommodates people of different socio-economic backgrounds. The gospel has to be 'friendly' to the people -- while not compromising content. I think this is not optional.

Rising House


Folk wisdom has it that, when building a house, one should be on-site every day. I am finding that it does make good sense to "be around", although not every day. This was the state of progress today -- slower than anticipated due to rain. At the near side of this photo, a bathroom is 1.2 metres wide, yet longer than the house is wide. This is for the sake of putting an outside door on the bathroom, as well as an inside door.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Surreal

One encounters this rather surreal view on one's approach to Cape Town on the N2, on top of Sir Lowry's Pass. It is a popular scene which I have surely seen in a magazine somewhere. This is my own photo. These heads are part of a display of African artefacts. Whether they, too, are on sale I don't know.

Last Letter

This morning, by chance, I came across the last letter that I wrote as an urban minister. My resignation was read the next day: "At the moment, the waters are muddied in the Church, and not for the right reasons, but looking back, mine was the only ministry in our Church in the past two generations that significantly grew the Church and improved its financial situation. It was also the only ministry in all the Churches on the Atlantic coast, as best I am aware, that survived nearly 20 years (22 years, if one adds my previous calls here).  People don't understand the extremes of urban ministry, and what one has to survive -- chaos and gun threats and pimps staking out their territory and arrogant people and squatters and financial peril, and so on -- and also, I would add, people tend not to see the grace of God in seeing an urban minister through."

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Where The Trouble Lies

I find during counselling that the focus of counselees is frequently on surface issues. He said that, or she hit me here, or I caught him in that situation. Often I find myself saying in such situations: “These are not the real issues.” In fact, I think that’s often why people can’t solve their problems: they don't see the real issues. There are deeper issues, for example pervasive neglect or stress. For this reason also, I don’t spend too much time on the surface issues, or demand (as some do) that every detail should out. OBSERVATION: And at the very deepest level, every problem is rooted in one’s understanding of, and relationship with, God.

Machines In A Muddle

Alas, computers don't always tell the truth. This morning I obtained a balance from a Spark ATM which showed that I had vastly less money than I thought I had -- call it sum A. According to Spark, I was on the financial brink. I did a quick calculation in my head. I obtained a balance then from an FNB ATM -- call it sum B. This showed that I had vastly more -- in fact, just what I had calculated in my head. I got home and checked my e-mails, only to receive a balance from FNB which showed that I had just a third of sum B -- call it sum C. I double-checked with FNB, to discover that sum B -- the calculation in my head -- was correct. How machines can get in such a muddle I don't know. For once, the human being was correct.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Hero Of The Faith

This is one of my favourite photos. The last time I blogged about this man, I called him a "hero of the faith". Earlier this month I attended his funeral. The funeral or memorial being packed out when I arrived, I stood against the wall. Some people will skip Church for the faintest shadows of reasons, yet some will “of course” attend Church no matter what. Having broken his foot the previous week, he here considered that skipping Church for so small a reason was no option. As you see, he needed some help to get in and out. Always faithful and helpful over very many years -- and dead serious about his faith -- he is one of those good folks who may have been much underrated. OBSERVATION: Much of his appeal was that he was a "transparent" man, his feelings close to the surface. He did a lot of painting and restoration in the Church. Another Church once did some restoration that he, at the same time, did for love -- and it cost them R40 000.

Disconnected House

Curiously, while the cottage that E. and I are building is within catapult shot of the local café, it is too far from electricity and water to really make connecting viable. But there are various things that depend on such connections: water, in one's bathroom and kitchen -- not to speak of hot water -- and lighting, refrigeration, cooking, and security. So I am figuring out ways to address each one. OBSERVATION: Yesterday I solved the cooking issue -- delivering a wood-fired stove to the plot. That's a shelf (on the left) that gets screwed on top of the stove. One of the labourers said: "Sheesh! If the shelf is this heavy, how will we move the stove?" Warm water is the outstanding problem. I have considered a donkie -- a kind of wood-fired geyser -- as well as solar and gas. But then, hands up who had warm water in their childhood. Not me. Not my wife. Not my parents. Not her parents. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 270k.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Systematic Totality

Me and a brother-in-law (so-called, in Xhosa culture) are both building at the same time. My brother-in-law, who lives in the east, is bound by no building regulations. Here in the west, I have tried to design my own house. However, the number of aspects of a house which are now standardised is legion. We would seem to be reaching a state of systematic totality, where the state will kindly design one's house for one, down to the smallest details. OBSERVATION: Happily, though, I am getting away with a few oddities in my building.

Property Panic

As a minister, one has close experience of many strange goings-on. A man called me close to midnight. The bank was putting his flat on auction, to recoup his debts to the bank. He said: “I’m so scared.” I said: “This will bring you a lot closer to normalising your financial situation, and that is positive. What are you scared of?” He said: “There are people who have brought a lot of business to the bank. The bank owes them favours.” OBSERVATION: I don’t fully understand the “machinery” of his concern: perhaps someone might wish to comment. Even so, the Christian belief is that no matter how the world works, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

Chasing Windows


This one's about chasing windows. We are building a small cottage in Tesselaarsdal. The builder had obtained bargain basement windows. But the size didn't appeal, and they are (says I) flimsy. However, if I wanted to change them, I had to act fast, as the cottage's walls were going up. I located some suitable aluminium windows. These appealed to E., as they are durable and easy to clean. But the builder said one would need a specialist to mount them, and they wouldn't go together well with wooden doors. Therefore this morning early, I spent an hour at Wood Strippers (pictured) selecting windows: heavy teak, meranti, and Oregon pine. The company recovers windows -- and doors and other items -- from old buildings. Then I undertook the long journey out to Tesselaarsdal (long in my three-wheeler anyway), winding my way first through (the somewhat notorious) Hanover Park and Nyanga. The builder seemed very pleased with the windows, although he will need to return the bargain basement ones, probably for a handling fee. I said he can claim that he had an impossible client. The cost of the old windows: about twice that of the bargain basement ones, which is really not much, considering.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The Spirit Of The Law

There is a basic dynamic behind a great deal of oppositional behaviour in the Church. The oppositional person tends to be marked by an inability to see what God is doing by His grace, and tends to be able only to see how people have failed God's law -- or have failed the spirit of the law, or Christ's perfect law -- whatever the case may be. A question here is: has such a person understood grace at all? OBSERVATION: Many years ago I asked someone who was ranting at me: "What is the Lord doing in our Church?" He was stunned. He was silent. He couldn't think of a thing. On the other hand, it is a pleasure to have a Church which is filled with people who have an eye for what God is doing in myriad ways -- by grace.

Saturday, June 21, 2014

After Sales Service

Wife E. and I met today with the minister who married us. At my request (which I put in before we were married a year-and-a-half ago), we reviewed our marriage to date. The purpose was to assess where we stand both personally and with regard to our "setting in life" (Sitz im Leben). The picture of our marriage is, I think, a good one, and we have unity (all three of us) over the way forward for the near future. OBSERVATION: I would recommend this for all married couples.

Seasonal vs. Perennial

On our plot, there is a perennial river -- that is, it flows all year round. But in winter, there may be several seasonal rivers besides. Yesterday I photographed the confluence of the perennial river with a seasonal river (pictured). The perennial river is top right. To photograph the fast-moving water, I adjusted the shutter speed as high as it would practically go. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 200k.

Friday, June 20, 2014

Foundations

I went out to Tesselaarsdal today to survey the foundations of the small cottage we are building. This first phase, says the builder, was the lion's share of the work. Now things will progress quickly. OBSERVATION: The foundations are very high -- for reason of the slope of the ground, and to lift the house above water flows. The foundations, too, are steel reinforced, as they are built on clay. If they shift, the whole house will shift, rather than cracking. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

My Lament

I lodged a complaint with the Democratic Alliance (the DA) which I considered to be serious, and within the purview of the DA. I received a note from the premier's office that "it would be best" to pursue civil charges. But where should a poor man start with civil charges? I e-mailed the DA public liaison officer. I received no acknowledgement in a week. So I copied the introductory paragraphs of my complaint to the African National Congress (the ANC), asking merely for assistance in expediting the matter. I thereupon received acknowledgement from the provincial leader of the DA in 10 minutes 7 seconds flat -- and another seven acknowledgements besides, both from the DA and the ANC. Yet the complaint itself still languishes.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Liesbeeck River

This one's just a pretty picture. It is the source of Cape Town's Liesbeeck River, in Kirstenbosch Gardens. Together with the Black River and the Elsieskraal River, the Liesbeeck River is a tributary of the Salt River. The Liesbeeck River is home to the unusual African Clawed Frog. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 650k.

Evangelism In Church

It has been my custom over many years to offer evangelistic booklets in Church. These are handed out on request. As an example, I might say: “The Bible is a big book. This will explain to you in a few pages how to know God in your life. Please ask me for a copy.” OBSERVATION: Such booklets are sometimes said to teach the ABC’s (Acknowledge, Believe, Confess). The book Churches That Make A Difference (Sider, Olson, and Unruh) criticises the ABC’s as “yielding a mental conversion that does not transform the heart, hands, and feet”. However, this is not my experience. I have seen a light come on in people’s lives through reading such booklets, and profound change. In fact, isn’t that to be expected where the Holy Spirit begins a work? During my ministr(ies), we have received personal requests for thousands of evangelistic booklets as people have left Sunday services.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Jou Peetjie

The Afrikaans language is full of choice expressions. Here's a delightful one that one may use in extremis, if one should be feeling particularly brave. It is delightful for its apparent innocence, and does not lose its effect for being spoken gently: "Loop na jou peetjie." Literally translated, something like: "Run to your little patron."

Racial Transformation

Under my previous, urban ministry, our Church saw a racial transformation. I often heard it said that it was a miracle. When I started my ministry in 1994, we had one Black office-bearer in the Church. When I resigned in 2013, the majority of office-bearers were Black. Many Sunday services, too, were majority Black.  And the minister had a Black wife. Among other things. As a Congregational Church, all of these office-bearers were put in place by the congregation. Or by the Holy Spirit, we would say. All in all, therefore, it was a complete mix of White and Black. OBSERVATION: I joked with my late wife Mirjam: "No politician would have survived such a transformation!" She said: "We are walking a very fine line!" (By Black I mean "Black" in the American sense of the word, for example: "We have a Black president.") See also A Unique Church.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Hogging Broadband

I live in a kind of cottage, in a kind of student complex, in the city centre in Cape Town. I'm happy to report that the landlord, today, banned two students from our central Telkom Internet router, and handed out new passwords. They were simply hogging the line. I'm happy to report, too, that I had nothing to do with the banning, although I suffered under their behaviour. OBSERVATION: According to a South African Broadband Speed Test, my download speed has been raised to 66 kbps after the banning. Average download speed in the EU (in this moment) is 25 700 kbps. People in the West frequently do not take account of this difference -- such as my alma mater.

Downcast Husband

I counselled K., who was having troubles with his wife. He was visibly exhausted. He said that 90% of his mental energies were spent trying to figure out a solution (if not figure out his wife). I said: "Won't you just give it up? You can't solve this yourself, it's beyond you. Look at you. Confess to God that you can't solve it, place it in His hands, and wait on Him. Then see what He will do." OBSERVATION: At the same time, I think that God will reward his sincerity. One can't, of course, merely give "ethereal" advice -- it always goes hand in hand with practical solutions. But the "ethereal" (spiritual) advice is fundamental.

Monday, June 16, 2014

Spiritual Jealousy

This one's a re-post on, call it spiritual jealousy: I went to see a friend who restores motorbikes (that’s him in the photo). I shared with him the strange phenomenon of ministers who get slandered with fictions. There can’t be many long-serving ministers who haven’t experienced it. He pondered it a while. Then he said: 'I know about this! I’ve heard about it before! It’s jealousy!' OBSERVATION: He might be (partly) right. There probably is such a thing -- not so much jealousy of the office, but (if one believes it) jealousy of the divine calling. Moses would be an example.

Citroën-Toyota Aygo

I had the pleasure of taking a friend's Toyota-Citroën Aygo for a spin today. I wouldn't mention it unless it fascinated me as an unusual car / auto. It is a "price is all" car, 998cc, with three cylinders, built in the Czech Republic. Wife E. said: "I like the Vrrrrr!" That is, the sound of the three cylinders. It gave a firm and quiet ride, a little bumpy, although it was problematic on a rough road. It was comfortable, and surprisingly spacious. Needless to say, there is not much power. The BBC's Top Gear says it is "basic" but has "build quality". A similar concept, more interesting, is the Made in India Tata Nano.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Words And Other Things

I think that, as a young man, I had the notion that the communication of meaning depended on the precision of words. It is a typically Western notion. I thought that timing and spacing, gestures and inferences, and various kinds of nuances were daft notions that didn't come into play, or shouldn't. I would think that the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein was an example of that -- until his friend Piero Sraffa essentially said, What about this? and showed him a gesture.

Toddy Bread

Someone asked me yesterday whether we ate bread in the mission (when I was a boy). Well yes, but not bread as we know it. We ate toddy bread. There is a reference to this in the book Bread Matters by Andrew Whitley: "In the East Indies, bread was raised and baked by a liquor called toddy which was the sap of palm or wild date trees. Apparently within two hours of being tapped, the sap fermented spontaneously into an intoxicating liquor, which was fit to bake with."

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Promoting The Church

Nearly ten years ago, as part of my postgraduate studies, I needed to research points at which the Church and world met. All Christians, of course, have contact with the world. But apart from this, two categories of contact especially stood out in my study. An estimated 30% of the 'meeting' lay in congregants' social work, while an estimated 25% lay in contact with Church tenants. The second result came as a surprise. With this in mind, it might greatly profit a Church to consider how it may promote the gospel to its tenants, or through its tenants.

Pump System

Here's what my pump system has achieved so far in Tesselaarsdal. That's the pump on the left, at a stream -- and that's where it's pumping to, on the right. The company which supplied the pump would like to see the complete house. If their little pump gets a whole house up, they will deserve some praise. OBSERVATION: Locals ask whether we are building a swimming pool. In fact this is a very high foundation, to deal with slope and to anticipate water flows in winter. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 160k.

Friday, June 13, 2014

'Insurance Policies'

Every urban minister needs to know about 'insurance policies' -- more so than suburban or country ministers. While God is the Protector of ministry, and a minister need not be anxious -- or worse, paranoid -- yet he or she needs to be sensible. You might have heard of employees, lessees, partners (or basically, I think, those who could be at disadvantage) taking out 'insurance policies'. Due to the closeness of the relationship, they have access to special information, and may keep this to use as a lever in time to come. It happens to ministers, too. An insurance policy does not have to rely on wrongdoing -- the policy may also be fabricated or constructed. If a minister is awake, he or she may insure against insurance policies. In some cases, a minister may choose to be the silent knower, not letting on. OBSERVATION: Here's an example of such insurance -- not to do with ministry. A churchgoer's income rose to a level where she should have lost a housing subsidy. Her tenant broke into her locked drawers, and took evidence of her income. Now she had power, and this prevented her from getting evicted. An unhappy, in fact hysterical situation.

Ministry By Works Or Grace

This one's a repost, an important principle for ministry: "Our secretary said to me this week: 'I’m coming to the conclusion that work in a Church is extraordinarily demanding. It’s not like anything else.' I think she’s right. And I think it requires an extraordinary response. Common coping strategies are not good enough. I believe it is possible to do ministry by works (as one has salvation by works). The alternative is ministry by grace, whereby a Church leader is 'merely' a vehicle of God's grace, and the Church itself is His creation. If one can believe this, Church work can become a joy and, in a sense, an easy task -- even if it is wearying at times."

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Tesselaarsdal

This is the village Tesselaarsdal, east of Cape Town. I call it Tess, for short. About a year ago, it had not yet jumped onto the map. At that time, the (run down) house in the middle, with the surrounding plot, was on offer for R125 000 (about $12 500). The last time I checked, it was twice that. Several structures in the photo are very recent. The building on the far right is the central café. My own plot is just off the right of the photo. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 300k.

Villa Maria Interior

Here is the interior of the small Villa Maria Shrine in Cape Town. At present "the Holy Father extends a plenary indulgence" in this shrine:  the remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin, so that no further expiation is required in purgatory. OBSERVATION: Protestants, of course, have another way of obtaining "no further expiation". The small sign in the sunshine says: "Altar area alarmed." This would seem to be essential in Cape Town. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 100k.

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Positive Treasurer

Recently I told a minister how good it was for his Church to have a positive treasurer, in spite of a tough situation. He said: "It's absolutely essential. A whiff of negativity, and it's wildfire. That is ruinous." OBSERVATION: A positive attitude is not merely for effect. It rests on faith in God. I would put it at about no. 2 on the list of requirements for a Church treasurer. No. 1 would be not to appoint a thief. (I had a debate with myself as to which was no.1 and which was no. 2).

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Leaps Of Thought

I had an article rejected today. I think it fell prey, as much as anything else, to leaps of thought -- a persistent weakness of mine. One of the best known examples of a leap of thought was that of Andrew Wiles, while he was attempting to solve one of the best known theorems. He left out a big chunk of thinking. One needs to lead people systematically through a subject, not do a sudden rabbit hop. OBSERVATION: However, that is all too easy to do. We do it every day in conversation, and usually it works: "He pulled this stunt, see. Next thing, flashing lights and paramedics."

Photos' Afterlife

My photos of missions in the Orange Free State have had quite an afterlife: on websites, on noticeboards, in report-backs, and so on. Yet I so much enjoyed being given the task of chasing the action and capturing it on camera (and at the time, sending out communiqués). I saw some of my photos again at a service on Sunday. Some of my photos pop up more often than others -- such as this one, of an English and an Irish missionary at play with youth in Thaba Patshoa. You may click on it to enlarge to VGA.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Writing Better

Once in a while I check on an independent computer how my articles are faring. One's own computer, these days, is 'personalised' and will not give one  a true impression. Out of ten articles that I checked today, I found four in first place in general searches (that is, searching on the general topic), while another was in third place. Another four needed more specific searches (that is, the title of the article) to turn up in the top ten. One article had dropped into obscurity. OBSERVATION: This is not merely an idle interest. It gives me a useful idea as to how to write better. It's not only what you write, but how you write it. My top articles are:
Revisiting Aristotle's Noun (in The Philosopher)
Theonomy, Autonomy, and Pneumonomy (in Philosophical Investigations)
Structural and Relational Linguistics (Philosophical Investigations) and
Linguistics and Theology (Philosophical Investigations) 
And close on their heels:
The Bridging Inference (Philosophical Investigations)

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Dead Good Health

I had a major check-up this past week, as one supposedly should do at my age. The doctor (provisionally) declared me to be in perfect condition. However, here's something that happened to a doctor I knew. He declared someone to be in perfect health after a major check-up. The man walked out of his consulting room and collapsed dead as he walked across the waiting room. I know one or two similar stories, although not as dramatic.

Why Uzzah

Last night I read the story of Uzzah, who reached out his hand to prevent the ark of God from toppling (2 Samuel 6). The Lord in his anger struck him down dead, next to the ark. But why? Nothing seems to make sense. Some say that God, really, was angry with His people (but then why Uzzah). Some say that Uzzah was not permitted to touch the ark (but, he had a good motive). And so on. I think it may be about the perennial (Biblical) theme of man trying to take control over the holy things of God.

One Year


This one's a repost from 2012: "Today marks one year since E. and I first discussed my late wife's instruction before she died -- that I should take E. as my wife. E. and I had a two-hour meeting that day. After that, it was several months before we had what one might think of as our first date. Today, E. and I are very much an item. I thank God for the instruction, and I thank God for E. The photo shows E. and me walking recently on a farm. At least, that's our shadows in the last minutes of the setting sun." You may click on the photo (one click) to enlarge.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Missions Video

I took this short video at the end of April, at the Maloti Missions Training Conference near Bloemfontein. It represents the reunion of Orange Free State and Lesotho missionary teams, and included report-backs by the teams. These teams were assembled from eleven Churches. Most of the persons seen here are short-term missionaries.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Villa Maria Shrine

It's been a while since I featured local Churches on this blog (a sometime hobby of mine is photographing local Churches). This is one of the smallest -- in central Cape Town -- the Villa Maria Shrine. I know little else about the shrine, except that at present "the Holy Father extends a plenary indulgence" in this shrine (the notice that one sees on the door). That is, the remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin, so that no further expiation is required in purgatory. OBSERVATION: I chose a stereographic projection here, as this seemed to portray the shrine "as it really is to the eye". You may click on the photo to enlarge to 260k.

Society Discussion

The Philosophical Society of England is currently having an interesting discussion surrounding aspects of its future which could potentially be very important to its future. In my view, it is very much about this moment in history, where we have seen vast technological and social shifts. As a member of the Society, I joined the discussion yesterday. A Society luminary commented that my suggestions are "astute as ever" yet might be "unnecessarily rigid". The Society also has a new Hub Page, which is one of the things under discussion (much of the early work there is my handiwork). OBSERVATION: Recently the Society elected a new President, Henry Tam, a faculty member at Cambridge University. The outgoing President is Brenda Almond, Emeritus Professor at the University of Hull.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Seasonal Streams

The winter rains are upon us, and seasonal streams are everywhere appearing in the village Tesselaarsdal. Two seasonal streams have started to flow on my plot -- apart from its one perennial stream. I found these two streams today on a neighbouring plot. The tree on the left is unusual, in that its greenery is in fact moss. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 300k.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Complete Body

One of the tenets of Congregationalism is that the local Body is a complete Body. This has practical consequences for me, as follows. Since the Body is complete, every gifting is there, and every calling is there. In other words, one begins with the assumption that, no worry, every need in every area of the Church is already met. Others seem to start with opposite assumptions: We need office-bearers, but how will we ever find them? Or we want our ideal congregation to look this this (a particular demographic), but this here isn't what we want or how will we ever achieve it?

At Home Abroad

I visited a Church group. A young woman asked a young man in the group, a refugee: "Are you homesick?" He said: "No, not at all." She said: "Shame on you! Just like a man!" He smiled and said: "Where God is, I am at home."

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Dandelion

For (truly) want of anything better to post, here is a dandelion in the morning sun in the Orange Free State. The first word for it that came to mind was a Pusteblume -- sometimes called blowballs in English. Pusteblume is what we named them as children, in the German summer. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 500k.

Monday, June 2, 2014

Lesson From A Gypsy

My father before me was a minister. Today I read a message that, in his old age, he wrote for his grandchildren. This is the first page (pictured -- you may click on it to enlarge to 400k). Not only is it an interesting story, but I think a very important one spiritually. It is a lesson that many "grown ups" have not yet learned, and in a sense it is the beginning of every story of redemption.

Free Without Mercy

Elsewhere on this blog I describe how, last year, I was criminally charged, then exonerated. Recently a police officer gave me a call. The police had received a statement, he said, among other things that my accusers had, at that time, kindly withdrawn the charges. I immediately placed the facts on record: The police had (correctly) shown me no mercy: There could be no withdrawal of charges. There was a full investigation. Through the investigation I was exonerated: The public prosecutor threw out the charges two days before trial. Today I received another call from the police: They had checked out my statement, and the police themselves confirmed that it was correct. It would go on record, and I would receive a call from a high-ranking officer. I said I don't need a call from a high-ranking officer -- just put it on record. OBSERVATION: I don't want anyone saying that I'm a free man because of someone's kindness, which is false.

Sunday, June 1, 2014

The Wisdom Of Solomon

Ministers are in the curious position of needing to minister not by sight, but by faith. This means that if, in ministry, one decides things only on the basis of evidence, then one becomes a mere politician, a mere therapist, a damp squib. It is in the nature of ministry that one needs to decide important things without evidence -- which the Bible calls discernment, wisdom, faith, power, and so on. Solomon's famous decision with regard to two women was like this -- he took it without having firm evidence in hand. Yet I have not read one commentary that said: "Where was his evidence?" Rather it is called "the wisdom of Solomon". OBSERVATION: This should not, however, be misunderstood. What one employs should, by faith, be better than sight, not merely an absence of evidence or worse, a contradiction of evidence.

Suuranys Pass 3D


It's been a while since I had a 3D photo on this blog. I took this photo at the top of the Suuranys Pass in the Eastern Cape -- a pass which I have traversed many times. The crosses mark the place where some people, tragically, went over the top. In the distance one sees the Kareedouw Pass. OBSERVATION: Click on the image to enlarge to 540k, for enhanced 3D. To see the 3D, lazily squint your eyes until the images overlap and snap together. Your eyes need to be in line horizontally. Not everyone can do this, but it is worth the try.