Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Parting Shot
I took this "parting shot" of our house (under construction) recently. It is a mere three metres/yards wide, and ten long. One of the final operations is to couple those blue water tanks to the house. These will be filled by pumping water from a nearby stream. The stream in the foreground (not the same one) is seasonal. The mountains at the very top of the photo represent the top of the Hemel en Aarde valley. The bottom of the valley is near Hermanus. The village Tesselaarsdal (population 2000) is just behind the camera. All being well, the house will be completed well within this coming month.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Laaiplek Harbour
This photo shows Laaiplek Harbour, about 160km/100mi north of Cape Town, just after sunset. It is altogether unadjusted -- just as I took it. In fact, this photo earned joint-second place in a local photo competition. OBSERVATION: The photo is taken from the grounds of the Laaiplek Hotel. I proposed to wife E. not far from here, on the other side of the river. You may click on it to enlarge to VGA.
Double Talk
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Getting To Know You
A perennial question in the Church is: how shall we get people to know each other? Something that I have done many hundreds of times is to introduce people with just one line from the pulpit -- whatever might help one to know them a little better. The occasion might be somebody taking a reading, or a couple dedicating an infant to the Lord, and so on. OBSERVATION: In my view, this works. However, it may not be welcomed by all congregations. Sometimes people may prefer a straight service without personal introductions, however brief.
Partners
Wife E. and I were pleased to be welcomed this morning as partners (not members) of the Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church (REACH). While it is purely coincidental, we were welcomed by the bishop himself. OBSERVATION: There is a criss-cross of connections with the Anglican Church, of which some: My father was the bishop's predecessor in REACH (predecessor as minister). I completed my basic training for ministry through REACH's official (at the time) training ground. And my late wife Mirjam was posthumously made an honorary member of the Anglican Church (not REACH).
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Sleepy Ladismith
I took this photo earlier this month in the town of Ladismith in the Karoo (not to be confused with Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal). The state of the (mostly English) sign-board would seem to symbolise the demise of English in Ladismith. The empty street is typical of the town, except on market days -- although, funnily, this is a market day. The coral tree in bloom signals the summer. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 170k.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Being Repetitive
Routledge's English Language and Linguistics states that "it is surprising how much of everyday conversation consists of repetitive expressions". One of the skills of writing good English is, I think, to be unoriginal (by and large) like that. To put it simply, just say it the way it is said, the everyday way. The interesting bits should, in a sense, not be foregrounded. Or one could say, language should not get in the way of ideas. That applies very much to sermons, too. OBSERVATION: On the other hand, the number of possible sentences is about infinite (which is much debated).
On Numbers
A minister in Europe left a comment on this blog some time back, essentially stating a) that numbers in Church (that is, attendance) are important because they are symptomatic, b) we need a healthy spiritual response to numbers, and c) his denomination has a goal of 10% growth per annum through conversions. Then I received an e-mail from a minister in South Africa, noting that the 10% goal frightened him -- among other things because a) one was falling for the desire to be "successful", and b) this introduced pressure to the ministry. OBSERVATION: My own first response was that my heart sank. The 10% goal (or any goal) would weigh me down. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. In my view, such goals and ministry don't go together. My next response was that it's a typically Western mindset, to cast things in quantifiable terms, in terms of method and design, and so on. I don't think those are Biblical or spiritual categories, and I don't think they are relevant to the Church. Thirdly, I thought that Churches have strange dynamics which are beyond any prediction. They behave more like (in Biblical terms) the wind which blows wherever it pleases.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Eve's Apple
Eve, it is often pointed out, may not have eaten of an apple, but of a fruit (Genesis 3:6). Yet what actually lies behind this is more interesting still. Until the late 17th Century, the word 'apple' meant 'fruit'. Five-hundred years ago, if one had said: "Eve ate of the apple," it would have been no contest. The contest arises through a changed meaning of the word 'apple' today. See, for instance, the Online Etymology Dictionary. OBSERVATION: Was it really an apple, therefore, which fell on Newton's head? A good example of this phenomenon of shifting meanings is the words of God in the KJV: "I have given you every seed for meat" (Genesis 1:29). But now consider, if meanings were fundamentally shifting five-hundred years ago, then what are they doing today? Further, how did an ancient meaning travel on for centuries, through Genesis 3:6? (Linguistics was a big part of my two postgraduate degrees).
'Boeremeisies'
This is a re-post of a (very) popular post on this blog:
"These are called boeremeisies ('farm girls' -- alternatively 'Afrikaans girls'). Perhaps because they're so enjoyable. Perhaps because they're so plump. Perhaps because they're soaked in alcohol. Perhaps because they're so expensive. OBSERVATION: Boeremeisies are apricots soaked in brandy ('witblits'). I bought a flask during my week off."
"These are called boeremeisies ('farm girls' -- alternatively 'Afrikaans girls'). Perhaps because they're so enjoyable. Perhaps because they're so plump. Perhaps because they're soaked in alcohol. Perhaps because they're so expensive. OBSERVATION: Boeremeisies are apricots soaked in brandy ('witblits'). I bought a flask during my week off."
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Pathological
In the course of ministry, one is likely to encounter a pathology called (click here for an essay on the subject) Pathological Antagonism. A pathology is an unhealthy mental turn, while antagonism in this case is a kind of all-inclusive antagonism towards some person (or body). Three easy questions help identify this pathology: a) Does this person speak any good about the person who is the focus of their antagonism? b) Do they routinely put a negative slant on things where better or common-sense interpretations may be found with contemplation? And c) is this person acting Biblically -- for instance, dealing with matters confidentially, recognising the role of pastoral staff, and so on? OBSERVATION: A sad thing about pathological antagonism is that Christians are not
well educated in pathologies, to recognise them or for that matter deal with them while they work their harm. Many say that pathological antagonism is not in fact a pathology, but a classic spiritual problem.
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Bible On Microfilm
I forget how I obtained this, but I have the whole Bible on microfilm (pictured) -- just over an inch square. This was a "showcase" for NCR Corporation's PCMI® Microform technique. The text can be read under a microscope at about 100x magnification. Each text character is 8 micrometres high. 100 copies of the Microform Bible were sent to the moon on Apollo 14, in honour of Edward White II, who was killed in a flash fire on the launchpad of Apollo 1. Presumably these Bibles are now read by the man in the moon.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Cutural Cure
My car / automobile today broke down on the way home -- perhaps ten minutes' walk away from our front door. My response was: "I'll have to call the garage in the morning." Wife E.'s response (now being at home) was: "We'll go and fix it! When are we going?" I said: "I don't fix cars!" However, with the help of a torch / flashlight, a Swiss knife, and a few phone calls, we succeeded in fixing it. It was a problem in the fuel line. OBSERVATION: I would think that, in this case, hers was more of a cultural response than a personal one. In her culture, you fix it, no matter what.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Hiring A 'Heavy'
A friend, a well known minister, had tenants who wouldn’t pay the rent,
and refused to get out. He couldn’t win. So he hired a 'heavy' for R200
($20). This man drove up at the house in a big truck, wearing dark
glasses. He got out and said just this: “If you people are still here in
a week, I’m coming back with my friends.” He got back into his truck,
and drove off. By the time next week came around, they were
gone. OBSERVATION: Where the law doesn’t
function as it should, people find all kinds of compensatory mechanisms.
Hoerikwaggo Trail
Wife E. and I walked a small part of the Hoerikwaggo Trail today (pictured). Hoerikwaggo was the original name of Table Mountain. The trail starts in the city, close to our home, and ends at Cape Point, nearly 100km/60mi distant. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 300k.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Culture Club
What would distinguish your Church from a culture club? In my experience, culture may frequently be the dominant determining factor in a Church. And through that culture, the Church may lose what is truly precious to the Church. Yet if people value something other than that which is truly precious, then a culture club may indeed be that which fulfils their desires. It will be no better, though, than an imitation of the real thing -- stagnant waters compared with the living waters of Jesus. OBSERVATION: In fact, some theologians may say (to put it too simply) that a Church is just that: a culture. George Lindbeck, for example, and Hans Frei.
Affectionate Greeting
A young woman this morning called me 'Papa'. I said, as a matter of interest: "To think that when I was a young man, the children called me kleinbaas." She said: "I'm so sorry! In our culture, 'Papa' is a mark of affection! It is a mark of respect!" I said: "I know." She said: "I do not mean that you are an old man! You are not old. Not yet!" OBSERVATION: In her (Xhosa) culture, people routinely greet each other with affectionate terms, as one might speak to one's closer family members in mine. As soon as they greet someone in my culture, it is typically with more formal terms.
Lounge-Kitchen
Here's a photo, for the fun of it, of the nearly-completed lounge and kitchen of our little house. It is less than three metres wide, but a quality production with a high ceiling and beautiful surrounds. The ladder on the left is my own design, with access to the attic taking up a mere 0.3 square metres / yards of floor space. A wall as back-rest makes it easy to climb. As will be seen, there are two holes in the far wall. A "Dover Stove" (actually a Desert Fire) will be installed on the left, and a large sink on the right, with water warmed by the sun. The house's front door is off the photo to the right, and exits onto a small balcony.
Friday, September 19, 2014
First Day In The Mission
I remember my first day in the mission, as a young boy. We weighed anchor off Ocean Island. It was hot and humid. The sky was clear, and the ocean heaving. We needed to jump from a rope ladder into a launch. Timing was critical. With every swell of the ocean, the launch drifted from the ship, then slammed back into its side. I was already in the launch when my father jumped -- but his timing was wrong. He fell into the breach between the launch and the ship. The launch slammed into him. His sunglasses -- his only pair -- went to the bottom of the ocean. An islander pulled him from the ocean with a badly grazed leg. I could see that he was suffering. “Look!” someone said. “Sharks!” I saw their fins in the water all around us. I was in quarantine when we arrived on Ocean Island -- for measles -- and was hurriedly taken to a room with high ceilings and shuttered windows ...
Underground Vein
Paying a weekly visit to our little house in Tesselaarsdal today (under construction), here is a problem that we need to solve: a vein. That is, a little stream running underground. A temporary fix is a trench (pictured) while we think of what to do. OBSERVATION: It's good that we did our building in the winter. In the summer we might not have picked this up.
Thursday, September 18, 2014
A.E. Wilder-Smith
I commented recently on an article on the origins of life, claiming that I was a "novice". Then it occurred to me: not entirely. One of my professors was A.E. Wilder-Smith, a Dr. of Physical Organic Chemistry, and a Dr. (twice) of Pharmacological Sciences. Under him, I needed to study the origins of life. He was unique in a way, in that he took both evolutionists and creationists to task. He was a three-star general, too, and a pacifist. He was a big, kindly, approachable professor who had dinner with us and spoke with us by the fireside. An Englishman, he spoke fluent German (and I only spoke German with him). He left a deep impression on me.
'The Devil's Church'
Many times, I have heard people refer to their old Church as "the devil's Church" -- and a few times I have heard ministers speak that way. But here, the old theological concepts of Visible and Invisible Church come to mind (although these are contested afresh today). Personally, I would see the Visible Church much as I would see the Biblical Israel: even under the worst of circumstances, it was not the devil's possession, but very much in God's power. However, it may or may not have been under the judgement of God. Then, to cast it in the same terms, I would see the Invisible Church as the Biblical Remnant: always blessed and protected by God. OBSERVATION: Many famous hymns refer to the devil's aspirations or operations in the Church, for example the "foul fiend" of John Bunyan and the "alt’ böse Feind" of Martin Luther. But that is not to say that it is ever "the devil's Church".
Discernment
Many years ago, I told a children's story in Church, using a gold coin. I put down the coin at the altar, was briefly distracted after the service, and it was gone. I thought I knew who took it, but I didn't want to accuse anyone without being sure of my facts. Our office secretary said: "I know who it is!" But she didn't. She couldn't. She walked up to a woman in Church and said: "You took the coin! Hand it over! Now!" The woman handed it over. I still have it today. (Our secretary and I made the same guess).
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Beeskerriepastei
For want of much to say today, this is on the menu in Dassiesfontein, about 100km/60mi east of Cape Town. It is called beeskerriepastei -- served here on an enamel coated plate. All dishes in Dassiesfontein are prepared on a wood-fired stove. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 200k.
Putting In A Word
In my experience, a minister, in his or her role as an "advocate", may break through complete impasses without any reference to the impasse -- in situations where the minister might not have had success in any other way. Here's a real example. A teenager was barred from his final school exams because his mother couldn’t pay the fees. It was a well known school. I called the vice-principal, introduced myself, and said I was the young man's minister -- no more. The vice-principal said: “This is an internal matter. I don’t feel the need to justify our actions. The decision cannot be reversed. Under the circumstances, we’ve been good to the boy.” I thanked him for his kindness, and his time. The mother then decided to approach the school one more time -- and the school announced an about-turn. The vice-principal said to her: “Check in here every day, and pay what you can for that day.” And she did. OBSERVATION: In fact in some cases, a minister may be asked for advocacy in dangerous situations -- then this approach may be all the more appropriate. We had prayed for a solution here, too -- and prayed-for solutions tend to surprise one.
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Church On The Edge
I was heard to say, earlier this year, that if a Church has a deficit, or if it is on the edge, that's the way it's supposed to be. Not surprisingly, one or two people looked puzzled if not perplexed. Alternatively, one may think that a Church should be in a sound financial position (whichever way one might define that), or that a Church should deliberately be over-spending (one minister asked me where one's faith is if one doesn't -- another said that one should always be over-spending by one-third). OBSERVATION: It is for a number of spiritual reasons that I say a Church should be on the edge, not least that the Lord Himself would have it so. However, I do think that every Church should be striving for the best.
Judith Durham
I was surprised to receive "love and best wishes" from Judith Durham this morning. She reached stardom in the 1960's, singing, among other songs, Georgy Girl, The Carnival is Over, and A World of Our Own. My own favourite is I'll Never Find Another You. I told her a story which I briefly mention on this blog at Networked World. She and her group, The Seekers, have just had sold out tours in Australia and the UK, including concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.
Monday, September 15, 2014
Signs Of The Times
An interesting thing happened at the centre of the Little Karoo in July. They stopped selling English newspapers. A month later, the last English Church in the area (my own) turned bilingual. The photo shows St. Luke's Anglican Church, which dropped English a few years earlier -- at the time, one of only two English Churches. OBSERVATION: Someone told me on Saturday that Afrikaans is fast going the same way. At one time, English was a major language in the area.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Beyond The Fact-Value Dichotomy
The fact-value distinction is an unsolved problem of vast proportions in philosophy. Hilary Putnam made a well known effort to address it, in Beyond the Fact-Value Dichotomy. With my own attempt being read about as much as Putnam's at the moment, here is a summary of my "stab" at a solution: Solving the Fact-Value Dichotomy:
NOTE: The original essay, which was popular, went down with the demise of the publication PI Alpha (since re-launched). The substance of it is now included in my Metaphysical Notes, published by the Philosophical Society of England.There are no facts in this world, as is supposed, only relations. Therefore there has been what is called a category mistake. Look at the things around you: they are all related to each other in a certain way, in space and in time. And then there are relations within relations, within relations. Sometimes things are related with one another as they ought to be -- that's when we say that it's a fact. And sometimes things are related with one another as they ought not to be -- that's when we talk about value. Now this insight may be applied both to the natural and the human sciences, and it serves to reconcile them. At the same time, the so-called postmodern condition, at least in theory, is solved.
Yesterday I substantially updated my (click here) Linkedin profile. It probably is the most complete formal information about me that is "out there". Apart from the boring stuff, I have held three consulent ministries, three chairmanships, and I obtained two degrees cum laude. My "core" ministries were particularly long in duration. OBSERVATION: A few things are still missing from my profile. For instance, some early editorships, and a lot of writing -- and voluntary work, the most interesting of which was ended through a petrol-bombing.
Saturday, September 13, 2014
"Promises" Gospel
I routinely hear sermons in different cultural contexts in South Africa. There is a particular kind of preaching which I encounter most in our Coloured communities, which frankly annoys me. I would not describe it as a "prosperity" gospel but as a "promises" gospel, and it would seem to be directed at those who are on the edge and struggling to cope, which is a great many people today. It is a fairly content-less preaching, which promises one the world in Jesus, and a kind of preaching that one needs to hear again next week to be reassured of what one heard last week. OBSERVATION: I prefer what I would call a "covenant" gospel, which has the promises, yet grounds them (or not) better.
Flying Visit
Wife E. and I paid a flying visit to the Karoo semi-desert today, to pay our last respects to a parishioner. The service itself was led by a past minister of the Church, its longest-serving minister. OBSERVATION: She was a woman who was absolutely committed to the Church, and truly a lovely, thoughtful person. In my experience, her kind of thoughtfulness is found in one in a hundred. Her husband said: "I remember the first time I held her hand, and the last time, too." (I like the photo, because it's the only one there is of me with the Church -- you may click on it to enlarge).
Friday, September 12, 2014
No Cause And Effect
I consider that a core principle of the Christian faith is the radical severance of faith from cause and effect. This is something, I think, that my late wife Mirjam came to believe deeply during her terminal illness. We know anyway that salvation is not governed by cause and effect (Eph 2:9). However, neither are the events of the world (Isa 59:16), nor are the fortunes of companies of people (2 Chr 20:35), nor are the fates of individuals (Psa 62:5). OBSERVATION: Few people understand this principle -- alternatively, they need continually to renew their understanding of it.
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Attic Movie
Gaining Traction
I am pleased to see that my essay on the Fact-Value Distinction is gaining some traction -- rising fast in Google searches. Depending how one searches, there are only a handful of writers ahead of me on the subject. OBSERVATION: As an aside, although it might not reveal it, this essay represents my continual struggle with style. Should an essay engage seriously with contemporary debate, or should it merely survey this as it is useful (as I chose to do here), should it rely on timeless ideas and images, or should it find a trendy way to state the case?
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Famous Tree Gone
This was one of Cape Town's most famous trees (the stump here in the background right) -- now felled courtesy of Madame Zingara (but see my more recent note below). I slipped behind a cordon to take this final photo. Generations sat under this tree for meals in Cape Town's Company Gardens, or played chess in its shade. However, in recent years the tree -- a gum tree -- was dropping a great deal of debris onto people. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 400k.
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NOTE: Reportedly the tree was not felled. It toppled in a storm, and its stump was reinserted in the hole. The photo would seem to confirm it.
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NOTE: Reportedly the tree was not felled. It toppled in a storm, and its stump was reinserted in the hole. The photo would seem to confirm it.
Any Crime?
Someone wrote to me asking me whether I had experienced any crime in the last year or so. My intuitive response was: not really. But then I began to count. It was on average more than once a month. Several crimes were quite serious, others were what one might rather call offences -- no physical harm done. OBSERVATION: Some crimes, however, bordered on the funny. For instance, some men burnt up my entire fence to warm themselves by the flames (see the photo). One becomes weary of reporting crimes, so I formally reported three, informally reported four, and I left the rest -- about half.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Welfare State
I seldom if ever see South Africa listed among welfare states, yet apparently it is the biggest welfare state in the world, according to its dependency ratio. This is said to be "unsustainable". I wrote to a British academic today that we would seem to have a four-tier system here: those who take care of their own welfare through their own means, a tottering state welfare system, those who are rescued in various ways through very public charitable initiatives, and lastly those who merely subsist or even die for want, in one way or another. I have experienced such deaths in the course of my ministry (typically in the area of health). OBSERVATION: "Welfare" does however have varying meanings.
Lover
There are few counselling sessions that bump me out of my rhythm, but here's one. A married man made an appointment with me for counselling, then he turned up with his lover. For a moment, I was stunned. How should I approach this one? I said to myself that I would play innocent, and wait until they said something about it themselves -- which they did. Then I was back on track.
Monday, September 8, 2014
Non-Commital Women
Someone said to me: “It’s always the men who won’t commit [to marriage]!” In my experience, though, it’s the women, too -- although not as often. OBSERVATION: In my experience, perhaps the most common reason is reservations on the part of the woman as to whether she should commit to this man. Some examples. In one case, the woman was too unsettled about her partner’s crazy schedule. In another case, the woman was in it for a “hand up”, across racial lines, but the man hadn’t recognised the motive.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
The Fact-Value Distinction
I spent part of today improving on an article on the fact-value distinction. Philosopher Martin Cohen essentially wanted to see my original writing "bullet-proofed" against possible objections. Whether I succeeded yet, I don't know. OBSERVATION: Typically, the fact-value distinction is viewed as a narrow philosophical problem. But it is not. It affects all of society. For instance: Our universities are carved up into the natural sciences (fact) and human sciences (value). Our experience is divided between "You are just a number" (fact) and the desire for the personal touch (value). The language we speak is separated between "strictly normed" words and everyday speech suffused with connotation and inference. And so on. But all this causes some big problems. The article seeks to get to the bottom of it all.
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NOTE: The article (in a "mature draft" at present) is at Solving the Fact-Value Dichotomy.
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NOTE: The article (in a "mature draft" at present) is at Solving the Fact-Value Dichotomy.
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Counselees And Counsellor
I have thousands of counselling sessions behind me. Over time, this must do something to the counsellor, not only counselees. From a personal point of view, while it may not make one more resilient to one's own problems, I think it gives one a spontaneous positive response to one's own problems -- and a faith response. It becomes, in a sense, ingrained. OBSERVATION: Also, it makes one very much aware of people's state of mind, and of the many evasive manoeuvres they resort to. It becomes second nature to pick those up -- something I occasionally feel I could do without. And, in early counselling sessions, I often felt lost. In later counselling sessions, never.
Advice Of The Aged
An octagenarian churchman gave me this advice on the occasion of his birthday recently. It wasn't quite what I expected: "Take pleasure in your wife. And remember, it's all just a joke!"
Friday, September 5, 2014
Trou 'n Boer
Son M. took this photo recently, in Dassiesfontein east of Cape Town. It says: "Keep calm and marry a boer (a farmer)." OBSERVATION: Typically, one reads: "Keep calm and carry on" -- the text of a British government poster, beneath the Tudor Crown, printed in 1939.
Attic Ladder
Taking Action
I may never have had such assaults on my reputation as I have had during the past year or two -- or perhaps I have. Two months ago, I finally took action against someone. It may take another four months before there is a judgement. OBSERVATION: I made a number of personal attempts to set the matter straight. As for my reasoning -- apart from the question as to how long one lets a cat play cat with the mouse -- it was an audacious case.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Cacadu District
I took this photo on a plateau in the Cacadu District in the Eastern Cape, in the morning sun. Cacadu is a Xhosa word meaning "semi-arid and mountainous" -- such as the district is. OBSERVATION: If the top of the photo were not washed out by sunlight, one would see a vast plain beyond. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 1MB.
Dread Of Events, Fear Of God
In conducting Bible studies, I tend to alternate between the New Testament and the Old. When we last started Exodus, we noted how the events of the first chapter are driven by deep spiritual orientations. The chapter specifically states that some of the characters are motivated by the dread of events, while others are motivated by the fear of God. God then personally blesses those who fear Him (and act out of that motive). OBSERVATION: In my counselling experience, the dread of events vs. the fear of God are powerful driving forces, and determine people's behaviour, and indeed their blessing.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Old Lutheran Church
There are more than 200 posts of local Churches on this blog. Just today I received a request to add some (see the Recent Comments box). As for this one, I spotted it in Haarlem, in the Eastern Cape. It looked like a Church, yet it was occupied by a poor family. They told me that it was "the old Lutheran Church". The "new" Lutheran Church, not far away, was dedicated in 1880. You may click on the image to enlarge to 170k. Notice the palm tree laden with weaver birds' nests.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Just Faithful
(Not) Ministering Safely
There are many who consider that disturbances in the Church are inherently bad. An interesting article by Rev. Paul R. Smith considers that it is both healthy and Biblical for there to be cyclical disturbances -- and calamitous where one finds the wish for “terminal niceness”. And he backs it up. His article is here: Good Leaders Cause Trouble. OBSERVATION: Yet he balances this among other things by quoting Gordon McKenzie: The challenge is to “maintain a mindful balance between being a
caretaker of what’s valuable in the status quo and risking it all to
indulge in creative destruction that brings an overall benefit.” My personal view is that many ministers minister too much for their own safety, at the spiritual expense of the sheep, and the Church.
Monday, September 1, 2014
Book Review
My electronics anthology 6 or less just got reviewed at Circuit Exchange International, one of the more popular circuit exchanges. It is a large book of super-simple electronic designs. The review states: "Reverend Thomas Scarborough's popularity has grown as a circuit designer and his name is now ubiquitous in
the electronics world ... This book is highly recommended and excellent value for money." OBSERVATION: It's a really useful book, if I say so myself. I wouldn't want to be without it.
Research In Halle
Son M., today, is doing research at the Halle State Museum of Preshistory, near Leipzig. The photo shows the library. The museum's prehistoric collection is one of the most extensive and important in Germany. He is researching prehistoric elephants and their environment.
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