Kareedouw Church

In my early morning post, I briefly referred to the Dutch Reformed Church in Kareedouw, in the Eastern Cape. Here is a photo of the Church -- which, personally, I find squat, and too bold in its features. It has the typical mirror-image symmetry of a Dutch Reformed Church. The Church was built from 1908-1909, and extended from 1929-1930. In 1910, only eight houses surrounded the Church. An apartheid prime minister, John Vorster, is buried next to the Church. OBSERVATION: This is a combination of two wide-angle shots -- this Church is difficult to photograph due to its surrounding walls and embankments. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 1MB.

Character And Influence

A common notion in the Christian leadership literature is that character guarantees influence. Quote: "Character wins out" (Thrall, McNicol, and McElrath). My Master's research, however, found that the very opposite may be true. A failure of character may be triggered by a failure of influence. Influence fails, then character fails. (The failure of influence may not be obvious -- it may be manifested by strain). OBSERVATION: In other words, when influence fails, the very thing that is meant to sustain one (character) may be the first to be subverted. This suggests that a fundamental rethink may be needed. Influence has to be demoted in Christian leadership theory.

Straat Gesluit

I blogged recently about the opposition Democratic Alliance taking a township by storm. It seemed they were doing much the same in a village I visited last week: Kareedouw. Among other things, they were strategically tarring two roads to the local Dutch Reformed Church (pictured). Funnily, nearly 98% of the town don't speak (use) English. Another South African oddity.

Puzzling Policeman

Last month I laid charges for intimidation (elsewhere on my blog). A few days ago I received a call from a private number -- which is to say, the number was hidden. A man said: "You are speaking to Central. Cape Central Police Station, man." I asked him who he was. The reply: "I'm the detective" (whoever that might be). Then a long silence. I say: "Hello?" My question goes unanswered, and the (supposed) detective seeks to establish the scene of the crime. Then he says: "Thank you, hey. Man, we'll be with you now, and we'll be all set up." Call terminated. OBSERVATION: Who was it? A real detective? A friend playing a joke on me? An accused? Time will tell.

Viewing The Body

I took this photo of a young woman on Saturday following the viewing the body at a funeral. In South Africa there is typically a viewing of the body at a funeral -- perhaps the  only exception to this custom being the "European" community. Even little children will view the body, if they are big enough to see into the coffin. I myself viewed the body at this funeral.

Killing Bounce Receipts

There has been a small but, I think, significant shift in our country: law enforcement agencies and regulators (among others) have increasingly been shooting down bounce receipts. A bounce receipt is a message from my computer to your computer, to which your computer replies, to let me know that you have received my message. You may not even know about your computer's courtesy. OBSERVATION: Everything begins and ends with receipts of some sort. Without receipts, any formal process under the sun can be subverted: "Information? What information?" While bounce recepits are often just a convenience, sometimes they obtain a response where people are (maybe) playing cat and mouse. I don't remember a single bounce receipt being shot down a few years ago. Now, it happens often enough. In other words, bounce receipts are killed before they can bounce. I don't think it is a good sign.

Funeral Dance

Many, I think, will find this video extraordinary. It is a dance of joy around a coffin. I took the 19-second video in the Eastern Cape, at a niece's funeral. One of the songs that the dancers sang, in Afrikaans: "God cares for (nurtures) the sparrows. God cares for the animals. God cares for the plants. And he will care for you."

Land Redistribution

I spoke to a man last week -- one of my family on my wife's side -- who benefited from our government's land redistribution programme. The government donated a farm to the local community, he said, and a tractor. The community divided the farm into allotments, and began to cultivate it. Some did poorly, while others did well. He himself did quite well, he said. But there was a problem, which caused the whole project to collapse. He said: "You can go and look at the farm today. All of it lies dry and fallow. The tractor is broken. It is still there, stuck in the field." He said the problem was security: "I was putting time and money into farming for thieves." OBSERVATION: The government forgot to provide one thing.

Fortuitous Photo

I took this fortuitous photo yesterday, of members of a girls' rugby club -- checking a tribute to their friend, who died a cruel death. Fortuitous, because the sun illuminates the sheet, and reveals (on the original photo) what they have prepared. Among other things, they write: "The Lord said to Satan, You can do to Job anything you want, but you will not touch his soul. ... His wife asked him, Why don't you curse this God of yours? Look what He has done to you. Job stood high and said, The Lord has given, the Lord has taken. The name of the Lord shall be praised."

Embarking On Theological Studies

People ask me once in a while how they should go about theological studies. Here are some of the things I have said: Get a traditional Biblical grounding to start with. After that, anything. Find out if a seminary has turned out good people, or are they hard to find. Think ahead. A thorough training equips you for greater usefulness both within the Church and society. Part of that means a broad foundation, not (only) "in house". If you ever can, do some of your studies at another seminary, even in another country. Take subjects which fit your calling, but deliberately select a few which repulse you. And if you can, during your studies, find an experienced minister who will permit you to experience ministry behind the scenes. OBSERVATION: All of these (personal) guidelines could be set aside (with prayer), except the first.

Mountain View

I took the photo on Friday night in the South African township of Mountain View. It seems typical of the townships: mast lighting, under which children are still playing at 8:32 pm -- and township children love to pose for photos. The brown shed on the right in the distance is a so-called "spaza" shop, run by people (as they often are) who speak no local language. This makes it quite comical sometimes to ask for something. This is Mountain View's main thoroughfare -- the only tarred road in the township. The curved shelter in front of the spaza shop is a bus stop, although I doubt that any buses run past here. The shelter is used as a jungle gym by children.

Joyous Funeral

I attended the funeral of a niece on my wife's side today -- which was (is -- it is ongoing) a large funeral. What one sees in the photo is one of several parts of the funeral. I have previously blogged about the joy one encounters at the margins of some local funerals. At today's funeral, exuberant joy moved to centre stage. OBSERVATION: She was an outgoing girl who excelled at sports. The same week that she was to sign a sports contract, Letitia took ill. It was months before the local hospital gave her a referral to the city. By then, there was no hope, and she suffered a cruel decline.

Local Genocide

I stayed last night with a professional hunter. He hunts predators, mostly caracal and jackals. Since he has hunted on the Suurveld, I asked him if he knew the secret to the massive stone walls one finds there. He said you ain't seen nothin'. You should go further into the interior. He said the "Hottentots" (today called the Khokhoi) built the walls, on the orders of the Boers. The walls were massive kraals, he said, and inside these kraals were smaller stone divisions. He said the reason that the big walls are now incomplete is that they were dismantled in later generations. The Hottentots, he said, were the slaves of the Boers, and when the Boers had no more use for them, they massacred them: "uitgeroei, geskiet". NOTE: This is a local history, not a textbook history.

Niece's Funeral

Sadly, I am attending the funeral of a young niece on my wife's side. The preparations alone set it apart from any familiar (European) ways. The mother, this morning, washed her daughter's body. Later in the day, friends and family delivered foodstuffs, wood, and huge iron pots for the preparation of a great feast. This evening gravediggers walked through the front gate with their implements, kicking a football in front of them. In the morning, there will be a service in the home, and a viewing of the body, among other things. OBSERVATION: Typically, the funeral takes place in several parts.

Ministry Snapshots

This morning, simply some snapshots of past ministry in Cape Town. Clockwise from top left, these photos were taken (about) 2000, 2007, 2010, and 2012. The Church was often quite full. I ministered in this Church for nearly twenty years (and an assistant ministry). OBSERVATION: The 2012 photo reveals a Church which is equally Black and White. Although the grey hair stands out here, it is one-third of those in the photo, and well under one-third of those who would be seen with a complete view of the Church.

Township Contrasts

I snapped this photo earlier in the day, in a South African township. The flowers and the (out of focus) razor wire in the background would seem to symbolise our townships: much beauty and delicacy against some ... harsh realities. OBSERVATION: The Democratic Alliance (DA) won the town in recent elections. Someone should tell the DA not to take themselves so seriously. Wow, is the municipality busy fixing things. Having known this township for several years, I haven't seen anything like it. While politicians bicker, there is another plan. Funnily, among many other things, some locals who ran an illegal power cable under the road are having it neatened up with a conduit.

Advent Explained

This coming Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Most Sundays of my minstr(ies), we have handed out a sermon or service outline in Church on a small piece of coloured paper -- which has been popular. On the reverse, we have put something educational or encouraging -- always upbuilding. This is the back of an Advent outline -- a brief description of what the period of Advent is about. You can click on the image to enlarge.

Visible Leadership

How much of a priority is it for Church leaders to be visible? At a Church breakfast a few years ago, I stood up and said: "We have more than half our Church leadership here this morning!" Then, before I could check myself: "That's amazing!" This ignited laughter all around the hall. I said: "That was a slip of the tongue!" Which brought even more laughter. OBSERVATION: In my ministr(ies), by and large, just two things have been mandatory for Church leaders: • to attend all Sunday services, and • to attend all leadership meetings (or give at least 24 hours' notice). Beyond that, Church members just seemed happy to see them. However, at the close of my last ministry, members requested that leaders should be more visible, in a number if ways: in Church groups, Church events, and pastoral visitation. This was not implemented in my time.

Selfie Queen

While I don't know exactly who she is, I do know that she has five thousand friends and a thousand followers, and her claim to fame is authoritatively stated thus: "I am Ms. Martinz." I snapped this photo, too (see Monday's photo), at a Church Thanksgiving lunch. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 200k.

Artful Communion Thief

Communion glasses are popular little souvenirs for people who attend Church. Typically -- if the glasses are made of glass -- they cost a few times as much as ordinary drinking glasses. In my city ministry, on several occasions, many communion glasses were taken all at once, from under people's noses. But here's a story of a more clever thief. We found one Sunday, to our surprise, that half a tray of glass communion glasses had been replaced with half a tray of plastic ones. At a glance, therefore, nothing was missing -- yet the valuable little glass glasses had been swapped for plastic. OBSERVATION: They are popular as tot glasses -- and hard to obtain.

Minister's Library

Recently I blogged about a minister I visited on the atoll of Maiana. I posted a picture of the manse -- a traditional structure on stilts. Here I turned my camera upwards to the eaves -- and his library. The library is made up of standard reference works, and lecture notes from college. But many ministers in the central Pacific do not have this much. Some have no reference works at all. OBSERVATION: I love those old huts. The skill with which they are built, their elegant proportions, their strength, their functionality, the smell of the materials. It is an ancient design.

Invention Five: Operating System

I have used DOS, GEM, Windows, and (now) Linux operating systems. But we have hardly advanced, conceptually, beyond GEM and Windows of 1985. Here is my proposal for a major advance. In 1987, the DOS game Yes Prime Minister (a mere quarter megabyte in size), enabled one to open doors and drawers, switch on the telex, and so on, and generally wander around parliament. One was immersed in a visual environment. Imagine now that an operating system would offer a visual (even audio) environment of one's choice: the houses of parliament, a log cabin, a spacecraft to Mars, and so on. So one might see the weather through the window, a clock on the wall, keep some files in a drawer, a telex on the desk, among other things. However it would be more like the real world -- or a real world, any world -- than clicking on symbols on a screen (or touching them) as we have done for more than thirty years. As early as 1987, Yes Prime Minister proved that this idea would be possible. OBSERVATION: In the interests of this post, I opened DOS on Linux, and played a few minutes of the old 1987 Yes Prime Minister.

Trump's Triumph, Philosophically

People ask me what I think about Trump. I'll confine myself here to a philosophical point of view. Imagine traditional philosophy as two layers of cake with a sheet of icing between them. The two layers are: thought and reality -- and thought influences the way one approaches reality. In the USA, just over a century ago, philosophers took that sheet of icing out of the middle, so to speak, and merged the two layers into one. This now goes by the name of "pragmatism" -- which  teaches action, not contemplation. Thought and reality are now rolled into one. European philosophy is different -- contemplation is more of a priority there. For this reason, I think, a Trump might not have triumphed in Europe. So, as more contemplative people have been outvoted in the USA, Trump's triumph may be American "pragmatism" coming home to roost. OBSERVATION: I put it too simply, but hopefully it is understood.

Taking Selfies

I took photos yesterday at a Church Thanksgiving -- which happened to be a very successful Thanksgiving. The Church raised a huge sum in a flash. One of my subjects was this young woman. I think she was quite oblivious to my camera as she took various selfies. She wrote to me this morning: "I love these. So unexpected but beautiful." You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Impressions

I attended my old Church, yesterday morning. What struck me above all was a rapid shift to an older congregation. People under middle age were (proportionately) down to half -- lower by actual count. It was the purpose of the Church on my departure to move in the opposite direction. OBSERVATION: What struck me positively was evangelical preaching, although fairly generic compared with my own.

Exquisite Haircut

I took the photo this morning. Its significance lies not in the fact that it's a minister's kid (on the left), nor that it is my son (on the right -- he's a minister's kid, too). But notice the haircut. That was my handiwork, yesterday. OBSERVATION: I remember when digital cameras first became good enough to photograph individual hairs in a portrait. At least, I remember the moment that I became good enough to see them. In the original photo (this one is reduced) individual hairs stand out clearly.

Another Defining Moment

This one's another defining moment of ministry -- one that stayed with me through all the years. In my first major ministry, I paid my first pastoral visit. It was a modest house with a big lawn -- and an eighty-four year old man -- a warm and kindly man. He said to me: "You are twenty-three. Life lies ahead of you. I want you to imagine that you are looking at life from where I am, in this chair, at eighty-four."

Praise Singer

The photo is one of me and a friend, in 1965, on Banaba (Ocean Island). The island has since been (all but) evacuated.  My friend went on to become a praise singer. We met again in 2003. He wrote me a praise song, and surprised me in a meeting house on Tarawa with a spectacular performance -- which was witnessed also by a missionary team that I was leading.

Working In ‘Passes’

Students may be bewildered by the size of a writing project. The way I go about it -- and advise students to go about it -- is first to get it done.  From there on, I myself work in "passes". I pass through the whole document again with one improvement in mind, then with another improvement in mind, then another, and so on. Sometimes there may be many "passes". One pass may be to close gaps. Another may be to check accuracy. Another to improve flow. Another to fix citations. And so on.

Catching Octopus

I was fascinated recently by this photo on the BBC. My guardian in the mission did this. I would join him in the "potholes" of the reef. But he had better legs than this, and he went barefoot. With a quick motion, he would turn the octopus' head inside out. One day we had returned to the beach with an octopus, and he was distracted by conversation. The octopus attacked him and left him full of bloody little marks when he ripped it off. For those who knew him, it was Temeeti.

Editing And Plagiarism

As an editor and a sub-editor, I not only check an article for "good writing", but I check that quotes are accurate, that facts are true, and that there is no plagiarism (copying). Recently, an article was published that I was not involved with, as a sub-editor. When I saw it, I wasn't sure that all was well. With regard to plagiarism, an automated check turned up plagiarism throughout. The senior editor felt that the article should be cleaned up if necessary. I considered that, if a double-check should turn up plagiarism, too, not only should the article be removed, but the writer should be removed from our list.

Driven By Depression

This week there have been disturbing reports about torture in our prisons. I have been trained to look for the sub-text, particularly through postgraduate work I did through the South African Theological Seminary (SATS). Almost as an afterthought, one on-line article (Tales of Torture at Prisons) notes that prisons officials "would have operated on adrenaline [in the context of PTSD], even though they had received 'textbook' training". Again and again, from my experience in ministry, I have observed law enforcement officials and have said that they are at the end of their ability to cope. People like that have to behave in certain ways. The torture (and disintegration) is not coming from, as it were, wanton officials. It is driven by depression, and that which lies behind it. OBSERVATION: I would think that this is a national priority, yet hardly anyone seems to see it.

Opera Awards

This man was once our Church organist, at a time that I was Assistant Minister in Cape Town. Now he's ... well, as you see. He and I and my late wife once loaded some bicycles on a bus, and went on a bicycle tour together. It can't have been my idea. One thing I particularly enjoyed about him was his serious exterior (as one sees here) combined with the very funny observations he made behind the scenes. I don't know if he still makes such observations, but I can't imagine he doesn't.

What Is Urban Ministry?

People have asked me over the years, what is urban ministry? I have discussed this with ministers. Together we came up with this:
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• Urban Churches have a higher turnover. • Church finances are unpredictable. • More people depend on the Church to break their isolation. • There is a greater cultural mix. • There is much social trauma. • There is a greater requirement for a radical gospel. • More people turn to the Church for help. • There is more chaos in Sunday services. • Small groups use the Church premises more than homes. • There are many hindrances to visitation. • Rich and poor exist in close proximity. • The poor are aggressive. • One deals more often with malicious people. • Young adults only pass through. • The youth are difficult to handle. • Losses and damage are commonplace. And • Church planting is more precarious.

OBSERVATION: This is not intended to be negative. Some of my happiest ministry has been urban, and some of my most useful.

One Step From Disaster

A year ago I was caught in the heat wave in the Suurveld. Walls were hot to the touch, and every item of furniture was hot, the wind was hot, even the shade was baking hot. Then the water supply failed. When it came on again, through a black PVC pipe, it was literally too hot to touch. There seemed to be no escape. OBSERVATION: South Africa has had a (not so) latent water crisis, since 2014, due to El Niño. But the crisis became critical in the extreme heat of last summer. Volunteers moved millions of litres of water to hundreds of thousands of people. If there had been one more failure -- my own observation -- the failure of fuel supplies in particular -- it could have been a disaster without equal. In fact earlier that same month, there were fuel shortages.

Making The Urban Church Work

Yesterday I rediscovered an article I wrote in 2007 on (click here) Making the Urban Church Work. I wrote it not only as a "how to", but as a "how we did it". At this time, an ailing urban Church had taken off, and it was going to get better. The article highlighted features I believe(d) to be central to a viable and vibrant urban Church. OBSERVATION: I concluded: "It also remains to be seen what long-term effects the significant shifts in our congregation are to have. In particular, I am mindful that our 'old-timers' have witnessed a great deal of change." This would become critical in the years to come.

Pass For A Book: 99%

Writing a book is not like getting a pass (50%). It's not like getting a distinction (say 80%). My own finest performance (94%) would not do. I have read that 98-99% is what you need for a book to get through -- unless for some reason you hit the jackpot. At the moment, I have two manuscripts of about 200 pages each, both far advanced. Rather than having "written" them, I would say I have "developed" them. They have both had professional assistance, and a lot of help and encouragement besides. Yesterday, for the first time, one of them made it past the query stage -- which is the first hurdle -- with an agent in New York. Typically there are two hurdles after that. OBSERVATION: This book might not make it any further -- this time. However, it is a sign that my hopes for my writing may not be misguided.

Berg River Moon

With all the talk of the (super) moon this week, here is a photo of the moon rising over a derelict pier in the Berg River, about 160km / 100mi north of Cape Town. It was at this very pier that I proposed to wife E. OBSERVATION: This one was not just a snapshot. It needed planning.

The Gamble Of Silence

There is something new in our society today which seems to have been little known, say, twenty years ago. That is people who maintain their silence where they have done wrong or acted questionably. Twenty years ago, people felt obliged to speak. I have often wondered how this might work itself out. I sense two things. While there is silence on the surface of it, one finds that, behind it, there is not seldom panic. Silence, too, tends to turn things into a game of high stakes. If one speaks, the "gamble" seems much lower. If not, one's silence may either snuff something out, or it may radicalise a situation. That is why it is "high stakes". OBSERVATION: Perhaps one may liken it to any ordinary situation, where people talk about a problem, or keep silent about it. Speaking may be difficult, but silence may lead to a bigger explosion -- or not.

Pacific Manse

In 2003, I visited Rev. Temakau of Reweai village on Maiana atoll in the Pacific. This is the Church manse / rectory, which he vacated for my sole use. I wrote in my diary about my first night there: "An awful night. A hard floor, pandanus mats, and colder than I ever thought Kiribati could be. I needed a jersey, but none! Rain. Waves lapping." The day didn't seem much better: "Scorching sun, even in the shade. My hut open to several others." OBSERVATION: Rev. Temakau had a small library in the eaves of the manse. To my surprise, there was a Bible dictionary there which my own Church had sent to the islands through its missions programme.

Serve Or Conserve

I ended my urban ministry in my twentieth year, on the highest annual income in a generation, and the highest bank balance. The bank balance was over R250 000. This raised a classic question. Some members considered R250 000 very small -- prudent to keep in the bank. Others asked me why on earth they should give to the Church if we had so much money stashed away. At the time, I ran this question by ministerial colleagues. Some responded emotionally: "Why do you not spend it for God's sake?" or "You have that much money in the bank?" -- always with the thought of missions, outreach, growth. One colleague went so far as to suggest, quite seriously, that we should spend one-third more than we had. OBSERVATION: My own views have changed over the years. I'm more with my colleagues now than I once was. A Church needs to "run lean" to be healthy. I believe also that this is a litmus test of evangelical thinking: do we wish to serve, or conserve? Paradoxically, conservation tends to work against itself.

South Africa's ‘Most Wanted Man’

I snapped this gentleman in Thembalethu township, on South Africa's south coast. His buddies claimed he was South Africa's most wanted man -- a description he seemed quite pleased with. I showed his neighbour the photo. She said: "Where did you take that photo?" I said: "Here. Across your fence." She was stunned. There must be a story behind it. You may click on the photo to enlarge to 200k.

Church And Vuvuzela

I recently posted a photo of DA students protesting outside parliament. In that photo, one sees blue plastic trumpets -- called vuvuzelas. Their sound has been described as that of a swarm of wasps. Vuvuzelas were originally "borrowed" from the Shembe Church, by soccer fans. A Shembe elder complained at the time: "Football is stealing pleasure from Shembe ... they are getting the power of our Holy Spirit." Now the trumpets have passed from soccer stadiums to political protests. OBSERVATION: The Church's influence is found in many interesting places. I recently blogged about the Church initiating a state capture investigation in South Africa.

So What Went Awry?

I recently blogged about my being a state witness. The case is now onto its second prosecutor and third investigator. The last time I checked with the prosecutor, several items were missing from the docket: an affidavit, evidence on USB and DVD, supplementary information, and so on. So this was not a simple slip. There are various ways one could approach it. I decided like this: I sent a request this morning to the police for a personal meeting with the first investigator, to get a feel for what is going on. OBSERVATION: I took the photo of a court orderly earlier in the month -- a professional and kindly woman.

‘The Church Is Too Small’

This is a re-post -- on which I can now comment in retrospect: "I met with our associate pastor last week (on the right of the photo, with his wife) whose congregation worships in one of our halls (the biggest one). He said, 'The Church is too small.' He couldn't be referring to his congregation, I thought. It was too big. 'I mean,' he said, 'the walls are too small. We have grown so big that we are into overflow.' He put a proposal to us therefore, to use our sanctuary, rather than the hall." OBSERVATION: His congregation did move to our (cavernous) sanctuary. But the sanctuary was too big. They moved back to the hall. Size is often a question, for congregations. Should one go bigger or smaller?

Developing Unity

I have a distinctive approach to unity in the Church -- and I consider that, by and large, we have experienced extraordinary unity through my ministries -- young and old, Black and White, rich and poor. A Canadian minister once said to me: "That is so hard to achieve!" Not really, if you have the right things in place -- but there will be hazards. Jesus says in John 17:20: "I pray also for those who will believe in me ... that all of them may be one." Thus He connects belief with unity. In keeping with this, I see unity as being rooted in such believing -- and that believing needs to be made explicit -- else how can it lead to unity? Therefore I have sought, Sunday after Sunday, week in and week out, to bring the faith of the many (a broad representation of members) to meaningful expression in the Body. And unity becomes a byproduct of that.

Pseudo Ethics

I had a philosophy article published this morning on (click here): Pseudo Ethics. I had three drafts in the works, on three subjects, and an editor chose this one. It's an example of my testing concepts for my metaphysic (a total philosophy) -- but also an article in its own right -- on the arbitrary way in which we shape our ethics today. Feedback good or bad, it helps me to sharpen the concepts in particular. Most often, what I learn through feedback is that I am not sufficiently explicit. OBSERVATION: There was just enough space in this article to sketch a problem -- without the solution. The metaphysic itself covers the solution.

POSTSCRIPT: This one made it into the Top of the Pops in half a day.

Defining Moment

There have been various defining moments in ministry for me. Here is one of the more important ones. It changed a lot in the way I minister. Even today, it influences this blog. A Black Church was constituted in my Church, and I was appointed as its first Consulent Minister. They named the Church after me. One Sunday, for the first time, we had our Black sister Church over for a joint service with my White congregation -- in the days of apartheid. As they all climbed out of a chartered bus, a Church member came to me and said: "I don't know how to relate to Black people. What do I do? What do I say?"

Vespa Pickup

When I was a child in Europe (I left Europe forever when I was four), there were a great many microcars: the Messerschmitt, Isetta, Mini, Vespa, and so on -- some very clever, and others notorious for classic shortcomings and defects (such as bursting into flame). I was fascinated by them. Later in life, I owned two rebadged Vespas -- a two-stroke and a four-stroke (the four-stroke pictured). They were economical, zippy, practical, and sociable (they had no doors), but rather fragile. Unusual features were a crank start, four reverse gears, and a very low first gear, so that one could crawl over bad roads at very low speed.

Church Newsletter

In all of my ministr(ies) I have started or re-started a monthly Church newsletter. Such newsletters have had a high priority for me -- they have not been incidental to ministry. Typically these have been handed out in Church, and further copies sent to those who were not able to be there. With every newsletter, I have sought to do two things above all: • to focus on what the Church is most basically about, and • to share the most important news. Usually, I have scanned earlier newsletters for perspective. OBSERVATION: Church bulletins have been separate items. With regard to "what the Church is most basically about", I have usually kept it compact.

He Made The Tiny Flowers

I admit it, it's breaking the prohibition on picking wild flowers. There are millions of these around Cape Town at the moment, and they grow in large bunches. They are smaller in fact than this one appears in the photo, since this is a macro shot. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Movement Of My Metaphysic

I am writing a metaphysic (a total philosophy), and my work continues most days. The way that computers count, I am now on the 5,561st revision -- which is not to count the preparatory work. A first edition was published on-line in March last year, by the Society. In July of this year, I completed a draft second edition, and handed it to a philosophy graduate to critique. In September of this year, I integrated his critique. I continue now with a sweep for accuracy and logical flow (I work in "sweeps", after I have created something). After Christmas, there is another sweep planned for readability. All the while, I compare my work with my own favourite writers, and I put chapters out for comment. OBSERVATION: People ask me about my metaphysic's relation to the Church. Historically, the Church is profoundly influenced by philosophy, and my philosophy is Church friendly. If philosophy crosses a certain line, however, it becomes theology, not philosophy.

DA Protesters

I took this photo recently of the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO). They contrast starkly with other such movements. Their placards are neatly printed, while others are hand written. They wear standard issue T-shirts, while others wear anything. DASO's slogans are tame: "Increase funding for poor students," while others have: "Fees must fall!" Outside parliament recently, a riot policeman joked: "That's the first time I heard the DA chant, Power to the people." Suddenly another group of students appeared in the distance. A riot policeman shouted: "Shields up!" and the DA protesters vanished.

Spontaneous Dance

I took this 47-second video at the end of a Church fund-raising event, to fund a new building. The hall has been cleared now, the old folks have left, and some of the youth spontaneously break into dance -- which almost seems choreographed. OBSERVATION: From Cape Town, I was only able to upload with fairly low resolution. I took the video in Borcherds, about 370km / 230mi east of Cape Town.

Don't Say ‘Illegal’

There was an elder once who said to me, very seriously: "Don't use the word 'illegal' in our Church!" I think we minuted that, too. I had been speaking about legal requirements which we might have been skirting. But the law itself is very definite. Even in a country like South Africa, where there is a lot of slack, the law can bite without mercy. In short, if you have a title: minister, trustee, treasurer -- even Sunday School teacher or member -- and so on -- you had better know what that means. And if you have a task, you had better know what that task requires. OBSERVATION: This should not discourage people from serving in the Church. However they should inform themselves, and understand, too, that they have a role which sits apart, as it were, from their "personhood".

Women Talking

This was a popular photo on Facebook. I titled it: The way that women talk. I snapped it at a Church tea in central Cape Town. You may click on it to enlarge.

Urban Worship Team

A major challenge in my urban ministry -- until we came up with an original idea -- was the Sunday morning Worship Team. In an urban environment, we couldn't get one together. People's lives were too chaotic. So we gave up the idea of Worship Team members, we gave up the idea of rehearsals, we gave up arrival times, and we gave up dress codes. We appointed just one person to lead from the microphone, to invite people to come up front impromptu. OBSERVATION: This photo of the Worship Team was taken on the 30th of August 2009. I think it appears on this blog for the first time.

Crimes And Non-Crimes

I have said that there are crimes which are not identified as crimes, and there are crimes which are not treated for what they are. In the latter case, some examples are damage to the national infrastructure, or the poaching of endangered wildlife. That represents more than the book value of some copper wires, and more than the replacement cost of some animals. With this in mind, a reader in Europe wrote that my description of court proceedings here "made for incredible reading". Here was a case where at least ten professionals uselessly invested time and effort, because someone (my guess: the investigator) lost a critical piece of evidence, and it all fell apart -- over a period of most of a year. If you ask me, that deserves more than "whoops" status. If I held up ten professionals on our main road for several hours, I'd likely be in a police holding cell by the end of it. OBSERVATION: At the moment -- which is more than one can tell in one post -- the accountability that there is in such a situation does not work. The incident in itself says as much.

Pretenders

A missionary wrote to me recently about "setbacks, setbacks, setbacks, setbacks". The setbacks were mostly related to office-bearers who had "shown their true colours". That is, they turned out to be pretenders. How does one identify a pretender in the Church? Through my long experience in ministry, I have found that there are two early signs: • There is a lack of a sense of sin, and • They tend to idolise the Christian leader. That's assuming that there isn't anything one can see besides. Everything else may seem in place: praise to God, many good works, support for the ministry, and so on. OBSERVATION: Soon after this missionary wrote about setbacks, she reported revival. I would add that one can't weed out pretenders -- just exercise reasonable care.

Over-Attendance

Seating space a bit of a ... you know, problem? I took this photo of the Congregational Church in Middelplaas near De Rust, about 470km / 300mi east of Cape Town. It was a funeral -- the circumstances of which are described elsewhere on this blog. OBSERVATION: Those walls are not an illusion. It shows what happens when bricklayers lose a little thing called the plumb line. Notice the little white "convenience" behind the Church, which is fairly typical of country Churches.

Political Commentary

My blog has soared in popularity, recently. If not popularity, notoriety. It has nearly 10× as many readers now as it had when it became South Africa's no. 1 Religion blog in 2013. The reasons seem clear, when one sees which posts are driving it. In the last few years, I had close experience of "the system" in our country. At the same time, I wrote a metaphysic, which developed a coherent political outlook. Combine this with the "street sense" gained through urban ministry, and close contact with both Black and White communities. It seems to me that this is the (political) mix which one finds in my most popular posts. OBSERVATION: The posts on urban ministry continue. I have always aimed for one a day on this subject.

Missing Evidence

I return to the subject of a court case, in which I was a state witness. The case was struck off the roll last week, in spite of the prosecution having digital audio of the accused admitting to the crime. I was disturbed, when I left the courthouse. But in trying to make sense of it, my thoughts dwelt on everything but the obvious. A few hours later, it dawned on me: "They didn't have the evidence!" I returned to the courthouse. I ran into the defence attorney. I was surprised that she would speak to me at all. I asked her if she had the critical evidence. She said, with a hint of accusation: "It was never made available to us." I entered the court. Only the prosecutor still stood there -- the courtroom was empty. I asked him who had the critical evidence. He said: "I have no idea. There is nothing in the docket." OBSERVATION: Here I had the explanation for it all. My intuition was correct. Somebody, somewhere, had lost the evidence, or removed it. It was a small USB drive. So we paid the investigator, the defence, the prosecution, the magistrate, the interpreter, the clerk, and a whole lot besides, over two sessions of the court -- while I myself ran up significant expenses -- all because nobody would say: "I lost the USB." In fact, it was more than the USB, but that was the critical bit.

A ‘Real’ Man Or Woman

Recently I helped a Pacific theology student with a Master's thesis. She received the results yesterday: one out of two examiners gave her a distinction. I'll try a summary here, and hope it doesn't miss the mark: in her ancient island tradition, there is the "real man" and the "real woman". Outside of that, one is not "real". She then considers what has changed, chiefly through colonialism. And then, she redefines the ancient tradition through, as it were, the light of Christ. A small part of her work is soon to be published -- there is a "sneak peek" or pre-publication view here: Individualism vs. Personhood in Kiribati.

Place It On Record

Every Church has an auditor. This is the man (or woman) who independently examines records placed before him by the Church finance officers. Recently, a regulator launched an investigation into the auditor of my old Church. He was the auditor under my ministry and (almost) to the present. The investigation didn't fall in the auditor's favour. Two weeks ago, the regulator reported the auditor to a police special unit. While I don't know who is in the regulator's sights, or who normally would be, I do know that the auditor sought to implicate others, including me. And here is the point of this post. My saving grace is that I minuted and reported every concern that I had -- sometimes in the face of stiff resistance -- and I made sure that the record of it was secure. OBSERVATION: If anything troubles you, place it on record, even if you don't understand it.

Unity In Diversity

I snapped both of these gentlemen at the same protest recently -- within a stone's throw of each other -- one looking like a Bohemian, the other seemingly prepared for the battles with police which followed. What does it show? That at root the concerns are the same? It was one of the biggest student protests there has been in South Africa. OBSERVATION: Our national motto is "ǃke e: ǀxarra ǁke". Yes, that's the motto. It's in a language which is extinct. It means: "Diverse people unite."

Love Self-Defeating

I have long held the view that to focus on good relations in a Church tends to destroy those good relations. I said it somewhere on this blog. Of course, one nurtures a good spirit -- yet that is not central to what one is doing. Yesterday I came across this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer: “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.” The explanation seems simple: focus on behaviour, and you become legalistic. OBSERVATION: What is it then that creates a good spirit? I would suggest two things: a deliberate focus on what God is doing, and a deliberate focus on the task He has given us.

Indigenous Flower

I took this photo this morning of a local, indigenous flower, in what was once called Velvia film, discontinued in 2005. The yellow anthers (I think one calls them) are curiously twisted. I am unable to find out what the flower is. You may click on the photo to enlarge. In my original photo, one can see individual pollen grains.

Sadd: Missionary, Martyr

A few years ago, I assisted UK journalist Steve Clow with an article on the missionary and martyr Alfred Sadd. Here's the article. In short, the story was this: at the time that the Gilbert Islands (now the Kiribati Republic) were invaded by the Japanese, Sadd decided not to evacuate as his missionary society advised, but to stay with his people "in their hour of danger". He was executed by sword. I lived in Sadd's former house as a boy. He had written a "Mayday" message on one of the veranda posts, which was still there. You may click on the image to enlarge.

333 333

My blog, today, is due to pass 333 333 or one-third of a million page views. As best I remember, it started like this: I was sitting in seminary in 2006 in Los Angeles, as a professor taught students about urban ministry -- yet he didn't have experience of urban ministry as a minister. My core thought was to offer a source of what urban ministry actually is. At least, what it is in Africa. There were other reasons for starting the blog, among them to be an encouragement (respectively caution) to other urban ministers -- through the stories I told, rather than any comment (hence "Unplugged"). OBSERVATION: Page views are in fact higher than 333 333, because Blogger only began the count in 2010. Post views will be higher still, since there are fifteen posts per page.

Peacemaker

What one doesn't really see in the photo here is the tumult. This minister jumped between protesters and riot police outside the gates of parliament last week. I imagine him to be saying: "Love! Joy! Peace! Hello? Can anybody hear me?" Notice the imam on his left (towards the right of the photo). The protesters were ultimately dispersed with stun grenades, rubber bullets, and water cannon.

Disruptive Dominicans

South Africa has been shaken to the roots by a report on state capture: which is when a state falls prey to private operators. So big are the revelations that every newspaper has enough to print with just one or the other aspect of it. The Sowetan picks up an unusual angle. It all started with the Dominican friars, who lodged the first formal complaint. Their motivation was their interest in the poor. OBSERVATION: Thus the whole country got shook up because somebody cared for people's simple daily struggles. I sense that it may be the same in the local Church. The things that drive a thriving Church may be fairly much unrelated to the obvious.

A Weed

This is a mere weed, which one often sees around Cape Town. Yet it is a magnificent weed, in its own way. I don't know its name. I asked Google Image for help. It returned: "Best guess for this image: plant." Full marks to Google.

POSTSCRIPT: So it is Plantago lanceolata, used for making a highly effective cough medicine, and for treating insect bites, among other things.

Forgotten War

A sea change in my ministr(ies), hardly noticeable for its slowness, has been the disappearance of remembrance for those who fell in war. My first major ministry began less than forty years after WWII. That is, some old soldiers were not into their retirement yet. But today, there are very few left. OBSERVATION: I have to say that I didn't really understand the emotion about WWII. I was the next generation. Curiously, I have dealt fairly much with the after-effects of more recent wars in ministry -- in particular, the Angolan war and the wars in the Congo, Sudan, and Somalia -- yet these have not united survivors as WWII did.

Rose Hedgerow

If I had life to live over again, I might write a book about South Africa's hedgerows. European hedgerows don't work here, and so South Africa seems to be a giant experiment in hedgerows. This is a hedgerow on our N2 (National Road Two) somewhere near Grabouw -- a stunning hedgerow of white roses. In the distance, in this photo, a farmer is trying mixed colours, but that hedgerow has not "knit" yet. OBSERVATION: What one does not see here is that this hedgerow is writhing in a storm, which makes it all the more interesting to see.

Court Remand

I appeared in court this morning as a state witness. It was robbery, and the man had confessed to the crime. The CID had his confession on digital stereo audio. This was the second time I appeared in connection with this case -- and I travelled a long way to be there. The first time, the case was postponed -- chiefly because no one had checked the audio (they said), and this was critical evidence. The prosecutor sincerely apologised to me at the time. Today there was another prosecutor. This time round, he took me aside before the court convened. He said: "I'm not prepared for this case." Looking at the docket, it was clear to me that some things were not there -- but I was in a muddle at this point. I hadn't made sense of it all. In court therefore, the prosecutor, the defence, and the magistrate spoke in turn -- and in five minutes the matter had been struck off the roll. This was on the grounds that the accused had the right to an efficient trial, and this (said the defence) wasn't happening. The prosecutor asked me if he could see me afterwards. I said I was a state witness, but I hadn't said a word from start to finish. He explained that this was a remand. He wanted to assure me that there was no subversion of justice. It was simply as if, he said, all of this hadn't happened -- we would need to start again when we had a "complete case" -- and he sincerely apologised. OBSERVATION: No wonder, someone said after court, that people take the law into their own hands in this country. (This was not the end of the story -- more in a forthcoming post).

Mast Lighting

All over South Africa, one finds mast lighting in the townships (pictured). This is a mast in the township New Rest, Kareedouw, about 620km / 390mi east of Cape Town. To be precise, the mast is located at 33°57'12.3"S 24°18'04.2"E. One sees its shadow on the satellite image. Mast lighting is cost effective, and improves security.

Fifty-Page Deposition

The Chairman of the Democratic Alliance -- the ruling party in our province -- some time ago recommended that I lay charges for intimidation. After discussing the matter with a number of attorneys, he wrote that this was the "only way" to go. I received similar recommendations -- if not orders -- among others from the Human Rights Commission. But I had not overcome the intimidation within. This was a big problem for me. Ten days ago, I finally laid charges for (severe) intimidation, and for anything else the police may find, making a fifty-page deposition to the police at Cape Town. However, I acted with restraint. I restricted the charges to the people I thought to be pivotal to the crime. Ten days later -- today -- the case is in a strange place. I know from close experience of the police how such matters normally unfold, and they haven't gone to plan. Among other things, a case was registered, yet there is no investigator to go with it, yet. OBSERVATION: While the intimidation against me was crafted in such a way that I should have no evidence, unforced errors handed me, I think, compelling evidence. The intimidation was conveyed to me in the name of the Church.

POSTSCRIPT: More than a fortnight later, there is some movement in this case, which suggests the appointment of an investigator.

Cold Front

Cape Town is often assailed by cold fronts from the Antarctic. Sometimes this may change the weather within minutes. Here, a dramatic cold front moves in from the south-west after a perfectly clear day.

Tragic Funeral

I took this photo of the small Congregational Church in Middelplaas, near De Rust, about 470km / 300mi east of Cape Town. A popular woman -- a wife and mother -- had died relatively young, because the local clinic forgot to order her vital medication. She was furious, and planned to travel to the nearest town the next day, to fetch it herself -- but it was too late. She died in the night. OBSERVATION: As often happens here, the family accepted this as the will of God, and did not take any criminal or civil action. This is a super-wide-angle photo.

Paradoxical Nation

Things are moving fast in South Africa at the moment, with major contests every day which could profoundly affect the future. And at the grass-roots level, things too are moving fast. The major issue is corruption. "Corruption" is about fear or favour. Many people assume that it is only favour. But apart from that, both fear and favour can be very complex. So it is not a simple thing, when one speaks of "corruption". My sense is that South Africa is enmeshed in corruption -- this is a vital point, which is a departure from many other people's assumptions -- and once you are enmeshed, you cannot and will not get out. Unless there is a revolution, or a major amnesty, or a spiritual revival, or radical new leadership. Without any of these, I cannot see how the country will escape. OBSERVATION: Yet paradoxically, while South Africa has gone backwards on the surface of it, I think the common people have matured a great deal. There has been a major political awakening. There are a lot of good people in South Africa -- add to that now awareness.

Wedding Song

It was only last week that I transcoded a video that someone took of E's and my wedding. This 42-second video is the younger generation welcoming the bride and groom. Everything happens in generations -- in fact there tends to be little differentiation between, say, all one's fathers and all one's sons, where Europeans would speak of fathers, uncles, sons, nephews, and so on.

Velvet Vestry

This one's just for curiosity. I took this photo of the vestry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strand Street, Cape Town. Naturally, nothing less than blue velvet and crystal chandeliers will do -- and there's a velvet divan for the minister.

Annual Thank-Offering

Every year of my ministr(ies) I have held a Thank-Offering, where people come to see the minister in the vestry, give reasons for their thanks to God, and leave an offering of thanks. I then read appropriate verses of Scripture, and say a prayer of thanks on their behalf. The offerings have ranged between R10 (less than a dollar) and tens of thousands of rands. OBSERVATION: It was a tradition of my father's, too, in ministry. It is a pleasure to receive people at a Thank-Offering. I think of one such occasion: a young Zulu woman, an elderly socialite, a couple with their little girl, and so on. The reasons for thanks may be gratitude for the Church, preservation from danger, long life with HIV, a loving family, blessing in the midst of trial, and so much more. In fact, a few times people have been so carried away in their thanks that they have forgotten to give me the offering. It has been a highlight of ministry.

Three-Wheeler Electrics

This is a photo of my diesel three-wheeler on an outing last week at dusk, on Table Mountain Road. It is one of the few vehicles on the road which is capable of driving without any electrics. Recently I turned off the ignition and left the cab, but I left the motor running (one can do that). A little later, I noticed that the fuel gauge was showing empty. It was because the electrics had been turned off. There was plenty of fuel. OBSERVATION: For this reason, it would be one of the few vehicles to keep going after a nuclear blast.