The Bread of Life

I hope hereby not to be unfair to the Church I attended on Sunday. The service and sermon -- which were intelligent -- went round in circles as to what was meant by "I am the Bread of Life". I went to a commentary, which essentially said, Without bread, you are dead, and it has to do with salvation. I think that what was missing in Church was an interpretative key -- which is conversion or salvation. Without the experience of such, one cannot get to the meaning of this and many other passages in the Bible. This, I felt, was probably absent on the pastor's side.

SHARE Magazine

SHARE philosophy magazine is now available to the public, free: philosophysharing.org/publications At first, this is sold for €10 (R200). Three months later, one may download it free. It is a publication of the Philosophy Sharing Foundation of Malta—in my view, one of the best. I am interviewed on pages 20-22, on Holism. My book This Town is reviewed on pages 36-37.

‘Recruitment Officer’

A philosophy magazine shared with me that it was a chore for them to find new authors -- combine this with the fact that I had brought in many new authors as co-editor of a well known philosophy weekly. Could I help out? It took me a few days to find the first contribution -- a few days later, this was accepted for publication. Beyond this, things look promising. OBSERVATION: For some inexplicable reason, it is not hard for me to source material -- to a high standard. Others often find it difficult. However, I find it hard to recruit African material.

Disorientated

This morning I attended an Evangelical Reformed Church in Switzerland (pictured). The theme was The Bread of Life. For a moment, this so disorientated me that I needed to find a commentary by which to steady myself. It was a very useful service, in a reverse kind of way. Perhaps more in due course. OBSERVATION: The stained glass appears to show the Sermon on the Mount.

Three Days in the Dark

On 20 March 2025, I delivered the Annual Philosophy Lecture in Malta. After that, for three days, I was in the dark. I had no feedback -- none at all. I was not worried about it -- I knew that I had given my best. The question was: was my best a world class performance? I received a summary of feedback three days later. The response had been "very positive". OBSERVATION: The Foundation kindly presented me with a trophy: a glass vase manufactured by Mdina Glass, Malta. If it gets home in one piece (I shall do my very best), it will go on display.

Switzerland in the Spring

Just a pretty picture today. I snapped this photo this morning, on a drizzly day in Canton Bern. It is Switzerland in the spring. A nouveau traditional Swiss house on a town street, a symbol of wealth parked outside.

Malta Pothole

How many photos are there on the Internet of potholes in Malta? Not many. I photographed this pothole in St. Paul's Street, Valletta. In the background is the famous St. John's Church, which contains the famous Caravaggio painting of the beheading of St. John the Baptist.

Not Connecting

A pastor I know was dismissed from his job because he did not "connect" with the people -- if indeed he did not. Attendance under his ministry was strong, and there was no decline. Was this a reason to dismiss a pastor? I would think it fundamentally misguided. What he was doing was sowing the seed for God to use. The old hymn says, "We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land / But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand." The question, in my view, is whether he was ploughing the fields and scattering, not whether he was connecting.

Public Liability

In ministry, one of my occasional tasks was reviewing our Churches' considerable insurance policies. One of the items was public liability. During my city ministry, as best I remember, there was only one public liability claim: a dancer broke her toe on our hall floor. However, we could have needed the insurance a lot more. On the Church property, there were several injuries over twenty years: a member put her hand through a glass door, a woman was bludgeoned and raped, a man had his lip sliced off in an attack, a father broke his foot playing soccer with the youth -- and our youth had several minor injuries. OBSERVATION: Then there were injuries just outside the property: our caretaker slipped on blood and broke her foot trying to stop a knife-fight, I was concussed after being clubbed with a broomstick, a woman was raped against the Church railing, and a girl was killed when a car hit the Church's corner post.

‘Very Positive’

I would like to thank those who encouraged me and prayed for me as I ventured to Malta to deliver the Annual Philosophy Lecture. The Foundation which brought me over informs me that "the feedback was very positive". Above all, I am pleased that people "got it". The core of my thinking was understood. While attendance was modest (and it usually is), the lecture is yet to be webcast, which is where most people will "attend". The photo is of wife E in St. Paul's Cathedral, Malta. She is prettier than me lecturing! The Foundation summarises the event and lecture on Facebook (and elsewhere): https://www.facebook.com/philosophysharingmalta 

Signalling Spring

This one's just a pretty picture. It signals the spring in Europe. Wife E and I set out on a walk under clear skies and sunshine. By the time we returned, it was flashing lightning and pouring with rain.

Sermons Like Pea Soup

I am in Switzerland at the moment. I have heard that sermons here are, as one churchman put it, "like eating pea soup with a fork". It seems very obvious to me that people here are not on the edge of desperation, as they so often are in Africa. This has a cultural influence on sermons -- among other influences, that is. OBSERVATION: While I was contemplating this, I received a message from Cape Town, "Reverend, the Lord don't put obstacles in our way that we can't overcome. So I believe HE will make a way, on His time, not mine. But I keep my head high, no matter the circumstances. That's what keeps me motivated." This is someone whose family is on the edge of penury, his wife in ill health, after his boss committed suicide.

Sound and Visuals

Powerhouse (pictured) did the sound and visuals for my Annual Philosophy Lecture in Malta. I took this photo at the side of the lecture hall. I think just the cameraman is missing here. I have now been receiving feedback on the lecture. More in due course!

Reconciliation Room

I found this room at Cape Town International Airport, in the departure lounge. It might have been the perfect opportunity to reconcile with myself -- but the door was locked. I have no idea what the room is for. You may click on the photo to enlarge.

Book Signing

Signing yet another book in Malta. Wife Ester by my side. Here, we were in the ancient city of Mdina.