Wedding Rehearsal

This is me, many years ago, conducting a wedding rehearsal. One finds many different moods at wedding rehearsals: joy, stress, humour, antagonism ... Sometimes the wife-to-be is clearly in charge, sometimes a bridesmaid, and sometimes the parents ... The most-asked questions concern the retinue, which in South Africa may number two to ... infinity!

Instant Damage to One's Hearing

This week, my neighbours, above my apartment, played their music -- rap music -- very loud. I pulled out my professional sound meter, and measured above 80 dB in my apartment below -- 1,000 times louder than the city limit -- and this was after it came through a concrete ceiling! I asked AI to estimate the sound level on the other side of the concrete ceiling. It estimated 130 dB, about the loudness of a gunshot -- enough to instantly and permanently damage one's hearing. OBSERVATION: I called up the complex's management. They quickly addressed the disturbance. I do wonder, What are such people thinking?

Students and AI

Oy vey. It has happened to me a few times. While I am lecturing, students are one step ahead of me on AI. I said in a lecture last night, Isn't it interesting that Christ used one word for "love" when He asked Peter whether he loved Him -- yet Peter used another word for "love" in response? A student responded, Jesus used agapaō twice and phileō once, while Peter used phileō all three times. I said I had no idea why this was. No problem, said the student. Peter had felt shy to use the word agapaō after he had denied the Lord three times. I said, How did you know that? He said, Here, on my smartphone!

Mid-Semester Exams

My Person & Work of God students wrote a mid-semester exam this week. I set this exam, and submitted a copy to the seminary. It was a thorough exam, and I was concerned that I might have set it too high. These were first year students, faced with a cartload of unfamiliar concepts -- like theodicy, ecotheology, and AI. OBSERVATION: Initial marks lay between 51% and 84%. I was pleased that they all passed. One was surprised that he did. One was disappointed that she didn't do better. However, the quality of the work, and the range of the marks, suggested that I got it about right. The photo shows students sitting end of semester exams -- a former provost on the right.

Out of Touch

Back in the day, my father wrote to the London Missionary Society that our Mission HQ on Tarawa was ... inadequate as an HQ. The Society reminded my father that it was "fully equipped". My father sent them the details. Dining chairs "keep collapsing under guests". Wicker chairs "collapsed at first sitting". A trolley was "near to collapse". A bookshelf was "nearer to collapse". A wardrobe was "a tottering shell" ... OBSERVATION: My impression, looking over the correspondence, is that my father -- and my parents -- were doing a heroic work, yet this tended to be obscured by such everyday business.

Provost's Favourite

At the end of last year, I took various photos of seminary graduation -- which is the seminary where I teach. I handed a batch of photos afterwards to the Provost, the Principal -- here in a blue gown. Recently I went to see him in his office. I was pleased to see this photo displayed on his desk. Graduation 2025. OBSERVATION: Taken with an ultra-wide-angle 7.5 mm lens -- available through Amazon for Fujifilm*, Sony*, Canon*, and Nikon* cameras. I could only take in this scene from left to right because I had such a wide lens -- a full frame fisheye.

*This is an Amazon affiliate link. I earn a commission, at no cost to the buyer. 

Integration

There is a lot of talk about the integration of foreigners lately -- for example, in Europe. In South Africa, in spite of its upheavals, this has happened successfully at least twice:

1. There were the French refugees -- the Huguenots -- who were integrated into a Dutch colony. The Dutch demanded oaths of allegiance, dispersed the French among the population -- then came French language bans, and widespread intermarriage. Today, they are one people -- the Afrikaaners.

2. There were African refugees -- the Bhaca, the Bhele, Hlubi, Zizi, and Radebe -- who were integrated into the Xhosa nation. Xhosas demanded pledges of loyalty, dispersed the refugees among the population, integrated the fighting forces, and intermarried. Today, they are one people -- the Xhosas.

OBSERVATION: This is to put it very simply. My wife, incidentally, speaks the language of the Afrikaaners -- which originates with the Dutch -- and is mostly of Xhosa ancestry.

Africa Burning

It's been a cold winter in Cape Town -- far away from the world, on the southern shores of Africa. Yet relying purely on observation, one would be able to tell that there is a global crisis. The sunshine has cast a yellow hue for a long time, and a fine yellow ash has fallen over the city. A shop assistant said to me, "No doubt someone's field has gone up in flames." More likely, I should think, the world has gone up in flames. OBSERVATION: 85 million hectares burned across sub-Saharan Africa during the peak early season of 2026 -- more than half of all burned land globally in a very bad year worldwide.

Worse Than Bad

Recently I reported that someone had broken into my e-mail account. They deleted and double-deleted all my Sent mail. This was a bit of a disaster. Afterwards, I obtained the log from my ISP. I showed it to DeepSeek AI. Was it a random hacker? "No." Who was it? DeepSeek revealed who it "likely" was, and bravely gave me three names. OBSERVATION: However, here was the big surprise. The log that I showed DeepSeek AI just had a lot of numbers in it, e.g. 117.26.40.175. But DeepSeek -- commenting on why people might want to do this -- quoted from the deleted e-mails! What? Perhaps DeepSeek found my deleted e-mails in my Inbox -- which is to say, some Inbox items incorporated deleted e-mails. But then, how would DeepSeek access my Inbox? A webmaster looked it over and commented cryptically, "It's worse than I thought."

Micronesian Woman Weaving

My father took this photo in the mission in the Central Pacific, in the 1960's -- of a Micronesian woman weaving a mat. This was likely in the Southern Gilberts. The culture was characterised by joy -- as one sees in the photo. OBSERVATION: She wove into this mat the pattern of her clan. It was a symbol of ownership. The mat is woven with strips of the pandanus leaf.