CELEBRATING A NEW DECADE

When one's birthday turns the life clock over from one decade to another a person is often confronted with the brevity of life, the challenges of getting older, and the dreams, - be it shattered or unfulfilled.

This clip shows that you can still reach any dream if you set your mind to it (and, of course, if you eat red meat!).

AFRIKAANS: NOUDAT EK OUD IS

Noudat ek oud is, gaan dinge anders wees. Van nou af gaan ek elke dag een keer soos ‘n kind word. Ek gaan met my eie Playstation speel en met niemand anders deel nie. Ek gaan ‘n roomys so eet dat my vrou my gesig met ‘n natlappie moet afvee. Ek gaan by my kinders geld bedel en dit nooit teruggee nie.

En ek gaan my ouderdom laat geld teenoor suurknolle. Ek gaan vir die verstoktes tong uitsteek en vir die verkramptes gaan ek stoute stories vertel tot hulle in hulle tee verstik. Ek gaan hartlik lag en nie omgee wie dink dis orig nie. Ek gaan uitbundig drukkies uitdeel en dit doen omdat ek omgee en nie omdat die oomblik dit van my vra nie.

Noudat ek oud is, gaan ek my skete vir die ouetehuis skenk. My kwale gaan ek eenrigting Gauteng toe stuur en my geite gaan ek soos ‘n broer in die tronk behandel. Ek gaan beslis ophou kla as ‘n twintigjarige poppie vir my oom sê want ek weet sy doen dit uit respek en omdat ek na tien jaar van bles wees, nie meer kan onthou hoe ‘n kop vol hare voel nie.

Maar laat een bliksem dit net waag om iets oor my maag te sê! Noudat ek oud is gaan ek hom troetel. Ek gaan hom hier voor my hou waar ek hom elke dag kan dophou. Ek gaan hom oefening gee deur hom gereeld te laat vibreer aan die hand van ‘n wilde salsa of sambadans deur my vrou begelei. En ek gaan hom versorg deur net die keurigste kos vir hom te voer.

Ek besef dat ouderdom ‘n gewaagde toestand is. Mens kan nie die klok terugdraai nie. Mens kan nie die verlede wegkeer nie. Mens kan niks oorwens, wegwens of verdomp verdoesel dat dit meer soos ‘n stormsloot lyk as wat dit ‘n vloedrivier was nie. ‘n Mens waag eintlik baie om oud te word, want jy weet jy staar goeie jare in die gesig, al dink dié wat nog na jou moet kom, dis die einde van die wêreld. En jy besef hef aan lê nog voor, want soos brandewyn het die lewe nie brieke nie.

Noudat ek veertig is, weet ek dat ek ongetwyfeld kans sien vir nog veertig en dalk selfs ook so ‘n bietjie ekstra!

IN SUPPORT OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

This is a repost of a cartoon drawn by Jonathan Shapiro (aka Zapiro) for the Mail and Guardian newspaper (see the original HERE). But ... let me clarify a few things.

1. I support respecting other peoples' views and beliefs, even though I differ radically from them.
2. I also support extending that respect to sensitively handling those aspects of these belief systems that are deemed crucial to the core, important and central to the adherents' world views.
3. I also believe in freedom of expression. Therefore ...
4. I believe in the right to engage aspects of said world views that are in conflict with other world views.
5. This conversation should be based on accepting the partners in discussion's views as legitimate and valid, even when I disagree with it.
6. Yet, I should be allowed to freely question or discuss the fallacies and flaws in these views in order to learn the underlying premises and in order to contribute to a new understanding of the issue at hand.

Having said this, I am reposting Zapiro's response to the furore erupting from his initial depiction of the prophet Muhammad. I am asking people to consider the following: If it is blasphemous to draw the prophet, are our Muslim brothers and sisters not elevating the esteemed prophet to the same level as God (in their case, Allah)? Why is his countenance so revered that no-one has the right to present a depiction in any way of him? I am asking, because I seek to understand.

But if the outrage stems from a cultural backlash that has the forced acceptance of an, in this case, Islamic world view and value system as its underlying core - albeit through the public bullying of people questioning the said views, I humbly submit that I must differ from this modus operandi.

Just as Christianity is scrutinized, questioned and even attacked, faith systems and world views across the globe should welcome the opportunity to interact and testify to the central core of their beliefs. This, after all, provides the opportunity to listen, understand and find further mutual ground for establishing a society that provide a safe space for all people to live in with respect and dignity. And it gives all of us the equal opportunity to present our God as the One who lives. If I ask the right to share my relationship with Christ with unbelievers, I must afford it to other faiths as well - since it is true that in the Bible I am led to believe that God is in control and will convince, through the Holy spirit, those who hear my testimony.

THE BRAZILIANS HAVE LANDED!

Go Brazil!

The Brazilian soccer team arrived in South Africa yesterday to launch their campaign to capture the Soccer World Cup for a historical sixth time. The newspaper Die Burger published this photograph of the special private plane that brought them to our shores.


Go Bafana Bafana!

By the way, our national team has won a match against Colombia last night. The team ranked no 83 in the world beat the team ranked 23rd! Apparently, this is their tenth victory in a row. Let's hope it promises good things for when things really matter.



Go Stormers!


And in tomorrow's Super 14 Final history is being made as two South African teams play in the final, with the Stormers appearing in the final for the very first time. I cannot, however, promise I'll pray for them, as some of my friends support the opposing team, the Blue Bulls. Subsequently conflicting prayers will be presented and I doubt God will consider intervening in the game. Therefore, may the best team win.

GO STORMERS!

World Cup Advice: some Frequently Asked Questions about South Africa

Q: Does it ever get windy in South Africa ? I have never seen it rain on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)
A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

Q: Will I be able to see elephants in the street? (USA)
A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

Q: I want to walk from Durban to Cape Town - can I follow the railroad tracks? (Sweden)
A: Sure, its only two thousand kilometres take lots of water...

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in South Africa ? (Sweden)
A: So its true what they say about Swedes...

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in South Africa ? Can you send me a list of them in JHB, Cape Town, Knysna and Jeffreys Bay? (UK)
A: What did your last slave die of?

Q: Can you give me some information about Koala Bear racing in South Africa? (USA)
A: Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the pacific. A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe which does not...oh forget it. Sure, the Koala Bear racing is every Tuesday night in Hillbrow. Come naked.

Q: Which direction is north in South Africa ? (USA)
A: Face south and then turn 90 degrees. Contact us when you get here and well send the rest of the directions.

Q: Can I bring cutlery into South Africa ? (UK)
A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys Choir schedule? (USA)
A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is...oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Hillbrow, come naked.

Q: Do you have perfume in South Africa ? (France)
A: No, WE don t stink.

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in South Africa ? (USA)
A: Anywhere where a significant number of Americans gather

Q: Can you tell me the regions in South Africa where the female population is smaller than the male population? (Italy)
A: Yes, gay nightclubs.

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in South Africa ? (France)
A: Only at Christmas.

Q: Are there killer bees in South Africa ? (Germany)
A: Not yet, but for you, we ' ll import them.

Q: Are there supermarkets in Cape Town and is milk available all year round?
A: No, we are a peaceful civilisation of vegan hunter-gatherers. Milk is illegal.

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in South Africa who can dispense rattlesnake serum. (USA)
A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca, which is where YOU come from. All South African snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

Q: I was in South Africa in 1969, and I want to contact the girl I dated while I was staying in Hillbrow. Can you help? (USA)
A: Yes, but you will probably still have to pay her by the hour.

Q: Will I be able to speek English most places I go? (USA)
A: Yes, but youll have to learn it first.

DID JESUS DRIVE OVER YOUR FRIENDS TOO?

A true word is often spoken in jest. Which translates into appreciating off-beat sites such as Lamebook. Through show-casing people's erroneous postings on Facebook this site helps us to laugh at our current virtual reality. Inadvertently, it also helps us to see the fallacies of popular Christianity and its obsession with religious, feel-good cliches.

Like this one ...

DISCERNING GOD'S CALL

I've been confronted recently with the measures of my own calling. It was a disappointment: At times I was so sure of what my perceptions of God's direction is. Other times I dwelled in the murky waters of confusion. In the end the answer was still as unclear as it was when my soul searching started.

At least I could see how God confirmed stuff through events that transpired. Even though a clear answer abstained from presenting itself, I actually feel more secure with the Lord and his calling on my life than before.

The two things that stood out was the reality that I belong to God and He didn't leave me to suffer on my own. In this I find comfort in the words of one our confessional creeds: "In life and death I do not belong to myself but to God" (Heidelberg Catechism Question 1). I also discovered that I should not think in black-and-white terminology at all. To use absolutes with God only amounts to limiting the scope of his wisdom and potential working in one's own life.

Even if it is a matter of going back to the game plan, one thing stays sure: God is already using his children where they are in their lives. One should stop looking for the things to come and more intentionally focus on the things at hand.

God stays in control and He takes his time to develop his plans for your life. I hope you also find solace in that thought.

JESUS IS THE ANSWER

This cartoon was found on the website, Reverendfun.

WHEN IT'S NOT OK TO BE OK

I recently read and reviewed John Shore's book, I'm OK You're Not, finding it thought-provoking and contributing to the discussion on evangelism. His publisher, however, started to disagree with the book's premises and subsequently decided to withdraw all copies of the book. Read how John experienced this sad state of affairs (originally available HERE):

For those who’ve been following a little exchange happening on my (pretentiousness alert!) Facebook fan page, below is the Quik-E version of the publishing saga of my book, I’m OK-You’re Not: The Message We’re Sending Nonbelievers and Why We Should Stop.

1. I have my conversion experience.

2. I get intensely interested in helping my non-/anti-Christian friends understand how it is that just because I suddenly became a Christian doesn’t mean I also suddenly became a homophobic, misogynistic, narrow-minded idiot.

3. I write my (awesome) Christian apologetic, Penguins, Pain and the Whole Shebang: Why I Do the Things I Do, by God (as told to John Shore).

4. Penguins (and you simply wouldn’t believe how much I’m skipping here) gets published by Seabury Books.

5. I find myself wanting to say to my new brothers and sisters in Christ, “Stop trying to turn non-Christians into Christians. It’s disrespectful, intrusive, doesn’t work, and isn’t even biblical.”

6. I write I’m OK-You’re Not.

7. NavPress buys I’m OK.

8. The week before the manuscript for I’m OK is due, almost everyone in both the editorial and marketing departments of NavPress walks off their job.

9. I’m OK gets published by what’s left of NavPress.

10. A three or four-person clique of hardcore fundamentalists begins attacking I’m OK (via, mainly, writing disparaging Amazon reviews about it), which also helps them attract attention to their struggling online business selling evangelical t-shirts and coffee mugs printed with slogans like “Die and Fry!”

11. Someone on the board of directors of The Navigators (which owns NavPress), comes through the offices of NavPress, spots a copy of I’m OK lying on a desk, and picks it up.

12. That person is severely displeased to learn that the publishing arm of the traditionally very evangelistic Navigators has published a book all about why Christians should stop evangelizing.

13. NavPress informs me that they’re going to pull all the copies of I’m OK back from book stores, remove all references to the book and me from their website, and literally burn all their remaining copies of I’m OK.

14. NavPress pulls all copies of I’m OK from bookstores, and removes me from their website.

15. I’m OK begins to sell.

16. Foreign rights to I’m OK get sold.

17. Despite publicly disavowing me, NavPress continues to fulfill orders for I’m OK.

18. I purchase from NavPress the remaining thousand or so copies left of of I’m OK, the final three boxes of which are right now in my garage.

19. In the past four days I sell, package, and ship thirty-five copies of I’m OK – You’re Not.

WHAT GIVES LIFE TO A SERMON?

I wouldn't claim to be the expert on preaching. I did, however, read quite a few books on the subject recently. Combined with my own weekly preaching experience, here then is my five cents' worth of input on what gives life to a sermon:

* A living sermon doesn't try and teach the whole Bible, but focus on the preacher's struggle with a single piece of text. Furthermore, the preacher incorporates the literary context of his/her chosen text into his sermon as far as possible.

* A living sermon reflects the preacher's faith struggle as he/she tries to come to terms with the challenge that preempted this sermon.

* A living sermon sticks to one point (go and read Andy Stanley's book on preaching or Chip and Dan Heath's on effective communication).

* A living sermon has illustrations from the life of the preacher and his/her congregation, and not only anecdotes taken from the Internet or other source.

* A living sermon is presented as narrative and not a lecture.

* A living sermon plays with humour.

* A living sermon speaks ordinary language.

* A living sermon also addresses the faith struggles the community of faith are trying to grapple with, and not only the preacher's.

* Finally, a living sermon has a narrative structure, moving from crisis to deployment to solution.

DO YOU HATE BORING SERMONS?

There is no excuse for a lifeless sermon. Although it remains a different matter to establish the criteria for lifeless sermons, I firmly believe in the vision that every preacher should engage in self-development to better his/her sermons.
After all, it is God's Word that is being proclaimed, fellow believers that are being built up in faith, and spiritual seekers that are helped with the potentially life-transforming images of God's kingdom on earth.

If you preach, I plead, commit yourself to become the best preacher you can be. Now get ruthlessly honest about where you currently are ... and change!

BRAZIL'S LINE-UP FOR SWC 2010

The Brazilian Soccer Squad for the SWC has just been named (I got the information on Sowetan's website). The big surprise is the omission of Ronaldinho - he is only a reserve. (BTW the picture is not of this squad. I lifted it from the internet to provide graphic enhancement to my post).

Goalkeepers – Julio Cesar (Inter/ITA), Doni (Roma/ITA) and Heurelho Gomes (Tottenham/ENG)

Defenders – Luisao (Benfica/POR), Lucio (Inter/ITA), Juan (Roma/ITA), Thiago Silva (AC Milan/ITA), Daniel Alves (Barcelona/ESP), Maicon (Inter/ITA), Michel Bastos (Lyon/FRA) and Gilberto (Cruzeiro)

Midfielders – Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos/GRE), Josue (Wolfsburg/GER), Elano (Galatasaray/TUR), Kaká (Real Madrid/ESP), Ramires (Benfica/POR), Felipe Melo (Juventus/ITA), Julio Baptista (Roma/ITA) and Kleberson (Flamengo)

Forwards – Luis Fabiano (Sevilla/ESP), Nilmar (Villarreal/ESP), Grafite (Wolfsburg/GER) and Robinho (Santos)

Reserves – Ronaldinho (AC Milan/ITA), Alex (Chelsea/ENG), Marcelo (Real Madrid/ESP), Carlos Eduardo (Hoffenheim/GER), Sandro (Internacional Porto Alegre), Diego Tardelli (Mineiro) and Paulo Ganso (Santos)

I JUST DISCOVERED A REALLY IMPORTANT LANGUAGE LESSON

I came across the website, The Oatmeal. They shared the following insightful lessons on the English language. After reading the lame Facebook updates as reposted by Lamebook, I will definitely take their advice to heart!












By the way, I actually passed their Twitter spelling test:

Created by Oatmeal

ARE YOU A POST-THEIST?

Yesterday, I tweeted a status update that appeared on my Facebook profile. The update sparked quite a discussion and I want to share it with you. Please feel free to participate in the conversation. Unfortunately, some of the remakrs are in Afrikaans, but I think you'll be able to follow the general train of thought.

The ability to discern God's will is not an exercise in piousness or crisis management but a conscious decision to stay close to God's heart

PB1: God's heart follows our heart. Stay close to your heart.

GS: Hi Paul, thanks for the remark. I differ from you, however. The Bible teaches that we must search for God's will and see his heart. It is not the same as my own heart.

PB2: Discernment is a difficult word, it implies we know where God is going, what is wrong and right. My opinion is that the most we can do as Christians is to hold on to Gods hand. Take responsibility for our decisions and love God. If I have to follow my own hart I usually go in the wrong direction.

PB1: As God sy wil aan ons bekend moet maak, hoekom sukkel dit so? Luister ons nie? Of sukkel Hy om te vertel? OF, is die storie heel anders as wat ons geleer is? Is "GOD" dalk anders as wat ons dink? As Post-Theis sukkel ek om al die nonsens te glo wat ons geleer is. Dit is kinderspeletjies. Die mens, ADAM (wat later Christus was), is verantwoordelik vir sy eie dade, drome en wil. God groei deur die belewenis van die mens - die Christus - die Woord - die Lig. Dit is hoe HY/SY ervaar en groei.

PB1: If you cannot follow your heart, then maybe it is time to give it to God - or maybe not. Why does God need my heart? Why does my heart need God. Is it not one and the same thing? Just wondering

PB1: And then the next question. Who is God? And, what is God? ...mmmm... And God became flesh? I have a great document on the evolution of Adam to Jesus. Makes you think. Cool stuff.

PB1: The "sermon on the mount" is almost word-for-word a teaching the Budha gave 750 years before Christ. The prayer (Our father which art in heaven...) that Jesus taught his deciples is an old Indian prayer - at least 2000 years older than Jesus. Where did Jesus spend his 18 missing years? It's easy. Google "missing years of Jesus" Interesting stuff. Maybe what we have been taught is only half the truth. Truth is simple. What is your truth? THAT IS THE TRUTH

JM: Post teistic christian? What is that? Is that christian at all? Is it possible to tell us what you believe Paul?

QH: @Paul: Duidelik ken jy die midde Ooste se gesk nie. Boeda was so ver verwyderd van Israel en hulle tradisies soos my kat van Ysland!!! Bestudeer miskien die bronne van die omgewing , beter gaan besoek Israel en vergewis jou van die feite . - Lees ook erkende nagevorsde historiese bronne.

JlR: I disagree Paul - with all respect to your beliefs. I have some years formal study of the Bible behind me and we never heard of this, which means that it wasn't accepted as scientifically probable. Of course there is general truth and wisdom everywhere and I accept that the Buddha taught many wise things, which would overlap with what Jesus taught, however that doesn't conclude that Jesus learned it there. Earliest Christian tradition does not know about it - and places Jesus in his family life setting. All of the best!

GB: Vir die verband tussen Jesus en Buddah, sien ten minste Marcus Borg se Jesus & Buddah en Eben Scheffler se artikel in die bundel Eksperimentele Teologie. Skrywers soos Karen Armstrong se popularisering van ander navorsers se werk help al hoe meer mense om die breë lyne tussen godsdiensbeoefenaars oor die millenia heen raak te sien. Ek dink die challenge is oa om Jesus met integriteit te volg. Go for it!