NEW YEAR'S WISHES

DOES EPHESIANS 6:18 REFER TO SPEAKING IN TONGUES WHEN A PERSON IS PRAYING?

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a repost from a comment in 2009 with the question posed being used as title. I always intended it to become a post, but never took the time.

In the broader context of Ephesians Eph 6:18 cannot be safely interpreted as referring to speaking in tongues. First of all, Paul nowhere in this letter made any reference to glossolalia - as it was practiced in Cortinhians. Secondly, as his frequently referred to prayer in this letter (Eph 1, Eph 3, and here), always using the Greek phrases associated with "ordinary" prayer, there is no way of seeing Eph 6:18 as a reference to speaking in tongues. If somebody intentionally reads something into a text from another part of the Bible or from a presupposed understanding of Biblical practices based on his/her own dogma (e.g. praying = speaking in tongues), and this isn't obviously reflected in the initial text, he/she is seriously abusing Scripture.

Finally, to pray in the Spirit (Eph 6:18) doesn't refer to the same argument that Paul put forth in 1 Corinthians 14 - where the idea to pray in the Spirit originally comes from. There, he explained that the practice of speaking tongues is actually speaking mysteries to God in the Spirit. In Ephesians 6:18 Paul connects praying in the Spirit to making supplication for the saints, or fellow-believers. He was thinking along ordinary lines here, wanting the Ephesians to trust the Spirit to guide their intersessory prayers for other Christians who suffer because of the work of the devil, or who is active in ministry proclaiming the gospel.

One should be careful to construe "praying in the Spirit" as a technical reference to praying in tongues, as this practices only occurred in Corinth and it resulted in the Corinthians thinking they are spiritually superior to fellow believers who did not practice glossolalia.

Insight: Which movies made Box Office Magic in 2010?

Photo: AFP

Animated films and 3D were the winning combination at the box office in 2010 around the world, according to figures released by Box Office Mojo after the final weekend of 2010.

Sequels of successful franchises rounded out the top-earning films, as Harry Potter draws near to a close, and Toy Story and Shrek end their runs with this year's sequels.

With or without Oscar nominations, the following films won at the box office, with Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland also joining the top ten all-time highest earning films:

1. Toy Story 3
The Pixar threequel in 3D and final installment of the animated franchise features Tom Hanks voicing Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. Worldwide: $1,063.1 million. US: $415 million and internationally: $648.1 million.

2. Alice in Wonderland
Tim Burton's 3D fanciful interpretation of the classic Lewis Carroll tale stars Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Mia Wasilowska as Alice, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway. Worldwide: $1,024.3 billion. US: $334.2 million and internationally: $690.1 million.

3. Inception
Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan also wrote this dream invasion story starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Marion Cotillard. Worldwide: $825.4 million. US: $292.5 million and internationally: $532.9 million.

4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
The penultimate sequel to the most successful franchise in film history is based on the first half of J.K. Rowling's final book in the series about the boy wizard. Worldwide: $824.1 million. US: $265.7 million and internationally: $558.4 million -- so far.

5. Shrek Forever After
The fourth and final installment of the animated Shrek franchise features the voice of Mike Myers as the giant green ogre, Eddie Murphy as Donkey and Antonio Banderas as Puss in Boots. Worldwide: $739.8 million. US: $238.5 million and internationally: $501.4 million.

6. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
The threequel of the blockbuster vampire romance franchise stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner, with one more book and a two-part film to go. Worldwide: $693.5 million. US: $300.5 million and internationally: $392.9 million.

7. Iron Man 2
Robert Downey Jr. stars in the title role of the sequel to this superhero hit, co-starring Mickey Rourke, Scarlett Johansson and Gwyneth Paltrow. Worldwide: $621.8 million. US $312.1 million and internationally: $309.6 million.

8. Despicable Me
In 3D, this super-villain animated tale features the voices of Steve Carell, Russell Brand and Jason Segel. Worldwide: $539.9 million. US: $250.5 million and internationally: $289.4 million

9. How to Train Your Dragon
This animated 3D story based on the Cressida Cowell books is set in a Viking world and tells of the misadventures of Hiccup. Features the voices of Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler and Jonah Hill. Worldwide total: $494.9 million. US: $217.6 million and internationally: $277.3 million.

10. Clash of the Titans
The mythic retelling of the Greek gods' journey through the underworld, in converted 3D, stars Liam Neeson as Zeus, Avatar's Sam Worthington as Perseus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. Worldwide total: $493.2 million. US: $163.2 million and internationally: $330 million.

Some films, beyond these ten, fared better internationally than in the US, including The Last Airbender, Robin Hood, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Prince of Persia.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  This article was originally published in The New Age and can be viewed HERE.

Holiday Hiatus

Season's Greetings! 

A Year's worth of statuses according to Facebook (Well, sort-of)

Insight: Understanding the Cape Doctor during summer

SOUTH EASTER


The South Easter, or better known as the Cape Doctor, blows mainly during the summer months and makes its first appearance during early spring during the months of August and September and usually lasts until late Summer and early autumn during the months of March and April.
The South-Easter is a fairweather or trade wind. It originates from the South Atlantic High (SAH) pressure system. The SAH moves further southwards in summer as the westerlies retreat polewards. The SAH then ridges south of the country and joins up with the South Indian High pressure system often forming a band of high pressure to the south of the country during summer. The SE wind varies in speed from 10 knots to about 70 knots (20-125 km/h) at times during gale-force wind events.
The South Easter's speed is directly proportional to the pressure gradient that exists between the SAH and the low pressure trough over the interior of South Africa. The diagram below shows the general summer circulation affecting the SW Cape.


Click to view a larger image. Air flows anti-clockwise around a high pressure and clockwise around a low pressure in the southern hemisphere so the resultant wind over CT in summer is mainly from the south east. When the interior trough (low pressure) moves westwards and is situated closer to CT and the SAH is stronger than usual then the pressure gradient will increase between the two systems and the windspeeds will increase dramatically over CT. The opposite is also true.
During extreme SE conditions windspeeds of up to 160km/h (100mph) have been measured in Table Bay ! Double-decker busses have been blown over, not mentioning the number of pedestrians hanging on to poles for dear life ! The SE wind is generally not a blustery wind such as the north wester and generally is fairly uniform in speed. It is most active in late spring during the month of November, when GALE-FORCE SE winds have been known to last for up to a week on end.
Before we continue, we need to understand what an inversion layer is.

DEEP SOUTH EASTER CONDITITONS

The weather of Cape Town varies on a basic 7-day cycle. During summer the SAH starts to ridge south of Cape Town and the SE wind will be fairly strong over the entire area, strongest along the coast. At this stage we have what is known as a DEEP SOUTH EASTER. The inversion layer occurs at a height greater than the height of Table Mountain, i.e. >1000m above the ground.


Click to view a larger image. You can see from the above diagram that the inversion is higher than Table Mountain and the wind is able to flow over the mountain. Under these deep SE conditions the wind will be fairly strong over the entire area with very few sheltered places. The well known "Table Cloth" (cloud) is usually present over the mountain during DEEP SE conditions. The SE wind is usually strongest over False Bay.
The map below shows that the strongest SE wind occurs along the SW coast and blows over the entire Peninsula. These cnditions usually last for about 1 to 4 days when a transition occurs to SHALLOW SE CONDITIONS described below.


Click to view a larger image.
SHALLOW SOUTH EASTER CONDITIONS

After 1 to 4 days of DEEP SE conditions the SAH ridges further south of the country and as it moves closer and closer to CT, the inversion layer also descends closer to the ground. The inversion layer is lowest in the centre of a high pressure, so it makes sense that as the ridging SAH moves closer to CT, the inversion layer drops lower and usually will drop lower than 1000m above sea-level. This means that the inversion layer is lower than the height of Table Mountain as seen in the diagram below.


Click to view a larger image. The inversion layer is also known as a "capping" layer. What this means is that it acts as a "ceiling" and will not allow the SE wind to blow OVER Table Mountain. In effect it is "squeezed" towards the surface by the inversion layer that is descending. Seeing that air is a fluid it behaves just like water in many respects and just as a river flows faster in a narrow channel and slower in a wider one, so too, the SE wind. Since the the inversion is now lower, the SE windspeeds up and this effect is most evident at Cape Point. Topographical forcing such as the "cornering effect" and the thermal capping (inversion layer) cause the SE wind to blast Cape Point and certain well-known areas of the Peninsula such as Hospital bend. Seeing that the wind can't go over the mountain, it has to go around it. This is why places such as Clifton along the Atlantic coastline can endure dead calm conditions, whereas on the otherside of the mountain, at the airport, winds in excess of 35knots, or GALE-FORCE are found.
Towards the end of the ridging process when the SAH has ridged well south of the country and the inversion layer is at it's lowest altitude, the various effects on the wind cause extremely strong winds at Cape Point and mostly calm conditions elsewhere in the Peninsula and SW Cape. A shallow NW return flow often is found from Clifton northwards to Table Bay under these conditions. It is usually also very hot as the wind has died down. Shallow SE conditions usually last from 1 to 3 days. Some cloud, usually stratus, may develop along the eastern flank of Table mountain as shown in the diagram above, but NO Table Cloth is present.


Click to view a larger image. The diagram above shows where the SE is the strongest during SHALLOW SE conditions. The return NW flow into Tabel Bay is evident as is the very strong SE wind at Cape Point which often reaches speeds of up to 100km/h at times in summer.

THE BLACK SOUTH EASTER

The Black South-Easter is a much misinterpreted phenomenon. It is refered to as a "BLACK" SE event when the SE wind is blowing, usually rather strongly, and it is raining at the same time. A Black SE usually is caused by a deep low pressure system over the SW Cape both in the upper air and on the surface and a very strong/intense SAH south of the country. The Laingsburg Floods and the Easter of 1994 are prime examples of Black South-easters in Cape Town. The tight pressure gradient between the systems cause the wind and the low pressure systems produce the rain. These Black SE events usually occur during spring and autumn, the months when the incidence of cut-off low pressure systems are high.
 
SEE ALSO: The Atmosphere and Weather of Southern Africa 


EDITOR'S NOTE: The article originally appeared HERE.

 

Insight: How English evolved into a global language

The Story of English, Programs 1-9 [VHS]

As the British Library charts the evolution of English in a new major exhibition, author Michael Rosen gives a brief history of a language that has grown to world domination with phrases such as "cool" and "go to it".

The need for an international language has always existed. In the past it was about religion and intellectual debate. With the technologies of today, it's about communicating with others anywhere in the world in a matter of moments.
Two events, separated by nearly 400 years, show how this need has always been present.
Firstly, sitting in front of me I have a copy of the celebrated book Utopia, by Sir Thomas More. This particular edition is published in 1629 in Amsterdam, not in English, not in Dutch, but in Latin.
The second event was a talk I recently had with a German scientist. He said that he knew of scientific conferences taking place in Germany, where all the people attending were German and yet the conference was conducted in English.
Pride
The Latin of this edition of Utopia was a written code, though its most accomplished users could adopt it to conduct intellectual and religious debate.

During the previous 1,300 years it had been the main language of the Western Christian tradition - the language of prayer, hymn, sacred texts and religious debate. It was also the language with which Renaissance scientists spoke to each other.

However, this hold on religious and intellectual minds was broken by the rise of national cultures. The peoples of the countries where Latin was being used, spoke their own languages and dialects.
Once these came to be written down, more and more people started to ask their churches and religious authorities to speak, write and deliver some, most, or all religion in those local languages.
Two of the most famous texts to come out of this was the King James Bible (soon to celebrate its 400th birthday) and Martin Luther's German Bible, from a little less than 100 years earlier than the King James.
Part of this process to establish the power and influence of these local languages was the effort to produce standardised forms for them, so that teachers, merchants, lawyers, ministers of religion and politicians could write to and for each other in ways that were instantly comprehensible.
This seemed then, and now, to require consistent ways of presenting the language on the page - spelling and punctuation - and consistent ways of delivering the grammar of the words and sentences.
As a result, standardised English writing became a powerful tool in the hands of government, church and school in asking the peoples of the British Isles to see themselves as one.
Esperanto
But nation went on speaking to nation in peace, war, trade, migration, religion and the world of ideas. A lot of effort went into the production of foreign language dictionaries, grammars and translations of important, or the most interesting books.

Throughout this time one of the most significant events in the history of world languages was happening: English-speaking soldiers, sailors and colonisers were travelling to, and settling in countries right the way across the globe.

Only in the places that either kept their independence or where the Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Dutch had done the same, was English not spoken.
If the 20th Century can be described as a savage flowering of the demands of nationalism - including pride in national languages and literature - it also saw the rise of utopian dreams about international co-operation as seen first by the League of Nations and then the United Nations.
However, in these places it wasn't so much that nation spoke unto nation, as interpreter spoke unto interpreter. In response, inventors of international languages tried to bring about world peace with their inventions, the most famous of which is Esperanto. It didn't catch on sufficiently for the world's politicians to need or want to learn it.
Slowly, another international language emerged, spoken by diplomats, scientists, artists, business people and many more. Benefiting from the legacy of the British Empire, and the rise in influence of the most powerful member of that Empire - the USA - English (or kinds of English) is being spoken all over the globe.

In truth, they speak what the linguist David Crystal calls "Englishes", though some ways of talking are what have been called "creoles", "pidgins" and "patois". I was watching an Austrian pop music channel recently and the comments and ads were in an Anglo-German Creole whose core was German, but which was full of "go to it", "cool", "be there" and the like.

Most of this has gone on without direction from governments. The technologies of telephones, radio, TV, records, CDs, mobile phones and the internet have enabled most people in the world to get access to each other's language in a matter of moments.
Through these channels, millions of young people across the world have grown to like the sounds produced by English-speaking bands. Sub-titled films from Hollywood have given millions of non-English speakers the chance to imitate James Cagney, Marilyn Monroe, Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford.
But will it last? Perhaps in 100 years, the world's population will have come to love the subtleties and beauty of one or both of the standard Chinese languages - Mandarin and Cantonese. We just don't know.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

This article was orginally published on the website of the BBC and can be read HERE.

My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard

-David Allen

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

AFRIKAANS: A Day of the Vow Sermon

Die Oorwinnaar - Geloftediens 2010

deur Johan van der Merwe

Skriflesing: Eks. 15:1-21; Ps. 136:10-16

Sedert die 1970’s bevraagteken historici omtrent elke aspek van die 1838 gelofte – veral t o v die bewoording daarvan. Wat is oorspronklik belowe en wat is later bygevoeg? Daar is ‘n moontlikheid dat wyle prof. GBA Gerdener, wat die bewoording van die gelofte glo by die sterwende Sarel Cilliers gekry het, dit [veral stilisties?] aangepas het en toe vir die eerste keer gepubliseer het. Met ons huidige kennis is dit nie moontlik om met sekerheid te sê of en [indien wel] in watter mate die weergawe wat ons vandag ken inhoudelik verskil van die gelofte wat die Trekkers voor die Slag van Bloedrivier gemaak het nie.

Indien daar wel met verloop van tyd hier en daar tot die oorspronklike gelofte iets bygevoeg is, is dit nie so uniek nie. Dit het bv ook gebeur met die teks van Eks. 15. Geleerdes reken vandag dat dit goed moontlik is dat Mirjam se lied direk na die deurtog deur die Rietsee gesing is in die woorde wat ons in Eks. 15:21 het. Maar Moses se lied [15:1-18] ter ere van die Here as Krygsgod toon sterk tekens van bewerking oor die loop van baie jare. Ons lees immers daar van die Filistyne, Edomiete en Moabiete – en met hulle sou Israel eers lank nadat hulle die Rietsee deur is kennis maak. So ook sing Moses se lied in die vorm waarin dit vir ons behoue gebly het al reeds van hoe God sy volk [in die beloofde land] ingebring en geplant het by die berg waar ‘n plek van aanbidding opgerig sou word. Hierdie uitbreiding van Moses se lied is gedoen deur mense uit waarskylik opeenvolgende geslagte wat die oorspronklike lied vir hulself toegeëien en in die lig van hul veranderde omstandighede nuut vertolk het. Die gelofte van Bloedrivier kon ‘n dergelike proses deurloop het.

In  die lig van wat ons vandag weet, dink ek kan ons aanvaar dat minstens die volgende histories waar is i v m die Slag van Bloedrivier,  die gelofte wat dit voorafgegaan het en die rol wat dit mettertyd in Suid-Afrika gespeel het.

• Ná die bloedige, verraderlike aanvalle op trekkerlaers: groot benoudheid onder die Trekkers in Natal..
• ‘n  Sterk oortuiging dat Dingaan militêr aangevat moes word.
• As godsdienstige Christene het die lede v/d strafekspedisie hul tot God gewend.
• ‘n Gelofte is gemaak dat as Hy hulle sou laat oorwin, hulle Hom sou dank en openlik eer.
• Hoewel hulle getalsgewys in ‘n bitter swak posisie teenoor die Zoeloes was, was die Trekkers en hul helpers militêr taamlik goed toegerus en het hulle ‘n knap strategie vir die omstandighede gevolg.
• ‘n Klinkende oorwinning is oor Dingaan se magte behaal. Dit is in die Trekker-gemeenskappe beleef as God se genadige beskikking.
• ‘n Gemakliker verhouding met die Zoeloes sou later volg, veral nadat Dingaan se mag met behulp van sy halfbroer finaal gebreek is.
• Hoewel daar in die jare ná die Slag van Bloedrivier aanvanklik min sprake was van ‘n viering van Geloftedag, het dit mettertyd al meer aandag gekry en het dit in Afrikanergeledere ontwikkel tot ‘n belangrike feesdag. Daar het ‘n tendens ontwikkel om o a op grond van die gelofte van Bloedrivier aanspraak daarop te maak dat die Afrikaners as groep in ‘n besondere verhouding tot God staan en ‘n besondere roeping van Hom ontvang het. Hierdie siening sou ‘n rol speel in die regverdiging van die latere beleid van Afsonderlike Ontwikkeling, oftewel Apartheid.
• Predikante het ook deur die jare op Geloftedag dikwels krities gestaan teenoor die onbevredigende en gebrekkige wyse waar hul volksgenote dankbaarheid en toewyding aan God uitgeleef het. Hul prediking op hierdie dag is egter nie gekenmerk deur Bybelse kritiek op die beleid van Apartheid nie.

Die tradisie van die uittog uit Egipte en die wonder by die Rietsee het ‘n besonder belangrike gespeel dwarsdeur die geskiedenis van Israel. Telkens ondervind Israel en individue dat die Here ‘n deeglik beproefde Helper en Redder in benoudhede is. So verkondig ‘n onbekende profeet tydens die ballingskap dat die Here as Redder-Krygsman op pad is om sy volk uit Babel te kom bevry en huis toe te neem [Jes. 42:13]. Mense kan egter ook nie bloot veronderstel dat Hy by hulle is en hulle vanselfsprekend sal help nie. Daarby spreek die profete dikwels met verwysing na die Uittog skerp sosiaal-politieke kritiek op veral die konings, ander maghebbers en rykes in Israel uit.

In die Nuwe Testament lees ons dat die engel vir Josef opdrag gee om die Kindjie Jesus [Jeshua = die Here red] te noem. En in haar loflied besing Maria die God van Israel wat in hierdie Kindjie kom om maghebbers van hul trone af te ruk en geringes te verhoog, rykes met leë hande weg te stuur en armes met die goeie te oorlaai. Op grond van wat sy van die God van die Uittog glo en dit wat deur ‘n engel aan haar meegedeel is,  prys Maria dus die Here omdat ‘n nuwe sosiale orde deur die Jesus-Kind kragtig ingevoer sal word. In Hom herken sy die goddelike Krygsman wat nie teen mense oorlog voer nie, maar wel teen onreg en onderdrukking. In die boek Openbaring sien Johannes die verheerlikte Christus as God se Krygsman wat die Bose finaal oorwin [19:11 e.v.] en in hoofstuk 15 van dieselfde boek sing die volgelinge van Christus die lied van Moses uit Eks. 15.

Christos Pantokrator.
Ikoon, Sinai-klooster 5de / 6de eeu.

Wat ook uit die Bybel blyk, is dat God in niemand se diens staan nie. Hy is nie beskikbaar om vir Israel of vir wit / swart mense in Suid-Afrika ‘n ryk van hul eie te bou nie. Hy is die ontembare Kryger met sy eie agenda, nl. om sy koninkryk te laat kom = om ‘n mensvriendelike wêreld waarin geregtigheid woon te bou. Geseënd is elkeen wat aan hierdie God se kant staan. Maar wee jou as jy teenoor Hom stelling inneem.

Om aan God se kant te staan, hou in dat jy staan waar Hy staan: dit is in diens van geregtigheid en dus by die armes en die verdruktes, by die hulpeloses.

Belangrik om te onthou, is dat die onderdrukte wat deur Gods genade bevryding beleef, daarna alte maklik self ‘n onderdrukker kan word. Israel het lofliedere gesing nadat hulle droogvoets deur die Rietsee gestap het. Maar hulle het Egipte in hul harte saamgeneem en in die beloofde land het hulle hul eie sosiale sisteem van verdrukkers en verdruktes ontwikkel. Toe die Spaanse Armada, die magtige en skynbare onoorwinlike Spaanse vloot, in die 16de eeu uitgevaar het om Engeland binne te val, is bidure dwarsoor Engeland gehou en God om genade gesmeek. Weer eens [soos by Bloedrivier] is daar slim en dapper aan Engelse kant teen die Spaanse oormag geveg, ook met Nederlandse ondersteuning. ‘n Beslissende faktor daarby was die storm wat uitgebreek het en die Spaanse skepe op die rotsagtige kus van die Britse Eilande gejaag het. Ná die oorwinning is daar gedenkmunte in Engeland geslaan met as inskripsie die woorde van Eks. 15:10 – “U laat u wind oor hulle waai: die see oordek hulle, hulle sink soos lood in die magtige waters.” Hierdie oorwinning het die weg gebaan vir Engeland en Nederland om oorsese kolonies te vestig [en gaandeweg self die rol van onderdrukker te vervul].

In Suid-Afrika het die wit heersers die verantwoordelikheid aanvaar om [sogenaamd] die swart onmondiges tot mondigheid te lei, maar in die proses het hulle die vryheid en menseregte van mense met ‘n ander velkleur as hulself geskend. Gedurende die jare van die Struggle het kerkleiers soos aartsbiskop Desmond Tutu en dr. Allan Boesak baie moeite gedoen om diegene sonder stemreg in ons land te help om die Suid-Afrikaanse regering met die farao van Eksodus 3-15 te identifiseer en hulself as die onderdrukte Godsvolk te sien. Boesak was onthuts toe hy agterkom dat, vergeleke met die Amerikaanse negro spirituals, die Sionsgesange van die N G Sendingkerk maar sleg afgesteek het, omdat die wit sendelinge die liedere so gekeur het dat daar volop gesing is oor vroom verlange na God, maar niks gerep is van die versugting na sosiaal-maatskaplike en poitieke vryheid nie. Dit het hy dan probeer regstel deur vir sy eie gemeente liedere te skryf waarin lg. versugting ‘n regmatige plek gekry het.

In 1994 het vollediger demokrasie as ooit tevore ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse ervaring vir almal geword. Net soos met Bloedrivier in 1838 kan ons iets van God se genadige beskikking hierin herken. Hy het vir almal in Suid-Afrika ‘n deur na ‘n nuwe en beter toekoms oopgemaak. Die huidige Suid-Afrikaanse regering word egter – by al die goeie wat hulle wel ook reeds vermag het - met reg ernstig verkwalik vir onverstandige regering, swak bestuur en selfverryking onder mnisters, departementshoofde en so meer. En die swakkes en geringes, die armes en hulpeloses van ons land is nogmaals diegene wat aan die kortste ent trek. Hulle geroep tot die God van Eks. 15 sal nie tevergeefs wees nie.


Wat maak ons nou met die gelofte van 1838? Ons sien met waardering opnuut die kerninhoud daarvan raak. Ons gaan met die nood van ons land na Hom toe en pleit om sy hulp en genade. Ons is veral ook sensitief vir die selfsug, korrupsie en ander lelike goggas wat in onsself wegkruip. Ons reik die hand van vriendskap, aanvaarding en samewerking na almal wat saam met ons in hierdie land lewe. Ons skaar onsself saam met almal wat God liefhet aan die kant van die waarheid, liefde en geregtigheid vir alle mense soos wat ons dit in Jesus Christus leer ken het. En deur sy krag en genade, met inset van al ons energie, kundigheid en talente, stry ons vir die koms van ‘n regverdige, mensvriendelike Suid-Afrika. Tot verheerliking van God.

Johan van der Merwe                                                                           George. 16 Desember 2010


Na afloop van die preek het ek die gelofte voorgelees en die [klein klompie] aanwesiges genooi om, as hulle so voel, hulself daarmee te identifiseer, ooreenkomstig met hul eie verstaan daarvan in die omstandighede van vandag.

Pompeii skeletons reveal secrets of Roman family life

This article is written by Mary Beard and taken over from BBC News.

The remains of the Roman town of Pompeii destroyed by a volcanic eruption in AD79 continue to provide intriguing and unexpected insights into Roman life - from diet and health care to the gap between rich and poor.

The basement storeroom under a large agricultural depot in the little suburb of Oplontis was full of pomegranates. To many of the Pompeiians trying to find shelter from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, it must have seemed strong and safe.
About 50 people took cover there. We know they did because archaeologists in the 1980s found their skeletons, well preserved.
They were overwhelmed by the volcanic debris and burning gases in the very place where they hoped they would be saved.
We know how these poor people died and we know what killed them. But these skeletons can also tell us fascinating things about how the people in Pompeii actually lived.
There are some very simple surprises.
Syphilis For a start, we often imagine that the Romans, or anyone in the past for that matter, were all much shorter than we are. Well, not so these people.
In fact, on average, they are taller than the population of modern Naples.
We also imagine that the Romans would have died young. Again, this is another myth - as these skeletons show. There are plenty of middle-aged to elderly people among them.

 
The AD79 eruption of Vesuvius lasted for over 24 hours and caught the population utterly unprepared

The truth is that childhood was the really dangerous time. All kinds of illnesses that we now vaccinate against or can easily cure with antibiotics were devastating killers.
Only half the population would have made it to the age of 10. But if you got that far, you could look forward to a reasonable life expectancy in our terms.
Interestingly, infectious diseases leave tell-tale marks and lines in the enamel of children's teeth. Many of the skeletons in the cellar show these - a visual history of the illnesses these people had survived.
There are some more curious - and startling - discoveries too.
The skeletons of a pair of twins show what were almost certainly the signs of congenital syphilis. If that is correct, then it puts paid to the usual idea that the disease was brought back to Europe from the New World by Christopher Columbus and his sailors in the 15th Century.
Strong family That is interesting in itself - we are going to have to stop blaming Columbus, or the Americans, for syphilis.
But the discovery tells us even more about ancient Roman society and Roman families than you might think as Fabian Kanz, the anthropologist from Vienna who examined the bones, points out.
A pair of children with congenital syphilis would need a lot of care and a lot of nursing, he explains.

Pompeii has provided richer finds for archaeologists than any other Roman site

The simple fact that they survived shows something about the support networks of the Roman world. There were families who were willing and able to devote time, attention and skill to looking after a pair of very sick offspring.
But these 54 skeletons reveal other sides of Roman society too.
As soon as they were unearthed, archaeologists realised that they were in two groups. One lot, on one side of the room, were found with nothing - they were just bodies, with no possessions found with them at all.
The others, on the other side of the room, died with cash, gold and jewels and all kinds of precious objects.

One of these skeletons was discovered with almost the largest amount of money found in one place anywhere in Pompeii. Not a vast fortune in terms of the richest plutocrats from the capital city of Rome itself - Pompeii was a small town remember - but it was someone's very substantial life-savings.

So how do we explain these two groups? Well, archaeology is not an exact science.
It could be that those found without anything were those that had just panicked and ran, and those with the riches had made a more planned getaway.
Or, maybe, that group were criminals, who had done some looting on their way out of Pompeii to Oplontis.
We cannot know for certain. But the likelihood is that we are dealing with a group of the poor with no possessions and of the rich who had jewels and cash.
'Marvellous' diet It is interesting to see if we can spot differences in the skeletons. Is one group obviously less well nourished? Is one group shorter? The answer is no. 

Food waste found in the cesspit:

• Dormice
• Snails
• Fig
• Olives
• Grapes and pears
• Walnuts
• Seeds such as coriander and fennel
• Fish and sea urchins
• Beans
• Chicken
• Eggs
• Opium poppy (which may have been mixed in with bread and other foods)

Exploring the archaeology of the town of Pompeii and the surrounding area gives us an idea what life was like for rich and poor.
One conclusion, if you exclude the destitute who had no support networks at all, is that both rich and poor in Pompeii had a decent diet. True, the rich may have had more elaborate dining rooms, but the poor ate decently too.
How do we know? The contents of a cesspit which collected the waste from the lavatories of a block of modest flats in Herculaneum - the next-door town to Pompeii - show that the ordinary people in this block were eating a marvellous diet, from sea urchins to nuts and figs, eggs and chicken.
And, as Andrew Wallace-Hadrill - who excavated this cesspit - agrees, you do not get closer to the Roman world than in its excrement.

GUEST POST: Get Thee Behind Me, Santa!

You can read the author's original post HERE.

Don’t we Christians desire Christ be the focus of Christmas? And doesn’t everyone else want the primary personality of the Christmas season to be Santa Claus?
And doesn’t that make Santa Claus the anti-Christ?
Ho, ho, ho, indeed!
The gall of the Dark Prince pretending to be jolly!
Santa really being Satan certainly explains a lot. The red suit, for one. And also the flying reindeer. Remember how scary the flying monkeys were in The Wizard of Oz? Clearly, making mammals fly is an earmark of the deeply malevolent. And what would you rather have flying in the air above you—a 50-pound monkey, or a 500-pound reindeer? That wide-brimmed hat the Wicked Witch of the West wears might protect her from monkey droppings, but is it really going to help against a team of reindeer flying overhead?
Clearly, Santa is uber-evil.
And what about those elves? Please. An elf is just a gnome with better PR. And everyone knows that gnomes are deviants who thrill at creating havoc. I used to live in a house in the woods that became infested with gnomes. Believe me, that is not something you want to happen. And if it ever does happen to a place you’re living, do not use Gnome Motel. That product is useless. Those little creeps built on to the Gnome Motel we left out for them. They put in a little jacuzzi, and a deck. The workmanship was awful. And it led to all these little airplane-size booze bottles being scattered all around the place.
Terrible. We finally had to call in a pack of mad rottweilers.
Boy. Talk about getting the job done.
Anyway, the point is that Santa is Satan. Look how close their names are! And Santa/Satan isn’t the only diabolic anagram going on with Mr. Red Nose’s name, either. Rearrange the letters spelling “Saint Nick,” and what do you get? That’s right: sick taint. And Kris Kringle? Try Sir Grinlekk—which totally sounds like it could be the name of one of Harry Potter’s wicked wizards, doesn’t it? So I think that settles it.
Santa Claus. Satan’s cause. Satan’s claws. I mean, come on. It’s not even subtle.
Plus, everyone knows that the Devil’s whole thing is to make people believe the opposite of the truth. And, as we all know, Hades is about as far south as south gets. So where does “Santa” live? But of course: as far north as north gets.

Pffhhht. Any child is trickier.
Speaking of children, do I even need to mention how wrong it is to teach our children to associate getting great things for free with breaking and entering? How long is it before any Christmas-inculcated kid with any initiative at all thinks to himself, “Hmm. Santa goes down the chimneys while people are asleep. I could go through windows while people are on vacation. Why shouldn’t every day be Christmas for me?”
The Christmas season is upon us. Let us become ever more vigilant against the evil that tries to distract us from its true meaning. Christmas is about celebrating the incarnation of God—period. And that is why I, for one, will be prepared throughout this entire Christmas season to at any given moment stand straight, point accusingly, and cry at the top of my lungs, “Get thee behind me, Santa!”
I’ll let you know how that goes.

If money is your hope for independence you will never have it

~ Henry Ford

A Christmas To Remember

This is a first-person account from a mother about her family as they ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small restaurant many miles from their home. Nancy, the mother, relates:

We were the only family with children in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a toothless grin. He wriggled and giggled with merriment.

I looked around and saw the source of his merriment. It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His whiskers were too short to be called a beard and nose was so varicose it looked like a road map.

We were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled. His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there, baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said to Erik.

My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?" Erik continued to laugh and answer, ""Hi, hi there." Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a nuisance with my beautiful baby.

Our meal came and the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey, look, he knows peek-a-boo."

Nobody thought he old man was cute. He was obviously drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn, reciprocated with his cute comments.

We finally got through the meal and headed for the door. My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up, position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled himself from my arms to the man's.

Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love relationship. Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain and hard labor - gently, so gently cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back.

No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his eyes opened and set squarely on mine. He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby." Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain. I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless you ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."

I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God, forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love shown through the innocence of a tiny child who saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.

I was a Christian who was blind, holding a child who was not. I felt it was God asking --"Are you willing to share your son for a moment?", when He shared His son for all eternity.

The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me, "To enter the Kingdom of God, we must become as little children."


Author Unknown

AFRIKAANS POETRY: Die Burp

Julle moet oppas!
Daar is 'n Burp in die vertrek
en hy wag net om in ons ore te kom vrek.
Die ou ding is ‘n regte nare bas

wat om die hoek gesluip kom om op ons te kom skreeu.
My pa sê hy kruip seker agter die wasbak weg -
en daarom is sy maniere so verskriklik sleg -
van waar hy uit gaan klim soos ‘n honger wyfieleeu.

Nou die aand, 'wyl ons nog so toe-oog sit na aandete,
kom blaas hy sowaar sy brul tussen ons kinders in!
En hy't sy tyd al-te-goed gekies! Tussen die laaste sin
van Pa se dankgebed en sy Amen, wat (na my wete)

'n slegte tyd is vir enige ongewone ding,
bons die Burp onverwags na vore en
(druk nou net eers toe jou ore!)
BULDER hy dit bloedstollend uit toe hy op ons kom spring.

My Pa glo steeds die Burp bly onder in die wasbak,
maar my Ma sê dis sommer twak.
Die Burp bly eintlik in Pa se maag,
want dis al die gaskoeldrank wat so aan hom bly knaag!

Beware the Ugly Typo's

How Solomon did it

Are you looking out for Number One?

I adore Calvin and Hobbes, even before they were available electronically. I bought all the books. I quoted them. They were my best friends.

And they make for good theology. In real life, Number 1 is oneself. In God's economy Number 1 is God and the advancement of his Kingdom. Perhaps Calvin didn't know the profoundness of his statement, or perhaps he did?

How necessary are Confessional Creeds?

One of my Facebook friends castigated me not long ago. It was in reaction to a letter a minister from the URCSA wrote about the Confession of Belhar. I reposted this letter on my FB profile and summarised his three major points.

To this, my FB friend reacted, stating that people don't care about confessional creeds and debates about that anymore. We should care, instead, about the church doing her job. His statement received reaction from another FB friend, this time a lecturer at a university, and also a URCSA minister, Reggie Nel. He replied that everybody calling him/herself a Christian believes in something, that is why a confession is important.

Reggie, of course, is correct.

Whenever I turn on the radio to one of our local gospel stations, and they broadcast a sermon from a megachurch pastor, I hear systematic theology being presented application style: Who I am I in Christ? What does it mean to conquer sin?

Even the guy who made the DVD about cleaning your house (i.e. throw out everything that vaguely resembles something demonic), falls back on a theology of the devil (albeit not derived from Biblical Scripture but his own fundamentalist interpretation there-of) that reflects his belief system.

What I do agree to with my first FB friend, is that the days of theoretically debating the correct clauses of a confessional creed's wording, or the dogmatic generalisations of said creed, are over.

We need a practical confession, helping us to understand our calling in Christ, our calling on earth and the parameters to interpret the Bible for practical Christian living as part of our understanding of our calling. We do not need a philosophical approach to the confessional creeds anymore, but a missional one.

We need to revisit our creeds to see how they can guide us to live our testimony towards God's grace on earth. Without a clear understanding of why we are to do the job of the church, we will float from one teacher to another in search of the next hype in practical Christian living, falling for revelations and ministries of power that doesn't even start to scratch the surface of the Bible.